Prayer Requests from latest newsletter:

Praise God for:
·         His goodness all around
·         His perfect timing
·         New (and very surprising) support
·         For the time He blessed me with at my old job
·         More time I can use in discovering the Partners God has picked out for this ministry

 

Pray for:

 

·         A heart attentive to what God is doing
·         Continued ministry opportunities
·         Wise use of daily time
·         God to continue to press this ministry onto the hearts of the people He’s chosen to partner with
·         Support to double by the end of June. (see explanation coming soon)
·         For full support and available housing to coincide for a prompt return to the Missionary Training Center

Why Childcare? Part Two

Why does God choose small people to use? Sometimes small in age, like David or Samuel were when they started. Sometimes it’s a different kind of small, sort of like “consider  your calling brethren, how not many wise, not many noble were chosen…” I think God likes to use little people, and even little things, just so that we can see how big and awesome He is. After all, isn’t that the point of all He does? He loves us so much, and He wants us to know Him. So He picks things and people to use that will make who He is obvious. Maybe that’s one of the reasons He likes kids so much. When the tool used is so small, you can’t help but admire the Craftsman.

Kids, being so small, are in a perfect position to show off the bigness of God. He is so great that He comes through even in the simple things they do-playing with other kids in the village, listening to their parents, sitting in the teaching times… all of these things are God’s light, shining through, not only to the kids who have never heard of Jesus, but also to the parents of these children.

People get confused and think that the strength of a ministry is in the skills of this individual, or the talent of that gifted person, or the incredible effort exerted by these faithful workers. And though all those things factor in, let’s not forget that “unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). And that God choses to use things we call foolish, low and weak to prove how desperately we need Him (1 Corinthians 1:27-31). God plans to be unmistakable.

Why be involved with childcare? Because God will use little people to display His wonderful, good, bigness. And after all, isn’t that what walking with Jesus is all about?

MassHOPE Covention

Now I suspect many of you know this about me, but God is kind of on a missions theme with my family. It started with my grandparents. Then my mom and two of her brothers got involved. And now me. One of my uncles is with NTM as well. He's a recruiter (also a family tradition- Grandpa and Grandma did this for years too). Uncle Randy and Aunt Diana invited me up to enjoy them at the MassHOPE covention (MassHOPE is a homeschool organization in Massachusetts).

Many people got to hear a bit about God's heart for unreached people groups. Keep praying for God to raise up more laborers for His harvest field.

I hate that verse....

I know, I know... you shouldn't hate Bible verses (all of them being true and profitable and all that).  But over the years this particular verse has left a sour taste in mouth. It's all I can do not to  make a face whenever it's quoted. Which is a shame, because this verse is disastrously popular. I'm sure you've heard it. I've even it on TV-a Christian dating site uses it in their commercials: Psalm 37:4

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Now before you all stone me as a heretic, let me explain why I am fighting the serious impulse to type "Yuck" after that. I don't object to the verse itself, but the way this particular verse is used. You know what I mean. Some well-intentioned person at church asks how such and such is going and when you admit that things aren't happening the way you'd like, they come back with "well just delight yourself in the Lord, and he'll give you the desires of your heart. Just make sure you're delighting in the Lord." By which the dating commercials (and a frightening ammount of church people) mean:  "If you love Jesus enough, He'll give you whatever you want." Which is both a HORRIBLE way to encourage someone, and an ABSOLUTELY WRONG view of God. It's a band-aid wrapped in barbed-wire. However helpful the original intention, it's now going to do nothing but hurt. Let's see if we can unravel some of that barbed wire, shall we?

The thinking is not so different form that of the people groups NTM works to reach. Many unreached people groups are animists- they worship spirits. If you give the kind and amount of offering the spirits will give you a good harvest, or a healthy baby. All you have to do to get what you want is give just the right stuff to get whatever you want.  Sound like anything you read a paragraph or so ago?

God is so much bigger than those spirits. He does not demand our sacrifices to earn His grace- isn't that the whole point of the Gospel? That we COULDN'T do anything to earn to God's favor? That's why Jesus came. That's why He died. That why He is our Savior. He has done it all, paid it all, provided it all. And He promises to "provide all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" and "freely give us all things" and that "they that seek the Lord will not lack any good thing". AND that those who delight in Him will have the desires of their heart.

And God knows the desires of our hearts (after all, He's God, He knows everything, and knows it better than anyone else). So far we all agree right? Here's the twist: I think we frequently don't understand the desires of our hearts. We get focused on the means (that house, that relationship, that job, that ministry)  instead of the ends (joy, security, peace). So often we, or at least I, get fixated on something I want so much, because (usually subcounsiosly) I think that ministry/person/place will give me peace. THAT however, is not the case. Peace, joy, security, love all come from God. And God, being God, may (and frequently does) have a very, very different means of giving us the end our hearts are truly craving.

And no matter who says otherwise- God can, will and does plan the very best way to give us the deepest, truest desire of our hearts.

Just don't be surprised if it doesn't look a thing like what you thought.