Daily Bread

Did Jesus pray for God to provide for Him a weeks worth of bread? Nope! Just His daily bread. If you're anything like me, it's tough to only see "the daily bread"! We want that reassurance of knowing that there is a reserve in case of an unforeseen emergency. Where God is standing, looking at our lives, there is no such thing as an unforeseen emergency. We panic while He says trust in Me and I WILL provide for you! So pray for me as I try to accept the fact that God is providing daily bread, which is hard for me though it IS His plan, and quit getting in God's way with all my "great" ideas. In Him lies all my faith and love!

Daily Bread

Give us this day our daily bread -
And the Peace that comes from You -
Lean not on your own understanding -
Acknowledge Him in all you do -

Now cast upon Him all your worries -
All your fears, your pain, your doubt -
Commit your life to worship Him -
And allow your King to work it out -

Holy Spirit/ God's Will

This is a poem about the Holy Spirit as our guide to do God's Will!

Thy Will

Not my will but Thine be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
I’ll send for you a Comforter
You said as You left to Your chosen eleven

He comes to teach and convict us
As well as to guide
He’s that burning desire
That indwelling Fire, living inside

He shows us the path
That Abba would have us to take
Not the one marked self-serving
On that path it is Him we forsake

On the Creator’s path
Not always smooth, it’ll be rough
But by clinging to His will
Says He is always enough

By living life in His presence
You lean on Him for each and every need
Worship Him with your song, your dance
And your life, in word and also in deed

Africa

In response to preparing to go to Africa again this year I have a little piece to share that starts with last year's trip through to this one. Enjoy!

Africa

It is the continent in which
Parts of my heart will forever remain
Squatter camps and the Lion Park
I remember beautiful lightning and rain

I went there so God could use me
To reach people, their lives to change
Instead mine was forever altered
Now it can never be the same

To share the Gospel with those in need
A distributor of Hope and Love
Telling the story of the sacrifice
Made for all of us by God above

Entering into the stronghold of darkness
Defeating it with the Light
Inviting my new brothers and sisters to Victory
For He’s already won the fight

To look into eyes so empty
In great need of the cleansing blood
Only to see them brighten so
Hope and Love like a rushing flood

I count each of the days until
I return to collect my scattered heart
My bags are packed full of Good News
Patiently waiting until I depart

Forever grateful that God was so kind
To allow me to come and join Him
To share his Hope, Grace, Love, and Mercy
And to get to love Him by loving them

Thank you, Abba
Siyabonga (One who is grateful)

Could it really be happening to me???

Today I got to register for my classes at Liberty University! I want you to know that it is an answer to prayers! I asked God to allow me to go to Liberty, and He has answered!! Now as I prayed about this, I said I would go for whatever He wanted me to (assuming that the degree in religion I had planned was His plan as well!!) and He is opening the doors for me to go. Now here's the surprising part, He picked a different degree course for me. He picked Psychology with a Christian Counseling Specialization as my major. A curveball from what I thought, but His will nonetheless. I am so excited to get to go! I have completely embraced His choice of majors for me, because I know it is part of His plan for my life.......which will supercede anything I would have picked for me anyway!

So I ask everyone to join me in a prayer of praise for God's goodness, and seeking Him for His continued help as I finish up the financial aid process!

Thank you Father, I am not worthy!!

prayer

here is a devotional on prayer. Oh, and don't be afraid to "break the glass" when there's not an emergency! Enjoy!

Broken Glass

In case of emergency, break glass. How many of us have seen that phrase printed somewhere? We usually find it on a boxed-in area containing a fire alarm or fire extinguisher. Outside of a mischievous moment here and there, none of us would think about breaking that glass unless there was a real emergency. We are content to function normally without breaking the glass. In that same spirit, most folks do not give a second thought to their spare tire until they hear that ominous sound that only can be made by a flat tire. Unfortunately, most Christians function in the same manner with God.

We don’t have the time to spend in regular prayer with God, but fully expect Him to have time for us when we are finally calling out to Him due to our perilous situation. God is seeking a relationship with us. A relationship requires regular maintenance; not a sporadic, needy, greedy request. Think about it like this: what if you only ate whenever you could find time to invest in prayer first? I believe that Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig would be headed for the unemployment line. In much the same way as our physical bodies would be starving at that point, our spiritual lives are starving for that time with our Creator.

We were created to worship and spend time with our Maker, not chase dollars and sinful self-fulfillment. At what moment do we stop to realize that as we stomp through our day not bothering to give God a second thought or just a moment of prayer, He is still blessing us beyond what we will ever deserve? For a moment of reflection, consider this: what if God only blessed us when we deserved it? How short and miserable our lives would be. Fortunately, for all of the undeserving sinners in the world, (that’s everyone who breathes) God treats us far better than we earn. He gives us life, salvation, family, friends, and everything else that has true value. The only thing He is searching for from us is a small slice of our time spent getting familiar with who He is through His word and speaking and listening to Him in prayer. That doesn’t sound like a very even relationship. He gives, gives, gives, and sometimes receives while we receive, receive, receive, and rarely give. I have heard it stated that inadequate time spent with God is not a time management issue-it is a lack of love issue. You will never be able to love Him back like He loves you, but don’t stop trying. He’s earned your time…have you earned His blessings?

Go ahead, break down and invest some of your life in prayer without it just being a “spare tire” plea for mercy. Don’t mistake prayer for your turn to step up and give God a divine “to do” list. Prayer is sharing all of you with Him, while listening to what He has to say to you. So today I say: dare to be different! Break the glass when there is no emergency. You would make His day if you did. And besides, He’s already made yours!

The lady in this picture is a hero of mine. I do not know her name, but I know her story. Our mission team met her when we were in Ukraine in late June/ early July this summer. She is someone who has been a christian for over forty years. Now that's quite an accomplishment even in this country. Not everyone can say they have followed Christ for forty plus years. But what makes her even more remarkable is the fact that she has done it in Ukraine the whole time. In 1991 Ukraine gained its independence from Russia. Up until that point, Ukraine had been an eastern bloc nation for the Soviet Union. Under the communist regime, Jesus was not welcome there, but he was welcome in this lady's heart! She has had to run from the militia on numerous occasions. She has had to jump trains to get away from them. In this picture you see her leaning on a cane. The cane was a "gift" from the militia due to one of her run ins with them. They ran over her and broke her back because of her being a christian. Even still, she is leaning on this cane as she is listening to the traditional Ukrainian hymns that some of the church members are playing and singing outside the church. They tried to break her body but they couldn't break her love for God! We live in a country where there is no opposition to our christianity (until emporer obama's terror regime is finished with us), yet we are still afraid to proclaim the name of our Almighty Creator! Why? Nobody is going to run over us and break our back for saying YES! I love Jesus! So why are we so timid and afraid? Jesus loved us enough to give His life for ours, yet MOST of us can't even give him a minute! Now, the "funny" part about that is when this life is over and we must stand before God in Judgement; then everyone will be ready to wave the Jesus banner! But it will be too late! People have this crazy idea that giving their life to God means they have given up on life. That everything is over. All fun and enjoyment in life is all but gone. Nothing could be farther from the truth! There is a song I have been listening to on a new (to me) cd by a group called Big Daddy Weave that says to be held so tight (in the arms of God) I have never felt so free! That is the truth my friends! There is a freedom in the grace of God that can not be found ANY where else! Now does it mean that you will live a life that is a bed of roses? No. Look at the lady in the picture. Her life was not a bed of roses, but she wouldn't trade away anything that she went through in the name of God. When she walked into the room, she lit the room up! The joy that flowed from this beautiful person was astounding. Knowing her story, and then to see her and hear her speak, absolutely uplifting. God doesn't tell us that a life lived in Him and for Him is an assurance that our life will never have a bump in the road again, but that it would have far more meaning than it ever could have otherwise.

The sad fact is that most of us are not strong enough for something so easy! I think about the salmon when I say this. We have all seen pictures of the salmon fighting and struggling and giving every ounce of effort in their bodies to get upstream. Even though at the end of this fight they must still lay their lives down right there, they give everything they have to accomplish this mission. It is what their whole life is about. The days they will spend swimming upstream, only to get to their destination and die. The christian life can be like this. We can give everything we have for the cause of Christ, but still have to lay our lives down once we reach the goal we were fighting for. But just like the salmon, their life doesn't matter until they swim upstream and spawn. Ourlives won't matter if we live them selfishly for ourselves instead of comitting them fully to the cause of Christ.

How many of us are strong enough to swim upstream when the whole world is washing away, downstream? How many of us have what it takes to give up selfish pursuits and commit our entire being to the One who has already given His life for ours?

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Can you be strong enough for Him.......through Him?

Words I heard

Lord burn me up with Your unquenchable fire
The Spirit of Your heart, Your overwhelming desire
Flooding the world with the Love in Your Word
Until You come back or until all have heard

How many times have we heard people say I'm not called to missions? That tells me a few things:
1. They are not reading their Bible for themselves.
2. They do not have the walk with God that they should
3. They do not value the sacrifice of Jesus Christ enough to go and tell EVERYONE

Matthew 9:37 says:
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

AND

Matthew 9:38 says:
38 "Therefore pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Ok. let's call it what it really is; some people can't go elsewhere on mission (health, home/ work situations, etc.) and some won't go (usually citing that they're not called to that particular endeavor), but the truth is that there is more to it than just leaving to go and share the Gospel. Let's take a look at some other options:

1. Take care of the children of the ones who can/ will go.
An example of that in my life is my mother. Due to her health, she would virtually be detrimental to the mission team in the field. But her contribution is, when my wife and I partake in a mission, local or foreign, she will take care of our children. This is invaluable to us, as we know that are children are safe while we're gone. In our church there are numerous examples of this. When we send out a mission team, usually there are married couples on the team. This is only possible because there are people that will step up and take care of their children while they're gone. VERY IMPORTANT!!

2. You can financially support the mission team members.
Let's face it, there is nothing free in this world, especially traveling. As most of us have heard, there is such a thing as offering beyond our tithing. This offering can definitely go to support those who will go. If you can't/ won't go to tell everyone that Jesus loved them enough to die for them because there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, then support someone who is going to do this.

3. Make your life a mission for God.
All of us, whether we do any sort of organized and/ or corporate type of mission or not, need to make it a point to show the love of God to those around us. What does that entail? Living out your new life in Christ before a watching world is a great place to start! If you think about Jesus' ministry, He demonstrated His love for those around Him at all times! Take for example the time that he fed the 5,000. That is the only one of His miracles recorded in all four of the Gospel's. It starts with Him preaching and sharing God's Word (doing the work of His Father!)with those in attendance which we have known many to do. But then as it got late and He sensed the need that was present in the crowd for food, He switched gears immediately from evangelist to Provider. How many preachers, how many of us in general would have followed the same path as the disciples did? We can't possibly feed them all so we must send them all away. It's not fair if we can help some and not the others, so let's send them all away. But Jesus, making a point to make His entire life a mission for God, decided to seek God's help in showing the entire crowd the true love of God. He never saw it as an impossibility, instead He saw it as an opportunity. So following the example set by Christ, not only do we need to share the Gospel with those around us, but also look to meet their needs when they are made known to us. Just as Christ did, prayer on the subject should be step one. But then ACTION is the next step. There will be people in your life that you can share the Gospel with a thousand and one times and never reach them, but by demonstrating the love of Christ to them, you can tear down walls that would otherwise not come down. For some of the places that our church goes on mission trips, this fact has been proven to us over and over again. From our Alaskan mission team going out on the ice in Alaska to help the natives with their fishing (bait, giving them fish, etc) to our Ukrainian mission team doing eyeglass clinics, we use service to reach some otherwise very unreachable people. Since I have not gone to Alaska yet and I have been to Ukraine to see the eyeglass clinics, I will tell you what I saw there. I saw people that were born into and raised up under communism. People that are so distant and that refuse to open their hearts and minds to the Gospel in any regular situation; but not in this situation. I'll explain "eyeglass clinic" real quick; the missionary (Bruce MacDonald) that we work with there, arranges a location (often times a church) where people get to come in and have a free eye exam and then recieve a free pair of glasses. The eye glasses are donated by different churches and individuals and given to all who come. Now to you and I in America that's not that big of a deal. To those in a place where health care is more of a luxury item, this is priceless. While they wait to see the doctor, we go around and share the Gospel with them. When their exam is complete, we use the New Testament in Russian as their "test" to see if their glasses are working for them. Now because there is a service attached to this message and not just idol words, there is a HUGE response. We are able to have their attention as God's Word is being shared and then we also provide a service as well. We have watched God work some absolute miracles in these settings (remember: it is not us working, instead it is us being available for God to work throught us!) including this past year when we met a medical student there who had been born into the very idolatrous religion of Hinduism. Exodous 20:3 tells us "You shall have no other gods before Me" so we know that it's not right; but it is all consuming religion/ lifestyle so they rarely if ever leave Hinduism. But this young man came to the eyeglass clinic looking to receive an eye exam and a pair of eyeglasse, and he left with a brand new knowledge of Jesus Christ. This man was open to hear what was being shared while at the eyglass clinic and ended up accepting Christ as his personal Savior. That's how service and sharing can go hand in hand. If you need to find people in need, just look ANYWHERE around you. The needs are as varied as the faces you're looking in. Look for opportunities to serve and share; don't wait for opportunity to come and punch you in the face to get your attention! The King of Glory came as a servant to show us how to serve others and share the Gospel with them simultaneously. By doing so we are making our lives a mission for God.

....and I saved the most important for last

4. Pray!
As we see in Matthew 9:38, Jesus Himself is saying for us to pray for more laborers. We also HAVE to pray for the laborers that we have! No man can accomplish God's task on his own. Each and every one of us must rely on the strength that comes from God through prayer and the prayer of others. In James 5:16 it tells us very specifically to pray for one another. When Jesus was in His final hours before going to the cross, where was He? He was praying for the disciples. Intercession is imperative! God is looking for those will step up and take on the burden of praying for all of those who need it! We can all step up and fill that position. Will we? We can pray for God to share His heart with us. But can we?

2 Chronicles 7:14 says
14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

It is the job (mission) of all believers to not just say "woo hoo I'm saved and going to Heaven" and leave it at that. We are to intercede for everyone. We are to intercede constantly. We are to pray without ceasing. Remember, prayer does not have to be a formal thing. You can pray anywhere at any time and He will hear you! You do not have to be in church at the altar to pray and have it heard. Just seek the Father and you will find Him!

Don't think that you're not called to be on mission with God. Christ gave Himself for all of us, now we must give ourselves to Him to get His word out! As we learned Sunday, in Corinthians 12 we find out that the body of Christ is like our own bodies. It's made up of many parts, each with their own function (you can't have an eye that hears or an ear that smells) and even though the functions are different they are all important! The body of Christ has many parts each with our own function; now we must go do our parts!