Well, it is the start of a new week and after yesterday's message at church, I am both healthily convicted and excited about being intentional and responsive to the needs of those around me. If you were not able to be at church last night, Joel preached from Isaiah 58 about the fundamental responsibility of Christians to minister to the poor, the needy, the less fortunate, the orphans, the widows (you can listen to a podcast of the sermon here). In other words, we are to love and care for our neighbors as Christ did...and if we need clarification on who our neighbor is and what this looks like, go read Luke 10:25-37. One of the most vital parts of the message last night was the realization that such sermons and passages in Scripture should not guilt us into action. Guilt alone condemns and offers no framework for lasting, heartfelt change. Rather, we should reach out to the the poor and needy as a response to the Gospel. Our outreach and ministry should be an overflow of the mercy that Christ has extended to us, as we wallowed in our sins and had no merit or reason to be shown love and mercy. If we as Christians, if I as a wretched sinner saved by grace alone, allow this to sink in, we would have no problem at all extending this same mercy and love to "the least of these". And to keep in mind that this outreach is supposed to cost us, for giving something that costs us nothing is not true sacrifice. It may require stretching, discomfort, time, money, and many more ways of dying to self. I pray that the Lord will allow these truths to give us a holy conviction, and transform our hearts and lifestyles to more closely align with his.
Yesterday we had several more families and groups sign up to provide and share a meal at the Family Homeless Shelter on Tuesday nights. For more information about this weekly opportunity, read this. If you are interested in signing up for a Tuesday night, you can either leave a comment or email me at dwight@rccbirmingham.org. Right now, this is what the signup schedule looks like:
2/24: The Klings and Davis's
3/3: Eli, Ryan, Kate, Amanda Blake
3/10: The Brooks and deVilleneuves
3/17:
3/24:
3/31:
4/7:
4/14:
4/21:
4/28:
Have a great week and may we today embrace all that the Gospel means to us!
Monday, 23 February 2009
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Family Homeless Shelter
Well, as promised for some time, we finally have one of our first consistent ministry opportunities as a church! Over the past few weeks and months, I have been forming a relationship with a family homeless shelter located in Woodlawn. This shelter is a very unique ministry for several reasons: First, it is designed to specifically house families as a unit, which is very uncommon. In fact, this is the only shelter in Birmingham that allows families to stay together! Most places split up the men from the women for safety, space, and to deal with gender-specific issues. Additionally, many places cannot house children at all, which obviously creates a problem for parents. So, to start, this shelter offers the very rare blessing of allowing families to remain intact, as well as ministering to all family roles in the same place.
Another one of the main "pros" to this place is that it trains the families in life skills, in addition to offering a place to live. As I have been reading and studying about urban ministry, I have been learning about the absolute necessity of accomplishing something called empowerment instead of enablement. There are many, many organizations and ways to reach out to try to address the needs of those around us, but unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with most of these remedies is that they offer short-term solutions for deep, long-term problems. In a very real sense, they attempt to put a band-aide on a very deep, festering wound and expect everything to be better. However, the reality is, that while this is often a genuine attempt to reach out and to help, we really are not helping the heart of the issue. In fact, we often make the problems worse by creating a dependency amongst the poor and needy, where these acts of kindness are not only expected, but become a necessity for their survival. I admit that I have been part of such outreaches. And while these simple "acts of kindness" had some merit in them and made me feel better, they did little to help solve the greater issues. Therefore, the type of ministry that we want to be part of is one which seeks to go deeper-we want to help address the problems behind homelessness and poverty - Problems like poor money management skills, lackadaisical work ethic, lack of opportunity, and many more. Therefore, when you find an organization that goes beyond the surface, that doesn't just give a handout, but seeks to empower people to create life changes, it is a breath of fresh air! This shelter is one such organization. Each family that lives there stays for several months at a time, rather than a fly-by-night or occasional stay. They are put on a strict time-management schedule, the parent(s) must hold a steady job, and they must maintain appropriate lifestyle and conduct for their families and the house. Since all is provided at the shelter, they must save every penny they earn, thus allowing them to also pay off debt. All residents must participate in a communal dinner every night, to give their family some routine and interaction. All of these things are absolutely vital to help empower people to overcome their difficult problems rather than fall back into a cycle they soon cannot escape.
Since each family is required to all eat together every night, we want to take advantage of this opportunity. Every Tuesday night, we want a family or small group of individuals to prepare dinner for the residents, and then to spend meal with the families. Not only is this a great opportunity to feed these families a meal and for them to spend time together, but also for a family from our church to minister together, as a family, to families, in the least intimidating form. In this organic way, we can begin to form genuine relationships in a laid back, small group setting, with the hope of consistency. If some families or groups from our church commit to making this a regular occurrence, true relationships will form and Christ within us will become very evident.
We will begin this ministry next Tuesday, February 24th, and continue every Tuesday evening, so if you are interested in signing up for a certain week as a family or small group of individuals, please email Dwight (dwight@rccbirmingham.org)! We want to be faithful with what we start, and so have taken our time in choosing which ministries to take part in. Now, as we begin to introduce more ways to get involved, ask the Lord what part He wants you to play in being his hands and feet to those in need! We are so excited about how the Lord will work through this opportunity!
Another one of the main "pros" to this place is that it trains the families in life skills, in addition to offering a place to live. As I have been reading and studying about urban ministry, I have been learning about the absolute necessity of accomplishing something called empowerment instead of enablement. There are many, many organizations and ways to reach out to try to address the needs of those around us, but unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with most of these remedies is that they offer short-term solutions for deep, long-term problems. In a very real sense, they attempt to put a band-aide on a very deep, festering wound and expect everything to be better. However, the reality is, that while this is often a genuine attempt to reach out and to help, we really are not helping the heart of the issue. In fact, we often make the problems worse by creating a dependency amongst the poor and needy, where these acts of kindness are not only expected, but become a necessity for their survival. I admit that I have been part of such outreaches. And while these simple "acts of kindness" had some merit in them and made me feel better, they did little to help solve the greater issues. Therefore, the type of ministry that we want to be part of is one which seeks to go deeper-we want to help address the problems behind homelessness and poverty - Problems like poor money management skills, lackadaisical work ethic, lack of opportunity, and many more. Therefore, when you find an organization that goes beyond the surface, that doesn't just give a handout, but seeks to empower people to create life changes, it is a breath of fresh air! This shelter is one such organization. Each family that lives there stays for several months at a time, rather than a fly-by-night or occasional stay. They are put on a strict time-management schedule, the parent(s) must hold a steady job, and they must maintain appropriate lifestyle and conduct for their families and the house. Since all is provided at the shelter, they must save every penny they earn, thus allowing them to also pay off debt. All residents must participate in a communal dinner every night, to give their family some routine and interaction. All of these things are absolutely vital to help empower people to overcome their difficult problems rather than fall back into a cycle they soon cannot escape.
Since each family is required to all eat together every night, we want to take advantage of this opportunity. Every Tuesday night, we want a family or small group of individuals to prepare dinner for the residents, and then to spend meal with the families. Not only is this a great opportunity to feed these families a meal and for them to spend time together, but also for a family from our church to minister together, as a family, to families, in the least intimidating form. In this organic way, we can begin to form genuine relationships in a laid back, small group setting, with the hope of consistency. If some families or groups from our church commit to making this a regular occurrence, true relationships will form and Christ within us will become very evident.
We will begin this ministry next Tuesday, February 24th, and continue every Tuesday evening, so if you are interested in signing up for a certain week as a family or small group of individuals, please email Dwight (dwight@rccbirmingham.org)! We want to be faithful with what we start, and so have taken our time in choosing which ministries to take part in. Now, as we begin to introduce more ways to get involved, ask the Lord what part He wants you to play in being his hands and feet to those in need! We are so excited about how the Lord will work through this opportunity!
Friday, 13 February 2009
Recent Happenings
Well, I am finally back in town...and with a regular internet connection! It is so good to be back in Birmingham and to really dig into the relationships and ministry here. My last few days of catch-up have been very exciting and fruitful! Here are a few highlights:
-during my trip to L.A., I was able to visit a place called the Dream Center, a HUGE inner city ministry, and gain several contacts and ideas for ministry
-attended a Woodlawn Business Association meeting and met several people that I had been praying for opportunities to meet-isn't the Lord good?!
-spent more time building our relationship with the Family Homeless Shelter in Woodlawn, and nailed down how our church will be getting involved VERY soon!
-met another pastor from a local church
-went by Cornerstone Christian School in Woodlawn and was finally able to sit down with Nita Thompson, Executive Director and Principle, and Shannon Bottoms, Volunteer Coordinator, and finalize specifics with them as well!
-had a great meeting with Joel and Jeff, in which we narrowed down all of my "research and relationship building" and determined how we should get involved in the community
-met with Adam Keller, who is going to do his Beeson internship with Redeemer, and will be able to help out a lot with the urban ministry end of things
-the Lord provided an opportunity for me to do a small side project for a week or two for some extra income
Well, that's the main points from the last little bit! We are about to kick off a whole bunch of new ministries in the next week or two, so stay tuned for the new updates! I have been trying to upload a video of Ms. Ruthie (one of the ladies we were able to help during Focus on Fairfield) blessing us with her voice, but it won't work...I'll keep trying...
-during my trip to L.A., I was able to visit a place called the Dream Center, a HUGE inner city ministry, and gain several contacts and ideas for ministry
-attended a Woodlawn Business Association meeting and met several people that I had been praying for opportunities to meet-isn't the Lord good?!
-spent more time building our relationship with the Family Homeless Shelter in Woodlawn, and nailed down how our church will be getting involved VERY soon!
-met another pastor from a local church
-went by Cornerstone Christian School in Woodlawn and was finally able to sit down with Nita Thompson, Executive Director and Principle, and Shannon Bottoms, Volunteer Coordinator, and finalize specifics with them as well!
-had a great meeting with Joel and Jeff, in which we narrowed down all of my "research and relationship building" and determined how we should get involved in the community
-met with Adam Keller, who is going to do his Beeson internship with Redeemer, and will be able to help out a lot with the urban ministry end of things
-the Lord provided an opportunity for me to do a small side project for a week or two for some extra income
Well, that's the main points from the last little bit! We are about to kick off a whole bunch of new ministries in the next week or two, so stay tuned for the new updates! I have been trying to upload a video of Ms. Ruthie (one of the ladies we were able to help during Focus on Fairfield) blessing us with her voice, but it won't work...I'll keep trying...
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Focus on Fairfield Pics
Yay! I finally got to a good internet connection! As I said before, we had an incredible time at Focus on Fairfield this past Saturday. Over 40 people from Redeemer came out to help, which was a HUGE help and encouragement for everyone involved! We were able to help many families from the community, as well as several people from Restoration Academy. Thank you to all who took the time out of your busy schedules to come serve those in this community. Here are some pictures from Saturday. More to come in the following days...
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Pictures to come...
OK, so I am out of town this week, and internet is absent, or inconsistent at best. I have been trying to upload Focus on Fairfield pictures for over an hour now and it won't work. However, as soon as I am able to find more reliable internet, I will be posting pictures and videos and updates of how Focus on Fairfield went this last weekend!
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Focus on Fairfield
This Saturday morning, Redeemer will be taking part in a community event called Focus on Fairfield. Restoration Academy hosts this event quarterly, with the assistance of several other local organizations and churches, including CityWorks, Christ Episcopal Church, and Church of the Reconciler. Here is a breakdown of all the info about this day:
-Projects that Redeemer will assist with will largely be landscaping/gardening/yard work, as well as painting. However, there are several other possibilities including demolition, minor construction, and working on abandoned houses. NOTE: No construction or work experience is necessary, just come ready to serve! Also, there will be family-friendly work opportunities, so bring the kids too!
-We will be interacting directly with many Fairfield locals, which gives us a unique "foot in the door" to begin relationships that we hope, as a church body, to continue longterm
-We will also have the opportunity to interact and grow with students, teachers, and faculty of Restoration Academy
-Following the workday, Restoration Academy will have a very affordable lunch for everyone to purchase, which will go a long way in supporting the school. Restoration Academy is also playing against the #1 seed in the state a very important basketball game at 1:00 that we highly encourage anyone who can, to stick around for!
-In summary, this will be great for our church in several ways:
-kick-off our involvement in Fairfield with this introduction to the area and our partners there
-the opportunity to begin lasting relationships with Restoration Academy and neighborhood individuals
-good church-wide event
-good for community groups to serve together
-Important Info:
-THE DAY STARTS AT 7:30, not 8 as we had previously announced. Please try to be there at 7:30 if possible! The work will last til around 11:30, with lunch and basketball game to follow
-Meet at Church of the Reconciler--located next to Restoration Academy and Fairfield Park (at the corner of Gary Ave. and North Plaza )
-Dress in work appropriate clothes
-If anyone has any gardening tools or painting supplies PLEASE bring them!
We are SO excited about this opportunity and hope to see many people from Redeemer come out to actively live out the Gospel in Fairfield!
-Projects that Redeemer will assist with will largely be landscaping/gardening/yard work, as well as painting. However, there are several other possibilities including demolition, minor construction, and working on abandoned houses. NOTE: No construction or work experience is necessary, just come ready to serve! Also, there will be family-friendly work opportunities, so bring the kids too!
-We will be interacting directly with many Fairfield locals, which gives us a unique "foot in the door" to begin relationships that we hope, as a church body, to continue longterm
-We will also have the opportunity to interact and grow with students, teachers, and faculty of Restoration Academy
-Following the workday, Restoration Academy will have a very affordable lunch for everyone to purchase, which will go a long way in supporting the school. Restoration Academy is also playing against the #1 seed in the state a very important basketball game at 1:00 that we highly encourage anyone who can, to stick around for!
-In summary, this will be great for our church in several ways:
-kick-off our involvement in Fairfield with this introduction to the area and our partners there
-the opportunity to begin lasting relationships with Restoration Academy and neighborhood individuals
-good church-wide event
-good for community groups to serve together
-Important Info:
-THE DAY STARTS AT 7:30, not 8 as we had previously announced. Please try to be there at 7:30 if possible! The work will last til around 11:30, with lunch and basketball game to follow
-Meet at Church of the Reconciler--located next to Restoration Academy and Fairfield Park (at the corner of Gary Ave. and North Plaza )
-Dress in work appropriate clothes
-If anyone has any gardening tools or painting supplies PLEASE bring them!
We are SO excited about this opportunity and hope to see many people from Redeemer come out to actively live out the Gospel in Fairfield!
Monday, 26 January 2009
Be Reconciled To God!
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Praise the the Lord for reconciling himself to us. He who knew no sin was made sin for us! What an unbelievable gift-what an exchange-that we might become the righteousness of God! May we, as a result, bring this message of reconciliation to a needy, dying world! Lord, may we be found worthy ambassadors of your message!
Last week was full of wonderful provisions by the Lord, in the form of scheduled meetings, (less scheduled) divine appointments, financial support for my position, ideas and opportunities for outreach, growth in knowledge of the Word and how to preach the Word, and overall joy for all of this! One of the most exciting parts of this past week was a meeting that Joel and I were able to attend together. We met with Robert Record (who is heading up a medical clinic and community center in Woodlawn, both currently under construction/renovations) and Tracy Hipps (head of Mission Birmingham) to explore Woodlawn. During this time, we heard the exciting vision and heart of the medical clinic and the community center, met several great leaders at Woodlawn High School, and were introduced to the InterFaith Family Homeless Shelter (the only homeless shelter in Birmingham that provided facilities and means for whole families). It was so exciting to make these connections and see the Lord allow us to get our foot in the door. Tonight I am attending a community meeting at Woodlawn High School, so pray that the Lord will open the door for more relationships and discernment in how we can use this to advance his Kingdom.
Pray this week that the Lord will continue to teach each of us what it means to be part of the Body of Christ: What it means to be part of a community of believers that challenges, encourages, teaches, corrects, loves each other as themselves. What it means to reach out to the local community around us, as the hands and feet of Christ's Body- to love the unlovable, to be pushed outside of our comforts, our normal lifestyle, our own wants and desires and schedules. What it means to preach the Gospel so fervently that we determine to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. What it means to learn to die to self, to be crucified with Christ, that we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. What it will mean to live as New Creations- to be messengers of reconciliation! Lord, we ask you to teach us to know and be these things for Your Kingdom this week- that it may be on earth, as it is in Heaven!
Praise the the Lord for reconciling himself to us. He who knew no sin was made sin for us! What an unbelievable gift-what an exchange-that we might become the righteousness of God! May we, as a result, bring this message of reconciliation to a needy, dying world! Lord, may we be found worthy ambassadors of your message!
Last week was full of wonderful provisions by the Lord, in the form of scheduled meetings, (less scheduled) divine appointments, financial support for my position, ideas and opportunities for outreach, growth in knowledge of the Word and how to preach the Word, and overall joy for all of this! One of the most exciting parts of this past week was a meeting that Joel and I were able to attend together. We met with Robert Record (who is heading up a medical clinic and community center in Woodlawn, both currently under construction/renovations) and Tracy Hipps (head of Mission Birmingham) to explore Woodlawn. During this time, we heard the exciting vision and heart of the medical clinic and the community center, met several great leaders at Woodlawn High School, and were introduced to the InterFaith Family Homeless Shelter (the only homeless shelter in Birmingham that provided facilities and means for whole families). It was so exciting to make these connections and see the Lord allow us to get our foot in the door. Tonight I am attending a community meeting at Woodlawn High School, so pray that the Lord will open the door for more relationships and discernment in how we can use this to advance his Kingdom.
Pray this week that the Lord will continue to teach each of us what it means to be part of the Body of Christ: What it means to be part of a community of believers that challenges, encourages, teaches, corrects, loves each other as themselves. What it means to reach out to the local community around us, as the hands and feet of Christ's Body- to love the unlovable, to be pushed outside of our comforts, our normal lifestyle, our own wants and desires and schedules. What it means to preach the Gospel so fervently that we determine to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. What it means to learn to die to self, to be crucified with Christ, that we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. What it will mean to live as New Creations- to be messengers of reconciliation! Lord, we ask you to teach us to know and be these things for Your Kingdom this week- that it may be on earth, as it is in Heaven!
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Want to read a challenging book?
I just finished reading a very insightful, very challenging book about urban ministry and helping the poor. It is called Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor by Bob Lupton, one of the most respected and experienced trailblazers in this area of ministry. The book is actually a nearly identical reprint of one of his earlier books titled And You Call Yourself a Christian. If the former title isn't enough indication of the convicting nature of this book, let me assure you, it is hard to walk away unchanged after reading. However, while the book is unapologetic in its sometimes-harsh approach, its urgency and force is not without cause or firm Biblical foundation. This book has caused me to rethink almost every single model of outreach to the poor, including many of which I have endorsed and taken part. It has caused me to examine not only my heart motivation for reaching out to the physically and spiritually needy, but it has also forced me reexamine the the ways that I do this. And particularly for our church, how will we reach out to those in need in our communities? I challenge each of you to find and read this book if you ever want to know how to best obey Christ's commands to care for the "orphans, widows, and the least of these". It is a short book full of personal examples and stories of Lupton's own failures and incremental growth to reach the point at which he now is.
On the topic of Urban Ministry and community development, I am also currently reading Theirs is the Kingdom by Lupton, Restoring At-Risk Communities by John Perkins (widely considered one of the grand-fathers of urban ministry in America), and Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller. Each of these books is proving very helpful in my personal growth in knowledge and experience of urban ministry, but especially in regards to how we, as a church body, will approach the harsh realities of Woodlawn and Fairfield with the Truth, Love, Mercy, and Justice found in the Gospel. I will be sure to keep you updated on each of these reads, as well.
On the topic of Urban Ministry and community development, I am also currently reading Theirs is the Kingdom by Lupton, Restoring At-Risk Communities by John Perkins (widely considered one of the grand-fathers of urban ministry in America), and Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller. Each of these books is proving very helpful in my personal growth in knowledge and experience of urban ministry, but especially in regards to how we, as a church body, will approach the harsh realities of Woodlawn and Fairfield with the Truth, Love, Mercy, and Justice found in the Gospel. I will be sure to keep you updated on each of these reads, as well.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
What a week!
This week has been a whirlwind of exciting activities, meetings, studying, and much more. At the start of the week, I don't think I had anticipated this kind of week, but it seems that at every single turn, the Lord provided the start of another vital relationship, another opportunity to grow and learn, and continual direction for ministry opportunities. Here is a basic breakdown of how my week has looked:
Monday: meeting with Joel and Jeff, study time, email/call contacts, blog, met with supporters
Tuesday: men's Bible study, meeting with Tracy Hipps (an incredible man of God involved in every facet of ministry in Birmingham, 30 years experience), made church contacts in West End, meeting with Restoration Academy staff, spent time in Woodlawn, spent time with Joel and Jeff, picked up a temporary computer that the Lord provided, completed paperwork and gov. info for church position, phone interviews with supporters
Wednesday: Meeting with Sonny Culp- actively involved in Birmingham ministries, especially in Fairfield (actually was moved to next week), attended a Benevolence Training Meeting at Faith Chapel in Ensley with Tracy Hipps, contacted supporters, coordinated with Cornerstone School, extensive study time
Thursday: Disaster Relief Meeting with Tracy Hipps, Christian Service Mission, and Mission Birmingham; attended Woodlawn Business Association Meeting-met several great people including Woodlawn High School representative, Woodlawn City Council Members, Police Dept. Crime Prevention Officer, and several other Woodlawn business representatives interested in RCC; about to go to meeting with Robert Record, Tracy Hipps, Joel Brooks, and Wayne Owen-this will be the biggest meeting yet, where we will discuss every opportunity to get involved in Woodlawn; meet with Cornerstone
Friday: Meeting with Benjamin Smith, spend time in Fairfield, coordinate with Gates Shaw and CityWorks
Saturday: Flag Football in Fairfield--LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO PLAY-WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO COME OUT!
Anyways, as you can see, this week has been very busy and fruitful. It has been so encouraging to learn from such godly men who are very active in what the Lord is doing in the urban areas of Birmingham and who have an immense wealth of experience! Pray that the Lord will continue to grant discernment and growth with these relationships and partnerships!
Monday: meeting with Joel and Jeff, study time, email/call contacts, blog, met with supporters
Tuesday: men's Bible study, meeting with Tracy Hipps (an incredible man of God involved in every facet of ministry in Birmingham, 30 years experience), made church contacts in West End, meeting with Restoration Academy staff, spent time in Woodlawn, spent time with Joel and Jeff, picked up a temporary computer that the Lord provided, completed paperwork and gov. info for church position, phone interviews with supporters
Wednesday: Meeting with Sonny Culp- actively involved in Birmingham ministries, especially in Fairfield (actually was moved to next week), attended a Benevolence Training Meeting at Faith Chapel in Ensley with Tracy Hipps, contacted supporters, coordinated with Cornerstone School, extensive study time
Thursday: Disaster Relief Meeting with Tracy Hipps, Christian Service Mission, and Mission Birmingham; attended Woodlawn Business Association Meeting-met several great people including Woodlawn High School representative, Woodlawn City Council Members, Police Dept. Crime Prevention Officer, and several other Woodlawn business representatives interested in RCC; about to go to meeting with Robert Record, Tracy Hipps, Joel Brooks, and Wayne Owen-this will be the biggest meeting yet, where we will discuss every opportunity to get involved in Woodlawn; meet with Cornerstone
Friday: Meeting with Benjamin Smith, spend time in Fairfield, coordinate with Gates Shaw and CityWorks
Saturday: Flag Football in Fairfield--LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO PLAY-WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO COME OUT!
Anyways, as you can see, this week has been very busy and fruitful. It has been so encouraging to learn from such godly men who are very active in what the Lord is doing in the urban areas of Birmingham and who have an immense wealth of experience! Pray that the Lord will continue to grant discernment and growth with these relationships and partnerships!
Monday, 12 January 2009
"Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised..." Psalms 96:1-4
It's Monday again, and the start of a new week. Thank you Lord for new life, our daily breath! Thank you for salvation, for the Cross of Jesus Christ, without which, we would be hopelessly lost! But we have hope and meaning and purpose in this New Life found in Christ! Praise the Lord for the joy that we can have with this in mind, as we go throughout this week. Lord, teach us to live every breath in faith, trusting that you hold the reigns-nothing is outside of your Sovereign hands. Teach us to live a lifestyle of worship, giving thanks and glory to you in ALL we do. We confess we do not know how to do this-our days are most often preoccupied with ME. We live to glory ourselves and gain pleasure, worth, and purpose apart from you. Teach us to find our ultimate joy in you, our satisfaction, our hope in you. May we recognize that every good thing is from you, so that we may worship you in a spirit of thankfulness, by simply enjoying your blessings for Your Name's sake. Teach us to trust your heart and plan in the times of despair, emptiness, pain, longing, stagnation, lack of desire. May we look to you for our Life and Salvation in these times, worshipping you even then with hearts thankful for a renewed dependency on you. Turn our hearts to things unseen, not what is seen. Fix our perspective on things eternal, not things of this temporary life. Show us the way in which we should go this week- guide our path. Give us wisdom, discernment, boldness in our relationships. Give us opportunities to share your life-giving Hope, the eyes and ears to recognize the opportunities, and the courage to obey. We love you Lord, we submit our lives anew to you.
"It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God...It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:9-11,20-21
It's Monday again, and the start of a new week. Thank you Lord for new life, our daily breath! Thank you for salvation, for the Cross of Jesus Christ, without which, we would be hopelessly lost! But we have hope and meaning and purpose in this New Life found in Christ! Praise the Lord for the joy that we can have with this in mind, as we go throughout this week. Lord, teach us to live every breath in faith, trusting that you hold the reigns-nothing is outside of your Sovereign hands. Teach us to live a lifestyle of worship, giving thanks and glory to you in ALL we do. We confess we do not know how to do this-our days are most often preoccupied with ME. We live to glory ourselves and gain pleasure, worth, and purpose apart from you. Teach us to find our ultimate joy in you, our satisfaction, our hope in you. May we recognize that every good thing is from you, so that we may worship you in a spirit of thankfulness, by simply enjoying your blessings for Your Name's sake. Teach us to trust your heart and plan in the times of despair, emptiness, pain, longing, stagnation, lack of desire. May we look to you for our Life and Salvation in these times, worshipping you even then with hearts thankful for a renewed dependency on you. Turn our hearts to things unseen, not what is seen. Fix our perspective on things eternal, not things of this temporary life. Show us the way in which we should go this week- guide our path. Give us wisdom, discernment, boldness in our relationships. Give us opportunities to share your life-giving Hope, the eyes and ears to recognize the opportunities, and the courage to obey. We love you Lord, we submit our lives anew to you.
"It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God...It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:9-11,20-21
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