Cool Waters to Thirsty Souls: Letters to Missionaries from Pastor Don Ohm Lighthouse Baptist Church

By Pastor Don Ohm

This book title, Cool Waters to Thirsty Souls, is based on Proverbs 25:25 "As cool water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." While serving on a church staff in Wichita, Kansas, Don married his lovely wife, Deborah, in November, 1969. The young, newlywed couple surrendered to full time Christian service together at a 1969 New Year's Eve service. Ever since then, missions and missionaries have been as important to them as the church families they have led. Years ago, Pastor Ohm began sending letters of encouragement to the workers in the fields. Now for the last eighteen years, the letters still continue to go to the missionaries from his desk at Lighthouse Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas. Pastor Ohm has been the senior pastor at Lighthouse since May of 1999. To the foreign and domestic missionaries and to all other readers, may this collection of letters be like a cup of cool water on your journey. May Jesus Christ be glorified.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Aug 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483467948

Book preview

Cool Waters to Thirsty Souls

Letters to Missionaries from

Pastor Don Ohm

Lighthouse Baptist Church

Copyright © 2017 Pastor Don Ohm.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Scripture taken from King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6795-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6794-8 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/20/2017

Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Nostalgia

Jesus is Lord!

Light of the SON

Spiritual Awakening

The Awesome Privilege of Prayer

Resurrection Life

Faithful Servants

Giving Thanks for You

His Joy

Refreshed

Rejoice!

Rubber Meets the Road

God Takes Notice

Spiritual Birth

Pearls

Significance

A Somber Tone

Why We Do What We Do

Amount to Something

Listen

I Don’t Know

Nobody or Somebody

No Instant Replay

Time and Trust

Time

Caves

Expectations Part One

Expectations Part Two

Self-Control

Contradictions

Resolution

But Thou, O Lord!

Hope in Him

The Chain

Persistence

Rain!

From God Alone

In His Hands

Perspective

Challenged

Thankful!

Jehovah

You Care

Discovery

Simple Obedience, Part 1

Simple Obedience, Part 2

Communication

Discernment

Leadership

The Church

Enthusiasm

Too Many

Apprehension

In Circulation

Finish Strong

Appendix

Temple Maintenance

On the Firing Line

The Vital Link

This book is dedicated to our missionary family, near and far.

Thank you for your service to our Saviour.

Introduction

As cool waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Pro.25:25

The application of this verse can have double meaning, and perhaps more, depending on the exposition thereof. The thoughts and statements contained within were written by a local church pastor who loves missions and missionaries. These missionaries are God’s front-line servants dispensing the good news of the gospel to thirsty souls. Once people find salvation in Jesus, their souls are refreshed and satisfied by the Holy Spirit of God like a thirsty traveler in a desert.

Pastors and church bodies like to hear from the missionaries who they support financially and prayerfully. Most missionaries communicate monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. I became burdened a number of years ago to communicate back to the missionaries on a monthly basis. What you will read in this book are letters that are intended to be short words of encouragement and even words of challenge from time to time. These thoughts have been well received by our missionaries. Many have responded with thanksgiving for meeting a very timely need.

I do not claim absolute originality for all thoughts written here. As one who has been in the ministry for nearly fifty years, I have read and heard many, many things that have stuck in my mind. At the encouragement of some missionaries and also our Lighthouse Ladies Missionary Fellowship, we have compiled the majority of the letters that have been sent to our missionaries thus far. Even if you are not a missionary, my prayer is that this compilation will be a cup of cool water on your journey. I commend this book to the glory of God. May it be an encouragement and challenge to all believers who read it.

Humbled and blessed to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Don Ohm

Acknowledgements

I never intended to write a book or have anything of mine published. I come from a humble beginning to now having had the privilege of pastoring Lighthouse Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas for the past seventeen years. Lighthouse is a solid church of people who love the Lord, and who love missionaries and those they endeavor to reach.

These letters are written to communicate encouragement and love to my heroes on the fields of the world. The letters are just that, letters. No sale of the book will be used for profit by Lighthouse Baptist Church or me.

I wish to acknowledge the Lighthouse Baptist Church Ladies Missionary Fellowship who meets monthly to read the latest letters from the missionaries and pray for the latest requests. These ladies also send handwritten birthday and anniversary cards to uplift the missionaries and their families as they work in God’s chosen locations. Along with the above, the group also sends my monthly letter to each missionary.

I also wish to thank all the ladies who have been a part of this missionary ministry. Thanks to Mrs. Stephanie Dillon who encouraged me to have the letters bound in book