As I grow older, it amazes me how much I DO NOT KNOW!   Oh, I try to convince myself I do, but in reality I really don’t.  The last few days have been amazing to me.  With my health placed in the balance, I learned just how much I need to trust God for every step I take.  My journey actually began when I learned that I had possibly had a silent heart attack.  That led to a series of events that I never expected.  It culminated with a Heart Cath yesterday that really ruled out the initial findings, but put me on notice that my health is to be taken seriously & I need to listen when the experts talk to me.  I have learned some valuable things over the last few days & I am truly grateful that my Heavenly Father has patience with me when I don’t listen or pay attention.  I love Jesus Christ, He is My Savior & My Lord & more than anything else I want Him to receive the honor & the glory in & through my life. I can be very thick-headed sometimes, but my Father in Heaven understands & loves my anyhow.  These are ” LESSONS LEARNED.:……….by Brother Dave Millard.

So many wonderful things have been happening this summer in our ministry.  Besides the great lessons we have learned through ” The Christian Life Survival Kit “  God continues to do great things through our Missions effort to the Czech Republic.  Our support of that team has been fantastic & such a blessing.  Another thing that has been happening is the way God is working in forming a Bell Choir:  ” Joybells for Jesus.”  We have all the instruments & now we are formulating practice times & who will be participating.  Our goal is to learn several songs by Christmas for our group fellowship.  The Wordless Book is our Fall teaching concept as well as music by The Happy Kids Puppets.   We also continue to learn new verses monthly through our ” Circle of Friends ” pre-class time.   Please continue to pray God will guide & direct each step that we take, that it will always honor & glorify Him!   Please stop back & CHECK OUT what God is doing!!!

I may be 53 years old, but I can still be thick headed when it comes to letting God work in my life.  I know that God wants to use me & I want Him to be able to, yet in myself, I fight Him & try to hold Him back.  Why?  Well, I have come to realize that as long as I live in this world, I cannot live in my own strength alone, it has to be in the strength that God alone can give.   The weeks become very long & difficult sometimes, yet, I know how blessed as a man I am.  I have a beautiful wife & daughter, a wonderful home, a fantastic church & ministry opportunity in Good Shepherds, a terrific job & a wonderful family in all The Millard’s. I am blessed & I know it, just THICK HEADED……….YOU THINK?  Thank you God for everything, but most of all for Jesus my Saviour & Lord.   I forgot to add what a blessing my little puggle puppy, Emme has been to me……..she’s so cute!!!

The Year 2011 has gotten off to a fairly calm start.  Now 8 days into the year & God is at work in my heart & life & I am so excited about what He wants to do & where He wants to take The Good Shepherd Bible Study Fellowship in the new year.  We begun 2011 by studying “The Building Blocks of the Christian Life,”  next we will be studying how we lean on God in our Christian Life, the series will be called “Lean On Me.”  Following Easter, Brother Craig & I will be ” Sharing From The Heart ” during May, then this summer(June & July) we will be sharing ” The Christian Life Survival Kit ” together.   I feel the clear direction of God & am so excited about this.  Please pray for us that ” New Beginnings ” will be fresh & exciting to us as we ” Study, Serve & Pray Together ” in 2011.  Happy New Year……….God Bless……..Brother Dave.

Well here it is, the evening of Christmas Day 2010.  It has been a very good day!  It has been a day spent with my loving family, full of fun, food & presents.  Of course first & foremost it is Jesus’ Birthday, the Real Reason for the Season.  So why have I titled this blog ” Happy Holidays? ” Well, while it has been joyous, there has also been sadness around us this Christmas season………friends with serious medical concerns, marriages in trouble & so much more going on, can we honestly say, ” Happy Holidays? “  We can if we realize that even in the midst of all these circumstances, God is still God & He has it all under control.  We may not understand it all, but we must trust Him, He’s not surprised by any of it & He knows what is best in every situation.  So, lets remove the ?  & say Happy Holidays, because with God guiding us, it can’t be anything but Happy!!!  Merry Christmas & all the very best for the year 2011……………In His Service………Brother Dave Millard

This has been quite a week!  A co-worker of mine just found out her husband had cancer, they went in & thought they got it all, but it turns out they had not & now he must go through chemo & radiation. Another co-worker of mine was diagnosed with colon cancer 3 weeks ago & yesterday he died, it had metastasized & went to his liver.  The Bible tells us life is A Vapor, it appears for a little while then vanishes away. The question is are you ready when that happens. This is a very busy time of year, it causes alot of stress & anxiety, yet it is supposed to be joyous, is it?  I would challenge you to put God FIRST in your celebration, after all it is Christ’s birthday we are celebrating.  Tell those around you how much you love them & most of all tell God……EVERY DAY! Remember it is A VAPOR……………Merry Christmas with Love from Brother Dave.

We are in a series right now regarding questions about the holidays & answers from the biblical standpoint of The Bible.  Thanksgiving is now literally over about a week away & the question must be asked How Thankful Are You? Do we really understand what it means to be thankful or do we take it for granted that God must bless us as His children?  We are so blessed to be Americans & to have God’s hand of blessing upon us, but do we really understand that?  It is my hope that as you approach Thanksgiving this year, that, that will become a reality in your life!  Have a wonderful time with your family & friends & never forget what God has done for you!………………..Take Care & God Bless……..Happy Thanksgiving……..Brother Dave

Tomorrow morning, October 3rd Good Shepherds will be celebrating 35 years of ministry together!  It has been a  truly incredible run.  I remember that very first Sunday together. We had 5 students & were in a room upstairs in the educational wing.  I was a helper & I cut things out for craft time!   God has done an incredible work through our years together.  At present we run between 40 & 50 people & have a great time.  We communicate Gods Word through the teaching of His Word, role plays, puppets, table group discussion & more.  We have fellowships twice a year, spring & summer & always have a great time!  Many of our friends have passed away through the years & its just a blessing to know they are in God’s presence today enjoying Heaven, whole, happy & free.  Our Missions outreach has also grown & we love praying for & supporting a team presently in the Czech Republic.  Please continue to pray for our folks & our incredible teachers & bus workers!  GOD IS SO GOOD………ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!………….Brother Dave

It is very  important that we as children of God understand what it is to walk in this world & live the life God has called us to live.  We live in a very complex, difficult time. We have things happening very rapidly all around us, yet God the author of life never leaves us & never forsakes us.  Another dear member of Good Shepherds went home to be with the Lord is recent days.  She is already so missed by all of us, she lived her life & I believe was happy with it, yet it was just so brief & suddenly it is over here…………..and just beginning there!  LIFE………..it is precious………enjoy it…..& live it for Him!  Until next time……………..God Bless………….Brother Dave

My family & I recently took a much needed vacation.  We took off for Washington D.C. to tour our nations capitol.  It was a truly an amazing experience for all of us.  Once we learned the subway system we were off for a real tour.  We visited all of the memorials in our nation’s capitol.  We also toured the Smithsonians & even saw the White House & the Capital building.  It was so wonderful to see these great landmarks of our nation.  I have gained a new respect for our country & the values that it was founded on.  God truly was at the forefront in the thoughts & minds of our forefathers.  As always it was wonderful to get back home where we truly belong & where God has called us to serve Him.   More soon………God Bless……….Brother Dave