Matthew 6:33-34

Where: my dining room table
Drinking: Starbucks Sumatra 
Listening to: Mumford and Sons (Great music for the Irishman in me!)


Pray:
Father, it is a blessing to watch the snow today.  When I'm weary and daunted by brokenness, it is a good thing to watch something so peaceful cover the ground and remind me that You make all things new.  Everything seems fresh and new in the cover of snow.  Today, fill me with Your Spirit.  Help me to love You, love people and live surrendered better today.  


Read:
 ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. --Matthew 6:33-34


Think:
(Ask, Analyze and Apply)


Write:
I worry less about my food, clothes and shelter than I did 4 years ago.  I have been through times when I wasn't sure how I was going to keep my house or support my family.  It is only by God's grace that I feel further from losing my material safety.  However, my mind finds new things to worry about.  I am always in a battle with my own sense of security.  There are days when I look at my job and my gifts and can't see how everything comes together.  I'm not  a brilliant guy or a great leader.  My successes can all be directly traced to moments of surrender and obedience directly followed by God's providential action.  Remembering I'm not awesome leads me to insecurity or to trust.  The more I think about my weakness, the more insecure I become.  The more I think about God's sovereignty and love, the more I just love watching Him use me.  


A friend of mine played football in high school.  His coach, looking at the field and seeing they were short a player, grabs my friend by the shoulder pads and throws him on the field.  He stumbled around, not knowing the play.  All of a sudden, he gets knocked down.  The play was over, and he walked off the field only to see the fans cheering and his teammates slapping his helmet and congratulating.  He had inadvertently gotten in the way of the opposing teams star player.  He "tackled" him and saved the game.  Sometimes it's not about knowing everything.  It's about being wear the coach tells you to be.  


Do:
Today, I'm going to rest in the truth of who God is.  I'm going to read my book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas (great book!), drink tea and watch the snow.  Praise God for rest!  

A Night to Remember

Tonight God did something amazing.

I recently found out that our special meeting place, Jim's Coffee House is closing.  Business isn't good.  Financially, Jim just can't keep the place open.  A pillar of our community is dissolving, and it hurts.

I think if all the memories I have at Jim's.  I've watched people shed their doubts as they see the truth of God revealed.  People far from God have returned to Him.  Hope has been restored there.  It is a very special place. Watching it disappear is like losing a home.

A lot of things have been changing.  I'm watching my grandparents move more quickly toward eternity.  I've seen friends move away.  On top of it, today I found out my Compassion child, Carlens is too old to remain in the program.  I am writing my last letter to him this week.

With a heavy heart, I walked into Jim's Coffee House for Frequency.  I was grieving, but didn't want to show it.  I tried to keep my chin up so that the group (which has grown significantly in the last year) would not lose hope, but inside I was aching.

I couldn't wait to get to the discussion.  Something happens when we open the Word of God at Frequency.  The words become clear, the discussion becomes rich.  The Holy Spirit shows up.  I wanted Him so bad tonight.  I wanted His comfort.  I wanted to know that God has a plan and that its all going to work out.

It is no coincidence that we have been studying Romans and just happened to be studying Romans 8:18 to the end of the chapter tonight.  The whole passage is on God's power and plan.  The Words were more than comforting.  When we came to Romans 8:28, which says that God works all things together for the good of them that love God, someone who almost never speaks raised her hand and shared about something God had done.  She had prayed very specifically that a child she knows would ask for her to give him a Bible.  She didn't just pray for an opportunity.  She prayed that the boy would ask.  The child had seen great sufferring, and she knew he needed God.  Later, they met and he started talking about God.  A question came up and she got out her Bible to show him a verse.  As soon as they were done he said, "Could I have this?"  She choked back tears as all of us stood in awe of this sovereign God who honors the prayers of His children.

Her testimony led to another, and then to another.  The Holy Spirit was working and we could all feel Him.  I can't explain exactly what its like, but it involves awe as you see the magnificent glory of God.  The discussion went on and we couldn't help but respond with praise to this awesome God.

Eventually, I closed in prayer, but in the middle of my prayer I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me to open it up for salvation.  I paused the prayer and presented the Gospel then asked anyone interested to pray along with me.  When I asked if anyone did, a hand went up.  God saved someone tonight at Frequency!

As we finished, he came and spoke with me.  Before long, another young man came up to share thank me for the lesson.  He has been far from God and came tonight seeking help.  He has returned to God.

I don't know what is next for Frequency.  I know we will keep meeting at the church after we can no longer meet at Jim's (our last meeting there is August 31st).  I also know that God is doing something big.  I'm certain we are going to have more stories of His sovereign hand.  I also know that some of those stories are going to involve trials.  Whatever happens, God is going to work it together for our good and His glory.  Praise Him!

It is a great thing to see His glory revealed.