Dean Hickman of The Guardians gave friends and fans an update on his health Friday on The Guardians Facebook page.
“SHOUT OUT OF PRAISE. I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me and as we know, prayer really works. I am free of cancer and doing very good. I am still recovering from my surgeries and a recent bout with sepsis. I am so very thankful and blessed – God has been so good to me. I hope to see many of you occasionally at future Guardian events late summer and this fall. Also, thank you so much for your unwavering support for the Guardians. Pat Barker has been doing an exceptional job managing the road and Amy Shepard, the GUARDIANS office manager, has very effectively managed the schedule and weekly itinerary for the group. Thank you both very much and again, thank all of you for your many many prayers for me. Love to you all.. Dean”
The Dixie Echoes are looking for a new tenor singer. Trenton Williamson is departing the group to take a job with the state of Mississippi. If you are interested in applying for the position you can send an audio or video clip and resume to Scootde78@aol.com.
Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer
Mathew 12:22-2922 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Jesus, and He healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and could see. 23 And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”25 And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if by Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
The 12th Chapter of Matthew begins with an account of Jesus healing the sick and the Pharisees trying to find some way to condemn him. Matthew also explains how Jesus fulfills prophecy through his actions. Verse 22 begins with the Pharisees trying once again to condemn Jesus. They accuse him of casting out demons through the power of Beelzebul. Let’s look at what this says about the Pharisees and how Jesus turns their trap around. Are the Pharisees much different than deceived religious leaders today?
The Pharisees actions are not that different from people today who are more interested in reaching the conclusion they want than they are of finding the truth. This could be a preacher clinging on to any biblical interpretation that “proves” his denomination right, or that “proves” others wrong. The This confirmation bias seems to be seen in the Pharisees response to Jesus’ miracles. They cannot ignore the miracles that have happened, so they reject anything that would lead someone to accept Jesus as Messiah and seek out some other explanation no matter how flimsy the evidence. In this case, they did so even though it means condemning him for doing things they and their own followers have claimed to have done.
Jesus said asked if casting out demons is proof of an act of Satan, then Satan’s kingdom would be divided and could not stand. But if he cast demons out by the Spirit of God, then his claim that the kingdom of God has come is true. He went on to ask if they thought demons could only be cast out through the power of Satan, then by whose power did their sons cast out demons. Jesus once again exposed their hypocrisy.
Are the Pharisees actions any different from some religious leaders today who interpret scripture to “prove” their traditions rather than judge their traditions by God’s word?
NASHVILLE, TN – Libbi Perry Stuffle, of The Perrys, has announced the pending departure of vocalist, Scott Brand.
Scott comments, “First I want to say that Libbi Perry Stuffle has been very good to Scott Brand, as good as anybody has ever been to me. She has always done exactly what she said she would, plus more, and I love and appreciate her for that! I’m blessed to have shared the stage with her in this season of her career and I’m thankful for the opportunity she gave me!”
Scott continues, “God has been grooming me for this next season and at times I’ve been very scared of the unknown but he has given me so much peace that I know it’s His will! I’m excited to announce that I’m starting a solo ministry around mid July! You will hear more about this at a later time but for now I covet your prayers and I ask you to pray for The Perrys as well as we go through this transition. I love all of you!”
Libbi adds, “Scott has been a great team member with The Perrys. We pray that the Lord will bless his new ministry and that y’all will pray for and support him as well.  I know God is going to do good things for Scott and The Perrys moving forward.”
You can send Libbi and The Perrys a picture and mp3 demo if you are interested in applying for the open singing position by emailing her at this address: Libbistuffle@mac.com
Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer
Mathew 12:15But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was. This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:18 “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen;My Beloved in whom My soul delights;I will put My Spirit upon Him,And He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.19 He will not quarrel, nor cry out;Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.20 A bent reed He will not break off,And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish,Until He leads justice to victory.21 And in His name the Gentiles will hope.”
The book Matthew is the result of a Jewish tax collector writing to Jewish people to convince them that the king of the Jews has come. Some of the things Matthew records may seem repetitive, but not when one considers the context of why he was writing in the first place. Let’s use Matthew 12:15-21 as an example.
The Pharisees had just tried unsuccessfully to trap Jesus through their self-serving interpretation of the law concerning work on the Sabbath. They claimed Jesus violated this law by healing people on the Sabbath. They interpreted the law this way only because they wanted to trap Jesus. To be clear: They abused the law for malicious motives and interpreted it accordingly. Now we see Jesus continuing to heal. But Matthew told us earlier how Jesus healed. So why is he going on with more accounts of the same thing? Well, he’s not.
Matthew stipulated in these verses that Jesus told the people he healed to keep quiet about his identity. Matthew is now telling us that Jesus’ actions here fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1–4. Isaiah speaks of a servant of God who will eventually bring justice and righteousness to the world without seeking to call attention to Himself.
When you read Bible passages that seem to repeat with no reason to do so (the genealogies come to mind) consider that the reason they may seem this way is you are missing their point. There’s nothing wrong with searching the internet for writings on the matter; or better yet, asking your pastor what the significance of a verse is. You may find that passages like this, or those long genealogies recorded in the Gospel, are there for a reason.
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