"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden." ~ Corrie Ten Boom

"We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.

Most of us would prefer, however, to spend our time doing something that will get immediate results. We don't want to wait for God to resolve matters in His good time because His idea of 'good time' is seldom in sync with ours." ~  Oswald Chambers

When Jesus walked the earth with his disciples, he spoke to them about the secret place. He taught them so powerful truths related to the secret place. We will be digging into what he taught this coming Sunday morning. Why? So that we too can experience and encounter our awesome loving God as they did. Please come and bring a friend and step into some great secret place secrets.

We will be having another baptismal service on Sunday, February 24th at the conclusion of our worship service. If you need to be baptized, this would be a wonderful opportunity for you to do so. Please let me know. This is always a very encouraging and celebratory experience for us all. 

Another North Alabama Men's Encounter is coming up the first weekend of March. I have attended the Men's Encounter and it is correctly named. You will encounter Jesus, his love, and his power. I encourage any of you men who have not had the opportunity to attend to prayerfully consider doing so. There are a number of our men who have participated and several who are leaders, so let us know if you desire to attend. The men will be meeting and leaving from Grace House on Friday evening and returning for their Celebration Service at Grace House on Sunday evening at 6 p.m.

Following is the latest Fragrant Spring Newsletter from Ross Smith. It is amazing what God is doing through Ross who is walking in the Apostolic anointing on his life. He, Shirley, and Lisa are treasures in our midst.

Report From South Africa, Feb, 2013 

       I have a mix of emotions as I prepare to leave for home in the USA in a few days. I can't wait to be home to cuddle with my girls, to sleep in my own bed, to drive on the right side of the road and not to have to deal with the hectic South African traffic. Oddly, I have this strange desire to stay and pour some more into the lives of these hungry young men and women who have become like sons and daughters to me.       I have become "Uncle Ross" to a group of young adults, some of whom I first met a couple of months ago. Their desire for Truth, for Life, for Peace, for the authentic Way, for Righteousness, for Wisdom (all of which is Jesus, for He is the personification of all of these things) fills me with hope and passion for a nation that is desperate for change. I write this short report as I am in the middle of preparing for my last time of fellowship with them on this trip.        Fragrant Spring is based in Austerville, which is a community in one of the south suburbs of Durban. Most people here are concerned about drug addiction, alcohol abuse, violence, AIDS and HIV especially amongst the youth. The youth and young adults are tired of having the Gospel preached and taught to them without an authentic demonstration of it. They actually want more than just the miracles, signs and wonders. They are hungry for a demonstration of Kingdom Life everyday. They want to know what it looks and feels like. They want to be shown how to live this life by people who are demonstrators of this Zoe Life. They are tired of hearing, "Do as I say." They're ready to be a part of an Apostolic Company of people who are demonstrators of the full life in Christ and not just workers of miracles. This is a glorious challenge for us at Fragrant Spring. It is a challenge that our Dad has been preparing us for.      We have started home groups that meet a few days of the week. They're called 'Zoe Everyday' I lead these groups with the purpose of challenging religious mindsets and introducing them to the truth that those who are born of the Spirit have "the mind of Christ". We talk about what having His mind looks like every day. We are seeing our Father imparting Himself into a company of people who are already being transformed into transformers of this culture. It is humbling to have them chase us down instead of the other way around. We are planning to have a "Love Revolution" gathering in May this year. Our desire is to see the young ministering to each other and demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven in all of its fullness at this gathering.       We are in the process of starting a feeding program in the local Primary Schools and a weekly feeding program at the local Victim Friendly Center, which is a resource center that we have access to.    We have been asked by the coordinator of the Trauma department of the local SAPS (South African Police Services) if we will help with drug & alcohol and marriage counseling. We just do not have the time or enough people for this desperate need.        We want to thank all of our church family and friends for all of your support for this work in South Africa. We pray richest blessings over you from a Dad who's every thought, every plan and every desire toward you is good and perfect.                                                                                 

With love,                                                                       Ross, Shirl and Lisa Ann 

I ask you to pray for me as I minister at the Man on Fire conference in Montgomery, AL on March 9th. I am also excited about being with Bishop Kyle Searcy and his congregation. If any of you guys are interested in the conference you can check out the link to the left on the image.

Well it looks like we are heading to Carriacou which is located just north of Grenda. A small Island of about 6,000 people Carriacou is one of the overlooked places that we feel led to go. We have been in contact with Pastor Happy and Denise who live there and the plans are to carry a ministry team around mid-April for a 6-7 day trip. We will only be able to carry around 10 people due the limitations of lodging and transportation once we arrive. The cost will be somewhere around $1200.00 per person. If you would like to be considered for this trip or need more details, please see Sam Lerch. An informational meeting will be held soon.