October 2026 Newsletter
Pam and I are in a hotel south of Newport, RI, as I write this newsletter. We ministered this weekend in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, and decided to check off the only two states in the continental U.S. we haven’t been to. (Connecticut and Rhode Island)
Last evening, before retiring to the room, we took a stroll on an Atlantic beach. In case you need a geography refresher, it’s the area where Martha’s Vineyard lies just to the east (far out of sight of our probing eyes) and Long Island to the west. It’s just south of the area where William Bradford, William Brewster, and other early colonists looked for a place to call home and eventually developed what is now Plymouth, MA.
As I stood on that beach with Pam, I thought about those early arrivals and the indomitable spirits they possessed. Conquering a new land filled with unknown mystery must have seemed daunting. Yet here we are today, lodging within the protection of hotel walls, heated and cooled to our desire, fresh-caught cod prepared to our liking, and paved highways to bring us here. It’s all because those brave men and women took a risk looking for something better. They were out of place among the indigenous tribes living here in 1620, but they dug in and held on.
A cowboy still feels a little out of place here in New England. (I will confess I haven’t seen another cowboy hat since leaving TN.) But, out of place or not, let me encourage you to hang on to your faith and continue to display your devotion to Him. I’ve had several people approach me and say, “I love your hat!” In the same way, when your faith makes you stand out in a crowd, hang on to it. It will open a door of opportunity to share your faith in Jesus.
Last month Hope Center Ministries of West TN invited us to share a Fit To Be Tied event with their men. They brought men from eight of their centers to converge in Dickson, TN, for the Saturday morning event. We were so blessed to be a part. There were somewhere above two hundred men at the meeting, and enough of them responded to the invitation to encircle the round pen where I was speaking. After the message, nineteen were baptized. It was an exciting day for all of us at 1930 Ministries. We tip our hat to the fine people at Tri-City Quarter Horse Club and Cactus Creek Barn, our hosts and event coordinators.
As Pam and I sat in service on Sunday and listened to the testimonies from men who attended this weekend’s men’s encounter, one couldn’t help but think about those men who were in the Hope Center’s recovery program and consider if, just possibly, the men’s encounter was a tipping point that would keep them from needing a recovery program. If so, a two-thousand-mile drive was worth the effort and the investment. Either way it was a wonderful experience. I preached seven times in thirty-six hours. (That’s about six and half hours of preaching.) The pastor invited me to return in April of 27 to which I replied, “I’ve already preached everything I know!” Thank you for being a part of 1930 Ministries. Thank you for your generosity and kindness. We will continue the journey together as long as God allows.
From A Distant Shore,
Jim and Pam
