My new years workout list. Kind of . . .
I guess we survived the Christmas and New Years holiday. That's a relief. Some of you might have thought we disappeared from the face of the earth because we haven't updated you on much over the last weeks. But we're still here in Kaiserslautern. We didn't have a real exciting holiday. We stayed home a lot of the time except for a couple visits to neighbors or church people. The girls enjoyed the days of attention. Christmas is always a good time to just be together.
But in the days between Christmas and New Years Eve I developed a sort of hunger. A dryness of the soul. So on January first I wanted to take the day and start the year off right. That day I spent a bit of time in the office reading, praying and seeking God. Jesus said when we seek we will find. It's true. That day I experienced fellowship with the Spirit of God but also leading toward the next things for 2014. I was blown away as I sensed five areas where I need to spend more time praying.
1. Die Gemeinde/ The Church we are responsible for. Our little fellowship of people is pretty eclectic and broad. Some people have sin issues, some are addicts, some are religious and proud. I'm the worst of them all. We need Jesus. So needy.
2. Das FSJ/The volunteer slash discipleship school I'm also responsible for. We have 12 young people who we've had since September 1st. It's also a smattering of different flavors from all over the country. We pray regularly and often for them, but I sense an urgency in my gut to pray more for our young people to develop a hunger for more, to love God more.
3. Unsere Familie/Our family. Over the past year or so Bird and I have been saying to each other, "This can't be all. There is something missing. This has to change." Maybe you know what it's like. The sense of responsibility to pray more for Bird and our ladies is heavy, although not crippling.
4. Bekanntenkreis/Friends and Acquaintances. When we arrived in Germany we didn't know many people at all. Over time that has changed and we've developed some good friendships with all kinds of people. A lot of them have never experienced Jesus. That needs to change. Knowing our Maker and his love is the greatest power in the universe. It's so life-changing.
5. Die Stadt/The City. Over the years I have gotten to know a few pastors from here. There is an alliance of evangelical churches who meet every so often and chill, eat, and pray for/with each other. I've grown to love these people. My longing is to see the churches really love each other and treat each other as family. It's coming. The city will experience the love of Christ when the church is united and loves her different parts.
So I'm taking more time to pray into these 5 areas. We'll keep you updated on what happens. AND don't feel this is Mike's deal. We're grateful for all the prayer we can get. Come on church!
peace and love,
Mike
But in the days between Christmas and New Years Eve I developed a sort of hunger. A dryness of the soul. So on January first I wanted to take the day and start the year off right. That day I spent a bit of time in the office reading, praying and seeking God. Jesus said when we seek we will find. It's true. That day I experienced fellowship with the Spirit of God but also leading toward the next things for 2014. I was blown away as I sensed five areas where I need to spend more time praying.
1. Die Gemeinde/ The Church we are responsible for. Our little fellowship of people is pretty eclectic and broad. Some people have sin issues, some are addicts, some are religious and proud. I'm the worst of them all. We need Jesus. So needy.
2. Das FSJ/The volunteer slash discipleship school I'm also responsible for. We have 12 young people who we've had since September 1st. It's also a smattering of different flavors from all over the country. We pray regularly and often for them, but I sense an urgency in my gut to pray more for our young people to develop a hunger for more, to love God more.
3. Unsere Familie/Our family. Over the past year or so Bird and I have been saying to each other, "This can't be all. There is something missing. This has to change." Maybe you know what it's like. The sense of responsibility to pray more for Bird and our ladies is heavy, although not crippling.
4. Bekanntenkreis/Friends and Acquaintances. When we arrived in Germany we didn't know many people at all. Over time that has changed and we've developed some good friendships with all kinds of people. A lot of them have never experienced Jesus. That needs to change. Knowing our Maker and his love is the greatest power in the universe. It's so life-changing.
5. Die Stadt/The City. Over the years I have gotten to know a few pastors from here. There is an alliance of evangelical churches who meet every so often and chill, eat, and pray for/with each other. I've grown to love these people. My longing is to see the churches really love each other and treat each other as family. It's coming. The city will experience the love of Christ when the church is united and loves her different parts.
So I'm taking more time to pray into these 5 areas. We'll keep you updated on what happens. AND don't feel this is Mike's deal. We're grateful for all the prayer we can get. Come on church!
peace and love,
Mike
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