This morning I read in My Utmost for His Highest, "Are you prepared to let God take you into total Oneness w/Himself, paying no more attention to what you call the great things of life? Are you prepared to surrender totally and let go? The true test of adandonment or surrender is in refusing to say, 'Well, what about this?'"
Wow! "Refusing to say, 'Well, what about this?'" I'm not there yet. All week I've been asking God, well, what about this. What about my family, what about my church, what about my friends who don't know Jesus?
And I've been frustrated b/c I feel like I'm abandoning everyone I care about to move to Haiti. But this morning as I read through this devotional, it hit me. What if I'm not abandoning friends, family, and the lost? What if what I'm really abandoning is self?
Just some thoughts on my last day in the States. :)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Prayer Circles
My legs are tired, my mouth is dry, and my heart is oh so full!! Thank you to all of you who made it out to the farewell party and my commissioning service today. It was such a big blessing.
They prayed for me during both services at my church today. It was maybe the 10th time that a church has laid hands on my to pray over me and my ministry, and each time I feel even more encouraged than the last. It is very humbling to kneel down and feel the hands of so many people on my shoulders, back, and arms. The weight of this collective touch would be difficult to stand up under, and I can't help but think of that how that physical strength pushing down represents the same spritiual strength that will be holding me up when I go. It is an awesome picture.
It's also pretty encouraging to turn around and see the circle of people who have come to pray. I have locked in my mind images of circles at different churches in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania (ECC, New Lebanon, College Wesleyan, Lighthouse, to name a few), and if all of these prayer circles were added together the number of people in them would well over a hundred. It's a small army that I cannot do without.
Seriously, one of the biggest lies I've had to fight as I've prepared to go is the lie that I am alone. But today God knocked that lie out of the way. Seeing and feeling the power of prayer circles forces me to see that I am NOT ALONE.
Today was a huge day to celebrate what God is doing not in my life, but in HIS BODY. And you are all a part of that. Thanks for coming. Thanks for praying. Thanks for rejoicing!
They prayed for me during both services at my church today. It was maybe the 10th time that a church has laid hands on my to pray over me and my ministry, and each time I feel even more encouraged than the last. It is very humbling to kneel down and feel the hands of so many people on my shoulders, back, and arms. The weight of this collective touch would be difficult to stand up under, and I can't help but think of that how that physical strength pushing down represents the same spritiual strength that will be holding me up when I go. It is an awesome picture.
It's also pretty encouraging to turn around and see the circle of people who have come to pray. I have locked in my mind images of circles at different churches in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania (ECC, New Lebanon, College Wesleyan, Lighthouse, to name a few), and if all of these prayer circles were added together the number of people in them would well over a hundred. It's a small army that I cannot do without.
Seriously, one of the biggest lies I've had to fight as I've prepared to go is the lie that I am alone. But today God knocked that lie out of the way. Seeing and feeling the power of prayer circles forces me to see that I am NOT ALONE.
Today was a huge day to celebrate what God is doing not in my life, but in HIS BODY. And you are all a part of that. Thanks for coming. Thanks for praying. Thanks for rejoicing!
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