News From The Creamers

In addition to writing Bible Studies, John and his wife Vicky are actively involved in Bible studies in the community of Bigfork. Each year at Christmas time the Creamers write a letter to their many friends and supporters sharing the good news about their work in Christ.

Last summer there were more than 80 men showing up for John's study.

The Men’s Bible Study…

Due to the influx of newcomers, men whose spiritual condition I knew nothing about, I felt it was imperative to do our usual 3-4 week ‘review’ of how Scripture teaches a man becomes a Christian, using Romans 10:9,10 as the benchmark of salvation: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

One Saturday morning after the final lesson on salvation, one of our “senior members” called to ask me a question…which I answered. I sensed there was something else on his mind, so I made no effort to end the conversation. Sure enough, he rambled a bit, then said very abruptly, “You know…I always thought I was a Christian…until I began thinking about what we have been studying the past few weeks. Last night, several of us were having dinner together. While our wives were inside preparing the dinner, the men began to talk about our lessons on confessing our beliefs to others. Then, one by one, each man in the group confessed to the rest ‘Jesus is my Lord.’ It was a very meaningful time for us and I wanted you to know we had done this.”

As I was writing this newsletter, I received a call from one of the guys who began coming to the Bible study last Spring. (The guys who eventually got him to come had told me beforehand it would be a miracle if he showed up…that he was a tough-guy attorney who always turned off their invitations to come to the Bible study with “I’m an atheist! I don’t believe in that stuff!” ) He called to set up lunch with me before he returned to the east coast for the winter. Before the waitress even got our order, he said, “About this commitment (to receive Christ)…I don’t think I can do it.” When I asked him why, he said, “I don’t want to be a hypocrite.” I chuckled openly as I saw his child-like desire to have faith in God urging him forward. I explained that he had nothing to fear…that the person Jesus labeled as a hypocrite was the hyper-religious, goody-two-shoes guy in the temple who was so proud of his ability to be a good person. Then I told him, “You know who you remind me of? The little boy standing on the side of the pool, trying to muster up the courage to jump into his father’s waiting arms.”
“Yes, I guess you’re right.” He said.
“You know who I am?” I asked. “I’m the guy behind you about to push you in!”
We finished lunch and I told him I would bring him a copy of a lesson I had written just for guys like him on entering a contract with God. He invited me to go hunting on his property. I took the lesson to him, he took me to his property and said he would meet me back at the truck at dark. As I walked out of the woods, there he sat. After I told him about the hunt, I asked, “Did you read the lesson?” He said he had. I asked, “So???”
He said with great enthusiasm, “I want to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! Right Now!” …and he did. We both got choked up so bad we couldn’t even say goodbye...he just drove off and left me standing in the dark! What a privilege it is to be a part of this process of seeing men like these profess their faith in Jesus Christ and then grow in their new relationship with Him.

Now that spring has arrived in the Rocky Mountains, we will soon begin another busy summer season with many guests and visitors coming to Montana from Georgia and other locations in the South. Check this news page for updates and testamonials from John and Vicky.