Carl’s Comments

August is a huge month for this community.  We are trying something that hasn’t been popular for years.  We are having a city-wide revival.  The Skit Guys were here last year, and I was so impressed by how well they held the attention of the audience.  They delivered laugh after laugh, and then they presented a gospel story so that every person listened intently.  They held that audience in such a way that I actually thought of Peter preaching for hours and people not nodding off.  Revivals are a thing of the past.  It seems that when Billy Graham died, the desire for evangelical preaching died as well.  The Bible makes it clear that in the last days people will want their ears tickled and not accept sound doctrine.  I think that we are in those days.  Put August 13th and 14th on your calendar.

     As elders, we have been praying for revival for several years.  I can remember shortly after we came here, I was told that they had a city-wide revival and brought in a preacher from California.  Vernon Vogel was saved at that revival.  Madelyn would always say that we needed another uplifting speaker to come to Marion.  I actually wanted a young man named David Ring.  We had him come to Dighton and people were saved.  I called David because he was the preacher when I was saved years ago in a college gymnasium.  He has M. S. and he was so powerful.  When I talked to him, JoAnn and I quickly realized that we just could not grasp what he was saying.  His MS has gotten so bad that he would be just too difficult for others to understand.  So I remembered the Skit Guys, and I realized that they are both pastors.  They know how to present the gospel, especially to our young people. 

      At our Ministerial Alliance meeting several months ago, Jeremiah told us that we need to have a marriage enrichment for young couples.  He asked me to see what I could find.  I called KJIL and Mark immediately told me about a couple that do the retreats.  On the Saturday before the revival this couple will be bringing their ministry skills to Marion.  If you know of a couple that could use a bit of help with their marriage, Please let me know so I can get them signed up.  We will be really busy on that weekend, but I am just thankful that we have a Weekend to Remember coming up.  God bless you.

Carl