PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING

Dick Eastman, in his book titled, The

Hour That Changes the World, gives

a simple guide for an individual to pray

for one hour. He offers this guide by

directing you to 12 verses of scripture,

which if you pray each for five minutes,

then you will have prayed for an hour.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING is

one of the scriptures of focus during this

time we should set aside to seek the

Lord.

Since this is November, many people in

our nation will pause to give thanks to

the Lord for His blessings. Let me take

this opportunity to say that I am thankful

for all of you. As a recipient of the Tid-

ings you are a supporter of the ministries

of the West Texas Assemblies of God. I

give thanks to the Lord for each of you!

I am thankful to the Lord for all of His

abundant blessings. Eastman points out,

“Thanksgiving differs from praise in

that praise focuses on who God is,

whereas thanksgiving focuses on what

God has specifically done for us. As O.

Hallesby in his book “Prayer” states,

‘When we give thanks we give God

the glory for what He has done for us;

and when we worship or give praise,

we give God glory for what He is in

Himself.’”

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Phi-

lippian believers that when they

brought their request to the Lord to do

it with thanksgiving. We must never

rush into the presence of God with our

things to do list and expect God to

jump at our every whim. How much

better would it be to come to Him with

thanksgiving for all that He has done

and make our request of Him in faith!

He has met our needs in the past and

as a loving Father, He will meet our

needs in the future.

Eastman gives a brief list of several

thank offerings which we can give to

God during our devotional hour.

“First, confess spiritual blessings.

What specific spiritual blessings has

God given you recently? Take time

during prayer to offer these blessings

back to God in the form of vocal

thanksgiving. Second, confess materi-

al blessings. A moment should be giv-

en to consider the many material

blessings God has generously provid-

ed. Be very specific, remembering

even the little things. The more specif-

ic thanksgiving becomes, the more

meaningful a role it will play in your

devotional life. Third, confess physical

blessings. We should thank God spe-

cifically for good health. If we are free

of pain or sickness, it is a blessing

worthy of thanksgiving. Finally, con-

fess external blessings. Some bless-

ings are not directly related to us, but

still they deserve and expression of

appreciation. Thank Him for His

blessings on your family.”

Paul wrote to the church in Thessalo-

nica that being thankful was the will

of God for everyone. 1 Thessalonians

5:18 states, “In everything give

thanks: for this is the will of God in

From the Heart of the Superintendent Glenn R. Beaver

Christ Jesus concerning you.” The

encouragement here is to consider

two things, give thanks in everything.

The reason is also given, “this is the

will of God.” We understand that not

every situation is ideal, however a

heart of thanksgiving will make all

circumstances more bearable.

Let me take a moment to give thanks

to the Lord for how He has directed in

the sale of the district property. The

Lord has enabled us to sell all the

property at 5504 Wayne Avenue in

eleven months. We went into this

process thinking it could take one and

a half to three years to sell the proper-

ty. To God be the glory! We are

thankful also that the Lord has di-

rected and we have signed a contract

to purchase new property on south

Milwaukee, which is under develop-

ment. Again, to God be the glory!

Thank you for your continued prayers

as we move forward in relocating the

district office.

VOLUME LXVIII NUMBER 11

Glenn & Betty Beaver Superintendent

TIDINGS NOVEMBER 2014

2014: The Year of Prayer! “Pray Without Ceasing”

1 Thessalonians 5:17

District Secretary/Treasurer

Billy & Bettye Nickell

Winning the War Over Worry (Philippians 4:4-9)

The world has various and sundry solu-

tions for managing worry. One suggestion

is to set aside one day of each week and

only worry on that day. Another is to write

all of your worries on a piece of paper, put

them in a box and forget them until the

appointed time to open the box. At such

time you will discover many of the things

you worried about did not happen. Scrip-

ture offers God’s remedy . . . one that truly works by revealing the cause of worry, then commanding us

not to worry. God’s Word further shows the complexion and the

consequences of worry, as well as the conquest of worry! This

subject is addressed numerous times in the Bible. Jesus speaks three

times against worrying in Matthew 6, telling believers not to worry

about food, fashion, or the future. Yet in spite of those and other

stipulations concerning, take no thought for, many Christians

spend their lives fretting over the loss of their job, health, retire-

ment, marriage, promotion, and more. Each day finds them per-

plexed by the news of Ebola, ISIS, Enterovirus d68, and burdened

with the cares of life. Worry is the nemesis of peace and content-

ment, which should be a believer’s normal and consistent state of

mind. One man, defending his worrying to his wife said, “Don’t tell

me that worry doesn’t work! It does, and I know it does because the

things I worry about never happen!” It has been said that worrying

is paying interest on money you’ve never borrowed.

The word worry comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that means

to strangle or to choke. If you are acquainted with the wild morn-

ing glory, better known as bindweed, then you have perhaps wit-

nessed the devastation this plant causes to other foliage, large and

small, by shrouding its victim with its flowering runners, keeping it

from receiving the sun’s light. It doesn’t cut the tree or shrub off at

the roots or inject a toxic mix into its branches, it simply strangles

or chokes its life by keeping it covered in darkness, prohibiting life-

giving light from being absorbed. Dake lists in his footnotes twenty

truths about the fault and fruitlessness of worry, which operates in

the life of a believer like bindweed. Psalm 119:130 says, “The en-

trance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the

simple.” A study conducted years previous by a government agency

determined that a cubic mile of fog is made up of less than a gallon

of water, yet when atomized into droplets, the area it covers is sub-

stantial.

The theme of Philippians is rejoice, ironic by the world’s standards.

Paul was under house arrest in Rome, bound by chains to a Roman

guard all day, yet untroubled or weighted down by the circumstanc-

es of life. In the 104 verses that comprise this letter, the terms joy

or rejoice can be found some sixteen times, including Philippians 4,

where the writer prescribes it as an ingredient in the war against

worry. Following Paul’s directive to rejoice in verse 4, he lists three

components for conquering worry. The first of the three calls for us

to pray right. Verse 6 of The Message mandates, “Don’t fret or

worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape

your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” One of

the Greek renderings for prayers is earnest, showing our praying

must be passionate as opposed to passive! To pray while focusing on

the report of worry rather than the promises of God is like driving a

car with one foot on the accelerator and the other foot on the brake.

Someone has wisely observed, “Worry is a thin stream of fear that

trickles through the mind, which, if encouraged, will cut a channel so

wide that all other thoughts will be drained out.”

The second directive Paul gives for conquering worry is think right.

The Amplified gives this familiar, often-quoted eighth verse as, “For

the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence

and is honorable and seemly whatever is just, whatever is pure, what-

ever is lovely and loveable, whatever is kind and winsome and gra-

cious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy

of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things - fix

your minds on them.” As Joyce Meyer has said, “You cannot have a

positive life and a negative mind.” Einstein discovered that for every

negative thought a person has it requires eleven positive thoughts to

compensate for the one negative thought. I like what the late Peanuts

cartoonist, Charles Schulz said about worry, “Don’t worry about the

world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”

The prophet Isaiah gives the key element for winning the war over

worry in Isaiah 26:3,“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose

mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” How true the ad-

vise that teaches, “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch

your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become

habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your charac-

ter; it becomes your destiny.”

Paul’s third bidding for overcoming worry is live right. The Ampli-

fied reads, “Practice what you learned and received and heard and

seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace

- of untroubled, undisturbed well-being - will be with you.” Hebrews

11:1 in the Amplified says that, “faith is the title deed” of the things

we desire. Substituting the word worry where that verse uses faith,

here is how it would read: (I’ve underlined each substitution.) “Now

worry is the assurance (the confirmation, "the title-deed") of the

things [we] dread, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the

conviction of their reality - worry perceiving as real fact what is not

revealed to the senses.” Worry expects death instead of life, sickness

instead of healing, problems instead of answers, sorrow instead of joy,

defeat instead of victory, bad instead of good, division instead of har-

mony, trouble instead of tranquility, and chaos rather than peace.

God’s Word assures the believer that we can Win the War Over Wor-

ry!

Director of Church Ministries

Gene Benningfield 806.456.2029 Danny Bisbee 432.559.4742 Larry Boyd 806.778.7677 Kelly Breckenridge 806.787.0355 Larry Elder 432.853.9591 Jannetta Fairbanks 806.698.1140 Charlie Garcia 325.207.1976 Dale Griswold 806.566.9993 Byron Jones 432.258.3873 Tracy McWilliams 806.790.9377 Vance Mitchell 806.781.9795 Z.A. Myers 806.216.0252 J.C. Owen 432.550.5804 Joe Robinson 806.300.7906 Henry Russell 806.543.8602 Forest Srader 575.361.0650 Marcus Tanner 903.330.1560 Kevin Vander-Plas 806.797.5972

or through the mail. If you use the online renewal, your General Council dues must be paid in full before you can submit the form. Just a reminder that General Council dues went up this year: Ordained $300, Licensed $240 and Certified $120. This is also a good time to make sure that all ministerial tithes/dues with the district are up to date. All Ordained, Licensed and Certified Ministers have agreed to send at least 95% of their tithe, of all monies received from their ministerial duties, to the district tithe fund. All credentialed minis-ters who are not receiving compensation for ministerial duties have agreed to pay monthly dues: Ordained $20, Licensed $15 and Certified $7.50. May God bless you and I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Tracy & Cara Lynn McWilliams

Available for Ministry

wonderful benefits in our lives. So during this festive season, let’s not forget to take time to truly be thankful for everything God has blessed us with.

CREDENTIAL RENEWAL November also marks the time of year when all ministers must renew their cre-dentials. The renewal can be done online

Some Thanksgiving Thoughts

Ministers & Churches

In just a few short weeks we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Sadly, this great American holiday is often overlooked, because our focus is on Christmas. Retailers open their doors a little earlier each year in order to get a head start on Black Friday. I like Thanksgiving and all the traditions that go along with it, which includes all the parades, football and, of course, eating. It’s a time when we are able to slow down and spend time with family and friends, but more importantly it is about giving thanks. Thanksgiv-ing was established by President George Washington on Novem-ber 26, 1789. It is a religious holiday started by the pilgrims. The first Thanksgiving lasted three days, during which the pilgrims feasted with their Indian guests. The Bible exhorts believers, “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Notice the psalmist does not say, “Give thanks to the Lord when you feel good,” but rather, because “He is good!” The fact is, giving thanks can be a sacrifice at times, especially if we are depressed or things aren’t going all that well. You may be walking through a particu-larly hard place right now and you just don’t feel like thanking God. The writer of Hebrews admonishes, “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.” Giving thanks is healthy be-cause is causes us to focus our attention upon what we have rather than what we don’t have. In Psalm 103:2, the psalmist declares, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” The implication is that we have already forgotten so many of God’s

Open Churches

Course for November 22 License Level

Intermediate Ministerial Internship

WEST TEXAS ASSEMBLIES OF GOD

DISTRICT OFFICIARY Glenn R. Beaver, Superintendent

grbeaver@sbcglobal.net Tom Lakey, Assistant Superintendent

tlakey@lubbockag.org Billy D. Nickell, Secretary/Treasurer

fantastic1316@gmail.com SECTIONAL PRESBYTERS

Cliff Houghton, Danny Williams Vance Mitchell, Nelson Gonzalez

Mike Hanks, Eddie Lee Web site: wtaog.org

TIDINGS EDITOR TRACY MCWILLIAMS

tracy.mcwilliams@sbcglobal.net 5504 Wayne Avenue, P.O. Box 64778

Lubbock, TX, 79464, Phone: 806.792.5835

Please notify editor of any change of address.

Third class postage paid at Lubbock, TX. Published monthly.

Transferred In:

Michael Swartzendruber (L)

North Texas

Newly Credentialed:

Matthew VanWinkle - License

New Pastor: Floydada, Trinity Assembly

Tom Ross

BIBLE INSTITUTE of WEST TEXAS

Announcements

Billy Nickell - Speaker West Texas District Secretary/Treasurer

East Plains Section

Monday, November 10

Floydada, Trinity AG

Banquet $11.50

Banquets 7:00 p.m.

El Paso Section

Friday, November 14

El Paso, Sun City CC

Banquet $10.00

South Plains Section

Tuesday, November 11

Plains, First AG

Banquet $7.00

West Plains Section

Monday, November 17

Plainview, First AG

Banquet $8.00

Pecos Section

Thursday, November 13

Odessa, First AG

Banquet $10.50

North Plains Section

Tuesday, November 18

Amarillo, First AG

Banquet $14.00

Women’s Ministries

Becky & Joe Nenstiel

Women’s Director

Belize Missions Trip

Christmas in October

Dorcas Room Shower

Pleasant Hills Children’s Home

Celebration 2014 Connect Service Becky Nenstiel

Women’s Ministries Reps Clara Weaver, Sandi Hanks, Jackie Thomason, Cara Lynn McWilliams, Patsy Aguilar,

& Mandy Pena (not pictured: Felicia Middaugh)

Thankful for the Memories...

Youth Ministries

Men’s Ministries

Billy & Robin Snider

Men’s Director

Fire Bible Sunday is an opportunity for us as a district to raise funds

to purchase Fire Bibles for our missionaries, pastors, and new believers

all over the world. This year our goal is $20,000, and we are asking

that each church take time in your November 23rd service to take up

an offering for this cause. Together we can easily reach this goal!

What Is the Fire Bible?

Fire Bible is the name for the international language editions of the

*Full Life Study Bible, one of the few Pentecostal study Bibles in ex-

istence. Often referred to as a one-book Pentecostal library, this study

Bible contains 77 theme articles, a concordance, 45 maps and charts,

introductions to each book of the Bible, and Pentecostal study notes.

The Full Life Study Bible was started in the early 1980s as an

individual missionary project by the late missionary Don Stamps

(1938-1991). While serving in Brazil, he recognized a great need

among pastors and lay workers for a study Bible written from a Pente-

costal perspective. Soon after the completion of the Pentecostal notes, Don went to be with the Lord following a

struggle with cancer. A short time later, Assemblies of God World Missions leaders saw the worldwide potential for

this Pentecostal study Bible and asked Life Publishers to begin producing it in the major languages of the world.

WEST TEXAS MEN’S MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT

Around West Texas

WEST TEXAS DISTRICT COUNCIL OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD 5504 Wayne Avenue P.O. Box 64778 Lubbock, TX 79464-4778

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID LUBBOCK, TX

PERMIT NO. 138

Prayer Requests: Carolyn Wampler, (wife of Harvey

Wampler, Lead Pastor, Peoples Church, Shallowater), stroke

& brain tumor; Lynn Hancock, (Lead Pastor, Briarwood,

Pampa), cancer; Heather Unwin, wife of Justin Unwin, Lead

Pastor, First AG, Fritch) complications resulting from back

surgery; and Bettye Nickell (wife of Billy Nickell, Lead Pas-

tor, First AG, Amarillo and West Texas District Secretary/

Treasurer), complete recovery from back surgery.

New Baby: Congratulations to Matt

& Fran Stidham on the birth of

their son, Andrew Wesley, on Octo-

ber 2. He was welcomed into the

family by Aubrey, his big sister.

New Grandchild: Congratulations to Steve & Sheri Wood-

ward as they welcomed a new granddaughter, Crosbie Kayt

on October 6. Her proud parents are Bryan & Brittany

Woodward.

80th Birthday Celebration: Drex and Doug Fairbanks are

hosting a celebration to honor their mother, Jannetta Fair-

banks (Ordained minister and Retired Missionary), on the oc-

casion of her 80th birthday. The celebration will be a come &

go event and will be held on November 22nd, 3:00-5:00 pm, at

First Assembly of God, 3801 98th Street, Lubbock, Texas.