Dear friends and family, With the approaching storm, we felt it appropriate and necessary to pass along as much information as we can regarding possible prayer needs and more. First of all, if Isaac reaches Cat 2 status or higher, the impact can be quite devastating, as winds will be in excess of 100 miles per hour. This being said, there are other factors to be taken into consideration that greatly affect the impact in any given area. For example, the eastern side of the center is by far the most dangerous and heavily impacted area. In addition, the storm surge quite often (as was the case with Katrina) can be by far the most devastating event in a hurricane. Our home is located approximately 2 miles from the outer beach, which is about one-quarter-mile wide; there is the inland bay about one-half-mile wide, then the peninsula upon which we live. Our elevation is approximately 30 feet above sea level, and our home is three stories in the back and two in the front. If you go to Google and look up 9536 Bone Bluff Drive, Navarre, FL, you can get a much better view and understanding of our terrain. I am by no means concerned for the safety of our family, as I will do all I can to keep my family from harm, even if evacuation is necessary. As for our home, well, God gave us this home, and it is His, so we will lay it at His feet and trust that our Creator knows best. I truly have a great peace that this storm will have minimal effect on our dwelling place; however, I am very concerned for those who could potentially face catastrophe and devastation. Our role in this event and in all catastrophes (of which I believe there will be many) is to be a blessing and bring Christ to all who have lost hope, dreams, and more. Our world, and particularly our nation, has become far too dependent upon the things of the world--material possesions and fleshly pleasures that truly are unstable and shifting like the wind-blown sands. America has followed far too closely in the steps of the Israelites when Samuel the prophet heard them crying out for a king (1 Samuel 8:9). We, as a nation, have determined that God is not what we want, and we would rather have our own way. We desire the things of our flesh more than the holiness of God. I fear that just as God warned the Israelites of what a king would give them, He has allowed for us as well. What does this have to do with Isaac, you ask? Isaac is simply another storm brewing, another crop from the seeds we have sown, and there will be more. How do we prepare for a storm, you ask? Deborah and I are committed first of all to leading our family to follow Christ not only with our mouths but to seek the righteousness that can only be found in Him. We desire to live lives sanctified by His blood; lives filled with repentance and humility. Oh yes, we stumble, but we will not fall, for He is our strength. We then do all we can to be lighthouses and places of refuge for those who are in need. We lead people to the one place of true hope, Jesus! Prayer Considerations: 1. We have been asked to be the local contacts for Operation Blessing (and have accepted). I would consider them the Christian version of the Red Cross. Please Google them and take some time to see what it is they offer. Our goal will be to again provide relief, prayer, comfort, hope, and more for people affected by this and other disasters. Please pray for opportunities to minister, serve, and be a blessing. 2. We would ask the Lord for His will in this storm, where it lands (if it lands), how strong it is, and more. We, of course, desire that He break up the storm and that it never reaches hurricane strength; however, that may not be His will. Therefore, we seek His will. After all, He is God, Amen. 3. Please pray for our finances and possibly consider financial support to assist with the relief efforts as well as our housing for widows and orphans. We have recently assisted with the renting of a two-bedroom, two-bath home to keep a family off the street, and we would love to do more. This home will soon be holding bible studies and more in one of the poorest communities I have ever seen. Deborah and I have done so out of our own funds, and we are simply asking the Lord to provide more so we can do more to help others find Christ and stay off the streets. 4. Pray for wisdom, as the father, leader, and priest of my home. I desire more than ever to follow the Lord and to lead my family in every step as He desires. 5. Please pray for favor with authorities, community, and church leaders. There are many empty buildings which can be used for God’s glory and to help with many of the programs aimed at widows and orphans in Pensacola. Yes, this is more than an Isaac update. It is a battle update, a letter from another front, and we thank you for taking the time to read and pray for us. If you desire to support the ministry to either orphans and widows, disaster relief, or our family, please make checks payable to “Liberty Church” and enclose a note explaining your desire for use of funds. For further updates, if you have a computer, you can follow the storm updates on Facebook; simply seek Deborah Burroughs or Gene Burroughs. Additionally, I will be sending updates to Shasta Lake Church and Little Country Church. We can be reached in the following manners: Address: 9536 Bone Bluff Drive, Navarre, FL 32566, E-mail: “Gene” outreachman@gmail.com “Deborah” deborahofficer@yahoo.com. God bless you, and please remember us in your prayers. Gene and Deborah Burroughs and family!

This morning I awoke rather early, somewhat in hopes of going fishing, yet more hopeful to somehow make a difference for the Kingdom. Having read the morning hurricane updates, taken notice of a few comments made by folks with far too much time on their hands, I have arrived at a not so new conclusion. You see, it is ever more apparent to me that this nation needs Jesus more than ever, and we are truly in far greater danger than we care to admit. This week Deborah and I stretched our finances beyond the limit and rented a home for a woman who was hours away from homelessness. The details are not important but let me assure you, the reasons for her pending homelessness were beyond her immediate control. Being led by the Spirit, we trusted Him and took the appropriate action. As we moved her from the shack that had been the home of her deceased uncle (our friend), the landlord showed up with a deputy sheriff. The ensuing events truly do not deserve discussion with the exception of the attitudes of each of these men; an attitude which, I am afraid, is far too prevalent in our nation today. You see, to them this woman who had fallen on hard times was something less than human, unworthy of even the slightest hospitality. These men did not know this woman nor did they care enough to find out about her. It mattered not that her uncle had recently passed, the one man who had cared for her and her siblings so faithfully for so many years. You see, his sister, her mother, had been murdered when she was a small child. The siblings had been bounced around for years until their grandmother (a Godly woman) took them in. Grandma raised them until her death and the children became homeless again as another uncle kicked them out of the home Grandma had purchased for the children. But the point truly is not their story as much as it is mankind's story. You see, God created these people, all of them, everyone mentioned in these wanderings of my mind. They were and are each of them created in the image of God, as are we. Thus being the case, how is it, I ask, that we as human beings, all with the same Father, can fall so far from the truth that we are all created equal and bear great value, if to no one else, to the King of all creation? As I mentioned earlier, after reading on the Web this morning, I see attacks on Christians, republicans, and those who choose to make a moral stand. Why? Are not the very good and moral standards in the Word of God exactly what this country was founded upon? The answer, by the way, is yes, and that is factual! Then how can we as a nation stand by and watch ourselves be lowered to third-world country standards where human life has no value, unborn babies are slaughtered, people are thrown about like refuse, and where men have somehow elevated themselves with money as if they had the power to change anything in this world without God's permission? If I sound angry, please forgive me, I am not. I am frustrated, yes, frustrated. I am frustrated with the fact that the enemy of our souls and the enemy of our Father has so easily deceived man once again. He has led far too many into rebellion and selfishness, and they have become now more willing than ever to follow him down the road to death and destruction. My heart aches today for the state of our nation. I pray that the Lord would be gracious and merciful, for without His grace and mercy we truly are headed for what we deserve. Remember today that there are many you will come into contact with, and every single one of them is a child of the King; worthy of your love. Gene Burroughs, Servant/Pastor

Living Outside the Boat

Living Outside the Boat Matthew 14:24-32 is a well-known passage that speaks of Jesus walking on water; coming to the disciples in the midst of a storm. He then invites Peter to join Him, and yet in the midst of the tempest, Peter’s faith fails him. I have heard many a pastor speak of trusting Jesus in the storm, keeping the focus on Him in the midst of trials, and so many other takes on this amazing and powerful passage. However, I challenge you to look at this passage and your life in a very different way today–one that will, no doubt, stretch your faith. You see, I believe that we as Christians are meant to live on the water! Yes, that’s right. I live on the water. You see, Jesus did not tell Peter to get back into the boat. As a matter of fact, He chastised him for his lack of faith. Jesus invited Peter to get out of the boat and come to Him, yet Peter, taking his eyes off Jesus and looking at his circumstances rather than having faith, began to sink and cries out for help; much like we ourselves so often do when we face our daily challenges. However, if we learn to live outside the boat in the midst of the storms, keeping our eyes on Christ, we will not only walk on water (hypothetically); we will learn to be comfortable living there. Recently, after clear leading of the Lord, we moved to Navarre, Florida, in order to take part in and begin some ministries in the area. One week before the planned move, we still needed over $10,000 to pay for the moving van and trip costs, yet knowing the Lord’s will, we ordered the van. The Lord told us the money would be in the mail, and lo and behold, days before leaving, there was a sufficient check in our mailbox. The morning before we were to begin loading, we still had need of an enclosed trailer, one about 16 feet long, in order to haul the things not accepted in a moving van. Unable to find a trailer of that size we could afford, I decided to take a look at a much smaller one. While continuing to pray about it and feeling as though I was about to settle, I moved forward slowly, but let’s face it, we’re about out of time. Moments before going to see the trailer, a friend, hearing about my need, gave my family and me an almost new 16-foot enclosed trailer! As we trekked across the United States each day, we became more and more eager to leave the hotel scene and arrive at our new home, which should close escrow upon our arrival. In route, we are told there are issues with the loan approval, and the closing will be delayed. Oh, did I mention we lost our pre-approval before leaving, and we’re now without a loan on our home? After nearly an additional week in a motel in Navarre, the owner (a fellow believer) allows us to move in without a loan and rent the home on a daily basis. Nervous, and with minds filled with scenarios of the storm around us and countless doubts and fears, we moved into the home the Lord had promised us. Against all earthly odds and in a miraculous move, two weeks or so later our home closed escrow! In Mark 16:16-18, Jesus speaks these parting words to His disciples: He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. This was not a ‘maybe scripture’; this is a truth spoken by Jesus; a desire of His heart and the Father’s heart for all men. I believe the Lord desires that each of us would be so filled with His Spirit so outside the boat that these things would be a sign unto us who believe. If we were to stop looking at all of the reasons why we cannot be men and women of such great faith and begin to walk in the promises, the churches could not hold those who would believe! Those of us who determine to live on the water outside the boat will be the first to tell you that this is not easy. It is, in fact, very difficult. Life in the boat is safe and much easier. However, God does not call us to live in the boat; He has called each one of us out. Will you take the step? Gene Burroughs, Servant Navarre, Florida