A FRONTLINE MINISTRY
Greetings in Jesus name. One of the greatest youth events of the world happens in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee the weekend before Thanksgiving each year. Hearts On Fire 2018 will host Tim Tebow and Clayton King as speakers along with musicians Passion, Zach Williams, Roger Williams and the AMUQ, and the Hearts On Fire Band. Founder and leader of Hearts On Fire is the Reverend Scott Carter, Minister of Youth at First Baptist Church Sevierville. Over 12,000 youth have already preregistered. I want to encourage your youth to attend this outstanding event. You can register heartsonfireministries.org
Sue and I have just completed a whirlwind 5,000 mile trek. We give praise to our God that we had no close accidents (that we know of), no personal injuries, all equipment ran perfectly, not even having a flat tire. We attended my high school class reunion having a great time seeing a lot of our friends (notice the omission of the word old). I was able to speak to the men’s breakfast group at First Baptist Church Stuttgart and to preach at Grand Prairie Church on Sunday. Thank you, Pastors Dr. Sam Roberts of FBC and the Reverend Thomas Bormann of Grand Prairie Church for allowing me this opportunity. One man confessed that he was saved. Continue to pray that there will be lasting fruit from our labors.
Leaving Arkansas Sue and I drove home spending one night and changed vans that would haul more people and luggage. We met the Reverend Dr. Woods Watson of First Baptist Church West Monroe, Louisiana and 14 members of his senior adult group at the Boston Logan airport. It was a rainy first couple of days for DCEA’s New England Christian Heritage Tour (Glory Stones). The first day we visited Plymouth Rock where historians say the Pilgrims set foot on December 21, 1620. We also gathered in much history at the local museum there in Plymouth. Normally we would view the Mayflower 2, but it was away being repaired. That afternoon we traveled to Plimouth Plantation and viewed how life was lived back in the days of the Pilgrims. There were several interesting exhibits where local Indians showed some of their native skills.
Each morning after breakfast we would have a time of morning devotions and prayer. I would like to say here that we felt and saw God working all along our excursion. Usually I would read a portion from The One Year Christian History: A Daily Glimpse Into God’s Powerful Work (by E.Michael and Sharon Rusten Tyndale House Publishers) that pertained to that day’s visits. We were supposed to walk the Freedom Trail today, but because of rain we got a late start and decided to take our luggage to the new hotel on the north side of Boston. We did drive by Boston Commons where the Boston Massacre transpired, the building where the great evangelist DL Moody was saved, the Old North Church where Paul Revere had the lanterns placed and Copp’s Hill Cemetery where Increase and Cotton Mather and other great Puritan ministers are buried. In the afternoon we visited “Old Ironsides”, the USS Constitution, the oldest active battleship in the Navy. While there we observed the 243rd anniversary of the founding of the US Navy.
Sunday, we drove to Newburyport to worship at Old South Presbyterian Church which evangelist George Whitefield founded in 1746. He preached there many times and died in a house just two doors away. He is buried under the pulpit of this church. After worship historian Jerry Mullins offered a tour of the church and grounds telling us much of the happenings of that era. We then drove to Sudbury and had an exquisite meal at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn. This is the oldest inn that his been in continuous operation in our nation.
Monday, we left Boston and went to Lexington Commons and Concord where “the shot heard round the world” was fired. We saw a great movie that the National Park Service has put together of the famous night revering Paul Revere’s ride. That afternoon we traveled to Providence, Rhode Island and visited the first Baptist Church of America which is First Baptist Church Providence. We were blessed by Author/Historian J. Stanley Lemons spending time telling us about this beautiful church. Then, we headed downtown to the Roger Williams Park and viewed a movie showing William’s life and his influence on our religious heritage. Our National Park Service again has a great movie to share about his life and activity. It was rainy and dusk when we finally made it to Newport to see the magnificent homes there (Maybe we didn’t need to see them and possibly sin by coveting)!
Tuesday, we traveled through the country driving past the beautiful University of Connecticut up to Tolland, Connecticut where pastor evangelist Shubal Stearns was born again under the preaching of George Whitefield. Just a few miles north of this at Enfield we were getting ready to have prayer around the marker that denoted where Jonathan Edwards preached “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and the First Great Awakening of America started. Sue noticed a lady walking on the sidewalk close by. She announced to the lady that we were going to pray for revival for our nation and asked if she wanted to join us. As we were milling about, JoAnn, our new friend, pointed to a beautiful pendant that Barbara Goleman had around her neck. In just a moment Barbara sensed the Holy Spirit said to give it to JoAnn, which she did. God’s Spirit was strong there as we all joined hands and prayed. JoAnn said that she had never done anything quite like that and that she was raised Catholic. I asked her if she believed that she would be in heaven if something happened to her. She said that she wasn’t sure, but she had been raised to always treat people well. I shared the gospel with her and asked her if she wanted to be sure of where she would be if she died this moment. She said she did, and she prayed a prayer asking the Lord’s forgiveness for her sins. I then asked her where Jesus was. She immediately placed her hand over her heart and said, “Right here!” Everyone was so happy and congratulated her. I went over to the van trying to find a little New Testament for her, but they were under everyone’s luggage. I looked beside the driver’s seat and found a Christian Life New Testament like I gave away years ago. In the back I found some writing of my mother years ago. I tore those pages out and handed the Bible to JoAnn. We said our goodbyes and drove on to our next stop. Continue to pray for Joanne, to find a church, and to walk with the Lord. Sharing the gospel and seeing someone saved is another good reason to go on these Tours.
After lunch we drove up to Northampton, Massachusetts to the Bridge Street Cemetery where David Brainerd is buried alongside his beloved Jerusha Edwards, the daughter of Jonathan Edwards. Several members of the Edwards family, the Stoddard family, the Dwight family, and other great Puritan leaders are buried in the cemetery. As the 17 of us were standing by the Brainerd grave to have prayer, a young man walked up, and I asked him if he was a student of history. He gave us his name and told us that he was a church history professor at Wheaton University in Chicago. It did not take much urging for him to tell us about David Brainerd and his life of preaching and caring for the Indians in this early part of America’s life. These early Christian families wanted America to treat the Indians with respect and to see them become Christians. Unfortunately, greed and lack of patience to wait prevailed and the land was taken and most of the Indians were killed.
Leaving Northampton, we traveled a few miles up the road to Northfield where DL Moody and his wife are buried side-by-side overlooking a beautiful valley. The Moody home is here close to the girls school at Moody founded. The Mount Herman school for boys is a few miles away. We again gathered around the grave and we asked the Lord to raise up many more evangelists that would be filled with His power like DL Moody. Then we drove into New Hampshire and across the southern part of Vermont spending the night in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Wednesday morning, we drove a short distance to Williamstown and viewed the monument where the Haystack Prayer Meeting was convened in 1806. Out of these prayer meetings at Williams College came the American Missionary Movement. No other nation up to this point has done more mission work, or sent more missionaries throughout the world, than America. We again had prayer here asking the Lord to continue to raise up young people that would have a heart for God and a willingness to surrender all. With billions of people still lost in the world, Christians today need to be challenged the Great Commission says, not to stay but GO!
We ended our tour in Stockbridge by viewing the Indian mission that John Sergeant. founded which became the place where Jonathan Edwards wrote most of his theological works. Indian missionary David Brainerd use this place as a place of rest as he worked with Indians in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We again blessed the Lord for His Spirit upon these people and asked Him to continue to shape our hearts toward the lost. After great lunch at the Red Lion Inn we toured the Norman Rockwell Museum close to Stockbridge. Pray for a lady there that Sue and I have been witnessing to for a few years. Mr. Rockwell depicted a moral United States in most of his paintings. It is a good place to relax, end the Tour, and head back to Boston for those flying out the next day. This year the Louisiana group chose to go uptown and ride the sightseeing trolley before they caught their plane home late in the afternoon. What a great group! Thanks, Woods, for making it all happen!
BTW, I am having a few copies of this whole Tour printed up (about 150 pages). Most of it comes from Wikipedia, but it is in order of the Tour. Should you desire a copy please let me know. If enough interest, I may put it in book form for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They need to go see these places before it is forgotten why we even celebrate Thanks Giving!
Continue to pray as we witness on the streets here. I prayed with Antonio this past Saturday. Pray for him to stay away from alcohol. I believe he will as he learned a lesson here; if you are not surrendered and have a weakness toward alcohol, the Devil will get the best of you. He was so mad he had fallen off the wagon, so to speak. He asked God’s forgiveness and the Holy Ghost cleansed him as we prayed on the street, even taking the smell of alcohol from his breath! Both of us felt the Spirit of God. Continue to pray many will be saved from our tracts and preaching of God’s word. Also, pray our city fathers will repent of the alcohol evil they have allowed to be here so prevalent. Their own children and grandchildren will pay a wicked price, I’m afraid.
Before I close, I want to invite men seventy years of age and over (70+) to work with me in New Orleans this coming Mardi Gras. The dates are February 28-March 5, 2019. For several years I have had men ask to be taken back to the hotel earlier than most stay out. They are physically unable to work as hard or as long as they used to work. I understand, and some days feel at that point myself. If you are interested in being used by God in this effort, please contact me and I will share information with you. Contact me at 865-621-1946. We will work with and under the leadership of Dennis Mohr with Call of Grace Ministries. We will book all hotel reservations through Dennis. If you think you are over the hill and can’t be used by God, here may be your opportunity to shine for Jesus! Frank Robertson went last year, and he is in his eighties! Don’t hang your boots up yet! People need the Lord!
Thank you for praying for the elections and for voting. Your candidates and mine will not all win but we must trust the Lord. He is in control and will lead His people through. We as Christian people still must hear and obey His word from 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Thank you for all your prayers and your support. You are the best! Blessings in Jesus on you all. Have a most blessed Thanksgiving with your family.
Sowing seed, reaping a harvest, discipling as we go,
David and Sue Cobb
Valentine’s Day is special to most of us! Maybe I should say our special Valentine is SPECIAL to us. Mine certainly isl Sue and I have been Valentine’s for over 53 years now.
