DEAR FRIENDS,

 

“May the Lord bless thee and keep thee:

May the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

Numbers6:24-26

With love, Jim & Alice Lee

HAPPY EASTER!

DESERT ROCK MINISTRIES CLOSES ITS DOOR AS DR. LAINE RETIRES

After 24 years, Dr. Laine is closing his office. The lease on the office space will be up shortly, and he has chosen not to renew it. It’s impossible to estimate the number of people that have come through our door and have seen the Lord work miracles in their lives in all those years. Over and over, we witnessed salvations, marriages saved, the bound set free and miraculous healings. We are very grateful for all of the prayer and financial support that we have received throughout that time. We appreciate all of you that have stood in the gap for us. There have been many “mean times” when the road was rough, but the Lord led us through them all. To God be the glory!

Although Dr. Laine is closing the office, he is only semi-retiring. He will still be available for counseling by phone on an appointment basis. He will also continue to teach counseling online for Liberty University’s Master’s degree program. He is looking forward to what the Lord has in store for this next phase of his life.

Since the last few years have been so lean, the ministry has been forced to accrue some debt to cover expenses. We are very anxious to get rid of this as soon as possible. If you would like to contribute to retiring the debt, please send your check to the address listed below. To make a donation by credit card, please call the phone number listed below. Thank you!

This blog will still be visible at www.thedrvoice.wordpress.com, but will no longer be linked to www.rockofgod.org, and no new posts will be added after that date. Ministry information, archived posts and the ability to order Dr. Laine’s books will still be available.  However, THE VOICE’s companion blog, PEBBLES, with Laine family news, will continue to be updated at www.drpebbles.wordpress.com.

Please note our new contact information:

DESERT ROCK MINISTRIES

4240 East Amberwood Drive

Phoenix AZ 85048

Phone – 480.229.1512

Fax – 480.448.0200

Email – drjlaine7@gmail.com

THOSE DARN BEES!

Spring is coming to the low desert. The temperature has topped 90 degrees more than once. Wildflowers are popping up in the wilderness. We always look forward to the palo verde trees blooming in our yard and throughout the valley. They burst forth with a prolific flowering of small yellow blossoms. Before it was damaged by a storm, we had one in our back yard that was glorious in all its golden splendor each April. We loved sitting under it, taking in its beauty. But, along with all those blossoms came bees. Lots of them. From sunrise to sunset. Thankfully, they were usually so busy gathering nectar from the thousands of blossoms that they didn’t bother us, even though we were sitting just a few feet away.

But several times a year out here we will hear reports of attacks by bees, injuring and even killing, man and beast. As with many things in nature, bees can be helpful – as in producing honey and pollinating fruit trees, but can also be damaging – as in building large hives in the wrong place, and even deadly – as in swarming and attacking people and animals.

A friend of ours had an experience with bees that was both damaging and enlightening. For a long time, our friend was bothered by a few bees when he was doing yard work around his home. He just considered them a nuisance that he had to live with. Tend to his yard – swat bees. Finally, as their numbers increased, he realized that he had to do something about them. Upon inspection, he found their source: a large hive in a wall of his house! Their removal involved tearing down a wall, removing the hive and having the wall rebuilt. Needless to say, had he gone about taking care of the problem earlier, the damage would not have been as great, or as costly!

The enlightenment came when the Lord showed them that the bee situation was like a stronghold that our friend and his wife had been dealing with for a long time. The Word tells us in II Corinthians 10:4 that “… the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” (KJV)  The Lord told them that they couldn’t win by swatting at the spirits involved with the stronghold like they swatted at the bees. They had to attack the stronghold and He would totally destroy the stronghold. The Lord also showed them the futility of small battles verses the destruction of the stronghold and even the very foundation of the stronghold. The bees were destroyed only after the tearing down of a wall, the destruction of the hive, and the sealing of the breach in the house. What a powerful metaphor!

The tearing down of strongholds is an issue that Dr. Laine deals with regularly in his ministry. So much so that the issue is an integral part of his book, The Weapons of our Warfare, Help for Troubled Minds. Many times when someone is dealing with an ongoing problem, a stronghold is at the heart of the matter. Dealing with it can be difficult because tearing down the underlying stronghold may be straightforward or complex, depending on a number of factors, including attitude, desire, understanding and faith.

If you have an ongoing spiritual problem that you can’t seem to resolve, go looking for “the hive” – the underlying stronghold. Let God join you in the battle and tear down that stronghold before it gets too costly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5-STAR RATING

Dr. Laine received his first 5-star rating in an Amazon.com review of the Kindle edition of his book, Who Am I, Really? Joe Lanier of Jasper TX wrote: “Wow – this book cuts right to the chase! There are no wasted sentences or fillers. It will greatly enlarge and deepen the knowledge and understanding of the vast and eternal relationship (and benefits) available to us from our Heavenly Father. Plus, it definitely serves to boost faith in Him as well. We have the Kindle edition and are obtaining the paperbacks versions for our children, etc. Again, this is an awesome book in our opinion and we certainly recommend it to any and all.”

Thanks for the kind words, Joe, and thanks for ordering 10 hard copies of the book.

SHOFARS

Dr. Laine is doing some spring cleaning and has decided to down-size his shofar collection. He is offering 2 for sale. They are both in excellent condition, are authentic ram’s horn, and made in Israel.

The smaller one – 12” long, shown below with a padded carrying case – is $125 (case included). The black nylon case has a strap handle, thick foam padding and red velvet interior. (Pictured below left and center.)

The larger one – 22” long, shown below with a Lucite stand – is $180 (stand included).  The stand is 7” wide and 3 ¼” high. (Pictured below right.)

 

Shofar with case

Case interior

Shofar with stand

These prices INCLUDE SHIPPING. All proceeds go to the ministry.

To order, please call 480.752.7992. (Visa, MasterCharge and checks welcomed.)

DRCC Update 2.13.13

 

• Priscilla & Dennis Jennings traveled to Liverpool, England in December to visit with Tricia and her husband Chris. Judging by all of Priscilla’s pictures on Facebook, they had a great time sightseeing and visiting.

• The Schaefer Family has had an eventful season: Carla & Mark celebrated their 40^th anniversary on December 30^th; Courtney & Grant celebrated their 15^th anniversary on January 3^rd; Adam & Katrina welcomed little Nixon James into their family on 12.14.12; and Ryan & Kadie were blessed at the arrival of Hunter Steven on 1.28.13. On a more somber note, Mark’s father passed away in January.

Nixon James Schaefer

Hunter Steven Schaefer

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come, the belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said,

                                           “For hate is strong and mocks the song                                      

      Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth good will to men.”

–         Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

OUR GOD REIGNS!

HE IS KING OF KINGS

AND LORD OF LORDS!

THANK GOD FOR HIS GLORIOUS BIRTH!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

DARK DAYS

Today is the first day of winter, the shortest, darkest day of the year. Many don’t like this time of the year because of the actual darkness; they drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark. The days are often dreary and overcast even when there is daylight, and it’s cold. It’s easy to allow the elements to affect your attitude.

This year, when all should be “merry and bright,” national events have overshadowed Christmas activities. A mall shooting in Portland and a school massacre in Connecticut were horrible evidence of the evil in this world. Whatever their motives, those violent young men wreaked havoc not only in the events themselves, but in the social and political uproar that followed. And, just for “good measure,” there’s that whole “Mayan calendar-End of the World” thing, too. All of this on top of a lot of other depressing stuff lately – wars, the economy, social issues, etc. Where is a bright spot to bring some hope?

It’s coming from a bright star atop a tree, from the soft glow emanating from a manger, from the shekina gloria around an angelic chorus singing, “Glory to God in the highest!”

“Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the Lord is merciful, gracious and righteous.”    Psalm 112:4 (RSV)

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer, and He will say: ‘Here am I’.” Isaiah 8-9a (NIV)

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 (NIV)

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46 (NIV)

As you celebrate our Lord’s birth, may all your days be merry and bright as you walk in His light.

 

 

May you enjoy the Christmas season afresh,

as with the eyes of a child.

Merry Christmas!

Dr. James & Alice Lee Laine

Desert Rock Ministries