Hello! Thanks for praying for and encouraging me this past week through conversations and practical help. It’s always fun to see the Kingdom of God in action in the everyday stuff.

This week, please pray:

• I’ll receive confirmation of His plans for our international teams as I put our thoughts before Him
• for time and energy to invest into what He wants to build in the U.S.
• things will go smoothly as we work on improving our website and communication strategies
• for an acceleration of the movement of the Holy Spirit in the little things…and an awareness and appreciation of that movement!

Thanks so much! I am so grateful for you!

Reflections of Praise

Back in my ad agency days, we had a client whose current slogan is, “Come Hungry, Leave Happy.” Know who they are?! That’s kind of how February has felt. I came into it hungry for more of God. Unlike the second half of the slogan, though, I didn’t just leave the month happy: I left it even hungrier! More than leaving me happy, it’s been satisfying in a challenging way, which is my favorite kind of way. As you prayed for last month’s requests, God has been faithful to reveal Himself…but not in the ways I had anticipated. Building relationships has been a lot more fun than I expected, but some doors have slowly closed in other areas, guiding me toward new options to explore in terms of strategic partnerships and organizational systems. Through it all, I’ve been challenged to take hours, not just moments, to seek God’s direction and pleasure. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon! Things aren’t turning around miraculously or instantaneously, but “slowly by slowly”. It’s been an awesome opportunity to grow in a life of faith as we take one step at a time toward our hope.

Please continue praying this month

• for wisdom about who and how we send internationally this summer: since it doesn’t look like key details are going to fall in to place in time, we’re working on a “Plan B”
• for clear organization and next steps as we make plans to test-run a domestic worship mission program
• for divinely-appointed meetings with strategic partner organizations…and that I’ll bring abundant spiritual blessing to those I interact with
• for God to continue connecting me with people who serve as channels and messengers for His ways and ideas (please thank Him for already doing this last month!)

Looking Ahead

Sometime during the day yesterday, I was working my way through the task list when I felt the Lord impressing the idea of “timing” on me as a theme. The more I tossed that around with Him, the more I wanted my life to be characterized by perfect timing. Not “just in time,” which is always a little stressful, but “at just the right time.” Both of them require patience and waiting (neither of which I am a big fan ), but I think I am supposed to switch my mindset from patiently waiting for His salvation to actively (yet, patiently) waiting for His perfection. I know His salvation has already come and is complete in Christ’s work on the Cross. What I don’t know in an experiential way is the perfection of His salvation in me.

As my small groups have been studying our way through the Gospel of John, the thing God keeps pointing out to me is how Jesus was very clear about when it was not yet his time (2.4; 7.6, 8, 30; 8.20) and when it was his time (13.1, 17.1). Whether it was going to Judea to raise his friend from the dead or dying to extend salvation to every sinner, He didn’t stress out when He needed to wait, and He was ready to move when it was time. Look how eternally perfect His life turned out! I don’t know how many times I’ve said this is my one prayer request (we’re only allowed one in one of the groups): to be so aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence that I wouldn’t act or speak without His direction, just like Jesus was.

Closed doors and re-routed plans for this ministry aren’t just about fulfilling the Great Commission, although that’s huge in itself. I suspect it’s also been part of God’s training course for me all along as He builds me for joyful submission to Him when we’re face to face. At just the right time.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5.6

Good morning! Thanks for praying last week! It was a little tough to shift gears and get back in to “regular chaos” (as opposed to irregular chaos?!), but I think that was just God’s way of giving me a little bit of a break after the intensity of preparing for the past conference and encountering Him there.

This week, could you please pray for:

• focus on each task as I move toward a wide variety of goals
• God to connect me with the right people to accomplish those tasks
• wisdom on how to grow our communications and organizational outreach and discernment as we draft plans and schedules for that

Thanks so much! How are you doing?

Hello! Hope you had a very happy weekend. Thanks so much for praying for me last week. It felt super(naturally) productive, yet so peaceful in the midst of a ton of activity. Finishing it off by encountering God at a 3-day mission conference made your prayer covering feel especially sweet, so thanks!

This week, could you please:

• thank God for satisfying and challenging me so deeply. Please pray God would seal all He has begun to work in me over the last few days and continue to build on it. Pray for courageous conviction, too!
• ask for His protection as the enemy will probably try to undo what God has shown me.
• join me in declaring by faith that He will make a way for what we sense He wants us to do this summer: at least one (up to five) international team(s) and a test-run/pilot for a domestic mission program.
• re-entry adjustment to “the real world” after the spiritual high of a great conference. It’s a good thing, really! But it’s never easy…

Thanks so much! Have a great week!