August 2010 Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Last month I asked you to pray for our upcoming camp at Houghton College in NY. Wow, did God
answer prayer. We had one of the most anointed weeks we have ever experienced. We were thrilled
to see God move on hearts in every service. We taught Bible study each morning and preached every
night. Don’t pity me, I was “in the zone” doing what I was born to do.
It is faithful supporters and prayer partners like you that make this work possible. We were
overwhelmed by the feedback from pastors and lay people about the work God was doing in their
hearts during our time together.
Here are some excerpts from a letter from one person attending.
“I just wanted to thank you for your messages. I still haven’t figured out my rut, but God’s flood waters
have started to trickle back into my heart. Tonight I rushed here in anticipation as to what I will hear.
Tonight, even before the message I started this note and used a reference to God’s flood waters and
guess what…your message “Let the River Flow.” Talk about blessings from heaven! Oh, it’s awesome.
Thanks for being the vessel that pours out. I for one am blessed. I came dry and I know I will leave
drenched.”
I am excited about the new teaching God is pouring into me about living Christian in a post-Christian
world. We will be sharing much of this material in our fall conferences. Please keep us in your prayers
as we still have some dates to fill for this winter.
We are preaching at the Faith Community Church in Buckley Michigan for the month of August. We are
having a pig roast on August 22, Y’all come on out and see us!
God Bless You,
Dale & Marilyn Freed
July 2010 Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
I apologize for this letter getting out late but we just returned from the Alabama Camp meeting for the
Church of the Nazarene. Here are a few words from that camp.
Challenging, inspiring, spiritually motivated, relevant, holiness based, are only a few of the words that
describe the ministry of Rev. Dale Freed this week at the Alabama Nazarene Camp Meeting at Rolling
Hills Camp and Conference Center. Dale’s messages were spoken from his heart, through the
scriptures, and greatly impacted the hearers. I witnessed many individuals tearfully respond by
kneeling at an altar of prayer to ask Christ to transform their hearts and minds. Under Dale’s anointed
preaching, an unsaved employee of the camp made her way forward one evening to invite Christ into
her life for the first time. This was a defining revival for the Alabama districts. Without a doubt, God
powerfully used Rev. Freed this week at Camp Meeting 2010. He has a pastor’s heart and
passionately proclaims the Word of God.
Dr. Mark Berry
District Superintendent, Alabama South District Church of the Nazarene
Faithful support in prayer from friends like you makes a huge difference in our ability preach with
anointing. Your prayers are making a difference. Please continue to pray as we preach at the Western
New York District of the Wesleyan Church Camp on the campus of Houghton College in Houghton
NY. Camp begins on Sunday July 29th and ends on Friday July 30.
Continue to pray for our family. One special request; we are in need of a vehicle for ministry use. Our
car died recently which means we have to take our truck on all of our trips. It is expensive and wears
the truck out that we need to pull the 5th wheel when we go on extended trips. If you or someone you
know has a car they would like to donate to the ministry it is completely tax deductable.
Thank you for standing with us each month.
God Bless You,
Dale & Marilyn Freed
June Prayerletter
Keep us in your prayers during this summer season. We are preaching and teaching in
three different camps in three different states in the next month. Pray that folks will
come with a real expectation that God will work in their lives. Pray that I will have clarity
about what to preach in every service. Pray for young people to be called into Christian
service. Pray that I will be free from distraction as I focus on the needs of the people.
Pray for miraculous power in the services. I believe God will save sinners, sanctify
believers, heal the sick, and manifest himself with great power! It all happens by prayer,
fasting and obedience.
This Sunday (June 20-27) we will be at the Alpena MI Free Methodist Camp meeting.
We are excited to go back and share with these wonderful folks.
On July 6th we begin the Alabama Nazarene Camp meeting (July 6-11). Folks from all
across Alabama will be gathering just north of Montgomery with an expectation for God
to do a special work in their midst. We are excited about being with Dr. Mark and Debbie
Berry who we went to Bible College with just a few short years ago (smile).
Beginning on July 25-30 we are at Houghton College in Houghton, NY for “Refresh 10” -
the gathering of the Western New York District of the Wesleyan Church. Pray for DS
Neil Kopen and his team as they pray and prepare for a week of true refreshing from
the heart of God.
Something I haven’t mentioned in a while, if you buy Christian books, you can help
support this ministry and get great discounts all at the same time. Simply go to our
webpage and at the bottom of the opening page there is a link to Christianbook.com. If
you follow the link through our website, we receive 10% of your purchase price as a gift
to our ministry. It costs you nothing extra.
Thanks again for all of your prayerful support.
Dale & Marilyn
May Prayerletter from Dale Freed Ministry
Psalm 121 NIV
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Our lives have been turned upside down (in a wonderful way!). Our seventeen month old
granddaughter has come to visit for a few days. (You should have known I would write about this.) I
know some of you grandparents will want to argue with me (I will delete your emails) but this is the
single most beautiful, intelligent, happy, cute child in the world! However, this child whom I adore has
endless energy. When grandma and grandpa are exhausted, she is still the “energizer bunny”. But
when she falls asleep (or as we call it…“recharging”), she sleeps deeply. We have to stay awake
when she is awake to protect her from herself, and selfishly, to protect our stuff from her.
I’m reminded that we serve the God of endless energy who protects me from myself and my stuff.
Very Cool!
We are continuing to preach at every opportunity. Filling pulpits is a delight.
We are heading out in June for our camp meetings.
June 20-27 Alpena Free Methodist Camp, Alpena, MI
July 6-11 Alabama Nazarene Camp Meeting, Rolling Hills Camp and Conference Center, Calera, AL
July 25-30 Western NY Wesleyan Camp, “Refresh 10” - on the campus of Houghton College,
Houghton, NY
Thank you for your continual prayers and support. We really love and appreciate you.
Dale & Marilyn
April Prayerletter
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:7,8
Dear Praying Friends,
What a joy to write to you again. We are rejoicing over an anointed revival at Christ Bible
Fellowship in Indiana, PA. Pastor Phil Mack and his church were prayed up and ready for God to
move. What a blessing to see people commit themselves to heart purity. We saw a woman find
deliverance from years of bitterness for abuse. She testified, “The wall is gone, the barrier
between me and God has been completely torn down”! What a glorious moment. Church leaders
lined the front of the church to commit to seeing their church move forward by God’s power. What
a great privilege we have to be a part of it when God does HIS work.
We were blessed to go back to Clarkston Missionary Church to sing for their Easter service. What
a wonderful time in worship with this great church family. We will be in Parma, MI this weekend at
Spring Life Wesleyan Church. Pray for God to move in a mighty way in this church.
We are not booked for the next few weeks. We continue to ask you to pray for us that God will
open more doors of opportunity for us to serve. God has called me to preach and we are willing to
go wherever and whenever the opportunities come. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for us.
In Christ’s Love
Dale & Marilyn
March Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Can you see the smile on my face? We are in our third week of interim ministry with the Fremont,
Michigan Church of the Nazarene. What an exciting, blessed time. We are excited about this coaching
relationship. For five weeks we are leading this fine group of people through a strategic process of
prayer and self discovery to prepare them to call their next pastor. It is exciting for Marilyn and me to be
able to use our coaching skills as these folks get the thrill of discovering their future together in Christ.
HERE IS WHAT WE DO IN THIS INTERIM ROLE:
1. Offer pastoral care to the congregation. Offering a sense of continuity and security in the
uncertainty of pastoral change.
2. Coach the leadership team by answering some powerful questions to discover…
a. Who are we?
b. What do we really value?
c. Where are we headed?
d. How are we going to get there?
3. Guide the leadership team in evaluating congregational and community needs and identifying
characteristics they need in their new pastor.
4. Help the leadership team shape great questions for the interview process with candidates.
5. Set up the congregation to pray together. This is done by putting the willing into groups of three.
They are committed to praying together every week for three months. They will be praying about the
pastoral search and the overall needs of the church.
6. Have Fun! Seriously! We laugh a lot and help the church enjoy the process of the new
opportunity that is ahead of them.
7. Keep open conversation with the District Superintendent as to the needs of the church and the
progress we are making.
The leadership team at Fremont is a delight to work with. They are hungry to learn and brutally honest
with themselves. We believe they have a bright future but please pray for them as they work hard at
becoming a church with a clear purpose and vision.
This is what “Inter-Run” does. It is what I wrote to you about last month when we introduced this new
dimension of our ministry to you.
How can you help?
1. Pray for us that God will open more opportunities for interim ministry.
2. Spread the word to people who might need our services.
3. Support this work financially. Often these churches cannot afford to pay all that it costs for us to
be on site. This is the case with Fremont Nazarene, yet they desperately need the leadership and
coaching.
DFM Prayer requests:
· Pray for wisdom and protection as we travel to and from Fremont and work with them.
· Our 1999 car died a sudden death last week. Pray for God to supply a car for us so we don’t
have to drive the big diesel truck everywhere.
If you or someone you know would be in a position to donate a car to DFM, it is tax deductible
and we can provide a receipt.
· We have some new opportunities for ministry opening to us. Pray that we will have wisdom
in the decisions we make.
· Pray for Christ Bible Fellowship Church of Indiana, PA. We will be in revival with this church
March 28-31.
With hearts of gratitude we acknowledge and sense your faithful prayers. We also praise the one who
answers them. He is our provider.
Dale & Marilyn
February Prayerletter:
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit
of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are
God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if
indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:12-17
When I see the word “obligation” I have a sense of dread. An obligation feels like something I don’t
want to do, but I have to. But in this passage I discover what I call a glorious obligation. It is an
obligation to live by the Spirit, because it is everything that is right and good for me. With all the
benefits: living as a fearless son and heir at my disposal, I have no dread of this obligation. I am
absolutely, gloriously obligated to my Father.
I have a passion to preach and we are Preachin! We have been enjoying sharing in many of the
churches in our area: Cherry Grove Nazarene, Cadillac, MI; Glen Lake New Life Nazarene, Glen Lake,
MI; Common Ground Church, Tustin, MI; and Edgetts Wesleyan, Luther, MI.
I continue to receive encouraging emails from folks whose lives have been touched when we were in
their church. We love to hear from people just like you. We also pray for you. If you have a special
request, let us know and we will pray specifically for you. We also get many calls from pastors and
people who are in difficult circumstances seeking advice or prayer. Please pray that God will grant us
wisdom.
As I told you last month, these winter months have been pretty lean. God has been providing both
Marilyn and me with substitute teaching jobs. We are thankful for the work. Marilyn has found a real
love working in the local Christian school as a sub. I wait each morning for the phone to ring.
Thankfully, it has been ringing.
Interim ministry: On February 21 we will begin a short term interim pastorate at the Fremont Church
of the Nazarene. This is part of a new ministry we have launched called Inter-run. Inter-run provides
interim pastoral care using a coaching model to help local churches in transition be ready for the new
pastor that God has for them.
New Year Resolution: I have put it off for years, but in January Marilyn and I began a journey of healthy
eating and weight management. We started a support group in our local church. There are six of us in
the group and it is exciting to see the work God is doing as we pray for each other and support each
other. If you think to, remember this group in your prayers.
Thank you for your support and prayers.
Dale & Marilyn Freed
January 2010
January Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Welcome to a new year. I know that this is a time for dreaming, goal setting and review. We all begin
the year with good intentions and resolutions. I have discovered that some things are just out of our
control. I will plan for everything I can, but there is always the dimension of the unknown. That, truth be
told, is a much larger segment of our lives than all the things we can plan. Truth is, even when I do
plan, I usually get it wrong. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that we don’t dream and
plan. I am suggesting that we do so, much more prayerfully and with a submissive understanding that
the results are up to God.
I want to begin this year with complete honesty with you as prayer warriors. Everywhere we have gone
this year, God has met hearts and lives have been changed. I have no doubt about the call God has
put on my heart to encourage churches and pastors through the preaching of the Word of God. The
reality is, DFM is not generating enough income to support us and we have some large gaps in our
schedule. I know that the economy has played a large role in this matter. We had nine meetings
cancel in the last year due to lack of finances in the local church. I hate having Sundays when I have
nowhere to preach.
I wish pastors and churches understood some things about what we do:
• We are willing to come and minister for whatever amount God supplies.
• I’d rather preach for free than sit home.
• God is prospering churches who experience revival!
• There is money that people will give for this work that the church will never see if they don’t have
services.
• We never tear apart a church. We build them up!
• Our new Higher Ground Conferences are an anointed opportunity for a church to claim some
new ground for God’s Kingdom!
I write this to ask you to pray. We are praying and fasting for every opportunity God will open to us. Just
so you know, we are filling pulpit for Sundays only at every opportunity.
Marilyn and I are both substitute teaching in the area schools whenever we are in town. We also
participated in three craft/art shows this fall with our photography and art. We do not assume of other
people to support us without doing our absolute best to meet the needs. I in no way seek sympathy,
but I absolutely covet your prayers. I have a goal to preach somewhere at least 48 Sundays this year.
We are believing that God will put us on the heart of pastors and churches to have us come and share
in Higher Ground Conferences.
Thanks to each one of you who faithfully prayed for us last year. God met our every need. In 2009 we
were in 23 different churches or camp/conference events. We were able to see all of our business
expenses paid and about ¾ of our housing expense paid. We do not yet draw any salary from this
work. So as you can see we have a long way to go. Thanks for continuing to stand with us in prayer.
Every year in December, we are blessed to attend the Nazarene Evangelist’s Gathering. This year
again it was held at the Essen House in Middlebury, IN. What a spectacular setting. I only mention this
because we experienced an incredible move of God in our midst during those two days together. Our
speaker was Danny Bohi and God used him mightily to call us to a new measure of faith and raised
the standard of what I should expect God to do during our time ministering in local churches. I cannot
tell you everything in this letter, but I will never be the same! I really believe God will do powerful things
through this ministry this year. We simply want to live in the center of what God is doing.
In Christ’s Service,
Dale & Marilyn Freed
December 2009
December Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Words cannot describe how we appreciate your prayers for our work. I know you believe that God
answers prayer. Reports continue to flow in from our fall season letting us know how God has
changed lives. One young man just started a new business and shook my hand the other day saying,
“I want you to know I could have never have taken this step before I heard what you shared at men’s
retreat.” People are seeing a bright new future as they claim a new name and a new territory in Jesus
Christ. Your faithful prayers for this ministry are deeply felt and appreciated. Please continue to pray
for God to open doors for us to minister.
This is another big week in the life of DFM. We are excited to begin our “home church” revival at
Church of Discovery in Cadillac, MI. This Nazarene church is where we attend when we are not on the
road. We dearly love and appreciate these folks. We would welcome you to drive in for services if you
are in the area. Friday night is Chili cook-off @ 5:30 and service begins @ 6:30. Saturday night is
same schedule only with hot dog night (bring creative toppings)! Sunday we will begin @ 10:30 AM
with a potluck to follow.
Our 2010 calendars are still available for a gift of $30. Yes, this is more than the cost of a calendar,
and we realize you can get one free at your local bank, but we need to end the year in the black and it
is our way of sharing our gift of photography. At the same time you will have a reminder to pray for us
through the coming year. Make checks to Dale Freed Ministry or DFM and mail to P.O. Box 404 Tustin,
MI 49688. This brings me to another point. You may also make your donation at our website. On the
left side of the opening page is a “Donate Now” button. Simply click there and your gift will be made
through Paypal.
One final financial note, DFM is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501-(c) (3) corporation.
Gifts are tax deductible. We would appreciate your consideration for year-end giving.
Monday December 7th we will be headed to the annual gathering of Nazarene evangelists in Indiana.
Pray that this will be a strong time of renewal and encouragement. We will be taking a few days
following the retreat to go visit family in Kansas City. Our granddaughter will be celebrating her first
birthday on December 15th. We are very proud of this little angel.
May God bless you all with a very merry Christmas for, you, your family, friends and ministry, as we
again celebrate the gift that keeps on giving eternally. Thank You Jesus!
Love Dale & Marilyn
November 2009
Dear Praying Friends,
I’ve been wondering, why is your “but” so big? For that matter, why is my “but” so big?
BUT, what about this or that?
BUT, it doesn’t seem fair.
BUT, I can’t…
BUT, I don’t know how to…
But, we’ve never done it that way before.
This week, in bewilderment, I reread the book of Jonah. This is God’s chosen servant,
a prophet with a message from God. Jonah is absolutely persistent in his resistance to
God’s direction.
Reasons we have “big buts”
Lack of trusting yourself: I’m not good enough, smart enough, tough enough,
educated enough, rich enough. Or, I’m too…
Lack of trusting others: They aren’t good enough, they aren’t smart enough, they
are too busy.
Lack of trusting God: We won’t usually say this one out loud…but, like Jonah, we
sometimes question whether God really realizes what he is asking.
I think we should just stop “butting in” with our “big buts” on what God wants for us and
just obey Him.
2010 Calendars: Each year we produce a beautiful calendar featuring our
photography work. This year they are available to all of you.
Your gift of $30 or more will be appreciated, and we will send it right out to you.
You can either send a check to: Dale Freed Ministry, P.O. Box 404, Tustin, MI 49688,
or simply go back to the home page of this site and make a donation by clicking the
donate button and be sure we have your mailing address. We will send the calendar
right out to you. These make beautiful gifts as well.
Dear Praying Friends,
Last month I asked you to pray for our upcoming camp at Houghton College in NY. Wow, did God
answer prayer. We had one of the most anointed weeks we have ever experienced. We were thrilled
to see God move on hearts in every service. We taught Bible study each morning and preached every
night. Don’t pity me, I was “in the zone” doing what I was born to do.
It is faithful supporters and prayer partners like you that make this work possible. We were
overwhelmed by the feedback from pastors and lay people about the work God was doing in their
hearts during our time together.
Here are some excerpts from a letter from one person attending.
“I just wanted to thank you for your messages. I still haven’t figured out my rut, but God’s flood waters
have started to trickle back into my heart. Tonight I rushed here in anticipation as to what I will hear.
Tonight, even before the message I started this note and used a reference to God’s flood waters and
guess what…your message “Let the River Flow.” Talk about blessings from heaven! Oh, it’s awesome.
Thanks for being the vessel that pours out. I for one am blessed. I came dry and I know I will leave
drenched.”
I am excited about the new teaching God is pouring into me about living Christian in a post-Christian
world. We will be sharing much of this material in our fall conferences. Please keep us in your prayers
as we still have some dates to fill for this winter.
We are preaching at the Faith Community Church in Buckley Michigan for the month of August. We are
having a pig roast on August 22, Y’all come on out and see us!
God Bless You,
Dale & Marilyn Freed
July 2010 Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
I apologize for this letter getting out late but we just returned from the Alabama Camp meeting for the
Church of the Nazarene. Here are a few words from that camp.
Challenging, inspiring, spiritually motivated, relevant, holiness based, are only a few of the words that
describe the ministry of Rev. Dale Freed this week at the Alabama Nazarene Camp Meeting at Rolling
Hills Camp and Conference Center. Dale’s messages were spoken from his heart, through the
scriptures, and greatly impacted the hearers. I witnessed many individuals tearfully respond by
kneeling at an altar of prayer to ask Christ to transform their hearts and minds. Under Dale’s anointed
preaching, an unsaved employee of the camp made her way forward one evening to invite Christ into
her life for the first time. This was a defining revival for the Alabama districts. Without a doubt, God
powerfully used Rev. Freed this week at Camp Meeting 2010. He has a pastor’s heart and
passionately proclaims the Word of God.
Dr. Mark Berry
District Superintendent, Alabama South District Church of the Nazarene
Faithful support in prayer from friends like you makes a huge difference in our ability preach with
anointing. Your prayers are making a difference. Please continue to pray as we preach at the Western
New York District of the Wesleyan Church Camp on the campus of Houghton College in Houghton
NY. Camp begins on Sunday July 29th and ends on Friday July 30.
Continue to pray for our family. One special request; we are in need of a vehicle for ministry use. Our
car died recently which means we have to take our truck on all of our trips. It is expensive and wears
the truck out that we need to pull the 5th wheel when we go on extended trips. If you or someone you
know has a car they would like to donate to the ministry it is completely tax deductable.
Thank you for standing with us each month.
God Bless You,
Dale & Marilyn Freed
June Prayerletter
Keep us in your prayers during this summer season. We are preaching and teaching in
three different camps in three different states in the next month. Pray that folks will
come with a real expectation that God will work in their lives. Pray that I will have clarity
about what to preach in every service. Pray for young people to be called into Christian
service. Pray that I will be free from distraction as I focus on the needs of the people.
Pray for miraculous power in the services. I believe God will save sinners, sanctify
believers, heal the sick, and manifest himself with great power! It all happens by prayer,
fasting and obedience.
This Sunday (June 20-27) we will be at the Alpena MI Free Methodist Camp meeting.
We are excited to go back and share with these wonderful folks.
On July 6th we begin the Alabama Nazarene Camp meeting (July 6-11). Folks from all
across Alabama will be gathering just north of Montgomery with an expectation for God
to do a special work in their midst. We are excited about being with Dr. Mark and Debbie
Berry who we went to Bible College with just a few short years ago (smile).
Beginning on July 25-30 we are at Houghton College in Houghton, NY for “Refresh 10” -
the gathering of the Western New York District of the Wesleyan Church. Pray for DS
Neil Kopen and his team as they pray and prepare for a week of true refreshing from
the heart of God.
Something I haven’t mentioned in a while, if you buy Christian books, you can help
support this ministry and get great discounts all at the same time. Simply go to our
webpage and at the bottom of the opening page there is a link to Christianbook.com. If
you follow the link through our website, we receive 10% of your purchase price as a gift
to our ministry. It costs you nothing extra.
Thanks again for all of your prayerful support.
Dale & Marilyn
May Prayerletter from Dale Freed Ministry
Psalm 121 NIV
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Our lives have been turned upside down (in a wonderful way!). Our seventeen month old
granddaughter has come to visit for a few days. (You should have known I would write about this.) I
know some of you grandparents will want to argue with me (I will delete your emails) but this is the
single most beautiful, intelligent, happy, cute child in the world! However, this child whom I adore has
endless energy. When grandma and grandpa are exhausted, she is still the “energizer bunny”. But
when she falls asleep (or as we call it…“recharging”), she sleeps deeply. We have to stay awake
when she is awake to protect her from herself, and selfishly, to protect our stuff from her.
I’m reminded that we serve the God of endless energy who protects me from myself and my stuff.
Very Cool!
We are continuing to preach at every opportunity. Filling pulpits is a delight.
We are heading out in June for our camp meetings.
June 20-27 Alpena Free Methodist Camp, Alpena, MI
July 6-11 Alabama Nazarene Camp Meeting, Rolling Hills Camp and Conference Center, Calera, AL
July 25-30 Western NY Wesleyan Camp, “Refresh 10” - on the campus of Houghton College,
Houghton, NY
Thank you for your continual prayers and support. We really love and appreciate you.
Dale & Marilyn
April Prayerletter
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:7,8
Dear Praying Friends,
What a joy to write to you again. We are rejoicing over an anointed revival at Christ Bible
Fellowship in Indiana, PA. Pastor Phil Mack and his church were prayed up and ready for God to
move. What a blessing to see people commit themselves to heart purity. We saw a woman find
deliverance from years of bitterness for abuse. She testified, “The wall is gone, the barrier
between me and God has been completely torn down”! What a glorious moment. Church leaders
lined the front of the church to commit to seeing their church move forward by God’s power. What
a great privilege we have to be a part of it when God does HIS work.
We were blessed to go back to Clarkston Missionary Church to sing for their Easter service. What
a wonderful time in worship with this great church family. We will be in Parma, MI this weekend at
Spring Life Wesleyan Church. Pray for God to move in a mighty way in this church.
We are not booked for the next few weeks. We continue to ask you to pray for us that God will
open more doors of opportunity for us to serve. God has called me to preach and we are willing to
go wherever and whenever the opportunities come. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for us.
In Christ’s Love
Dale & Marilyn
March Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Can you see the smile on my face? We are in our third week of interim ministry with the Fremont,
Michigan Church of the Nazarene. What an exciting, blessed time. We are excited about this coaching
relationship. For five weeks we are leading this fine group of people through a strategic process of
prayer and self discovery to prepare them to call their next pastor. It is exciting for Marilyn and me to be
able to use our coaching skills as these folks get the thrill of discovering their future together in Christ.
HERE IS WHAT WE DO IN THIS INTERIM ROLE:
1. Offer pastoral care to the congregation. Offering a sense of continuity and security in the
uncertainty of pastoral change.
2. Coach the leadership team by answering some powerful questions to discover…
a. Who are we?
b. What do we really value?
c. Where are we headed?
d. How are we going to get there?
3. Guide the leadership team in evaluating congregational and community needs and identifying
characteristics they need in their new pastor.
4. Help the leadership team shape great questions for the interview process with candidates.
5. Set up the congregation to pray together. This is done by putting the willing into groups of three.
They are committed to praying together every week for three months. They will be praying about the
pastoral search and the overall needs of the church.
6. Have Fun! Seriously! We laugh a lot and help the church enjoy the process of the new
opportunity that is ahead of them.
7. Keep open conversation with the District Superintendent as to the needs of the church and the
progress we are making.
The leadership team at Fremont is a delight to work with. They are hungry to learn and brutally honest
with themselves. We believe they have a bright future but please pray for them as they work hard at
becoming a church with a clear purpose and vision.
This is what “Inter-Run” does. It is what I wrote to you about last month when we introduced this new
dimension of our ministry to you.
How can you help?
1. Pray for us that God will open more opportunities for interim ministry.
2. Spread the word to people who might need our services.
3. Support this work financially. Often these churches cannot afford to pay all that it costs for us to
be on site. This is the case with Fremont Nazarene, yet they desperately need the leadership and
coaching.
DFM Prayer requests:
· Pray for wisdom and protection as we travel to and from Fremont and work with them.
· Our 1999 car died a sudden death last week. Pray for God to supply a car for us so we don’t
have to drive the big diesel truck everywhere.
If you or someone you know would be in a position to donate a car to DFM, it is tax deductible
and we can provide a receipt.
· We have some new opportunities for ministry opening to us. Pray that we will have wisdom
in the decisions we make.
· Pray for Christ Bible Fellowship Church of Indiana, PA. We will be in revival with this church
March 28-31.
With hearts of gratitude we acknowledge and sense your faithful prayers. We also praise the one who
answers them. He is our provider.
Dale & Marilyn
February Prayerletter:
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit
of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are
God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if
indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:12-17
When I see the word “obligation” I have a sense of dread. An obligation feels like something I don’t
want to do, but I have to. But in this passage I discover what I call a glorious obligation. It is an
obligation to live by the Spirit, because it is everything that is right and good for me. With all the
benefits: living as a fearless son and heir at my disposal, I have no dread of this obligation. I am
absolutely, gloriously obligated to my Father.
I have a passion to preach and we are Preachin! We have been enjoying sharing in many of the
churches in our area: Cherry Grove Nazarene, Cadillac, MI; Glen Lake New Life Nazarene, Glen Lake,
MI; Common Ground Church, Tustin, MI; and Edgetts Wesleyan, Luther, MI.
I continue to receive encouraging emails from folks whose lives have been touched when we were in
their church. We love to hear from people just like you. We also pray for you. If you have a special
request, let us know and we will pray specifically for you. We also get many calls from pastors and
people who are in difficult circumstances seeking advice or prayer. Please pray that God will grant us
wisdom.
As I told you last month, these winter months have been pretty lean. God has been providing both
Marilyn and me with substitute teaching jobs. We are thankful for the work. Marilyn has found a real
love working in the local Christian school as a sub. I wait each morning for the phone to ring.
Thankfully, it has been ringing.
Interim ministry: On February 21 we will begin a short term interim pastorate at the Fremont Church
of the Nazarene. This is part of a new ministry we have launched called Inter-run. Inter-run provides
interim pastoral care using a coaching model to help local churches in transition be ready for the new
pastor that God has for them.
New Year Resolution: I have put it off for years, but in January Marilyn and I began a journey of healthy
eating and weight management. We started a support group in our local church. There are six of us in
the group and it is exciting to see the work God is doing as we pray for each other and support each
other. If you think to, remember this group in your prayers.
Thank you for your support and prayers.
Dale & Marilyn Freed
January 2010
January Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Welcome to a new year. I know that this is a time for dreaming, goal setting and review. We all begin
the year with good intentions and resolutions. I have discovered that some things are just out of our
control. I will plan for everything I can, but there is always the dimension of the unknown. That, truth be
told, is a much larger segment of our lives than all the things we can plan. Truth is, even when I do
plan, I usually get it wrong. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that we don’t dream and
plan. I am suggesting that we do so, much more prayerfully and with a submissive understanding that
the results are up to God.
I want to begin this year with complete honesty with you as prayer warriors. Everywhere we have gone
this year, God has met hearts and lives have been changed. I have no doubt about the call God has
put on my heart to encourage churches and pastors through the preaching of the Word of God. The
reality is, DFM is not generating enough income to support us and we have some large gaps in our
schedule. I know that the economy has played a large role in this matter. We had nine meetings
cancel in the last year due to lack of finances in the local church. I hate having Sundays when I have
nowhere to preach.
I wish pastors and churches understood some things about what we do:
• We are willing to come and minister for whatever amount God supplies.
• I’d rather preach for free than sit home.
• God is prospering churches who experience revival!
• There is money that people will give for this work that the church will never see if they don’t have
services.
• We never tear apart a church. We build them up!
• Our new Higher Ground Conferences are an anointed opportunity for a church to claim some
new ground for God’s Kingdom!
I write this to ask you to pray. We are praying and fasting for every opportunity God will open to us. Just
so you know, we are filling pulpit for Sundays only at every opportunity.
Marilyn and I are both substitute teaching in the area schools whenever we are in town. We also
participated in three craft/art shows this fall with our photography and art. We do not assume of other
people to support us without doing our absolute best to meet the needs. I in no way seek sympathy,
but I absolutely covet your prayers. I have a goal to preach somewhere at least 48 Sundays this year.
We are believing that God will put us on the heart of pastors and churches to have us come and share
in Higher Ground Conferences.
Thanks to each one of you who faithfully prayed for us last year. God met our every need. In 2009 we
were in 23 different churches or camp/conference events. We were able to see all of our business
expenses paid and about ¾ of our housing expense paid. We do not yet draw any salary from this
work. So as you can see we have a long way to go. Thanks for continuing to stand with us in prayer.
Every year in December, we are blessed to attend the Nazarene Evangelist’s Gathering. This year
again it was held at the Essen House in Middlebury, IN. What a spectacular setting. I only mention this
because we experienced an incredible move of God in our midst during those two days together. Our
speaker was Danny Bohi and God used him mightily to call us to a new measure of faith and raised
the standard of what I should expect God to do during our time ministering in local churches. I cannot
tell you everything in this letter, but I will never be the same! I really believe God will do powerful things
through this ministry this year. We simply want to live in the center of what God is doing.
In Christ’s Service,
Dale & Marilyn Freed
December 2009
December Prayerletter
Dear Praying Friends,
Words cannot describe how we appreciate your prayers for our work. I know you believe that God
answers prayer. Reports continue to flow in from our fall season letting us know how God has
changed lives. One young man just started a new business and shook my hand the other day saying,
“I want you to know I could have never have taken this step before I heard what you shared at men’s
retreat.” People are seeing a bright new future as they claim a new name and a new territory in Jesus
Christ. Your faithful prayers for this ministry are deeply felt and appreciated. Please continue to pray
for God to open doors for us to minister.
This is another big week in the life of DFM. We are excited to begin our “home church” revival at
Church of Discovery in Cadillac, MI. This Nazarene church is where we attend when we are not on the
road. We dearly love and appreciate these folks. We would welcome you to drive in for services if you
are in the area. Friday night is Chili cook-off @ 5:30 and service begins @ 6:30. Saturday night is
same schedule only with hot dog night (bring creative toppings)! Sunday we will begin @ 10:30 AM
with a potluck to follow.
Our 2010 calendars are still available for a gift of $30. Yes, this is more than the cost of a calendar,
and we realize you can get one free at your local bank, but we need to end the year in the black and it
is our way of sharing our gift of photography. At the same time you will have a reminder to pray for us
through the coming year. Make checks to Dale Freed Ministry or DFM and mail to P.O. Box 404 Tustin,
MI 49688. This brings me to another point. You may also make your donation at our website. On the
left side of the opening page is a “Donate Now” button. Simply click there and your gift will be made
through Paypal.
One final financial note, DFM is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501-(c) (3) corporation.
Gifts are tax deductible. We would appreciate your consideration for year-end giving.
Monday December 7th we will be headed to the annual gathering of Nazarene evangelists in Indiana.
Pray that this will be a strong time of renewal and encouragement. We will be taking a few days
following the retreat to go visit family in Kansas City. Our granddaughter will be celebrating her first
birthday on December 15th. We are very proud of this little angel.
May God bless you all with a very merry Christmas for, you, your family, friends and ministry, as we
again celebrate the gift that keeps on giving eternally. Thank You Jesus!
Love Dale & Marilyn
November 2009
Dear Praying Friends,
I’ve been wondering, why is your “but” so big? For that matter, why is my “but” so big?
BUT, what about this or that?
BUT, it doesn’t seem fair.
BUT, I can’t…
BUT, I don’t know how to…
But, we’ve never done it that way before.
This week, in bewilderment, I reread the book of Jonah. This is God’s chosen servant,
a prophet with a message from God. Jonah is absolutely persistent in his resistance to
God’s direction.
Reasons we have “big buts”
Lack of trusting yourself: I’m not good enough, smart enough, tough enough,
educated enough, rich enough. Or, I’m too…
Lack of trusting others: They aren’t good enough, they aren’t smart enough, they
are too busy.
Lack of trusting God: We won’t usually say this one out loud…but, like Jonah, we
sometimes question whether God really realizes what he is asking.
I think we should just stop “butting in” with our “big buts” on what God wants for us and
just obey Him.
2010 Calendars: Each year we produce a beautiful calendar featuring our
photography work. This year they are available to all of you.
Your gift of $30 or more will be appreciated, and we will send it right out to you.
You can either send a check to: Dale Freed Ministry, P.O. Box 404, Tustin, MI 49688,
or simply go back to the home page of this site and make a donation by clicking the
donate button and be sure we have your mailing address. We will send the calendar
right out to you. These make beautiful gifts as well.
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