Hope to see you soon!

Hello and greetings in the Lord,

           We have great and exciting news! For those of you living in the states, the Ingram Family will be coming to a church near you starting this September! We have not had a furlough in 3 years and our ministry is in great need of one. We will be stateside from September until January 2014. We will be traveling extensively to Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, North and South Carolina, possibly Georgia, and Michigan and to any other state that we get and invitation to come and share. Our goal is to speak to new churches and also visit existing supporters. 

       We do not yet have tickets but we do have a ride to the airport on Aug. 27th and our first speaking engagement is scheduled for the first week of Sept. in Illinois. We plan on staying there in the area and sharing with churches and groups for the whole month of Sept. We are then planning to hold a revival at Germantown Baptist Chapel in Germantown, OH from Oct. 7th-11th. After that we plan on heading south.

       If we have spoken at your church before or if you have started getting our updates in the past 3 years and have not yet had us visit your church  or group we are wanting to here from you. Soon!  Please call us at 1-937-307-0694, email us at david@newdaycm.org or write to us at our stateside mailing address: New Day Christian Ministry PO Box 49610 West Carrollton OH 45449. We are willing to go anywhere that will extend the invitation for us to come.

       We have a letter for you to print and share with your church and small group. We hope that you will help us by sharing it with them and also forwarding this blog post on to others who we hope will also share it and help us spread the word. You can print the furlough letter from here:

 http://www.newdaycm.org/furlough2013.pdf

Here are some important things to pray along with us for as we are preparing for travel: 

1.)Airfare:We have a ride to the airport on Aug. 27th but we have not yet purchased tickets. Please pray the Lord will provide money to purchase tickets for travel. One way tickets for our family to travel is going to cost about $700.00

2.) Transportation: We will be in the States a total of 5 months and we do not yet have transportation. It would be great if we could use a motor home to travel and lodge in but any transportation would be greatly appreciated. If you, or if you know of anyone who has an extra vehicle that we could borrow please contact us soon or pass along our information to anyone you know of that may be able to help with this. 

3.) The Ministry: Please pray for our ministry here in Puerto Rico as we travel. 

4.) Health: Although we have insurance here in PR it does not go with us when we leave. Please pray for a healthy and safe trip for us and our small children. While in the States we will need medical insurance of some kind, pray that the Lord will work out the logistics and just protect us while there so we won’t even need to see a doctor. 

 5.) Blessings along the way: Please join us as we pray that the Lord will bless us with many places new and old to visit and share this wonderful work the Lord has led us to these past 3 years.

Donations are needed and gifts of any amount would be greatly appreciated as we prepare to set out on this next big adventure. You can give a donation of any amount here:  (Click Here) , through the mail at the address given above, or you can also find donation options at the bottom of this page. 

May God bless you and make you a blessing. We are really excited about this trip back and hope to see you really soon!

God Bless,

David Ingram

New Day Christian Ministry

Isa. 43:18-21

May I please have 5 mins of your time? It would me the world to us.

Hello and greetings in the Lord,
    

You know I can still remember the excitement, nervousness, and resolve we had on another July like this one 9 years ago. We were a newly married couple who had gotten to the point that we had to say, "Here we are Lord, send us" earlier that year or there would have been no peace in our hearts, and now here we were carrying through with that commitment.

    Everything we owned was spread out on my parents' yard. I must say it was quite a site.  All of our furniture, appliances, our vehicles and our household items were all there set out for sale. It was an odd and yet interesting experience as people came through combing through our things, not seeing the same value in them the way we had.

Whoever paid $100 for our bed that had cost $700 less than a year earlier, got a great deal. You could not tell it by their attitudes because they seemed pretty miffed to have paid that much. Looking back I should have kept it, it would be another 6 years before Heather and I would own a box spring and mattress to sleep on again.  All we did keep were some personal affects, books, and a computer that we were packing and shipping to PR ahead of us.

  

 We had no idea what laid ahead but we knew the Lord was leading us to go and that is all we needed to know. I will say that first night as we arrived in the house we were to live in for the next year with things scattered about, nothing but our luggage, and needing to clear a path to get to a place to sleep, was an eye opener. I could see in my young wife's face that look of "What have we gotten ourselves into?" Still she and I made it through that night and several far harder ones than that one over the years.  Honestly the first year was pretty rough for us for many reasons but we made it through.  It was very much a time of growth, dependence on the Lord, and a coming together far stronger than our first year of marriage had brought us and still that cementing together has lasted and grown only stronger through the years. (Heather and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary soon on Aug.30th 2013.)

    Here we are now 9 years later, me and my beautiful wife and our two beautiful

children. We are still on the mission-field and today like so long ago feeling excitement, nervousness, and a resolve to serve the Lord no matter what. We have seen and done too many things to name. The Lord has preserved us through so many hurts, losses, and difficult times and He has blessed us with so many amazing life changing experiences.

    We have walked the line of faith for years, each month we have trusted and waited for the Lord's provision. It is true that we have struggled to pay the bills many times from that first day in Ponce until now but at the same time the Lord has also blessed us with perfectly timed relief as well.  Often we have had just enough to pay all of the bills and coast through until the next month began. There have been those times that all the bills have been paid on time and we were able to set some aside for the next month, and then there have been times where past due bills were mounting and we would begin to wonder if we had been forgotten. Thankfully each time help would come from the most unexpected places.

 We have not been the type of ministry that sees large donations that come in regularly or many small donations that would come in each day and yet the Lord has provided and taken us to so many places, introduced us to so many amazing people, and provided for us in so many amazing ways, we could have never imagined 9 years ago at that yard sale in my parents back yard what all the Lord had planned.

             We have seen hundreds come to Christ, traveled to Africa three separate times, started two churches in PR, traveled back to the states on 3 furloughs and seen our ministry go from a handful of people meeting in a school class room in 2005 to now having close to 50 New Day branches around the world. Our online ministry reaches into nearly 100 countries with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we have a weekly Monday night Bible study that airs live each week for all who want to participate & every month we help to make sure that the orphans in our ministry in Kenya have food to eat.

We will never truly  know what an impact this ministry is having in the world this side of eternity but we know it is the Lord's and He is doing a tremendous work and we are grateful to be a part of it.

      I guess in some ways this July is much like that one we had 9 years ago only now it is not the material things that are being combed through. With so many other concerns, is the work we are doing for the Lord still seen as valuable?  Do people not see the same value in this ministry work in the way we do? Is it something else?  All of these changed lives, all of these amazing things the Lord has done  and is doing, and yet at the same time we were past due on our rent, we had to cancel church this last week because we could not afford the gas, and the number of personal health needs, vehicle repairs, and past due ministry bills continue to grow.

       Those faithful gifts that come in each month are coming still but the special gifts that we also depend on have all but dried up for the moment and we have really been affected by it these past couple months. I guess I kind of feel like my wife did on our first day on the Island, "What have we gotten ourselves into?" Still I know we will make it through this too like we have all the rest in the past.

       I would like to say to all of you who have stayed with us these past 9 years, who have stayed up praying for us during the hard times, gave what you could, even when it was not easy, took the time to write us, made the effort to call us, or to send us an email, I want you to know that each time was a tremendous blessing and encouragement to us that has kept us going.

     We have been told, and indeed we have considered, moving on to something else when our hearts had fallen or the way has gotten very hard, much harder than it usually is. Looking back however at each of those times I can see now how much wonder, joy, and peace the Lord had brought to us ,even in the midst of those times, that we would have missed out on had we not stayed the course.

    Despite what some may say the Christian life is not a series of mountain top experiences. You must also go through the valleys so you are better able to be used by the Lord as you continually learn to trust in Him more. Maybe you too have come to one of these points in life when things just seem too hard, too hurtful to stick with what the Lord is leading you to do, or to do so cheerfully. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Gal. 6:9

     When you find yourself like we have  a few times over the years asking God, "what have I gotten myself into"  just know you are not alone and more importantly that God is going to bring you through it. We know that He will not just because we hope so or think that He should. We know it because He has said He would in His word, and God can not lie.

    If you have read down this far I truly appreciate your resolve to see things through and I  am hoping I can ask just one or two more things of you to do before you go on with your day. For this ministry to continue, and continue to grow, it is going to have to have more support.

1.)        We need to expand the number of people and churches that know about and would be willing to support this work in whatever ways the Lord would lead them. If you have been a friend of this ministry and are already familiar with all the Lord has been doing through New Day please share this letter in places like facebook and twitter, with your email contacts, friends, churches, and small groups so that they can also learn about all that the Lord is doing through this ministry and pray about getting involved.  If you have received this letter from a friend please visit our web page at http://www.newdaycm.org and learn more about this work and see if He is leading you to join Him in it.

        

2.)       It has been 3 years since our last furlough and we are now planning to return this fall to the states. As of yet we do not know everywhere we will go, where we will stay, or even what we will drive. All of these thing we are praying about right now. We need resources now to get us through the next couple months here in Puerto Rico and we need to start planning for where and when we will travel to share. If you have been a friend of this ministry or you are just hearing of us we would like to hear from you and to make plans to come and share with your church or small group in the coming months.

 Please call us at: 1-937-307-0694, email us at: newdaycm@yahoo.com or write to us at:
New Day Christian Ministry PO Box 801438 Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico. We are willing to go anywhere that will extend the invitation for us to come.


3.)    All of the churches we have started over the years are in poor, mostly unreached areas. They do much on their own but they also need help. There is a tremendous amount of ministry taking place every day and an abundant amount of opportunity for mission trips for anyone willing to go.


4.)    We need prayer! We need pray each and every day. If you are willing to pray with us and for us please contact us and let us know. We do have a prayer ministry and we would love for you to be a part of it. You can begin by visiting our prayer ministry page at: http://newdayprayer.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long but very important letter to us about this work. May God richly bless you and make you a blessing.

God Bless,
David Ingram
New Day Christian Ministry
Isa. 43:18-21

For the pdf printable version of this letter use the following link: http://www.newdaycm.org/furloughandsupport.pdf

 

For the pdf (text only) printable version of this letter use the following link: http://www.newdaycm.org/furloughtext.pdf

Have you lost that loving feeling, has your spouse?

David and Heather Ingram Aug. 30th 2003

  Have you heard that old song that goes a little like this:

 ♪♫ ♪ You've lost that loving feeling, oh, oh, that loving feeling, you've lost that loving feeling and its gone, gone, gone..... ♪♫ ♪

             Many a person who claims to be "falling out of love" will gravitate toward this song like it is some type of profound truth but is this "loving feeling" being felt or not felt enough to base a marriage on? Truly, marriage is under attack in this country far greater than we have ever seen before. Is that really such a bad thing? Well if you listened to the popular tag lines of our culture you may assume it is not.  I however am not so easily convinced. I know what it does to you and those you love when a marriage falls apart and God's instructions for marriage are ignored.  With a brief count I can think of at least 6 couples I know who are having a difficult time right now or were very recently, in trying to figure out what it means to be  engaged, married, to be parents, and I know some now single parents who are trying to figure out where do they go  from here and divorced couples trying to figure out how to bring together two broken homes in an effort to make one that is not.

              It can be very rough when pride and unforgiveness keeps you from seeking the reconciliation you need and God wants for you to have if you would just be willing to seek  it. Sometimes even when you are completely willing to work things out sadly the other person simply is too stuck on their path to budge. A lot of the problem comes from our desire to do things our own way and not the Lord's. It is an incredibly painful way to do it but as many a person has boasted, "I have to learn things the hard way". The reality is you really are not being forced to learn things the hard way by anyone but yourself and sadly some lessons learned come at too steep of a price to ever fully recover from. Why not save yourself the trouble and try learning it the easy way, listen to those who have already been where you are now and have learned the wisdom you now need? As God's word says, "All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

        All of the couples I thought of earlier have also claimed the name of Christ and stated they wanted to commit their lives to one another and to the Lord. They were wise to make such a commitment. After all it is the Lord that brings the husband and wife together. As God's word asks," Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife(husband)? In body and spirit you are his."  God indeed has made us one as a unit, or as Jesus states it, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

           When a man and women are married it is clear in His word that He is the one who unites you to your spouse.  And what does He want and expect of our marriages?

            We may think of many answer we would like to hear or feel are the most important:  true happiness, romance, friendship, encouragement, passion, security, comfort  and stability to name but a few. And indeed in a God honoring home and marriage we would find many if not all of these present but these are not the reasons God has brought you together and formed you together as one flesh. The purpose He has given us is that he desires,  "Godly children from your union." and He admonishes you and I to, " guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife (husband) of your youth." 

            God's one solid reason for marriage and for why He does not want the union He has brought about to be broken is because he has purposed that we shall raise up for Him Godly children. And He is pretty serious about it. God hates divorce, He hates what it does to the couple and He hates what it does to the children. He hates it so much so that He states the following: "You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young.... For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife (husband) is to overwhelm her(him) with cruelty"

            God cares very deeply about the way we treat one another and how it will also impact those around us. An unwillingness to forgive others will always get us in trouble with the Lord. "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

 

            Your, "feelings" rise and fall from day to day and moment to moment but they do not dictate what is right and what is wrong. They do not release you from the spouse the Lord has given you to and you to them and it does not take away the responsibility the Lord has given you both to raise your children to honor the Lord, not just in your words but in your testimonies. The first place this will always be seen by them is in the home and in the way you treat the spouse the Lord has given you. 

            Even when those times come when one spouse leaves, choosing rebellion over God, we are not given a free pass to do with that freedom whatever we desire. If we have children, especially when we are raising them on our own or in strained relationships, our first and highest priority has not changed, we are still to lead our children to honor the Lord. 

            So wherever you find yourself now: whether the one wanting to leave, the one wanting to hold on, the one who has already left, or the one left behind. It is not too late to make the right decision in following the Lord's command. If you are leaving, repent and return; if you are the one holding on, do so with love and not bitterness and resentment. If your marriage has already ended and the divorce is final and you were the one who left make sure you get your life right with the Lord, stop focusing on yourself and reach out to mend the relationships which your selfishness has injured, and if you were the one who was left be willing to forgive. Do not use the children as pawns in an ongoing battle with your former spouse. Seek peace so that you can help your children heal and for you to grow in the Lord. No one can heal if the wound continues to be ripped open and exposed afresh and if you are the one who is trying to bring two broken homes together to try and make one whole one understand that it will take time patience, love and really seeking the Lord together.

            No matter how much you want it to be, according to God, it is not about you and your "feelings" and it never will be. It will always be about what you have done and will do with those He has entrusted to you. He wants you to direct them towards Him, not just with your words but also by your actions and your attitude. Are you ready? I hope so because you really need to get start today, in fact, we all do. 

            If this has been helpful to you or would be helpful to someone you know please do pass it along.

God Bless,

David Ingram

New Day Christian Ministry

Isa. 43:18-21

For more please see:

 Mal.2, Mark 10, Matthew 6, Matt 18. 1 Cor. 1 Also you will find many wonderful resource for family and marriage in our new family corner: http://www.newdaycm.org/family.html and we are always available for counsel and prayer.