Fireproof the Movie ~ September 26th

On Friday, September 26, FIREPROOF will open in more than 800 theaters nationwide. The new movie from the creators of Facing the Giants is an action-packed love story about a firefighter, his wife ... and a marriage worth rescuing!

While this faith-based film is flying under the Hollywood radar screen, real people in real communities across the country are rallying behind it. In fact, it will open in 95 more cities than originally planned thanks to local people buying 1,000 tickets to bring it there!

I don't know when I've been more excited about the opening of a movie. I hope you will see FIREPROOF on its opening weekend. Hollywood judges a movie based on how it does in its first three days, so it's important to go September 26-28.

If you want more information, go to FireprooftheMovie.com.

See you at the movies!

Asher

It's not an easy message to write. Judy called Friday afternoon and left a message that Asher has gone home to the arms of Jesus.

The doctors had told them that Asher probably wasn't going to make it through the weekend. Mark, his father, had some things to do for work, so while he was out, he got a call that Asher's breathing was very labored. Mark got there just before Asher passed on into glory, into the arms of His loving Savior.

Please keep the Rousseau family in your prayers, as they mourn the loss of this wonderful, brave little boy, who is now restored to full health in heaven. As I have more details from Judy, I will let all of you know.

Urgent Prayer Request from Judy 8/21/08

Asher has been admitted on an emergency basis to Maine Medical in Portland, Maine. His feeding tube is malfunctioning, and he has lost about half a pound now (which puts him somewhere around just 10 lbs).

The doctors are very dire, saying he will not make it. (Yes, they have said this before). We have a miracle - working God, and He is the Great Physician.

Will you join me in a moment of prayer?

Father, we come before You today, and we lift up the Rousseau family, especially Asher. Lord, He needs Your healing Touch. You are the Great Physician. You say in Your Word that it is by Your stripes we are healed. Lord, we ask You to heal Asher in a mighty and miraculous way. May all who see it look on and say, "It was only God. It was God." May it all be for Your glory. We pray this in Jesus Holy Name. Amen.

I'll keep you up to date as I hear word from Judy.
Love & hugs,
Ruth Anne

Cute Friendship e-mail

I got this particular PowerPoint presentation from a friend as an e-mail forward, and thought I would share it with all of you to brighten your day, too. :-)

This does require use of Microsoft PowerPoint or the PowerPoint Viewer. Free download from Microsoft for the PowerPoint Viewer

Here's the presentation I got from a friend - Snoopy Friends

~ Ruth Anne

Forest Park Baptist Church Sign

This is the church sign for this week at the church where I serve. I'll let the picture say it all. It's perfect for standers. :-)

Encouragement from Joann in North Carolina

Joann from North Carolina wrote in:

I got this prayer from another stander in my Midlife group. It's really good.
Marriage Prayer (link)
love ya,
Joann

A worship song to enjoy.....

Church sign

I had to stop and take a picture of this church sign. It fits in with devotions I read the night before, and included in the Friday August 8th message to the group.

The church in the background behind the sign is actually Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Oak Lawn. First United Methodist is to the right of the church sign.

Asher's progress

From Judy:

Paul and I want to thank all of you who prayed for our little grandson, Asher. I just spoke to my son Mark this morning and he gave me the latest details on Asher’s condition.

According to Mark, Asher was in a great deal of pain the day of the surgery but as time progressed, the pain began to subside with the exception of one of the staples that was digging into Asher’s little tummy. Once Jess pointed that out to the nurses, they wrapped some sort of foam around it and Asher became more relaxed.

Mark also said that for the first time ever, Asher had a full belly due to the use of his feeding tube. Evidently, he became quite content afterwards just laying there playing with his toys. And now that he has also had surgery to correct his reflux, there was no heartburn!!!

Praise the Lord for how He has answered our prayers on behalf of our little miracle-man.

It’s likely that Jess and Mark will be able to take Asher home today or tomorrow.

We’ll likely go up to visit sometime in the not-too-distant future. At that time, I’ll take some pictures so you can all see how much he has grown.

Once again, thank you for standing with us for Asher’s healing.

Lots of love,

Judy

Asher Update

Hello Everyone,

It's been quite a long time since I've written with any news on Asher. For the most part, the last couple of years, Asher's condition has remained the same. However, one of Asher's greatest challenges is getting the appropriate amount of nutrition in him. Asher will be three next month but at the present time he weighs somewhere around 12 pounds.

Jess and Mark have had several meetings with medical professionals and they have made the decision to get Asher a feeding tube. It is our hope that with the feeding tube Asher will be able to get the appropriate amount of nourishment so that he can gain weight and strength. If I understood Mark correctly, Asher will also be having an operation to remove a hernia. Evidently Asher's surgery is scheduled for Monday.

If you would, please pray for Asher and all of us as we go through this surgery. Due to Asher's tendency to stop breathing, there are definite risks involved.

I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Here's a picture that I took of Asher at Kylie's birthday party last month at Chuck E. Cheese.

Thank you so much for your love, support and for your prayers.

Lots of love,

Judy

Encouragement from Steve in New Jersey

Steve writes in:

I had to share this sign with you and the group. I was driving on the way to a friends house and as usual I was praying for my marriage. As I pulled up to my friends house, this is what I saw across the street. The Lord is answering our prayers.

More photos!

Hi everyone!
We have more ministry photos and more Rousseau family photographs to enjoy.

First of all, I have made a Facebook photo albums of the most recent family pictures Judy sent me, along with some older photos I could find quickly that I have saved of their children and grandchildren. You can see them at Rousseau Family Pictures. With all the pictures I have of Judy and Paul's family on my Facebook account, I am starting to look like I'm a family member, too! :-)

I also set up a ministry photo album that is for all of us at Facebook, although right now it only features me, Paul & Judy (along with Judy's singing partner Jenny and the ever present Ella). That one is Hope for Marriages Ministry. Eventually, I hope that y'all will be sending me your photos too - like children's graduations, life milestones, vow renewals, etc., and this will be where we have them for everyone to see.

And just as a friendly reminder, if you forgot to look, here are the photo albums for the Day of Prayer 2008 and some of my pictures of New Hampshire.

~ Ruth Anne

Encouragement from Brian in Arkansas

Summer 08 Newsletter from Revive Our Hearts

The newsletter features Brian's pastor's wife - she tells the story of how God healed their marriage.

Day of Prayer photographs

Here is a small sample of pictures from our day of prayer at Calvary Assembly of God in Jaffrey, New Hampshire on June 1.

Judy standing among the prayer letters on the altar at Calvary.

Pat, one of the faithful prayer warriors at Calvary, holds one of our prayer letters.

To see all of the pictures, please check out my Facebook photo album for the event.

Calvary Current 6/1/08 ~ Day of Prayer

I thought you might like to be able to see a copy of the Calvary Current from our Day of Prayer.

http://www.voxtrot.org/CurrentCAG060108.pdf

Rebecca St. James ~ Forgive Me

Thought y'all might enjoy this song that is on the current Billy Graham special. :-)

Prayer request from Judy

Quick prayer request from Judy, along with a picture. Here's Judy:

It’s for my youngest brother Steve who has been diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer. My sister & I went to visit him on Friday. He & I have prayed together several times in the past but he is now in a crisis of faith. Please pray that Steve will genuinely turn to the Lord during this time and that he will experience God as savior & healer.

Thank you sooooo much.

Love & hugs,
Judy

Standing Encouragement from Desiring God

Dr. John Piper, senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a solid Biblical teacher. He also happens to teach, without wavering, that marriage is one man and one woman for a lifetime.

His most recent "Ask Pastor John" segment emphasizes this fact once again, and he commends the daughter of the writer of the question for standing firm on Biblical principles, waiting on God in her marriage.

The link below provides a way to listen online, download, or read a brief excerpt of the podcast.

AskPastorJohn/2712_Can_I_remarry


What a blessing that we have such a wonderfully understanding man of God in a prominent position who is teaching God's truth about marriage!

Encouragement from Vic in Georgia

This was too good to wait until the Monday message, so I am posting it in the blog. For those who regularly check the blog, you get an early treat. :-)

Here's Vic in Georgia:

If there was ever a time that I needed to see this, it is now. It has been in my in box for several days, but only looked at it today.

God is so good

Nick's story

Val in Texas' Rainbow ~ Testimony 3/18/08

This photo goes with the testimony from Val in Texas. The testimony was in the 3/18/08 Message to Marriage Partners.

Answered Prayers

Prayers Can't Be Answered Unless They Are Prayed

Life without purpose is barren indeed -

There can't be a harvest unless you plant seed,

There can't be attainment unless there's a goal,

And man's but a robot unless there's a soul...

If we send no ships out, no ships will come in,

And unless there's a contest, nobody can win...

For games can't be won unless they are played,

And Prayers can't be Answered unless they are Prayed...

So whatever is wrong with your life today,

You'll find a solution if you kneel down and pray.

Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health,

Not just for honors and prestige and wealth...

But Pray For A Purpose to Make Life Worth Living,

And Pray For The Joy of Unselfish Giving,

For Great Is Your Gladness and Rich Your Reward

When you make your Life's Purpose the choice of the Lord.

Encouragement from Bob in Idaho ~ It Is Well With My Soul

I was listening to the Amazing Grace video on the blog and found this song and I think it would also be a great one to put online, especially with his comments right before he starts to sing, those comments touch all of our heart while we're wondering why we're standing.

Take care,

-Bob

Wow guys....thank you!

There's so many roses, you cannot even really see them all in one picture....but wow, guys, you blew me away. What a wonderful birthday gift....all you have done. Thank you just doesn't say it enough.

Love & hugs,
Ruth Anne

Asher Update

Hello Everyone,

It's been a very long time since I've written you about our grandson Asher mostly because not much had changed in his condition. Paul and I visited this past weekend and I'm writing you now to ask for your prayers. Several weeks ago, Asher got a very bad cold followed by a stomach bug and he is now down to 12 pounds something at two and a half. Mark and Jess had some sort of feeding tube in but it agitated him so much that it caused him to have more of his breathing lapses. They are now contemplating some sort of permanent feeding tube but nothing they do for Asher is without risk.

He doesn't sleep very much at all. If he did, he wouldn't burn so many calories and would likely have better overall health.

Even though Asher does not have much physical strength, he raised his hands to my face as I kissed him goodbye yesterday.

I've attached a couple of pictures.

I'm praying that Asher will begin experiencing 8 hours of restful sleep daily and that his appetite will increase and also that Jess and Mark will be given wisdom about whether or not to go the feeding tube route.

Thanks so very much for standing with us for Asher.

Lots of love,

Judy Rousseau

Encouragement from Brian and Vic

We have a really neat encouragement from Brian in Arkansas and Vic in Georgia. This is an original song, written by Brian in Arkansas and performed by Vic in Georgia. Enjoy!

Download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?mytdgbvmfim

The Evidence of Faith

Thank you to Tom G in Minnesota, who has provided us with the final installment transcript of David Wilkerson's sermons on "Death of a Promise".

The Microsoft Word version can be downloaded here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?e5bq9tlmyy2

The rich text version can be downloaded here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?4o1xde0wriu


The other two installments are available on our blog at the following entries:

Death of a Promise

The Window of Faith


Have a blessed week!

From Beverley in South Africa

This was a photo taken of Carl and I two days after our re-marriage. And a picture of our very, very happy daughter Jade. I meant to attach these with my praise report but forgot.

Lots of love and blessings from the Van Zyls
Beverley,Carl and Jade

Encouragement from Amanda in Georgia

As you’ve all heard recently about how Sylvia’s been having so much victory pleading the Blood of Jesus when she experiences demonic attacks through Michael (not Michael himself though! J), it “just turns out” that I already have that book too! (How to be the Happy Wife of an Unsaved Husband by Linda Davis) I copied the chapter that she likes so much on the Blood: “The Secret Weapon” Hallelujahhh! I also copied a portion of Billye Brim’s The Blood and the Glory which you’ll like too I’m sure. J

Linda Davis’ little paperback book I agree is jam-packed with great wisdom “dealing with” carnal or unsaved spouses that can really be used even if you’re a male stander. Although it has excellent teaching, it doesn’t read “teachy” but is readable like a novel would be. I encourage reading it to you all too, especially if you’ve been a stander less than ~several years (have less practical “hands-on” experience). J

Blessings!

Amanda

Excerpt from The Blood and the Glory:

http://www.mediafire.com/?05rpm6igizv

Excerpt from How to be the Happy Wife of an Unsaved Husband:

http://www.mediafire.com/?5vqdzjjjyjt

Janet in Maryland's sharing....

It appears that Janet in Maryland's pastor's sermon has been archived. Until she can hear back from the web team at her church as to where it is archived, I have uploaded the copy I downloaded last week to my mediafire account, and you can download it from here.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a3jmeje7wjy


And an update from 2/6/08:
The sermon by Janet in Maryland's pastor "Making Molehills Out of Mountains" is archived on the following page:
http://www.immanuels.org/media/audio/audio_archive.htm#
If you go to the part labeled Guest & Other Sunday Teachings (grouped by teacher/date) it is the first one listed right now in that archive section.

Thanks to both Maria in Kentucky and Stephen in South Carolina who e-mailed me with how to find it.

Encouragement from Juan in South Africa

Juan in South Africa sent in the following:

This is the cutest presentation of Psalm 23 - thought this would be nice to put on the blog!! love it!!

I have uploaded it to Media Fire for download. You will need a copy of Microsoft PowerPoint or something that reads PowerPoint presentations to view this. You can download the presentation of Psalm 23 at:
http://www.mediafire.com/?fzmqz5nhm2j

If you would like to download the free PowerPoint viewer from Microsoft in order to view the presentation, please go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=
428D5727-43AB-4F24-90B7-A94784AF71A4&displaylang=en

Encouragment from Leigh in Missouri

Leigh has this to share - here's Leigh:

I wanted to share this link with you. Please share it with the rest of the group, It is a letter written by Pope Benedict regarding Christian hope. I have not gotten through all of it yet, but it has inspired and encouraged me. I wanted to share it with other standers, for Christian hope is the basis upon which we lead our lives everyday.

God's peace,

Leigh

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/

documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html

Encouragement from Juan in South Africa

Juan sent in this graphic encouragement:

Denise Jackson interview on country station US 99

Here's a link to Denise Jackson US 99 (WUSN) in Chicago and an interview she had on the morning show:

http://www.mediafire.com/?2ofkw3ony2d

If you haven't read Denise Jackson's book "It's All About Him - Finding the Love of My Life," you can get more details (even buy online) and hear Alan Jackson's recording made especially for her book at:

http://www.itsallabouthim.net/main/

Susan's notes on Death of a Promise

From Deirdre in Germany:

Dear Judy and Ruthanne
I wish you a both a Happy and blessed start into this wonderful Year of New Beginnings and open heavens. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and guard your hearts with peace and joy and may your desires be met over and above what you can dream, imagine or even dare to ask in the mighty name of Jesus.

I just came across your old emails from 2005 sent to me by someone else where Susan had trnascripted all the parts of Death of a Promise. So here it is.

I have been on holiday facing some giants but still standing and still here and I will rejoice if it is the last thing I do because my redeemer lives and reigns.

Many blessings and many thanks and much love from Germany
Deirdre



Download a copy of the Death of a Promise Notes (Microsoft Word Format):
http://www.mediafire.com/?6x22z9htmji