Plant your feet. . .Run. . .Awake. . .Let the Lord hold you!

THANK YOU, LORD, FOR HOLDING ME

Recorded by The Hemphills on Together
Copyright @ 1984 Heartwarming Records

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1. The tempter knocked but somehow I found the strength to tell him "no".
What I once called pleasures I just stood and watched them go.
Surprised at my resistance and new-found stability,
I decided there's a higher power holding me.

CHORUS:

Thank You, Lord, for holding, holding me.
If it wasn't for Your love no telling where I'd be.
In Your arms I find there is such sweet serenity.
Thank You, Lord, for holding, holding me.

2. Storms of fear and sorrow shook my soul throughout the night;
I cried out, "I'll never live to see the morning light."
Now the sun is shining, I am safe without a harm.
There's one answer, I am sheltered safe within Your arms.

CHORUS:

TAG: In Your arms I find there is such sweet serenity,
Thank You,Lord, for holding, holding me. 

Last night we had a WONDERFUL service.

This is just a short outline of it.

The band opened the service with "Oh, What A Wonderful Name". . .a moving song.

Bro. Brown talked and answered many questions a young lady had written in to him.

He talked about Abraham and Sarah being our spiritual mother and father of faith.

He talked about the church being our mother.

He talked about Adam and Eve being our natural parents in the flesh.

He talked about persecution coming to our country as people's hearts are

turning from God's Word.

He said our songs were to reinforce our message, not to show how well we can perform.

How songs can go deeply into our hearts and help hold us.

It was a very good message, typical of our elder pastor.

He encouraged the young people and told them he was glad to see how they

were growing in the faith. . .and how quickly they were growing.

At the end of his message he told the kids someday down the road when they 

faced hard times they'd hear his voice in their mind and it would help them.

Bro. Jon Bollier got up and gave a great talk.
He talked about feeling sorry that he'd spent time as a young

man thinking Bro. Patton talked too long and hoping he'd hurry and get through
so he could go out to eat after service. 

He now realizes what a privilege it was to have been able to sit under Bro. Patton's ministry.

He then talked about "digging in/planting your feet solidly into the soil so you could STAND

for Christ no matter what.  

Each time you take a step make sure you're anchored and then proceed with another step.

After his talk we had a few wonderful testimonies from the young people.

Ana McClenaghan gave a great testimony. 
She told Emily Dillinger's dream as told to her by Christina Hodgson.

Emily had the dream about the time of my father passing away, her grandfather.

In the dream there were lots of church folks standing around but the older people

began to run. . .and some of the younger people began to run too.

Others just stayed laughing and playing around but even though there wasn't

any blood and gore, she knew this was a battle ground.

As the older folks were running ahead of her she saw her grandpa fall down

but he looked at her and said, "Run!" (he also handed her a torch but she didn't mention that)

Then he died and she was there standing by just watching him when a man all dressed in white riding on a white horse came up.

He reached down and picked up her grandfather, who came back to life

and placed him behind him on his horse and took off.

Then he turned and looked back to Emily and said, "Run!"

He looked directly into her eyes and said, "I said, RUN!"

And she ran. 

There were other really deep talks. . .Jake Stevens gave one.

Then as the service was about to come to a halt. . .

Bro. Denny Wirth got up with a message of "Awake!"

He said we've got to quit bowing down to is" the mighty wrist watch". . .

how we worry too much about what time it is

 instead of just letting God complete his work in a service. 

He said the five foolish virgins were awake naturally but asleep spiritually.

The five wise were awake spiritually but they'd put the flesh to sleep.

He told us the hardest time to stay awake is just before dawn. . .

but that is the time it's most important to stay awake in this battle.

How we are not to fear the "night" because we, in the land of Goshen, we have

great light. . .and great grace will be given to us to face the battle.

Stay awake!

Sarah Hanna got up and gave a testimony about her Uncle Doug. . .

how the Lord helped him years ago to stand against an old sin he used to indulge in before
he came back to the Lord, alcohol. . .how years after he'd given it up
he was overseas alone and he walked into his hotel where there were free drinks. . .
how that spirit of wanting to drink came over him out of nowhere and how he knew
no one would be there to see him if he took a drink. . .but how he felt the
Lord raise up in him and he was able to overcome the temptation! He was tempted but somehow had the strength to say, "NO." Then she sang the song that Doug said helped him.
She really sang it with her heart and it was so good.
Heather Bollier helped her. . .Sarah was singing/talking/signing at the same time.
Let the Lord hold you! Let Him give you the strength to say, "NO!"

Bro. Brown ended the service reading these scriptures. . .
John 10:27-29  
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand

 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.