Bobi Reahard
Born: December 8, 1920
Died: May 4, 2000

Patty Lynn
Born: June 5, 1940
Died: May 8, 2000

Fred Graeser
Born: May 28, 1909
Died: May 17, 2000

Dear Believers,

Greetings and God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen Brother. Karen Anne here. Several months ago I sent a letter to our CES  intercessors in which I discussed the toll that writing One God and One Lord  took on our family. At the time I wrote that letter, I said that my determination is to establish our family priorities and to continue to put our family before the work of the ministry. Since then, we have continued the process of reevaluating our priorities.

The response was varied and interesting, and I realize now that we don’t all share the same perspective of the necessary relationship between family and ministry. So I thought I would use this opportunity to share with you a little bit more of my (and Mark’s) perspective concerning the family and how it relates to our ministry, and particularly the bigger ministry of CES. 

 Both Mark and I are very committed to putting our marriage and our children before the work of the ministry. We think that this is consistent with what the Word of God lays out concerning the qualifications of a leader. The pastoral epistles of Timothy and Titus make it clear that a man must first have his family affairs in order to be considered for an oversight position in the Church. Getting the family in order is not a one-time event that then qualifies the individual for leadership, but it is a continual process. Those of us who are raising families and in ministry service realize that this process takes a lot of sorting out.

God’s will is that the family be an authentic representation of Christian love, and of marriage as a source of joy. The husband’s love for his wife is to truly reflect Christ’s love for the Church in a way that nourishes her and cherishes her even as he nourishes his own body. Certainly his concern for his own body takes precedence over everything else. The maintaining of a vital and healthy marriage relationship, for us now more than twenty years, is something that takes considerable tending, and particularly in the context of full-time ministry. Raising children who share our commitment to Christianity and Christian ministry also takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, focus and determination.

Unfortunately, we have seen all too many Christian ministers who have not conducted their marriage in a way that enabled it to prosper or last, and who ended up sacrificing their families on an altar of religious devotion. We have witnessed a virtual graveyard of marriages that died in the course of Christian ministry. There are also many children who have grown up resentful of God and active Christianity based on the way the parents showed up in the marriage and in their family life. The children felt deprived of the nurture that they would have liked to have and resented their parents’ involvement in the ministry. We have seen so much of this that we are really committed to make sure that our marriage stays sweet and loving and our children are whole and blessed and developing their own relationship with Christ. Not only are we committed to do this, but we are also committed to helping those families to whom we are ministering to share this perspective.

Many of us came from a denominational background where the ministry took precedence over everything else. Having seen a lot of wounds come out of that, we are really attempting to establish a balance that will produce vital family life, which we believe will produce whole individuals. Therefore, we are committed to developing a ministry that is very family oriented and conducive to a healthy balance between family and ministry.

As the Schoenheits, John Lynn, Mark and I have considered this deeply, we realize that what it takes to develop a true family atmosphere is a relational environment where the emphasis is on being, belonging and acceptance. When it was founded about 12 years ago, CES  was planned to be a teaching ministry where we emphasized the importance of sound teaching. Notice that our name is Christian Educational Services,  which emphasizes the performance of a service, and our motto is "Speaking the truth in love,"  also emphasizing an activity.

But service performance issues and relationship issues are not mutually exclusive. There is a tension that needs to exist between the two of them. Loving relationships without truth are short lived and shallow. Truth without loving relationships leaves people lonely and isolated. Over and over again, the Lord has spoken to us prophetically that he is really interested in building a ministry, a place of family and a place of belonging for his people. This does not negate the value of sharing a similar doctrinal belief system, but encourages us to go beyond that to establish more and more of a family relationship among us.

We have emphasized the importance of speaking the truth. Now we think it is time to emphasize the love  part of Ephesians 4:15 ("speaking the truth in love , may grow up…"). Though love was recognized, it was not always promoted with the same degree of urgency. Of course, this was natural because we have been mostly about teaching. But we know that the bottom line for all Christians is walking in love. John 13:35 says that by us loving one another all men will know that we are his disciples. In Hebrews 10:24, we are exhorted to provoke one another to love and good works. Love is an aspect of Christian living that needs to be continually emphasized, for unless we have love and godly relationships with one another, we are as noisy gongs or a clanging cymbals (1 Cor. 13:1).

As we are considering how to develop a ministry with a strong sense of family, let us consider the relationship between a healthy family and a healthy ministry. There are many things to consider, but let us look at five main points of developing a healthy family. I think that they are very much related to what it takes to develop a healthy ministry also.

1. A healthy family is a place of acceptance and unconditional love. In unconditional love, an individual is valued for who he is, not what he does. Each member of the family is valued because of his own particular identity. Each individual is loveable in his or her own right, not because of what he will accomplish or how he supports the family goals.
2. A healthy family is a place of safety and security. It is a place where an individual can feel that he can be himself and feel free from intimidation, threat and harm.
3. A healthy family is a place where an individual can grow and develop his or her own unique gifts. An individual from a healthy family has a strong sense of individuality and will develop his own plans and aspirations according to his own uniqueness. A healthy family is able to support this individuation process and not insist on absolute conformity to family tradition or orthodoxy. Love does not control, but let’s others grow.
4. A healthy family is a place to belong and feel connected. A happy family engenders a sense of pride in belonging. It is a place where there is comfort in being connected to the individuals who make up the family.
5. A healthy family is a place of vision and commitment to a goal. Notice that this is number five, placed at the end of the list. There will be values and goals taught in a healthy family that the children internalize in the nurturing process. They will then proceed to become healthy individuals who will carry on the vision, commitment and the goals of the family. For instance, we do not bring children into our family just to produce responsible adults who will teach the Bible, or be committed Republicans, etc.  We want to have children because it is a fruit of our love for each other, and we value the children in and for themselves. The family is valued for itself as a place to display the love of God and a place to provide an environment conducive to completeness, nurturing and wholeness to the individual. In the process, individuals will grow up and carry on the goal, but the goal of the family ought not to be to produce individuals to do a particular work.

In considering how a healthy family relates to the family of God, or a ministry of God, there are a lot of points to consider. Building a strong community of faith should represent all of these factors: a place of acceptance and love, a place of safety and security, a place to grow and develop, a place to belong, be connected and to share, and a place to continue with the expression of one’s vision or commitment.

In studying the Book of Acts, we see that building a community of faith is an important corollary to the idea of continuing in the apostles’ doctrine.

(42) They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship and to breaking bread and to prayer.

(43) Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

(44) And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;

(45) and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

(46) Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

(47) Praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

I get a sense of a real community of faith being developed here. Look at how much emphasis is placed on togetherness, having things common, enjoying daily fellowship and having one mind. This seems to me like a very healthy family where people could really belong and be themselves and be together. Obviously, the Word moved in the process.

We think it is significant that one of the first problems to arise within the early Church involved a case of inauthenticity. Ananias and Sapphira pretended to be real givers, and Peter confronted them with their lie. What made their action reprehensible was the fact that they were oriented toward looking good instead of having a real concern to bless the Body of Christ with their abundance. Their hypocrisy stands in stark contrast to the kind of committed and authentic relationships that characterized the early fellowship of the believers who were united by both the truth of Christ and a commitment to live together truthfully in love.

The second problem to arise was an inequality between two segments of the Christian community. The apostles took the problem seriously and delegated the job to the best people they could find, with the help of the community of believers. A breech in the unity of the Church was treated as a serious problem that deserved their full attention. These incidents serve to show us how deeply committed the early believers were to unity within the community of faith.

The outreach and growth of the early Church was a direct outcome of the relationships that had been developed among the Christians, and the loving family atmosphere that produced joy and gladness of heart and praise and oneness of purpose. Fellowship and healthy relationship is an end in itself. It is not just something necessary to spread the Gospel, although that is a byproduct. We are continually striving to see the Lord’s heart on how to relate to people in a way that values both the individual and godly relationships in the same way that the Lord values them.

Malachi 4:6 says that God will restore the heart of the fathers to the children and vice versa. Though this is most probably referring to the Millennial Kingdom, God is working now  to bring healing and deliverance in families to all who will cooperate with Him. God’s heart is that of a father, and He has a stake in every family on earth. He is particularly concerned about families within the Body of Christ, which is itself a family.

We know from studying Church history that this balance in the Church "family" has been heavy on the father’s influence, being essentially patriarchal and without much feminine influence to bring wholeness. Even today, though the bulk of church attendees are women, the leadership is mostly male. In the modern family, there has been a lessening of the male influence and a dominant feminine influence has arisen in its place. Again, we believe that the Father is working to restore a balance for those believers who will cooperate with Him and believe His Word. There is a need to restore the balance in the Church so that God’s wisdom in creating both male and female can be taken advantage of in both the Church family and the natural family. Then each can reflect a godly-designed wholeness wherein both the feminine and the masculine influences are present to develop the individual believers.

So, we have a lot of things to consider as we attempt to be in sync with what the Lord is working in his Church and in his people today. We appreciate your prayers as we seek the Lord and his will for us in the ministry concerning these issues.

We also hope that you will consider joining us for our first ever CES  Family Camp  this summer July 25-30 in Trafalgar, Indiana (see the flyer in this issue of The Sower ). We will be exploring many of these issues biblically and practically, and learning together how to enrich our family lives.

Much love,

Thank God for Dwight D. Eisenhower, under whose administration in the 1950s the United States interstate highway system was begun. This is your pal "JAL" reporting from out here on the road, and that is often what I think as I roll along the amazing network of highways in our country. My thanksgiving is amplified when I think of some of the "roads" I have been on in other lands. How could I complain about driving so much?

As you probably know, I have pretty much been on the road the past 13 years. My thinking has been that (a) there is no substitute for being face-to-face with people, (b) John Schoenheit and Mark Graeser are not free to roam like I am, (c) I enjoy it, (d) people are not all going to come to my home. So I have figured that I’m the "somebody" who "has got to do it." After this trip, however, I am going to take a break from traveling, and in the July issue of The Sower  there will be more details about the upcoming time of transition in my life.

I’ve been asked to share some of what’s on my heart in the midst of this Eastern USA itinerary that began April 20 in Columbus, Ohio and will end June 5 in Fostoria, Ohio. I am writing this from Hamden, Connecticut on Day 29 of 47. As usual, I am mindful of the privilege, and the responsibility, that I have to go so many places and know so many wonderful believers. I want very badly to show each one of them the heart of our Lord and leave them closer to him, and of course I know that I sometimes fall short in this. Nonetheless, it is thrilling to me to have opportunity after opportunity, both one-to-one and with group after group, to connect with human hearts and impart to them a blessing. And, as per Romans 1:12, I get blessed too!

After 13 years of visiting people, many of whom I knew quite well long before that, I feel most privileged to have so many quality people in my life whom I call real friends. It burns in me to see each one fulfill his own unique spiritual destiny and enjoy the fruits of intimacy with the Lord Jesus. To think that I could have an impact upon someone toward that end is most humbling, and most motivating.

Each fellowship is yet another challenge due to the diversified demographics of each audience. Through the years, God has, though probably not as quickly as He would have liked, helped me become more flexible in response to the needs of those sitting before me. Now I have come to the place where I love to just "jam," as I call it. I just start talking and see what comes up in me to share. When time allows, I also enjoy give and take with people, hearing what is on their hearts and answering their questions.

I also love having children in the meetings. Although some teachings are more conducive than others to holding their attention, I always enjoy the challenge of reaching them, and I am often amazed at how much they do understand. Of course, many of them think that I am some sort of a cartoon character.

Feedback from our latest book, One God & One Lord , has been most inspiring. Those who have shared with me their feelings about it have described it as "breathtaking," "far beyond what I expected," and "a resource for a lifetime." When I hear someone say that it is helping him to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ more, I am really touched. Praise God!

One of what I would call the highlights of the trip happened on a night when I was not even at the fellowship. Huh? Because Bo Reahard’s mother, a lifelong friend of mine, died on May 4, I decided to fly back to Indianapolis to be at her memorial service. That meant that I could not be at the next two fellowships, scheduled at Buck and Stephanie Dopp’s home. I called them to ask what they thought we should do, and they enthusiastically said that they wanted to go ahead with the fellowships as scheduled, and that they would host them and share something.

So I went to their home on May 5, set up all the CES  materials, and then they took me to the Newark airport. When I called them from Indianapolis the next morning to ask how things went, they were jubilant. They said that a good number of people showed up, and that one of them had left a certain authoritarian Christian ministry only three hours earlier. When they opened up the evening by asking for sharing, this woman poured out her heart and everyone jumped in to minister to her in different ways. It was a lively and heartfelt exchange in which most of the folks there really gave of themselves.

After that, Buck told them that he had asked me earlier that day what I had been teaching from the Word, and that he wanted to share some of it with them. At that point he choked up, then saying that this was the first time in 14 years that he had taught the Word of God other than to his family. Those hearing him that night expressed their hearts of love and support for him, and afterward he and Stephanie were on Cloud Nine, having experienced a true full sharing among Christians.

I have to say that my overall observation is that the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. That is, there are surely lots of people hungry for the truth, but not very many people willing to step out and take the lead to get involved in their lives and teach it to them. For 13 years, my goal has been to point people to the Lord Jesus and motivate them to press through any internal or external obstacles in order to touch him and be made whole. I figured that if they did that, he would then be able to help them function in the Body in their unique ways. I honestly don’t know how effective I have been, based upon the great need I still see for true Christian leaders.

In any case, I thank God for the Word He has so graciously made available for us to share with those who hunger for the truth, and for all those saints who have received it with meekness and held it forth to others. I also thank Him for putting up with my weaknesses and working with me to help me overcome them as He has allowed me to travel far and near on His behalf. We really do have a great big, wonderful God.

Please pray for me as I seek the Lord’s heart or how I should spend the next few months "off the road."

There is a possibility that we will need some saints to accompany us to Africa and the Philippines and perhaps even India, probably during the time from November 1-December 15. Nothing is definite yet and whether or not we go depends on the Lord being able to open many doors, financial and otherwise. There would no doubt be many options for you if you want to accompany John, John, Mark or who ever else leads the particular trip. You could just "go along for the ride," teach, minister, etc.,  or serve in whatever capacity you choose. We wanted to get this information out now so that you can think about it and see if it is for you. If you would like to discuss this, please call any of us.

The theme for the Spring Fellowship March 31- April 2 in Denver was: "They continued steadfastly in the apostles; doctrine and fellowship." As usual, we are making available a set of the weekend teachings, both for those who were there and those who were unable to attend. We believe that these will be a blessing to your life.

Substituting for Mark Graeser who had to stay in Indianapolis to care for his father, John Lynn opened the weekend Friday night with a teaching on The Apostles’ Doctrine.  He showed from Acts 2 the four basic components of that which was the foundation for perhaps the greatest period of Christian unity and outreach that the Church has ever seen, suggesting that if we follow the same pattern today we can see similar blessings. On Saturday Morning, Nancy Friscia from Ft. Collins did an excellent teaching on Faithfulness.  She said that in our relationship with God, "Everyday is a schoolday," and that we can live it to the fullest, learning each lesson that God wants to teach us in preparation for the work that lies ahead. Then Alex Cardenas taught on God’s Call to Fellowship.  In his very uplifting and inspiring presentation, he encouraged us to work together to build a ministry marked by love, intimacy and mutual commitment.

We did prophetic ministering on Saturday afternoon, and then Saturday night John Schoenheit taught Power in Prayer . This was a fabulous teaching about our personal responsibility in prayer and how God moves in response to our prayers. As John stated, each Christian is a "player." After some very heartfelt and moving sharings by a number of the weekend participants on Sunday morning, John Lynn closed the weekend with a teaching titled The Camaraderie of the Committed.  Asking the question, "What is true friendship?" John showed from the Word that the greatest potential for genuine intimacy among God’s people at the Spring Fellowship illustrated many of the things taught from the podium.

Tapes of the weekend are available for $25 for the next few months. We encourage you to order a set today.

n the March issue of The Sower  we announced that the May/June bimonthly tape would be by John Lynn, and deal with the reciprocal relationship between God and each believer. However, we have decided instead to make it John Schoenheit’s teaching from the Prophecy Seminar in Denver. It is called Understanding Prophecy,  and it is extremely appropriate for this time of year when the Christian Church celebrates the day of Pentecost (June 4). This is really a superb biblical exegesis on the subject of prophecy, and it clearly answers the objection that some people have to "personal" prophecy.

John shows that in the Old Testament the kinds of prophecy people knew were (1) thundering corporate prophecy, usually for the nation of Israel, which was extremely specific and often corrective, and (2) very specific personal prophecy for individuals, which was often sought out by the individual from a prophet. He then shows that the Joel 2 prophecy quoted by Peter on Pentecost is a declaration that one day every believer in Israel would have the same holy spirit that the heavy-duty Old Testament prophets had.

On Pentecost, the Joel prophecy was all Peter knew, because he did not know the Secret. Looking back in light of the scope of the Church Epistles, we know that Pentecost was not the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy because it also includes other specific events that are still future. John shows that the Joel prophecy is  relevant to the Church, however, in that every believer now partakes of the holy spirit element of the New Covenant promises still future for Israel. The point is that each Christian now has the ability to "thunder" prophetically. You gotta hear this teaching!

If you do not have a subscription to this year’s bi-monthly tapes, we HEARTILY encourage you to get one. $25 is still the cost.  

his very practical study is just what you need to assist you when talking to people who are confused about whether or not they are a Christian. You know the conversation. "Are you a Christian?" "Well, I guess so. I don’t think I’m a very good one though. I do a lot of things I shouldn’t do." You can give them a copy of this booklet and they will quickly learn that they are a child of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It also gives some simple but powerful arguments why everyone should be a Christian—there is everything to gain and nothing to lose but sin and death!

verywhere we look these days there are misguided Christians who are speaking out against the death penalty. This booklet is a thorough examination of the topic, biblically establishing that putting evildoers to death is life-affirming. Our Heavenly Father expects us to love life enough to protect ourselves from those who have no regard for it. All the common objections are handled, and the necessity for the death penalty is clearly established from Scripture. This would be a great little booklet to give to your politically correct friends to get them thinking beyond the sentimentality of our age.

his is a serious biblical examination of a very important spiritual issue--what is a godly attitude toward human sexuality and what is proper sexual behavior for a Christian according to Scripture. This will be a very helpful resource for young people who are being bombarded by our oversexed culture with the message that they should have sex with anyone and everyone who is willing, regardless of gender, age, species, etc. The booklet highlights the spirituality of sexuality, the godliness of its design and includes an appendix on and the influence of evil spirits in illicit sexual behavior. This is a must read for everyone over the age of accountability (you must figure out for yourself when that is) who has ever even thought about engaging in sexual behavior. Even if you are too old to think about it for yourself, you could buy one for a younger friend.

CES  Website Changes

In April 27 we closed down the Dialogue Board because since its creator John Michalak left, we could not properly monitor the discussions and debates that were taking place. We had hoped that there would be a balance of views presented, and that enough people who believe in what we teach would get involved and represent our views fairly on our Website. But due to a combination of our neglect, the lack of involvement of our supporters and the enthusiasm of our detractors, it became a liability. Therefore we just decided to close it for now. We are presently reviewing various possibilities for opening the Board up in the near future, next time with more oversight. If you are well versed in Web technology and feel that you could oversee the tone of the Board and represent with love and accuracy the teachings of CES , let us know if you would be interested in serving as some kind of moderator for the Dialogue Board.

e have found a new location for the CES Home Office , finally enabling us to move out of our rather confining quarters at John Lynn’s home. We have been approved for a loan of $45,000 from First Indiana Bank, praise God! The new office is a former residence, with 5 private office rooms, two open areas, a full basement, a kitchen, one full and two half baths, and a two-car garage. The business that presently owns the property has employed two of our local believers, one of them, Carolyn Chenoweth, for 35 years! We are sure that this is a blessed provision of God, but we would sure appreciate your prayers that nothing interferes with us acquiring the property. We are scheduled to close on May 31.

We greatly appreciate those of you who have prayed for this provision to come. We are thrilled beyond measure at the goodness of God—the place is perfect for our needs and we are getting a real bargain, something that we can easily sell in the future when we outgrow it. We anticipate taking possession of the new property on or about June 5th, and after spending a couple of weeks making some minor repairs and renovations, we will move in the week of June 26-30.

Thanks to John for his selfless dedication to give his all for the work of CES , including allowing his house to be the repository of endless boxes of books, T-shirts and tapes, not to mention computers and a steady stream of people trampling his carpets and bugging his dog.

If you would like to help us financially with the added expense of a mortgage and repairs/improvements, please send your contribution marked "Building Fund." Thank you for your help with this endeavor.

1. Creating a family mission statement: how to develop a sense of family purpose, unity, vision and destiny.
0. Harnessing the power of words: how to utilize the power of words of blessing, praise and encouragement to one another.
1. Tapping the power of forgiveness: how to liberate one another from the sins of the past in order to establish and maintain a blessed family life.
2. Learning to love by listening: how to deeply honor, cherish and respect one another in Christ by open and authentic communication.

Workshops  will support the particular needs of blended families, single parents and teens. Children’s Fellowship  will follow the theme of the adult fellowship, tailored to the understanding of the children. The age breakdown will depend upon the number and ages of those who register, but the following will be the approximate age groups: 0-2, 3-5; 6-9; 10-12; Teens.

 

• The Five Love Languages , by Gary Chapman

 

• The Gift of the Blessing , by Gary Smalley

 

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families,  by Stephen Covey

Teen Camp
Saturday, July 1 to Thursday, July 6
Camp Hope, Waynesville, NC
Cost: $150 (includes all meals & accommodations)
Registration deadline is Friday, June 9, 2000.