Expectation and Unbelief

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Horatius Bonar said, "We have not honored the Spirit of God. It may be in words (only) that we have recognized his agency, but we have not kept this continually before our eyes..." He is saying that we have only paid lip service to the Holy Spirit's work. This is also true, but my thought today as I write is not about the working of the Spirit, but about prayer.

We had a speaker last night at our annual Valentine's Banquet that our church gathers to share, and he made a comment that he did not know what to make of a Christian who prays, but does not expect to be actually heard and answered. Lip service to the God of Heaven and Earth when Christ died to split the veil and give us access, baffled him. I was convicted by the Spirit immediately.

There are many reasons that our prayers are not heard or answered. We could have a besetting sin in our lives that breaks us from close fellowship with God and keeps us from prayer. We could be praying for the wrong things, praying "amiss" as James calls it, seeking only selfish things to heap upon ourselves. We may not being fervent or persistent enough. We simply might not be asking, as Jesus told us that we do not have, because we do not ask. Peter says that if husbands do not live with their wives with understanding and honoring her will not have their prayer heard. However, maybe the greatest hindrance to prayer being effective is our unbelief.

We know that unbelief caused Jesus to do no miracles in Nazareth. We know that it caused Jesus to be astonished at some Galilean cities when they saw miracles and explained them away. It constantly brought judgment throughout the Old Testament who did exactly what God told them not to do, or did not do what he told them to do. In the case of the Pharisees, it caused most to be lost forever, even though they were the most religious people in Israel.

Think about it. They knew that they were commanded to pray; so they did. They knew that they should want to pray; so they prayed. They knew that they were supposed to live holy lives of moral purity and ceremonial obedience to be heard in prayer; so they worked hard. Yet, they did not believe that Jesus was the Christ. They did not believe that God could raise up children to Abraham from stones or make them cry out in praise if he desired. They did not believe that Jesus was a prophet because he healed on the Sabbath. One moment after death, how many wished that they had cried out with the epileptic boy's  father, "help my unbelief."

We know we are supposed to pray; so we pray as many minutes as we can for as many things as we can think of. We try to be unselfish by praying all too generically that God would bless this or that. We go through the motions, but do we truly believe that God hears, and God will answer? Do we truly believe that God can and will move in a situation? Are we fervent and persistent only when there is a very desperate situation that directly affects us or a close friend? Do we believe when we pray, or just going through the motions to make ourselves feel better, as though God was pleased that we gave lip service to intimate communion with him?

Maybe we should all (myself being the chief of offence) pray the prayer of the father, "help my unbelief," and repent from our lack of faith, trusting in the gospel and the transformed life it brings to aid us in pursuit.

What They Meant For Evil, God Meant For Good

Famous words of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 are used in many situations to deal with the sovereignty of God, especially as it relates to betrayal, suffering, or persecution. I want to write and testify, not simply about the theological perspective, but about our response to it. I know that there are billions of things that we should thank God for every day all across the globe based on who He is and what He has done. However, I want to continue to praise Him, and declare His glory for something that which He did in my life.

I was reading this morning about praying for your enemies, and the most recent attack upon me came to my mind. Immediately, the deliverance that came on the heels of this great betrayal from a friend, burst through in my mind. Psalm 30 captures the idea of a grateful David after attack and hardship and prayer. He shares of the deliverance of God, and his determination to share it with others. Twice, in Psalm 30:5 and in Psalm 30:11-12, joy from pain is expressed.

We had experienced the depth of deception and behind the scenes attacks. Tears streamed down our faces. Anger filled our minds. Desperation filled our voices as we cried out to our God. The Holy Spirit was our comfort and rest as we trusted in Him. Our eyes were fixed on the problem, which wasn't supposed to be a problem, and suddenly was, and because of a friend's design of our failure. I don't mean to be overly dramatic, I know that many have gone through so much more. On this occasion, for us, it was the sustenance of our family on the line.

BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, had not only us, but others in mind as He revealed and brought about His plan for provision. He had us in mind as our faith needed to be strengthened. He had the righteous anger of some in mind. He had the earthly giver/provider in mind as heavenly treasure would be stored up (even working in his life for two years). He had workings through the testimony that would be given to His glory. He had work to do exposing sin in places. In fact, He will even work in the life of the persecutor. We don't usually think about that one. Even the Pharisees knew that; because in Acts 5:39, they said one cannot fight against God and win. So, God may bring the betrayer to the knowledge of the sin they have committed.

Just let me testify again to the goodness of my King. The inexplicable blessings He bestows on me. How weak my faith is, but how faithful He is. He is my sufficiency and satisfaction come feast or famine, and I can say that better now that I could months ago. A lesson that we should also think about is that sometimes restraint from provision is provision. Maybe I'll write about that someday.

Trembling and Trusting (and Waiting)

In Luke 18:1-5, we are told about an unjust judge who answers the pleas for justice from a woman even though initially he will not hear. Jesus said this to those of us that grow weary in prayer and waiting on answers. In Matt 15:22-28, we are told about a Canaanite woman who asked for only the crumbs that fall from the Master's table have been rejected by Jesus as a Gentile dog. Jesus also says that we can move mountains in Mark 11:23, that is, if we do not doubt. In Acts 16:6-7, we are told that Paul and Silas were not permitted to go here and there. Surely they were seeking God in prayer, and He answered. God answers prayer.

These are nice answers, positive answers, happy endings, but that is not always the case. Time would fail to tell of the prayers unanswered in the fashion plead for; of martyrs who didn't seek death, but didn't escape it; and so on, seemingly endless. Sometimes it's the prayers that are unanswered that make the deepest marks upon us.

So, what are you to do if you keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, but silence seems to be the answer you receive. We tend to then rely on human wisdom (ours or someone else's) to determine what might be the best way. We are warned against this in an oft quoted scripture - "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;" Proverbs 3:5. Some of us stagnate and wait without doing anything. Some of us look for the easiest route. Some of us keep on rolling, figuring that something is better than nothing. Sometimes we let our mind play tricks on us and overthink everything, trying to read God's signs into everything. Keep praying, don't lose heart!

I have been struggling with a huge burden, an answer that I need. It has consumed much of my prayer life for months now, and I still wait. I wish I had answers to give you who are in a similar position. God will complete the good work He has begun in me, Philippians 1:6. I know that He will order my steps, Proverbs 16:9. Proverbs 3:6 says to acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your paths. We are told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure, Philippians 2:12-13. So we tremble and trust. We tremble with Isaiah's words from Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." We trust because we know that God is working all things after the counsel of His will, Ephesians 1:11.

In short, I think that the bible does instruct on what to do, but guarantees nothing except that we are loved of God beyond what we can imagine; that He is good and wise and sovereign; and that nothing can separate us from Him if we are believers. We are supposed to keep praying; be specific, don't doubt. We are supposed to fast, to seek God more earnestly (not supposing that this obligates Him). Drown yourself in the Word, in preaching/teaching, and in godly books. Raise up a group of believers to pray with you and for you. We are to seek the counsel of the godly around us. Then we trust and tremble, knowing that our waiting on God is not wasted time.

Andrew Murray said:

If any are inclined to despond, because they do not have such patience, let them be of good courage. It is in the course of our feeble and very imperfect waiting that God Himself, by His hidden power, strengthens us and works out in us the patience of the great saints, the patience of Christ Himself.

I guess I just needed to preach to myself. Maybe it helped you as well. If you could pray for me, please do. Thanks for reading, thanks for praying!

Shepherding Through Prayer

The final thing that Luke points out to us in Acts 2:42 is that the early disciples devoted themselves to prayer.  This was the fourth way they made disciples of the 3000 people who came to know Christ on Pentecost.

At that time their were no books on prayer, no conferences, no prayer retreats; and most of the early Christians were Jews, so we have to think about prayer for them. We also have to look at how Jesus, the greatest Jew, talked and practiced prayer. We also have to remember, as noted in my previous post on fellowship, that even the largest churches were up to 70, and almost all met in homes. And, of course, with every thought that we muse upon, especially when it deals with scripture, is the scripture inself.  We must read and understand, not only the context, but the word and how they fit into the reading (just a little instruction on biblical interpretation).

So with that, this post is, and this fourth piece of the series and this text, is straight forward. Two commentators that have addressed it directly state, "The reference, however, is probably much broader and involves primarily their sharing in prayer together in their private house worship" and "the prayers may be translated as 'they prayed to God together.'" The early church met at times of prayer in the lives of Jews, such as in Acts 3:1, but they also shared much time together in their meetings. Jesus said in Mark 11:17 that "my house shall be called a house of prayer." He was quoting Isaiah 56:7, but we must remember that the house that God is building in the Old Testament is very different from that of the New Testament. In the NT, Paul explained in Ephesians 2:21 and Peter explains 1 Peter 2:4 in that God is fitting together believers to form His "building." Again, as previously stated, the church is an assembly, the believers, those who follow Christ, built up together into a body. It should be a house of prayer.  So, to boil all of that down, the shepherding that they were doing was prayer together.

I won't take time to go through the types of prayer we see in those arenas mentioned earlier: psalms, the disciples prayer taught in the Sermon on the Mount, the high priestly prayer of Jesus beginning in John 17:1, the prayers of thanksgiving in Acts 5:41 for persecution, the prayers for the deliverance of Peter from prison, the many prayers of Paul for the churches, and the prayers of the saints in Revelation. But I want to think about prayer together for a moment.

Even sheep pray in groups!

Much has been made of having a "quiet time" with God for every believer. Nothing wrong with this, we have an example in Jesus spending time away in prayer. Each of us should have a "walk" with, and "abiding in" Christ.  However, often the extent of our praying together is in a church building on Sunday morning.  How much prayer do we really do together?  Do we get down on the level of a small group and have times of prayer? Do we have times of prayer with individuals? Do the prayer in our assemblies as a church consisting of more than just one person praying a relatively short, flowery prayer for the congregation? I wonder because it seems that this is what is implied by the mention of it in Acts 2:42. In fact, I am convinced that the four parts mentioned here are all parts of the whole, much more interconnected and interwoven than I first thought (another benefit of meditating, studying about, engaging others about, and writing about a text). Teaching, fellowship, worship, and prayer are together, not just as four different means to an end, but as THE means to an end. In this verse, this model, they don't/can't stand alone, but only together.

Some benefits to this kind of prayer would be: less drifting of your mind during prayer vs. "quiet time" prayer.  We would also hear the prayers of others, which I believe (if others are being open and honest) are the windows to their soul--its concerns and loves.  It would foster love in the body.  It would "shepherd" us. Knowing that those close relationships are there, worshiping together, bound by the teaching of sound truth, praying together strengthens all those aspects.

Some of you/us may be doing it already.  Some of the sweetest times for me lately have been those times.  If you/we are not, it might be an uncomfortable addition. Let me exhort you, however, to pursue it intentionally because that is the model given us for discipling and shepherding and because a great void may exist in your Christian walk without it. This may be the main reason that a believer with no church will dry up in virtually every case. Start with your with spouse, your coworkers who are trying to reach others together, or your really, really small group. Set aside an extended time, or meet just to pray--no bible study, no singing (necessarily, although singing could be prayer), no other agenda than to pray.

I think you'll be blessed!

Act 17:16 "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols"

Many of you know that I read the Diary of David Brainerd sometimes as a devotional because of the heart that he had for Christ. I was taken aback this morning again of several things in this entry. 1) You can see his sense of his own unworthiness (which is common in his entries). 2) You can see his heart for his people to be saved. 3) You can see his love for Christ in that he cannot bear to see Him ignored or blasphemed. 4) You can get a glimpse of the prayer life of passionate pleas coupled with an amazing experience of being with Christ in that prayer.

Saturday, July 21. This morning, was greatly oppressed with guilt and shame, from a sense of inward vileness and pollution. About nine, withdrew to the woods for prayer; but had not much comfort; I appeared to myself the vilest, meanest creature upon earth, and could scarcely live with myself; so mean and vile I appeared, that I thought I should never be able to hold up my face in heaven, if God of his infinite grace should bring me thither.

Towards night my burden respecting my work among the Indians began to increase much; and was aggravated by hearing sundry things that looked very discouraging, in particular that they intended to meet together the next day for an idolatrous feast and dance. Then I began to be in anguish; I thought I must in conscience go and endeavor to break them up; and knew not how to attempt such a thing. However, I withdrew for prayer, hoping for strength from above. And in prayer I was exceedingly enlarged, and my soul was as much drawn out as ever I remember it to have been in my life, or near. I was in such anguish, and pleaded with so much earnestness and importunity, that when I rose from my knees I felt extremely weak and overcome; I could scarcely walk straight, my joints were loosed, the sweat ran down my face and body, and nature seemed as if it would dissolve. So far as I could judge, I was wholly free from selfish ends in my fervent supplications for the poor Indians. I knew they were met together to worship devils, and not God; and this made me cry earnestly, that God would now appear and help me in my attempts to break up this idolatrous meeting.

My soul pleaded long; and I thought God would hear and would go with me to vindicate his own cause: I seemed to confide in God for his presence and assistance. And thus I spent the evening, praying incessantly for divine assistance, and that I might not be self-dependent, but still have my whole dependence upon God. What I passed through was remarkable, and indeed inexpressible. All things here below vanished; and there appeared to be nothing of any considerable importance to me but holiness of heart and life and the conversion of the heathen to God. All my cares, fears and desires, which might be said to be of a worldly nature, disappeared; and were, in my esteem, of little more importance than a puff of wind. I exceedingly longed that God would "get to himself a name among the heathen": And I appealed to him with the greatest freedom, that he knew I "preferred him above my chief joy." Indeed, I had no notion of joy from this world: I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through; so that I could but "gain souls to Christ." I continued in this frame all the evening and night. While I was asleep, I dreamed of these things; and when I waked (as I frequently did) the first thing I thought of was this great work of pleading for God against Satan.

There is a video that I took in Jauja, Peru this week entitled "Partying in Jauja." You can view it on my Facebook page, and I will try to upload it here later. Sadly, I was amazed, curious, but not provoked...

Father, transform and intensify my longings for You, and for my people and for the nations to see you as their chief joy. Let me experience You in my intercessions with this kind of passion, and let it be contagious. Let me dream about You, find my satisfaction in you, even at night after I have exhausted myself in labors for you during the day. Make me willing to endure all things for the sake of your people, that Christ may be formed in them and honored among them. In His name, Amen

Imprecation

Working on a sermon on Psalm 28. And in verses 3-5 David prays that he not be carried down in the judgment that will be experienced by the wicked men among Israel. Then he prays that God would judge these workers of iniquity for their evil works and complete disregard of the glory of God.

Enter NT...

So my question is this, in light of the NT, should we, as followers of Christ, pray imprecatory (asking God to judge evildoers) prayers?

Give me your thoughts...

Daily Prayer Guide for March Peru Trip

Prayer Guide for Peru Team (March 2010)

Pastor Jason Jones, Pastor Mike Gibbs, Geoff Clement, Jason Doggett, John Farrar, Aaron Gibbs, Brittany Gibbs, Tim Harris, Liz Hughes, Chuck Pickens, Robby & Griffin Rowe, Jessica Spicer, Margaret Treadway, Rebekah West, Kayla Stone

Thursday, March 11
Praise God for the willingness and obedience of these servants to make the journey.
Pray for stilled hearts for the team and their families as they pack and prepare to leave, and that
they will be faithful to remember them each day.
“...for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26

Friday, March 12
Praise Him for all who work together to make the trip possible.
Pray that their eyes will be open to opportunities along the way. This is travel day from Tifton to Orlando.
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in Thee.”
Isaiah 26:3

Saturday, March 13
Praise God for opportunities to be a witness and encouragement to the van drivers and translators.
Pray for safety and for good health and physical stamina for the long travel day by plane from Orlando through Panama City to Lima, and if the luggage keeps up with them, as they travel by van from Lima to Jauja. Pray that they will adjust well to the changes in altitude.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15b

Sunday, March 14
Praise God for interpreters and for those who hear His word preached. Pray for Pastor Jason and for Pastor Mike as they preach at Jauja (Baptist church where Pastor Moises serves) and for open hearts and minds to receive God’s message. Also pray for afternoon visits to Julcan and Molinos.
“How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15a

Monday, March 15
Praise God for open doors as they interact with the children during the baseball camps, that they will minister God’s love and truth to the children as they teach them the game.
Pray that the team will find favor in the eyes of local leaders.
“And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and do confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

Tuesday, March 16
Praise God for His Holy Word and the privilege of passing out Bibles and tracts that tell of Him. Also pray that God gives “ears to hear” His word through the DVDs they will show at night.
“So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11-12

Wednesday, March 17
Praise God for our church planters/disciplers — Pastor Moises, Miguel, Sergio, Preyer, Anyeshla, Alia, Gabriel, Nehemas, and others. Pray for God to raise up churches for His glory in each of the 3 district capitals of the Yacus Valley (Julcan, Masma, and Molinos).
“And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’” Matthew 9:36-38

Thursday, March 18
Praise God for guiding their steps each day. Pray for the team as they prayerwalk the villages.
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

Friday, March 19
Praise Him for the beauty of a life turned over to Him.
Pray for lasting effects among all who have been touched by the efforts of this team. Remind them, Father, of Your passion for the nations; may it be our passion as well.
“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’”. Acts 13:47

Saturday, March 20
Praise God for physical and spiritual safety.
Pray again for eyes to be open to opportunities on the return trip. Leave Lima. Arrive in Orlando, and then home to our families.
“I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” Psalm 52:9

Their Personal Requests For Daily Focused Prayers:
1. Open the eyes of their hearts that they may see, every day, God sovereignly at work so that they may
join Him in His glorious plan for the nations.

2. That they may find hungry hearts seeking the Savior.

3. That the Gospel of peace will lead them to people of peace.

4. A daily awareness of God with them.

5. God’s anointing of the evangelistic tract “God’s Bridge to Eternal Life” and the “Hope” video

6. Pray that they will “put on the full armor of God” according to Eph 6:10‐19; the battle is the Lord’s, and so is the victory and all the glory!

Prayer for our March Peru Trip 2

One of our leaders for this trip, Geoff Clement, put together this prayer guide for all those that would partner with us to pray for us and our trip. He is also putting together a daily prayer guide for the trip as well. Might post that one too! Thanks for reading, and many thanks for praying for us!

Pray especially for:

• Peru in general: almost 2 million of the 30 million people of Peru have no adequate access to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ — Plead earnestly for the people of Peru!

• The 3 mayors and other leaders, for God’s continued favor

• Our church planters: Pastor Moises, Miguel, Sergio, Preyer, Anyeshla, Alia, Gabriel, Nehemas, . . .

• 10 godly men in each town (Julcan, Masma, and Molinos) as the foundation for faithful churches

• God’s Spirit’s work to raise up disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys

• Pastor Jason Jones, Pastor Mike Gibbs, Geoff Clement, Jason Doggett, John Farrar, Aaron Gibbs, Brittany Gibbs, Tim Harris, Liz Hughes, Chuck Pickens, Robby & Griffin Rowe, Jessica Spicer, Margaret Treadway, Rebekah West

1. Pray for unity (15 missionaries from 6 churches), humility, servanthood, and teamwork.
2. Pray for logistical transportation needs, especially for two very long stretches of travel to and from Jauja and as we travel from Jauja to the pueblos.
3. Pray for good health, especially as we adjust to the high elevation.
4. Pray that we will lean heavily on God for rest, daily bread, and refreshment.
5. Pray that we will let God’s Word “dwell in us richly”.
6. Pray that we will “pray without ceasing” and be sensitive to His Spirit.
7. Pray for wisdom as we “speak the truth in love” in the plazas and in the countryside.
8. Pray that we will interact well with the children as we teach baseball skills, using sports as a platform for ministry.
9. Pray for God to open hearts to His glorious gospel, that people would understand that salvation is all of God — by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone!
10. Pray that we will submit to God’s agenda for each day — that we will “abide in Him” moment by moment and see every encounter as God’s divine appointment.
11. Pray that we will learn as much Spanish as we can.
12. Pray that financial support will come in for each team member ($1,200 per person) — We trust God to provide for us through His people!
13. Pray that we will “put on the full armor of God” according to Eph 6:10-19; the battle is the Lord’s, and so is the victory!

Prayer for our March Peru Trip I

Psalm 67:1-3 “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!”

Sorry, it has been so long since I have written a blog post. I have had several ideas of what to write about, but most of them seem to be unhelpful to the body of Christ, and would probably get me in a lot of trouble. And besides, I read a lot of blogs, and many that have lots of text but not lots of important or helpful info. In fact, if a blog is consistently fluff, I usually delete the feed...I digress.

As I was thinking about our March Peru trip the other morning my mind was racing about all the things that we are going to be doing in a week's time there, and I was feeling a little overwhelmed. And you may feel overwhelmed at all the prayer needs that I am about to give you. In fact, as I think about it, I may break this blog up in two parts.

I'll just put the prayer needs that came to my mind the other morning, if I can remember them. Then in a couple of days, I will post Geoff's compilation of prayer needs. But know this: I AM DESPERATE FOR THE HAND OF GOD TO BE UPON US, AND I FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THIS TRIP. AND WE MUST HAVE SOME PRAYER WARRIORS INTERCEDING FOR US!

1. This is a huge trip regarding the planting of the church there in Julcan and Molinos-two villages that have no existing churches. There will be a lot of evangelizing going on in these two villages with those whose hearts have been prepped on our last two trips. Secondly there will be a lot of discipleship with those believers that are be beginning of our core group there. Hopefully we will baptize these individuals who are ready to fully follow Christ before we leave (this is a huge step for them, because it symbolizes the official break between them and the Catholic Church). And thirdly, we will be training our two young pastors there, as they prepare to take the weekly reigns of these two churches. Neither of these young men have any "pastoral" experience, but have been involved in ministry in their home church in Jauja. This will be a big jump for them, but they have been making trips out to our villages regularly discipling the believers there.
2. In addition to this great task, we will also be doing a baseball camp for the children in these two villages in the mornings as a way of helping them. And we have never done a baseball camp before. We might be teaching some English classes for those that would like to learn. And with all this, it is going to be a very busy week. And we will need much stamina to weather a week like this at the altitude. And it seems like we always go a little two hard the first couple of days.
3. Logistically, this trip is going to be very difficult to say the least for a couple of reasons. First, this is the largest team (16) that we have ever taken by ourselves to Peru. We will be renting three mini-vans for travel and trying to keep up with all of them as we ascend the Andes (15,000 ft up over 8 hrs). And we will also have three van drivers, two translators, and a missionary with us. And secondly, we (I) have scheduled us a really difficult day of travel on Friday and Saturday. We are leaving Tifton on Friday night, driving to Orlando, and staying in a hotel near the airport. Our plane leaves at 6 am (so at the airport at 4 am), then we switch planes in Panama City, Panama (never been to Panama before), pray that our baggage makes the connection, and arrive in Lima at about 1:30 pm. Then we are gonna pick up our vans, translators, etc. and begin an 8 hour trek over to Jauja. So if we leave Lima by 3 pm, at best we arrive in Jauja at 11 pm. So we will be going hard from 3:30 am till about midnight. Then I have to get up and preach on Sunday morning. This might appear foolish to some (and maybe it is), but it is a risk that is necessary to take for this short time and the ministry that we must accomplish there. As some of you know, I have a seizure disorder (just another Satanic distraction) that can be triggered by lack of sleep and/or stress. So I need you to really pray for deliverance for me on the first to days. Our return travel is difficult, but not that difficult. So pray for me as I lead, administrate, and preach the gospel, but pray for my health to stand firm, as it is hard on team to have a leader down.

I am so grateful that many of you have supported our work there in the past few years, but this trip may be the most needful of prayer. Please recruit an army of prayer warriors and saints to intercede for us. Please don't allow this request to sit on a table or be forgotten as so many are.

Somebody please make sure and tell Bob and Pat English and Fred and Harriet Osgood! Thanks

Thanks for your faithfulness, may the Lord bless you accordingly!

Praying for our Peru Trip 2

As I mentioned earlier, we are scheduled to leave on Friday, July 31st. But our partner church in Canada has their pastor in Peru right now. They had good travel, and are meeting with lots of people, strategizing about the work in the Yanamarca Valley. Lift him up. And as promised here is another prayer guide that was put together by some of the wives of our team:

Prayer Guide for Peru Team
Geoff Clement; Leslie Gilbert; Jason Jones; Margaret Phelps; (Chuck) Pickens; Don Pirkle; Kayla Stone

Thursday, July 30
Praise God for the willingness and obedience of these seven to make the journey.
Pray for stilled hearts for the team and their families as they pack and prepare to leave, and that
we will be faithful to remember them each day.
“...for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26

Friday, July 31
Praise Him for all who work together to make the trip possible.
Pray that their eyes will be open to opportunities along the way and specifically for Les as he shares his musical skills during the week. Leave Atlanta 2:10 p.m; Arrive Lima 9:55.
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in Thee.”
Isaiah 26:3

Saturday, August 1
Praise God for opportunities to be a witness to the van drivers.
Pray for safety as they travel to the Yanamarca Valley; for good health and physical stamina for
Margaret.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15b

Sunday, August 2
Praise God for interpreters and for those who hear His word preached.
Pray for Pastor Jason as he preaches at Jauja and for open hearts and minds to receive God’s message.
“How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15a

Monday, August 3
Praise God for open doors in schools as Geoff teaches hygiene and values training, passes out pencils, and shares God’s love with the children.
Pray that the team will find favor in the eyes of local leaders.
“And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and do confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

Tuesday, August 4
Praise God for His Holy Word and the privilege of passing out Bibles and tracts that tell of Him.
Pray for Kayla as she and others give out Bibles and tracts to seekers of truth.
“So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11-12
Wednesday, August 5
Praise God for Chuck as he interacts with people who are open to God’s direction in their lives.
Pray that God will lead them to a potential pastor/planter/leader in each of the five district capitals of the Yanamarca Valley.
“And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’” Matthew 9:36-38

Thursday, August 6
Praise God for guiding their steps each day.
Pray for Don as he prayerwalks the villages.
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

Friday, August 7
Praise Him for the beauty of a life turned over to Him.
Pray for lasting effects among all who have been touched by the efforts of this team. Remind us, Father, of Your passion for the nations; may it be our passion as well.
“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’”. Acts 13:47

Saturday, August 8
Praise God for physical and spiritual safety.
Pray again for eyes to be open to opportunities on the return trip. Leave Lima 7:05 a.m.
Arrive Atlanta 8:59 p.m.
“I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” Psalm 52:9


Their Personal Requests For Daily Focused Prayers :
1. Open the eyes of our hearts that we may see, every day, God at work so that we may join Him.
2. That we may find hungry hearts seeking the Savior.
3. That the Gospel of Peace will lead us to People of Peace.
4. A daily awareness of God with us.
5. God’s anointing of the evangelistic tract “God’s Bridge to Eternal Life” in English and Spanish.

Thanks for your faithful intercession!

Praying for our Peru Trip 1

One of our leaders on our Peru mission team has compiled a prayer guide for those of you who would like to pray for us. And some ladies in our church are working on a more complete one too. So this will be the first of two (or three) posts with thoughts about how to intercede for us as we go minister in the Yanamarca Valley of Peru. His note is below:

Family and friends,

Our Peru trip is just a week away. One of our trip leaders has put together a prayer guide that may give you a little more fuel for prayer.

Peru has 28 million people, and the highland Quechua people groups comprise around 14 million people. The Yanamarca Valley has 25-30 villages and towns. The larger towns are Acolla, Marco, Janjaillo, Pomacancho, and Tunanmarca.

Pray for Pastor Jason Jones, Les Gilbert, Don Pirkle, Chuck Pickens, Margaret Phelps, Kayla Stone, and Geoff Clement by name.

Pray: More for success than for safety
More for eager hearts than an easy journey
More for brokenness than for blessings

For truth seekers and for truth bearers
For another "woman at the well", for another "Ethiopian eunuch", etc.
For persons of peace in every city, town and village we enter

Pray that each of our team members will:
Submit to God's agenda each day
See every encounter as God's divine appointment

Pray constantly from departure to return, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ("pray without ceasing")

Remember that the spiritual battle is the Lord's, and put on the full armor of God, according to Ephesians 6:10-19

Plead earnestly for the people of Peru!

Let me know if you are interested in committing to prayer, especially through the July 31-August 8 travel dates, and as we prepare.

And thanks so much for all your support, words of encouragement and prayers!

Love in Christ,