Nelson Newsletter–June 2105

Atlanta House Church Our house church continues to learn how to hear from God and build up one another daily. We are also excited about Ed Waken coming to speak at our Regional House Church Conference August 28-30.

Grace leading our church in praise

Father’s Day We celebrated Father’s Day recently, as did many of you, spending time with our dads - reminiscing, sharing stories, laughing, hugging, and enjoying a meal together. Some of your fathers have passed on, like mine, or he’s living in another state and you could not be together. I was reminded by my children of the importance of being a godly father - setting the pace for our children in loving God and others. They are watching and following our example. One of our sons wrote to me, “Thank you for being a great dad and good example of a father.” A daughter wrote, “Happy Father’s Day!! I was listening to someone talk about their mentors - an older couple that had really built into their life and influenced them. He was saying how it had been especially important because he hadn't had his father around much when he was growing up. I couldn't help but think I was blessed to have my father around AND that same father was already such a mentor to me. Mentor really is a silly way to say it - you were a father. A really great picture of what a father should be. As a kid you let me wear your big pink cookie shirt as a nightgown. You took me on dates - special restaurants, just you and me. You prayed for me and talked to me and loved me.” It is completely God’s grace that makes any of us good fathers. It is difficult enough to be a good father, but our world increasingly attacks fatherhood. Ask God to be the father He wants you to be. And, celebrate your father as often as you can! He needs your love, prayers & support.

Grace and I on Father's Day

A New Grandson One of the greatest blessings of being a father is grandchildren. Ellsworth Henry Stansell was born May 19^th into Whitney and Micah’s family. “Welcome to our big family little fella! You have a ton of cousins who look forward to playing with you and growing up together. The rest of us are praying for you to come to know the Lord Jesus and His deep love for you.

Starting Ellsworth off right with the
 virtues of Clemson Football

Prayer Requests

1) Please pray for our children and their spouses to be godly examples of Jesus to our 13 grandchildren.

2) Ask God to bring all those He wants to come to our House Church Conference August 28-30, for God to speak through Ed Waken, and for everyone to have teachable hearts to apply the truths we hear.

3) Pray for Danelle and I as we travel to Orlando, FL to teach at the LINC training program July 20-21.

With deep appreciation for your partnership,

Steve and Danelle 

Incarnation Evangelism Simplified

Today I was in our local coffee shop purchasing some brew before I sat down at home to do some writing. I gave my personal testimony tract to the young man serving me and told him what it was, “This is the story of how God changed my life.”  He said, “That’s cool. I’ll read it.” Then the young man who was making my coffee, Isaiah, smiled and said, “I have one of those. You gave it to me.” I then inquired, “Have you read it?” To which he replied, “Yes. It is a cool way to evangelize.”

Since Isaiah’s response was obviously positive,  I then proceeded to ask him if he would like to write his story and use to help others find Christ. He was very interested, and said he would email me to get the “instructions” about how to write one’s story. I told him I had a paper (file) that I would be happy to send him which would give some good ideas on how to communicate his story.


Have you ever written your personal testimony? People find them interesting. After all, they are Personal! Writing and using your story will keep your mind on the eternal too! 

Please write if you want the same file that Isaiah asked for and I will send it to you. steve.nelson@gcmweb.org

Nelson Newsletter May 2015

Atlanta House Church Here is an encouraging story of devotion to the Lord and His people. Eric Morris is a member of our house church. He and his wife, Sarah, and their three adorable children have been involved since January when Eric and I ran the Hog Pen Hill Climb together. Last Sunday morning Eric went for a run before our meeting and got tripped up by some unseen wire. He took a hard fall, scraping both hands and knees and fracturing his arm. What would you do? I don’t think I would go to the house church meeting. We were meeting 45 minutes away from their home. Eric chose to go to an emergency care facility close to where we met so that he could come to the meeting when they released him. His actions were inspiring to us all! Many powerful teachings have been done without words! “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.” Proverbs 24:16. We all fall, but the righteous get back up!

GCM Is Becoming Reliant. In 2015, Great Commission Ministries (GCM) is adopting a new name. Our commitment to Jesus' command to "Go and make disciples..." couldn't be stronger. Reliant will be an independent agency helping numerous missions, not just GCM missionaries. We are becoming Reliant!

Important: If you give automatically via LifeLink (credit card or bank direct debit), you don't need to make any changes to your giving. The ministry account and fund number remain secure and exactly the same. Eventually you will see "Reliant" appear on your bank statement. If you give via paper check or via your own bank billpay, we ask that you start making your gift out to Reliant starting in May. The address remains the same. Check gifts need to be switched over to Reliant by July 31, 2015.

Ministry Card We have new ministry cards with our contact information and how to give to our work. Please contact us if you wish to have one. If you would like to start supporting us, we would be honored by your trust.You can give on line by going to the GCM (soon to be Reliant) website below. For those who have supported us monthly, or with special gifts, we appreciate you and  your investment very much!!!

A New Nelson Ian Stuart Nelson was born May 2^nd into Scott and Maria’s family. Welcome to the world little man! We look forward to getting to know you, and telling you the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ and about the second birth!

Prayer Requests

1) Please pray for all 12 of our grandchildren to be born again and love Jesus with all their heart.

2) Pray for our house church to show the love of Christ to our community with deeds and the truth.

3) Pray for our financial support to get stronger and for new supporters.

4) Pray for those in the Hispanic apartment complex we have been working with.

 

With heartfelt appreciation,

Steve and Danelle

Great Commission Ministries www.gcmweb.org 11002 Lake Hart Drive, Suite 100, Orlando, FL 32832 Our website: www.gcmnelson.com

A Gospel Story

WHAT Secure In An Insecure World Readers are saying…

Recently I gave two copies of my book, Secure In An Insecure World, to our HVAC installer, who has worked for us many years and is a good friend. He sent me this text a few days ago...

"My wife liked your book. She would read parts out loud that she had heard me say. I've yet to read it, but my wife informed me on most everything. She did not read the entire book to me!

My daughter wants her copy. I keep forgetting to give it to her. They really need to read it. It could save them a lot of problems down the road."

Who do you know that reading Secure In An Insecure World "could save them a lot of problems down the road?" Consider purchasing a few copies to give away now, or to have on hand for later. You can find the book on Amazon in English or Spanish. It is also an e-book for Kindle or I-pad, etc.

English: http://tinyurl.com/oyq233j

Spanish: http://tinyurl.com/pyz8her

April Newsletter

One Encouraging Church. Sanctuary Baptist Church in Atlanta is one of our faithful supporting churches. They baptized 20 people a few weeks ago! I was impressed, so I asked the pastor, Rodney Hall, to tell me how that happened. It is a beautiful story. (Background: I have been friends with Rodney for over 20 years. Our friendship began when our daughter Whitney became friends with his niece April in school in Dacula.) We both concluded that the reason their church has seen so many come to faith in Christ was because 1) they wanted it; 2) they sincerely loved unbelievers; and 3) they shared the gospel whenever possible. We also agreed that the underlying reason was that God loves those who are lost and He puts His love for others in our hearts when we yield to Him. It is believed that Jesus Christ walked 6 miles to be baptized by John the Baptist. Inspired by their Savior’s example, a group of these new believers also walked 6 miles that Sunday morning to get baptized. One of them, Rodney’s son-in-law, Zack, left his house at 6 am and walked 14 miles carrying a pack. Zack arrived shortly after 10 am to make his public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Inspiring lives!

                                                                                                                     Zack, Rodney & Others Walking To Baptism

Southeast Pastors and Wives Conference Danelle and I enjoyed sweet fellowship with the pastors and their wives last weekend at our annual conference. John and Sandy Hopler encouraged us about marriage. We also discussed plans, discipleship, and God’s sovereignty and free will.

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for several unbelievers we are sharing the gospel with to get saved.

2) Pray for new groups to be started here in Atlanta.

3) Pray for wisdom to build and train others in the Southeast who are in house churches.

4) Pray for peace in Ukraine as fighting has renewed and people are dying and suffering.

Thank you for your prayers and loving support of our lives and work!

Steve and Danelle

Newsletter–March 2015

Parenting Seminar Danelle and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching a parenting seminar to parents from Florida last month. God definitely answered your prayers for us and all who attended the all-day event in Jacksonville. It was refreshing to Danelle and I to see so many mothers and fathers seeking help in raising their children to know and follow Jesus Christ. We spoke about the importance of our relationship with God, and the need to be role models to our children, since “more is caught than taught.” Our seminar title, “Your Children Are Watching,” emphasized that our children will see Christ in us when we love our spouse.

Here are a few photos of some of the couples who attended.

Meredith and Nathan Our daughter Merry got engaged to Nathan Evans from Americus, Georgia. They will be married August 23rd. We praise God for bringing a godly young man into Merry’s life. We are excited and thankful for what He is doing in their lives to make them even more effective for Jesus Christ and building His kingdom. They both work for Habitat for Humanity and plan to continue living in Americus after they get married. Please pray for their faith in Christ to grow as they take this big step of commitment to Him and one another. They will need the grace of God, as do we all. Thank you!

Yours in Christ’s unfailing love,

Steve and Danelle

FYI……

I Can’t Speak

But Moses said before the LORD, "Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?" Exodus 6:30

What happened after you heard a well-known speaker? You were amazed at his delivery, the powerful truths, and interesting stories that were spoken in a way that captured your attention and moved your heart. You may have thought, "He is a gifted speaker. God is certainly using him to impact the kingdom!" Then you may have concluded, "I could never speak like that!" You would be in good company. Moses felt the same way. He too felt inadequate and fearful when God asked him to go speak to Pharaoh.

Moses knew that he was unskilled in speech, and his assessment was accurate. His inexperience led him to believe that Pharaoh would not listen to him, and nobody wanted to get on Pharaoh's bad side! God needed to choose someone with oratorical skill to deliver this "life and death message," not Moses! The Lord enlisted Aaron to help, but he was not His first choice.

The devil wants to keep every Christian from speaking the good news to the lost by making us feel inadequate and unskilled. Don't compare yourself to the well-known Bible teacher or radio personality. God is not looking for your skill or abilities, but for your availability. Will you trust Him to speak through you? His power is perfected in our weakness. Paul understood, "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Tell God that you are available.