Going into fourth week of sabbatical - What have I learned so far

I won't share all God is speaking to me, but here are some of the latest things He is showing me (letting me see).

1. I have really come to see (and feel) how much I miss family and friends.
2. It is hard to spend time with the Lord when visiting grown children and grandchildren.
3. There are a lot of Pastors of very small churches (30 or less). Pastor's response to small
church is mostly discouraged, but some are very content.
4. Sunday we visited a Sovereign Grace Church (http://www.sgcatlanta.org/) in Woodstock, GA. Great family church with lots of young couples. Impressed with all aspects.
5. Time is slipping away on my 3 mo. Sabbatical - So I'm taking every moment quite serious.

Amongst other things that have happened, our friends in VA who are keeping our dog (Rusty - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOq59YpzRps), have not been able to get him to be friendly with the other dogs. This is a bummer. He's an "alpha dog."

Family and friends are the biggest deal (of course), but other notables are eatting at Provino's (great Italian), have a strawberry cream slush at Sonic, a Firehouse sub (so good).

In a little over 2 weeks off to Las Vegas to work in Gospel Trick Shot (www.gospeltrickshot.org/) and represent CPPA (www.christianpoolplayers.com/). While there I hope to see God use me in ministering to the lost and discouraged at this event.
Still need $350 for plane fare, if you would like to donate please send donations to: "GTS Mailing Address: .P. 0. BOX 313 HAWTHORNE, NJ 07507 (mark for Jim Mazzulla). I also can be reached at: 814-558-7600

Here is our CPPA logo updated - Thanks Matt - It looks great!

Well, I have grandchildren climbing all over me :-) So that's all for today.

Clip of my grown kids and grandkids on Resurrection Day!

3 weeks into my sabbatical

We left on March 28 from Kane, PA, at 6:00 A.M. First, we dropped Rusty (our dog) in Williamsburg, VA, then arrived in Bedford, VA, at Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary’s and that was day one of our sabbatical. Then on March 30th we left there and we drove to Warsaw, NC, to Joyce’s cousin Becky (and her husband Neil). They are missionaries and temporarily living at JAARS (part of Wycliffe Bible Translators).

Quite a cool place for missionaries to serve while off the foreign mission field. For some, this is their place to help missionaries by the many ways they support missionaries from here in JAARS. While there we went on the campus tour of JAARS and also went to the “Museum of the Alphabet” - pretty cool!!! Then on April 3rd on to Angier, NC, to meet Pastor Rick who is my mentor for a class I am taking over the internet. I’m excited about the class, “Maintaining Your Spiritual Health,” a course that I feel goes great with my sabbatical. Then on to Jacksonville, FL, to visit with our minister friend, Bob (and wife Mary), founder of http://www.biblefood.com/ (notice I said .COM), as I am http://www.biblefood.org/ (which I founded).

On April 6 we left Jacksonville and arrived in Savannah, GA. We spent a portion of the day running around Savannah catching up with friends, then off to Atlanta that night to be with our kids and grandkids – Yeah!

Our first week in Atlanta, GA we spent with family, and spent time with 4 of our adult children and with 5 grandchildren. Now into our second week we are spending it with one of our best friends. No kids, so it's quiet, Joyce is back to working her medical transcriptionist job online (she can do it anywhere in the country, which is great). I'm finally buckling down and spending time studying, reading and praying for my sabbatical to help me spiritually rejuvenate and seeking God for direction in ministry.

This weekend we will visit a small Sovereign Grace Church - looking forward to that!

Other news, I finished reading “The Sovereignty of God and Evangelism” by J.I. Packer I give it 5 of 5 stars. It is a small little book but a great book to help you understand “man’s responsibility” and “God’s Sovereignty” dealing with the subject of evangelism.

That's about all for now. Please do pray for our finances, I ordered my plane ticket for my ministry trip to Las Vegas (primarily for evangelistic work), now we are praying someone(s) will step forward and help us with that expense.

Please also pray for fruitful sabbatical of time with the Lord and others, safe travel, and refreshed return to our church in 3 months.

Our mailing address is: Jim and Joyce Mazzulla ~ Box 676 ~ Kane, PA ~ 16735 (will be forwarded). You can contact me on my cell anytime during the 3 months at (814) 558-7600
Thanks again for your prayers and any other way you can help us during our sabbatical.

I also invite you all to join my facebook:www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Mazzulla/1054373339

I thank the Lord for family and friends in all of you. :-)