Cold Water News

Other blogs updated.

2008-09-22T17:13:00.001-05:00

Hot links in post below.

The Last Drink

2008-07-10T19:52:00.000-05:00

Cold Water is from "a distant land". Because of this reality, this will be the last post on this blog. I live in America now, and will remain here at least for the near future. I feel strongly that this blog has served it's purpose over the past two years. Initially keeping folks informed of the work in Ethiopia as well as family life while here in the States. But now there is no consistent "news" concerning the work because I live here now.

The work with PTI will be noted in the future at a different site.

Also, there is some small chance I will post concerning family updates and/or personal thoughts.
Those as well will be hosted in another spot.

Thanks...

Reflections from Joseph Crampton

2008-06-19T17:50:00.001-05:00

You’ve probably heard it said that we ought to eat our green vegetables because there are starving children in Africa (or at least that there are so many poor people across the globe that we ought to more rightly appreciate what we have). And it may well be safe to say that many people who live in poverty would love to come over here where no one really lacks necessities; in fact, I’d say that no one is really poor having been to Ethiopia. My little brother and Anthony spoke all week about how little the lack of material wealth really matters.
I can still not get far beyond the difference between common life over here in Mississippi and the common, everyday way of life over there, but I know that the same glorious God Who is over us is governing the frail beasts that plough the Ethiopian fields. I know also that the same Lord Jesus who was raised up on the third day to be a propitiatory and atoning sacrifice is preached by pastors on the countryside, several missionaries in the country, and by “Antony” when he’s there. I know that the same Holy One draws men to Himself through the preaching of His excellent Name, the reading of His Word, and even through the lives of believers.
I know that there are men and women in that country who say “Jesus is all I need” and then run to the mall to disprove their statement. We should be thankful for the woman whose only need is Jesus, the feet that bring the Good News, and the God Who brings about salvation for eternal beings.
So, while we ought to be concerned that 169 out of every 1,000 Ethiopian children under the age of five dies, we must not forget to pray that the Word of God would be a priority for the ministers. The salvation of souls ought to be our hearts’ cry.

Gratitude

2008-06-10T19:50:00.001-05:00

I am very grateful for my church. When I left for Ethiopia, I left a house empty and dirty. I had just paid the rent for the remainder of 2008 and planned to get "moved in" upon my return from Africa. However, while away, most everything needing to be done in order for me to move in, was completed.
Everything...Cleaned. Furnished. Pantry Stocked. Flower beds weeded. Anything that was necessary was taken care of.

God continues to express wonderful kindness toward me in all things.
Please join me in thanking Him for His amazing mercy in my life.

In Amsterdam

2008-05-30T00:01:00.002-05:00

I had to wait until I had adequate bandwidth in order to post the pictures in the previous post. We are in fact sitting in the airport in Amsterdam now waiting to board the plane to Memphis.

At about 5:00 p.m., we should be on the ground in Memphis.
Thanks for your prayers during the past week.

Faiza Update.

2008-05-29T23:52:00.002-05:00

Many of you do not know Faiza, and yet others will remember her from just over a year ago.

I went to visit her this week. It was the first time I had seen her since the accident. I cannot express how good it was for me to see her. She is a beautiful little girl. I had tea with she and her dad in a small cafe in her village one afternoon.

Here are some pictures for you to witness the answered prayers of the Lord for yourself.

Tuesday Morning.

2008-05-26T22:44:00.001-05:00

It is bright and early this morning, with the birds fighting for time and space to get their voice in edge wise. We have watched them picking apart the pomegranate on the tree just outside the front door. God is truly amazing in all His creation. Not only that, but He is wonderfully merciful in all His ways as well. It is mercy for Him to give us breath, and it is all the more merciful of Him to blow upon our dark, cold hearts and grant regeneration to our souls. Shockingly, He does not stop there either, but continues to work in us, ministering to us, based on Jesus' continued work for us and through the Spirit's work in us. He has been this for me this week, no doubt. I have really enjoyed my time here the past 4 days. I have been able to see so many people and take care of several issues that needed to be taken care of. I appreciate you praying for me thus far. We only have 3 days left here and will only spend two more nights here. The time has flown, as it always does. The guys with me are doing great. From what I can tell, they are enjoying everything about this place. Kurt has been so gracious to take care of the teaching, while at the same time doing a remarkable job with it. He has posted daily a bit about the sessions.

Again, thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf.

-Anthony

Thoughts from Jamie Crampton

2008-05-25T14:05:00.001-05:00

I asked Jamie to jot down some thoughts from the past couple of days. Jamie is a sixteen-year old that I attend church with in New Albany. He and his brother Joseph are two of the four guys that accompanied me on this trip. Please forgive the format...we are dealing with 3rd world technology.

Unsearchable Riches

There is more poverty in this land than I could have imagined. There have been

many times that I have wanted to sit down and weep. But the riches of Christ

shine brightly in the face of poverty. The poor and beggarly souls are invited

to stretch out their poor and withered hands to the Savior.

The bitter cup of poverty is a small taste of the emptiness of the soul, and

the hopelessness of the poor is nothing compared to the hopelessness of the

enemy of Christ. To be without God is to be without hope. But God, who is rich

in mercy, is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think.

We have been given so much; we have been given all things in Christ. Why are

we so slow to take up our crosses and follow Him? When He commands us to leave

all and follow Him, it is like telling a prisoner to leave His chains, the

debtor to leave His debt, and the beggar to leave His scraps so that He might

come to the feast. Oh, that we might live as beggars and pilgrims in this life

that we might be kings in the next. We might beg ourselves rich by the grace

that is in Christ.

Ultimately, the rich have nothing more than the poor. Either we have Christ,

or we have nothing. What are all the treasures of this life when we die?

Christ is all in all. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where

moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for

yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where

thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20) We who have nothing are

freely offered to buy the pearl of greatest price.

Look to the face of Christ, not the hand of providence. The LORD is all love

to His people. There have been moments were I questioned the sovereign love of

God to the Christians in Ethiopia. But it is high treason against the King to

lodge bitter thoughts about Christ. Circumstances may be dark to our eyes, but

the Sun of righteousness is all light. "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is

good!"

Arrived.

2008-05-22T15:26:00.001-05:00

We are here and at the house.

We are getting settled in and hoping to get some sleep soon.

Thanks for praying.

Updates

2008-05-20T11:41:00.002-05:00

Well, Isaac is now really Isaac and really mine. The proceedings yesterday were nothing really, just me answering yes to about a dozen questions and the judge rather uninterestingly mumbling "yea, we'll grant it". So the petition to make Isaac my son was granted, and now we wait for the birth certificate and social security card. Thanks for praying, and for your constant concern.

Today I am packing for the children and I for the next 10 days. They will be off in about 4 hours to stay with friends and grandparents, while I will depart in the morning for Ethiopia. I do appreciate your prayers. I will make some attempt to update the work in Ethiopia while away, but the word I have on the situation there is very little electricity, water, and phone it the past month. Which also translates to internet issues. You may try Kurt's blog if I have not posted.

Again, thanks for praying for us.

Isaac's Adoption

2008-05-08T16:48:00.002-05:00

Many of you may not know that Isaac's adoption is not yet finalized. In actuality, he is not Isaac Anthony yet. But, I am hopeful that the finalization date is near, May 19, to be exact. Please do pray that I am able to get my petition for adopting him heard that day before I depart for Ethiopia just two days later.
There does not appear to be any hiccups in the process and for the most part all that is required is jumping through these last few hoops. Everything required to satisfy the state and the agency has been met, and a court date is all that remains.
I do appreciate your continued prayers in this regard.

No News... Good News?

2008-04-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

This age-old adage is usually accurate, you know. However, due to the circumstances that I find myself in, there are scores of you who have suggested that you are, in fact, assuming otherwise. Many of you have said to me or have sent word to me that, due to my hiatus from writing here, you are “worried” or are “wondering if I am OK.” So, I am glad to take this opportunity to write what I feel truly is “Cold Water.”

The Lord, our Lord, does not change. He has not wavered one bit in His commitment to me. His great promise to uphold me with His strong, righteous right arm rings ever true in my heart and mind.

Tuesday (22nd) of this week marks three months since the wreck. Three months. My life, by the great help of God, seems so “normal” to me. I do not find myself struggling to rise in the mornings because of not wanting to face each day. Rather, God in His mercy grants much joy in what He has given me in life: a Savior like Christ who has born all my grief, a Savior like Jesus who sympathizes in all my weaknesses…

I often find myself wondering, “What more can He give than to me He has given?” I know that this quote is referring to the Scriptures and, in some way, so am I. Both the living Word who is Christ and the Scriptures as the Word of God are so wonderfully helpful and sweet to me right now.

Consider this verse that I have often noted here:
Romans 8:32 “He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all…how will He not, with Him, freely give us all things?”

I have Christ. God forsook Him for me—left Him on the tree to die. Why?
Well, a few clear reasons come to mind: God forsook His Son so that He might now freely grant me all that is needed for life and for godliness; so that, in the ages to come, He might show me the surpassing glories of that same dear Son; and so that, in the present, in the mundane, in the rising and lying down, in the child rearing, He might be my all in all. He gave His Own so that He Himself might really, experientially have first place in all things that pertain to me and my life.

I do realize that I have been all over the place in jotting down these thoughts, but the fact is: my heart is quite full—full of gratitude towards you all for your concern and prayers and full of thankfulness towards God for His Loving-kindness that endures forever.

I am also, in fact, busy these days. This is not an excuse for my lack of updating the blog, but it is a reason nonetheless. I was out of pocket last week, and even as I write, I am not at home (well, I am at what was home for me for ten years of my life—my parents house), but I am on the way to an eventful two weeks. The schedule on the right of this page tells the specifics of how you can pray for me. Please do remember that I am traveling, preaching, and visiting with friends, as well as being a dad to Ellie and Isaac. So, do pray for us.

PTI 5 -- Just One Month Away

2008-04-18T09:23:00.002-05:00

I stated in my previous post that specifics would be coming "soon". Today is "soon".

Specifics have been spelled out by Kurt, who will be providing the training for the men this time in Ethiopia.

Also, I do realize that there are a number of you anxious to 'really' hear from me, and my goal is to post an update this weekend. My hope is that be mentioning it here, I will be motivated and accountable to do so.

PTI 5 -- Fast Approaching

2008-04-01T17:02:00.002-05:00

I am in the planning phase for the logistics of PTI, round 5.
There are a few of us traveling to Ethiopia together for this round.

The emphasis will again be on Jesus, primarily in the book of Hebrews. Kurt Strassner will do the lion-share of the teaching.

I will spend most of my days meeting with friends and taking care of the necessary issues with the home there.

I am writing this with a three fold purpose:

1. Pray for PTI-5
2. If you are interested in traveling, notify me soon.
3. There are needs that must be met for the training to happen, and I will post concerning that soon.

A Long Overdue Thank You

2008-03-27T08:16:00.003-05:00

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
Philippians 1:3-5

I want to express my gratitude to you for these past two months. The Lord has granted me great comfort and has poured out immense grace throughout these days, and He has used you to do it. Thank you.

From the concern expressed to the kindness shown to the love displayed toward me, I am forever grateful and appreciate it very much. The Lord has been wonderfully kind to use all that you have been and done for me for my comfort. Thank you.

God has dealt with me in such a merciful way during these recent weeks that I cannot imagine one thing that I would change in an attempt to improve upon what He has done in and for me. He is merciful in all His ways, and though His ways are past finding out, He does all things well.
My attempt to offer thanks via this small note is far too inferior when compared with what you all been for and done for me. Nonetheless, thank you.

God has definitely given me the best fathomable situation for living through these circumstances at this time. Sure, He dealt a heavy blow, but He has not left me alone. Rather, He has kept His loving hand hovered over me, protecting me, comforting me, loving me. What He has provided in family, friends, my church, and the Church worldwide is astounding even now for me to consider. Thank you.

And still the greatest thing that God has done for me was to not spare Christ, but to give Him up for me, so that He may freely give me all things. Not free to Him, it cost Him His Son. But wonderfully free to me.
Samuel Rutherford said it well when he penned these words, "To live on Christ's love is a king's life".

Please accept this 'thank-you' for all that you have done for me.
I do covet your continuing prayers on my behalf, and on behalf of Ellie and Isaac as well.

Ellie & Isaac

2008-03-20T07:29:00.002-05:00

These outfits were smocked by Amber this winter.

Ellie & Her First Snow

2008-03-19T14:12:00.001-05:00

St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-15T15:50:00.003-05:00

Kidnapped?

A Slave?

A Missionary?

Do you have any idea who this shamrock fellow was?

If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee

2008-03-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trust in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.

What can these anxious cares avail thee
These never ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O’er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever thy Father’s pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost want are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

God knows full well when time of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And set a bound to everything.

All are alike before the Highest:
’Tis easy for our God, We know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word: though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Georg Neumark

Helpful Hymns

2008-03-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

Hymns have been particularly sweet to my soul as of late. Here is one that was sent to me at some point in the last 2 months. The author is John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace.

Begone unbelief, my Savior is near,
And for my relief will surely appear:
By prayer let me wrestle, and He wilt perform,
With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm.

Though dark be my way, since He is my Guide,
’Tis mine to obey, ’tis His to provide;
Though cisterns be broken, and creatures all fail,
The Word He has spoken shall surely prevail.

His love in time past forbids me to think
He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink;
Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review,
Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through.

Determined to save, He watched o’er my path,
When Satan’s blind slave, I sported with death;
And can He have taught me to trust in His Name,
And thus far have brought me, to put me to shame?

Why should I complain of want or distress,
Temptation or pain? He told me no less:
The heirs of salvation, I know from His Word,
Through much tribulation must follow their Lord.

How bitter that cup, no heart can conceive,
Which He drank quite up, that sinners might live!
His way was much rougher, and darker than mine;
Did Jesus thus suffer, and shall I repine?

Since all that I meet shall work for my good,
The bitter is sweet, the medicine is food;
Though painful at present, wilt cease before long,
And then, O! how pleasant, the conqueror’s song!

Romans 8:28

2008-03-11T07:58:00.001-05:00

We often quote this verse, don’t we:

“For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God”

But, so often our reciting it is because of our desire to have all things orbiting around us and our assuming that if God is about doing us good we ought to join Him in making all things good for us.

So, what about difficult times? Heartaches? Real Loss?

“Ergo, shipwreck, losses, etc. work together for the good of them that love God. Hence I infer that losses, disappointments, ill-tongues, loss of friends, houses or country, are God's workmen, set on work to work out good to you, out of everything that befalleth you. Let not the Lord's dealing seem harsh, rough, or un-fatherly because it is unpleasant. When the Lord's blessed will bloweth across your desires, it is best, in humility, to strike sail to him, and to be willing to be led any way our Lord pleaseth. It is a point of denial of yourself, to be as if you had not a will, but had made a free disposition of it to God, and had sold it over to him. And to make use of his will for your own is both true holiness, and your ease of peace. You know not what the Lord is working out of this, but you shall know it hereafter."

S. Rutherford

One Office of Christ

2008-03-11T07:21:00.003-05:00

"If your Lord calls you to suffering...there shall be a new allowance of the King for you when you come to it... God hath called you to Christ's side, and the wind is now in Christ's face in this land...He delighteth to take up fallen bairns (children) and to mend broken bows: binding up of wounds is his office."

Samuel Rutherford

It is well, with my soul

2008-03-10T14:07:00.003-05:00

Before reading the well known hymn below,
you should consider the circumstance from which
Horatio Spaford penned these remarkable lines:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

"The Lord is my portion...

2008-03-05T05:36:00.005-06:00

...therefore I have hope in Him." Lamentations 3:24

"For your Maker is your husband--the Lord Almighty is his name--the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." Isaiah 54:5

Thoughts from Octavius Winslow:

How many--appropriate to our circumstances, and endearing to our hearts--are the titles and relations of God! Is there one more sacred or precious to the Christian widow than this--"Your Maker is your HUSBAND." The Lord brings us into a gracious and experimental acquaintance with Himself by the circumstances in which He places us. Just as we learn certain lessons in certain schools, so we learn the relationships which the Lord sustains to us in the positions in life to which those divine relations are the most appropriate. Thus, He may have written you a widow, a "widow indeed," that He might stand to you in a new and more endeared relation--even as you stand to Him in a new and more dependent character--the relation of a HUSBAND--the character of a widow. As such He is your portion. Your bereavement is so crushing, your grief so profound, your desolation so vast, your loss so irreparable, the pen shrinks from even the attempt to describe it. The strong and beautiful staff is broken, the earthly counselor is perished, the tongue is mute that blessed you, the bosom cold that pillowed you, the eye dim that smiled upon you, and the whole landscape of life is draped in wintry coldness and gloom.

But the Lord is your Portion. "For your Maker is your husband--the Lord Almighty is his name." Divorced by death from an earthly husband, you are united more especially and closely to a Divine and heavenly Husband--even to God in Christ, who stands now in a new and more endeared relation to you, as you have now a new and more sacred claim upon Him. The widow is an object of His especial regard. No being has He more closely fenced, none for whom He has discovered more tender care. Listen to some of His touching injunctions respecting you. "You shall not afflict the WIDOW." "Plead for the WIDOW." "He will establish the border of the WIDOW." "He relieves the fatherless and the WIDOW." Such is the divine Portion, under whose sheltering wing you have now come to rest. "Your Maker is your HUSBAND." All, and infinitely more, that the fondest, most powerful, and faithful husband ever was, the Lord is to you. Let Him, as none other can, fill the vacant place. He can make even your solitary and desolate heart sing for joy. Espouse Christ afresh. Renew your 'first love' to Him, the love of your earliest union.

Trace nothing but love in the removal of a human object so dear; and know that love--divine, tender, unchangeable love--will guard, guide, and comfort you until wedded hearts, sundered by death, shall meet to renew a fellowship of love in the glorified presence of Jesus never to be sundered more.

Blessed Jesus! heavenly Husband! let me now be united only and forever to You! Give me Your Spirit to seal the sacred union. Enable me, as enjoined in the word, "to trust in God, and to continue in supplication and prayer night and day, to lodge strangers, to wash the saints' feet, to relieve the afflicted, and diligently to follow every good work" (1 Tim. 5:5, 10). And thus striving by Your grace to glorify You in the solemn character of a God-fearing, God-trusting widow, enable me to rejoice in You as my portion--my Husband--believing that You will shield me in temptation, supply me in need, comfort me in sorrow, be with me in death, and give me a place at the marriage-supper of the Lamb.

In addition to the loneliness of widowhood, there may be the heavy charge and anxious responsibility of the parent. Your children, are half orphans--fatherless. Be it so. You have now a double claim on God's care and provision; and that claim, offered in the prayer of faith, He will acknowledge. His promise is--and on that promise you must rely--"Leave your FATHERLESS CHILDREN, I will preserve them alive--and let your widows trust in me." God will now be, in its fullest sense, your children's Father. He will preserve them alive; in other words, He will provide for the life that now is, and will make them partakers of the life that is to come in the sovereignty of His grace.
Have faith in God! He never yet broke a promise to a saint--He never will to you!

Jesus. In verse.

2008-03-03T07:33:00.001-06:00

Immortal honors rest on Jesus’ head;
My God, my portion, and my Living Bread;
In Him I live, upon Him cast my care;
He saves from death, destruction, and despair.

He is my Refuge in each deep distress;
The Lord my strength and glorious righteousness;
Through floods and flames He leads me safely on,
And daily makes His sovereign goodness known.

My every need He richly will supply;
Nor will His mercy ever let me die;
In Him there dwells a treasure all divine,
And matchless grace has made that treasure mine.

O that my soul could love and praise Him more,
His beauties trace, His majesty adore;
Live near His heart, upon His bosom lean;
Obey His voice, and all His will esteem.

William Gadsby