We have a bi-monthly newsletter that is sent out into many prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, as well as homes all across the United States.
Our newsletter is ten pages and includes stories, Bible trivia, poems written by inmates, Bible studies,prayer requests, praise reports, and the word search and crossword puzzles are geared from the Bible study that month. It reinforces the Bible study for that month. Every issue includes the way to salvation as well as the Covenant in the Blood. This newsletter is very effective tool that reach out to those who are feeling lonely and abandon as well as those who need encouraged by the Word of God. It has a little something for everyone.
We send these newsletters out bi-monthly free of charge to inmates and nursing homes. If you can help us send out more of our newsletters please go to donations. If you are unable to send in a donation to further our newsletter, please keep us in your prayers as we continue to reach out and encourage those in the Lord.
January / February 2010
I AM The New Year
I am the New Year! I am an empty page in the book of your life. What is written on that page will be determined by how you live this year.
I am the New Year! I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the past twelve months.
I am the New Year! I am ten thousand and eighty hours. What you do with these hours will determine, to a large extent, how productive and meaningful your life becomes.
I am the New Year! Last year’s mistakes were excruciatingly painful. But they are behind you. Receive God’s forgiveness and move on. You don’t need to make the same mistakes again.
I am the New Year! All that you dreamed last year, but didn’t dare to do; all that you hoped for, but didn’t work for; all the faith that you claimed but did not possess --- these slumber lightly in your heart and mind, waiting to be awakened by the touch of commitment and strong purpose.
I am the New Year! Last year’s victories were exciting. But that was last year. For this new year God has new victories! And they will be bigger victories than you’??ve ever experienced before.
I am the New Year! I am your opportunity to love your spouse like Jesus wants you to love. Now’s a good time to evaluate and strengthen the quality of your relationship.
I am the New Year! Why not commit at least 365 hours in the next twelve months to spiritualgrowth. As you read and study the Bible, God’s Word will light yourpath to keep you from stumbling.
I am the New Year! Set goals that will stretch you and make plans that will challenge you. That’s how you grow.
I am the New Year! This is the perfect time to renew your commitment to the Jesus Christ who specializes in "fresh starts" and "new beginnings."??
I am the New Year! And with the new year comes new grace!
Everyday is a New Day in Christ. Everyday is a New Beginning in Him. Once we have asked for forgiveness and have repented of our sins we have a fresh start, we have become a new and different person in Christ. Have you asked Jesus for this New beginning today? Please do not wait for tomorrow to come. Do not put it off another day, as you may not have another day. Life is meant to be lived. We all have sinned and fallen so short of His mercy and grace. In His eyes, sin is sin. There is no small sin or greater sin, as it is all the same to God. Become a new creation in Him. Begin this New day by building a new relationship with Jesus.
Inside Agape
Praise the Lord for your faithfulness! We would like to share with you that because of your sacrificial giving, we were able to reach out to 53 families for Thanksgiving. These are many single mothers that would like to say; "Thank You and may God bless you for helping us give our children a Thanksgiving meal".
Mark and I was talking about the many families over the years that we had help in different ways. The strange thing that appeared to us is that after we help that family out, they seem to move on. It seems like every new year God brings new families into our lives. Every New Year God also brings new challenges our way as well. We continue to grow in new ways every year. I can tell you that it is never the same year after year.
As the New Year is upon us, please keep us in your prayers. All of us have new opportunities everyday if we choose to look for them. Gods Word teaches us that God ordains the steps of the righteous. He brings people into our path all the time for different reasons. I would say that a lot of times we are so busy that we miss opportunities to minister to those who God brings into our lives. Some maybe in need of encouragement and others in need of prayer. The list can go on...... as others may be in need of friend, a good listener, or whatever the need maybe.
This New Year we would like to challenge you to pray about someone that God brings into your life or has brought into your life over the years. Make this New Year a year to remember others. To be more Christ-like we need to become like a servant. You can serve/minister to others in many ways. Move from the fast lane of life over to the slow lane so you can see and share with the ones that God has placed in your path of life. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct you in a new way this year. Make this year a year of "Agape" love for others. We all would like to say once again; "Thank You" for your prayers and support. That's what it's all about, reaching the lost for Christ in many ways.
When the enemy reminds you of your past ......... Remind him of his future!
Covenant in the Blood
1. Through the blood of Jesus I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil2. Through the blood of Jesus ALL my sins are forgiven.3. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is cleansing me now from all sin.
4. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just as if I had never sinned.5. Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart for God.
6. My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit --- Redeemed, cleansed, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. 7. The devil has no more place in me and no more power over me. I renounce him totally. I lift myself from him now and I command him to leave me in the name of JESUS.
If you would like a copy of the Covenant in the Blood, please write to us.......it’s free.
County Jail Communicator
The purpose of this column is to share the love of Jesus with you. May He speak to your heart through these words.
At the beginning of every New Year, most people are very hopeful. They believe that the new year will be better for them then the past year. They may make (but seldom keep) New Year's resolutions. Sometimes they will buy a new car or new clothes. But I wonder if they have ever though of receiving the best new gift of all?
The book of Revelations in the Bible was an account of the vision of the future that Jesus gave to apostle John while John was on the island of Patmos. While he was experiencing this vision, John was instructed to write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. In chapter 3 verse 12, Jesus told John " He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on Him the name of my God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. I will write on Him My new name."
Jesus is telling John that for those who overcome the sin of this world by accepting the blood sacrifice for their sins that Jesus gave for them when He died in Calvary, will have His new name placed on them. Revelations chapter 22 verse 4 says." They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads."
That's the same meaning that a birthcertificate has when it has a stamp and a seal placed on it. A birth certificate proves that you belong to the family of a specific man and woman. The seal that Jesus places on your forehead and all those who have trusted Him as their Lord and Savior will prove to anyone anything that sees it that you belong to Jesus! Isn't that something great to look forward to? His family will never abandon you!
Why not consider making a new start this year? Accepting Jesus as your own Lord and Savior will mean that you will have a home with Him for all eternity. God promising a new beginning for your life if you will only confess that you are a sinner and you accept that Jesus paid the price for your sins over 2,000 years ago. Trust me , if you put your faith in Jesus instead of yourself or your fellow man. He will give you the peace in your life that you have longed for. Allow Him to make you new today!
Gene
God’s Connections
The Lord has been leading Marybeth to write about the connections we make in prison. If you have any questions or comments please write to us in care of Marybeth. I
I have noticed in my own relationships, it is impossible to “receive”? from someone, I do not honor or respect. But when I value someone, my heart is open to what they have to say, and I am able to learn from their life, and be nurtured by and in the things of the Lord. I once heard a minister say “that God will not reveal something to you, that he has already revealed to someone you are in covenant with”. Giving honor to those that God has placed in your life, or connected you with, will put you in position to hear what he is saying to you, through them, and empower you to get where you need to go. In order to see the fulfillment of your vision, or dreams, that God has placed in your heart, you will need to recognize and honor those that God will use to nurture you spiritually. Just as Mary knew she had to connect with Elizabeth, and Paul recognized his connection with the Roman Church, you will need to recognize others that are moving in true faith, and hook-up with them.
Sometimes things go wrong in our life, because of bad connections, that can block the flow of God’s power. Once you connect with God, he will
help you identify things that need to be connected, or disconnected. God will help you get rid of the issues, that have kept you in bondage all your life. Please don’t settle for less than the best for your life --- we need to surround ourselves with others that will take us to a higher level in God. I guess that point I am trying to make is, don’t hook-up with people that don’t get it. You may see someone who has spent their entire life in church, but are still clue-less on how to cross over to a “higher level” of receiving from God. I believe the wrong ‘connections ‘
are designed by the Devil to stop Gods power, and to continue to steal, kill, and destroy.
I love 2 Timothy 1:5-6 where Paul is speaking to Timothy about “stirring up the gift of God” in one another. It really blesses and encourages me.
Be encouraged my brothers and sisters in Christ. Think about taking a stand today for what is right in Gods eyes
.. So many in prison continue to live in sin, behind the walls, failing to recognize the behavior we are still practicing, in prison, is what brought us here. If you walk strong --- consider mentoring a baby in Christ. Help someone, love someone. God is love --- and his love in us, is him. If he can truly change someone like me, he has a miracle for everyone. In his love Marybeth.
“THE A-B-C’s of SALVATION”
A =
Acknowledge Self as a Sinner Romans 3:23; 3:10-12, Isaiah 53:6; James 2:10; John 3:3; Acts 4:12
B =
Believe in Christ Acts 16:31; Luke 5:32; Luke 13:3; Romans 2:4; John 3:16-17; John 20:31; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:17; Acts 10:43
C =
Confess Christ as Savior
Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 4:15;
Acts 19:18; John
believe that God connects us on purpose, for his purpose. Scripture confirms this in the story of Mary & Elizabeth Luke 1:39-45 and through out the Bible we see God connecting people together for his purpose. Moses & Joshua, Elijah & Elisha, Peter & Corneluis, Paul & Barnabus, and many others. They accomplished many things because they were connected by God. Although some were together for a lifetime, others were only connected for a season. One thing that is clear to me, that God’s divine connections, must be recognized, honored, and nurtured.
Valentine’s Day Is for Christian Love
Valentine’s Day is for honoring love;
To show those we love we care.
Red hearts with tender sentiments
We send, our love to share.
So on Valentine’s Day we’re reminded
Of our very first Christian goal:
To love the Lord with all our heart
And all our mind and soul.
To love our neighbor as ourselves
We are also told to do,
So let’s live our love by the Bible;
It’s God’s word, flawless and true.
If we give this Christian Valentine first,
We’ll never run out of love,
For infinite love will come to us
From God in heaven above.
By Joanna Fuchs
Love everyone... Your family, your friends... You should always love one other person. He is always in our hearts that's is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!
Michael
Action & Relationships
This column is written by Dennis in hope that you will take the necessary action to have a true relationship with God.
Fear
No matter who we are or what status is in His life. At one time or another, we all have experienced the emotion of fear . No doubt this emotion probably caused us to have a feeling of agitation and anxiety. Now with what is happening in our society. We more then likely are experiencing fear of losing our job, our house, and all sorts of other things.
We may have also experienced fear when facing a difficult conflict; new situation or a tough challenge. Having that fear can and will lead us to worry and then we'll start to worry about all the details in our lives over which have no control. Because of this we'll start to neglect the specific areas in our lives such as attitudes, relationships and responsibilities that are under our control! Once we allow these fears to take over,we then have them more powerful then God!
So when facing these tough decisions, we should weigh the positives and negatives carefully. Don't let potential difficulties blind you to God's power to help and His promise to guide. But! There are some people who run from God out of fear they don't realize that He loves them and provides them with everything for their enjoyment. Are you one of these?
Remember that God is greater then all our fears and worries. When He gives us direction through His word, sometimes we'll run in fear as stated above, claiming that He is asking too much then we start to get ourselves in worse trouble like Jonah did because he ran from what God wanted Him to do.
In this light than, Let's remember that when fear and worry starts to set into our lives that God is our refuge and our strength. When we begin to trust that He will take care of us, then our fears and worries will subside.
In closing, keep these words from Isiah 41:10 in your heart and mind. "So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God! I will strengthen you and help you! Finally, you never have to fear where you are going when God when God is going with you.
May God bless you all and never forget that God and only God is the... Final Solution!
Dennis
New Year
“Another fresh new year is here
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”
The History of Saint Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of
The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.
Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honor of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.
The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feast. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.
Behind The Walls
This column is both written by and dedicated to inmates around the world. If you have a Praise report, poems, or something that you would like to share with others, please write us. Please make time to encourage others.
Top 10 New Year
Resolutions
1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year. Make plans to meet up with friends for an evening of comaraderie at a favorite Pittsburgh restaurant or take the family to one of these popular Pittsburgh places for family fun. Work shouldn't always come first!
2. Fit in Fitness
The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better
3. Tame the Bulge
Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese by recent studies, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year's commitment to shed extra pounds.
4. Quit Smoking
If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids. Even if you've tried to quit before and failed, don't let it get you down. On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good. Start enjoying the rest of your smoke-free life! Even Allegheny County is trying to go smoke-free, and it's taken them a few tries as well. Locally, there are a variety of free support services, hotlines and smoking cessation classes to help you kick the smoking habit.
5. Enjoy Life More
Given the hectic, stressful life-styles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that "enjoying life more" has become a popular resolution in recent years. It's an important step to a happier and healthier you! Consider one a local holistic healing centers for products designed to bring balance to your body, mind and soul. Or just get out and try something new! Take up a new hobby or try your hand at skiing. Go to a theater performance, or head to the local spa. Pittsburgh offers a wealth of artistic and recreational activities to meet just about anyone's wishes.
6. Quit Drinking
While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic life-style change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking. If you have decided that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available. Pittsburgh Alcoholics Anonymous offers meetings throughout the greater Pittsburgh area. There is also a Pittsburgh group for Parents of Teenage Alcohol and Drug Abusers. There are also a number of treatment-based programs, as well as support groups for families of alcoholics.
7. Get Out of Debt
Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances. It's a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead.
8. Learn Something New
Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you'll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year's resolutions to keep. Local YMCA's offer great recreational training for beginners of all ages. Most local colleges and universities offer distance and adult education programs.
9. Help Others
A popular, non-selfish New Year's resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Whether you choose to spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help. Or if your time is really in short supply, maybe you can at least find it in you to donate the furniture, clothing and other household items that you no longer need, rather than leaving them out by the curb to fill up our landfills.
10. Get Organized
On just about every New Year resolution top ten list, organization can be a very reasonable goal. Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life.
Inspirational New Year Quotes
The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
G. K. Chesterton
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin
Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
Hal Borland
The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!
Edward Payson Powell
Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850
For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.
--Henry Ford
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
--Helen Keller
I never worry about action, but only about inaction.
--Winston Churchill
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else.
--Yogi Berra
Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark.
--David Ogilvy
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.
--Aristotle
Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
--Samuel Johnson
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
--Albert Einstein
May this year be the best year of your life! Not only the best year of your life, make it the greatest year of your life. We only live once!!!
God has wagered He can make something great of you; the devil has gambled that you will fail. Your actions will prove one of them right.
Make Time to Encourage
If you know someone that does not have access to a computer and would like for us to send them our bi-monthly newsletter, for a donation of $10 a year, we will add them to our monthly mailing list. Inmates and for those who are in nursing homes, our monthly newsletter will continue to be FREE of charge. Please fill out the form below where you would like it mailed to and make checks payable to;
Make Time to Encourage
We need to encourage one another in the Lord. If you have some words of encouragement, poems, or a short story you would like to share, please mail it to us, or email it to us. When you send your letter please print so we can read it. It's good to encourage one another. We all need it. I would like to thank everyone who has mailed articles in over the years. May the Lord bless you as you reach out to encourage others. Our address; Agape Outreach P.O. Box 8183 Canton, Oh. 44711 or email to; Newsletter@agapeoutreach.org
Would like to take this time to thank you for taking the time to send in your poems and words of encouragement. It's always good to share with others.
The devil has no more place in me and no more power over me. I renounce him totally. I lift myself from him now and I command him to leave me in the name of JESUS. Psalms 107:2, Ephesians 1:7, John 5:6, Romans 5:9, Hebrews 13:12. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart for God. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is cleansing me now from all sin. Through the blood of Jesus ALL my sins are forgiven. = Whom did the Lord signify as the next Israelite leader by means of a fleece and dew? = What exactly did Peter respond when asked by Jesus, "But whom say ye that I am?" = What did Rachel steal from her father? = What does Jesus say is the first thing to do if your brother sins? = Wisdom OT = Old Testament NT = New Testament HIS = History / Geography
When the enemy reminds you of your past ......... Remind him of his future!
Agape Outreach
P.O. Box 8183 Canton, Ohio 44711
Your email address is fully protected. Every email that comes into our web site, comes in as 'anonymous'. We do not know who sends in what, so if you would like us to contact you, please email us at info@agapeoutreach.org
