thrown from the nest

"...On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.... So those who were scattered went on their way proclaiming the message of good news. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and preached the Messiah to them.... So there was great joy in that city." (Acts 8:1,4,5,8 CSB)

Sometimes God's plan requires his people to be pushed from their homes, neighbors, friends and jobs into unfamiliar territory--even uncomfortable territory. The first Christians were Jews, and as Acts details for us later in the story, they were not initially interested in sharing the good news with the non-Jewish world. So, how did God bring the good news to the Samaritans and many other communities? He allowed one of the most prominent Christians to be murdered, and he allowed persecution that caused the new believers to flee for their lives. And through that, he brought great joy to people everywhere.

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Father, how amazing it is to realize that your ways are not my ways; your ways are greater than my ways. I cannot even fathom your providence that is so great you planned out redemption from the beginning of time and made it happen exactly according to every promise. No plan of yours can be thwarted and you frustrate the plans of those who fight against you. You used Paul's murderous rage to spread your good news and then you grabbed hold of Paul, changed his heart, saved him from his sin, and used him to spread your good news. You changed him so much that toward the end of his life, after immense suffering, he was able to say he could rejoice in living for your glory and proclaiming your name among the Gentiles, or he could just as readily rejoice in his own death because of his faith that death is no more than a gate on his path to eternal joy with you.

Father, I thank you for the witness of those who have lived before me and did so with a Spirit-filled love for your glory. Give me such a passion for your glory that I, too, could celebrate in living to proclaim your name or dying to be with you.

And father, I ask that you would bless your people throughout the world. Give us strength and courage, wisdom and faith, to live for you.

Bless Marsha and heal her arm. Show your mercy and care.
Bless the family of Ernie at this time after the death of his mother. Comfort those in the family who know you and love you; change the hearts of those who do not yet know you.
Bless Rhonda and meet her needs as only you can.
Be with Frank's parents and care for their health.
Work in Frank's heart and show him that he is lost without you; you are his only hope and salvation.
Bless all those affected by the tornado in Tennessee. Work through your people in that community to show your love and compassion.
Bless Myrna as she struggles to get her new home completed.

Father, give me the wisdom and spiritual maturity to lead my family to glorify you. Work in my heart to give me a true passion for you. I pray that you would bless my marriage; bring Jennifer and I closer together and help us, through our marriage, demonstrate to the world the mystery of Christ and his church. Bless Charlotte and help us be godly parents; help us raise her to know you and love you.

I ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

3/18/08

Father, your power and glory are all around me. I see you working in the world in so many ways. Your grace and mercy are evident in the lives of friends who trust you through extreme trials. You are truly sufficient to meet all our needs. How can we not joyfully come to you in our times of need when we know you are the one who created the entire universe from nothing? Who else could possibly meet our every need? How can we possibly not come to you in our times of need when we know that you love us and showed that love by sending your son to serve as a ransom for us--rescuing us from our sins? Who else would possibly meet our every need? But, still, our sinful nature, our pride, our constant rebellion from your authority and power, leads us to try things our own way. How can we possibly come to you when our very nature puts us at war with you? Only through your calling and grace can we come to you; you change our hearts and draw us to you. Father, how thankful I am that you bridged the gap between us; when I was eternally lost, you came in search of me. Father, you sent your Son Jesus, who came down from eternal glory and lived and died for me, so that I could come to you. I pray that I would find my strength and security in you, rather than in myself. For I know that you are able to meet all my needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Father, I pray that you would be with Frank and he returns to Iraq. He is investing so many years of his life to this cause; bring him success and bring peace to that region. Help him prepare the security forces of that nation to maintain peace in their land. But, more importantly, change the hearts of the people there; for that is the only way true peace will come to them. And I pray that you would continue to bless Rhonda and her children through this difficult time. Give them peace in their hearts. And may they serve as a witness for you to Frank and others. I pray that you would bring people into Frank's life who can be a witness for you and show him your glory.

I ask that you would be with Marsha and her doctors; help them know what is wrong and how to fix it. Bring healing to Marsha. And work in the life of Joe to bring him to know you; change his heart so that he too could know the power of your love and grace.

I pray that you would bless Todd and Sheri as they search for a church. Help them have wisdom and discernment to find a church family that can meet their spiritual needs as well as offer a place for them to become part of a true community of people called out for your glory.

Father, please bless M in Asia as she reaches out to the people. Give her strength and peace in her heart through all the trying times; help her overcome every struggle. Your grace is sufficient. Give her success in her ministry according to your will. And I pray the same for all your missionaries throughout the world.

And Father, I pray that you would give Jennifer and me wisdom and discernment to know what is right in our lives; help us know which paths to take. We know that you, the God who would send his Son to die for us, would not then withhold anything we need to bring you glory. And we know that you would not hide your will from us. If anyone lacks wisdom, all he has to do is ask the one who gives generously; and so we ask you for your guidance in our lives.

We thank you for being not only great and powerful, but loving and gracious. While we were rebels deserving nothing but your wrath, you ransomed us through the death of Jesus; through his resurrection, you gave us eternal life. And now, we who were once your enemies, have become heirs with Christ to an unimaginable fortune of grace and glory. May we remember everyday we are here for you. May we remember that we are not here to be served, but to serve, just as Jesus modeled for us. Bless us as we enter the world each day to serve others for your glory.

I ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Rom 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments
and untraceable His ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?
Or who has ever first given to Him,
and has to be repaid?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

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Father, your wisdom and knowledge are truly great, beyond anything any human can begin to comprehend. Your ways are not our ways and your thoughts are not our thoughts. May we, your people, conform our minds to yours through the power of your Spirit.

No man has ever met any need of yours because you are the all-powerful and all-sufficient God, the creator of every person and the one who meets our needs. You give us life; you give us food to eat and the talents with which we work; you give us salvation from our own sins. And you do things from your own grace and mercy. We owe everything to you.

May we bless your name and praise you forever.

Father, I come to you this morning to praise you and to ask you to work in the world according to your wisdom and love.

I pray that you would heal Madison from her ear infection. Show her your grace and care.

I pray that you would continue to look after Allen. I thank you that his knee is healing better than doctors originally feared. Help him recover and return to full strength.

I pray that you would continue to bless and care for the West family. Even as they have left the hospital, finally after all these months, they still need your care and watchful eye. Help Ella grow to live a happy, healthy life for your glory.

I pray that you would be with those families that have recently lost family members. Comfort Kim, whose brother died of Leukemia. Comfort Debbie, whose sister died; and be with that community. Comfort David, who lost a brother to cancer.

Father, I also ask that you meet the unspoken needs of your people. Show you power, mercy, grace and love to Marsha. Answer her prayers.

I pray that you would show yourself to Ms Wisher as she struggles with the news of her disease. If she is one of your children, help her know that you will never leave her nor forsake her, and that you have overcome the world. If she is not one of your children, I pray that you would call her to be part of your family.

I pray that you would reach out to Steve's father; take out his heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh; bring him to know you. Help our church reach out to him and show him your light.

Thank you God for the wonderful weather you have blessed us with recently. I pray that we would continue to receive rain to help us recover from our drought. And I pray for other areas suffering from drought. You are the Lord of all things, including the weather. And all things come from you.

I come to you this morning because I know that you are able to meet the needs of your people and you desire to meet our needs. Having sent your Son to serve as a propitiation for our sins, there is now no good thing you would withhold from us.

In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Saturday evening

It is now Saturday evening. As I sat here realizing this, I remembered something from the Packer lectures I am listening to concerning the Puritans. He said Puritans families would spend much of Saturday evening, often with other families, preparing themselves for church on Sunday. That preparation would include prayer, repentence and any other spiritual work that would make them eagar to go to church on Sunday and be with God. Well, I have spent much of Saturday evening preparing my Bible study lesson on Psalm 32, and truth-be-told, I need to focus a little more on preparing myself.



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This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus

and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving thanks for

you as I remember you in my prayers. [I pray] that the God

of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give

you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of

Him. [I pray] that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened

so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are

the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and

what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who

believe, according to the working of His vast strength.

(Eph 1:15-19, CSB)

Father, as I study your word, I see great things. But, I know I am just scratching the surface. Show me great and wonderful things in your word so that I may follow you and praise you more fully. Give me a thirst for your word so that I would seek out your wisdom. Show me the greatness of your word so that I may drink from its wisdom and satisfy my thirst.


At night, I look at the stars and am filled with wonder at your universe. Then, I see pictures from Hubble and Spitzer and realize what I see with my eyes barely begins to tell of your universe. In fact, what I see with my eyes almost hides the real greatness. My eyes allow me to see the beauty of the stars, but my eyes make me think these little white dots are all there is to see. But, in reality, the stars are brilliant furnaces that dwarf the Sun. Many of those stars are galaxies of billions of stars. And there are billions of galaxies too faint for my eyes to see, and yet those galaxies are billions of times brighter than anything I ever see.


In the same way, I fear that sometimes my scratching the surface of your word can lead me to think I have seen what's there. But, whenever I scratch a little deeper, I find more than what I scratched. The greatness grows the more I look. Father, help me to see more and more, to scratch deeper and deeper. Help me to see wondrous things in your word.


And Father, I pray for my church. Give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus. Open the eyes of our hearts than we may know the hope of his calling. Open our hearts to the joy of your inheritance. Open our hearts that we may know more of the immeasurable greatness of your power.


Father, I will walk in your truth; unite my heart to revere the glory of your name (Ps 86:11).


I bring to you all my concerns and desires, for you are the loving father who saved me from my sins; I know you will also give me every other good thing.


Father, I ask that you be with Marsha tomorrow. Give her strength and endurance to run the race. Let her be a witness for you. Let your praise be in her mind as she runs for the good of another.


Father, I ask that you continue to prepare Frank and Rhonda. Bless them.


Father, be with the many students who are getting ready to take their mid-term and final exams. Many students are stressed; give them strength and comfort. Be with the teachers during this stressful time as so many papers need to be graded and decisions must be made.


Father, I heard today that Cheyanne's mother died in a car accident. I cannot imagine the pain this must be for a 7th grader. I can only ask that you comfort her and let her know you love her. Give her peace that can only come from you. And somehow use this for your glory and the good of everyone touched by this death.


And father, I pray that during tomorrow's Bible study you will use me to teach your word, but that most importantly, your word will shine through anything I say. I pray that people will leave the study knowing you a little better and praising you for the forgiveness of sins. Those of us who have unconfessed sin, I pray that your hand would be heavy enough on us to bring us back to you. I pray that when we need it, you would use the bridle to pull us back. But, I also pray that we would be sheep, not mules. I pray that we would hear our shepherd's voice and come to him (Jn 10). I pray that we would follow him with complete trust and rest comfortably under his care.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,

you righteous ones;

shout for joy,

all you upright in heart.

(Ps 32:11, CSB)

I ask all these things in the name of my shepherd Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jan 4, 2007

Father, I celebrate you; I find my joy in you.
Your name is greater than anything else. Help me to always put my trust in you.
You have made the heavens, the entire world and everything in it.
You made the earth and every living thing on the earth.
You made the water that sustains life and the sun that warms us and gives us energy.
You made the stars that shine for your glory every night.
All of creation testifies to your power and majesty.
You are the one and only God; you are the only one who deserves all the credit, all the praise, and the honor. Praise God. Hallelujah.
You chose Abram and gave him a new name.
You chose him and gave him a son.
You chose Isaac as the son of the promise.
You chose Jacob and named him Israel,
from his sons you made a great nation,
and from that nation you blessed the world,
even me.
You fulfill all your promises;
you are faithful and righteous.
Give me the faith to put all my trust in you.
You are a loving, merciful and gracious God.
You heard the cry of your people in Egypt and you saved them.
You heard the confessions of David and forgave him.
You heard the prayers of Zechariah and you fulfilled him.
I know you answer the prayers of those who love you.
You took out my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh.
And I know you will continue the good work you started in me.
Help me to follow you, to love you, to want to see you glorified more than anything else.
Father, you forgave me of so much when you saved me, and you continue to forgive me and save me from sin. So often, I ignore your wisdom; I ignore your glory; I pretend I know better than you. But, more and more, I see your greatness and learn from your discipline and grace.
Every day I am amazed by my sinful nature--the temptations my heart looks toward, my own desires to taste forbidden fruit. Help me resist temptation. Keep me from temptation. Let me see sin as the evil it is; help me hate sin as you do.
Thank you for your grace and mercy.

Father, I pray for the needs of those around me.

Bless Leslie as she returns to school for another semester. Help her be successful in school; help her learn and grow in wisdom, and help her use her education for your glory. Help her be a witness for you at school. Help her show your greatness through her work. Help her balance her school demands with the rest of her life. Because, you give sleep to those you love (Ps 127:2).

Father, keep Frank safe in the last days before he returns home again. Bless his work in Iraq; help him be successful in training those who hope to restore order and bring safety to that nation. You are a God of order, not chaos; that nation needs your blessing. Give Rhonda continued strength as she bears so much responsibility at home and looks forward to his return. And help Rhonda be a blessing to Frank and a witness for your love. Open Frank's heart to his own need for you. Change his heart, Lord. Bring him to know you.

Father, bless Greg and Alice and their families. Be with Allen as he prepares to leave for the Army. Minister to him. And I pray for the unspoken needs of Greg and Alice. You know our needs before we do. You know everything about us. So, I pray you will bless them and minister to them; show them your greatness and your love. Grant their prayers in a way that they can't help but see your power and praise your name.

I pray for Marsha's father who fell and was injured. Give him a fast and healthy recovery. Show him your compassion. And I pray that Marsha would be able to use this time to minister to her father and demonstrate your love to her whole family. Also, I pray for a healthy and successful marathon for Marsha. Keep her strong. Keep her safe. And may she bring you glory through everything she does.

Father, I also ask that you bless our Life Group. Help us grow in our unity together. Help us be a community, a body, of believers that ministers to each other, edifies each other and instructs each other. Help each one of us--Mike and Latrelle, Charlie, Mike and Meredith, Rhonda, Greg and Alice, Clay and Julie, Robert and Sandy, Marsha, JR and Keri, Steve and Angela, Frank and Leslie, Tim and Lisa, Freddie and Kathy, and so many more--help us grow in our knowledge of you and our love for you. Bless our entire church. Bless or pastors, Rick and Darrol. Bless our great church staff that ministers for us in so many often unseen ways. Grant our leadership the wisdom to lead us toward you. Grant our congregation the wisdom to worship you in truth and love.

And father, I pray that you would bless Jennifer and I as we raise Charlotte. Help us as parents model your love. Bless out marriage because you ordained marriage as a symbol of Christ's relationship with the church. Help me love Jennifer and I love my own body; give me the wisdom to see her as a loving and wonderful gift from you.

And father grant me the wisdom to see great things in your word. Help me understand your word and teach your word. And help me live your word.

I pray that you be glorified in all things and in all things your purposes will be accomplished.

I ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.