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Remembering Dr. Leonidas Fengos
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”–Revelation 14:13 (NASB)
I heard the sad news today that Dr. Leonidas Fengos, had departed for heaven on Friday, November 24, 2017. He was a powerful pastor in Greece that was highly used by God. He was a dynamic and Spirit-filled preacher with an anointed message. Brother Louis, (Αδελφο Λουη) as we called him, was a chosen servant of God who gave his whole life for the Gospel. He had a long and effective ministry and a tireless zeal to preach anywhere and everywhere. He stood without apology for God’s Word. He constantly read his Bible, studying it all day long for many hours and underlining important passages. He exemplified what it was like to live a holy life. Over the years, our family had become friends with his and his life matched his preaching. I thank God for this truly one-of- a-kind man of God. He encouraged me in so many ways in my walk with God to grow closer to Him. Over ten years ago, I decided to translate his book on Revelation from Greek to English. It took many months of tedious and careful study and it became such a blessing reading Revelation and his commentary on it. How I wish that I could be there for his funeral! I know it will be a blessing to be in the same church that he preached in countless times and to say farewell. I know that they will sing this timeless hymn.
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.Refrain:
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by, We shall meet on that beautiful shore.We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise
For the glorious gift of His love
And the blessings that hallow our days.–Words by Sanford F. Bennett (1868) and Music by Joseph P. Webster
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones.–Psalm 116:15 (NASB)
And so, farewell for now, Brother Louis . . . you will be missed.
The Gift Of Encouragement
I love it when I go to a conference and get to hear a brand new author–at least “new” to me. For me, this year, it was Glenys Nellist. I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect from her session title, “Retelling God’s Story For Children,” but it was, by far, one of the best sessions I’ve ever gone to.
Glenys is genuine and super funny and full of wonderful ideas and tips on writing. I just loved it when she said that we need to have an encourager in order to be a writer. She’s so right. I know this for a fact because I have one. It’s my mom. She is always, I mean always, encouraging me. She tells me that I can do it with God’s help and that He can use my gifts for His glory.
Thanks, Glenys, for reminding me of that. And thanks, Mom, for always encouraging me.
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”–I Thessalonians 5:11
–Marian
Just a Little Blog and Devotional
I was so blessed to get to attend the Breathe Writer’s Conference once again this year! The speakers and classes were amazing! One speaker called it a feast and that’s exactly how it felt! I was stuffed full of great thoughts and encouragement! I think it’s going to take me a few days to digest it all!
I’d like to share the highlights over the next few days, but the one that stands out is that we need to approach our writing with the view point of a missionary. We don’t have to worry about who will accept it–or not. We are simply called to be faithful in our writing and let the Lord take care of the results!
Don’t Forget The Most Important Thing
I will not forget your Word.–Psalm 119:16
I forgot my cell phone today. At times during my day, it was inconvenient to have to use a landline when it would have been so much faster and quicker to just make a call with my cell phone.
While forgetting my cell phone was a minor nuisance, forgetting God’s word is another matter. Without it, I lose my sense of direction and don’t know which way to go. With it, I have a clear purpose for living.
I need to be intentional about making God’s word the main priority of my life. It’s not really the top priority or one of the top ten on a list of important things to do daily to be successful.
Rather, it’s the main one of all. That means everything else in my life is filtered through it. It permeates and saturates all the other priorities so that God’s word infuses every part of my life. It’s kind of like baking a cake. That aroma of an almost-finished cake seeps through the house and fills every room so that it beckons me to find my way to the kitchen and have a slice as soon as it comes out of the oven. That’s how God’s word should overwhelm us with it’s goodness and sweetness. It should have an undeniable impact on literally every aspect of our lives.
It’s daily as well as moment-by-moment living that follows the Lord’s ways. It’s constantly abiding within the plan of God. And it organically becomes an overriding influence on my Christian walk so that it all naturally aligns with God’s word. A follower of Jesus that remembers how important the Bible is can have a truly liberating way of life that is marked by genuine joy, inner peace, humility, gratitude, and reverence for God.
Unbelievably Good
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.–Psalm 103:2
When the moment came to finally pick up the boxes with my CD’s, I couldn’t wait! I was about to see the fruit of years of work. With a trembling hand, I opened the first box. There it was! My shiny, new CD! It seemed like I was experiencing a miracle from God right before my eyes. I couldn’t get over it! Was it actually here? Was I really holding it? read more…
Being In The Spotlight
The Pensacola Christian College spotlight reminded me that being in the spotlight is what I do. People know that I get in front of an audience. I perform. That’s basically it in a nutshell.
There’s however an important spiritual component to being a Christian musician that’s deeper than this update story and my CD. It goes beyond the lessons I was blessed to learn at PCC. It’s not some secret to being successful that I learned during a lesson. Rather, it’s something that I’ve learned very slowly over the past twenty years since graduating.
I’ve learned that in order to have a fruitful life as a Christian, I have to make an effort to have a daily quiet place and time. I have to be serious about cultivating the basic disciplines of prayer, reading God’s word, and being a part of Bible-believing church. While there are more, these are the three bare essentials. read more…
CD Giveaway Week Update
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”–Revelation 19:6
Hello Friends!
Just a quick update on my CD Giveaway Week. I’d like to give more of my friends a chance to win one of these five signed CD’s and so…the deadline is now extended until Saturday! Be sure to like my musician page and stay tuned for the winners’ names!
–Marian
Announcing The Launch Of NEW Site, Newsletter, Facebook Musician Page, CD Purchase, and CD Give Away Week!!!
CD Release Concert April 25, 2015 – Photo by Mark Stahl
It’s great to announce just a few things that I’ve been working on!
Starting today, you can
- enjoy my NEW Site
- sign up of for my NEW Newsletter
- visit and like my NEW Facebook Musician Page
- take part in my CD Give Away Week
- watch a Video from my concert on Twitter and My Personal Facebook Page!
For those of you who are interested, you can also purchase my CD in two formats: a digital download or the physical album. The cost is $10.00 and it is paid fast and easy through PayPal.
Thank you for supporting my music and may the Lord richly bless you!
–Marian
My NEW official website is now live!!!
My NEW official music site is finally live!
My new official music site is finally live!!! There are some behind the scene details that need to be taken care of before I can announce and launch it on social media. It has been completely redesigned and there are lots of great new pages, like:
- Photos
- Videos
- Testimony
- CD
The CD page has a player where you can preview my entire album. If you’re interesting in buying my CD, there are two options. You can purchase either the digital download or order the actual physical CD.
I’m also really excited about my Devotionals page! It’s called, Verses To Live By, and every Monday I’ll be post a favorite Bible verse and how to apply it to life.
A great way to keep up to date on my latest news and upcoming events is through my newsletter. Another way to stay tuned is via my musician page on Facebook and also by following me on Twitter.
I hope you enjoy my site and may God richly bless you!
–Marian
