I was watching a video clip of Jeff Singfiel, one of our CMA missionaries in Bosnia.  He was watching the garbageman pick up his trash and the thought occurred to him that no one has ever prayed for that man.  Then his mind began to think through the generations preceding this man and he wondered if anyone ever, in time immemorial, had ever prayed for this man and his generations of family.  Then he prayed.  Jeff said that he felt so privileged to possibly be the first believer ever to pray for this family.

It is men and women like Jeff that I feel privileged to support.  I can’t be there but I can support them through my giving and praying.

So I can’t help myself.  I have to put out one more reminder that this weekend we will be celebrating the mission funding that God is going to raise up through PAC in 2009.  In these last two days I trust you are confirming what God has spoken to you regarding your part in this.  Come prepared to hand in the tear-off section of the Faith Promise at the service you attend.  

Rick and Tammie Romano will be with us this weekend.  They are our missionaries in Ensanada, Mexico.  Wait until you hear his heart for the people he has chosen to live among.  You might add an extra “0″ to your Faith Promise after listening.

See you this weekend.

It didn’t take long at all.

A few hours after Tom and Barbara Barbour left our church on Sunday, I received an email from one of our members making himself available to lead a team to Waveland from January 11-17.  I love how God works.

I can’t believe we only have a couple of weekends left for our Passionate Hope series…and to Christmas.  This weekend, Barry Jordan, a personal friend and missionary to Indonesia, will be with us.

For upcoming events, there are a couple of things you could help me with.

1. Anyone having international attire that would be willing to be part of a processional in our services next week (Dec. 20-21) can respond to this blog, we’d love to have you join us.
2. Don’t forget our mission prayer meeting on Friday at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary.  This is a no-nonsense-let’s-use-every-minute-for-prayer time for Trenton, Tampa, Waveland, Mexico, Brazil, and Thailand.

Our attention is certainly being drawn internationally, isn’t it?  With turmoil in India, Greece, Thailand and continued violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, this series on hope and missions makes so much sense as we experience Advent.  Jesus’ came as the Prince of Peace.  We exist so others can experience the hope He can bring.  The world cannot be changed without Him.  But with Him everything is possible.  Let’s not shy away from our responsibility.

See you this weekend.

I was at a dinner the other night with several other pastors.  One of the pastors gave a benediction at the end of our time together.  He talked about the advent season and how it is actually a time of waiting.  We count the weeks down to Christmas day in anticipation of the birth of Christ.  We wait for the Savior.  We wait for the hope He brings.  We wait for God’s gift to us in anticipation of what that Gift brings to our lives.  So my rendition of the benediction that night went something like this:

I like that.  As we wait together in these weeks before Christmas day, I wait in anticipation of what God will do among us in 2009.  I wait with expectation of what churches will be planted in Mexico.  I wait with the hope of kids in Brazil who will be saved because we made a commitment this Christmas.  I wait to see how prisoners in body and soul in Thailand are set free because we cared.  I wait to hear reports of transformation from the Guzmans in Trenton as well as from Waveland and Tampa.

I trust that you have been spending time with God concerning your Faith Promise for 2009.  Those resources will change lives.  Please pray.  Please listen.  And may God bless you in your time of waiting.  May He speak directly into your heart.  And may your waiting bring you closer to Him and to His plan for you in 2009.

See you this weekend.

Many of you signed up this past weekend for more information about future missions trips.  Very cool.  We will give you more details soon, but for now I want you to know that our first team will likely be sent to Brazil (one of our focus countries) by the end of March.  You will be able to sign up for the trip starting this weekend.   We will also send teams to Trinidad and Exuma in the near future.

We are excited to welcome Pastors Julio and Lucy Guzmán of Living Hope Church as our guest speakers this weekend.  We have already been partnering with them in their work in Trenton (our “Judea”).  But when you hear their heart for the people of their city, I know you will agree that we can help them even more in 2009.

I hope you enjoy the long weekend.  Just as we will spend time with our family and friends this week, it is my hope that the homeless we will be serving on Thursday would also become our family and friends.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.  See you later in the weekend.

I am working through the book of Isaiah in my morning time with God.  I was struck by these words:

As we talk about missions (our next series) and reaching out past our neighborhoods into areas that cross cultural boundaries, I am reminded that the heart of God for the world is not just a New Testament concept.  Even in Isaiah’s time his heart was for the world.  Nothing less than the ends of the earth can satisfy God’s love.

I have a vision of raising $500,000 for missions in 2009.  That might sound crazy after the stock market lost another 900 points in the last two days.  But here is what I read Isaiah this morning:

This is God’s heart.  If He wants it done, I know that He will see it done.  Let’s be part of what He will be doing!

See you this weekend.

400 responses.

That is how many people left their contact information at one of our booths during the ministry fair last weekend.  That is a lot of work for us!  But we are prepared.  If you were one of the 400 you can expect a call or email from us this week or next.  We are very serious about not letting any of you “slip through the cracks.”  This is an incredibly exciting for us. To think of 400 new opportunities to serve.  Imagine how many people can be changed and helped through this.  

Thanks for being obedient.

This will be the last week for our Community Group Series on serving God.  Josh Conn will be bringing the message from Romans concerning the privilege it is to bring others to Christ.  

And don’t forget some critical classes coming.  Baptism classes will be held this Sunday, choose from 9:15am, 10:45am or 12:15pm.  We have some ready to be baptized in just a couple of weeks.  If you haven’t taken our membership class, I will be teaching it this Sunday at 2 p.m.  Come find out all you want about PAC and why we think our community is special.

And next week starts our missions month which we are calling “Passionate Hope.”  (I am just a little excited about that…)  Can we actually reach a goal of $500,000 for missions in the 2009 year?  Why not?  If 1000 of us gave $10 every week we will get there before the end of the year.  

Think about it.  Better yet, pray about it.

See you this weekend.