Author: Dan Bennett

Are Your Words and Thoughts Acceptable?

Dan Bennett

When I was growing up I did not like going to high school. I did not like English, History, or Algebra. By the skin of my teeth, I passed Algebra 1 and 2 with a “D” grade. Even though it was just barely passing, I passed. I tried to get my Dad to allow me to quit school, but he refused. When I graduated from high school, I never imagined that I would ever go to college, because I was not considered “college material.”

Even though I attended church regularly as a preacher’s kid, I was not a Christian. It wasn’t until I was twenty-two years old that I became a Christian. Within two months of being born-again, I found myself at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Because of my poor study habits and bad grades in high school, I really struggled in college. I didn’t know how to study. There were some classes that I had to take three times before I passed the course.

When I met Becky (now my wife), she helped me with my classes and assignments, and my grades improved. By the time I was in my junior and senior years of college, I passed Greek 1 and 2 with A’s. That was nothing short of miraculous!

Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

If you were given a grade for your words and thoughts, would they be “passing” grades in God’s sight? Would your words and thoughts be acceptable, or would they be unacceptable?

As Christians, we should do all to the glory of God, and that includes our words and thoughts. We should purposefully strive to get “passing grades” with the words we say and the thoughts we think. I’m not talking about being satisfied with getting a “D-” as that is just barely passing. No, we should do all we can to get an “A+” in our words and thoughts. In fact, I think it would be good if we strived to not only say or think what is acceptable, but we should have a goal to have words and thoughts that are exceptionally good for the glory of God.

If you stop and think about it, there’s not much difference between a D- and a F+. Our words and thoughts should be far above what the average unbeliever says and thinks.

While you may not always get an A+ after every “test” you may have, that should be your goal. How can you improve your “grades?” The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

May your words and thoughts be acceptable in God’s sight today, and every day!

Do You Have a Life Verse?

Dan Bennett

I don’t know who started this, but as long as I can remember, every Christian seems to have a “life verse” from the Bible. My dad’s life verse was John 3:30. (He must increase, but I must decrease.) I thought that was a good life verse, so I copied my dad and made it my life verse, as well.

After forty years of having John 3:30 as my life verse, I think it’s time to make a change. Yes, Jesus must increase, and we must decrease. However, as Christians, we must never forget or neglect our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission of Mark 16:15: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

This world needs Jesus. The world population is over eight billion people, and the vast majority have not even heard the gospel message one time. It is our responsibility as Christians to preach the gospel to those with whom we come in contact. Do your neighbors know that you are a Christian? Don’t assume they know just because you back out of your driveway on most Sundays.

I think it would be a good idea if every Christian would change their life verse to Romans 1:16. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” If every Christian would make this their life verse, memorize it, say it out loud before you leave your house, and say it every time you get out of your car, then more people would probably get saved.

It’s easy to say you’re not ashamed, but when was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? The opposite of being ashamed is to boldly share the gospel with everyone. Carry gospel tracts with you at all times – lots of tracts – and take advantage of the opportunities that God gives you to tell someone what Jesus did for you.

One of the characteristics of the early church was boldness (Acts 4:13,29,31; Philippians 1:20). May God give you boldness to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ without being afraid or ashamed.

Prayer Letter – June 2023

Dan Bennett

Dear faithful partners in the ministry,

During the last week of March, we had our annual BIMI South America Field Conference. This is a special time as the missionaries get together for a time of fun, fellowship, and spiritual refreshment. Our guest speaker was Pastor Scott Crabtree from LifeSigns Deaf Baptist Church in New Albany, Ohio. Brother Crabtree’s wife, Tricia, spoke to the ladies, and this couple was a special blessing and encouragement to us all. We are honored to be part of a great group of missionaries that serve the Lord with BIMI in South America.

On April 19th, Dan was asked by a deaf lady to go and witness to her aunt that was dying with throat cancer. When Dan arrived, the lady was barely awake, so he quickly began to share the Gospel with her. Within minutes, the lady had closed her eyes, but Dan was not sure if she had gone to sleep, or not. Dan went through the whole Gospel presentation with two other family members standing nearby. This is a strong Catholic family, and many of the things Dan explained had never been heard by them before. Although no one made a profession of faith, the Gospel Seed was planted. Early the next morning, the lady with cancer passed away.

On April 22nd, Dan was asked by a Christian deaf lady to make a visit about two hours away with her mother that practices spiritism. This woman is in her 90’s, and all through her house are idols and statues of various “saints.” She was a nice lady, and happily showed us around as we talked. We finally went into the house to sit and talk. She listened to some of the things Dan said but was easily distracted by other things. After about 45 minutes of talking about Jesus being the only way of salvation, she abruptly said, “Enough!” She didn’t want to hear any more, so Dan paused the conversation. After a while, lunch was served, and the deaf lady urged Dan to start the conversation again. For another thirty minutes Dan went over the Gospel message, but this lady’s heart is very hard. She thanked us for going, and even invited us back again. Please pray for the salvation of Mrs. Tica, that the Holy Spirit would soften her heart to the Gospel, and that she would trust Jesus as her personal Savior before it’s too late.

We are thankful for some recent visitors we’ve had in church. One deaf lady had been having family problems and was living on the streets. She went missing, and one of our faithful deaf church members reached out to try and help this homeless woman. The missing woman was found, and was in church the following Sunday, along with two of her friends. Please pray for the salvation of Rosemeire (Rosemary).

Dan returned to the USA for the high school graduation of our son, Matthew. He is now in Kentucky working at the Creation Museum with two of his sisters. Please pray for him as he adjusts to these changes in his life.

Finally, thank you for being faithful to pray and give toward the work among the Deaf in Brazil.

                                                                                                                        That all may “hear,”                                                                                                                         Dan & Becky Bennett

February 2023 Prayer Letter

Dan Bennett

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

“For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” (1Cor. 16:9)

Just as the Apostle Paul penned the above words to the church in Corinth, sometimes we feel that we could write the same thing. The Lord has been opening several doors of opportunity that have the potential to open more doors of ministry.

Teaching Brazilian Sign Language in Osasco

On February 4th, Dan started teaching a sign language class in the city of Osasco. This is a city where we lived and ministered during our second term. Dan met the pastor of this church last year, and the invitation was given to teach a small group of people that want to reach the Deaf in their area. It’s a fun group, and they enjoy learning the Brazilian Sign Language.

Dan also visited another church nearby our house in the neighborhood called Guacuri. He had a good talk with the pastor, and the pastor is very interested in having us to go to his church and teach the Sign Language.

On Sunday evening, February 26th, Dan was also asked to preach in the Indianapolis Baptist Temple. (This is a neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, not in Indiana.) This church has been a vital part in our church in that they allow us to meet in their building since we don’t own property or a building. Our church has been with them since the year 2,000.  There may be another door of opportunity opening in this church to teach Sign Language here, as well.

Dan preaching at the Indianapolis Baptist Temple

Although our church is still small, we have seen some slow numerical growth, as well as spiritual growth. Working with the Deaf is not a “sprint,” but a “marathon.” As the Lord opens doors of ministry, the adversary also takes notice, and so we must always stay “on guard.”

When Dan returned to Brazil after the wedding, Becky planned to stay for two more weeks. However, Becky’s mother had some serious health problems, and so Becky stayed to assist her mom. Becky’s mom, Mrs. Chris Walters, has made some slight improvements, but she is not back to “normal” yet, so Becky is still in South Carolina at the moment. Although many tests have been done, the doctors have not found the cause of her constant headaches. Please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers.

Finally, thank you for being faithful to pray and give toward the work among the Deaf in Brazil.

 That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett

Do You Need Some Work Done?

Dan Bennett

I have a brother-in-law who has been a carpenter for more than 40 years. His name is Mike, and he’s not just any ordinary carpenter, but he is an excellent, professional carpenter. If you need something done that’s made of wood, he can build it.

Let’s say you wanted a back porch added to your house, so you contracted Mike to build it. He would need to go and look at your house to see exactly what to do, the materials he would need, and the cost and labor to do the job.

When you accept the estimate for doing the work, Mike would arrive early on the day he promised to start the work. The materials would be ordered and arrive early in order to be ready for when the project is to begin. Immediately upon arriving at your house, Mike would begin preparing and clearing the area, digging holes for the posts, measuring and cutting the lumber, and just getting everything ready to begin. As you watched him work, it would be evident that he knew what he was doing. Mike is patient and persistent as he does the work, and you could do nothing less than admire the work of this professional carpenter.

However, let’s suppose that a couple days later you decided that you wanted to help the experienced carpenter do his job. You’ve never built a back porch before, and your only carpentry experience was building a birdhouse when you were in the 5th grade. It would be pretty bad if you took it upon yourself to do some sawing with that powerful Skil saw. Besides, you reason that it is your house, your yard, and your porch. You can do what you want!

Well, the next day Mike returns to see that you have single handedly destroyed the project, wasting lots of time and money that was already put into the work. I can picture Mike just standing there, scratching his head in disbelief. Now what? Does he start over, or give up? What a mess you’ve made!

The Bible says that, when you were saved, God began to do a good work in you (Philippians 1:6). God knows what to do, and He will continue to work in you, not only for your own good, but also for His honor and glory until Jesus comes back. God doesn’t need your counsel or advice. He just wants you to be patient, and don’t mess up what He’s doing in your life. When God is done with you, it will be a project that will bring glory and honor to Him. However, if you take things in your own hands, it will be a mess. Trust the omniscient God as He does a good work in you. You won’t regret it!

Prayer Warrior or Prayer Wimp?

Dan Bennett

The Bible teaches us in Ephesians 6:10-18 that we are in a spiritual warfare. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual, wicked, demonic forces. For that reason, we are instructed to put on the whole armor of God. The Apostle Paul tells us to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). One of our weapons is the Sword of the Spirit. Just as a good soldier does not go into battle unarmed, we also must fight our spiritual battles armed and ready.

Part of our spiritual armor that is of utmost importance – that we had better not leave off – is prayer. We are told to pray without ceasing. Prayer must not be neglected because when we pray, we get in touch with God. Our guidance, our strength, our power comes from God. Just as we are to be spiritual warriors, we must also be prayer warriors.

However, when the Christian does not take advantage of and utilize this tremendous weapon, he is not trusting in God, but he’s going into battle in his own strength, or rather, in weakness. You don’t stand a chance against your spiritual enemy without God. If you do not pray as you should, then you will not be a prayer warrior, but a prayer “wimp.” You will not be a spiritual warrior if you are a prayer wimp.

In order to become a prayer warrior, one must dedicate oneself to going from a wimp to a warrior. Although it’s not difficult, it’s not easy. It requires time. Time alone with God. Time away from your smartphone and computer. Time away from brain-dead entertainment. Time away from worldly distractions. Many Christians are prayer wimps because they aren’t willing to dedicate themselves to the time required to become a warrior.

Becoming a prayer warrior requires humility. It demands being humble before God in childlike prayer, on your knees, as you seek God’s face and His heart. A prayer warrior recognizes his need for the Almighty on a daily basis, and will bow before His presence in humble servitude to ask for His help.

A prayer wimp will shoot off a thirty-second prayer as he scurries off to his other pressing duties of the day. A prayer warrior will take the necessary time to “suit up” with the whole armor of God, and not run out to face the enemy without taking the time to prepare for the battle.

Sadly, there aren’t too many spiritual warriors and prayer warriors in the churches of today, but churches are filled with spiritual wimps and prayer wimps.

Fellow Christian, how’s your prayer life? Would you be considered a prayer warrior or a prayer wimp? It’s past time for Christians in the twenty-first century to stop being spiritual wimps, put down their electronic toys, and get serious about spiritual things.

Are you a prayer warrior or a prayer wimp?

Sunday Dinner

Dan Bennett

Sunday dinner is not just a normal meal at my in-law’s house, but it’s more like a weekly family reunion of the Walters family.  My mother-in-law starts preparing Sunday dinner on Saturday evening. No, she’s not making Saturday’s supper, so don’t even think about digging in until Sunday after church!

The preparation continues early Sunday morning before she eats breakfast. Sunday dinner is a special time as we gather round the big table and wait for my father-in-law to pray. “Dad” is always mindful about thanking “Mom/Nanny” for the hard work she has done in making dinner for us all, and then he thanks the Lord for the food, and he thanks the Lord for Mom.

Mom has been doing this for many years, and there’s not many Sundays that she is unable to do it, unless she is not feeling well, or she’s out of town with Dad. Not only does she serve lots of delicious food (and always some type of dessert), but she puts in a good deal of time, energy, thought, preparation and work.

With all of that being said, there is one more thing that goes into this whole process, and that thing is a huge amount of love. There’s lots of preparation that goes into this weekly shindig, and there’s a good bit of cleanup after all is said and eaten. Why does Mom do this week after week, month after month, year after year, and decade after decade? It’s because she loves me, her favorite son-in-law! Of course, that’s not the reason because we have spent most of the past twenty-four years in Brazil. Simply put, Mom/Nanny loves her family, in spite of all the different idiosyncrasies each family has. (Some of my sisters-in-law have some pretty weird ways!)  LOL.

We don’t go to my in-law’s house each Sunday because we “have” to, but because we love her, we appreciate all that she does for us, and because we like to eat her wonderful homemade food. When my family is Stateside and in South Carolina, we count it a privilege to have Sunday dinner with the family. No one at our church needs to ask if I want to go out to a restaurant to eat Sunday dinner. No! (Duh.) I don’t even need to think about it or consult with my wife. The place for all the family to be for Sunday dinner is at my in-law’s house. It’s not a choice we have to think about because it’s automatic. It’s Sunday, and we’re going! If someone wants to take us out to eat, well, let’s go out between Monday and Saturday.

The past two weeks have been rough for my mother-in-law, but she doesn’t like it when someone makes a “fuss” over her when she’s not feeling well. When she was taken by ambulance to the hospital last Friday I was very concerned, and prayed for her a lot that afternoon and evening. I was greatly relieved when I found out that she was feeling better and able to go home. I was also somewhat surprised – though not entirely – that she was at church today, and even in her usual spot of interpreting for the deaf. I don’t know if she fixed Sunday dinner for the family today (I’m in Brazil as I write this), but even though she shouldn’t have, she probably did.

Let me finish my sentimental rambling by saying that I am grateful to God for the wife that I have, and for the mother-in-law that I have. I love her, and she says she loves me (maybe because I did my part in contributing to the majority of her grandchildren, or maybe because I live thousands of miles away). I wanted to let her know that what she does is not unnoticed or unappreciated. As long as I live I will never forget Sunday dinner at Dad and Mom’s house.

Whether it’s Sunday dinner, pizza-movie night, or whatever your family traditionally does, don’t squander those precious times together as a family, but hold on to those times as long as possible. The “good old days” that you will one day look back on are happening right now.

I missed Mom’s Sunday dinner today because I returned to Brazil a few days ago, but I sure could go for a plate of her stewed beef and rice, green beans, and banana pudding!

Friends, don’t take your family for granted. Love them, tell them that you love them, but most of all, show them that you love them. Love your family more than you love your smartphone. You will never regret the time you spend with family members that love you, but you will regret it if you miss an opportunity that you will never have again.

I love Sunday dinner with the family!

A Desire for God

Dan Bennett

What does a desire for God look like? The word desire has different meanings, as do many words, but the principal meaning is “to long for, or to crave something.”

People have different degrees of desire, such as a desire to visit a foreign country, get a good education or a good job, and have a meaningful relationship with someone of the opposite sex. Many people work hard to save money, study, or whatever it takes to fulfill their desires, even making sacrifices to accomplish their goals, dreams, and desires.

Edward McKendree (E. M.) Bounds was a man of prayer, and he is credited with saying, “A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully.”

For the Christian, a desire for God should be greater than anything else. If you can get up at 4:00 o’clock AM on Black Friday to go shopping, or get up before dawn to go hunting, but you can’t break the chains of sleep to spend time with God, then your desire, love, and commitment to God is a weak thing.

Going back to my original question, what does a desire for God look like? It looks like someone who sets their alarm early in order to pray and read God’s Word. It looks like a committed Christian on his/her knees in prayer to ask forgiveness, guidance, to worship, praise, and make supplication for others. It looks like a saint of God with an open Bible – not a digital, electronic app – that has a desire to learn, grow, and draw closer to God.

James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw thy to you.” No one draws nigh to God by accident. To draw nigh to God requires a desire to draw nigh which not too many Christians possess. By the way, yes, I know this is the 21st century, and I know that it’s hard to separate time for God. However, it all boils down to how great your desire is for God, and it shouldn’t be that difficult to draw nigh to the One that loves you with an everlasting love.

Forgiveness

Dan Bennett

Everyone will fall and hurt themselves from time to time. If possible, you will get back up and continue on your journey. You may not be able to get back up without help, but hopefully someone will come along soon and help you back on your feet. You may feel the results of that fall for a long time, but you can only get back up once from one fall. You cannot get back up five times if you’ve only fallen once.

This same principle applies to when a Christian sins. When you sin, there may be long-lasting feelings of hurt, resentment and shame. However, when you repent, confess your sin to God and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive you the first time you ask. Once God forgives you of that sin, then you do not need to ask His forgiveness for five or ten more times. Yes, you will feel the guilt and shame for some time, but God’s forgiveness is immediate, so you don’t need to confess it or ask for His forgiveness anymore. With God, when you’ve been forgiven, it’s over with. As Jesus told the woman taken in adultery, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Now, you may need to ask someone else to forgive you, so do it without delay.

You will also need to get over it yourself, and not allow that FORGIVEN sin to linger on in your heart and mind. The devil wants that sin – that’s already been forgiven – to keep you down, discouraged and disheartened for a long time. He wants you to feel the pain, the shame, and think about it after it’s already been forgiven. If you confessed and asked God for forgiveness of sin yesterday, then He forgave you yesterday. Don’t allow the forgiven sin of yesterday to hold you down today!

Prayer Letter November 2022

Dan Bennett

November 30, 2022

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11)

On September 25th there were 53 people in attendance for “Blue Sunday.” This is a special day in Brazil that celebrates and brings awareness to the deaf and their culture. Dan preached a Gospel message and planted some more Gospel “Seed.” No one was saved that we know of, but sometimes it takes longer for Deaf people to understand because they did not have any Bible teaching as they were growing up.

In our last prayer letter, we mentioned our invitation to present the Deaf ministry in a church in the city of Boituva. We scheduled six consecutive Saturdays to go and teach a basic sign language class, and there were eighteen people that enthusiastically learned the Brazilian sign language in order to reach deaf people in their city. We were encouraged to see a couple of men that are interested in heading up this ministry.

On November 27 our church, Bible Baptist Church, celebrated her 28th anniversary of preaching and teaching the Bible to the Deaf in and around São Paulo.  There were 56 people in attendance, and we had a good number of visitors. Dan has been preaching prophecy during the month of November, and he finished with a message regarding the Great White Throne. Many of those in attendance had never been taught about “things to come,” and most paid close attention to the message.  We were excited when several people said they would be back.

We are looking forward to returning to the USA for a short visit. We don’t often get to be in the States for Christmas, but on December 27, our son, Joseph, will be getting married to a sweet young lady from his church. Joseph has been the interpreter for two deaf men in his church for three years, and he has taught basic American Sign Language (ASL). Joseph’s fiancé, Cheryl, was in the class, and the two of them have been working together as friends for three years. We are happy for them both, and we look forward to seeing how God will lead them and use them in their marriage.

We are also excited that all seven of our children – along with our son-in-law and granddaughter – will be together again at Christmas for the first time in nine years! Of course, this will be a special Christmas!

THANK YOU for your faithful prayer and financial support throughout 2022. Have a very “Merry Christmas,” and a blessed 2023!

                                                                                                       That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                      Dan & Becky Bennett