Do You Need A Fresh Start?

Are You In A Prison and Don't Even Know It?

2010-01-20T23:38:00.003-06:00

Most people think to be in prions is to break the law and get sentence by a court of law to be sent off to a confined facility locked behind bars and walls. That is true, but what about the bondage that people are in on the outside of those walls, living every day life? Some people tell a lie and then end up telling another lie to cover up for the first one they told. They find themselves in bondage to that first lie. Then some people who take up smoking, drinking or drugs also find themselves in bondage when they decide to quit. They find that it is hard to do so, and some are not able to do it at all. The find themselves in bondage to whatever it is that they become addicted too. Others may find themselves in a prison on in bondage to lack of finances, a problem marriage, fear, stress or some type of sickness. If you are being held back by something, you are in bondage to it and not living freely.

By faith and through the blood of Jesus Christ we all have been and can be set free for any bondage that Satan has tried to put on you or place you in. All you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, ask Him to come into your life and help you every step of the way. It does not matter where you have been or what you have done. Sin is sin and you can be washed clean of it all. The devil tries to put thoughts in your mind like you will never make it, you are not going to get well, you are going to lose your home, etc. One of the first ways he tries to attack you is by putting thoughts in your mind. Did you know that some people can even make their bodies sick just by thinking about it? Your mind is a very powerful part of your body and that is why Satan will try to attack you in that area.

You don't have to live with lack in your life, you don't have to live with sickness in your life or be in poverty. Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness and then all things can be added unto you.

I highly recommend that you turn into our Internet Church Worship Service on Sunday's at 11am & 7pm (CST). You will be blessed with some outstanding Worship music and an older recoreded inspirational messge that was inspired by God. People will be Set Free from their bondage. Bodies, Finances and Marriages will be healed.

Our Internet Church Worship Services are Non Denominational based and last about 1hr. This coming week on Sunday January 24, 2010 the message is going to be "Don't Let Satan Attack Your Mind". Please attend if you can and come with an open heart and allow God to help Set you Free from your bondage and get you out of your prison.

Sunday January 24, 2010 at 11am & 7pm (CST). Just go to http://www.FreshStartFellowship.com and click on the Radio iPod image at the bottom of the page. Once you are there send us an email to iAttended@freshstartfellowship.com and let us know where you came from (city & state) so we know who our visitors are.

Thank you for joining us at FreshStart Fellowship.

Informative Talk Shows, Positive Alternative Christian Music, Inspirational Messages through our Internet Church and Radio Broadcasts.

Are You Passing Through a Storm?

2010-01-13T01:06:00.002-06:00

FreshStart Fellowship's pastoral team continues to provide the Hope and Encouragement that this ministry was founded on. Our Goal for the year 2010 is to secure Speaking Engagements for our Pastors at churches, corporate events and Men's Groups all over the United States. We feel this year that God has a message for His people to hear. The message will help bring His people up out of the bondage of darkness that Satan was placed them in. Most people do not realize that they are in a bondage of some sort. The founder of FreshStart Fellowship laid the ground work for us to complete. He allowed God to guide his foot steps as he laid down the foundation of this ministry that reaches out to so many people in need. The ministry started out providing support to women and their children who had been left behind by a husband that was sent to prison, leaving them behind in a prison of their own. Not one behind bars but one of the world. Then will ministering to these left behind loved ones, Pastor realized that there are just as many people in this world that are passing through the same or similar storms (situations) in their life that has not been left behind by an incarcerated husband. The ministry now provides the same Hope and Encouragement to the Homeless, Single Mothers and just people in general that are facing some difficult times. We know we can not help and reach out to everyone, but we sure will give a try and do our best to help when and where we can.

If you would like to partner with us to Help us Help those in need you can do so by going to our website at http://www.FreshStartFellowship.com and making your financial gift of your choice. Pastor got us started so now it is up to us to keep it going.

Blessings,
FreshStart Fellowship
"Providing Hope & Encouragement"

Do You Have a Bad Storm (situation) in Your Life?

2009-11-26T13:41:00.003-06:00

Are you facing or passing through a difficult Storm (situation) in your life? Are you ready for it to be over? Have you done everything you can possibly do? Do you need someone to Pray with or for you? It is time to Calm you Storm. Prayer is a very powerful thing.

James 5:16 in the Bible says that the prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

Prayer will and does work if YOU will let it. Most of the time it is OURSELVES that stop our Prayers from being answered. So if you are ready to give it a try, just let us know. You can contact us at Prayer@FreshStartFellowship.com and tell us what your Storm is. Please leave a Phone Number or Email Address so we can contact you back. We can Pray with you in person (depending on your location), Over the Phone or by Email. It is up too you. Either way, it’s time to Calm your Storm.

Be Happy and Thankful Every Day.

Please Respond NOW to let us know about the Storm you area facing or passing through. We want to help you get to the other side where it is Calm.

Pastor Wayne
FreshStart Fellowship

New Director @ FreshStart Fellowship

2009-11-24T23:29:00.002-06:00

Thank you everyone for your patience while we were making some changes at FreshStart Fellowship. Pastor Wayne will be leading and directing the affairs from now going forward with the Ministry. We will not be opening physical Helps Center locations. Instead Pastor Wayne will be ministering Hope & Encouragement throughout the United States on Internet and FM Radio Stations and through Help Center Volunteer Groups in various locations.

Our purpose and mission has not changed. We have been called to provide Hope & Encouragement for those passing through difficult Storms (situations) in their life and to the Women and Children who have been left behind by an Incarcerated husband or father.

We want you to know we are hear for you and want to Help when and where we can. Please send your prayer requests to prayer@freshstartfellowship.com and we will make sure Pastor gets them.

Blessings in His name,
FreshStart Fellowship

Ministry Oppportunity

2009-08-26T09:23:00.002-05:00

FreshStart Fellowship's Director positon has been vacant and we are searching for someone who has been called to step in and lead our ministry. If you have interest in applying for our open Director positon you can send your resume to info@freshstartfellowship.com

This is NOT a paid postion. In the meantime we will try to have random people post blogs to help keep our followers provided with Hope & Encouragement.

Blessings,
FreshStart Fellowship

Are You Waiting?

2009-08-24T23:11:00.002-05:00

It is better to do SOMETHING, instead of doing NOTHING, while waiting for EVERYTHING.

FreshStart Fellowship
http://www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Helping Others

2009-08-22T13:17:00.006-05:00

Supporting Others

This month we are promoting others. We would like to ask all of our Partners, Supporters, Family and Friends to consider supporting some of the Businesses, Churches or Ministries that we have listed below. They may not know we are doing this, but they have been on our heart here at FreshStart Fellowship and we would like for them to be blessed. Usually when something like this has been placed on our heart, it means they either have a need or perhaps they have something that may fill a need for you.

Let's all do our part and at least check them out and then allow God to do His part. Pray about it and see if they have something for you or if you have something for them.

Legacy of Worship, Intl
We meet these wonderful people of God while we were in Texas. Pastor Bill Faught now has two books out that you can purchase and travels throughout the Nations.

Visit their website by clicking on the following link.
Legacy of Worship

721 Designs
Do you need a new or updated website? Then we highly recommend that you check out 721 Designs. They are the ones that did our New site for FreshStart Fellowship. The owner is RJ McCollam and he will give you a great deal.

Vist their website by clicking on the following link.
721 Designs

North Tahoe Community Church
We don't know a whole lot about this church other than they have been put on our heart for some reason. They have recently lost their Pastor and have a new building under construction. Please pray that their eyes will be open to what God has planned for them.

Visit their website by clicking on the following link.
North Tahoe Community Church

Let's all share the Gospel and be one Big Happy Family!

Internet Radio & TV

2009-01-21T13:09:00.003-06:00

FreshStart Fellowship is now Broadcasting with our Internet Radio and TV Programs. Now we are able to Provide Hope & Encouragement to those left behind family members that are outside of our local areas. Listeners will be able to call in and be "LIVE" with us on the FreshStart Radio and watch the programs on FreshStart TV.

We need your Help to Help those in Need. By becoming one of our Helps Center Sponsors or advertisers, you will be helping us spread Hope & Encouragement, through Jesus Christ, all across the United States and into other countries. You can become a sponsor by visiting our website at http://www.FreshStartFellowship.com and going to the "Become A Sponsor" button.

$1 to $5 Per Day will go a long way.

Broadcasting Updates for FreshStart Radio

2008-10-22T21:53:00.005-05:00

FreshStart Fellowship Broadcasting Updates:

You can now listen to Christian Music 24/7 and a message of encouragement that plays in 3 hour blocks starting at 12:00am (CST). A different message plays every 3 hour segment. We still need to secure a couple more items of equipment before we can launch the "Live" Call-in Programs. We have many waiting on the "Live" call-in programs to act as a support Group while they are passing through the storms of an incarcerated loved one. We will be Broadcasting the "Live" programs very soon.

Thank You for your Patience.

Click on the Following Links for More Information:
Listen to FreshStart Radio
Visit our Helps Center Sponsors
Messages of Hope & Encouragement
Schedule A Speaking Engagement
Send Prayer Request
Make A Donation
Contact Us
Forward email

A Sneak Peak at FreshStart Radio

2008-10-04T22:49:00.004-05:00

A Sneak Peak of FreshStart Radio

We are not there yet but we are broadcasting basic programing now. We shoud be providing "Live" broadcasting starting Monday October 13th.

Lots of things happening at FreshStart Fellowship these days. I would like to introduce RJ McCollam to the World as our New Assistant Director. Not only do I welcome him to the Ministry but to the family as well. RJ recently married my wonderful daughter Amy and became my son-in-law. We are glad to have him in both capacities.

FreshStart Radio:
Yes the FreshStart Radio broadcast is off and running. We are not in full broadcasting mode yet but we are getting close. We plan on being at full speed by Monday October 13th. You can click on the FreshStart Radio link above and listen to our Messages of Encouragement and some awesome music now. I will explain briefly in the column to the right what to expect in the "Live" broadcast programs. I think there will be something for everyone to be Blessed by.

UPCOMING BROADCAST SCHEDULE:

MONDAY THRU FRIDAY
12:00am - 3:00am
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 19 minutes of Advertising and 146 minutes of Music
3:00am - 6:00am
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 19 minutes of Advertising and 146 minutes of Music
6:00am - 9:00am
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 15 minutes of "Live" Programs, 19 minutes of Advertising and 131 minutes of Music
9:00am - 12:00pm
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 19 minutes of Advertising and 146 minutes of Music
12:00pm - 3:00pm
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 15 minutes of "Live" Programs, 19 minutes of Advertising and 131 minutes of Music
3:00pm - 6:00pm
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 19 minutes of Advertising and 146 minutes of Music
6:00pm - 9:00pm
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 60 minutes of "Live" Programs, 19 minutes of Advertising and 86 minutes of Music
9:00pm - 12:00am
15 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 60 minutes of "Live" Programs, 19 minutes of Advertising and 86 minutes of Music
SATURDAY
12:00am - 11:59pm
120 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 152 minutes of Adverting and 1,168 minutes of Music
SUNDAY
12:00am - 11:59pm
90 minutes of Encouraging Messages, 152 minutes of Advertising and 1,078 minutes of Music
10:30am - 11:30 am
60 minutes of "Live" Broadcast Church Service
7:30pm - 8:30pm
60 minutes of "Live" Broadcast Church Service Join us "Live" Monday thru Friday Evenings.
Dear FreshStart, Following is the broadcast schedule we plan on having once we are ready with our "Live" programs. Monday thru Friday at 7:00pm (CST) will be our "Good News" program. It will have your typical News, Weather and Sports, but it will be all "Good News". At 8:00pm (CST) I will be broadcasting a "Live" program called "Your Fresh Start" where I will be talking about the emails, letters and prayer requests that we have received during the week. Tina and I will finish off the "Live" broadcasting at 9:00pm (CST) with "A Fresh Start with Bill & Tina". This program will be a "Live" call-in program where our listeners can call with their questions and concerns regarding having a loved one in prison. We want to help answer their questions and show them that Jesus loves them and He can help them through their difficult trials. Saturdays and Sundays will pretty much be a majority of Christian Music and our future upcoming Church Service that will be broadcasting On Sundays at 10:30am and again at 7:30pm (CST). We hope you enjoy the music, messages and "Good News". Help us spread the Word. More Sponsors are needed and it only takes $5 per day ($150 monthly). Each Sponsor will get 150 fifteen second advertising spots per month on FreshStart Radio and exposure on our website while making it possible for us to Help those left behind.

Bill Martin

Founder/PastorFreshStart Fellowship

http://www.freshstartfellowship.com/

Where It is At!

2006-05-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know somebody that needs a Fresh Start? It is all right here. www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Blessings my friends!

How is your Relationship with God?

2006-01-16T22:09:00.000-06:00

“How is your Relationship with God?”

There are a lot of religions in the world today that teach God’s word. I personally have been to a couple of churches that were of a different religion (denomination). They all taught God’s word from the Bible, but they all also seemed to add their own rules and regulations to the word. A lot of them also do not believe or agree with the spiritual gifts that have been given to us by God Himself. One of the gifts, being speaking in different tongues. So as I got more into God’s word, I started seeing where the scriptures said under the obedience command in Deuteronomy 4:2 “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Then I started seeing all through the books of Acts and 1st Corinthians, were it talked about speaking in other tongues. I decided to start going to an undenominational church and have a relationship with God and not have a religion. I wanted to read the Word of God and let Him give me the understanding that He put in His world, so I would have true understanding and not that of some religious beliefs.

The more I desired God’s word and understanding, the closer my relationship with Him grew. Some people wonder why others are able to get closer to God, than someone else can. The #1 reason why some do is because of the time they put into it. A lot of people think they do not have enough time to get into God’s word daily. What they do not realize is, they do have the time, and they just need to stop wasting it on other things. Most people get real busy during the day and spend their time on wasted things. They search the internet for nothing, they watch hours of TV, they make multiple trips to the store because they have not planned their trip and they get caught up in the things of the world that the devil puts in their path to slow them down. Then after wasting their time, they start worrying about the things they did not get done. They start to worry about the things they have to do the next day and even into the next week. Matthew 6:34 says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

When people want something, they usually have to go and invest something to get it. Most of the time that something is money, but if you want a closer relationship with God and you want more of His word, then your investment is the time you put into it. The more you invest the closer He gets and the bigger your return.

Have you ever noticed that when you start to invest some time in God’s word, is when the devil will start to fight you? He will put thoughts in your mind of other things you could be doing, or he will send people over to your house or have the phone start ringing, in order to distract you. You are not going to have that closer relationship with God, unless you learn how to say no to those other things, people or distractions that come when you are trying to invest some time in God’s word. A lot of people think that they do not have to spend time with God to have a closer relationship with Him, because they spend time doing things for Him. They think that since they spend time helping people, doing good deeds or volunteering at church, that they are doing enough to have a close relationship with God. No matter what all you do or how much of it you do, it does not replace your personal time with God. God created us to have fellowship with Him and to give Him glory. Having fellowship with Him is the only thing that will maintain joy, peace and happiness in your life.

Chances are that there is someone reading this message right now that is not happy or has lost their joy and peace over something going on in their life. Is that person you? If it is, you are probably trying to find some kind of a reason to blame it on. The real reason is you are not spending enough time with God. Until you have fellowship with God and get that close relationship, you are not going to be completely happy or satisfied.

Don’t be like some people that think they can be happy and satisfied without having a close relationship with God, because they are wrong. God always brings happiness and satisfaction. A good way to see this for yourself is to take an honest look at your life for a period of one week. See what you are spending your time on and see if it is maintaining happiness, peace and joy in your life. Then for another week spend all your time on fellowshipping with God and digging deep in His word. At the end of the week, look back and see which week maintained the most happiness, peace and joy in your life without being like a rollercoaster. You will see that the time you Spent during the first week will be wasted and gone, but the time you Invested in the second week will bring you a closer relationship with God.

Most people will not seek a relationship with God until they have a need and they usually wait until they are desperate. If you have children that are in their teenage years, you will notice that they think they can do most things on their own without your help, or at least until they have waited to long and become desperate. That is the way a lot of us are with God. We only show up when we need something. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”, and then the other things we need will be given to us.

Start out by giving God 30 minutes everyday to first seek His kingdom. No matter what, give Him at least 30 minutes every day. James 4:7-8 says, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

● Give yourself to God
● He wants more than just a weekly or monthly relationship with you.
● He wants you in His presence, on your knees and in His word.
● He wants a marriage with you.
● He wants that close relationship.

A married woman does not get her husbands last name, until they make the commitment and get married. Just like we do not get all that God has for us, until we make that commitment of a marriage relationship with His son Jesus Christ. Back in Matthew 6:33 when God says “seek first My kingdom:, He is talking about His word, His presence, His glory and that close relationship. If you first seek the kingdom of God and get that close relationship with Him, you will have a more prosperous life in every way than you have ever had before. It is up to us how close of a relationship or how much of the presence of God is in our lives. It is determined by how much we let God into our lives. You can go to church and read these messages here on our website and hopefully you learn about what is being said about God’s word. But until you start putting your own eyes and ears into the word and seeking that close relationship with God, it is not going to be enough to make the needed changes in your life. It is all about Relationship and not Religion.

One of our purposes is to have a close relationship with God. He wants us to seek His kingdom first, but He gives the choice to us. When we choose what road in our life that we are going to take, we are also choosing the destination where that road will take us. God is not in the business of making people do what they do not want to do. He is a just God. He will not make you choose the road to His kingdom. It is your choice and if you choose the other road that leads away, it says in Matthew 25:41, “Then He will say to those on His left, depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” There is no chance for redemption in the eternal fire. The devil and his angels have no chance of redemption, because they fell not by temptation, but by choice. Man fell by temptation and not by choice, so if we choose the road to God’s kingdom, He will allow us redemption and a new birth. It does not matter where we have been or what we have done, God has already forgotten about all our sins.

All He wants is for us to seek His kingdom first and have a close relationship with Him.

It’s all about Relationship and not Religion!!

Support Donations can be made at www.FreshStartFellowship.com/donations.htm

The Bus is Here!

2006-01-16T13:34:00.000-06:00

The New Year is off to a Great start and is only going to get better for FreshStart Fellowship. As many of you may know, we had a awesome response from the news article that was written on our ministry. The heart of one local businessman was touched by the article and he donated a substantial amount to the ministry, which made it possible for us to purchase our Bus. Praise and Glory to God! The soil of FreshStart Fellowship has been groomed and prepared by the Master Himself. For all who has planted seed in this ministry, will reap heavenly rewards from its fruitfulness.

Yes we now have a Bus! It is a large 40' long bus, blue in color, seats 51 passengers, says Big Blue Bus down both sides and it is even a little on the ugly side. Praise GOD! What a perfect Bus for us to have. This is a Bus that when you see it going down the road or around town, you will not forget it. It is the billboard that will most definitely stick in your mind. PERFECT!!! We located the bus in California and flew there on Friday morning to drive it back. The trip was an interesting one. The devil tried his best to steal the Joy of the trip, from the taxi driver being 30 minuets late picking us up for the airport, to the bus breaking down on the highway, and even taking away the place we had to park it once we got it hear. Each time Satan would try to stop us from getting this bus home or causing us some kind of uncomforting situations, I would just stop, Praise God, and tell Satan that he has no clue what he is doing. He is trying to win the fight, he tries to through punches, but he is not knocking us down. Each obstacle or roadblock he tries to put up, we just tear it down by the world of God and keep going. The six hour trip back turned into a nineteen hour trip with the problems and was very tiring, but every minute, every problem and every obstacle, was worth it. Romans 5:3-5 says "we are glad for our troubles also. We know that troubles help us learn not to give up. When we have learned not to give up, we have stood the test". We have a few minor things to fix on the bus, expenses to overcome and we have to find a new location to park it, but we hope to have it in service and transporting women and their children to the Federal Prison in Safford Arizona by this next coming Sunday morning. Jesus said if you follow me, I will make you fishers of man. Well, now we have the boat, so we can start reeling them in.

It is Our New Building on Wheels!

It says "Big Blue Bus", but I think it has a little purple cast to it. It is Big, seats 51 passengers, is a little on the Ugly side and it is PERFECT! We give all the Praise and Glory to God for making this happen. This is a major vessel for the ministry to grow and touch the hearts of people that have been lost and forgotten about. Lives have changed and will continue to change as we show the love of God to these people that we are ministering to. We are hear to provide them with a shoulder to cry on and to serve their needs.

With the bus we have Tripled our Monthly operating cost, as does any ministry in a growth process. We welcome this added cost as we know the support will be there each and every trip and month. We are so Blessed to be given this ministry and to be a part of the lives that will be saved. None of it would be possible if it was not for You, our Partners. We just pray that God will Bless your ever need for being His Obedient servant.

Become a Partner with us today. Grab holt of the Opportunity to be a Blessings to the people we minister to. It only takes $1.00 to $5.00 per day to help support our expenses and continued growth. Think of it as just giving up a coke, candy bar or cup espresso per day, to help save and serve people that are lost in the world.

You can join now with your Partner Support by going to http://www.FreshStartFellowship.com/donations.htm or by sending your pledge to the address below.

Blessings,

FreshStart Fellowship
6929 N. Hayden Rd., Ste C4 #230
Scottsdale, Arizona 85250
www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Don't Let Satan Attack Your Mind

2006-01-02T23:40:00.000-06:00

Here is a message that was inspired from God that was given on the inside of a prison behind bars. It touched and helped many and I felt to share it here on the blog and on the website at www.FreshStartFellowship.com. Satan attempts from time to time to try and mess with my mind and I am sure he does the same with others. I hope you enjoy it.

“Don’t let Satan attack your mind”

As Christian believers there will always be times in our life when we come under attack from Satan, especially if you are seeking and growing in God’s Word. One of the greatest areas where Satan will attack us, is in a battle with our minds. He knows that our thoughts are the beginnings of everything we do. His job is to get us thinking negative, critical and judgmental thoughts so that we miss out on what God has for us. He also wants to get you thoughts on the negative side, so you will be ineffective for God. No matter what kind of thoughts Satan is trying to confuse you with, there are ways to get rid of them so you can win the battle that he is trying to cause in your mind. First of all when he attacks, you need to take control of your thoughts with words from God. You can speak the word of God to get rid of feelings and thoughts that Satan is putting on you. He could be putting thoughts in your mind about……………….
Your marriage..........
Your kids...........
Your health..........

Your Job.........
Or thoughts about what it is going to be like when you get out, if you are currently incarcerated. By being incarcerated, locked up and not having much contact the outside world, Satan can win the battle with your mind, if you are not careful and walking in God’s Word daily. People do not realize it, but Satan can demand to have you, if you are not walling in God’s Word. God has no other choice to let him, if you are not walking in His Word. God gives us a choice to choose between Him or the evil ways of the world. If you do not choose God, then you are fair game for Satan. Another thing we can do is to remove or replace the thoughts that Satan tries to put in our minds. As soon as the Holy Spirit begins to convict us that what we are thinking is wrong or will lead us to having a wrong behavior, then we need to, right then and not later, choose to stop thinking those thoughts. For it says in 2nd Corinthians 10:5 that we are to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. So when Satan puts these thoughts in your mind, you need to stop and pray right where you are and ask God to give you strength to refocus your thinking on something good. Once you throw out the wrong thoughts in your mind, you need to replace them with right thoughts. Paul said in Philippians 4:8-9 that we are to fill and fix our minds on, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you”. Start thinking the right thoughts and you can beat Satan in the battle with our mind. One of the ways to help you think right thoughts is to purposely think of ways you can be a blessing to the people around you. Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. In other words, this is saying that we are to fill our minds of ways to bring joy, help and hope to other people. We all can do this by starting with prayer. Each day when you wake up in the mornings, you all should go to God in prayer before you do anything else. Not after you have taken a shower, not after you have had your first cup of coffee or burnt up your first smoke (if you are a smoker) of the day. Go to God in prayer before you do anything, even before you get out of bed in the morning. First thank Him for giving you another day and for other things that He has blessed you with. Praise Him for who He is and what He has done for you. Then you can ask Him how can you be a blessing today and how you can glorify Him. Ask Him who He would like for you to pray for and to show you some things that you can do for other people. Then after you have prayed, take a few minutes and try to think of ways that you can Bless someone. Seek your spirit and see what God tells you. Let God use you to lift up or bless someone that may be having a battle in their mind with Satan. The next thing you can do to win the battle that is going on in your mind is to talk back to Satan. First you need to learn how to stand your ground and reject the lies that he tries to feed you. The Bible says in the middle part of John 8:44 that the devil was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. The only thing that will destroy Satan’s lies is the truth of God’s Word. It says in the Book of Hebrews that God’s Word is living and active and that it is sharper than any double-edged sword that penetrates through the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing is stronger than God’s Word. Knowing God’s Word is great, but to truly begin waling in victory you have to speak the word out of your mouth. When you choose to open your mouth and speak God’s Word, God’s power in you is released into the unseen atmosphere of the spirit, to destroy the enemies attack. In Luke 4 you find a good example of how powerful God’s Word is when spoken. You will see Satan tried to attack Jesus at the end of his forth day fast and that each time Satan spoke his lies, Jesus opened his mouth and spoke the truth. Jesus said to Satan that “it is written” and then he quoted scripture that broke Satan’s attack. Jesus gave all of us this same power. To see it released, you have to open your mouth and speak the Word. God’s Word is very powerful and it can shatter every lie the enemy brings, but just thinking or knowing it does not defeat the devil. Some people just wish his attacks would stop and others just complain about them. All this does is open the door for him to come in and battle your mind more. The only way you are going to win, is to open your mouth and speak the word of God. So when Satan comes against you and puts all those thoughts in your mind, do not sit and listen to him. Tell him, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and tell him that it says in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 and 12:9 that yes you have weakness, but in your weakness God’s strength is made perfect”. If Satan tries to put thoughts in your mind that you do not have a future and that you will never overcome your past, tell him that God has a great future planned for you. God said in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has plans to prosper you and plans to give you hope and a future. Also tell Satan you can overcome your past, because it says in Philippians 4:13 that you can do everything through Him who gives you strength. And if Satan tries to tell you that your kids are not going to make it and that your marriage is going to end up in divorce, then tell him that he is nothing but a liar. Tell him by God’s grace your kids are going to make it and that your marriage will last, because you have committed your wife and kids to God and it says in 2nd Timothy 1:12 that God is able to guard what you have committed or entrusted to Him. Luke 1:37 says “for nothing is impossible with God’. When Satan brings the thoughts, do not give up. That is the only way he can win.

Take your Bible and lift it into the air and pray this daily!

“This is my Bible, Words from God. If I let my eyes see it, if I let me ears hear it, and if I let my mouth speak it, my life will change and I will never be the same in Jesus name”. Amen!

Don’t Let Satan Attack Your Mind!!

FreshStart Fellowship

Scottsdale, Arizona

info@freshstartfellowship.com

www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Our First News Article!

2005-12-28T11:56:00.000-06:00

First before I paste our First Newpaper Article on FreshStart Fellowhship, I would like to Thank all the wonderful people from our local Church Family that pitched in and provided a Christmas for one of our Incarcerated Families. The incarcerated husband went to his Chaplin at one of the FCI Federal Prisons in Arizona and asked where he could find help for his children to have a Christmas. The Caplin gave him the information of FreshStart Fellowship to forward to his wife. The wife contacted us and asked if we could help provice Christmas for their four young children. We told her we would pray and see if God allows us a way to help out. Then our local church came to us and asked if we had any families that they could Bless for Christmas. A couple of days before the Holiday, FreshStart Fellowship and "The Life at Scottsdale" delivered presents to the four young children, as well as presents and grocery gift cards for the mother. It was a Blessing to see the look in their eyes as they opend their gifts. So a Big Thank You goes out to all that were involved in giving to make this families Christmas a Merry One!

Some of you reading this blog, may know that we were interviewed by a columnist from one of the area newspapers, that wanted to write an article on FreshStart Fellowship. The article has now printed and I have pasted a copy below for your viewing:

Ministry on 4 wheels is no hallucination

The man asked his wife, "Are you hallucinating?" The man is incarcerated in the federal prison in Safford. The wife had told him that there was a couple in the Valley who gave her a ride to visit him, an almost 400-mile round trip, for free.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.' "

Bill and Tina Martin drive an Isuzu Trooper. The back seat holds three people. On the trip to Safford, they share snacks and stories with their passengers. A mom and her kids are particularly grateful on this Sunday morning. They don't own a car. They have no friends who can help them. They have no money beyond what sustains them and that just barely.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."

In their home state of Oklahoma, the Martins learned the blessing of unexpected provision. They came to see the face of God in strangers. When trouble came into their lives, they found strength in the goodness of others who were there to lend a helping hand. Unconditional love is hard to come by but easy to recognize when it does. It will change your life.

"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

The Martins have started a ministry to the families of those behind bars. It's a simple ministry. Give them a ride to visit their loved one. Sure, prisons are full of people who deserve to be there. Sometimes, they don't deserve to be there. In either case, there is always a mom, a wife, a son, a daughter who ache in their heart for the family member who is paying a debt to society.

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?' "

FreshStart Fellowship is the name of this ministry. The chaplain at the Safford Federal Correctional Institution agreed to display FreshStart fliers in the prison common areas. Eventually, the federal prison in Tucson will also be contacted. The Martins were overwhelmed with requests for rides. If they had the means, they would give a ride to dozens of family members at a time. As it is, the Trooper makes its way every Sunday morning with three blissful souls inside.

"When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?"

For four hours, the Martins sit in Safford while the families are reunited. But they are living their dream. On the drive here they fulfill the mandate of bringing the Good News to everyone. When they stop to stretch in Globe on the way home, they usually get a smile from their emotionally excited and exhausted guests. Have you ever seen the smile on the face of a young girl who lives to see her father?

"When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"

The Martins and FreshStart are asking for donations to buy a bus, for they see the day when they will be able to transport 50 family members at a time. They've identified a used bus they can buy for $6,000. If you can help, the Web site is www.freshstartfellowship.com. As we close out one year and enter the next, I know there is someone among the readership who wishes to start 2006 by going beyond a $10 or $20 or even $50 donation. Every one of these is welcome, as the Martins cover all the costs of these trips (gas and food). However, I know there is someone who can actually donate a bus. Don't hesitate. This work is not a "hallucination," it's a vision from heaven. Be part of the dream, won't you?

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "

Eat Until Your Full!

2005-12-06T11:42:00.000-06:00

Hello all you wonderful people out there. I just added another message to our website and thought I would include it here on the blog. By the way we are at 17 passengers for the Bus trip to Safford, and growing. Praise God!. Please pray for the Bus. We really need it.

I hope you enjoy this new Message:

“Eat Until Your Full”

One of the things we all most do to stay alive, is eat. Some of us eat just enough to satisfy our hunger and just enough to keep our bodies from gaining or losing weight. Some will eat not enough, thinking they will lose weight and look better, and others will eat more than enough and spend a lot of their time at the store shopping for larger clothes.

What a lot of people do not realize, is that not only do we need to feed our flesh, but we also need to feed our spirit, to really stay alive. If we feed our spirit just enough, we will not grow in God’s word like it says in 2Peter 3:18 “Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Then if we feed our spirit not enough, we will deprive ourselves of what we need to fight off the attacks of Satan, and become weak. With a weak spirit, Satan can cause confusion, as it says in the 2nd part of Proverbs 27:7. “To the hungry even what is bitter taste sweet”, - or – what is wrong seems right and what is right seems wrong. Don’t let Satan get you confused by having a weak and hungry spirit. Now, if we feed our spirit all it can eat, we will grow in wisdom, knowledge and strength. We will grow truth in our life and by being a Christian we have the spirit of truth inside us. We just need to feed it.

You want to build a strong foundation for your life. By feeding your spirit, you will build that strong foundation and you will be able to ride out the storms that Satan brings your way. Just like the wise man who built his house on the rock in Matthew 7:25. “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against his house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock”. But if you do not feed your spirit, then you will be like the foolish man who built his houses foundation on sand and it will not have the strength to ride out the storms of Satan. Matthew 7:27. “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against his house, and it fell with a great crash”. So whatever you do, feed your spirit and build that strong foundation on the rock.

A good fed spirit will also help you grow stronger faith. It will give you the strength to put on the amour of God and be able to block the fiery arrows that Satan shoots at you, as in Ephesians 6:16. As Christians we all have faith because we believe in something that we have never seen. We believe God is the creator of Heaven and Earth. We believe that He came to earth as Man, by the Virgin Birth of Jesus. And we believe that Jesus Died on the Cross for all of our sins and rose again. But is your faith as strong as the faith of the people we read about in the Bible that actually experienced the miracles that Jesus performed? It is easier to believe in something that you can actually see, but strong faith believes in something from your heart and not your sight.

I have had some people before come to me and ask me how come some of their prayers have not been answered by God. I explained to them that God hears all their requests, but a lot of times, people do not have the faith it takes to receive their answer. They begin to have doubt and doubt takes away the blessings. To have strong faith and receive from God you can not have any doubt. As example, let’s look at a couple of people from the Bible that has received or heard from God, based on the strength of their Faith.

1. Moses: He led God’s people out of Egypt, through the desert and to the Red Sea. When it seemed like they were trapped with the Red Sea on one side and Pharaoh and his army on the other side wanting to kill them, Moses called on his strong faith in God. In Exodus 14:13, he told God’s people “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still”. Moses cried out to God and had the strong faith that God would answer. He had No Doubt.

2. Centurion: In Matthew 8:5 it tells us that a Centurion (Roman Military Officer) came to Jesus and asked Him to heal his servant. Matthew 8:5-8 “A centurion came to him, asking for help. Lord, he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. Matthew 8:13, Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” Although the centurion said he was not fit to have Jesus come to his house, he had a strong enough faith in Jesus that he could heal his servant, just by speaking the Word. He also had No Doubt.

3. Woman: In Matthew 9:20 it tells us where a Woman who’s faith was so strong, that she knew if she could only touch the clothes of Jesus, then she would be healed. Matthew 9:20-22, Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” She also had No Doubt.

To me this is really amazing. Usually when Jesus was seen he had a large crowd of people around him. I can just picture this woman fighting her way through the crowd and had been bleeding for twelve years. I can imagine her saying no matter what anyone says, I am taking my case to the higher court, I am getting victory, I am getting healed and all by only touching His cloak. Wow, that is some strong faith.

All three of these people had something in common. They all cried out to God and had strong Faith. To cry out means that when you are really desperate or really miserable, then you cry out from your heart and spirit. There are many things we have allowed in our life that can not be changed, unless we cry out to God. When you get tired or miserable enough of being (1) Broke, (2) Depressed, (3) Worrying, (4) Not have enough money or (5) having a problem marriage, the crying out to God needs to be done. You don’t have to be miserable in anything. Just cry out to God and keep feeding your spirit.

You might ask how and what do I feed my spirit? You feed your spirit with God’s Word daily. The more you feed it, the stronger your spirit gets, your faith grows stronger and the Word gets stored up inside you. To feed your spirit, you need to read, study and meditate on God’s Word daily, If you will spend more time feeding your spirit, you will stay out of some of the troubles that come your way. Another way to feed your spirit is by focusing and fellowshipping with other believers. It says in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Don not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (Hebrew for Satan)? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever”? Please do not get me wrong. We are not to stay away from unbelievers, but do not allow them to feed your spirit for you. Everyone reading this message should have dedicated time set each day for the Lord. You Need To Feed Your Spirit!

Take your Bible and lift it into the air: Say – “This is my Bible, Words from God. If I let my eyes see it, if I let me ears hear it, and if I let my mouth speak it, my life will change and I will never be the same in Jesus name”. Amen!

Eat Until Your Full!

Fresh Start Fellowship

Scottsdale, Arizona

www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Updates & Support Letter

2005-12-02T08:23:00.000-06:00

These are photos of the Bus we are believing for.

Fresh Start Fellowship is growing at a fanominal pace. We now have ten (10) people scheduled for our Safford Arizona visitation trips. By our next scheduled trip on December 11th, I truly believe we are going to have at least fifteen (15) scheduled for this trip. Until we get our Bus, I am considering to cancel the Tucson trips on the 1st and 3rd weekends of each month and start making the Safford trips each week to accomodate the people who we already have scheduled. Still by going each week we will be maxed out at twelve (12) people, since we can currently only transport three (3) per visit, and they will only be able to go visit once per month, inorder to give everyone the opportunity to go. One visit per month is a long time to go without being able to sit next to your spouse or father, to talk to them face-to-face, or to hold their hand and feel their comfort. I would rather be able to take everyone on visitation trips at least twice per month. Before I make the decission to cancel the Tucson trip, I am waiting for the leading and approval from above. In the meantime, I am sending out Support letters to some Churches, Businesses and Individuals to see if we can get some Partners to join with us to meet the demands of our outreach. We already have some commitments from a few people and orgainization to help with the purchase of the Bus. With these commitments, we are not really that far away. Hopefully with these support letters going out, we will receive enough response to complete the purchase of the Bus and to help support the monthly operating expenses. This Blog is being read Worldwide, so I have included a copy of the Support letter below. If you are reading it and you know of anyone that may like to have a copy, please feel free to make a million (1,000,0000) :) smile, copies and hand them out.

SUPPORT LETTER:

Do you know someone who needs a fresh start?

:: about Fresh Start Fellowship:

Fresh Start Fellowship is a Christian Bus and Prison Ministry that provides help and support to women and children that has a husband or father in Arizona FCI Federal Prisons. We provide "FREE" rides for these women and children that do not have the transportation or finances to be able to go on visitation trips. We provide the rides to the following FCI Federal Prisons in Arizona. The first and third Saturday of each month we travel to the FCI Federal prison in Tucson Arizona. The second and fourth Saturday of each month we travel to the FCI Federal prison in Safford Arizona. We are providing this service to show the love that God our Father in Heaven has for people that have to deal with incarceration issues. Most commonly, an incarcerated person was the household income provider for their family. The spouse and children left on the outside, now have to deal with a lot of situations and financial needs. There is times that the money or transportation is not available to go visit the incarcerated person in prison. Now, Fresh Start Fellowship has the opportunity to step in and provide the transportation and money to make it possible for these people to be able to visit each other. We encourage everyone to try and make each trip, as visitations are a very important part for both the person incarcerated and the person left behind. The visits will help keep relationships and communications stronger, while going through these difficult times.

Fresh Start Fellowship also operates as a Helps Center that is used for multiple purposes such as: helping with birthdays, holidays, clothing, school supplies and toys for the children. The Helps Center will also be used for comforting the spouse left to deal with all of the burdens and financial responsibilities. The ministry is not a place where they can just come to receive financial help. We want them to bring their needs to our attention and we will pray about it and act according to the leading of God. Most importantly, we are here for them. If their situations begin to feel overbearing and they need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, we want them to be able to use ours. We are here to server their needs.

Fresh Start Fellowship is in need of a Bus to provide the transportation for these women and children to go on visitation trips to visit their husbands or fathers in the prisons. We are not a church, so we do not have the financial support of a congregation. We need help from local Businesses, Churches and Individuals. We need your End-of-Year or Monthly Financial Support to be able to purchase the needed Bus that will carry around 50 passengers per trip, and provide for the monthly operating cost. We can use the following types of Donations and Support.

Any Unwanted Items that have a Resell Value that we can sell and apply the proceeds.
One-Time Financial donation of your Choice.
$1.00 Per Day Monthly Pledge ($30 Monthly)
$2.00 Per Day Monthly Pledge ($60 Monthly)
$3.00 Per Day Monthly Pledge ($90 Monthly)
$4.00 Per Day Monthly Pledge ($120 Monthly)
$5.00 Per Day Monthly Pledge ($150 Monthly)

If you can and would like to help, you may make donations on our website with a check or credit card so you have a record of your giving.

Thank you for your help and support,

Fresh Start Fellowship
6929 N. Hayden Rd. Ste. C4 #230
Scottsdale, Arizona 85250
info@freshstartfellowship.com
www.FreshStartFellowship.com/donations/htm

"If you want to go to church, we will drive"

The Safford trip was GREAT!

2005-11-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody, yea (I believe that was a song). Just kidding.

The first trip to the Safford Arizona FCI Federal Prison was great. One of the ladies we were taking canceled last minute. She had a speratic nerve or something that sounded like that, in here lower back and she thought we were taking a Bus so she could stand up during the trip if needed, for comfort. Unfortunitly we are still believing God for the Bus. In Faith, I know it is coming soon. The other lady was a blessing to be able to provide her with the ride to go see her husband. You guessed it, her and Tina talked non-stop all the way there. These people have been through the wringer. They were from another state and when her husband was transferred to Safford, she packed up and moved to Phoenix and stayed with a realative. She had not been able to go visit her husband for going on 4 months. Just stop and think for a minute and try to realize how it would be if all of a sudden your spouse (and majority of your income, if not all) is taken away and for 4 months you only get to read their letters and talk to them on the phone for a total of 300 minuites per month (an average of 10 mins. per day). Then throw in all the attacks that satan is bring against the marriage, emmmm emmmm emmmmm. You just want to cry out to this people. Belive ME it is not easy!

Both this lady and her husband were born again Christians. Praise GOD! We got to hear on the trip down how God was working in their life. How He is healing a tumor in her lower spine area of her back. How all the young men (ages 18 to mid 20's) are looking to her husband as a father figure and Christian leader (by the way they are in their mid 50's). How God has put it in their hearts to serve Him in different areas when the husband gets released from prison. And to hear their Dreams they have of owning a small farm and going back to their home state.

As we neared the prison there in Safford, I noticed that the lady was starting to dig in her purse for coins, so she could share a pop (soda to some of you), some microwave popcorn and maybe a small bag of chips and a candy bar, with her husband from the vending machines in the vistation room. I think she was able to dig up about $3.00 in coins to be able to buy items from the vending machines during their 3-4 hour visit. I just wanted to give her every cent I had, but I was not able to. The expense for the 400 mile round trip was all I could do that day. Once we start getting Partners from Businesses, Churches and Individuals, we want to Bless these people with $5 to $10 as they go in to visit so they can share a snack (meal) with their spouse. I could go on and on as how we want to Bless these people once we start getting partners. Perhaps I can write a blog in the near future and explain it all.

We drop her off at 11:00 and Tina and I go back to the town and walk up and down the main street of the town while window shopping and stopping for lunch. It was an old Historical town and all the buildings were very old. It was kind of cool. We stopped and went in a few antique stores and man I found some of the Greatest Ebay items ever. Nope, I did not buy anything, but I sure could have.

At 3:00 the visitations are over, so we are there to pick her back up. The lady had a great visit with her husband, but you could tell that she was sad becasue she had to leave him again. That is the tuffest part when you go so long with out seeing your spouse and then when you do, you have to leave them again. For the ride back Tina was not feeling so good, so it was my turn to do the talking and keep this lady company. If you know me, you know that I do not talk that much. It was an intersting trip back, but good conversation. I can fully understand these peoples trials and what they are going through, as I have been through complete preparation for this Ministry. Tina is still not feeling well and just before we get this lady back, Tina gets sick in the car. Thankfully we had a Wal-Mart sack in the front floor of the car. We get the lady home and she can not thank us enough for what we just did for her. I told her to not thank us, but to thank God as he told me to do it. You know the best part is that she now gets to go back again in 2 weeks to visit her husband and not 4 months as we are making the trip to Safford on the 2nd and 4th weekends of each month.

It truly is a Blessing to be God's servant to these people. I will not get into it, but I have been in more contact with another staff person inside the Safford prison and they are requesting more flyers to be sent in to them regarding our services. They are telling me there is a huge need for this type of Ministry and that even when we do get our Bus, it is not going to be big enough to fill all the need. Until the Bus comes, we are going to be turning people away and will not be able to serve them, unless we have more people and vehicles to partner with us and volunteer their time and vehicle. All Ministries need support and volunteers to make it possible to do God's work. We just pray that it will be put on peoples hearts to join up and partner with us. Just breifly with the Bus part of the Ministry we need a BUS, a BUS, gas for the vehicles, bottled water, snacks, coins to give the people for the vending machines and BIBLES to just name a few. A lot of people overlook this type of Ministry, but we are like missionaries right here in Arizona, teaching and ministering to people that do not know God's word or anything about him, to people that have been and are still going through Katrina's and massive earthquakes in their life on a daily basis. We do not have to leave the United States or even Arizona to find people that needs food and that need to hear the word of God. We have more than we can serve right here where we are. Please, Ask God where you can help. Even if it is just to be a Pen Pal. We have a ton of letters coming in the next couple of weeks.

Doing His Service,

Fresh Start Fellowship
Scottsdale, Arizona
www.FreshStartFellowship.com

1st trip to Safford Arizona

2005-11-10T23:47:00.000-06:00

To start, I would like to say that the Faith Explosion in Mesa Arizona this week was awesome. They had some really powerful speakers and I did not miss a single one. To kick off the conference on Sunday night was Kenneth Copeland, Monday night was Gloria Copeland, Tuesday night was Jesse Duplantis, Wednesday night was Robert Kiyosaki and tonight was finished off with T.D. Jakes. There were some powerful Word spoken on Faith and Finances through out the week. The conference was packed wall-to-wall with people. I was so Blessed on Tuesday night while Jesse Duplantis was speaking. I had a really terrible seat way in the back and off to the side behind a huge concrete pillar where I could not see anything. One of the users put out some folding chairs and asked if Tina and I would like to move a little closer. They took us all the way up to the front, pass the section that was marked off for all the Ministers and Pastors, and sat us right by the stage. We were closer than close. About 15 feet from Jesse. Praise God! The message was strong and powerful, just what we needed as I step out in Faith to grow our Ministry, Fresh Start Fellowship. The whole week was a Blessing. I hope some of you that may be reading this blog had the chance to go or watch it on the internet.

Anyway, if you have been to our website http://www.freshstartfellowship.com/ you may have noticed that we are providing transportation for people that do not have a vehicle or finances to go visit their spouse in prisons in Safford and Tucson Arizona. We are making the Safford trip on the 2nd and 4th weekend and Tucson on the 1st and 3rd weekend of each month. This Saturday starts our first trip to Safford. I received a call from a lady here locally that received our information from her husband who is incarcerated in the Federal Prison there in Safford. She has not been able to see her husband for over 4 months, so we are excited that we have the opportunity to Bless her with the transportation to go visit her husband this weekend. Then I get another call today from a second lady that also does not have the finances or vehicle to make the 3 1/2 hour trip to visit her husband. It has been over 2 months since she has seen him.

Fresh Start Fellowship is spreading throughout the Safford prison among the inmates, like fire flies. We are supposed to be making Bus trips (No Bus Yet), but instead we are taking our personal vehicle. We are already FULL. Praise and Glory be to God. With the response we are getting this soon, we are not going to have the room to take anymore people (expansion), until we get our Bus. We have been believing God for the finances to purchase one and at this point we have been Blessed by one family who has made a donation to help support our Bus Fund. We continue to pray that God will bring us Partners in Finances to help purchase and support the Bus part of our Ministry as we continue to push forward with growth. I will be in contact with the Chaplin in the Tucson FCI Federal Prison this coming week and once Fresh Start Fellowship starts spreading among the inmates in that Institution, our 1st and 3rd weekends of each month will also fill up fast. It is awesome to watch the words that God gave me about 2 1/2 years ago, starting to come to pass. That is another example of how Powerful His Word really is. He planted it when He spoke it to me, I watered it and now I get to watch it grow.

One of my prayers are for God to send us 30 Partners who will pledge $1.00 per day towards our Bus Ministry. When we reach 30 Partners who will pledge the $1.00 per day, it will allow us to serve and minister to 400 people per month. 200 people incarcerated in the world and 200 people incarcerated in prison. Please stand in faith and agreement with us for these Partners.

May God Bless Your Ever Needs,

Fresh Start Fellowship
Scottsdale, Arizona
http://www.freshstartfellowship.com/

Message of JOY!

2005-10-31T23:17:00.000-06:00

First of all, Fresh Start Fellowship prays that everyone that is reading our blog is being blessed in everything you do. We are receiving around 3-4 prayer requests from our website at www.FreshStartFellowship.com on a weekly basis. When we receive a prayer request, we take that request before God daily for 30 days. I tell everyone that request prayer that if they will stand in faith with me during these 30 days of prayer and believe in their heart that they will receive answer, then they will see change take place in their situations. I ask them to do the following on a daily basis, as we pray for them.

Small Prayer:
I ask them to each day take their Bible (If they do not have one, I will get them one), lift it into the air and say, "This is my Bible, words from God, if I let my eyes see it, my ears hear it, and my mouth speak it, then my life will change and I will never be the same, in Jesus name". Amen! Then I explain to them that what this means is that if they let their eyes see it (read God's word daily), let their ears hear it (attend church weekly to hear God's word taught) and let their mouth speak it (confess God's word daily over their situations), then they will see change in their situations come to pass. I also give them a small message for encouragement. This last month it seemed that most prayer requests that came in, had lost their joy in life. Here is a copy of the message I gave out to them to regain their Joy.

Message of JOY!
JOY! The Bible tells us that we are to be joyful at all times. Joy comes from our Spirit. We all have a spirit that is covered with Flesh & Bones. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, you are asking Him to come into your life. Life is not our Flesh & Bones. Your Flesh & Bones can be broken or injured and your Life still goes on living. Our Life is our Spirit. When you ask God to come into your life, He will send His Holy Spirit to live in you and give your Spirit a New Beginning or Birth. You will be born again with a new Life in your Spirit. During our life time we are faced with many kinds of trials. Good ones and Bad ones. Thessalonians 5:16 says to be joyful Always. Not just during the good times, but Always. Some of the trials that we face are tougher than others. When trials come, basically Satan is attempting an attack on your life and at times he tries to throw all Hell at you. But God will strengthen your Spirit, so that no matter what comes, it will not reach your Spirit. The book of Nehemiah says the Joy of the Lord is the strength of your Spirit. No matter how tough the trial gets, it will not reach your Spirit. God will not allow something to come upon you that you can not handle. You may wonder why we have to even go through trials in our life. It could be that God is testing our courage and strength of our Faith, or it could be that we have to go through them to be prepared or made stronger to accept or be able to handle what God has for us to come. God has a plan for everyone’s life and sometimes we have to be prepared for His plan. If you don’t know the plan He has for your life, just ask Him. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Here is what the Bible says about being Joyful or Happy when these trials or test come upon us. Romans 5:3-5 (New Life Version) <3we> 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (New Living Translation) <16always> 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) <18give> James 1:12 (New Living Translation) <12god> It is sad that most people will develop a bad attitude when trials or test come upon them. Sometimes they will even try to run from the difficult situations, instead of being Joyful and facing the situation head on. NEVER run in difficult situations, or you may never receive the blessing that God has for you on the other side. A lot of people think they can have Joy or Happiness without asking God into their life. They think that having a lot of money, nice cars, boats, big houses, fancy cloths or successful businesses, can make them Happy or give them Joy. What they have is a fake or false Joy and Happiness. No matter how much money you have or how big you house is it is never enough. You will always want more and bigger. The only TRUE Joy and happiness is Jesus Christ. So no matter how bad a situation may be, it is very important to always keep your Joy. You may have heard before that Joy or Laughter can cure depression. In Proverbs 17:22 it says that “a cheerful Joy or Laughter can cure depression. In Proverbs 17:22 it says that “a cheerful heart is good medicine”. Joy gives you health. Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord Always – Let your gentleness be evident to all. Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven. If you don’t Rejoice and show Happiness, then Satan thinks he has won. Don’t let him win. Be Happy and full of Joy, ALWAYS!

We are excited to see how God will continue to grow our Ministry and use us to be a Blessing to His people in need. Our focus in our Ministry is to provide support to family members of incarcerated people. I would say that 95% of incarcerated people should be where they are, due to something wrong that they did. I would also say that 95% of the spouses and children that have been left behind in the world to deal with the day to day trials, financial burdens and attacks from Satan, due to the income provider of their home being sent to prison, should have a place like Fresh Start Fellowship to turn to for help, prayer and guidance. Please help us spread the word, so we can provide this much needed support. Tell all your friends and family to visit our website and sign up to be a partner with us. As a financial partner they can volunteer to pledge a one time gift, or they can pledge anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 per day. We also have other areas that need volunteers to help in being a pen pal, prayer partner, etc., etc..

God's Blessings,
Bill Martin
Fresh Start Fellowship
email: freshstartfellowship@cox.net
web: http://www.FreshStartFellowship.com

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A Big Thank you to Betsy for designing our Logo!

Discernment

2005-10-26T14:37:00.000-05:00

Another week has gone by and things are still happening. We are getting on average 3-4 prayer request per week. Some are coming from the blog, but most are coming from our website www.FreshStartFellowship.com. Not sure how they are finding the website, but we are getting about 40-50 visitors per day and we just started. I find it kind of interesting that most people, not all, but most, who ask me about Fresh Start Fellowship, kind of take a negative approach or attitude, when I tell them about the prayer request that we are getting. Their first thoughts and words are, you do know that there are a lot of scammers out there just wanting you to give them some money. That really just blows me away, but I can fully understand how people get this negative approach to life. The world we live in today is full of negativity and hate. However, we can choose to make it positive and live by love, if we want. I know there may be times that our Ministry is contacted by people trying to pull of a scam, but so far they have all be real legit needs, except for maybe one, and nobody has asked for any money. Some example prayer request that we have received are:.....................

1. A young family just moved to Arizona and everything fell apart from around them. They were getting evicted from their home and the wife thought that all hope was lost and that God was against them. They were just asking for prayer, advise and that God would show his presence to them. After praying with them and giving them a huge list of guidance that God put on my heart, I received an email from them the next day saying God showed up. They were able to keep their home. Praise God! Don't you just love praise reports? I do.

2. There was a home where the single parent was disabled and the daughter who recently just graduated from High School, was trying to support the whole family. That is an encouragement itself for someone so young trying to support the home. Anyway, they were not asking for money, just for some prayer, encouragement, guidance and favor. They had food, but no toilet paper, soap, shampoo, or things like that.

3. Another single mom asked for prayer not only for herself, but for all the people who are living pay check to pay check. She is in an income level that does not allow her to receive any state assistance. She has 3 small children ages 2, 3 and 4. She has to pay $1000.00 per month child care, which takes a big portion of her pay check. She did not know what to ask for prayer about, so we prayed that God would provide her the adequate income to meet her every need and that her child care will either be reduced to an affordable level or that the cost would be eliminated and provided in other ways. Our God is not a god of barely enough or just enough, he is a God of more than enough. Shaken down and poured over and someone trying so hard, should not have to struggle with barely enough to get by.

God spoke to me about 2 1/2 years ago and told me to do Fresh Start Fellowship, He gave me the Gift of Discernment to help me reconginze the untruth and the scammers. One of the largest trails in my life that I went through to receive the preparation for this Ministry was a really tough time for me and my family. Although it was tough, it was also a Huge Blessing that I would not have wanted to miss out on. I am so thankful and blessed that God used me during that time and that He continues to do so. It was preparation for this Ministry.

Just a little update. Hope the rest of the week is a awesome blessing for all.

Fresh Start Fellowship
Scottsdale, Arizona
www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Prayer Request

2005-10-18T09:31:00.000-05:00

You don't have to be behind bars, to be in bondage.

It is sad that there are so many people that are lost, struggling and bound by the bondage of satin. Actually we all fall into this category, until we find our heavenly Father, ask Him into our life and allow Jesus and the Holy Spirit to come in and break the chains of bondage that satin is putting on people.

I am always up late at night on the computer trying to broker computer surplus and work on Ministry stuff. Last night around 10:30, I received an email from a young lady that somehow, somewhere, found our web site and was searching for the light at the end of the tunnel. She is asking for prayer. Her and her husband have 3 small children (ages 1 month, 22 months and 3 yrs). In brief, the husband recently got out of the military and they have been in the phoenix area for 3 months. They fell hard financially and they are being evicted from their home on Wednesday. She said:

"I feel like my life has ended. I feel as if all hope is lost. I have no one here. No friends, family, no one. I know that our situation is not going to change just because someone prays about it. I know, I have tried and God simply isn't there."

Wow, that is pretty heavy. Sounds like she is giving up and letting satin win. I was going to wait until today to reply to her, but she needed encouragement right then. For the next two hours I prayed about it and typed her a very, very long message of hope and encouragement. When I got up this morning at 6:00, I had a reply from the husband. He thanked me for the reply to his wife's cry for help. He is a man of God and is trying to provide for his family, anyway he can. He is a waiter at one of the larger steak houses in the area and is trying to find a second job. He said his wife struggles with varying levels of depression when faced with trials in their life. He said he is constantly trying to reassure her that not only is there a God, but that if He also supplies the needs of the birds, then He will provide for them too. He seems to know Gods word and is seeking God for guidance.

Fresh Start Fellowship will take a persons prayer request before God daily for an entire month. Prayer is a powerful thing. I am praying for the wife individually, that God will give her the strength to get through this tough time and that he will show her, His existence. I am praying for the husband individually, that God will give him wisdom in whatever area he needs, to get their families finances back on track, and I am praying for their family in whole. If this young couple will stand with me in faith and agreement during this month, they will see change in their life and situations.

I told them to do this every day, while we are praying:

Take your Bible, lift it up in the air and say: This is my Bible, words from God. If I let me eyes see it, my ears here it, and my mouth speak it, my life will change and I will never be the same in Jesus name, Amen! I explained to them that what this means is that if they let their eyes see it (read Gods word daily), let their ears hear it (here Gods word daily) and let their mouth speak it (confess Gods word daily), then their life and situations will change.

Fresh Start Fellowship currently does not have many partners to help join in prayer for this family. If you are reading this, I ask that you will include Jason, Angel and their children Logan, Madison and Noah in your prayers. The more we having praying for them, the more powerful it is. Also if you have needs or prayer request yourself, please let us know. We want to include yours as well.

You are a Blessing,

Bill
www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Current Updates!

2005-10-14T15:53:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to update all of our visitors and partners. We have now sent out our information to one of the FCI Federal Prison Chaplins, in Arizona. The Chaplin had requested that I send him some information about the Ministry we provide to family members of the people incarcerated in prison. The Chaplin said there is a demand for our Bus Ministry, by taking spouses and children that do not have transportation or finances to go on visitations. Also said he has had a lot of request for someone to make home visits to unsaved families that are going through some really tough times, and requests for English and Spanish Pen Pals. The Chaplin is going to distribute our information to the inmates, so they are aware of the ministry we offer.

If you do not already know, below is a brief description of what our Ministry is all about. Full details can be found on our NEW Web Site at www.FreshStartFellowship.com.

We Provide "FREE" rides for Spouses and Children to visit their incarcerated family member (currently planning trips to Tucson and Safford Arizona FCI institutions).
We Provide counseling and support for the left behind spouse.
We help with children birthdays, clothes, school supplies, etc., etc.
We have a Pen Pal program for incarcerated people who want someone to talk to.
Upon release, we will help incarcerated people find jobs, transportation, work clothes, work tools and give them the counseling they need to begin their Fresh Start.

We are here to Help and show them God's love!

Hope everyone is having a Blessed Week,

Bill

www.FreshStartFellowship.com

Here to Help

2005-09-28T00:19:00.000-05:00

Fresh Start Fellowship was blessed with an opportunity to help a man in Idaho, to reconnect with his son. This gentleman had been searching for his sons for over 10 years. The last time he had seen his sons was Christmas day in 1994 when his wife at the time, left him and took his two boys. They were ages 5 & 8 at the time. The wife has hid the two boys for over ten years and told them that there dad was dead. We were contacted by this man and he asked for our help. We located his oldest son who is now 18 years old in a local jail. My daughter and I went to this young mans court date on September 19, 2005 and waited 31/2 hours for him to come before the judge. Once he did the court was not going to allow him the opportunity to be released on bond, as he had no where to live. His mother had kicked him out on the streets and he had been involved in a line of trouble with freinds. My daughter and I went before the judge on the behalf of the father who was still in Idaho and presented a plea to the judge. The judge was amazed that we were there and we did not even know this young man. After going in front of the judge, he decided to set bond for this young man at $500.00. He then allowed me to talk with this young man for a brief moment. The poor sole was scared, lost and in bondage by satan. I talked briefly with him and told him that his dad was there for him, that he loved him very much and wanted to help in any way he could. The young man just sat in amazment and looked at me. He had do clue that his dad was looking for him and that he loved him. It was a great blessing to me to be able to speak those words to this young man and see the expression on his face. They then took the young man back to jail and I contacted his dad to let him know that I had contact with his son and that the son now knows he cares and that he is there for him.The next day I received this email from the dad:

"JUST A SHORT NOTE! THANK YOU I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO MY SON AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU. I WILL FILL YOU IN AGAIN WHEN I HAVE MORE TIME , LOTS OF THINGS ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW. GOING AFTER MY OTHER SON. THEY HAVE BEEN ABUSED BUY THEIR MOTHER AND STEP FATHER. THANKS AGAIN SORRY SO SHORT WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED. GOD BLESS YOU !!!"

God works in mighty ways. We were blessed to be able to help this father and son reconnect. We pray that God will continue to use our Ministry to reach and help people. We are here to Serve in any way we can.

If you are reading this blog and are located in the Phoienx Arizona area and would like to attend Church, but do not have a way, then just let us know and we will provide the ride for you to get there. We attend a small Non-Denominational Church in Scottsdale that meets at 10:30 on Sunday mornings.

We need partners to help in our Ministry. If you feel it in your heart to be a partner with us, you can make donations by sending them through paypal at http://www.paypal.com/. Just send the donations to freshstartfellowship@cox.net. All donations will be used for the Ministry purposes.May God Bless your ever needs.

Bill
Fresh Start Fellowship
freshstartfellowship@cox.net

Prison Ministry

2005-09-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

Fresh Start Fellowship is a Christian Based prison Ministry. It is not a church, but a Christian based Help Center. Starting out we will be providing "FREE" bus rides for people who have a family member incarcerated in Federal prisons in Arizona. The bus will leave Scottsdale Arizona on Saturday mornings and will be going to the following prisons. The first and third Saturday of each month we will travel to the FCI Federal prison in Tucson Arizona. The second and fourth Saturday of each month we will travel to the FCI Federal prison in Safford Arizona. This bus service will be free of charge and we will serve snacks and refreshments during the trip. We are providing this service to show the love that God our Father in Heaven has for you and your incarcerated family member. A lot of the time when a Family member is incarcerated, the person incarcerated is the household income provider. The spouse and children left on the outside now have to deal with a lot of situations and financial needs. There are times that the money or transportation is not available to go vist the incarcerated person in prison. This is when Fresh Start Fellowship steps in and provides the transportation and money to make it possible for you and your children to vist the incarcerated person. We encourage everyone to try and make each trip, as visitations are a very important part for both the person incarcerated and the person left behind. They will also help keep your relationships stronger while going through these difficult times in your life.

We will also have a Helps Center that will be used for multiple purposes. Purposes like helping with birthdays, holidays, clothing, school supplies and toys for the children. It will also be a center for counseling for the spouse left to deal with all of the burdens and financial responsibilities. It is not a place that you can just come to and receive Financial Help. We want you to bring your needs to our attention and then we will pray about it and act according to the leading of God. Most importantly, we are hear for you. If your situations start to feel overbearing and you just need someone to talk to or you need a shoulder to cry on, then use ours. We are here for you.

The help center will also be a place for the incarcerated person, once they are released back into society. Depending on the amount of time they have been incarcerated and away from the outside world, they can really be lost upon release. We want to be available to help them find jobs, transportation, provide them with work clothes, work tools and be able to give them the counseling they need to begin their Fresh Start. A lot of offenders that are released from incarceration, end up going back to prison. Mainly because they have been away to long and have nowhere to turn to. They have trouble finding jobs and making a legal living, so they turn back to crime. We want to be here to help them in anyway we can. To show and teach them how much God loves them and what His word says about them. We want to show them that with God in their life all things are possible and He will help and guide them if they seek His kingdom first.

We do not ask for money to support the services of our Bus or Help Center Ministry. We do take donations from Churches, Businesses and Individuals that feels Gods leading them to do so. The majority of the people we will be ministering to, does not have the financial means to help our Ministry. God will have to supply the support we need from the outside. We will teach and show you what God's word says about giving your tithes and offerings to Him and how He will reward you for your obedience. If you have never experienced God's blessings in your life, then you will be amazed to see how true His word (the Bible) really is.

If you need or can use any of the above mentioned services or know someone who can, please contact me by email at FreshStartFellowship@cox.net and I will contact you within 24hrs.

We are currently believing God to help us raise approx. $6,000.00 to purchase a nice bus with a restroom onboard, like the one in the picture above. In the meantime, I will use my personal vehicle for the visitation trips. I can presently only take 3 people at one time. Once the bus is purchased, I will be able to take around 50 at a time. If you feel lead to help with any donations, you may make them by clicking on the Donations button below. You can give by using a Checking Account or Credit Card. Please state the purpose of your donation. All donations will be used for the purpose you request. We accept one time or monthly pledges.

May God Bless you and we look forward in serving your needs.

Thank you for your Support.

Bill
Fresh Start Fellowship

FeshStartFellowship@cox.net

Need A Fresh Start? -- Let's Talk

2005-08-30T00:47:00.000-05:00

More information will be coming soon. In the meantime if any of the following areas pretain to you or someone you know, then email us or post to this blog and I will contact you within 24hrs by email.

If you are a family member of someone in prision, if you have recently been released from prision, if you are struggling in life, if you are frustrated with your life, if you are homeless, if you just need someone to talk to, or if you Just need a Fresh Start, then please email me and I will reply within 24hrs.

Fresh Start Fellowship was formed to start out as a Christian Bus Ministry and Help Center to provide family members of prisioners some support and a FREE ride to the ones that does not have transportation or the money to go vist your family member in prision. We are currently providing rides to the following prisions in Arizona every two weeks. 1. FCI Federal Prision in Safford Arizona. 2. FCI Federal Prision in Tucson Arizona. We will be leaving Scottsdale Arizona and can pick you up anywhere in the Phoenix area or on the way to these locations. If there are children in the family, we want to help with Clothing, Birthdays and Holidays, where we can.

Fresh Start Fellowship also is a Christian based help center for people reccently released from prision. We are here to help you in finding a job, transportation, work clothes, work tools and any counseling you need to help with your Fresh Start. We are here for YOU!

Fresh Start Fellowship is also available to other people that has nothing to do with family members of prisioners or people that was reccently released from prision. We are here to be available if you just need someone to talk to about any struggles, frustrations, trails or burdens you may have. We also are here to provide you with transportation to Church if you would like to go. We are Christian based and we attend a Non-Denomination Church. We are not a church, but a support group and help center that would like to help you learn God's word and let you know how much God loves you. God will give you a Fresh Start if you just ask him to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior.

If you Want to Go to Church and Don't Have a Way, I will Drive!