One Prayer

One prayer. It sounds so simple. What is your one prayer for the church throughout the world? During the month of June we will be joining 800+ other churches for a four week series called One Prayer. You can learn more about it here http://www.oneprayer.com/.

It's hard to narrow it down to just one. In Jesus' prayer in John 17 he prayed that we would be one, united in our love for God and for one another. It doesn't get any simpler yet so difficult as that. It doesn't get any more important than that either. If the church isn't united in its love for God and its love for each other, how will the world come to know Him? Every prayer then, is a subset of Jesus' prayer for without unity we have nothing.

It's going to be amazing to know that churches all over the world will be joining in this series. It's going to be interesting to see what aspect of this prayer other churches focus on. I can't wait!

Really Tough Week!

For a week that was supposed to let me focus on getting some good rest, it was one of the most stressful weeks in a long time!

It's no real story that with all of my medical issues, I am having some nerve problems in my legs which is making the hair fall out (great for girls, but lousy for a hairy guy!), and I have a lump in my arm that needs to be removed (no worries).

The big surprise was that the big medical stress this week was for Paige. Here's the story. Last fall and winter, she had a few episodes of numbness in her face and arms. We went to the Dr. and he had her get an MRI. They found a pineal cyst and sent her to a neurologist. After a second MRI two months later for comparison, and an EEG, we got the news that the cyst is a little over an inch long, and the neurologist didn't like what he saw (Thursday), so he sent her for a second opinion with a neurosurgeon (Friday). The fact that they got her in so quickly added to the concern.

We had many people all over the country praying, which we really appreciated!

The appointment could only have been better of the cyst had vanished! Unfortunately, it is still there and she will have to get regular MRI's and watch for symptoms to make sure that she doesn't have future problems with the cyst. The good news is that the problems she was having are most likely a variation on her migraines that she regularly gets (in this case that's very good news!).

We never doubted that God was in control and that he would give us the strength to face whatever the outcome, but our humanness was filled with worry of the unknown.

It was a huge scare for us, and she will have to live with this cyst, but prayerfully it will never be an issue. Thanks for the prayers!

Two Minute Tuesday - on Thursday

I can't believe that it's Thursday already. This week flew by! It was a great week.

One of the best days of the week was Wednesday. I took the day to "withdraw" to study and pray. I haven't done that for a while, and I will be making it a point to do this regularly.

Usually when I do this, God challenges me personally in my spiritual life and gives me vision and ideas for ministry. This day was different. God has been "disturbing me" (Thanks Craig G. for putting it that way!) lately and this was a good day to hear from Him. The thing is, instead of answers, I got more questions. I felt as if God was leading me through questions instead of answers.

I have been reading a book called "Static" which has really been challenging me, and yesterday I read through "Reveal". The combination of the two books, what I'm reading in Isaiah, and things God is challenging me with all came together to create some powerful questions for myself, my personal ministry, and my ministry at Palm Valley Church.

Here's a sample: It sounds like an easy question, but why did Jesus come? Simple, He came to save the lost right? Not so fast! Is that what Scripture really says? Is the meaning of what it says the same meaning those who were there understood? Is the meaning what we attach to it today in a post-modern society? Is the meaning universal?

Once we understand why Jesus came, the next question is: Are we communicating that message to people today, in our culture, in a way that they can understand and grap hold of? If they grap hold of Christ, are we really helping them take their next steps, or are we just teaching "important" stuff?

I thought I had the answers, until yesterday. Thanks for disturbing me God! Now my prayer is that God unfolds the answers clearly, quickly, and in a way that I can transfer to others what I learn.

New Believer Growth Group

It was just a year ago that we launched our first New Believer Growth Group. It was a large group and it was fun. The hard thing about leading a group like that is that after the six weeks you have to send them on to the next step in their spiritual growth journey.

Through this past year we have led several groups. It's great to see many of those people connected, growing, and serving Jesus! Paige and I have had the privilege of having these people in our home.

This Sunday we are launching a new group. Actually, Larry and Trish are launching a new group and I couldn't be happier. They are wonderful servants of our Lord and have invested heavily into the lives of new believers here at Palm Valley Church. They have co-led groups with me and then taken the groups on to help them grow with other materials. They have also discovered how hard it is to "graduate" people out of their groups.

The group starting this week will be a bit different in that we are doing it on the church campus instead of in the home. It is a grand experiment of sorts. What we lose in hospititality we hope to gain in people being able to come without childcare being an issue. We constantly have had people who could not come because they couldn't find childcare. Our goal in doing the class at church is to meed that need. I'll let you know how it goes!

Join me in praying for Larry and Trish and the new believers who come to the study!

Weekend Rewind

- What an amazingly powerful weekend at Palm Valley Church! If you weren't there, make sure that you watch the video at http://www.palmvalley.org/ (It should be up sometime on Tuesday).

- The message on depression was made more powerful by the testimony Julie did about her own struggle in this area. Thank you for being honest and so vulnerable!

- At the end of the message people had an opportunity to release baggage that they had been holding onto. The bags were then hung on the cross to symbolize that Jesus carries our burdens and the sin and guilt of those things were nailed there with Him.

- We also had the Fresh Start Class this weekend. Attendance was light, but it was important for those who were there. I think that was a God thing, because after Saturday night we were able to care for the needs of someone in the class, and then again on Sunday I had the privilege of praying with another who's life has been greatly impacted by God.

- Saturday night we got the chance to hang out with two of the coolest people I know. Terri and Linda have been faithful servants of the Fresh Start ministry since it began. They are transitioning to another area of service. I will miss them in FS, but am glad they will be doing something they really love, and I will still see them around the church. It's important in a church to allow people to move to different ministries when they feel led, and without guilt! Often, when someone leaves a ministry in a church, they also end up leaving the church because so much pressure and guilt has been placed on them. At PVC we encourage people to try out different things and do what God calls them to do in accordance with their SHAPE.

- It's so cool to see when religion turns into relationship in people's lives. I got to see that this weekend.

- This was the first run of the revised FS material. I'm so glad Ryan was able to sit in on Sunday's class. There were a couple of things he picked up on that will be really helpful going forward. I was having trouble with one of the transitions and he picked up on it as well and had a great solution. I love having a team that supports, encourages, and challenges each other. It sounds weird, but I couldn't wait to get his feedback. It's not about me, or any of us who teach, it's about making sure the right message gets conveyed in a way that best accomplishes what is intended.

- I can't wait for next weekend!

- By the way, besides the normal pain and fatigue, I felt great this weekend. I was careful not to overdo (too much). Thanks for all the prayers! God protected me and gave me strength this weekend. To Him be all glory and honor and praise!

Who Does Satan Think He Is?!

I woke up in agony on Saturday. My back was on fire with the myofacial pain. The pain wouldn't ease up (My medications weren't helping, and if I take the heavy stuff I can't function, so I avoid it if I have to do anything). I hadn't done anything taxing on Friday.

Only ice relieved the pain somewhat because it numbed me for a while. Between set-up and church I went home and laid on the floor with my back covered with ice packs. That helped me get through service and then back home for more ice. Daniel asked if he could do anything to help and I said yes, pray for me. It's great to be a part of a staff who readily cares for each other! Prayer was the most important thing he could do for me at that time. God graciously empowered me to get through the evening.

Sunday was worse if anything! I had ice on my back on the way to church, and Paige brought ice with her so I could ice my back all through 1st service. Darius prayed for me! I made it through the morning and part of tear-down before going home for more ice. In the evening it was more ice and back to church for membership class (and a brief stop at Marty's 65th B-Day party - Happy birthday dad!), then back home for more ice.

Today I woke up extra tired from the long weekend, and in the usual amount of pain. But, no fire!
In many ways, I feel great!

It's obvious that it was Satan putting a huge stumbling block in my path. The pain would have normally shut me down, but I had a hunch that it was spiritual warfare, and I wasn't about to lose this battle! Who does Satan think he is? I hate the phrase, but it is so appropriate here - Satan, you're not the boss of me! God has been doing so much at Palm Valley I knew that I needed to be there. I blogged a few days ago about the attacks we have been facing and some ways to face them. Sometimes you have to play hurt. Most people didn't notice, that was the intent.

In may ways, I could have stayed home. Most people wouldn't have noticed that I was gone. The Fresh Start Team is great and they could have handled everything just fine without me there (there ability didn't play any part in my decision to be there). It certainly would have been better to be home where I could have taken other medications to help eleviate the pain.

So why did I go?
- I mentioned it before, because it was a battle and I knew that if I stayed home Satan would have won.

- A conversation I had with a young lady who was hurting made it clear that I needed to be there at that time. Other's could have had that conversation, but I believe that it was God's plan for me to be there.

- 33 conversions this month shows us that God is doing huge things in the hearts of people coming to Pallm Valley Church, and I felt that I needed to be there to see His hand at work. 14 more conversions this weekend show that I was right! That's 47 lives changed forever in the past 3 weeks!

- I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go, and to stay. I can't explain it, but in my heart I knew that I had to be there. It wouldn't have mattered if I was invisible and I didn't encounter anyone, I needed to be there because the Lord said so! He is the boss of me!

I am sure that there will be times, as before, that when I am in that kind of pain, I will need to be at home, but for this weekend that wasn't the case. Spiritual warfare is something that I don't fully understand, but the battle belonged to the Lord, and He won through my willingness to be at church even when it hurt so bad. What a privilege to have suffered this weekend as part of such warfare.

Greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world!

48 Hours

Be forewarned, I'm going to whine in this post! I'm simply going to share my personal struggle with pain this past couple of days.

The last 48 hours have been the toughest that I have faced physically since I had a kidney stone last Thanksgiving! The pain has been excruciating and relentless. Imagine the body aches of the flu multiplied by 5 and add in a few sports injuries and a major sunburn to go with it. I have been in tears crying more than once during this time. Paige felt so helpless as her hubby stood crying this morning, having a melt-down that would put a four-year-old's tantrum to shame.

I have gotten "used" to living with pain. On good days it's about a 3 on a 10 scale. Usually, bad days are about a 7, but this weekend was pushing the limit. I knew I was in trouble when I went to pick up prescription refills Saturday. When I got to the Pharmacy to pick up the three medicines I call my "cocktail", they could only refill one saying that I needed to see the Dr. OK, it's Saturday, the on-call Dr. doesn't handle prescriptions, and they can't give me anything to hold me over. It turns out that someone other than my regular Dr. approved my last refill and added the stipulation not being familiar with the long term history.

That meant that I spent the past two days without two much needed medicines to keep my pain levels to manageable levels. The earliest that I could get in to see the Dr. today was at 1:30. Boy was I watching the clock today! I finally got new prescriptions and have taken the medicines, and they are beginning to kick in. I am sure that under more lucid conditions I could come up with some really good spiritual connections and comparisons, but I have had the concentration level of a piece of fruit! I haven't even been able to drive (except for driving home early from Church yesterday, which I hated, probably wasn't the wisest decision), and for those who know me, I love driving! As a side note, it was great to have several people pray for me and for other staff members offering to take care of things, you are all such an encouragment!!!

Yesterday I was in so much pain I resorted to some percocet I have for severe pain, but they didn't help much.

Anyway, it wasn't the best father's day, as far as how I felt, but Paige's parents were here (her folks are the best in-laws anyone could ask for!) and both boys were here and we grilled Rib-Eye. In many ways, the day couldn't get any better! I love my boys and am so proud of both of them. They have had to put up with a lot because of my physical challenges. They are truly a blessing.

Finally, the pain is decreasing. I am glad that I have never asked God why I face this trial in an angry way, only to try to understand what He wants me to learn. I have often asked that He remove it, but so far He has chosen not to. No matter what, I pray that even in my pain and the irritability it often produces, that God would be glorified and that my faith would be strengthened.

Suffering - 1 Peter

I love how James begins his letter with the issue of suffering through trials. It is my favorite book. Peter writes about suffering too. In chapter two he writes that our suffering is part of what God has called us to (2:21).

He says that the way we handle suffering is a testimony to our level of faith in Jesus Christ. I had never thought about it like that. That's why we study Scripture over and over, because God teaches us things new every time we study it.

Each of us are called to suffer in different ways. Some suffer physically (I'm in that boat), while others suffer because of persecution (I'm glad that I'm not in that boat, but pray for those who are!). Either way, the pain involved is real and the way we live with it is a measure of our faith.

I pray that I measure up! It certainly isn't always easy, but I really try to live through the pain in the joy of God who I know loves me. Sometimes I get depressed and frustrated because of the limitations mostly. It also wears me down. I take naps nearly every day because my body simply shuts down. Pain is fatiguing! As james says, I need to count it as joy that I am asked to endure these trials because in them my faith is stretched.

Never once have I questioned God in this, but I do constantly ask Him to take it away. He hasn't as of yet. I also pray that my faith will continue to grow in this and that my times of depression and frustration become less and less and shorter and shorter. I don't know what your suffering is, but I pray that your faith grows through it!

Miracles!

Sarah had surgery to put in a pump for her heart. It didn't look good and the Dr.'s didn't hold much hope. The situation was grave.

Yesterday morning we got the news that Sarah is alert and responding. SHe knows those around her. The Dr.'s can't explain it. We can!!! How great is our God!

Keep praying, she's not out of the woods yet, and still needs a heart.

Please Pray!

There is a fifteen year old girl named Sarah who needs your prayers! She was medivac'd today to a hospital in Tucson to await a heart transplant which she needs immediately.

The hard part about this is knowing that another person must die so that Sarah has a chance to live (sounds like what Jesus did!). So how do you pray for Sarah to live, as another family is praying that their loved one will live.

We know that we have a great God, and that He has a great plan, we just don't know what it is. Waiting is painful sometimes, and this is one of those times. We can only work with what we know, and we know that we need to pray for those we care for. Today we pray for Sarah, she needs it!

My house shall be called a house of prayer!

Refering to Isaiah 56:7, Jesus, when He was clearing the temple in Matthew 21:12-13 said that His house would be a house of prayer. Here at Palm Valley Church it's sometimes hard to think of a high school gymnasium as a house of prayer, but every week it becomes one.

This past Sunday we took that a step further and turned a raw piece of land into a house of prayer. As we prepare to build phase 1 of the PVC campus, we spent some time on the land by having a prayer journey. Over 300 people came to pray and walk around the land where there will soon be buildings. Praying as individuals, couples, families, and small groups, people walked to where different buildings will be and prayed for what God will do in them. It was truly a holy moment! It was awesome to walk onto the land under the "Welcome to Palm Valley Church" banner. Though it is still just snakes (Yes, one was seen along the trail) and desert brush, it is a house of prayer. The land has been prayed for by many for a long time, but now it has been consecrated in prayer by many who walked the one mile journey this weekend.

I had the privilege to help set up for the event. As we were putting up banners, I looked up the road where we were going to be parking on a freeway offramp (not yet opened) and saw cars streaming in nearly an hour before the event would start.

Our family has been blessed by God in seeing and being a part of church plants first hand. I have never had such an experience as this. The feelings were powerful. To see kids placing rocks where the "Kids Fountain" will soon be (See when the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land), and their parents praying with them for how God will use that fountain to draw people to Himself was overwhelming.

To God be the glory,great things He has done, and continues to do among us.

Ministry to New Believers - Change

This week I was going to write about the materials we use at Palm Valley Church to minister to new believers. Well, it's Thursday night at 10:30pm and I'm just now getting a chance to write. Hopefully, I'll write about materials next week, which will most likely be on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A much bigger topic to address this week is change. That's one reason I am so far behind this week. Change isn't necessarily a bad or good thing, it just is. In this case, the change is very good! Palm Valley Church is adding a service on Sunday mornings. Times will be 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30. I met this week with the ministry lead team for Fresh Start. We'll begin the new service on Easter Sunday. How cool is that, that we will make room for more people who don't know Jesus on the day we celebrate the reason we're making room, because Jesus Christ is risen!

There are plenty of logistical issues that need to be addressed, and a lot of recruiting. We need people to step up and step into minstry.

On Easter we are also beginning our Seize the Moment campaign to stretch the faith of our community and to begin the building process on phase 1 of the new PVC campus.

Once we figure out how we will adapt to the changes with our coaches, I'll share that info.

For now, I'm taking a couple of days off between major projects. Far too many pastors are lost to burnout. I'm glad that getting away is a priority for our staff. We need to rest, play, re-energize often! With the health issues I face, I need to make sure that I don't get overly fatigued. I have felt that this past week, so it's a really good time to take a break. Compared to others of our staff, my job is cake! I'm so glad to see others getting away! We encourage our volunteers to take time as well. We want people to work hard, but we don't want to burn people out and lose htem to the kingdom. So, watch yourself and take breaks when needed, then dive back in and charge ahead.

PureSex

What a weekend! I loved Greg's comment after service Saturday night, "We're runnning with scissors now!" For a church to talk about sex at all is something. To be open, honest, challenging, and most importantly, Biblical is really rare. It's what being a dangerous church is all about.

Michael Gray is doing a great job with the media on this! He does a great job on our communications stuff, but he has taken it to the next level with this series. We had an artical in the West Valley View which was based on an interview with Greg and Ryan. We had a news spot on the local CBS news Friday Night, and Saturday we had an ABC crew at our services and an interview with Greg and others on the 10:00 news. It was good.

We had a lot of people there this weekend. Some may have only come because of the publicity, but it got them in a place to hear the gospel!

The buzz was great and Greg did a great job. I can't wait for the rest of the series. And yes, people met Jesus!

Our elementary kids kicked off a winter extreme series with snow machines! Yes it was snowing in Goodyear AZ today! Way to go Dave!!!

It was great to see several people come early to pray over the chairs that people would use during the service. People prayed over the seats in the theater on Sunday where the youth meet. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to make it over there, but I know some of the prayer warriors who did, and God knows I was praying as I did other stuff.

Palm Valley Church rocks!

Ministry to New Believers - Laying the Foundation - Part 2

Continuing from last week's post - laying a foundation for ministry to new believers. First that new believers matter to God, and second, that they should matter to us as well.

Third, there are tremendous joys connected with ministering to new believers. There are also painful sorrows as well. If there aren't, your heart isn't in the right place! At th e beginning of the month we conducted a survey of people who had indicated that they accepted Christ at PVC last year. It was encouraging to see how many are still connected (I'll post the results soon). There is disappointment over the ones no longer attending here, but some solice in the fact that they are attending somewhere.

The pain is in those not attending anywhere! It is hard to hear about those that are to busy, or that simply don't care. Those hurt! On the one hand, we can say that they have to choose for themselves, and that they need to take responsibility. You can also say that perhaps they really didn't choose Christ.

The other hand, is the elephant in the room. What could we have done to connect them. What do we need to change, or do, or not do, to help the seeds planted in them take root. I think we do some things really well, or at least have the processes in place toward doing things well. The issue is the constant knowledge that we need to do better. That's not a bad thing, it just is. It's a constant. It's a good thing to not be satisfied with the status quo. We don't beat ourselves up over where we are at, which leads me to the next point.

Fourth, it's all about God! I shouldn't have to say that, but I do. I need the constant reminder too! It's not about programs, it's about people. And, it's not really about the people, it's about connecting the people to God, or at least providing every opportunity for them to get connected. The hard thing, humanly speaking, is waiting on God. Things happen in His timing. If they don't, He isn't in it! This is the biggest thing I have had to learn in the past couple of years. Sure I knew it in my mind, but I never really put it into practice, until this past year.

Prayer has to become more than a devotional and crisis event. It has to become truly a "pray without ceasing" lifestyle. If you want to know what God wants, you have to spend time with Him. That means reading and studying the Bible, and talking with Him in prayer. If this sounds really basic, it is! You can't expect God to show up if He isn't invited to the party! This not only goes for the programming, it goes to the relationships too. Waiting for God's timing can be really hard, but it's necessary. When you pray, study, and wait on God, you learn to expect Him to show up big when His timing arrives. The joy you find in that moment is indescribable, and the impact is immeasurable.

There is so much more that could be said that is foundational, but I'll add that later. Next week I'll begin to talk about what we do to minister to New Believers and how God's timing has impacted the ministry.

Ministry to New Believers - Laying the Foundation - Part 1

Monday's it is! I will plan on posting thoughts, ideas, concepts, things I'm learning, things we've tried that work (or didn't work) regarding ministry to new believers on Mondays. Realizing that as readership to this blog grows, pastors and new believers alike will read it's contents, so I will write with both in mind.

For today I want to begin to lay the foundation for developing a ministry that focuses on new believers.

1. New Believers matter! Jesus could have said to "Go and make converts", but He didn't. He said to "Go and make disciples" (See Matthew 28:18-20). Paul wrote in Colossians 1:28 that we are to "present every man complete in Christ." Peter wrote that we are to grow in our faith (See 2 Peter 1:3-11). There a numerous other passages that show us that as individuals we need to grow in our relationship to Christ, and many others that show the church that it is to lead people toward maturity in their faith. To this end, our vision at Palm Valley Church is "Leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ." this basically summarizes the passages that I have listed.

2. If new believers matter to God, they should matter to us. It's not about programs! If you're looking for a cure all program that will take new believers from conversion to maturity, you're looking for the wrong thing. There are to many variables. We should want to help new belivers grow. We should want to connect with them personally. We should want to connect them with others who can come along side them to encourage them in their faith. We should want to teach them how to feed themselves spiritually. To put it simply, it's about the heart. All of the "one another" passages include new believers. We should love them, letting the love of Christ flow from us in a way that compells us to come along side them, especially in their first steps in their faith.

Of course there are programs, but they flow out of vision. In conjunction with the vision of PVC, our vision for our Fresh Start Team (ministry to new believers) is "Coaching New Believers toward Spiritual Growth." Our team can't do everything. We can;however, be there to guide, support, encourage, and pray for new believers as they begin their faith journey. Notice that there isn't a guarantee in this statement. That's because while we take ownership of a part of the process, the new believer has a part in the process as well, and must desire to grow. You can have the most perfect program, but if you don't connect, and if they don't engage, then you have nothing!

If you care for new believers, then check it out next Monday when I blog on Laying the Foundation - Part 2.

Thanks for reading!

God is Good all the Time

God is always good and worthy of our praise.

I'm home sick today. I went to the office this morning and lasted all of 5 minutes. My insides are rebelling. There's no fever, but man do I feel lousy! I hate being sick. I'm such a big baby. Paige was working today so she wasn't here to play nurse (darn it!). I really hope I'm better tomorrow, I need to be, at least in my thinking, it's really up to God and I really hope His plan is for me to be well tomorrow, I'm sure praying for it.

This week I'll be leading two New Believer Growth Groups at our home. Tuesday's group starts this week and should have about 8-10. The Wednesday group started last week with 18. It is really awesome to see God working in the lives of new believers. It stretches me, invigorates me, and grows my faith. Thursday night I'm meeting with the Fresh Start team and I can't wait. These guys and gals serve as coaches for our new believers and they rock! I'll blog more about them another time.

This weekend Greg started a new series at Palm Valley called Dangerous Church. He rocked! Paige's cousin was visiting Saturday night and he commented how much he like it and how much he like Greg's honesty and willingness to say what needed to be said. One thing he asked inteh message was when was the last time you trusted God for something really big? You know, something that only God could accomplish. That's was easy for me to answer. Last Friday was a really hard day. Josh (the most faith filled 7 year old I've ever known) was fighting for his life. He even coded once. I prayed hard that day and so did many others. It was really hard to see him that day. God chose to preserve his life. Truly a miracle. The dr's even admitted it. I trusted, and so did others, that God would save this child. He is doing better. He has a ways to go, but God's power is evident in his little life.

I know I've been rambling a bit, you can blame the illness, but I also wanted to share this link:
http://www.coolchurches.com/articles/nascar.html
I got this from a link from a link from a link from a blog that I read. This guy isn't a NASCAR fan, but he does a good job connecting some really good lessons from racing to the church.

Last thing, the house is temporarily ahead of schedule. The foundation will be poured this week, but the framers can't come until the end of February. OK, my stomach is telling me it's past time to stop. I've decided to start devoting one day a week to blogging about ministry to new believers (not that I'm an expert, but I've learned some things that might be helpful to others), so stay tuned.

Praying in Faith

In my devotions Tuesday, God was showing me a habit that I've picked up. I don't know where it came from, but it is really annoying. It demonstrates a lack of faith on my part. You may have this habit too. For many, I'm sure that it's not a habit, but an actual definition of their level of faith. I sure hope it's not an indicator of my level of faith. As a wise man once said, "I believe, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). Actually, this man was the father of a boy that needed help. I'm sure he was afraid for his son.

The habit? Hedging my bets in my prayer life. I noticed that in some of my prayers that require God to act, I tack on "if it's your will." How rediculous is that! Is there any question what God's will is when it comes to people making a decision for Him, or growing in Him? Of course not! Is there any question what God's will is when a child is fighting for his life? Of course not.

You say wait a minute on that last one, children die in spite of the prayers offered on their behalf. Yes, that's true. I am making a distinction here between God's will and God's plan. For example, the Bible says that God doesn't want anyone to perish, but have eternal life. That is God's will. Does that mean that no one dies without a relationship with Him? Unfortunately, no! God does; however, provide a way, a plan, for the gift of eternal life to be offered to all who wish to receive it.

In my prayers I need to give God the opportunity to say no. I think so many prayers go unanswered because we don't ask in faith. We don't really expect God to do anything. We need to leave it up to God whether He will say yes, no, or wait. We need to stop hedging our bets. We need to simply ask God to act, to intervene, to go big. Our prayers, my prayers, need to simply be ones of unbridled faith. Like, "God please heal Josh", not "If it's your will, please heal Josh."

We only know God's plans that have been revealed to us through the Bible. So we don't know what God's plan is in every situation. We need to simply ask, and wait to see what He does. His plans aren't our plans, though they sometimes correspond. So, I'm focusing on breaking myself of this habit. I'm asking God for His help. I'm asking, and I'm not hedging my bets. I'm sure it's His will that I ask in faith!

God Is So Good!

I want to thank the many who have been praying for Josh, the little boy with leukemia who has been struggling for survival. He made it through the weekend and is doing a little better! Praise God! Today was pretty awesome too. Dave and I took a pile of cards to Josh that kids at church made. His parents were doing pretty good, all things considered. Josh is down to 40% oxygen, which means that he has begun brathing on his own. They are going to begin feeding him through a feeding tube so that his system can begin working again. He's not out of the woods, but he is making progress! You can keep up with changes at www.joshinfo.com

Prayers Needed

A little boy in our church named Josh really needs as many prayers as possible right now! He is fighting Leukemia and is having complications. The next 48 hours will be critical so please pray hard. You can read about Josh on the website his parents created:

http://www.joshinfo.com/Home_Page.html