Time Flies!

My, how time flies! Since graduation is the first Friday of May, that means April is the last full month of the 2015-2016 school year! It has been a great year for which we truly thank the Lord.

March has had it own special times. The week of the 7th through the 11th was devoted to our second semester “Lecture Week”. Charlie Hornick walked the students through 1 Corinthians, and that was immediately followed by the annual Spring Break (the 12th–21st).  We took advantage of the break from classes to visit Stephanie and Trevor in the Rockies where they minister at Rocky Mountain Bible Church. It was fun being with them, and Dick celebrated his 82nd birthday while we were there.

Coming up in the weeks ahead will be the FSB Ladies Retreat, the Man Feast – a special steak dinner on campus provided for the men while the ladies enjoy their time away, a combined baby shower for several of the women who are expecting, and our usual outstanding end-of-the-year banquet where scholarships for the coming school year are awarded to deserving students. 

We would appreciate your prayers for our summer, that we would use it effectively for the Lord and also be able to be refreshed during those months. Thanks for all you mean to us and we also pray your summer will also be a great time for you and those you love.

A Word from the Word

First Corinthians 1:26–28 states in part: “and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen…”  Have you ever had the feeling of being unwanted, abandoned, rejected or overlooked? Or, what about the agony of thinking you just aren’t smart enough for God to use? You are precisely the kind of person God wants to use.

Lately I’ve been reminded how I was exactly that kind of person — unappealing, not able to speak clearly, a nobody, and yet, God was able to take someone like me and enable me and use me. At 82 years as I look back on my spiritual journey of over 60 years I’m living proof that God can use someone who is less than ordinary. I am grateful, thankful and His grace still amazes me.

Someone once said, “A lack of education, culture, or polish has never stopped God from using people who have a willing heart. If your heart is right and you are willing for God to use you, you are the very one He is seeking right now! Just say, ‘Lord, here I am! I’m ready to be used!’”

Missions: Where Do We Fit In?

February 14–19 was our spring Missions Conference — Missions: Where Do We Fit In? Students get a real taste of what foreign missions is like from these conferences. As a result many of our graduates are now spreading the gospel throughout the world — Poland, Slovenia, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Brazil, France, Vanuatu, and Kazakhstan, to name a few. It is so encouraging to realize we’ve played a small part in their biblical training. We can think of no better way to invest our lives. Thank you for the part you have in this through your prayers and support.

Satisfaction

Earlier in February Kathy and two other FSB staff women spoke for the ladies retreat at Imperial Bible Church in Imperial, Nebraska. Also two more women that minister at Frontier led the music. It was a privilege ministering with this team of ladies. The theme was Satisfaction in Christ and the church ladies did an amazing job decorating with a coffee theme. Loved the yummy food and coffee treats, but most of all appreciated their eagerness for the Word and their warm fellowship.

Praise and Prayer

Praise

• For God’s strength and grace

• That God is personal and caring

• Progress with the new accounting system

• Health

• Imperial Bible Church ladies' retreat

Prayer

• Upcoming spring break mission trips

• Future plans for graduating seniors

• Students of God’s choosing for next year

• That we will be faithful to the Lord with joyful and thankful hearts

• Continued strength and energy

Thank you for partnering with us. You are a continual source of encouragement to us through your prayers and support. May the Lord richly bless you.

In Him,

Dick & Kathy

Encouraging Words from Brazil

Our spring semester has gotten off to a great start here at Frontier School of the Bible. Ten additional students have enrolled this second semester. Dick is teaching Victorious Christian Living and Theology 2 which includes the study of angels, demons, satan, man, sin, and salvation. Kathy is involved with two women’s classes — Women Teaching Women 1 and Women Teaching Woman 3. We love our classes! 

A graduate doing an internship in Brazil recently emailed these encouraging words:

“I want to thank you personally for the work and effort you put into the WTW classes. What I’ve learned from those classes has helped me immensely during my time here. I have a constant one-on-one Bible study where I apply what I’ve learned from those classes. I have a 45 minute message that I’ve begun studying for and without those classes I would feel so lost in my preparation. But I can do it in an organized way that keeps my thoughts in order and I get the most out of God’s Word. So thank you!”

Merry Christmas!

This year has brought some new experiences for us. We are now empty nesters! We miss our children, but our full schedules have helped us adapt very well. Trevor and Stephanie are loving their life in Colorado, especially being involved with the various ministries at Rocky Mountain Bible Church. Jeff and Rachel are still in Dallas and are thankful to live where it’s not so cold! Each of them enjoys their work and stays very busy. 

It’s been a good year for us and we’ve both had good health. After all these years, we still love being at Frontier and the many opportunities it gives us to impact the lives of students. However, Christmas time is always a welcome break from the hustle and bustle!

Kathy won "Most Creative" in our Ugly Christmas Sweater contest!

Since marrying 40+ years ago, this will be our first Christmas with just the two of us. We have always been in Mississippi with Kathy's family, or celebrating with our children at home. We are decorating together, cooking together, and looking forward to sharing Christmas day together. We are so grateful for the years God has given us! Each new stage is another adventure!

Recently we’ve been blessed by Psalm 31:19, 24:

“Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD.”

We both thank God for giving us such a perfect mate and friend whom we have enjoyed being with day-by-day-by-day through the years. This is a constant reminder to us of God’s amazing goodness.

We thank God for you — another obvious way that we see His goodness. The times are countless that you have encouraged us through the years at just the right times. Your gifts, prayers, caring words, and wise advice have been a blessing that is immeasurable.

We thank God most of all for sending His son, Jesus — the most precious gift we have ever received. He proved His great love by giving His life that we can know Him personally. What greater love is there than this?

Please Pray for Us

• Please continue to pray for our support. 

• Please consider CMI in your year-end giving.

• Shortly we will begin changing our accounting system for
  CMI. Pray this goes well.

• Upcoming speaking opportunities.

• To keep our focus on Christ living with eternity in mind.

Praise God with Us

• For additional monthly support

• Extra one time gifts

• For strength at this busy time

• For dear friends who encourage us

We pray you have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our dear Savior. 

Because of Him, 

Dick and Kathy

A Word from the Word

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor [loud quarreling], and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

— Ephesians 4:31, 32

When you are mistreated, taken advantage of, treated unfairly, deliberately deceived, or otherwise wronged, what is your usual response? In light of these verses, what should be your response? It’s crystal clear, isn’t it? You should forgive just “as God in Christ forgave you.” And to what degree have you been forgiven by God? Colossians 2:13 answers: “He has…forgiven you all trespasses.

Plain and simple — we are to forgive. In Matthew 18:21 Peter asked Jesus how often we should forgive a brother who has “sinned against us.” The Lord’s reply was: “up to seventy times seven.” That paints a pretty clear picture, doesn’t it? Proverbs 11:17 also reminds us that when a man is merciful, it is good for his own soul!

But even though forgiveness is beneficial for us, there are times we just do not want to forgive, which results in bitterness as we are warned in Hebrews.

“Pursue peace with all people…lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many are defiled.”

— Hebrews 12:14, 15

The root of bitterness bears bitter fruit. Do we think we can hide our bitterness and just “grin and bear” the situation? We cannot. There is no freedom in a bitter soul. There is only freedom in forgiveness. Sooner or later it comes to the surface and strikes out at those in our lives. In fact, we are often blinded to the reality that we ourselves are poisoned by it.

The remedy to bitterness of spirit is to refuse to focus on our own hurts, repeated wrongs we have endured, or the personal pain we suffer through the deceptions and meanness of others. Rather, we must choose to focus on God’s grace. The same grace God has showered upon us, we should extend to others. We should forgive the undeserving in the same way we have been forgiven, putting away “all bitterness” and choosing to relinquish all feelings of resentment. Jesus is our supreme example — He is the only one who had every right to be bitter, but He chose, instead, to forgive.

Love my classes!

We have such a good group of students this year. I'm thoroughly enjoying my classes and appreciate their teachable spirits and excellent attention — which makes teaching a joy. In addition to that they sometimes even like an old man's humor. 

Can you believe that some of them consider my tests difficult? Lauren (center below) posted the picture below on Facebook and is obviously thrilled she passed!

Student Wives Retreat

We had our student wives retreat at a small country church at the top of a nearby bluff. It was beautiful and a very encouraging time. FSB staff member, Joyce Koester, shared how we can be better prepared for the abrupt times in life. Joyce's husband, Carl, went home to heaven in May 2014 and what she shared had an impact on all of us. She made Acts 17:28 come alive, "In Him [Christ] we live and move and have our being."