Health

Hello Everyone
Well this is something that we do praise the Lord that we have not dealt with in quite a while now, but we are once again dealing with some health issues. Nothing too major, but when it starts hitting everyone in the family, it just seems like it lasts so long. It first started with Noah as he has the cough, runny nose, etc. That lasted for a week and now he is better. Aliyah started to catch it, but is also doing better. This past Monday afternoon I (Joey), started feeling sick to my stomach. I eventually threw up and then had a really high fever. It is Wednesday evening now and my fever has been fine and my stomach is almost back to normal. It is still feeling a little queasy every once in a while. Now Rebecca is starting to feel the stomach sickness.

So if you could please keep our health in your prayers, that would be great. Please also pray that the kids do not get what I had and maybe what Rebecca is getting. Please pray for a complete healing.
Thank you!

Love the Roper Family

Update with my Dad

Hello Everyone
I wanted to give all of you an update with my dad. First of all, I really want to thank each of you that have been praying for him. Just recently I called our home church CCCH, and talked with a few of the secretaries. Both of them immediately began to ask about my dad and let me know how they have been praying for him. What an encouragement it was to hear that from each of them. So once again, thank you!
I believe it was on Wednesday, June 22nd that my dad was finally able to go home! So it has been about 4 days now! I did get the chance to talk to him shortly after he arrived home. He was really glad to get out of the hospital and to be home. It has been a month since he was home last.
There is still a lot going on with him and he still has pneumonia. In fact, the type of pneumonia that he has is a rare and yet strong pneumonia that is known to be in Europe. So, he picked it up somewhere here in Europe. Bummer!

We do ask that you would please continue to be praying for him with his health situations. I know that both my dad and mom need wisdom with all of the next steps that will need to be made. So please keep them in your prayers.
Thank You

WORSHIP: this sunday

This Sunday morning we are going to get back into our teachings series on the topic of WORSHIP. It has been a few months since we have last been in it, but once again, this is a series that we are going through when Pastor Edmund is out of town or is sick on a Sunday. Since Edmund and Martha are gone this weekend enjoying time with their daughter and son-in-law, he has asked me to teach for him while he is gone.

In this series we are looking at the Who, What, Why, Where, and How of Worship. In our last study we looked at the topic of "Who do we worship?" We have really been laying a foundation in this topic of worship, and now I believe we are going to be building upon that foundation. This weekend we are going to be considering the point of "Why do we worship?" I have personally been looking forward to this study and I am excited to see what the Lord desires to encourage us in this Sunday!

If you are interested in listening to these studies, click here. You can then choose the bar that says THEMA and then choose ANBETUNG. It will bring you directly to all of the teachings so far. Be blessed!

Amos Tonight

Tonight we will continue to go through the book of Amos! We are going to be looking into a chapter that I have personally been waiting to teach through. There are many things that we could look at, but we will be focusing on two main points. Go ahead and read through Amos 7 and may the Lord speak to you through it!
For those of you who will be able to come, know that I am praying for you, but greater than that, Jesus Himself is praying for you as well. Come and may the Lord really minister to you through worship and the Word tonight.

For those of you who are unable to come, would you stop right now and pray for this evening's service. Pray for all of those who will be coming; that the Lord would really encourage, challenge, exhort, etc. the saints tonight!

Happy Father's Day

Today is Fathers Day in America. It is not a holiday that is celebrated here today in Deutschland. In fact Fathers Day is not really a holiday here at all. Such a bummer!
A few weeks ago I was super blessed to be able to spend time with my dad here in Germany. It was definitely a bummer that it was in the hospital or at all the doctor offices, but I was glad that I got to spend the time with him.
Now that he is back in CA and still sick in the hospital, I wish I could be there with him again instead of just talking on the phone, which I am not really good at.
Anyways, I am super blessed to have my dad as my dad. Happy Fathers Day dad! I love you very much and can't wait to see you again!

Here is a pic of my dad and I at a Dodger game when my family visited California last year!

Don't Waste Your Life

Lacrae is definitely one of the best out right now - representing Jesus Christ! Check this out! He has got many more! Check him out!

This Morning, My Dad, and Tomorrow

THIS MORNING
This morning I had the opportunity to spend some one on one time with my daughter Aliyah. Since Katie had the special opportunity to do an over night adventure with her classmates in the kindergarten, I decided that I would treat Aliyah to a breakfast date with daddy. So what we decided to do this morning was to take a bike ride to a local bakery, eat some croissant filled with chocolate, have some hot chocolate, some juice, get some gum (breakfast of champions) and then head out on our little bike ride. We took about a 30-40 minute bike ride throughout our village and onto a bike path. It was great! It was only the two of us and we were able to race one another, laugh together, and simply enjoy one another. I really count it as a special time that I will never forget. I look forward to more dates with Aliyah!

MY DAD
I recently got off the phone with my dad to get an update of what is going on. One thing that I am not sure if I shared or not is that he has got a blood disorder that is called Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID). He has had it for almost 5 years now and so this is definitely a reason why he is continuing to struggle with his health. He basically does not have an immune system to help him fight again sicknesses. So what they did yesterday is treat his CVID and see if this will help build up his system so that he can fight against this sickness. He had to sit there for 4 hours as they slowly inject this medicine into him. He said that he doesn't really feel any different from it and that he definitely doesn't want to do that again. He is waiting to find out what is the latest update. He said that he isn't getting worse, but he also isn't getting better and so it is definitely a hard time for him. Please do continue to pray for him in this time. Thank you

TOMORROW
Tomorrow was supposed to be our church baptism, but due to bad weather that is in the forecast, we have postponed it until July 3rd. Because of this we will be having our normal morning and evening bible studies. Pastor Edmund will be teaching in the morning and he has asked me to be teach the evening service since he had already planned to be in Düsseldorf for Fathers Day. It is not a holiday here in Deutschland, but not only is Edmund Jr and his family there in D-dorf, but also his daughter Janell and her husband James are coming for 3 weeks and they arrive tomorrow. What a great Father's Day gift!
I am really excited for what the Lord has laid on my heart to share. It is honestly something that I have fought through in prayer, studying, and so much more. I honestly hate topical studies, but I know that the Lord is faithful. I am just praying that I will be faithful to declare what HE desires to say, nothing more... nothing less.

Why Jesus?

This video is from one of my best friends who is now the pastor at Calvary Chapel Northwest in Georgia. Be blessed and share it with others!

Baptism Postponed

Hello everyone from CC Herborn. I am using every way possible to communicate that our baptism has been postponed until July 3rd due to the bad weather coming this weekend. We are really bummed about this, but we have to trust the Lord with the weather. Please do get this information out to others as well so that people are informed.

We WILL be having both a MORNING and EVENING service this coming Sunday. So come and be blessed as we continue to look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!

Hangin with Garrett

Last night we were super blessed to have Garrett Esquivel over for dinner. Garrett has joined us here at CC Herborn from CC LaHabra for the next two months. He has just graduated high school and has also graduated from the School of Worship. This past Wednesday night was his first opportunity to help out in the worship and I can honestly say that we are super stoked to have him join us for these next two months. God has really gifted this young man and I am excited to see what the Lord is going to do in and through him in his stay here.
We took the opportunity to have him over for a BBQ last night and to get to know who he is and for him to get to know us as a family. The kids totally loved him. Before the night was over, all of the kids were telling him a whole bunch of crazy stories and he was playing hide-and-seek with them. What a blessing! The kids were bummed when he had to leave.


So when the kids were meeting Garrett, he had some surprises for them! His mother and grandmother put together some gift bags for the kids that had some different treats inside! The kids were totally stoked! After eating dinner the kids were able to enjoy one of their treats that were in their bags. Ring Pops! Here is a picture of the kids showing their tongues off from what the ring pops had done to them! Noah was absolutely hilarious! Not only was his tongue completely blue, but also his teeth, lips, and some of his face!


Later in the evening I took Garrett for a little trip to go tour downtown Herborn and also the castle in Dillenburg, a neighboring city. I love going to Herborn when it is all shut down and completely empty.
While were were at the castle in Dillenburg, looking over all of the city, I shared with him the short story of how the Lord called us here to Germany. It was there in the city of Dillenburg that the Lord began to speak to my heart in August of 2006 to move to Germany.
We then spent some time in prayer, praying over the city, praying for the lost, praying for salvation, praying for a work of the Holy Spirit here in Deutschland and throughout Europe!

We are super stoked to have Garrett join us!

This Past Weekend & Update

This past weekend after the evangelism class, my family and I headed up to Münster, Germany. It is about an hour and a half north or us. Around 9 months ago some friends of our started a church there in the city of Münster, seeking to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in this city. Chris, the pastor of the church, asked me to teach for him on this particular Sunday while him and his family are visiting his family in Florida. So we drove up and joined the Ermert family and spent the weekend in there. What a blessed opportunity it was to spend the weekend with the Ermerts and to serve alongside them. The Ermerts are also from CC Herborn and serve here in the church. Antonia's (Emert) sister and brother-in-law are the ones that started the church in Münster.

This past Sunday was not just another Sunday, it was a special Sunday. It was Pfingsten (Pentecost)! What a honor it was to go and encourage these believers there in Münster in regards to the Holy Spirit and how He wants to work in our lives today! We look into the book of Joel and the book of Acts and focused on two major points. 1) That God said He would pour out His Spirit upon ALL flesh and 2) the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I look forward to hear of the good things that God is going to do there in this city and how the Lord is going to use this new church plant to affect this city with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

UPDATE WITH MY DAD
Last night I had the opportunity to talk with my dad. In fact, I have been talking with him almost everyday since they have been back in California. He is still in the hospital and really having a rough time. He is now in isolation because his white blood cell count is really low. He is in a lot of pain and really is discouraged right now. I am very thankful that family and friends have been going by the hospital to go and visit him. I really wish I could, but I will have to trust the Lord in all of this.
I know that God is working and I am praying that my dad, whom I love so much, will really cry out to the Lord through all of this.
Please do continue to pray for my dad, as well as for my mom and my sisters through this time. Pray for health, healing, and restoration.
Thank you so much for your prayers!

Update with my dad

Rebecca just got off the phone with my mom and we just received a little update with my dad. He is doing a lot better and hopefully will be able to go home soon! That is definitely good to hear.

Please do continue to pray for him and his health! Thank you.

Crash Course Evangelism

Tonight we are going to be starting our two day Crash Course Evangelism with Manuel Brambilia. Manuel is a part of "The Way of the Master" ministry and is currently living in Nice, France. We met Manuel at the Pastors Conference at the beginning of the year where he made his ministry available to all of the churches there. Since then we have been in contact with him setting up this two day crash course.

EVANGELISM
It is my prayer that many people will come to this training course and be encouraged in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that many people in our church are really interested in the subject and yet many of them are afraid to publicly proclaim their faith in Jesus. I have talked with many of the people in our church over these past three years about this topic and have really challenged and encouraged them to step out. Many of us have stepped out together, which is always exciting to see what the Lord does.

May this course really begin to stir and re-stir in each of our hearts a compassion for the lost and the empowering to go and proclaim the Gospel in our daily lives!

You Follow Me

Here is a great video from Pastor James Macdonald about "Keeping your eye on the ball." This is just more confirmation of what the Lord has already been speaking into our lives.
Watch the video and be encouraged!

Keep Your Eye on the Ball from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

This is so true. Too often we are seeking to compare ourselves to others, with how they are living their lives, with how they are doing their ministry, and so much more. I totally agree with these statements. We need to start getting our eyes off of one another and off of other ministries and on to Jesus and simply follow Him! It is not bad to learn from one another or to see what others are doing, but if it brings you and I to a place of getting our eyes off of following the Lord, then there is a problem.

Let's Follow Him!

My Dad

Hello Everyone
I have a personal prayer request for my dad. As some of you may know, my parents were out here for a two week visit. During their visit, my dad spent three days in the hospital with Pneumonia. He actually had to sign himself out of the hospital so that he can fly back home to California.

He is back in the hospital there in California and is still really sick and in pain. There is a lot going on right now with his health. I write to you and ask you to please be praying for him (Cliff), my mom, and my family during this time.

We really covet your prayers!

In Pursuit of God

These past few months I have been reading through book written by A.W. Tozer. I have been extremely challenged by each of them. One of the things that really interested me was the fact that many consider him as a prophet in his days. These past years I have been reading through the major and minor prophets. I am currently teaching through the minor prophets and I was just radically challenged with the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was also considered a prophet in his days. And so I picked up this biography on the life of A.W. Tozer that I have had on my bookshelves for many years. This is not a detailed biography, but it does give you a good overview of his life. I can honestly say that I was once again challenged and blessed in reading about his life. His passion and his pursuit of seeking after the Lord was truly relentless. He was truly a man of God!

And yet there was one chapter that I am very thankful that the author put into this book. It had to do with his family life. Now I am not talking about his family life of when he was a child, but rather of when he was the husband and the father of his children. I am thankful for this chapter because I was honestly wondering how Tozer did all that he did with a family. To put it briefly, this was an area that I can see that Tozer fell short in. Now I do not know all the details of his family life, but with that which is recorded in this biography, I learn and see that he did fall short in this area.

I still do respect the man, and yet I see how important it is to have a balanced life in pursuing the Lord and being that minister to your family as well. I do not confess that I have this down, but it is something that I am constantly working on, to have all of the areas of my life fully pleasing to the Lord.

Bottom line, I would encourage you to read this book. Be challenged by it. Learn from his life.

4 Tests of Faith

Are you in a situation and you are really seeking what it is that the Lord wants to do in your life? What is His will? Here are some great questions that I wrote down in my bible years ago and they have really helped me throughout the years. I thought I would share them with you!

FOUR TESTS OF FAITH

1. Am I doing this for the glory of God, or just to please myself?
2. Am I rushing ahead, or am I willing to wait?
3. Can I defend what I am doing from the Word of God?
4. As I contemplate this move, do I have joy and peace within?

I would love to hear your thoughts on these. Or what is it that helps you in making these decisions in your life?

Dominic Balli Video!

Super stoked with my buddy Dominic Balli! His new CD will be coming out soon! Check out this video to his song "American Dream" featuring Sonny from P.O.D.