Staying Busy

Well, we are still very busy and active. On Monday, my pastor and I engaged in an outreach to get people to come to church. We handed out more than 150 packets to people inviting them to church. We are going to be passing out flyers to people over the next few days. We will have about 160 to pass out. By faith, we will see people come to church from this.

I just helped to get the initial flyers ready for our church's Christmas Party. We will be passing these out as well. I can hardly wait to see the what will happen. I will have to be sure to get pictures.

We had a visitor in church tonight. I know that we will be seeing more of this as time goes on.

My Trip to Kansas City: Part Three

On Saturday night, my brother and I went to the last service of Mantle Conference. We arrived early and went in for prayer, after which the worship began. It was a very good service, with a mighty move of God. Brother Stoneking preached on "The State of the Apostate".

This message has remained with me more than any of the others. Bro. Stoneking stated that if you knew this truth, had lived it, and rejected and said that it was not true, you would then become an apostate. He gave examples of those who had and had not done this. This was a very powerful message, and I can hardly wait for my brother to send me my cds from it.

During the altar service, one of the men that goes to the same church that Phillip does received that baptism of the Holy Ghost. Almost immediately afterward, Bro. Gleason took the mic and shouted, "There are people getting the Holy Ghost tonight!" He had no idea that we had just seen one pray through! There was tongues and interpretation given several minutes later.

After this had transpired, I adjourned to the foyer where Bro. Stoneking would be giving autographs and sitting for pictures. I desired to have both things, and so I got them. Here are some of the pictures that I got.

This is a picture of a brother who I do not know. I agreed to take his picture with Bro. Stoneking, and he would take mine. I then said that I wanted a picture with him as I would be taking his picture later. It was fun.

This is one of my pictures with Bro. Stoneking. He looks better in them than I do.

This Phillip, my youngest brother, getting his picture taken with Brother Stoneking.

This is another young man who I took a picture for.

On Sunday, I went to church with Phillip. We had a very excellent service, and there was a message given in tongues and an interpretation. Bro. PJ Dixon preached the afternoon service, and did a fantastic job.

After the service, we were going to go for a bite to eat, when Phillip received a phone call from Kat. Upon hearing that a young lady desired to receive the Holy Ghost, we promptly scrapped our lunch, and went back to their apartment. As can be seen, we began to pray and before long, well, the wonderful story played out in their living room that Sunday afternoon. I can not think of a better way to spend a Sunday.

This is a picture right around the time that she received the Holy Ghost. Kat is in pink on the left, Sis. Heather is in front of her. Sis. Schwerzler is standing in front of them. I am in the corner by the closet. Bro. Schwerzler is taking a picture, and Bro. PJ is right across from his wife, Sis Heather. Phillip is the one holding taking the picture.

The following pictures are some that I took at their 'Pastor Appreciation Dinner' later that evening.

Bro. Schwerzler sitting at the table waiting for the fun to begin.

Bro. and Sis. Schwerzler standing behind a huge cake that was prepared for this occasion.

Phillip and a couple of other brethren having fun and goofing off.

Bro. PJ reading the answers from the quizzes that were on the table. These were a lot of fun.

Bro. PJ giving honor to whom honor is due. That is his laptop that he used to store his notes for this tribute to Bro. and Sis Schwerzler.

Bro. and Sis. Schwerzler opening their cards and discovering that they contained gift cards. Sorry that I can not remember where they were from. We can see that Sis. Schwerzler already has her's up.

Bro. Schwerzler giving a few remarks expressing his gratitude to the church.

After the dinner was over, we decided not to end the party. We went over to Bro. and Sis Schwerzler's house for some more fun. After sitting for a few minutes, it was suggested that we take up charades. I took part in this, but you will not see any pictures of me here, because I was the only one taking pictures.

Bro. PJ is imitating Bro. Stoneking.

This brother is imitating Bro. Schwerzler.

Bro. Schwerzler is just coming in from moving the church van. He was not quite sure what was up.

Bro. PJ on the floor laughing. I do not remember if this was one of the charades, or if was a moment of fun. Those are my feet sitting in the bottom of the picture.

Well, it was a good time. After the fun came to its inevitable end, I went back to Kat and Phillip's apartment, packed my few things and hit the road. It was a long road home, and I was in my own bed by 1000. I enjoyed the trip, and I hope that you enjoyed reading about it. I have more to post, but that will be coming later.

God bless you all,

Jonathan

My Trip to Kansas City: Part Two

I left off just before my brother and I went to church Friday evening. I will now try to pick up where I left off.

Phillip and I drove together to Bro. Stan Gleason's church, that is where the conference was being held. We generally are early to pray before church, but we were running behind, and so we actually walked in during the last half of pre-service prayer.

Service started and was good. The best part of course was the preaching. Bro. Lee Stoneking preached, and he was excellent. I do not remember everything that was said, but I do remember him preaching about Apostolic power. I received some direction from the Lord during that service, Afterward, I met some of the people that go to the same church as my brother. I also met some people from a church a few miles away from ours. That added to the trip.

After my brother and I left, we joined his pastor and church family at Cheddar's restaurant. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of this meeting, but we had a great time. Prophecy, psychology, and many other things were discussed around the table. The great thing about being with other Apostolics is the feeling that you are with family no matter where you are.

My brother and I took his car to the morning sessions, and we were able to hear Bro. Gleason teach about what anyone starting out should do when they seek to enter the ministry. He had approximately five or six points that he made. Some of them were as follows: 1) Listen to your Pastor. 2) Obey those in spiritual authority without question. 3) Make use of the opportunities as they come available. 4) Be found doing things without being asked. 5) Volunteer to be used, and then be found faithful even if is seems like a small thing.

Bro. Stoneking taught the next session. His topic was on the gifts of the Spirit and their operation. He did go very in depth, but he did enumerate a number of things about them. 1) The best gift is that is best for the situation. 2) The gifts are given to men, therefore they are going to be misused and abused. 3) In spite of point 2, we should still seek for the gifts to be used in us.

During the alter service, after his message, a tongues and interpretation went forth, and the assembly was continued to remain for a very long time. The morning sessions started at 1000, and my brother and I headed out with a few others to lunch around 1400. After lunch at Chili's, we went home to prepare for the evening service.

Keep your eyes peeled for Part 3. I intend to post it tomorrow or Monday.

See you then,

Jonathan

My trip to Kansas City: Part One

Well, it has been a week since I started my trip to Kansas City, and I am finally able to post some of what went down. First, I am going to explain why it took so long. I travelled home very early (or very late) on Monday morning. When I got home at 0900, I went to bed and remained there all day. I then had to work third shifts, and managed to contract a minor sinus infection or cold. However, God has been moving on my behalf, and I am far and away over the worst of it. That is why I am now posting.


I wanted to get leave the Quad Cities for Kansas City no later than 1000, but as seems to be the case whenever I travel, I got out about half an hour late. For this reason, I stopped for gas between Davenport and Walcott, and continued hurried on. My hurry precluded my taking pictures when I stopped, otherwise there would be more than just Dialogue here. I filled up with gas before I reached Des Moines, IA. I then had a relatively uneventful trip until I reached Liberty, MO.

If anybody reads this and you happen to from Liberty, I like your city, but there has to be a better way to Kansas City aside from turning off onto the highway. As one point, it took me nearly 10-15 minutes to move one tenth of a mile. I thought that I would be getting to my Phillip's apartment at 1630. However, I did not arrive until nearly 1700 (5:00 p.m. for those who are do not live on military time). However, once in Lee's Summit, I had no trouble finding the apartment and getting inside.

It was at this point that I had a problem. There are two bedrooms, and one of them was to be mine. However, not knowing which one, I sent a text (which is the exception not the rule for me) to Kat, Phillip's wife. She informed me which one was mine, and I quickly moved in and started preparing for church.

While I was busy, Phillip came home and started getting ready to go to church. When the time came, Phillip and I went to church. These were a few of the pictures that I took while I was waiting for him to get ready so we could leave.

This is Asher. He a near constant companion for Phillip. He also is a bit shy.

Here Asher is looking at Phillip in anticipation of a treat.

Phillip is fixing to giving Asher his treat by balancing it on his nose. Unfortunately, I was too busy after this to take any more pictures until Saturday evening.

This is the ending of part one. I had thought about writing it all at once, but that suddenly loomed as nearly impossible. So I will post Part Two shortly.

God bless all of you,

Jonathan

Taking time

I know that I have promised an update when I got back from Kansas City. However, I seem to need more rest and recovery than I have been getting. I will hopefully have everything put to rights in a couple of days, and then I will be posting about my trip. I have pictures, but none of the actual services (I am an enthusiastic participant and not given to standing taking photos when I can be in the Spirit). Please forgive the delay, and I will try to make it up to you soon.

Interesting things.

Sometimes it seems that nothing is going on, and then it seems that there is quite a bit that happens all at once. These are a few things that are happening or fixing to happen. It will be a bit random as I happen to think about something.

First, I started taking piano lessons a month ago. I have made some progress, but not as fast as what I had hoped. There is so much that I have to learn and practice. However, with God's grace, I am getting the hang of what I am doing. It is very interesting, and I am understanding the system of playing by note. I can hardly wait to start playing by ear. My teacher is a lady who attends a Bible Missionary church in the area. I have learned a lot, and anticipate learning so much more.

I saw an interesting sight. Maybe others have seen things like this, but I am sure it is a first for me.

No the helicopter itself is not unusual, but its location was.

This is at a Menard's construction site. I was shocked to see a helicopter being used at a construction site. Here is one last picture for your consideration.

This is one of the containers that the helicopter flew to rest in the interior of the building. I thought that it was so fascinating I took some pictures.

We are starting an outreach campaign for Halloween. We are going to sit in the church parking lot, and as kids and their parents pass by, we will give them a packet of candy with a church card. This way we get the name of the church out, and show ourselves active in the community. I hope to have some pictures of this for a later post.

Last and not least, I am going to be going to Kansas City, MO on Friday. I will be coming home sometime on Sunday. I am going down to the Passing the Mantle conference at Bro. Gleason's church, and visiting Phillip and his wife. I will have some pictures of that as well to post when I get back. If I can, I will post every day that I am down there, but I will not make any promises. Bro. Stoneking is going to be preaching, and I want to see him preach.

That is all for now,

In Christ,

JT

A Wedding

I took a trip to Detroit, Michigan last week for a friend's wedding. I was on the road most of the time and did not take a lot of time off the road, and then my batteries in the camera died. Therefore I only have pictures taken at the wedding. I did have a good time, and met a number of new people including the family of some of my friends. Here are a couple of the pictures that I took of the wedding.

The sound men were testing the system to work out the rings.

Some of the guests for the wedding, as you can tell it was a bit chilly outside. The temperature was in the low 50s with an overcast sky.

The officiating preacher is leading followed by the groom (Andrew Wilson). The best man (Tim Miller, the bride's brother) follows him. (I think that was Tim Miller.)

I do not know who the pianist was, but she was excellent. (We had mostly cloudy skies until after the reception, which was held indoors. There were by this point quite a few patches of sunshine which made for nice, bright pictures.

The bride, her father, and her bridesmaids.

The Bride (Amy Miller) and the Groom (Andrew Wilson). She had just finished the walk down the aisle. I had to start praying as my camera battery was dying.

The repeating of the vows.

The newly married Rev. and Mrs. Andrew Wilson.

After this, my batteries died and there was no chance of resurrection. I was disappointed as there were many other pictures that I had hoped to take. I will say that the reception was excellent. There was fried chicken, punch, green beans, ham, and I dare not forget the cake. There were many gifts that were presented, and a lot of laughs. I also met the family of some of my friends.

I hung out with some friends of mine that were also in Detroit for the wedding, and finally departed around midnight. I got home at 0945. I had told my pastor, Dad, that I might not make it to church if I got home after 0100.  Needless to say, I was there and it was quite a bit after my scheduled arrival time.

I do have one more picture to post. I kept hearing about how cold it was at this wedding. I was at one earlier this year that was far colder. The middle of January, snow on the ground, temperatures in the single didgets, and the wedding was out side.

This was photo was taken in a park after the wedding, and it was one of the nicest pictures that I have of that day.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed the photos and update. There is much more to come.

In the grace of Jesus,

Jonathan Talbot

An Update and Other Things

I have been working so many hours that I have not had a lot of time for keeping up on my postings. I have once again done more work on the church website. There is now an upcoming events page and a page of pictures from our first fifth Sunday. I have more plans for additional updates, and hope that they will be of interest to everyone.

I am going to be starting a series of posts about the songs of our heritage. I believe that it is an important topic that we neglect to our injury, but I will deal more with that at a later time. These will be songs that I can think of, and will include everything from hymns to regular gospel songs to influential choruses.

I have been taking in a bit of the news over the last several weeks. I was shocked to be proven wrong when Gov. Rick Perry joined the race just after the debate in Iowa. I was fairly sure that the field was firmly nailed down, and that people would be leaving. However, I was proven to be in error. This did shake up the field quite a bit, as did the departure of Gov. Tim Pawlenty. I still do not see Sarah Palin getting in the race, but it could yet happen. I believe that we still have a three way race between Romney, Perry, and Bachman, but with the moderators and the media focusing only on the first two, it will be more difficult for her to make her mark until the primaries begin or other candidates leave the race.

It is a facinating day in which we live. The PLO leader has petitioned the U.N. for recognition of statehood. There are many problems that accompany this request, not the least is the refusal of most Palestinians to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. Their children chant in the streets for the destruction of Israel. Their educational system does not show maps with Israel's borders but rather a united Palestine. Because of President Obama's refusal to project American power and determination, the rest of the world feels no qualm about curbing our participation in the region. Truly God is settting the stage for his soon return for His people and bringing time to its inevitable conclusion. Now is the day for us to get ourselves ready to meet Him.

Contemplations

I was reading the end of a biography of our Founding Fathers. (I do not always read books from front to back first.) As I finished, I was provoked to contemplate the legacies that we will leave behind us.

Some will build monuments for themselves, but these have a way of passing away and being forgotten. They end like the poem 'Ozymandias' by Percy Shelley. Their grand monuments fall and fade, and they are lost to the dust bin of history.

Then there are those who endeavor to build a legacy to pass down to their children. These are far fewer than the tyrants who heap unto themselves monuments in their pride and despair of death. These leave their marks on the nations that they have passed through. Lincoln, Washington, Adams, Roosevelt, and Reagan were all men of this quality. Such leave no monuments themselves, but others build them in their honor many years after they have departed. They give such an effect that for hundreds of years after they lived the ripples of their lives affect the currents of life for the world.

We then come to those who leave another legacy. These do not visibly affect their culture, their world, or any major figures of their times. Instead they pass on their teachings, lessons, and instruction to the next generation. They do not worry about any other form of a legacy. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Peter, Barnabas, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Bro. G.T. Haywood, Bro. A.D. Urshan, etc. were such men. They did not appear to the world of their day to leave much of a legacy, but they passed their legacy, and their heirs became the great men who shook the world. Joseph ruled second to Pharoah in Egypt. Paul turned the Roman world on its head by starting churches that within 200 years would overturn the entire course of the empire. Aaron Burr, Vice-President under Thomas Jefferson (admittedly a controversial figure) was the grandson of Jonathan Edwards. Followers of John Wesley built the Methodist church, which for years dominated the American life by advocating a simple and holy lifestyle. Bro. Haywood gave support to men who would found an organization that would rapidly expand numerically beyond his in just a few short years after its creation, and Bro. A.D. Urshan was the father of the man who led that same organization for 23 years, the longest serving G.S. in the movements history.

I then considered, what are we going to leave to those who follow? Shall we raise monuments to ourselves and our greatness, or will we build something and leave it to the next generation? Will we give them the grounding to rise to those heights to which we are not able to reach? Are we going to give them the teachings that they will use to shape and shake the generations that follow long after we are gone?

In parting, if we are going to do any of this, we must act as Jesus once commanded Judas Iscariot, "That which you do, do quickly."

Catching everything up to date

I promised that I would bring bring this blog up to date. I am now going to do so. If I miss anything important, I slept through it. That is the reason, I slept right through it.

About two days after Phillip and Kat went back to Missouri, I bought a new car. I really wanted to wait a little longer, but it just did not work out that way. I knew I had to do it sooner or later, but I really was hoping to wait until next year, but it was not to be. However, God granted me a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. I only wanted a car with a functional CD player, and cruise control. God answered that prayer, and gave me power windows and locks, heated leather seats, and a sun roof. I have two cigarette lighter ports, a USB port, and a auxiliary port, and the capability to access satellite radio if I want to buy the service. I can also subscribe to OnStar, if I want. I did not ask for all of these things, but I new that I would like them in a car. God gave them too me, and I am so very grateful.

A few days after that, Mom, Dad, and I went to a Triumphant Quartet concert in Morrison. We had a wonderful time. There were a lot of laughs.

Then on 8-7-2011, I went to the Talbot Family Reunion. I enjoyed my time there, and saw a number of family members that I had not seen in a year or so. That is because we get together about once a year at the reunion. As that was a Sunday, I then left and went to church that night. When we let out, I went to see my Grandparents, Aunt Sandra, Uncle Ron, and my Cousins with their spouses and assorted offspring. I then went over to my parents house for a few hours, and then life returned back to its normal schedule.

I set up the church website, and am maintaining it as best as I can. I have it pretty well set up, but there are a few things that I still want to try with it. Of course, it will need constant upkeep, but that is the easy part. The website for the church is www.fountainoftruth.org. I will of course be working on it often.

Well, that is all that I can think of for now. I will be posting again soon. Until then God bless and keep you.

My Promise Part 3: Fifth Sunday

It is now time to bring this narrative to its inevitable close.

Sunday 7-31-2011 was the first fifth Sunday at Fountain of Truth Church. We started service at 10:00 as we always do, but my Phillip delivered the message that morning. We had a couple who had never been to our church before, and the Spirit moved in a very sweet way. After service, we adjourned to the parsonage for food, games, and fellowship. My brother, sisters-in-law, Nick, and I went over to the parsonage first to prepare the tables and set up. After a short time, our pastor and wife, and Phillip joined us and started preparing the grill for the hamburgers and hot dogs.

 The food is on the grill and fixing to come off. It was good.

There was a very careful watch kept over the most valuable table at the parsonage.

More hovering around the food waiting for the main course.

Rearranging the layout of the items on the food table (Nick got an early start on the food).

Hmmm. I do not know if that is blessed yet. Nevertheless, it made us hungry.

Bridgette following Nick's example. That pasta might be gone before anything else.

The food is now on the table and it is time to dig in. No certain path around the table was followed.

Anthony is trying to decide where to start, and Phillip is only focused on his drink.

Pastor Talbot has his drink and plate. Has he already started?

After eating for a while we play a few games of Catchphrase (a game where you attempt to describe a word or phrase which your team tries to guess in a certain amount of time.) Kat is having trouble with her word.

Bridgette is waiting for her turn to guess.

The photographer's turn. I think that I got to reset the timer for my turn.

Even the dog was having a good time. Rex has been a member of the Pastor's family for roughly 13 years now.

Time to clean up the yard. It sure went by quick. A lot of fun was had by all invloved.

This is where the picture must end, but not the fun. There was a lapse of a few hours, and then we met at a min golf course in Davenport. We played two rounds of golf. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and then had to rush through the second round so I could get ready for work. Therefore there are no pictures of this great and fascinating time. All I can say is that you should have been there.

I have more, but they will have to keep for a short time longer. They will bring me up to date where major events are concerned. Until then, God bless.

My Promise Part 2: An Evening of Strange Events

I return to take everyone back to the events of three weeks ago. For this I actually brought my camera along and took many pictures. They are date stamped so that I can remember what happened when. The events that transpire took place the evening after the concert.

For a little bit of background, I believe that I had to work, although I am not positive about that. Phillip and Kat, my brother and sister-in-law, spent a large portion of their day working around Mom and Dad's house and the church. They then went over to my brother's house to spend time with them. This was because the order of events was reversed due to unforeseen circumstances the day before. This is where it all began.

I called Mom and found out what was going on. I then called my Anthony, my other brother, and he invited me to join him and Bridgette, his wife, and the others at the pizza parlor. Not one to pass up a chance at pizza (or a good time with my family and friends either), I made sure that I was there on time. The problem was that I then had to wait. This is what happened from their in pictures.

Incredible pizza in the evening where all of the games began. This is the beginning of the entertainment.

The problem was that I had time on my hands as they thought that we had more time than we did. Once we found out that time was going to be shorter to eat than we thought, they got on their way. Anthony and Phillip went to pick up another Anthony. As he is a few years younger than my brother, he is known as Little Anthony. In the mean time, I had plenty to occupy my attention.

I sought a sign that I was in the proper location. Here is the sign I was given.







The parking lot was fairly full. I was waiting for the everyone.

I thought the cloud formation was interesting. (Simple minds/Simple pleasures)

I enjoy watching clouds. Especially when they are like this. They shift and change constantly.

'Here Come the Wives' Kat and Bridgette. Kat is on the left and Bridgette on the right.

The distance of people and objects in these pictures are not as far or as close as they may appear. (I love the focus function on my camera.) The good times have started already.

Kat was willing to sit and wait. Bridgette and I preferred to stand around.

Bridgette on the move while waiting. This just goes to show that you can be moving and not going anywhere.

Kat was looking at something. We put our time to good use and conserved energy for fun and frivolity.

Unfortunately, I had to go by batteries. I told the girls that I need to run to Dollar General, which was just down the strip from here. However, I said that I needed 'dilithium' batteries. For those of you who do not get the joke there, dilithium is a substance that aids in the powering of starships in Star Trek. This produced a much needed round of laughter.

I do not know how Little Anthony is going to eat considering he was becoming insubstantial. Mine is the empty chair across from him.

Little Anthony was thinking a deep thought.

Little Anthony trying to use his hand to defeat a camera taking his picture. The current score: Camera-3, Little Anthony-0

Phillip is making a 'point'.

Kat is very focused.

Bridgette is focused on pizza.

We then went to play the games that were in the back. There were two games of laser tag played, but I do not have any pictures of those.

No they are not Pentecostal. They sure can pass for it though. They belong to an old fashioned Holiness denomination that has its headquarters here. I shall post more about them at another time.

After they closed, we everyone went over to Anthony and Bridgette's place for some more fun. This included a game of Catchphrase that lasted until after 0100 in the morning. Little Anthony was taken home by Anthony, and I took Bridgette to her house. After the others arrived, we had another guest who came for a time.

This is Nick. He pretty well rounds out those of us who can be called the 'youth group'.

After the games, we all went to our rests to get ready for our very first 5th Sunday. But that will have to wait until I post part three a little later in the week.

As always, stay tuned for my next update. In the  grace of goodness and grace of Jesus Christ, good night.