Wrapping up another year!

     This has been a wonderful and glorious year for HMA.  We preached all over the United States this year.  We started all kinds of on line programs.  Raised more money than ever before.  Pushed The Saving Place furniture thrift store into new areas.  Started carrying our own line of mattresses, appliances and furniture.  Added two new positions for the jobs program.  Were blessed to be involved with Pastor Lamb and the founding of a brand new church work in Kentucky, (the newest fully functioning HMA affiliate).  Saw some of our first addict converts turn thier fifth year clean.  Worked on a huge jobs program here at the very end of the year that netted over 100 homeless people off of the streets, (the last three of which were finalized today).  Met with some new pastors and church leaders just in the last few weeks already about projects for next year.  And it almost exhausts me just typing about it.  :))  
     This last year we have been able to work with and see God deliver many street drug addicts, more and more prescription drug addicts, serveral alcoholics, a couple homosexuals, a bisexual and a few proffessional thiefs and liars just out of the Tulsa homeless mission program.  This is not to mention at all the Jacob's Ladder progams, the children's programs or any of the affiliate projects. 
     Of course we all know that the ultimate goal here is not to just make them happier or give them a better life, but becasue we love them with the love of Christ, it is our ultimate intention to see thier eternity changed for the better.  God has blessed us here at HMA with an amazing group of people, (over 180 volunteer staff members nation wide).  These people understand the scriptural balance between reaching out with love and compassion and teaching sound doctrine and principles.  This very delicate balance is the difference between effective Christian outreach and it's not so effective counter parts, which are cultic discipleship or hate and segregation by denomination.
     We refuse to go along with the sweeping, watered down, charasmatic groups that only reach for numbers and basically teach "come to Jesus, he will make you happy, rich and get you a gorgeous mate", (it's not about you, it's about Him).  But at the same time, we also refuse to subscribe to the idea that being a Christian is such a tight, restricted set of values and rituals that there just aren't hardly any poeple left that can measure up to it.  God would like to and is plenty capable of saving every single person that you meet every day for the rest of your life.  Perhaps the only thing stopping Him is.......you.
     Well, there I go again.  It is very hard for a preacher to communicate without getting a little preachy.  Haha.  I just want to say a tremendous thank you on behalf of all that have been helped and all that have been saved.  From the one that got the blanket to the one the got the housing.  From the one that got the bowl of soup to the one that got delivered from meth.  From the one that got the coat and hat, to the one that got the bus ticket back home.  From the one that got the new job to the one that got the new God.  God bless all of our donors, workers, ministers, volunteer, drivers, cooks, fundraiser organizers and prayer warriors.  The longer these New Testament biblical outreach principles are spread and applied the more we change, not just the face of the "Christian" movement here in America, but the world.  One soul at a time.  God bless HMA in our up and coming 6th year functioning, 5th year incorporated.  Thank you for Loving the Least, the Last and the Lost.  MERRY CHRIST-mas!!!
your humble servant,

SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO DIE (AUDIO BY PASTOR DAVID LAMB)

SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO DIE

(AUDIO SERMON BY PASTOR DAVID LAMB)

(CLICK ON PICTURE TO LISTEN)

Depression has become an epidemic, even among Christians. 

It is especially prominent during the Christmas and winter season. 

The suicide rate skyrockets this time of year. 

I pray that this message about Elijah's Nervous Breakdown will encourage your heart!

To our HMA supporters: Updates on recent progress!

     To all of our wonderful sponsors, donors and workers:  Your giving, prayers and hard work of faith and love have surely paid large eternal dividends as of late.  We have been able to donate a full size school bus to help start a brand new childrens ministry that already has as many as sixty plus children in attendance on Sunday mornings.  This after the work has only been functioning for just over a month.  Praise God!  We are currently working on a project to donate a couple of 15 passenger vans to some outreaches.  We are meeting with two Pastors and a third minister this week about starting new outreaches with them.  The Thanksgiving for the homeless service and meal in Tulsa went wonderful and you can even watch it on our website under affiliates.  We have generated 50 jobs that will net 78 people off of the streets of Tulsa with our Christmas for the barely homeless program.  The Annual Christmas for the homeless service and meal sponsored by Bethany Outreach, South Heights Assembly of God, RESKU International, Harvest Church and many others will be this Sunday at 2:00pm and last year we had 465 in attendance.  Our Gospel Sing internet fundraiser with Covenant Holiness last week was amazing and if you missed it you can listen to it on flipzu.com/J R Smith or even watch it on our website under affiliates.  This coming Saturday our affiliate church in Richmond, Kentucky, Revival Tabernacle, is involved with another fundraiser concert that you can get the details for it on our website under events or on facebook.com/hmasocial.  And to top it all off, all of our other childrens, homeless, teenager, jail, drug addiction, jobs program are up, running and currently still paid for by the grace of God!!!  This coming year we will be preaching out more and starting to get out some of our new written material so watch, pray, fast, donate and work for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  God bless you.
your humble servant,

MULTIPLE MIRACLE MATT

     Meet Matt, (not his real name).  I am going to have to be alittle vague and not use real names here because of the high sensitivity of the content and the fact that I don't want to ruin or mark a young boy for life over the internet, but this story had to be told.
     When we here at HMA came across this situation, this is what we found.  A mother that was a drug addict, a mental basket case and a habitual liar.  She had sold almost everything they had to supply her drug habit.  The father figure was in jail and was also a drug user.  He had lost his job, was losing his house and admittedly wanted to lose his mate.  The children had been scattered to all different relatives, trying to keep them out of the problems in the home.  Matt was very young and was already seeing doctors for all kinds of issues that were being looked into.  Issues that had been pursued were mental problems, physical abuse and so on.  None of which were ever proven to the best of my knowledge. 
     Matt wasn't allowed to come home for quite a long time.  Months for sure, perhaps a couple of years.  The state had gotten involved with mom and dad and things weren't going well.  Probations were handed out, couseling was ordered, perscriptions were written etc, etc.  All of this for children and adult alike. 
     My wife and children and I took this case personal.  We fell in love with these people and couldn't stop trying to help them.  Many others got involved.  Days turned into weeks and weeks into months.  Finally the father figure broke.  He was a hard man; a proud man.  He came up tough but moral.  He knew better than to be where he was in life.  He prayed in jail and when he got out he went straight to church.  He worked hard to try to clean his life back up.  No, he wasn't perfect then and he still isn't now...but he's better.
     Mom became closer to us all than any of them.  She worked with us, came over to the house, had lots of medical problems that she needed us to get involved in and was desperate to see her children that she wasn't allowed to have.  She would come to HMA and do drugs right before or sometimes, I believe, even right during service.  Finally, she prayed, and oh what a difference it made.  Even after getting delivered she was still quite a case to handle but we had gotten a foot hold and we weren't backing down.
     Evenually mom and dad got married, got a new house after losing the other one, got a different car after selling the old one for drugs, dad got his old job back and the children have been able to re-enter the home.  Again, I am not painting a picture of rainbows and unicorns here.  It has been very hard and it is not over yet, but...
     Fast forward to today.  Today I saw Matt and his mom at the shoe store.  Matt was getting a new pair of tennis shoes for school.  Mom told me how dad still has his same old job and works hard everyday.  The same job that he lost over his addictions years ago. Mom just got a new job today.  Something that she could have never held down before.  Matt was being very polite and smiling and showing off his new shoes.  Nothing like the troubled little child that he was when I met him.  Going to doctors for counselling and being put on all kinds of meds for depression, hyperactivity and anger.  Today Matt is just your average third grader. 
     Matt doesn't have to go through life all jacked up on every single drug that they can prescribe, he doesn't have to wonder where his mom is.  Mom doesn't have to have no contact with her children and sit in a dark room all day waiting to die or trying to think up a new scam or lie to get another hit of meth.  Dad doesn't have to be single or shacked up or worse yet locked up.  He doesn't have to eat whatever they are serving in county jail and he doesn't have to be the disgraced of a great family.  No, he is a hard working family man. 
     To the best of my understanding and memory, mom and dad have been off of drugs, out of jail and away from that lifestyle for about four years now.  Glory to God!
     This all happened because you and I are doing our jobs.  We are in our places at the center of God's will.  HMA is working.  I could tell you of many many more.
     These are some of the things that I was thinking when Matt climbed up into his mom's car, waved at me and said, "I'll see you Sunday Brother Todd!"  See you Sunday Matt.
your humble servant,
    

Notes from Rev. Todd's desk

     I have traveled long and hard lately but God has allowed us to be fruitful.  The Christmas programs are going very well.  We are still just a little bit short of all the funds that we need to do everything that we wanted to do but we are still trusting the Lord to help us and we are not done trying yet. 
     The main reason that I am dropping this little blog in tonight is not to talk about all of the preaching that I have done lately but to talk just a little about the little preaching that I have heard lately.  I was reminded that a preacher needs to be preached to.
     I was able to hear and talk to a few preachers in the last few days that helped me trememdously.  Pastor Shuecraft and Sis. Helen Stewart to note just two.  I am reminded of the basics, to put first things first, to be careful not to major on minors or minor on majors, and that a preacher must act out his sermons every day.
     Your relationships are first and formost.  With your God, your spouse, your children and friends.  No amount of study, verbage, sophistication or hype can replace prayer, fasting and sincerity.  Living right still trumps being thought well of, and or being skillful.  And by all means, staying in the will of God is the life of a preacher.
One last note shared by Sister Shuecraft- CALL NO MAN WORTHLESS, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED.-Livingston...God bless you and God bless HMA!
your humble servant,