We just got back from a weekend retreat to the Georgia Mountains! What a wonderful time of food, fellowship and fun. This cold Sunday morning we spent the day worshiping, sharing Communion and reading scriptures God has placed on our hearts for the people of Bosnia. Two of our team members, myself included, will be first-timers to Bosnia, so it is particularly meaningful to pray the Word on behalf of complete strangers. To know God is knitting this team together and also tethering us to the hearts of those across the miles through prayer and scripture, and soon, through authentic sharing and worship is humbling and powerful. Each week our team meets to learn and grow and continue to weave this fabric, yet in one weekend, we have gone deeper into the fibers of who we are in Christ. God is preparing us and will equip us to do His work in just 3 weeks time! How glorious to delve deeper into the hearts of each of those called to serve on this trip and discover the richness of the blessings and gifts He has annointed this special group with, separate and unique, but, "So in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:5
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give [us] a spirit of unity among [ourselves] as [we] follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth [we] may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6
Please pray for this knitting together and spirit of unity "to grow" as we prepare "to go!"
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Kathy
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Prayer Walking
One version of prayer we will incorporate on our trip is the "prayer walk." We will do a prayer walk of Capljina and other cities we visit.
The following is an article by Sherri Ingram, entitled, "Discover the Impact of Prayer Walking."
Prayerwalking is just what it sounds like – simply walking and talking to God. My church’s missions minister says if you can chew gum, you can prayerwalk. You don’t have to even be especially coordinated – you just need to be able to pray. Prayerwalkers don’t make a big production about what they’re doing. In fact, you may have seen prayerwalkers in action. If you did, you probably thought they were just out walking and talking to each other.
I’ve been actively prayerwalking for over a year. My prayerwalking partner and I prayerwalk our missions sites weekly. God even sent us to Asia to prayerwalk for 10 days.
Preparation for Ministry
As we walk around a subdivision, we voice specific prayers for what we see – or don’t see. We pray for people involved in violence, for those we hear arguing, for drug dealers, and for school children. Sometimes we pray for particular people we see in the area. They don’t know us or that we are praying for them, but God does. He knows the needs in their lives better than we do.
We not only pray about the bad things we see, we praise and thank God for the good things also. We thank Him for decreased trash in a neighborhood, for better-kept homes, and especially for what He’s doing in our church’s apartment ministries.
I like to think we’re like John the Baptist. We prepare the way for ministry teams. We go into an apartment complex or a neighborhood and pray for workers and residents – usually before a ministry is ever begun in the area. Then our ministry teams come into work in the neighborhood and find hearts already softened and ready for the gospel.
Preparation for Evangelism
Prayerwalking can lead to evangelistic opportunities. As my prayer partner and I walk, we smile or say hello to the people we pass. Sometimes God gives us the opportunity to stop and talk to someone. We explain why we are in the neighborhood. We ask them if we can pray for specific things in their lives or in their neighborhoods. Often people allow us to pray with them; if they don’t, we pray for them as we continue walking.
God does awesome things when we are obedient. At one potential mission location, my partner and I strongly felt God’s presence the first time we walked the site. We sensed that when ministry started at that apartment complex, the work would progress quickly.
Our church started a tutoring ministry there in September. By the following January, we had a church service at that complex. Within a short period of time, seven people made professions of faith in Christ. Am I saying prayerwalking did that? No! But I do believe the quick results indicate that God honored our obedient and persistent prayer.
Preparation to Be Used by God
Now you may be wondering, Why should I leave my comfortable home and sweat in the sun over mission sites I can pray for from the comfort of my living room? Prayerwalking allows God to use our eyes, ears, feet, and mouths. When we make all of our senses available to God, He uses us in ways we couldn’t imagine otherwise.
Recently while my prayer partner and I were walking, we heard an ambulance. We started praying for the ambulance driver, for traffic, and for whoever was in need of help.
The ambulance got closer and closer. We prayed harder. Soon the ambulance was on the street where we were. We continued to pray. When we looked up, the ambulance was across the street from us. We didn’t want to intrude, so we continued to walk. When we reached the end of the street, we looked back to see the ambulance leaving.
We noted the address and mentioned it to our missions minister, who suggested a visit to the home. She and I went to visit about two weeks after we had seen the ambulance. We found a teenage mother with a new baby. We were able to share the gospel and pray with the teenager and her stepfather.
We would have missed this opportunity if we had been praying from the comfort of our own homes. By allowing God to use our eyes, ears, feet, and mouths, we were able to present the gospel to this family as well as to others.
God can use anyone in the ministry of prayerwalking. Those who can walk and pray should walk and pray. Those who can’t walk for health reasons can go to a site and pray for those walking and for the people who live and work in the area.
God calls us all to intercede. I get so much more than I give when I allow God to use me. I hope you will choose to let God use you and bless you through the ministry of prayerwalking.
Sherri Ingram is a member of Florida Boulevard Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This article is courtesy of HomeLife magazine.
The following is an article by Sherri Ingram, entitled, "Discover the Impact of Prayer Walking."
Prayerwalking is just what it sounds like – simply walking and talking to God. My church’s missions minister says if you can chew gum, you can prayerwalk. You don’t have to even be especially coordinated – you just need to be able to pray. Prayerwalkers don’t make a big production about what they’re doing. In fact, you may have seen prayerwalkers in action. If you did, you probably thought they were just out walking and talking to each other.
I’ve been actively prayerwalking for over a year. My prayerwalking partner and I prayerwalk our missions sites weekly. God even sent us to Asia to prayerwalk for 10 days.
Preparation for Ministry
As we walk around a subdivision, we voice specific prayers for what we see – or don’t see. We pray for people involved in violence, for those we hear arguing, for drug dealers, and for school children. Sometimes we pray for particular people we see in the area. They don’t know us or that we are praying for them, but God does. He knows the needs in their lives better than we do.
We not only pray about the bad things we see, we praise and thank God for the good things also. We thank Him for decreased trash in a neighborhood, for better-kept homes, and especially for what He’s doing in our church’s apartment ministries.
I like to think we’re like John the Baptist. We prepare the way for ministry teams. We go into an apartment complex or a neighborhood and pray for workers and residents – usually before a ministry is ever begun in the area. Then our ministry teams come into work in the neighborhood and find hearts already softened and ready for the gospel.
Preparation for Evangelism
Prayerwalking can lead to evangelistic opportunities. As my prayer partner and I walk, we smile or say hello to the people we pass. Sometimes God gives us the opportunity to stop and talk to someone. We explain why we are in the neighborhood. We ask them if we can pray for specific things in their lives or in their neighborhoods. Often people allow us to pray with them; if they don’t, we pray for them as we continue walking.
God does awesome things when we are obedient. At one potential mission location, my partner and I strongly felt God’s presence the first time we walked the site. We sensed that when ministry started at that apartment complex, the work would progress quickly.
Our church started a tutoring ministry there in September. By the following January, we had a church service at that complex. Within a short period of time, seven people made professions of faith in Christ. Am I saying prayerwalking did that? No! But I do believe the quick results indicate that God honored our obedient and persistent prayer.
Preparation to Be Used by God
Now you may be wondering, Why should I leave my comfortable home and sweat in the sun over mission sites I can pray for from the comfort of my living room? Prayerwalking allows God to use our eyes, ears, feet, and mouths. When we make all of our senses available to God, He uses us in ways we couldn’t imagine otherwise.
Recently while my prayer partner and I were walking, we heard an ambulance. We started praying for the ambulance driver, for traffic, and for whoever was in need of help.
The ambulance got closer and closer. We prayed harder. Soon the ambulance was on the street where we were. We continued to pray. When we looked up, the ambulance was across the street from us. We didn’t want to intrude, so we continued to walk. When we reached the end of the street, we looked back to see the ambulance leaving.
We noted the address and mentioned it to our missions minister, who suggested a visit to the home. She and I went to visit about two weeks after we had seen the ambulance. We found a teenage mother with a new baby. We were able to share the gospel and pray with the teenager and her stepfather.
We would have missed this opportunity if we had been praying from the comfort of our own homes. By allowing God to use our eyes, ears, feet, and mouths, we were able to present the gospel to this family as well as to others.
God can use anyone in the ministry of prayerwalking. Those who can walk and pray should walk and pray. Those who can’t walk for health reasons can go to a site and pray for those walking and for the people who live and work in the area.
God calls us all to intercede. I get so much more than I give when I allow God to use me. I hope you will choose to let God use you and bless you through the ministry of prayerwalking.
Sherri Ingram is a member of Florida Boulevard Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This article is courtesy of HomeLife magazine.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
FIVE ORDINARY PEOPLE
Isn't it great how Jesus chose "Twelve Ordinary Men" as His Disciples? This rag tag bunch of guys, unbeknownst to them, were going to be in charge of the greatest commission - "The Great Commission!" Clearly, this isn't an original thought on my part! In fact, I don't have many of those, but I did realize today, that we are but five ordinary people, also not really knowing what God has planned for our trip to Capljina, Bosnia. But, we have each felt the call and have decided to drop our nets and "Follow Him!" Knees knocking or peaceful . . . Here we go!
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
This is a Max Lucado Devotion to ponder this week:
Happy are those who are helped by the God of Jacob. Psalm 146:5
Until he was eighty years old he looked like he wouldn’t amount to much more than a once-upon-a-time prince turned outlaw. Would you choose a wanted murderer to lead a nation out of bondage? Would you call upon a fugitive to carry the Ten Commandments? God did. And he called him, of all places, right out of the sheep pasture. Called his name through a burning bush. Scared old Moses right out of his shoes! There, with knees knocking and “Who me?” written all over his face, Moses agreed to go back into the ring….The reassuring lesson is clear. God used (and uses!) people to change the world. People! Not saints or superhumans or geniuses, but people. Crooks, creeps, lovers, and liars—he uses them all. And what they may lack in perfection, God makes up for in love.
No Wonder They Call Him the Savior
Max Lucado
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
This is a Max Lucado Devotion to ponder this week:
Happy are those who are helped by the God of Jacob. Psalm 146:5
Until he was eighty years old he looked like he wouldn’t amount to much more than a once-upon-a-time prince turned outlaw. Would you choose a wanted murderer to lead a nation out of bondage? Would you call upon a fugitive to carry the Ten Commandments? God did. And he called him, of all places, right out of the sheep pasture. Called his name through a burning bush. Scared old Moses right out of his shoes! There, with knees knocking and “Who me?” written all over his face, Moses agreed to go back into the ring….The reassuring lesson is clear. God used (and uses!) people to change the world. People! Not saints or superhumans or geniuses, but people. Crooks, creeps, lovers, and liars—he uses them all. And what they may lack in perfection, God makes up for in love.
No Wonder They Call Him the Savior
Max Lucado
Monday, March 3, 2008
Is this up and running?
I've never created a blog before, so I'm just trying to see how easy or hard it is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
