It seems like just yesterday that Melanie was here, smiling, talking, touching, laughing, teaching, and just being her usual cheerful self. When ever she walked into a room, the room was always alittle bit brighter because of her presence. Joy would follow, as would her compassionate words. Oh how I would love to hear her voice again!

On the other hand, it also seems like a long time ago since I last saw Melanie. Time continues to just keep on ticking and moves forward no matter what is happening in our lives. Some things get weaker as time goes on, but my memories of Melanie have gotten stronger over the past 2 yrs. Oh, how we had and shared so many great times in our lives together, a wonderful life, (tears now), that was such a fulfilling adventure of love and faith!

It is so hard to believe, that two yrs ago today, at 9:40 am, Melanie left this life and was immediatly in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus!! After battleling for a little over 2 yrs, an incurable disease that should have taken her life in just a few months, Melanie went to the place that will be the final home for all of us someday, Heaven!

This past yr has been a different yr. As time has passed, the episodes of missing Melanie have gotten farther and farther apart. There have been so many more good days than difficult days. The Spirit of God has been so good to me and our family. His compassion continues to pour into our lives. I am so grateful for His love!

Yet, there still have been some times that have been extremely difficult, like today! Not seeing Melanie sitting in her favorite chair, her not laying beside me in bed, her not in the kitchen cooking, her not getting ready in the mornings, no longer tucking her in bed every night, no more talks, no more walks, no more travels together, all the Holidays without her, no more shopping, no more her giving directions while in the car, no more out ot eats, no more hugs and kisses, the list just goes on and on.

I still miss her so much, my heart yells out to her (more tears), my emotions desire to be with her so much, I would do anything for just a few moments with her, and yet I know it is not possible!

One day as I was sitting at my computer at home, I looked out the window and saw across the street our neighbors. There they were so happy together, and here I was without Melanie. I just could not hold back the tears and desired so much to have Melanie with me. Why was this woman, who was used by God to change so many lives not here? Why do others live and have long lives? Why will I never grow old with the love of my life? Why? Why? Why?

Of course after all that, the Spirit of God came in the room, and just held me as I continued to cry! He wrapped me up and said things to me that I cannot even type...such loving words with such a loving touch, it was as if Melanie was wrapping her arms around me and loving me herself, oh what a moment!

I notice at times how my presence still makes some people nervous...they are still afraid of saying the wrong thing, so they avoid me. I now represent and am part of a group of people, that makes most Christians uncomfortable! When they look at me, there are no anwers to that question, "Why?"

I represent a side of faith, where it appears victory was not won! We are told and believe at times if I do this then God does that. And yes it appears God did not do that in regards to Melanie, when she did her part. Yet I know, in the midst of all this, how much God loves Melanie, me, and our family. I do know He did not fail us!

I know that I can totally trust Him. I know God is still good, He desires the best for all of us. I know not only does He love me but I know more than ever how much more I love God!! Death cannot not, will not, and has not seperated me from God's love!! I am more in love with God now than at any time in my life!!

In the eyes of the religious I am a target for judgement. They think they have all the answers, and Melanie is not here because of sin in her life, my life, etc. So amazing that anyone could be that ugly! Yet I have so much compassion for them, and understand there was a time in my life, I was like them. I pray for them, that they like me, will walk away from being religious, and walk into the compassion of God and live there.

God recently showed me that love and compassion are not the same thing. Love is a desire, a feeling, a devotion, an emotion, one has for someone to such a degree, that you would do anything for them, including laying down you own life. Compassion sees the hurts, heartaches, challenges, problems, in other people's lives, and not only wants to reach out to help them, but actually does something to heal the hurt, mend the broken heart, encourage past the challenge, finds a solution to the problem and fixes it! I can honestly say, God has and is currently both showering us with His love and His compassion.

These past few months have been tough! Mother's Day is now a day that for me and our kids...is just not alot of fun. I overheard one of our kids comment how they now do not care much for Mother's Day...I understand. Melanie's birthday was June 26, tough again, but we had a birthday cake for her and had a little party in her honor!

Today, I am not going to call it an anniversary, because it is not, has been tough! A friend of mine whose husband went to Heaven about a yr ago, shared with me how they now look at that day as the day his New Life started in Heaven. I like that, and today I look at this day as the wonderful day that Melanie saw Jesus face to face, then she saw the throne and our Heavenly Father, the angels, others who went before her, oh what a day that is for her and for us who are still left here!! That is how I will look at this day today and in the yrs to come.

In the past yr, when times have been hard, I go play a round of golf! It is so theraputic. I can forget about everything (ministry, work, personal life, family, problems, etc) and just enjoy being outside playing. It is my refuge and God allows me to just have fun, relax, and enjoy! What a great God!

I spent the night last night in Stigler with some precious friends who are pastors. Up late, got up this am, traveled to Tulsa, drove straight to the golf course and played a round by myself...and shot a legitimate 78 on a tough course...which is great for me. It was if I was in my own world and everything was alright. Had lunch, came home, and came upstairs to write this. And now it is starting to hit me, Melanie not being here. Oh, how I miss her!!

That said, I am open to what God has in store for me in the future. I look forward to new possiblities, new places, new opportunities, new open doors, it will be fun and a great adventure of faith.

Our kids are all doing great! They all have great friends around them who have been there with them and for them the past 2 yrs.Josh is still in Wichita (has met a great young lady, 9 month relationship so far) and thriving in his job, manager of the HVAC dept of Ferguson Interprises. The corporate office is keeping their eyes on him and are impressed with the numbers his dept are producing. Matt and Abby are both thriving in their jobs in Greely, CO. Matt really likes CO and him, Abby, and Franklin (boxer dog) are doing great.

Christine (who has a boy friend of several yrs) graduated in May from Oklahoma Weslyen in Bartlesville, OK with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree (Physical Education) and has applied for a teaching position at VCS. Joe finished his freshman yr at ORU with what else...straight A's. Both he and Christine are currently living at home.

Let me take this time to thank all of you who have prayed for us, supported us, and been great friends to us. We value your friendship and appreciate your thoughfulness.

On this special day of our lives, I have only one request. Sometime today, hug your spouse, your kids, your grand kids, and tell and show them how much you love them. They are still here with you, never take that for granted! For those that are like me, let this day be a day that you think on the great times you had with your loved ones! Look to God, He will continue to help you!

Melanie, I am not sure what you are allowed to see or hear, but if you can read this, please know you are and still remain the love of my life! I love you so much, my heart explodes with joy when thinking about you and yet aches because of your absence. You are still living in me! You may not be here physically, but we all feel your presence in our spirits. You are so loved, admired, missed, and as your favorite song is titled, "I Can Only Imagine," what you have done the past 2 yrs in Heaven!

Your gentlesness, kindness, tenderness, love, compassion, caring, love, for God and people lives on inside of all of us. Thank you so much for being the greatest example of Jesus in my life. I look forward to the day that we can walk together, talk together, you can show me Heaven, and together we can talk to Jesus! Oh, what a day that will be, together again!!!

Love you honey,

Jere

Recently, the Lord has released me to preach a message He gave me back in 1985. I was seeking the Lord for the answer to several questions back in those days,"What will happen at the turn and into the 21st century?" He took me to a couple of scriptures.

First Matthew 24:12, 13, "and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Today we are watching this happen right in front of us.

People who use to be on fire for God, today do not even go to church. Some have no spiritual  life at all! But they all have plenty of time for "other things" in their lives. They call people who have a real, close relationship with God as narrow minded. The devil told the body of Christ in the 80's if you are too spiritually minded you will be no earthlly good. Today let me set the record straight, if you are not spiritually minded in this day we live in, you will be no good to the earth!

In Matthew 25:1-11 we see the story of the 10 virgins. Notice they all carried lamps...they all had the ability to produce light. 5 had oil, 5 did not. They slept next to each other. Oil represents the Holy Ghost (HG). Those with the HG did not share with those who did not have...a trajedy. A cry was made at an unexpected time...the midnight hour. Have you ever been to a midnight wedding? I never have!!

All 10 got up to trim their lamps....represents trimming out of our life through repentance, all that offends God! Why? The char left from a previous burn creates a barrier between the fire and the oil. God's glory is coming to the earth. But he is looking for those who are right with God and are full of His Spirit. When His glory hits a Spirit-filled believer who is walking right with God, an explosive fire of the Spirit will manifest! God is looking to release His glory from Heaven!

The foolish had to go buy oil. When they came back, the bridegroom had already come and gone in to the wedding. When they knocked on the closed door,  the Lord said He never knew them. Why was the door shut? Yes, there will come a time it will be too late. There is a FINAL DAY!! A day will come when the devil, his entire kingdom, and those who follow him will be chained up in the lake of fire once and for all.

But this is not talking about that day! Why is the door shut? How do you keep a door open? You can either use a hinge, a doorstop, or physcially hold the door open your self. Notice no one did that. On the other side of that door was a celebration of the presence and the power of the bridegroom.

This shows us that in the last days, some churches/ministries and Christians would be experiancing such a great presence and power in thier services, that they would get caught up in it and forget about a lost and dying world!! 

We are called to be the "doorstop" to those remaining in the earth. We must keep the door open for others to come in. There are more to come. Notice in the story, not one of the five wise virgins pleaded to keep the door open. Let us not become like them! We must declare to the Lord "there is more coming, keep the door open," even if we have to keep it opened ourselves.

Keep your eyes on the lost and those who have walked away from God! Never loose sight of them. We are here for them!! Go to them!! Do you see them, do you hear them, are you touching them?

Matthew 13:39 Jesus said,"the harvest is the end of the world." The harvest has started. We are now in the season of the return of Christ! Let us get busy and be busy reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do not want any one person to perish!

It  is time for us to KEEP THE DOOR OPEN, so others can come in! 

Are you keeping the door opened, or have you closed yourself off from people who need Jesus? 

Blessings,

Jere

With this being the week of the Super Bowl, many people are making alot of plans. Where to watch the game, who to watch it with, what food to have on hand, what time to start the pre-game party,  and the list goes on and on. While this game is THE GAME for the NFL and all it's fans (I being one), once completed it will probably have not changed one person's life for eternity (though there will be a strong witness during the commercials from Tim Tebow and his parents).

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the game, the teams, and the event. But when the game is over, everyone will go back to where they live and life will continue. Many mark this game on their calendar and let nothing come in the way of it. Some will go in debt to get that large big screen TV to watch the game on. Others will push aside family in order to be with their friends. Others will spend $ traveling all in the name of the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl advertisements will be watched has much as the game...maybe more! The world will be tuned in and for a few hours people will yell at their TV's (of course I have never done that), yell for their teams, yell at the refs, complain about the coaches, act in a way that they have not been seen doing since last year's game, and on and on. Of course, we say all of this is fun! And fun is OK! Everyone should have some fun scheduled in their lives right? Of course!

I have one question though, "What are You Living For?" Maybe the question should be, "Who are You Living For?" Again alot of different answers would come up, my family, my spouse, my kids, my career, my, my, my, my, my....! Out of all these answers almost no one would say they are living for the Super Bowl.

So bottom line what am I saying? Before Sunday comes, game and all, take a moment and ask yourself am I alright with God? Is Jesus still #1? Do I need to make some adjustments and get rid of some things and start doing some things that I know God wants me to do? Where am I in the game of life with God? Is my place in Heaven secure? Do I really know Jesus as Lord, Saviour and Master? Do I have a Super relationship with God?

If you allow this to be your pre-game and get it all right with God, I know you will really enjoy the Super Bowl a whole lot more! Let this be your Super Bowl with God! He has a perfect record, all wins and no losses! Cheer for Him, He is cheering for you, then go and cheer for either the Colts or the Saints.

Jere

This past weekend I preached a message on "Having Faith in Difficult Times." With everything that is happening in the world, (earthquake in Haiti,  ie) people are being put in a position to make choices. Those choices are either taking people closer to God or away from God. Our lives are determined by the choices we make.

I believe the world will continue to get darker and darker as the Bible told us. People will even get darker and darker concerning their walk with God. Because there is so much in the world that takes people away from God, people are becoming colder, indifferent in their spiritual lives. I believe this will continue strongly in 2010. I also sense that 2010 will be a year of great turmoil in the earth.

While all of this is going on, people will be truely searching for spiritual answers. The answer they are searching for is JESUS! Let me encourage you to be more determined than ever to share your faith with others when the opportunity comes. We must keep the fire alive in the church and still present the message that has transformed lives for almost 2,000 years.

You can do it!! Live for God and change the world you live in!!

With you in the harvest,

Jere

My family's spiritual leader, Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty, went on to be with the Lord on Nov. 22, 2009. The following is a letter I recently wrote to our VFM Members that I sensed to share with those outside VFM/VCC. Please send me your comments.

Dear VFM Member,

I pray you are walking in the grace, mercy, and compassion of God today! The Holy Spirit is with you right now wherever you are. He is extending God’s love to you! Receive His love now in Jesus name!!

 

Pastor Billy Joe loved you so much! He believed in you! He prayed for you! He would always encourage you when you were in his presence. He was gentle but yet strong in his spirit.  He imparted to you the compassion and character of God!

 

Having spent the last 26 years with Pastor, I can witness to several things about him. One, he was after God’s heart.  His daily devotion to God was real! He wanted to obey God at all costs!

 

 I remember years ago before Camp Victory, we were at another camp where I and a few other staff men shared a tent with Pastor.  I woke up around 5:15 am and turned to find at my amazement Pastor was gone!  I thought where is he? I got up and looked around and there he was, walking, praying, and talking with God! While most of us were still sleeping, there he was, alone with God.

 

Secondly, Pastor was a soul winner!  Another time I remember was when he asked me to travel with him on a ministry trip to Texas.  As we waited for our commercial flight, I turned to speak to him and he was gone!! I thought great, I’ve lost Pastor. I could see the headlines in the paper the next day declaring how I, Jere Peterson, had lost one of the leading pastors in the nation.

 

I anxiously started looking for Pastor, he was not in the restroom, not in the bookstore, not in the waiting area, where was he? Then I looked about 50 feet from where we were sitting and there he was, over in a corner, away from everyone else, talking to a young man who was in his early twenties.  The soul winner in Pastor had kicked in full throttle as he led that young man to the Lord!!

 

Thirdly, Pastor Billy Joe loved people!  He would always take the time to help those he knew, those he had never met, and even those who were in some way different from him.  He would look into your eyes and you could see the love of Jesus! Because of his love for people, he had a supernatural ability to recall people’s names.  People he had met only one time, years ago, he would walk up to and greet on a first name basis.  He noticed who people were!

 

Fourthly, he showed us what a minister’s family should look like, as he openly loved his family in front of us! He would stop meetings, phone calls, to take a call from Sharon or the kids.  They could knock on his door and come in to his office and stop all of the business of ministry, and crawl up in his lap, get a hug, talk, and leave with their father’s love.  His love for his family was strong and can still be seen in their lives today!

 

Fifthly, he had a vision for the world! From the crusades in North Tulsa to the far reaches of every continent, Pastor was driven to reach as many as he could with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Today, thousands of people are now born-again, saved, delivered, restored, and healed because of his obedience to the call of God that was upon his life!!

 

I know each one of us misses him deeply! I know you and I cannot believe he is no longer with us.  How we would love to hear that laugh one more time!!

 

Now, Pastor Billy Joe is cheering us on to finish the work! He wants us to reach every person with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! He wants us to love God, love people, win souls, and love our families.

 

Let us be more determined than ever, and inspired by his life, that one person can make a difference and change the world!

 

In Memory of Pastor Billy Joe,

 

 

Jere Peterson

Director

 

P.S. If you would like to purchase Pastor’s Memorial Service DVD, contact the VCC/Bookstore at 918-491-7710 or go online at: www.victory.com.

We are living in a time that people are doing what is right for them.  Many are taking no thought on how their actions or plans will affect others.  We see this both in the world and in the Body of Christ (BC).  If we are going to affect the world in a positive light, then we who are Christians need to lead the way in showing compassion to a lost world as well as to one another in the BC.

Jesus said we would be known by our love for one another.  How is our love doing? I believe in some cases we look just like the world.  When you go to the mall, stop, sit, and observe people.  Can you tell the difference between the Christians and the non-Christians? I believe we are blending in and not standing out.  People should want what we have!

What do we have? Joy that is unspeakeable and full of the Glory of God! No cares, worries, or anxiety.  Peace that goes beyond all knowledge.  Revelation on what will happen in the days ahead.  Needs and desires are met.  Eternal security!! Direction, motivation, discipline, a bright future, and a relationship with the One who created it all, JESUS!

What could we be lacking? Could it be as simple as LOVE? I believe it is.   The Bible teaches love will dominate and cast out fear.  It also teaches us that love never fails.  Why are so many of us failing? Could it be a lack of love? Are we loving one another, loving the sinner, and loving God? Or are we only loving God?

It is time for a change.  The two years I walked with my wife through an incurable disease, Stage IV metistatic melenoma, she and I observed so much love from alot of friends (both close and long distance), staff members, family, and even people we did not know, some Christians and some people of the world.  They gave us so much strength, support, and committed so many "acts of kindness" for us and our family.

While this was going on we also were "hit" by so many judgemental people who blamed us and our lives for the occurance of such a deadly and devasting disease.  In other words, they judged us and found us to be guilty, thus my wife would die do to our disobediance.  All of these people had one thing in common: they called themselves Christians.  It should not be that way!

We who identify with Christ, should display His love! Jesus never condemed the sick! He always reached out to them because of the compassion in His heart for hurting people.  My wife and I both determined we would no longer be part of the judgemental side of the BC, but would instead be part of the BC that would show His love to both the saved and unsaved world.

My wife and I were never perfect and I never will be.  But I choose to love you and all that are in the world in hopes of reaching a lost and dying world.  Time is running short.  Choose to love and not judge.  Let's save the lost not lose them.  Let's save and help the BC and not wound and devour one another.  What will you choose to do: love or judge?

Blessings,

Jere