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Wednesday, January 31 2024

Please see Sarah email below and add to that a prayer for Darlene Skinner who hasn't been well since Sunday.

Check out the harvest Prayer final month-long prayer for revival below. Messenger not working today so unable to include photos of some of today's devos.

Pastor Don has been under spiritual attack the past week with sleepless nights and weariness. He is also under some refining from God as he allows some refining and opportunities to work on His Words "agape" and "earnest". He is currently under the influence of Nyquil and recovering from an 11 hour sleep. He is a bit under the weather and could use a prayer covering and prayers for health and strength for a 12 hour day at the church with much ministry. Thanks! Pray for wisdom and for God to have full access as He leads our pastor.

Below are our devotionals for the day for you to use to draw close to God. What's He saying to you and what will you do about it? Below Sarah's email is Jesus' teaching on the Talents from Matt. 25 from the Message translation. How are you investing in God's Kingdom with what you've been given? That includes time, talent, treasure and gifts and abilities. Are you stewarding well while sowing lavishly as commanded. We need each other to process and sow and steward well. God has made us and brought us together to discern and to sow and steward well and in balance. Don't be afraid to trust the God of the impossible with what you've been given because sowing lavishly is stewarding the best when done for and with our Master. Check out the extra lesson on building the Kingdom in the UR today. Who might you process this all with? God has called our leadership to be a vision team for the church. We seek, process and try to follow well, even when out of our comfort zones because we know God's ways are best! But we also need to temper that with not running ahead or lagging behind. There is balance and shalom when following God well together with all our different leanings, abilities and gifts. Follow Shalom always! But expect to be stretched as we do that together. God has great plans for you and us together and for revival! He is showing us signs of things to come with the personal and corporate growth in faith and action and even in growing our numbers. PTL! Let us sow lavishly and sacrificially into all God is revealing and doing. Pray we see the closed and open doors and keep looking forward with anticipation to the new things God is and wants to do. Amen!

Sarah Email:

Good evening, Warriors.....

Here is a thought to ponder and take it as a challenge:

How about we make a commitment to start investing our time in using our spiritual gifts and 

working with the Lord each moment, instead of wasting our time.  Why? Why should we accept 

the challenge?  Because we don't want to come to the end of our lives and look back and have 

nothing but regret.  That can be one of the saddest things that can happen to a person.

So let's accept the challenge, and invest all of our time to living our lives, every moment, every thought,

every action we do, for the Lord, as He would have us.....making Him proud!!!

** ** **

I have a few updates to share:

Kay and Jim Handfest are asking for prayer for their daughter, Sarah. She is having her baby on February 3rd.

Sarah is 40 years old and they are asking for prayer for a safe delivery and that both mommy and baby will be fine

and healthy. 

** ** * *

Update on Larry Kunkle - he is scheduled for heart catheterization tomorrow (Wednesday) at Thomas Jefferson Hospital.

After this procedure he will be admitted for additional heart tests until Feb 7th. He will then be discharged and return to hospital 

on Feb 16th for oral surgery. The family is asking for prayers for steady hands for the surgeon, all to go well and for peace for Larry as

he goes through this.  The family is grateful for all our prayers.

** ** **

Let's continue to pray for our young people/children. There is a lot of peer pressure out there in our schools and playgrounds. Pray for God's protection over them. Pray that God will put the full armor of God on them from the start of the day and pray that they are reminded that they are NEVER alone!  Jesus is always with them.

** ** **

Tomorrow/today is Bread Ministry. Pray for those that are volunteering and those that come through the doors to get bread

   May the sense God's presences and His love.

Thank you all for your prayers....

  Have a good night/day!

     Blessings,

   Sarah

Matt. 25:14-30 MSG Translation

14-18 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

19-21 “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

22-23 “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

26-27 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

28-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Harvest Prayer:

January 31, 2024 - What Are the Next Steps in Your Revival Journey? A Message from OneCry Founder, Byron Paulus

“It is time to seek the Lord, until He comes . . .” Hosea 10:12

What a journey this has been! For me personally, it has been far more than simply learning about revival for 30 days . . . it has inspired me to seek God every day from now on until God sends widespread revival! That is what Hosea not only exhorted us WHAT to do but also instructed us HOW to do it. He lays out both the precursor and the potential of revival.

Precursor:

Sowing in righteousness – Am I sowing seeds of obedience to God’s Word?

Reaping steadfast love – Am I experiencing the love of God to its fullest?

Breaking up my fallow ground – Am I asking God to show me and break me over my sin?

Potential:

Until He comes – Am I expecting God’s presence in revival?

Rains righteousness upon you – Am I excited about the fruit of revival?

What’s next? After an entire month of praying for revival what practical steps do I take to foster the scope and scale of revival that could fuel a nationwide or global spiritual awakening? Let me suggest three simple steps:

1. Inspire: Cast vision for revival to everyone you meet. Inspire others to seek the Lord personally and ask them to encourage others to do the same.

2. Resource: Share this resource and other revival resources with those who share in your heart for an outpouring of God’s Spirit in our day. Discover resources at harvestprayer.com and onecry.com.

3. Mobilize: Be a catalyst to mobilize church and community leaders. Ask God to raise up passionate Christian leaders who will unite as influencers for spiritual awakening.

I often get asked, “once I experience personal revival how do I continue in revival?” I reply by saying, “What it takes to have revival is what it takes to keep revival.” Applying that principle, perhaps you want to spend the next 30 days doing exactly what you have been doing . . . praying Hope-Filled Prayers for Revival and asking God to “Do It Again” in your heart.

Here is a prayer to pray that embraces the principles of revival in Psalm 74 and makes them our own. It was written by the late David Butts of Harvest Prayer:
 
Father, like ancient Israel, we too live in a day in which Your Name is mocked. Many times this happens because of the shortcomings and sins of those of us who are followers of Your holy Son, Jesus. Lord, we confess our sins and the way we have lived our lives as Christians apart from complete dependence upon You. We repent of this shameful self-sufficiency and throw ourselves upon Your mercy.
 
Gracious God, our lifestyle has often led unbelievers to insult and attack Your very nature and character. We ask You, Lord, to rise up and defend Yourself. Would You awaken Your people to the reality of Your presence in our midst and in so doing transform our lives into the character of Christ that You desire to see in us? May Your life lived out in Your Church begin to demonstrate to the world Your love, grace, mercy and overwhelming power on behalf of Your saints. Would You allow the kingdom principles that govern heaven to begin to be made manifest on earth? We ask You to revive Your people so that we may rejoice in You and demonstrate in our lives the awesome, transforming power of Jesus Christ in His Church. Amen.
 
Additional Resources For You:
Sign up for a 7-day Personal Revival Journey.
OneCry Monthly Prayer Guide
Personal Revival: An article by Dave Butts, Harvest Prayer

ODB:

Fully Surrendered to Christ

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Mark 8:36

READ Mark 8:34–38

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

In 1920, John Sung, the sixth child of a Chinese pastor, received a scholarship to study at a university in the United States. He graduated with the highest honors, completed a master’s program, and earned a PhD. But while pursuing his studies, he had walked away from God. Then, one night in 1927, he surrendered his life to Christ and felt called to be a preacher.

Many high-paying opportunities awaited him back in China, but on the ship home, he was convicted by the Holy Spirit to lay aside his ambitions. As a symbol of his commitment, he threw all his awards into the sea, keeping only his PhD certificate to give to his parents out of respect for them.

John Sung understood what Jesus said about becoming His disciple: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36). As we deny ourselves and leave our old life behind to follow Christ and His leading (vv. 34–35), it may mean sacrificing personal desires and material gain that distract us from following Him.

For the next twelve years, John carried out his God-given mission wholeheartedly, preaching the gospel to thousands throughout China and Southeast Asia. How about us? We may not be called to be preachers or missionaries, but wherever God calls us to serve, by His Spirit working in us, may we fully surrender to Him.

By Jasmine Goh

REFLECT & PRAY

What do you need to surrender in order to truly follow Jesus? What are some personal ambitions you may be holding on to?

Father, help me to set aside whatever hinders me from fully surrendering to You.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In his commentary on Mark, William Hendriksen calls Mark 8:34-38 a “brief but beautiful little paragraph.” How can words about following a “cross-carrying” Christ be described as “beautiful”? The brevity and simplicity of Jesus’ words, along with their clarity, contribute to their beauty. In Mark 8:31-32, Jesus spoke of His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection (see also 9:30-32; 10:32-34). The invitation in 8:34 is to “whoever.” Verse 35 highlights that self-preservation is ultimately deceiving; self-surrender to Christ is lifesaving. In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer helps us see that communion with Jesus in the manner presented in these verses is what the life in Christ is all about: “The cross is laid on every Christian. . . . Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

Arthur Jackson

UR: Inspired to write

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

When I arrived home from painting class, I checked my email. My mood plummeted when I found that my devotional submission had been rejected. I reviewed the list of possible reasons for the rejection that the publisher sent. Then I read my meditation several times, trying to discern why it wasn’t accepted.

For aspiring writers, rejections are discouraging. Sometimes rejected meditations cause me to doubt my God-given purpose. But still I labor at my craft. My heart’s desire is to glorify God through my writing and to share my faith experiences with others.

But writing is hard work. It requires discipline and commitment, as well as a teachable spirit. Rejections, though discouraging, are also a catalyst for continued learning and practice. So when discouragement threatens to derail my efforts, I recall today’s quoted verse and remember why I write: It’s an expression of my love for others and for God. Whether or not my meditations are published, God is pleased with my efforts. When God weaves within us a divine purpose, God also equips us to persevere. And so as my words flow across the page, I continue to answer God’s call on my life.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Heavenly Father, help us remain committed when we face rejection. Give us teachable spirits and the will to persevere in our response to your call. Amen.

Posted by: AT 08:22 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 30 2024

Sarah Prayer email below and Harvest prater revival prayer and Dave Butts Blog. Check them out! How is God directing your prayers, choices and steps today?

Zoom Huddle 10 am today

Good Morning Faithful Followers of the Way! We are the redeemed of the Lord! PTL! What a blessing to know that we are forgiven and our eternal destiny is set! But that isn't all their is to life in Christ. True worship is allowing the Holy Spirit to mold, shape and direct you to your purposes each day. It's obedience to living sacrificially and loving lavishly more earnestly like Christ and producing good fruit and many disciples of Jesus. We are working on that and that is a very good thing! We are a work in progress and process! God is our salvation, security, source, strength and purpose as we live this life for His glory until we are called home.

ODB reminds us that Jesus is our King. He is our Lord and Savior, we sometimes forget the Lord and King part and go off doing our own things or what we think is best without consulting or staying connected to God. His ways are best and He is the God of the impossible. He calls us to trust and obey even stretching us sometimes beyond what seems possible right now. Pray for deep faith and trust to follow well and sow lavishly into His plans for you and us and allow some stretching of faith. Charles Stanley reminds us we are equipped for good. Are we allow God to use us to our fullest potential and in His strength to do all he has for us? We see the contrast between unjust and just leaders. Pray for our leadership and pastors to be following God, just and good shepherds and stewards of all God's blessings.

I have to run. I actually slept in until 5 today. There is a lot here already. What's God saying to you and what will you do about it? Who are you processing with? Let's end with some prayer starters to begin praying with: "Praise God as the source of every thing that is good, holy, just, and beautiful. Thank God for inviting you to remain in Him, as a branch remains in a vine, so that you too can produce good and holy fruit (Jn. 15:7-8). Confess your failure to "remain in" Jesus, to find your fulness and satisfaction in Him. Be specific about things that crowd out your desire to abide in Him. Commit yourself to finding your fullness in Jesus during this day. Ask Him to show you that apart from Him you can do nothing (15:5). Pray that parents will be rooted firmly in Jesus that their children cannot miss seeing the fruit that they bear as disciples. Pray for spiritual leaders of your church will see their need to be abiding daily in Jesus and His Word, constantly in prayer, and completely dependent on Him for ministry. Pray for Christians in positions of leadership--business, politics, medicine, teaching--may remain firmly attached to Christ and so bring glory to His name. make a list of the unsaved persons you know, and ask God to graft them into the tree of life (Rom. 11:17). Ask God how He would have you connect these people to Him." Amen!

We are a people of God PTL! A people of informed an powerful and effective prayer! Thank God for using you, informing and directing your prayers! Remain steadfast and persevering in fruit producing efforts and faith. God has great plans for you just as you are and greater things ahead. Rejoice! I'm praying for you and for God to lead us to His best with deep faith to become more like Jesus this year--living sacrificially and loving lavishly more like Him each day.

ODB:

Jesus Our King

See, a king will reign in righteousness . . . like streams of water in the desert. Isaiah 32:1–2

READ Isaiah 32:1–8

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

While drilling for oil in one of the sunniest and driest countries in the world, teams were shocked to uncover a huge underground system of water. So, in 1983 the “great man-made river” project was begun, placing a system of pipes to carry the high-quality fresh water to cities where it was sorely needed. A plaque near the project’s inception states, “From here flows the artery of life.”

The prophet Isaiah used the image of water in a desert to describe a future righteous king (Isaiah 32). As kings and rulers reigned with justice and righteousness, they would be like “streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land” (v. 2). Some rulers choose to take instead of give. The mark of a God-honoring leader, however, is someone who brings shelter, refuge, refreshment, and protection. Isaiah said that “the fruit of [God’s] righteousness will be peace” for His people, and “its effect will be quietness and confidence forever” (v. 17).

Isaiah’s words of hope would later find fullness of meaning in Jesus, who “himself will come down from heaven . . . . And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). “The great man-made river” is just that—made by human hands. Someday that water reservoir will be depleted. But our righteous King brings refreshment and water of life that will never run dry.

By Karen Pimpo

REFLECT & PRAY

Where do you need Jesus to bring the water of life? How can you follow His example of bringing refreshment to others?

Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing peace through Your perfectly righteous rule.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Isaiah’s prophecies often condemn Israel as having “closed eyes and ears” (see 6:10; 29:10, 18; 35:5; 42:7; 43:8; 44:18). The prophet uses this phrase over and over to point out that God’s people refuse to look to or listen to Him. They’re interested only in their own agendas (31:1).

In the Gospels, Jesus’ disciples were waiting for Him to be Isaiah’s promised king (Luke 24:13-35). But, like the people in Isaiah’s day, their eyes and ears were closed to what God was really doing through His Son—overthrowing the reign of sin in the world.

But Christ’s resurrection after His “defeat” by the Romans finally opened the eyes of the disciples. They saw, perhaps for the first time, that Jesus was there to change the world not through military conquest but through forgiveness of sins. And it was a message they were to take to the rest of the world (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jed Ostoich

Charles Stanley:

Inline image
 

Harvest prayer Revival Prayer:

January 30, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 30): Heaven Waits for Our Prayers

In the 1740s, Jonathan Edwards preached a series of sermons on the millennial reign of Christ. Out of this series came a prayer movement that became the common denominator to hundreds of revivals, three international awakenings, and the explosion of international missions.

In one of the key passages, Edwards addresses Revelation 8, in which the Lamb of God takes the scroll from His Father and opens the seven seals—that is, when God inaugurates the consummation of history.

Instead of an explosion of activity, however, we read the following: “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (v. 1).

Everything in heaven stopped. In silence heaven waited. But why did heaven wait? When it came to the end of all things and the return of Christ, heaven waited for “the prayers of all the saints.” Upon the evidence of Revelation 8, Edwards was convinced the second coming of Christ would be preceded by a great and global movement of prayer.

Today there is an unprecedented movement of united prayer across the earth. Was he right about the power of united prayer with regard to the purposes of Christ? Absolutely.

As with revivals of the past—and the great missionary and church-planting movements that emerged from them—God may want to accomplish many great things before the coming of His Son. Even today we are witnessing great harvests of souls—the largest in the history of the Church. This age of the Holy Spirit is yielding remarkable fruit.

May the certainty of Jesus’ return keep us on our knees.

I praise You God that Your people can rest in the assurance that the return of Jesus Christ will happen in Your perfect timing. Pour out Your Spirit and accomplish great things for Your Kingdom as the prayers of the saints fill the throne room of heaven to inaugurate the consummation of history. I pray for church-planting movements to explode across the earth and for a huge harvest of souls to precede the coming of Jesus. Raise up Your Church in the greatest global movement of prayer in the history of the world. I give You all of the glory and honor and praise!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that we can rest in the assurance of the return of Christ in God’s perfect timing.

• Pray that God will pour out His Spirit and accomplish great things for His Kingdom before Jesus’ return.

• Pray for a growing crescendo of the prayers of the saints to fill the throne room of heaven and inaugurate the consummation of history.

• Pray for church-planting movements to explode and a great harvest of souls to precede His coming.

• Ask God to raise up His Church in the greatest global movement of prayer in the history of the world!

--Adapted from Day 30 by Bob Bakke: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison.

Dave Butts Blog:

Are You Wandering?

by Dave Butts

Dave Butts

“Why, O Lord, do You make us wander from Your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes that are Your inheritance” (Isa. 63:17). 


“Wander from Your ways” is powerfully descriptive as we consider how easy it is to move away from a right relationship to God. It does not take effort to drift. You just quit trying. You lose focus. Staying close to God requires effort. We are not talking about earning our salvation . . . that is not dependent upon our effort, but upon God’s grace. Maintaining and nurturing the relationship will mean giving ourselves to prayer, the Word, fellowship, and worship.

How many have shipwrecked their faith, not by deliberate rebellion, but by drifting away through inattention? Wandering aimlessly through life, we miss the Lord’s presence and His power to transform. Might that even be a picture of the 21st century church today as we wander away from the firm commitment to daily seek His face?

O God, forgive my tendency to wander away from You. I get so caught up in daily activities that I find myself off doing my own thing and not paying attention to You. Like the hymnist I find myself saying, “prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”

Sarah prayer email:

Good evening, Warriors,

Hope your Monday has been good and your Tuesday will be better.

I am including the prayer needs and praises that were shared yesterday during our time of worship.

And at the end of my email, I have attached a listing of the events and dates for the next couple months.

You can print it out, hang it on the fridge so you don't forget something you want to attend AND you could 

print extra copies to hand to a friend or neighbor as an invitation to the event.

Those in need of our prayers:

Larry Kunkle - they found a cancerous spot on his jaw. Larry will be having aortic stenosis repaired at Thomas Jefferson

around February 13th, and then will have Oral surgery around 2/16 and remain in the hospital for another week.

Let's pray for medical team and for all to go well, and for Larry's wife and family.

Randy - distant relative of Marylou S. - continue to pray for him and his family as he is dealing with his cancer, and waiting to

learn of any possible treatments

Joanne - Kay Paul's sister in law, has some health issues and needs specialized care. She also needs to find a place to live that

is able to offer this care.

Marshall Rehm has asked for prayer for two friends that are both dealing with cancer at various levels. Pray for Marshall as he shares with them and pray also for their families as are on this journey together.

Faye Ann Nixon - asking for continued prayer for her daughter Holly who has been battling cancer the past several years.

 Her cancer has now spread to Holly's arm.   May we continue to pray for Holly to sense God's peace holding her close.

Lisa Wenner has asked for prayer for Gary, who has lost his mother recently and he is really struggling with the lost.  May we 

all pray that he is able to find God's peace

Gina and Jason Fuhrman has asked for prayer for Christian, as he takes his written driving test today.

  UPDATE:  The facility where you take the test was closed today, so Christian was given another day to study.

So may we continue to pray that he remembers what he studied as he takes the test tomorrow.

Yvonne Muik has asked for prayer for her Great-great grand son.....he is not due until the end of March, but

due to some medical issues with her Granddaughter (baby's mom) they may have to take the baby a few weeks

early.  She is asking for prayer for a safe delivery, and that both mom and baby will be fine and healthy.

Gary Bastan's family members that we have been praying for are doing better and showing some signs of improvement

 May we continue to lift them up in our prayers.

May you continue to pray for Pastor Don and myself as we serve our Lord at and with the people at St Matthew's 

I would ask for continued prayers for my legs and the lymphedema that I deal with daily.  God is good and I CHOOSE JOY through

it all. I appreciate your prayers tremendously and I can feel them helping me.

Praises: 

Lisa Wenner shared that her family was finally able to all get together for their Christmas celebration!  The family was dealing with

illness and COVID, but this past weekend they were able to all get together. It was a great time.

Marylou S. shared the great news that her daughter, Krissy is engaged !!   Congratulations!!

Thank you to everyone that has been supporting our Food Pantry with groceries. Gina is working on a monthly listing 

of food suggestions for each month.  As an example, February would be cereal, instant oatmeal, cream of wheat.

We will print the monthly needs in the bulletin the first Sunday of each month.

Okay everyone, time to head to bed or head into our Tuesday, (depending when you are reading this)

  May you all have a great one!

Blessings,

   Sarah

Posted by: AT 07:54 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 30 2024

Thanks to Sarah for bringing a great Word yesterday, Lori and the 2 Peas in a Pod Team for a great lunch and all of you for showing great love to our visitors. (estimate is over 65 at brunch yesterday with many guests and some new faces)

This week:

Tues Zoom Huddle 10am. All welcome!

Wed Bread distribution 10-12; Family Ministries/Adult Dinner and Video Huddle

Sat. 10-1 Clothing Closet

Sun after worship is our annual Congregational Meeting (we will have a zoom link running as well)

Good Morning Discerners of the Times, Prepared Harvest Workers! It doesn't take a rocket scientists to discern that the times are dark, evil, and getting worse. It feels like Satan has control of this world, doesn't it? Yet we are called to be the Light that shines in the darkness. God promises an end times harvest. We know that as the end of time approaches things will get more dark and evil. God has been calling us to prepare and be ready--daylight's burning. So many are praying for Jesus to come back. Are you praying and readying for that? What will Jesus find you doing if He returns today? 

Check out the Harvest Prayer Revival prayer below affirming what I said the other day about "both/and". As watchman discern the times we need to be discerning and informed with biblical truth. It will be both dark and Light when Jesus returns. Times will be the worst ever, yet the Great Day of the Lord will be the most awesome day for those being saved. Until then we are charged to prepare earnestly and bring those God is drawing along. Yes, be discerning of the times but don't buy into the lies that all is hopeless or that our God is a myth or very distant and His ways futile. Turn off THAT noise and tune into God's Truth. He is coming back. As the time approaches, it will get very dark and evil. Be earnest and prepared, persevering as you harvest. And remember, Jesus promises to be with us until the end. The commission He gave before that promise was to go and make disciples. My prayer is that I will be preparing you for that and be part of His end time harvesting faithful ones who persevere until the end. Please pray earnestly into that as you seek God for how He desires to use you for such a time as this. He has plans for you and us to discover as we prepare faithfully.

God had several threads coming to me during my quiet time today through our devotionals and my prayer time. What's He saying to you as you sit at His feet and discern the times and your part in His plans? Yesterday, Sarah reminded us that we are part of God's Body and no matter who we are, we all have an important part in that Body functioning well. We are talking about spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit growing in us is the measure of how well we are shedding our old nature and stepping into our new in Christ nature. How would you rate these fruit growing in you: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control? (check out ODB below) If we really want to become more like Jesus and really want to be more prepared for what lies ahead, we need to allow the Holy Spirit full access to us and allow Him to mold us, lead us and use us for God's glory. As we step from our old ways into God's best this fruit will grow and the old and rotten will be replaced with much better, good and pleasing fruit in God's eyes. But, man, dying to self and following Jesus to the Father's best for us can be so hard. the lure of this world is strong and Satan keeps prowling about trying to detour us from God's best. Be strong in Christ! Stand firm on the Rock. Pursue what really matters according to God.

I'm going to allow you to work on discerning the times, what God is revealing to you today, and how He wants to direct and give you the desires of your heart that align with His. Have you sought God for a word to two to work on this year as He leads you to spiritual growth and prepared service. (Please let Sarah and me know your words so we can pray and encourage you this year!) I've been praying into that almost daily and I think God wants me to continue to have last years words in focus because He is still working on me with "agape" (dying to self and loving like Jesus) and "disciple making, even though I have made some progress. However, He 's given me two new words for this year to be more focused on as I seek to become more like Jesus in '24. "Earnest" and "Ready" are my two words. It will involve growth at pursuing being more earnest in my walk and ways and being ready when God says go, willing to stop my agenda for His and follow well. God keeps reminding me that in this life Christ is all that matters and my assignment is to be ready to roll with Him to advance His Kingdom no matter what I face when He says go. He wants me to be more earnest in my being purified and ready. He is coming back and until then He has a great plan for me (and us) that will help with that and bring soul satisfaction and joy as I (we) enjoy this life He's given us. Maybe balanced would be another word as we have responsibilities in this world and His Kingdom as duel citizens. But He does promise to provide all we need as we follow Him earnestly and work at becoming more like Jesus in '24 and beyond. Are you ready? I'm earnestly working on that and praying for us all to be about our Father's business more earnestly. Amen!

We are all on a journey and Jesus invites us to come as we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way! Follow Him and His peace and provision and you will know true joy as you discern what really matters and pursue it more earnestly. Amen! Keep you eyes and ears open and your heart willing and ready! Seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be added. PTL! Keep working at living and loving more like Jesus and great fruit will be forthcoming! Yes! And Amen!

Harvest Prayer Revival Blog:

January 29, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 29): Morning and Night Are Coming

One group of watchmen says we are moving into the greatest days in the history of the American Church. The other says we are facing God’s imminent judgment and very difficult days.

Having wrestled with this, I’m proposing something I believe the Lord has helped me grasp. In Isaiah 21:11–12 we read: “‘Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?’ The watchman replies, ‘Morning is coming, but also the night.’” It sounds as though the watchman doesn’t understand.

Could it be that the Lord wants us to recognize that when we see only one of the messages, we are receiving only part of what watchmen are to see? Could it be that God is saying we need both mindsets as we move closer to Christ’s return?

If this is true, then it changes how we pray. What if, biblically, we are to expect a mighty move of God in the midst of great darkness and judgment? What if we are indeed moving into a time of deep darkness but in the midst of it the light of Christ will shine more brightly?

God is the Watchman over it all, so let’s keep praying according to His heart. “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”

The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night.”

I praise You, Father, that You rule over both the morning and the night, the light and the darkness. I trust You no matter what may come my way, and I will pray with an expectant heart for another great move of Your hand and an unprecedented harvest of lost people. Prepare me to be the light of Christ to others, even if that is in the midst of persecution and hardship. Help me to be an alert and discerning watchman on the wall as I pray for Your return. Even in darkness, may the Church be the brilliant light of the glory of Jesus to this nation and to the world.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that He rules over both the morning and the night, light and darkness. Express your trust in Him no matter what comes your way.

• Pray with an expectant heart for a great move of God and an unprecedented harvest of lost people.

• Ask God to prepare you to be the light of Christ to others, even if it is in the midst of persecution and hardship.

• Pray that you will be an alert and discerning watchman on the wall as you pray toward the Lord’s return.

• Pray that even in darkness, the Church will be the brilliant light of the glory of Christ to our nation and the world.

--Adapted from Day 29 by Dale Schlafer: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

ODB:

Sharing by Caring

Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14

READ Galatians 5:14–15, 22–26

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

The young pastor prayed every morning, asking God to use him that day to bless someone. Often, to his delight, such a situation arose. One day during a break at his second job, he sat in the sunshine with a coworker who asked him about Jesus. The pastor simply answered the other man’s questions. No rant. No arguing. The pastor commented that being guided by the Holy Spirit led him to have a casual talk that felt effective but loving. He made a new friend as well—someone hungry to learn more about God.

Letting the Holy Spirit lead us is the best way to tell others about Jesus. He told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

The fruit of the Spirit “is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Living under the Spirit’s control, that young pastor put into practice what Peter instructed: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

Even if we suffer for believing in Christ, our words can show the world that His Spirit leads us. Then our walk will draw others to Him.

By Patricia Raybon

REFLECT & PRAY

What’s your communication style when telling others about Jesus? How would letting the Holy Spirit lead make your talks more effective?

As I tell others about Jesus, please lead me, Holy Spirit, to speak with Your love.

For further study, read Live Free: A Fresh Look at the Fruit of the Spirit.

Live Free: A Fresh Look at the Fruit of the Spirit - Discover from Our D...

Marco Pavano

Paul’s imagery of the fruit of the Spirit describes Christian maturity with a clarity and vividness that makes u...

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In Galatians 5, we tend to focus on the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22-23), which believers in Jesus should display. But it’s also important to note how the Spirit’s fruit contrasts with the works of the flesh (vv. 19-21). Paul describes these works as “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Line that up against the fruit of the Spirit, and the difference in quality of life is apparent. Notice the destructive nature of the works of the flesh—which include spiritual, moral, and relational failures—compared with the life-affirming nature of the fruit of the Spirit, which is important for the believer’s witness to the world. While all the works of the flesh are in violation of the law of Moses, Paul says of the Spirit’s fruit, “Against such things there is no law” (v. 23).

Bill Crowder

UR: It's All in the Family

Paul wrote, “I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” - Ephesians 3:14-15 (NIV)

I hate to admit it, but my children and grandchildren are not perfect. But even though I may not always agree with or approve of their actions, I will forever love them unconditionally. I consider myself a tolerant person, but I don’t appreciate it when others want to harm or criticize my family. In those times, I will speak up even though I’m timid.

Because of the intense love I feel for my family, I think I have a small understanding of God’s love for all of us, God’s children. None of us is perfect, but we are all God’s creation. When I want to be critical or judgmental of others, I try to remind myself that I would not appreciate hateful remarks about my own family. I need to give the same respect to God’s children.

Furthermore, as a parent and grandparent, nothing thrills me more than when others recognize the goodness of my family and give them support and affection. As imperfect as we all are, I believe God is truly pleased when we see and appreciate the good in God’s children.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for loving us all as your children. We pray that you will guide us to love all your children as you have loved us. Amen.

Charles Stanley:

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TWFYT:

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Posted by: AT 07:54 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Sunday, January 28 2024

It's BRUNCH Day Sunday! A day to worship and gather (live and zoom at 10 with Children's Church) and a day to feast, fellowship, invite in and shine bright for Jesus! Come as you are, be loved and find joy today! Thank you Lori and Team 2 peas in a Pod! Thank you Sarah for bringing the Word today! Thank you all for joining us and God this day! Shine!

Good Morning Worshipers! Let us prepare to worship in Spirit and Truth. Let us prepare to worship by showing love and serving God and others. Let us rejoice in the day the Lord has given. PTL! Come and worship and enjoy this day!

I don't know if it was God or Satan, but I was awakened at 2:30 with a loud knock like an urgent pounding on a door but right at my head. I was in the middle of a nice dream too. In my sleepiness, I was able to discern that since Maggie wasn't barking nor Karen awake that I was just hearing things. However, several praise songs kept popping in my head and wouldn't allow me back to sleep as the Holy Spirit stirred some praise. So, I've been at it for awhile as it's now 5:45. When I finish this it will be nap time before church.

Here's the songs I kept hearing: Strong (I find myself singing this several times a day lately. He is strong always but especially in my weakness! PTL! I can't do this on my own! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFk2iYq4Zjk; Come Jesus Come (this song keeps coming to me throughout everyday for weeks--Yes Come! [check out the harvest prayer revival blog about this today!]) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UViC6DllCeA; Adonai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRRUH3g_268. I've worshiped with this awesome song for years as I lift up my heart to God Almighty, King of the Universe, my Savior and friend!

Thinking about these songs and my unusual tiredness (I am not tired when God awakens me early) I'm thinking it was an attack of the enemy that awoke me. The Holy Spirit countered the attack for me with praise and prayer songs. God is so good and kind to us! PTL! He's given us His Spirit that never sleeps, guides, protects and speaks to our souls of His love and help in times of trouble. PTL!

God did speak to my heart deeply today, informed some awesome prayer time and allowed me to be reloaded for the day of love and ministry ahead. And now He's released me to go get some physical rest to prepare this weary body for the day. Thanks Lord! What grace, love and mercy He showers on us! He is our Protector, Savior, Helper, Encourager, and Friend! His ways are not ours and are the best. May we continue to seek Him more in '24 and continue to work at Becoming More and Doing More in '24. Ask Him what word(s) He would like you to work on to become more like Jesus this year. Then find some friends to process with and be accountable to. That is really God's best and shows our love for and worship of Him! I'm going to just let you spend some time, unprompted, with Him as you seek, listen, worship and prepare your hearts for the day ahead. Adonai is with us and for us. He is strong when we are weak and we are are strongest when we are our weakest but relying on Him and His strength. So, please! Come, Jesus come! Have all of me! Be my Lord today! Bring revival as we glorify you by living and loving like Jesus. Come! We worship you, Adonai! Be our Lord today, Yahweh! Come! Amen!

Harvest Prayer Revival Blog:

January 28, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 28): The Lord Is Near

Unless you’re living under a rock or in a monastic retreat, you can’t escape the storm clouds gathering on the horizon of history. Storms always loom somewhere, but particularly ill winds are blowing today—and we can hear alarms sounding from every direction. Tensions are rising in every society.

It’s safe to say that God expects Christians in every generation to watch carefully for the signs of Jesus’ return and to ask whether their generation will see the heavens open and Jesus descend. Even though we’ve been wrong about Jesus’ return in the past, God has still graciously answered our prayers for His greater glory.

Throughout history, God sent revivals, even though it wasn’t yet the new age to come. My friend David Bryant calls these revivals “approximations of the consummation.” In other words, as we are stirred to prayer because of the events of our day, God answers by giving us a taste of what the return of Jesus will be like.

But God also answers our prayers because both the Bible and history give explicit evidence that God stands ready to pour out His Spirit in troubled times if His people pursue Him in holiness.

The Church and the nations of the earth need an out-pouring of the Holy Spirit that foreshadows the Lordship of Christ over all things.

Holy One of Israel, open my eyes to clearly see the storm clouds gathered on the horizon of this nation and give me Your perspective as to how I should pray urgently for both revival and the soon return of Jesus. Thank You for the historical and biblical examples of Your willingness to pour out Your Spirit in answer to the prayers of Your people. Do it again in my day! Stir up holiness in Your people and a willingness to pursue You for revival. Wake up Your sleeping Church, Father, so that we will be alert and watching for Your next great move in our midst.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Invite the Lord to open your eyes to clearly see the storm clouds gathered on the horizon of this nation. Ask God for His perspective as to how you might pray urgently for both revival and Jesus’ soon return.

• Praise God for the historical and biblical examples of God’s willingness to pour out His Spirit in answer to the prayers of His people. Ask Him to do it again in our day.

• Pray for a stirring of holiness in God’s people and a willingness to pursue Him for revival.

• Pray that your church will be fully awake and carefully watching for the next great move of God.

--Adapted from Day 28 by Bob Bakke: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

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Sunday, January 28 2024


 

Good Morning Joy Bringing Stewards of God's Blessings! As you connect to God today and prepare your heart for worship tomorrow, remember how blessed you are and God's call to steward well all of His blessings and that includes bringing His love, joy, peace and hope alive. That begins on your knees and flows through your day as you join God in His purposes for you throughout the day. He has some great plans and joys for you to discover as you put flesh on Jesus and go live and love like Him today. Amen! May it be so in and through each of us and Your Church O Lord! Come and use us well! Amen.

I have several thoughts of what God wants to share with you today. If I wrote all He revealed, I'd be here half the day. He is so kind and loving and speaks to our hearts as we still ourselves at His feet, listen, receive and release in prayer. I just love the extended time He gives me each day to dwell in His presence! I'm praying you come to enjoy that too and pray for those who don't yet, to want to. It is such a sweet time and so profitable stewarding of our time before the day begins. I'm not sure why God awakens me so early but when I wake, I make my coffee and head to my prayer closet with the joy of getting to hang with God, hear Him and release informed prayers and praise. I feel like I get to experience, in some way, what it was like for Jesus to get up early and get alone with the Father and I love it! Typically my quiet time lasts anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. I know most of you can't do that, but I've found over my 22 years of doing this that I want to spend more time with Him and He speaks, encourages, corrects in love and just prepares me for the day in growing measure. And somehow, He redeems the time as I am more alert to doing what He is doing and what really matters and am able to choose peace and joy as He leads me through the day prepared. These blogs are just part of my journal notes as I share what I believe God has informed me to share with you and as prayer starters for our valued intercessors. I think I have been doing these for 2 and a half to three years now and God hasn't released me from them yet. I know sometimes it feels like I say the same things all the time and I wonder why God wants to keep sharing those, but I know we have to hear, process and practice things many times before they become part of our DNA. Plus, I am just sharing what I keep hearing: Keep working at living and loving like Jesus and growing into your created purposes. Love God and others. Dying to self, not leaning on your own understanding and following Jesus well comes to life the more you spend time with God. Thanks Lord!

I have a sheet of prayer starters for each day as I begin my quiet time. One day is missionaries, one day family, etc. Saturdays are focused on praying for Sundays worship services and for me as your shepherd to teach and lead like Jesus. At the top of the page are these two prayers, join me in them. I pray that we would grow as joy bringers and as followers of the Way. Isn't that our mission and it is a joy to follow Jesus and bring Him to life to those around us. I pray for our hearts to be ready to enter His courts with thanksgiving, to worship in Spirit and in Truth, and I pray that many more of you would be bold enough to speak up and share praises, God sightings, Kingdom stories, and needed requests. You can join me in praying for these things and for boldness to share among your friends. On brunch Sundays, like tomorrow, I pray that we would connect to newcomers well, invite them to join us and share God's love and our hope well. We are expecting some new guests tomorrow. Pray for all hindrances to their coming to be blocked and for open hearts to Jesus and our love. Harvest Prayer's revival blog below speaks more about being an intercessor. Check it out and pray through it.

What else did God say to me and wants me to remind you of and share? Well, how about you check out the attached devotionals below and talk to God about what He's wanting you to hear, understand and put into practice. Then ask for the "want to" to want to do what He reveals. Ask Him about who He wants you to process with too and do it. Charles Stanley starts us off with the reminder of God's promises that are always true and a reminder that God not only cares, but that He will do what He promises and we can always cling to and release those promises in prayer. He has great plans for you and is with you always. Be still and know! Be informed and go! The Upper Room reminds us that not matter how dark or misty life may seem, we know the Light of the world and He is always there, even when we can't sense it. PTL! Refocus on Him as you recount your blessings! And then add to that gratitude list. And The Word for You Today, reminds of stewarding all our blessings well and using the mind of Christ and wisdom God's given us to live this life well as we prepare for the next. Where's your treasure being invested? As a tither of time, talent and treasure, it can become difficult sometimes and we may question God about where are all these promised blessings. We may enviously compare with the Joneses who don't believe nor tithe and are not investing in eternity and want materialistic blessings when God wants what is best for us and gives those blessings to us. Seek first the Kingdom of God and someday you will look back and see God's hand of blessings were always upon you and leading you to His best. He always provides for our needs. That's a promise. He wants us to enjoy life and sometimes provides for our dreams and the desires of our hearts. But that peace and blessing of knowing joy comes alive as we invest time, talent and treasure in things that are most important. Life is a journey and God is with us always! May we choose well and be blessed beyond measure eternally! Choose joy today as you grow in trust and faithfulness and earnestly live this life for Christ. That is the best life we will be helped to live and come to really enjoy. Shalom! (seek it and know it!) Amen! This is the day the Lord has made and He made this day just for you and you for this day. Yes rejoice and follow well! God loves you! So do I! He's cheering you on and I'm praying for you (have been for 4 hours!) Shalom Shalom!

Harvest prayer Revival Blog:

January 27, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 27): Discerning the Times

Discernment is indispensable for prayer. Effective intercessors, in tune with God’s understanding, don’t waste their prayers. They get in the loop of Spirit-initiated intercession in such ways that their prayers help God’s “kingdom come and will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Do you know what is happening in our nation right now? Are you praying rightly? God has given you what you need in His Word to be like the men of Issachar who “understood the times” and “knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron. 12:32). God’s Word is not given merely to help you devotionally, but to equip you for insightful, discerning intercession that moves heaven and earth!

This type of prayer starts in the heavens, passes through the discerning intercessor, and returns to the Throne. Such prayer is effective because it is initiated by God Himself. God loves to answer His own desires.

We are entering days that we have never seen in our lifetime. Evil days. Critical days. This calls for a new level of intercession. We need men and women who see ahead and pray fervently, faithfully, and effectively.

God is not unaware of these days. He has been navigating His Church, with all our weaknesses, through the darkness of this world for decades. The gates of hell will never prevail against His agenda. He can make you an intercessor who sees ahead and helps heaven and earth move for His glory.

Lord, thank You for Your Word that equips Your people with discernment and an understanding of the times. May the spiritual leaders in my church grow deeper in their lives of prayer and their understanding of God’s purposes. Inspire me with Spirit-led intercession that will bring Your Kingdom here on earth. Show me, and my church, how to engage in higher levels of intercession that will engage Your heart for this lost and dark world.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God for His Word that equips us with discernment and an understanding of the times.

• Pray for spiritual leadership in your church to grow deeper in their prayer and understanding of God’s purposes.

• Pray that God will inspire you with Spirit-led intercession that brings His Kingdom here on earth.

• Pray that you and your church will engage in a new level of intercession that rightly reflects God’s heart for a lost and dark world.

• Pray for the discernment you need to pray faith-filled prayers that move heaven and earth for God’s glory.

--Adapted from Day 27 by Bill Elliff: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

Charles Stanley: Guarantees

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Upper Room: Always Present

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. - Revelation 22:16 (NIV)

It had been raining steadily for five days, and the local forecast was predicting another two days of equally bleak conditions. I found myself increasingly unmotivated to do much of anything, especially when it involved going outside. Taking out the trash, driving to work, letting the dog out — everything was a wet, depressing chore that sapped my energy and dampened my disposition.

Having not seen the sun in nearly a week, I decided to head to the gym in hopes that some physical activity might change my outlook. While driving through a particularly strong downpour, the rain suddenly stopped, the clouds broke, and the brilliant sun shone through long enough to change my perspective.

In that moment, I was able to recognize that though the storm had been shrouding the sun, it was never gone. So it is with God who, as the Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 31, will always be with us, never leaving or forsaking us.

Too often, we are so focused on worldly cares that we forget that even in the midst of our storms, Jesus is still “the bright morning star” promised in scripture. It is good to remember that clouds cannot stop the light of the sun; they can only obscure it for a time. In a similar way,

Christ never leaves us. He is with us through it all, ordering our days and preparing straight paths for when the clouds lift.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Thank you, God, for your faithfulness every day, no matter the storm surrounding us. Amen.TWFYT:

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Sunday, January 28 2024


 

It was Friday...BUT Sunday was coming! PTL for His loving mercy, grace, forgiveness, presence with you, and perfect plans on this Thank God I'm Forgiven Friday! He really loves you just as you are! Come be loved by Him! Rejoice!

DON"T FORGET...It's not too late to sign up and invite someone to join you for worship and brunch on Sunday! (It's TGIF and Sunday is coming! It will be a day of worship, fellowship, food and fun! Come and see!)

Good Morning Lost but Found, Forgiven and Loved, Close to God, Joyful Co-Laborers! You are so loved just as you are. Forgiven much, cleansed, purified and even sanctified in Christ and by God's Word. We were lost but found; one way and now another, by God's grace. He is close to us and to the brokenhearted. He is drawing and sending us to love. He allows us to choose faith, trust and joy that is contagious as we walk more closely with Him everyday. And as we do these things, He promises us a peace beyond understanding! PTL! Choose joy and follow His shalom today! Start by counting your many blessings today! There are soooo many to celebrate! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0cjGr2h4k (I love this song and reminder!)

Check out the Upper Room and Charles Stanley devos below reminding us that we were lost and found and as we hunger and thirst after God, like a deer pants for water, God satisfies. PTL! Right? Our true identity is that we are created, loved, forgiven, and can be close to God who is close to us always. We are a new creation in Christ blessed to grow into our fullness and fulfill our created purposes. We are loved and we matter. We are helped too all along the way to become more like Jesus. What an awesome God we serve and love! Draw close to Him today and ask who He may be sending you to love and help. Ask how He wants to use you to pray and release His will in heaven and on earth and ask for the Holy Spirit to fill you to overflowing with God's heart and mind. Then go and love well today and keep building that gratitude list!

Here's a few more prayer starters for today: "Praise God that he is trustworthy. Give thanks that His unfailing love surrounds all who trust in Him (Ps. 32:19). Confess any doubt you find in your heart. Commit yourself to knowing God better [and to become more in '24--more of Him and less of you!]. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you through His Word and Spirit in the midst of life's circumstances. Pray for laborers to be called into God's harvest field. Praise God for the coming harvest. Pray that more hearts may be prepared to accept the gospel. Ask what your part in His harvest is and for feet to go. Pray that barriers to salvation faced by unbelievers today may be demolished, that many may come to the Kingdom." Pray for Sunday's worship and brunch to be filled with Truth, Love, salvation and fellowship and for many to come and experience God's love among us and through us. Amen! 

May God be close to you today, speak to your heart as you worship and praise, and fill you with His Spirit and His peace and joy! Amen!

Harvest Prayer revival Blog:

January 26, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 26): Watch and Pray

In my journey as a watchman, the most important aspect has been what I will call the “Habakkuk 2 Watch.” Habakkuk 2 starts out with the prophet declaring his posture and intent:

“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me.”

In all our watching, no matter what the situation, we begin and end with seeking to know what God is doing—or what He desires to do.

So how do we watch? We watch by seeking the Lord’s face (2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 27:8; Hos. 5:15), by meditating upon the Word of God (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2, 63:6), by listening for His voice (Deut. 32:1–3; Ps. 95:6–8; John 10:3), and by observing the things around us with eyes of faith (Deut. 28–30; 1 Chron. 12:32; 2 Chron. 6; Mark 4:26–29).

When we have discovered what He is doing, then, as Henry Blackaby says in Experiencing God, we simply join Him in what He is doing. As we join the Lord in prayer, we enter into a place of agreement with the will of heaven.

God of the Universe, I praise You for ruling over the nations with plans that will not be thwarted. Help me to have eyes that see Your purposes for my nation and the world so that I can join You in what You are already doing. Please give me faith-filled confidence to pray Your will in heaven as it is on earth. Pour out Your grace and inspire my prayers in these confusing times so that they are perfectly aligned with Your purposes and plans.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that He rules over nations and is engaged with His people. He has plans that will not be thwarted.

• Pray for eyes to see His purposes for our nation and the world— and how you can join Him in what He’s already doing.

• Ask God to give you faith-filled confidence in your prayers as you agree with His will in both heaven and on earth.

• Ask God to pour out His grace and inspire your prayers in confusing and terrifying times.

• Pray for eyes of faith and hearts of discernment that align your prayers perfectly with God’s plans.

--Adapted from Day 26 by Jacquie Tyre: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison.

UR: Lost and Found

This thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. - Luke 15:32 (KJV)

As I grow older, I am more inclined to forget where I’ve put things. So I have developed the habit of asking God to help me find what I’ve lost, and God graciously responds.

In our scripture from Luke 15, we read of a lost coin, a lost sheep, and a lost son. Each was precious to the one who had suffered the loss, and great was the rejoicing when the lost was found.

Many people have lost something that they think they will never find: a reputation, innocence, faith, hope, joy, enthusiasm, vision, purpose. Many have lost their first love for God. But when Jesus told these stories, he was offering hope for restoration.

Yes, God is kind and helps us with everyday situations — like lost household items. But God is greatly concerned about people who are lost — those who have drifted away or who have never been close to begin with. God longs to bring all of us home and restore us. When we have lost our way in the struggles of life, we can come to God and pour our heart out to our loving Father. God will always welcome us, embrace us, love us, and restore us.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear God, may the love you show us through others lead us back to you. Amen.Charles Stanley:

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Posted by: AT 06:44 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Sunday, January 28 2024


 

Rise and Shine! This is the day the Lord has made! We will worship and be glad in it! Rejoice and shine for such a time as this!

Couple of updates: Dani did have her appendix surgery and is spending the night in the hospital. Indications are that she will be home today and able to fly to her cruise tomorrow. PTL and continue to pray for healing, favor, shalom and good times ahead for the family. Pray God would use this and they would shine bright during their trip!

Gladys Ketner is and will be spending an extended time at Parkland Manor receiving therapy and care during her stroke recovery. We had a great conversation and prayer time yesterday. She is resting a lot which is healing and still struggling some with getting her words from her thinking to her mouth but they are working on that. She is hopeful and we discussed and prayed for patience in the process and choosing joy. 

We had 65 come for bread and ministry yesterday. God is using our servants to show love and bring hope and help. Several have signed up to join us Sunday. PTL! May we welcome them and invite them in with love. Many who come have had bad church experiences...but we aren't like that! We are Love! Pray for our Clothing Closet and servants. We are expanding to another room. Pray for God to bless the servants as they bless many in the name of Jesus! God sure is using us! PTL!

It's not too late to sign up for the brunch on Sunday after worship. Let Sarah, Lori or me know. We are buying food tomorrow. It's always a great time of fellowship and ministry opportunities!

Pray for Sarah as she prepares for Sunday's message for clarity and for God to speak to and through her.

Pray for our Congregational Meeting on Feb 4th that God would lead us. We are Evangelical Congregational, which means the congregation follows God and leads the church. What's your part? Thank God for all he's doing and pray for Him to lead us to new ministry opportunities and for Him to lead you too. Pray for His BIG plans and for dreams and visions to come. Praise Him for new members joining and pray we would multiply many disciples walking in Jesus' way.

Pray for our new members class Feb. 18th after worship.

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Good Morning Praying, Preparing, Sent Servants of Revival! Oh Yes pronounce that truth over you and us! God is on the move! He's informing and answering our prayers! He's leading you and our Body to be His instruments of revival for such a time as this! PTL! Be still and know. And be ready to move and follow as He leads! He has some great custom made plans just for you. He's also orchestrating some BIG things for our fellowship. But also remember that we are family. He's growing our family as we love and invite in like Jesus. He's sending more as He revives us and loves through us and expands His Kingdom. Pray that we would love, include and mentor like Jesus. Also remember that big or small, every part of our body and every act of service is critical. You matter! We matter! Come as you are and be loved, led, and used by God for such a time as this! Amen!

Check out and prayerfully engage with God through Harvest Prayer's revival blog and our devotionals today. God is speaking to you. What's He saying? Who might you process that with? What will you do as He leads with what you've been blessed with? Are you stewarding well all God's blessings? Are you sowing lavishly in love? Be bold and courageous, faithful and following--earnestly. Daylight's burning! God's ways are not our ways nor His thoughts like ours. Don't lean on your understanding. Turn off the noise. Acknowledge Him in all you ways and He will lead you step by step. PTL! 

Note the tension between the two sides of the fence in the Harvest blog. It's just how it is when man tries to interpret God's plans. It's why we have all these denominations. BUT GOD is God and we are not nor can we fathom the depth of His plans. That's a good thing! We get to grow in trust and follow as He reveals each step of the journey. What if things are both/and in the Harvest blog? God has called me, and apparently others to sound the alarm to prepare others for the hard times coming. That was reflected in Sunday's message call to being earnest, persevering and ready. But also evident in that message was the other side of the fence--revival is coming. You know it can be both/and. And that's the faith stretching, relying on Him more kind of thing God does! God promises an end times harvest. Keep praying into that. But if it's an end times harvest that is coming, we will need to be ready to endure all kinds of hardships and persecutions. Are you ready for that? Honestly, that has been the history of God's Church--thriving and growing in the hardest of times and most severe persecutions. It's continuing like that today in many places around the world. It surly could be coming here soon. And what did He do to His faithful followers beginning in Acts 2...sent the Holy Spirit, raised up faithful followers and added to their numbers daily. That's both and! Yes God's ways are not our, yet He is always with us as He stretches, grows and uses us no matter what we are facing! So keep praying and keep preparing and being ready for such a time as this! Be earnest and be Jesus in the flesh more in '24! Amen! And may His peace beyond understanding guard your hearts and minds as you take each step of faith in your journey to being more like Jesus and following His way. Amen!

Harvest Prayer Revival Blog:

January 25, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 25): Praying God’s Heart

According to what some respected prayer leaders believe, we are moving into the greatest time the American Church has ever experienced. Revival is coming. We need to repent and pray together and then seize our destiny; we are standing on the verge of the greatest harvest in the history of the Church. This is what is coming—it is what God desires, they say.

Yet emails from other highly regarded prayer leaders contain stern warnings that the United States is moving into a time of judgment, persecution, and great hardship and that “even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them” (Jer. 15:1, NLT). Nothing is going to stop this judgment. It is going to occur—so get prepared.

These are radically opposite views from godly people of prayer who are, as the prophet Isaiah put it, “watchmen on [the] walls” (62:6). “What are we to believe and how are we to pray in our current seemingly contradictory situation?

We are not spinning out of control to some unknown end. God is the Watchman over history, sovereignly directing the best and worst of times. The question for people of prayer is, are we listening to God or merely praying what we want?

Peter gives the entire Ecclesia the responsibility of being alert watchmen: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray” (1 Peter 4:7).

We are to observe what is transpiring around us and go to God to learn how to pray. The entire body of Christ has the responsibility to watch, and if you will, to act as watchmen.

Father God, You are the Watchman over all history, and nothing is out of Your control! Increase my sensitivity to the Spirit as I watch and pray Your heart for all people and for the nations. Give me the humility to recognize the different perspectives that exist in the body of Christ, and that only You, Lord, know all things. Cause Your Church to be continually alert and sober minded in prayer about “the end of all things.” Establish me as a watchman over my family, my church, my city and my nation and help me to pray Your heart and trust You in these perilous and strategic times. You alone are God!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that He is the Watchman over all history—and nothing is out of His control!

• Ask God to increase your sensitivity to the Spirit as you watch and pray God’s heart.

• Pray for humility in recognizing the different perspectives in the body of Christ—and that only God knows all things. Pray for blessing upon those believers who may differ from your views.

• Pray that the Church will be alert and of sober mind in prayer about “the end of all things.”

• Invite God to establish you as a watchman in your intercession, that you will pray His heart and trust Him in strategic times.

--Adapted from Day 25 by Dale Schlafer: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

ODB:

Strange Places

Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

READ Esther 2:3–4, 12–17

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

God, why is this happening? Is this really your plan for us?

As a husband and a dad of young children, those questions and more swirled in my mind as I wrestled with a serious cancer diagnosis. What’s more, our family had just served with a missions team that had seen many children receive Jesus as their Savior. God had been bringing forth evident fruit. There was so much joy. And now this?

Esther likely poured out questions and prayers to God after she was plucked from a loving home and thrust into a strange new world (Esther 2:8). Her cousin Mordecai had raised her as his own daughter after she’d been orphaned (v. 7). But then she was placed in a king’s harem and eventually elevated to serve as his queen (v. 17). Mordecai was understandably concerned about what “was happening to” Esther (v. 11). But in time, the two realized that God had called her to be in a place of great power “for such a time as this” (4:14)—a place that allowed for her people to be saved from destruction (chs. 7–8).

It’s evident that God providentially placed Esther in a strange place as part of His perfect plan. He did the same with me. As I endured a lengthy battle with cancer, I was privileged to share my faith with many, many patients and caregivers. What strange place has He led you to? Trust Him. He’s good, and so are His plans (Romans 11:33–36).

By Tom Felten

REFLECT & PRAY

When has God led you to a strange place? Why can you trust in His perfect plans?

Dear God, help me to trust You even when I don’t understand what You’re doing.

For further study read A Place for Doubt in a Growing Faith.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

“In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him,” says Proverbs 21:1. The book of Esther shows God doing exactly that. The villain Haman sought to destroy God’s exiled people (Esther 3:8-9). But God “channeled” the heart of the king to show favor to Esther and to her fellow Jewish citizens. Yet the book never mentions the name of God. Why is it in the Bible? Precisely because it shows the character and sovereignty of God, who loves His people even when they’re far from Him.

Tim Gustafson

TWFYT:

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Charles Stanley

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Posted by: AT 06:43 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Sunday, January 28 2024


 

Good Morning Called, Prepared, Sent, Guided, Follower of the Way! Amen! So be it Lord! Come use us well! May we be earnest as we follow Jesus and His Way! Amen!

I wasn't planning to share much except some reminders from a few of our devotionals today. God has called us, commissioned us, empowered us and sent us to grow His Kingdom on earth. That is why we are here and daylight is definitely burning!  God has great plans for you and us today--every day. Choose well as you walk with Him for such a time as this!

In our pastors and disciples huddle this morning the Great Commission was shared from the Message translation. Ponder this in prayer and conversation with God and some friends and contemplate through the devotionals below what God has planned for you and what you are going to do about it. We all have a custom role in His Good News Delivery Co. Step boldly into your part! Experience all the fullness of your faith and what God is doing and has planned for you and rejoice! Shalom!

Great Commission:

Matthew 28:16-20

The Message

16-17 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

18-20 Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Charles Stanley:

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UR: Good Gifts

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

Three-year-old Kate had spent a day with me the previous week, and she delighted in the strawberries I had given her as a snack. When I picked her up again, her first words to me were, “Do you have strawberries?” I told her I didn’t, and I watched her eyes cloud and her smile fade. I quickly added, “But I do have oranges and bananas.” Kate’s eyes brightened, and she excitedly exclaimed, “Yeah, I like those too!” Kate enjoyed the oranges and bananas as much as she had enjoyed the strawberries.

This sweet interaction with Kate made me ponder our responses to God. We often ask for blessings and hope to receive the same gifts we were given before. But God may have a different gift in store for us. Do we respond positively to God’s good gift or do we wish for something else?

When we pray, we should be open to the gifts that God has for us in the present. James tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (Jas. 1:17). God has a variety of gifts and blessings to offer, and each one may be different than the last. We can anticipate them all with the excitement and joy of a child.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Loving Father, thank you for the many gifts you have given us in the past. Help us to be open to the good gifts you are giving us today. Amen.TWFYT:

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Praying for your pastor guide. (I shared this before but have been praying this for Sarah, me and over you as shepherds of the Lord. Please join me over the next few months in praying these daily. Thanks! God hears and our prayers are powerful and effective!

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Posted by: AT 06:42 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 23 2024
  ***10 AM Zoom Huddle is canceled for today. Sorry for any inconvenience!  Will resume next Tue at 10 AM--all welcome. Too many conflicts of previous appointments today.
Sarah Prayer email below
Good Morning Earnest Disciples and Maturing Apostles! Rise AND SHINE!!!! Praise the righteous God whose face shines upon you (Psalm 4)! Thank Him for another day to grow and to shine, just as you are! Thank Him for saving, transforming, growing and giving you zeal to serve! (Now there's some words to consider this year: earnest, disciple, maturing, apostle, lighthouse, reflector, transforming, zeal) I have a list I am praying through and talking to God about. Until He reveals a new word, I'll keep focusing on last year's ones. And I continue to pray over your word from last year until I hear your new one. Keep at it! Rise and shine! Daylight's burning and we are on fire for the Lord! Amen! Pronounce that in faith! We are disciples (students of Jesus) and Apostles (sent ones of Jesus) working on becoming more like Jesus and bringing Him to life more often as we travel through each day. He's working! Can you sense it? Pray into it and allow Him full access today! Go! Love well! Amen!
Our devotionals (below) continue to highlight and teach us about Sunday's message from God for us. We are called to earnestly examine ourselves and motives, know how loved and blessed we are and persevere in faith knowing how loved and cared for we are. God has a plan just for you, just as you are, for such a time as this! PTL! And as you continue to follow and serve He is growing you into your fuller potential in Christ and His greater purposes for you. Rejoice and relax and enjoy this life you've been blessed with! Keep doing what you can with what you've been blessed with! You are a new creation and continue to be refined and made new as you travel day by day in faith in Christ! Cast all your cares and worries upon Him. Keep your focus right and turn off that noise! Choose joy! We are a people of joy because of Jesus and all He is and does in and through us! Celebrate and share the Good News with someone today! Revival is at hand and we are part of it as we seek more in '24 and work at becoming more of a dynamic movement of God! PTL!
Harvest prayer Revival Prayer

January 23, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 23): Kingdom-Focused Revival Prayer

My favorite definition of revival is from Stephen Olford: “Revival is ultimately Christ Himself seen, felt, heard, living, active, moving in and through His body on earth.”

The whole idea of revival is a Christ-awakening. The true Church believes that Jesus is in their midst but is somehow failing to experience it. Revival crosses the great divide between our intellectual, theological, and biblical belief—and what we actually experience with Jesus’ presence.

I prefer the term “revival praying” rather than “praying for revival.” If I am praying for revival, I can become revival focused rather than focused on Christ. We want to learn to pray for what God desires to have happen—and that is the reviving presence of Jesus.

I like to think of revival praying in terms of preparing ourselves for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament talks about plowing up hard or fallow ground so that if the rain falls on it, it will not just run off. The soil is drenched with life-giving water that causes everything around it to flourish.
If we prepare ourselves for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on us, we can persist in praying to God, “Give us revival! Give us revival!” Jesus will come in answer to such Kingdom-focused prayers.

Father, in the past You have poured out revival that is a true Christ-awakening. Would You do it again? Cause my church to go beyond belief in Jesus to truly experiencing His reviving presence in all of its fullness. Prepare my church for an outpouring of the Spirit that is so life-giving that it will flourish in mighty ways in our community and beyond. May we manifest Your Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Fill me with an unrelenting faith to continually ask You to send revival and not give up. May I never lose hope before You do it again!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God for heaven-sent revival that is a true Christ-awakening. He’s done it before; ask Him to do it again!

• Pray that your church goes beyond belief in Jesus to experiencing the reviving presence of Jesus.

• Pray that God prepares your church for an outpouring of the Spirit that is life-giving and causes it to flourish in your community.

• Ask God for revival that focuses on Jesus alone and manifests His Kingdom here on earth.

• Pray that God will fill you with unrelenting faith to pray, “Give us revival! Give us revival!” Pray that you do not lose hope before He does it again.

--Adapted from Day 23 by Dave Butts: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

TWFYT:
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Charles Stanley:
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UR: Finding Joy

You changed my mourning into dancing. You took off my funeral clothes and dressed me up in joy so that my whole being might sing praises to you and never stop. - Psalm 30:11-12 (CEB)

A few years ago, I felt uncomfortable in the workplace due to the attitudes and actions of my boss and some colleagues. The situation got so bad I was at the point of quitting my job.

I started to read the Bible and The Upper Room daily devotional meditations and gave my life to Christ. I read other people’s stories of situations like mine in the daily meditations. I learned I was not the only person going through difficult times. But God speaks to each of us in different ways. I learned to pray, first giving thanks to God for all things and then turning my concerns over to God.

Today, my boss is no longer with the company, the working relationship with my colleagues has changed, and I received recognition for my years of service. What I know for sure is that God never abandons us and can change our mourning into dancing.

TODAY'S PRAYER
Blessed be your name, O Lord. Thank you for helping us find joy and peace in the many blessings we receive every day. We pray as you taught us, “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Lk. 11:2-4, NIV). Amen.
ODB:

Scraps to Beauty

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Micah 4:3

READ Micah 4:1–5

My wife, Miska, has a necklace and hoop earrings from Ethiopia. Their elegant simplicity reveals genuine artistry. What’s most astounding about these pieces, however, is their story. Due to decades of fierce conflict and a civil war that rages on, Ethiopia’s geography is littered with spent artillery shells and cartridges. As an act of hope, Ethiopians scour the torched earth, cleaning up the scraps. And artisans craft jewelry out of what remains of the shells and cartridges.

When I heard this story, I heard echoes of Micah boldly declaring God’s promise. One day, the prophet announced, the people would “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (4:3). Tools meant to kill and maim would, because of God’s powerful action, be transformed into tools meant to nurture life. In God’s coming day, the prophet insisted, “nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (v. 3).

Micah’s pronouncement was no harder to imagine in his day than ours. Like Israel of old, we face violence and war, and it seems impossible that the world could ever change. But God promises us that by His mercy and healing, this astounding day is coming. The thing for us, then, is to begin to live this truth now. God helps us to take on His work even now, turning scraps into beautiful things.

By Winn Collier

REFLECT & PRAY

Where have you seen evil transformed by God’s love? How can you turn scraps into beauty?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The name Micah means “who is like God?” That phrase is a Hebrew expression used throughout the Old Testament to provide the opportunity to describe some unique aspect of God’s character. The prophet himself used that device in Micah 7:18: “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” God’s primary characteristic is His forgiving love and mercy, fueled by His patient care for His own. This device is found particularly in the Psalms (see Psalm 71:19). The point is that Israel’s God is unique and distinct from the so-called gods of the nations who were capricious and unpredictable, sometimes even demanding human sacrifice (see 2 Kings 23:10).

Bill Crowder
Sarah Prayer Update:
Good evening, or good morning, depending on the when you are opening your emails.....
Just wanted to share our praises and prayer needs from our time of worship, yesterday.
First things first though - our Zoom Huddle, usually held on Tuesday, at 10:00am has been cancelled due
to some other obligations they must attend to.  We will reconvene next Tuesday at 10:00am. 
You are all invited to our brunch this coming Sunday, following our worship service, at 11:30am in our Fellowship Hall.  It's a great opportunity to invite a friend, neighbor, or perhaps someone the Lord directs/nudges you to bring.
Praises:  Harry Waterman is doing better and is feeling relief from pain in his shoulder and knee.  He is behaving and healing well from his valve replacement surgery.  He wishes to thank everyone for all your prayer encouragement and support. He has felt your prayers.
               Jim Handfest is doing well in rehab at Phoebe. He is making good progress and hopefully they will begin to talk about a discharge date. Both Jim and Kay are very grateful for our prayer support.
              Larry and Enol Paul are looking forward to coming HOME for a month in June. Larry talked to his mom on Sunday morning, and he was so excited about their trip home.
             Chris Muik is back to work and adjusting to his work hours. Takes the body a bit to get back in the grove. He and Yvonne are praising God that he was able to return. Let's continue to lift him up in pray as he adjusts to working again.
             Gladys Ketner is now at Parkland Manor. Here is her address: Parkland Manor, Gladys Ketner, Room A13 4636 Crackersport Road Allentown Pa 18104
              The Bread Ministry has gotten a few more volunteers to assist with bread distribution on Wednesdays. This is great to hear!!!  If you have an interest in helping on a Wednesday, with Bread Ministry, please reach out to Gina Fuhrman or Gail Lichtenwalner, and they will fill you in on what is involved.
              Holly - Gina's friend who was having difficulty after surgery, is going much better.
  Those who need our prayers;
            Randy - distant relative of Mary Lou Snyder - has been diagnosed with a progress cancer and they were told it was terminal.   They need to drive to Minnesota for an appointment with a special on Monday (Today)
  UPDATE:  Randy and his wife have made it safely to Minnesota. We do not have an update yet as to how their meeting went. They are waiting for the results of the Pet Scan.
Let's all continue to pray for Randy, and family, and his medical team.
           Israel - Let's continue to pray for Israel.....and all those who are fighting for their freedom and peace.  
*** ** ***
Have a great day everyone.....remember that no matter what may come your way, or what situation you find yourself, try really hard to choose JOY.   Shout out a blessing God has put in your life......He WILL see you through 'IT', whatever 'IT' is for you!
Blessings,
  Sarah

Posted by: AT 06:42 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 23 2024

This week:

Tues 10-11 Zoom Huddle. All welcome!

Wed bread distribution 10-12; Family Ministries/Adult Dinner Huddle 6-7:30. All Welcome!

All week: earnestly seeking to Become More in '24!

Good Morning Supernatural Servants of Revival! AMEN! Check out Harvest Prayer's Revival prayer for this 22nd day of the year. Come Jesus come! Bring the supernatural alive in us, Your Church and bring revival alive in this nation! Come Jesus Come! Use us!

I love how God reveals as we move forward in faith to the unknown things He is revealing. He's leading us to and responding to our one step of faith at a time in deep trust and obedience! I had no clue why He was having me rewrite yesterday's message 4 times and changing the service at the last minute. I do know that He responded to my faithfulness! Thanks Lord! I do know He was calling me to bring alive our call to earnestness this year as we work on becoming more like Jesus and doing more of what He created us to do. I didn't know why He wanted me to change things and to get Mike to end the service but I responded with earnest faith. Mike stepped out of His comfort zone out of love and obedience to God and God used Him to soften the exhortation and reminder to be earnest in our walk with the reminder of how loved we are, just as we are. He observed how we are allowing Him to use us and mold us to our fuller potential! And yes we are a faithful people of God learning and growing, as we are, to become more like Jesus! Thanks God and Mike! And thank you, co-laborers! Today in our devotionals below, He reveals some more of His plan. I was faithful to fly the airplane while building it and allowing Him to lead us to the why? God is at work and does have great plans He is bringing to life in, through and around us! PTL! Buckle up and fly your plane!

What's He revealing to you? Is He bringing a word to light to work on? Is He affirming your gifts and calling to love like Jesus? Is the Holy Spirit pinching you to respond to some nudge? What are you thinking you might need to do about these? Will you? Whose helping you? Who might you help? God's speaking and answering our earnest and effective prayers! PTL! I am just so excited to see how He is responding and using our faithful stepping forward with Him! Be still and know with a commitment to earnest following!

God's writing your story and our gathered and sent story through you. He's giving us stories to share that others need to hear! Now there is balance with humility in why you do what you do and we always need to humbly point to God and not tout our own achievements. Our walk is one we need to examine often with God and others and correct as needed. What are your motives? Is Love center in all and leading you? Remember you are a work of art that God loves and He continues to mold us into perfection. Keep your focus right with a supple heart and willing feet. God is shaping you for His greater things and living and loving more earnestly like Jesus will lead us there step by step in faith and obedience. PTL! Worship! Listen, receive and follow well into His awesome future! And enjoy life! God is not an evil taskmaster! God is Love! And Love lives in you and works through you! Rejoice!

Harvest Prayer:

January 22, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 22): Jesus in Our Midst

Revival is not strange or mystical. It is simply the Church waking up to the presence of Christ in her midst. It is almost as though God reaches out and slaps us, and we wake up and realize God is there.

We are desperate for that in our nation today. I am not in any way a critic of the Church. The more I travel, the more I fall in love with the Church of Jesus Christ. I am seeing so many wonderful things happen. Christians are doing great things in the name of Jesus—acts of love, mercy, and self-sacrifice. We are doing all we know to do. But it isn’t working as we see the world growing increasingly dark. In a real sense, we are at this wonderful point of despair and hopelessness. The Church is beginning to recognize that we have been doing everything we know how to do—and it is not working.

This is the time for the Church to wake up to God’s presence – to truly experience revival. It is time to humble ourselves before God in prayer and ask Him to make Himself known in the midst of His people so that our nation can be saved and our world impacted for Christ.

Lord Jesus, I praise You for Your great love for Your Church – Your Bride. May Your presence flow into my church and wake up the congregation to the joy of revival! May every believer come alive to the realization that You are our most precious possession. How I treasure Your presence in my life, Lord. Help our nation to recognize its desperate need for Your saving and transforming presence continually. Send a spiritual awakening that reveals Your great love for the lost and that provokes a desire in all peoples to receive Your salvation.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise Jesus for His love for His Church—His Bride.

• Pray for the presence of Jesus to flood your church and awaken your congregation to the joy of revival.

• Pray for your church to wake up to Jesus as the most precious possession—and respond in a way that treasures Jesus’ presence.

• Pray that our nation will recognize its desperate need for the saving and transforming presence of Jesus.

• Pray for a spiritual awakening that reveals Jesus’ love for the lost— and provokes a desire to receive His salvation.

--Adapted from Day 22 by Dave Butts: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

Charles Stanley:

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Tuesday, January 23 2024
Good Morning Instruments of Revival! That is us! That is you! Come Jesus Come!Today God brought some clarity to what He has been revealing to me the last few days and blogs. I will have four sermons written in four days and am not exactly sure what the Holy Spirit will do today, but I am praying for His Spirit to fall upon our gathering and for revival to come today for individuals, our gathering, our communities and this nation. Yes, Come Jesus Come! Pray the Harvest Prayer revival prayer today and sing and meditate and cry out for Jesus to come (we will sing this first thing this morning). Pray for me to be attentive to the Holy Spirit and for Him to lead me to what ever message or combo or fresh Word to bring today. Pray for open hearts and salvation to fall on those God is drawing. Come Jesus Come! 
God is Light and there is no darkness in Him! Part of our struggle (my struggle) with being a purified people is the Holy Spirit trying to drive that darkness out of us. We cling to old habits and ways and I envision the darkness coming out of me like a demon being cast out kicking and screaming. God has called us to purify ourselves. He has plans for us for such a time as this. It's time to be ready and willing! Come Jesus Come! 
Spend some time with God in His Word and prayer and your devotionals today. Pray for our worship service and come expecting the Holy Spirit to show up, move and bring revival today! PTL! COME! Amen! God's glory is already breaking over us like a sunrise! PTL! Pronounce that with faith over our gathering today.
Come Jesus Come (3:36) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uxFV9BOaAM
Harvest prayer Revival Blog: (Please meditate and pray through this! God is on the move!!! Come!)

January 21, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 21): Rise and Shine

Revival can be described as when Christ “shows up” in His Church afresh to recapture us and reconquer us. Isaiah 60 suggests God’s glory was already breaking over them like a sunrise, exposing many dimensions of His Kingdom purposes to them. What they needed to do was “rise and shine” and seize the day. Here are some phases of revival to help describe the process of waking up to Christ:

Perceive: Be aware as God’s Spirit awakens believers to acknowledge not only that revival is urgently needed, but also that the promise of revival is for them.

Purify: In every revival, repentance must have precedence. Everything in us and in our congregations that disobeys the Holy Spirit—everything that is incompatible with Christ Himself, who is the focus of revival—must be confessed to the Father and put away.

Pray: Biblical and historical revivals reveal that whenever God is ready to reawaken His people to the glories of His Son, He stirs up prayer among them. Today, all of us should rejoice in the unprecedented prayer movement God has ignited among many churches and communities across our nation and world.
We should do everything possible to strengthen the movement inside our own congregations.

Proclaim: Since “faith comes by hearing” (Rom. 10:17), any biblical revival must be a Word-anchored revival. Therefore, Christians should promote the biblical promises for personal and corporate revival. They also should give reports of what God has done and is doing in revival around the world.

Rise and shine, for the glory of Christ is already breaking over us!

Father, thank You for the words of Isaiah 60 that the glory of the Lord rises upon your people and that Your glory appears over us, recapturing and reconquering our hearts. Awaken Your Church to the urgent hope and promise of revival that gives preeminence to Jesus. May repentance and an urgency for holiness characterize the Church across our nation. Renew a spirit of prayer and cooperation and unity between pastors, prayer leaders and the various denominations and fellowships across our land.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that “the glory of the Lord rises upon you . . . and His glory appears over you” (Isa. 60:1–2).

• Pray for God’s glory to break over you, your family, and your church. Pray that it “recaptures and reconquers” you.

• Pray for an awakening to the urgent hope and promise of revival that gives preeminence to Jesus.

• Pray for the priority of repentance and urgency for holiness to characterize the Church in our nation.

• Ask God to renew a spirit of prayer and cooperation between pastors, prayer leaders, and churches of various denominations. Ask God to use your church to lead in this movement.

--Adapted from Day 21 by David Bryant: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

Wagner's newsletter:

Greetings Friends, 

Happy New Year from **SNOWY** Pennsylvania! While we thoroughly enjoy watching the snow fall from the warmth of our dining room table, we do want our local friends to know that even though it’s true “the Wagner’s are back on home assignment”, this does not mean “their kids must be praying for snow”! We don’t believe for a minute that our grown kids (except maybe Micah, a first-year teacher who still loves snow days) still PRAY for snow like they did as kids growing up in the southern hemisphere only possibly seeing snow every few years.

WHAT is Home Assignment?
For the last year, we have been sharing with you about these few months when we would be Stateside. What we haven’t shared is exactly WHAT we would do during this time.
REST: Time away from our most recent three plus year term of full-time ministry allows for a much-needed season of rest and renewal. This is critically important to our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being. It allows us time and space to BE STILL and step-away from our overseas life. Different pace. Different routine. Different people. We appreciate those who have asked about Brian’s unexpected health concern mentioned in our last update. He has recently completed a series of medical tests and follow-up appointments that have ruled things out and brought more clarity as to what is going on. We are thankful for the excellent medical care he is receiving and should know details about treatment by our next update. PRAY that we would make good choices during these months that give us opportunities for rest and renewal.
RECONNECT: Though we’ve been Stateside three times in the last three years for three weddings(!), it’s wonderful to have extended time for renewing relationships. Over our first 8 weeks, we have welcomed our first grandchild, spent Christmas with our big kids, traveled through 12 different States, visited with more than 30 former RVA staff and alumni and supporters, and have shared meals with extended family and friends. PRAY that the Lord would order our steps and orchestrate our schedule as we seek to renew relationships.
RECHARGE: One of the ways we can recharge and prepare to return to Kenya later this year, is to share “why we do what we do”! Even though we have physically left Kenya for the next 8 months, our hearts and minds are still there. We love teaching, mentoring, caring for, and discipling the next generation while supporting the important work their parents do in sharing JESUS with the nations. But…let’s be honest. Even though WE love doing what WE do (and YOU love doing what YOU do), there are days that are good and other days that are just plain hard. There are events that are uplifting and others that are challenging. There are circumstances that give us endless energy and ones that weigh us down. There are tears of great joy and tears of overwhelming sadness. No matter what job we have or what time zone we live in -- we ALL need people who encourage us to PRESS ON! PRAY for mutually encouraging conversations that leave us all feeling refreshed and recharged.
 
Another way to prepare for our return is by doing some purposeful professional development. More on this in our NEXT UPDATE.
As promised, here’s a brief overview of the next two months, where we’ll be and when. Get in touch with us for more detailed information OR if you’d like to schedule a time to get-together! Our schedule is much more open now through mid-February. This is great time to connect.
January 21 – Trinity EC Church, Harrisburg, PA
February 4 – Reich’s EC Church, Marietta, PA
February 25 – Trinity EC Church, Lititz, PA
March 4-8 – AIM’s Engage Week, Peach Tree City, Georgia
March 12-15 – MK Synergy Conference, Waxahachie, Texas
March 17 – Clarks Valley Zion EC Church, Dauphin, PA
Thanks for your prayers as we rest, reconnect, and recharge!

Brian & Missy

Posted by: AT 06:40 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Saturday, January 20 2024

Clothing Closet is open today from 10-1. Our lots, stairs and sidewalks are ready for today and worship tomorrow at 10.

Good Morning Praying Friends! Worshipers, (Prayer) Warriors, Watchman (on the Wall), and (Harvest) Workers. Those are different prayer stations I have been praying for God to fill in our Body. Maybe one of these is a "do" and "be"  word God might want you to explore and develop in the year ahead? Yes let us worship God for Who and all He is with much thanksgiving and praise. Let us continue to battle in prayer for we fight against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm. Let us pray for eyes to see, ears to hear and mouths to sound the alarm as we pray a covering over our Body. Let us do the hard work of prayer and cry out for revival to come. One of the critical roles needed in our Good News Delivery Co. is pray-er and that shows up in all of these stations of prayer. Keep at it! Revival is coming! Birth it in prayer and prepare us in prayer to be all God made us to be and to be prepared, ready and willing. Thank you! Check out Harvest Prayer's revival prayer below! Pray through it!

Let me tell you I have been in a spiritual battle lately. I NEED your prayers and covering! Thank you! It all started when God led me to initiate the Become More in '24 Challenge. It is God's call to seek Him and His ways more. To die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus more often and fully. It's a call to (and this has been the prayer, I believe triggered this pinching) live a life fully sold out to Christ and living this life as if Christ is all that matters with earnestness and intentionality. My from-the-heart earnest prayer has been more of You Lord and less of me. Those kinds of prayers, the Bible teaches are "powerful and effective." And I can affirm that as God has led me to deep soul searching in my quest to become more like Jesus. It is a cry for personal revival and to be a man of integrity. Help me Lord!

Yesterday, I allowed God full control and invited Him to edit our completed Sunday message. He obliged with a full rewrite that consumed most of my day off. My agape word--dying to self and loving like Jesus--was put to practice. I just couldn't understand the fire and brimstone tone of the message that began as a call to teaching about spiritual gifts and words to possibly work on for us for the year. Then this morning when I invited God to come edit some more and I then opened our devotionals prayerfully God spoke and clarified. (check them out below) Oh God is speaking to my heart, pinching and answering heartfelt cries for Him to cleanse me and purify me and make me useable and His man of integrity. I may now be in a full rewrite shortly on a very busy Saturday. But His will not mine! Die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus' lead. I long to and have been crying out to become more like Jesus. That includes living, loving, teaching, leading and making disciples like Him and to allow Him to be the Lord of me, my day(s), my agendas, and my choices. I have been cut to the marrow by His Living Word in response and led to deep inspection of my ways and what needs to be corrected--purified. Can I truly say that if you don't know how to follow Jesus, follow me? Or am I one of those that call others to do what I say but not what I do? Am I a Pharisee in shepherd cloths? Purify my heart Lord!

I think the reminder God had me include in yesterday's blog really struck home. It's the one where God told Joshua to tell the people to purify themselves because they were to prepare themselves for obedience and service as they finally followed God into the Promised Land. That is God's call for us as well. Do we realize the awe and reverence we need to show to Almighty God and His ways. He is all powerful and holy. We are not, yet He calls us to be holy as He is holy. Ouch, right? My studies of spiritual gifts took me even deeper into this self examination before my holy God. And I wrested (still am some) with how to balance that awe and reverence with God's sacrificial love and forgiveness. He knows me and loves me despite my sins and flaws. He has a plan for me that leads from being a very unrighteous sinner to one walking fully in my potential and His holy ways. We are all somewhere in between on that journey. But if we want to see revival in the nation and even our church, we need to first purify ourselves (confess and repent our sins) before God will use us. Yet He says, come as you are. I love you! I have plans for you. Come! 

Maturity in Christ and working on reaching our fullest potential in Christ moves us to leave our old nature behind and step more fully in our new. I am struggling with that. We all tend to hate change, leaving our comfort zones, dying to self and readying to roll when God calls. Purify yourself is a very soul searching endeavor and the pruning it may lead to really hurts. Think about how God had all the men and boys be circumcised before he led them to the Promised Land. it was symbolic of the cutting away of their old nature and it hurt! How could they go battle the enemy and take the land while healing? Well they had to fully rely on God. Today we are commanded to be a people of circumcised hearts. OUCH!!! But that is what God has called me and His church to be and do. 2 Chronicles 7:14 keeps ringing in my ear: Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

And I cry out COME! Prepare and send me! Help me humble and purify myself. Cleanse me and use me Lord! Bring revival and may it begin with me! Is the Holy Spirit pinching you right now? Don't turn off that noise as we tend to do. Tune into it and ask for clarity and help with what to repent and to purify yourself. God has great plans a because that is not noise, but God's whisper to you. He's waiting and wants you to be ready and willing. He is preparing a people for Himself. You can be one of those! Are you listening? Willing? Ready?

I then opened Our Daily Bread titled Calling out to God. They use Psalm 25:16-22. meditate on that. That has been part of my prayers. This some just lifted me up as I cried out to God in praise and prayer with it. 

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
    and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
    because my hope, Lord,[a] is in you.

22 Deliver [me, Your Church and this nation] O God,

    from all their troubles!

The Upper Room followed up with Letting Go. They use Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." That's me. Is that you? God is preparing us to be able to connect and lead those of the world who He is drawing and whose heats are broken--those who's spirit is crushed as their world comes crashing down. God loves us with a refining, purifying, and preparing love as He sends us to people experiencing the things we have gone through. We can look back and see that but rarely understand during the purifying and pruning.

The Word for You Today kinda redirected my thinking today with their reminder from Psalm 84:7 that God will move us from strength to strength. He is not content to leave us the way we are. We are created for more and He builds on our strengths and prunes our weaknesses. Great fruit lies ahead! We have been and may still be being pruned. Why? Because that is required as we purify ourselves and offer ourselves to God. Pruning leads to much better fruit and forces us to draw on the strength of the Vine, Jesus, for nourishment, sustaining and growth. As we start to grow and bud, we become more aware of what God is doing and wants to do as He leads us to the great and lasting fruit of the Spirit we have cried out to develop for Him to use. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Have you chosen one of these as your word, like me? I have prayed for some of these and especially self control. God will gladly prune us to give us opportunities to grow into those desires of our heart. And then use them to bless and minister to others and for His glory.

Don't be surprised if you hear some of this again tomorrow. It bears repeating and really is God editing His message to us as I prayed, less of me and more of you. He loves us with a refining, patient, everlasting love. He created us with so much potential and wants us to get there for such a time as this. He has plans for today, a bright hope for tomorrow and everlasting plans for you to grow into. It's time to get earnest and intentional at purifying yourself, allowing God to have His way with you as He prepares to lead you to His best and to be one of those people He is preparing for Himself. As we sit in awe and reverence and worship, we see His hand of blessing and love upon us and come to know His peace beyond understanding as we choose joy that flows from deep trust that He knows best and is at work in us, around us and through us to prepare a people for Himself that are purified and ready. Man, I want to be one of those! How about you? Let us covenant to work on this together and hold each other up in that journey to His best. Let us seek to become more in '24! Amen!

I'm praying for me, you and us. I want to answer questions and process with you. I need accountability and so do you. Ask God for some close trusted co-laborers. He has some custom made great plans for you and us together and He is working all things together for those who love Him/agape Him and are called according to His name. Which is a call to holiness and becoming more like Jesus. Lord, help us to want to and work on Becoming More like Jesus in '24. Prepare, purify and send us! Amen

Harvest Prayer, Revival prayer:

January 20, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 20): Revival Is a Coronation

The manifest presence of Christ is when God reveals His Son to a new generation of His people. He does so in such dramatic fashion that it almost seems as if Christ has been hiding from us until that moment. Then suddenly He reinserts Himself among us. He arrives, in other words.

Revival is a “Christ-awakening movement.” It is God’s people waking up to God’s Son for ALL He is, not only individually but also corporately; not only in a moment but for a season. Revival ultimately becomes a movement with wide-reaching impact on society as well as among the nations.

One could almost say that revival is like a coronation. In other words, it leads believers to reaffirm their wholehearted devotion to the Lamb who sits on the Throne (Rev. 5). It reconnects them to His marching orders as their King. It serves as a powerful sign of the supremacy of Christ. The renewing reality of revival should be basically defined as this: Jesus expressing Himself more fully to His people as Lord.

Many believe a gracious “Christ Awakening” even now is bearing down on top of us, in answer to today’s unprecedented global prayer movement. May it be so!

I praise You Jesus, for You are the Lamb who sits on the throne and reigns supreme as my Lord and King! May Your manifest presence be revealed to my generation and those to come in powerful and refreshing ways. I pray for a revival that will demonstrate Your sovereign reign before all of heaven and earth.

Lord Jesus, invade my church with Your revolutionary and transforming presence so that we will increase our vision for the proclamation of the gospel and our mission to the world.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise Jesus as the Lamb who sits on the throne and reigns supreme as your Lord and King!

• Pray that the manifest presence of Christ will be revealed to your generation in powerful and refreshing ways.

• Pray for a final revival that demonstrates Christ’s sovereign reign before all of heaven and earth.

• Invite Jesus to invade your church with His revolutionary and transforming presence.

• Pray that the presence of Christ in your church increases the vision for gospel proclamation and mission to the world.

--Adapted from Day 20 by David Bryant:  Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison.

ODB:

Calling Out to God

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Psalm 25:16

READ Psalm 25:16–22

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

In his book Adopted for Life, Dr. Russell Moore describes his family’s trip to an orphanage to adopt a child. As they entered the nursery, the silence was startling. The babies in the cribs never cried, and it wasn’t because they never needed anything but because they’d learned that no one cared enough to answer.

My heart ached as I read those words. I remember countless nights when our children were small. My wife and I would be sound asleep only to be startled awake by their cries: “Daddy, I’m sick!” or “Mommy, I’m scared! One of us would spring into action and make our way to their bedroom to do our best to comfort and care for them. Our love for our children gave them reason to call for our help.

An overwhelming number of the psalms are cries, or laments, to God. Israel brought their laments to Him on the basis of His personal relationship with them. These were a people God had called His “firstborn” (Exodus 4:22) and they were asking their Father to act accordingly. Such honest trust is seen in Psalm 25: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, . . . free me from my anguish” (vv. 16–17). Children who are confident of the love of a caregiver do cry. As believers in Jesus—children of God—He’s given us reason to call on Him. He hears and cares because of His great love.

By John Blase

REFLECT & PRAY

How comfortable are you taking your cries to God? Why? How might you offer up a lament to Him today?

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your faithfulness to hear my cry and to act.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In the superscription of Psalm 25, the only information provided is that David is the author. Unlike some of his psalms (see Psalm 51), there’s no hint as to the events that triggered its writing. Based on the lyrical content, some scholars suggest that it may refer to the times when David was pursued either by Saul or Absalom, but due to the penitent nature of the psalm, others see it as perhaps following David’s sin with Bathsheba. Either way, Psalm 25 is an individual lament (as opposed to a national lament). Its main feature is that it’s an acrostic—each verse begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This feature is a Hebrew poetic device that’s likely intended to make the psalm easier to memorize. That same characteristic is found in Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145.

Bill Crowder

UR: Letting Go

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

My family had experienced three recent deaths: my father, my mother, and my nephew. After cleaning out my parents’ house for a new family to move in, reality hit hard. We would never gather at my childhood home again. Dad would not read Luke 2 on Christmas Day. Mom would not make raspberry jelly or pecan pies. My nephew would not give another prank gift or bear hug. Our family would never be the same.

As I walked through the empty house, Dad’s orchard, and the woods at the edge of the yard, I cried. I

thanked God for a great family and childhood home and asked for God’s blessings on the young family who would live here now. Yet, a few hours later, I realized I had never given God my grief. I understood in a new way that God loves us and reaches out to us in our sorrow. However, we must offer our sorrow and grief to God.

Doing so does not remove our pain or eliminate the need for grieving. But it does offer the assurance that God holds our lives and sustains us through any devastating loss. We will never have to carry our burdens alone because God carries them with us.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Thank you, never-failing Father, for your presence, comfort, and peace, especially in times of grief. Amen.TWFYT:

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Saturday, January 20 2024

Thank God I'm Forgiven! What's that mean to you? Thank God and build that gratitude list this morning!

Pray this earnestly today: O, O God Forgive Us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-lSe4earII

Good Morning Forgiven Much, Repentant, Pruned, Obedient to the Living Word, Purified, Very Loved Children of God! O, O God forgive us! Cleanse us! Purify us! Revive us! Teach us! Prepare us! Make us usable! Use us! All for Your glory and honor! Amen! When God was ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, He commanded Joshua to call the people to a season of preparation and purification. May we become a purified people, ready to follow God into our promised land and leading the next generations by our example! Purify My Heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB_gCVjoNpI Please Lord! Come!

I had no idea where God would lead me this morning as I humbled myself before Him and asked Him to write this blog. Our devotionals speak about the importance of spending a sanctifying, purifying time with Him in the Living Word. Jesus is God's Living Word and the Bible is His instructions for us and called the Living Word because it is living and active and cuts to bone and marrow, directs, corrects, guides and does not come back void when spoken. We need to open our Bibles and spend time in them and even memorize passages to be recalled when needed later. Spend some time in the Word and with God as you prayerfully, humbly open your Bible today and through our devotionals and their passages. God is speaking always and especially as we open His Living Word! Be still. Listen and receive. Pray and release. Trust, obey and follow. And end with the Harvest Prayer's revival blog at the end. God is on the move and He is calling a prepared and available people to service and usefulness. Is that you? Is that our church? We are on our way but there is so much more ahead. Prepare your hearts and minds. Ask for wisdom, discernment and willing hands and feet and persevering, active faith. God has great plans for you and us! Daylight's burning! Are you ready and available?

May God's Word come alive in and through you with power and authority. May His Love protect and lead you. May you stay connected to The Vine, Jesus, and grow from pruning to massive fruit production--good and lasting fruit! May God lead you to seek Him more, become more of the person you are created to be and doing more of what You were created to do in the year ahead. And may He light revival fires through the next generations and position us to walk with them and disciple them with great and living faith! May we become a dynamic movement of God with a burning passion for Him and His ways and a missionary zeal to reach and disciple the lost. Yes, God is on the move! Hallelujah and He is using sinners like us as His vessels! May we be purified and ready! Come Jesus come! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu4VV54ZcFo

Charles Stanley:

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ODB

God’s Protective Love

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Matthew 7:15

READ Matthew 7:13–23

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

One summer night, the birds near our home suddenly erupted into chaotic cawing. The squawking intensified as the songbirds sent piercing calls from the trees. We finally realized why. As the sun set, a large hawk swooped from a treetop, sending the birds scattering in a screeching frenzy, sounding the alarm as they flew from danger.

In our lives, spiritual warnings can be heard throughout Scripture—cautions against false teachings, for example. We may doubt that’s what we’re hearing. Because of His love for us, however, our heavenly Father provides the clarity of Scripture to make such spiritual dangers plain to us.

Jesus taught, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). He continued, “By their fruit you will recognize them. . . . Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Then He warned us, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (vv. 16–17, 20).

“The prudent see danger and take refuge,” Proverbs 22:3 reminds us, “but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” Embedded in such warnings is God’s protective love, revealed in His words to us.

As the birds warned each other of physical danger, may we heed the Bible’s warnings to fly from spiritual danger and into God’s arms of refuge.

By Patricia Raybon

REFLECT & PRAY

What spiritual warning has been speaking to your heart? How has Scripture confirmed a warning to you?

The Scriptures warn with love, dear God, and we thank You. May we heed those words today.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches His disciples using a series of comparisons: narrow and wide gates (vv. 13-14), true and false prophets (vv. 15-20), true and false disciples (vv. 21-23), and wise and foolish builders (vv. 24-27). Craig Blomberg notes: “Jesus makes plain that there are ultimately only two categories of people in the world, despite the endless gradations we might otherwise perceive.” The contrast that Christ presents to His hearers seems at first to be a commonsense decision. Not many people would willingly choose to be foolish. However, in the explanation of the final contrast, Jesus gives a clear picture of why some might be foolish and others wise. Those who are true and wise are those who listen to and obey His words (v. 24).

JR Hudberg

UR: A Fruitful Vine

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5 (NIV)

One sunny morning I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping. I looked out my window and saw that it was the long tendrils of my passion fruit plant that had attracted the birds. I recalled Jesus’ words in John 15:5 and meditated on the verse with curiosity, knowing that the Holy Spirit had brought it to my mind to reveal something to me.

I realized that the image of the vine in John 15:5 and my passion fruit plant have something in common — they both have winding, clinging branches that bear fruit. They don’t have trunks; they cling to nearby objects for support, and their branches grow out of the vine. In John 15:5, Jesus was making it clear to us that he supplies our needs and makes it possible for us to flourish.

In order to thrive and bear fruit, climbing plants depend on a strong central vine and require occasional pruning. Jesus is our true vine, and when we remain connected to him, we can bear much fruit. All we need to do is receive and rest in Jesus’ love. Just as a plant’s nutrients flow from the vine to its branches, God’s divine love flows from Christ to us.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear Lord, as we cling to you, restore our peace and hope and remind us how much you love us. Amen.TWFYT:

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Harvest Prayer

January 19, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 19): Acts of God in the Next Generation

Several years ago, I spent a season in prayer. The Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly, saying, “Luke, I want you to be very careful because your generation is about to reap a harvest that it did not sow. So, stay extremely humble and give honor to those who have labored for and sown the harvest that you will reap.”

I believe the unprecedented harvest we are getting ready to reap in America—and that we are already seeing—is the result of fathers and mothers who have labored, toiled, wept, and prayed for God to move. The miraculous fruit, the rare spiritual hunger, and the powerful moves of the Holy Spirit we are seeing among Gen Z are a direct result of the prayers of the generations that preceded us. It is a multigenerational work. 

This mixture of the prayers and labors of fathers and mothers—and the radical faith and actions of the upcoming generation—make for an explosive combination. In the days ahead, my sense is that the Lord’s call to Gen Z is one of wholehearted consecration—a consecration to holy lives and to God’s mission.

King of kings and Lord of lords, I praise God for the generations that have gone before me in prayer and faith – those spiritual mothers and fathers who have labored, wept, and interceded for You to move in power. Stir my heart to a deeper level of prayer, call Your Church to be renewed in a fresh dedication to holiness and consecration to God, and fill this next generation with joy and passion for Jesus. Revive Your Church and pour out spiritual awakening in this nation so that the gospel reaches to the ends of the earth!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God for the generations that have gone before you in prayer and faith—and how you are the recipient of those prayers.

• Pray that God will include you as the mothers and fathers of faith who have labored, wept, and prayed for a great move of God. Ask the Spirit to stir your heart to greater intercession.

• Pray for the Church to be renewed in dedication to holiness and consecration to God.

• Pray for radical, audacious faith to fill this next generation with joy and passion for Jesus.

• Pray for a fresh move of revival in the Church and spiritual awakening in this nation—so that the gospel reaches to the ends of the earth.

--Adapted from Day 19 by Luke LeFevre: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

Posted by: AT 08:16 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Thursday, January 18 2024

Spiritual Gifts Test Link: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/ If you'd like to take a spiritual gifts test to discover your spiritual gifts, here's a link to one. Please share with us your results. Praying for God to help us discover our custom made and Holy Spirit empowered purposes.

New Members Class Sun Feb 18 after church. All participants will be required to complete the gifts test before the class.

Good Morning Becoming More like Jesus Servants and Intercessors! Yes Lord COME! May we become more like You as we learn to serve, pray, teach, lead and love like Jesus! Come! Have Your perfecting way with me! Prepare me and use me well! Come! Lead me to my purposes and part. Thanks! Amen!

Today's devotional revelations tie to two things...interceding (crying out in prayer) for Jesus to come and revival to sweep over our nation. (See Harvest Prayer for today below) Our other devos (below) speak into becoming more like Jesus, our example of a servant leader, Shepherd, who was comfortable in His human flesh and dependent upon the Holy Spirit to minister to and through Him. Two of our devos use the John 13 teaching of Jesus as He washed the disciple's feet. When I graduated from Bible college we were given a towel with that passage on it to remind us that we are called to be servant leaders, like Jesus.

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I placed the Upper Room between the two using John 13 because to be a good and maturing servant leader, we need to learn to die to self, not lean on our own understanding and to grow in trust and obedience as we learn to be content with Jesus being our Lord, Shepherd and Example. Learning to live, love, teach and lead more like Jesus, requires being content to die to self and cry out for less of me and more of Him as a way of life. We have to be willing to take off our old nature and toss it away like a caterpillar leaving the cocoon behind and stepping into our new butterfly nature. How well are you doing at allowing God to transform you more fully into His image? What word(s) may He want you to work on? Who does He want you to partner with to work on this?

God has great plans for each of us and us as His Body! For us to become more fully who we were created to be and do more of what Jesus has planned for us, we need to humble ourselves, invite Him to come with His patient, perfecting love and have His way with us. How can we help each other with that? Accountability is key and that comes from a few close trusted friends and much time with God. Pray for God to raise up good accountability partnerships and for how and who for you to be involved. No matter your personality, abilities, gifts, experiences, circumstances, or preferences, God has a plan and purpose just for you. And as He gathers us as His Body, He weaves us together to become a well oiled Good News Delivery machine. But we need each other! Pray for God to continue His good work in and through you and us and to lead us to our fullest potential in Christ. Please Lord! Thanks! Amen! May God bless you today with His presence, direction, joy and shalom!

Harvest Prayer's Revival Prayer:

January 18, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 18): Longing for Change

How can we, as intercessors, pray both personally and corporately for transformation? How can we develop a longing for the presence and glory of Christ to flood our communities?

God made every nation and appointed a place in time for each so that the gospel might go forth. He always intended His people to be involved in shaping history with Him. Many Scripture passages build upon this theme (2 Chron. 7:14; Jer. 18:7–8). Even those people who consider our era to be the “last days” would agree that until the very end, God calls believers to steward the land and its resources for God’s glory.

We know that only the gospel’s power can change the human heart (Rom. 1:16). But in God’s mercy, if we intercede, as faithful stewards, in fervent interrogative intercession for our morally plummeting society, there might come a quickening—even a dramatic move of God. We may yet see the presence and glory of Christ flooding our communities. Will we at least try?

Creator of all things, You are the One who determines divine purposes for every nation. Would you give wisdom and enabling from Your Holy Spirit to guard, protect and watch over this land as Your people pray? Please use me to shape history through my prayers and obedience to Your word. May the power of Your gospel transform hearts in ways that will completely interrupt the decline of our society! Please flood my community and nation with the glory and presence of Christ so that all people will know that You alone are God!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God as the Creator of all things and the One who determines divine purposes for every nation.

• Pray for the wisdom and enabling from God’s Spirit to guard, protect, and watch over this land through your intercession.

• Ask God to use you to shape history through your prayers and obedience to His Word.

• Pray for the power of the gospel to transform hearts in ways that dramatically interrupt the decline of our society.

• Pray for the quickening of a dramatic move of God that floods your community and our nation with the glory and presence of Christ!

--Adapted from Day 18 by David Kubal:  Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

ODB:

Washing Feet . . . and Dishes

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. John 13:15

READ John 13:6–17

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

On Charley and Jan’s fiftieth wedding anniversary, they shared breakfast at a café with their son Jon. That day, the restaurant was understaffed with just a manager, cook, and one teenage girl who was working as hostess, waitress, and busser. As they finished their breakfast, Charley turned to his wife and son and said, “Do you have anything important going on in the next few hours?” They didn’t.

So, with permission from the manager, Charley and Jan began washing dishes in the back of the restaurant while Jon started clearing the cluttered tables. According to Jon, what happened that day wasn’t really that unusual. His parents had always set an example of Jesus who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

In John 13, we read about the last meal Christ shared with His disciples. That night, the Teacher taught them the principle of humble service by washing their dirty feet (vv. 14–15). If He was willing to do the lowly job of washing a dozen men’s feet, they too should joyfully serve others.

Every avenue of service we encounter may look different, but one thing’s the same: there’s great joy in serving. The purpose behind acts of service isn’t to bring praise to the ones performing them, but to lovingly serve others while directing all praise to our humble, self-sacrificing God.

By Cindy Hess Kasper

REFLECT & PRAY

When has someone unexpectedly offered to help you with a difficult task? Why is humility such an important aspect of serving others?

Loving Savior, thank You for showing me how to be a servant.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Peter often misunderstood Jesus. He misunderstood what Christ was doing when He began to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:6-9). Earlier in John, he confessed that only Jesus had the words of life (6:68-69), but he often failed to take Him at His word. He was convinced he could follow Jesus on the path of suffering (13:36-37). He assumed Christ’s goal was military conquest and started swinging a sword (18:10-11). And he ultimately denied his teacher and friend (vv. 15-27).

In every instance, however, Jesus gently showed love to His friend Peter. In the end, He called him to restoration and hope (21:15-19).

Jed Ostoich

UR: Giving It to God

Paul wrote, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” - Philippians 4:11 (NIV)

After I learned that I had torn my other ACL, my spirits sank. I had just recovered from the same injury to my other knee eight months prior, and now I was going to have to go through the same grueling journey all over again. Surgery, crutches, ice, and physical therapy would be my main focus for the next two weeks. I felt as if I would never understand where God was in all this or how God could possibly use this injury for my good.

It was around this time that I came across Philippians 4. I was familiar with this passage of scripture, but I had never spent much time studying and meditating on it. After reading it, I decided that although I did not understand why I was going through this trial, I knew that turning to God would be the only way I could get through it. I took a leap of faith and decided to trust God. Now I have found joy and a peace that I did not have when I was healing from my first knee injury. Giving this struggle to God is something I have to do every day, and doing so helps me remember that I am not going through this hardship alone.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear God, help us give our struggles to you daily, and remind us that the trials that we go through will strengthen our faith and trust in you. Amen.

TWFYT:

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Thursday, January 18 2024

Bread Ministry 10-12 today. Wed night gathering postponed until next Wed. (There was a one call but some of us don't receive it. Sarah is working on correcting that. Pray for favor)

Good Morning Handcrafted Vessels of God! PTL for His creating, recreating, molding and preparing of you and us as His vessels of love, healing, hope and revival. Thanks Lord! Help us to die to self, humble self and allow you to have Your way with us as you continue to prepare us for what is ahead. May we be useful now, just as we are, and willing to allow you to transform us for usefulness for what's next. Come! Have your way with us and use us well for Your glory always. Revive us, direct our steps, protect us and prepare us for Your best. Bring joy alive as we learn to trust you more, love you more and allow you more access to us. More of You and less of me! More love! More power! More incarnating of Jesus and His good ways through us more often. Reveal to us things You desire for us to work on this year. Give us words and move us to work on those with You, Your Holy Spirit and each other. Lead us to Your best and use us well. Amen!

I'm going to just allow you to saturate in God's presence this morning through the blogs and devos below. God has a word for you this morning. What's He saying to you? How is He pinching or moving your heart? How does He want to inform your prayer and choices today. Invite Him to be the Lord of your heart and choices today and this week. Humble yourself. Turn off the noise and be still and reload in His loving presence. Ask Him to bring His will alive through your prayers. He has some great things awaiting your discover and cooperation. PTL! Allow His Spirit and presence to warm you to the bones and fire you up for what's next for today and beyond. Bring those revival fires to those out in the cold of distance from the One who loves us and pray for a warming of cold hearts. Ask to have a burning passion for God. Pray to be on fire for the Lord! AMEN!

Harvest prayer:

January 17, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 17): The Reality of Christ’s Presence

In a Christ dominated revival, the Holy Spirit increases vision for what’s ahead. He deepens our yearnings for greater approximations of the coming Kingdom.

In New Testament-style revival, Christians are aroused to a reality of Christ’s presence and power already theirs, but currently overlooked. They are summoned not only to recapture their first love for Christ (Rev. 2), but to discover a passion for Him that surpasses whatever they have known before (Eph. 3). Re-awakening us to greater dimensions of His glory, New Testament revival is ultimately about recovering and enlarging hope in Christ.

In other words, God infuses His Church with fresh hope, passion, prayer, and mission by refocusing us on Christ for ALL He really is. In revival a church is re-captivated with the supremacy of Christ by the Spirit of Christ. That’s why my favorite term for this phenomenon is a “Christ Awakening.”

Thank You, Father, for how you have transformed the history of the world through revival and spiritual awakening. My heart looks forward to fresh expressions of the reign of Jesus Christ in my day! Please increase my vision and longing for another Great Awakening in this nation. Help my church to experience a new awakening of the presence and power of Jesus and that we will all recapture our first love in ways that transform all our relationships and everything we do.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Look back both in Scripture and in this nation and praise God for the moves of revival and spiritual awakening that have transformed history.

• Look forward to fresh expressions of Christ’s reign and pray that it will happen in our day.

• Invite God to increase your vision and yearning for another Great Awakening in our nation.

• Pray for your church to experience a new awakening of the presence and power of Christ.

• Pray that you and your family will recapture your first love of Christ in ways that transform your relationships.

--Adapted from Day 17 by David Bryant: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

Charles Stanley:

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ODB:

Choosing to Follow God

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

READ Joshua 24:14–18

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

“The average person will make 773,618 decisions over a lifetime,” claims the Daily Mirror. The British newspaper goes on to assert that we “will come to regret 143,262 of them.” I have no idea how the paper arrived at these numbers, but it’s clear that we face countless decisions throughout our lifetime. The sheer quantity of them might become paralyzing, especially when we consider that all our choices have consequences, some far more momentous than others.

After forty years wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel stood at the threshold of their new homeland. Later, after entering the land, Joshua, their leader, issued to them a challenging choice: “Fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness,” he said. “Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped” (Joshua 24:14). Joshua told them, “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (v. 15).

As we begin each new day, possibilities stretch before us, leading to scores of decisions. Taking the time to ask God to guide us will influence the choices we make. By the power of the Spirit, we can choose to follow Him every day.

By Bill Crowder

REFLECT & PRAY

What choices have you regretted making? How might you have handled those situations more wisely?

Father, sometimes life can feel overwhelming—and so can the many choices that confront me. Please guide my steps and my decision-making so that I honor You in the choices I make.

For further study, read Dangerous Decisions: Learning from the Mistakes of Lot and Achan.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The challenge from Joshua to the people of Israel who are about to take possession of the promised land (Joshua 24:14-15) gives us insight into their religious history during their time of slavery in Egypt. While some continued to worship Yahweh during their captivity, as seen in the fear of God displayed by the midwives Shiphrah and Puah (Exodus 1:15-17), today’s passage indicates that worship of Yahweh was only one form of their worship.

To the second generation that had come out of slavery (the first generation had died in the wilderness), Joshua proclaimed these words: “Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. . . . Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:14-15). This shows that the descendants of Jacob who were in slavery in Egypt had adopted various religious practices.

JR Hudberg

UR:

God's Protection

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. - Psalm 57:1 (NIV)

My wife and I operate a small farm.

One evening, we were away from home when we received a call from our neighbor who told us that one of our cows was having her calf in the pasture.

The time immediately after birth can be dangerous for both the mother and the newborn since both are weak and the birth process often attracts predators.

It was dark when we got home. After getting our flashlights and going out to the pasture, we were rewarded with the sight of a healthy newborn calf lying beside its mother. We also found our llamas and our livestock guardian dog standing in a circle around the cow and calf. The llamas and dog provided comfort and protection to their vulnerable charges. As we moved the cow and her calf to the shelter of the barn, we were escorted by the llamas and dog.

For me, that was a memorable illustration of the protection and refuge God provides. We may not face the same physical threats as livestock, but we do face fear, worry, temptation, loneliness, and grief that prey on our relationship with God. When I look back at difficult times in my life, I can see that God provided protection and comfort, often in the form of support from fellow Christians. Just as the llamas and dog provided protection and comfort to the cow and her calf, God provides protection and comfort to us.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Our Father, thank you for the many ways you comfort us when we are vulnerable. Help us always to find our refuge in you. Amen.

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Tuesday, January 16 2024
10 AM on Zoom today Huddle resumes! All welcome!
Wed. 10 AM Bread distribution. 6 PM Family Ministries/Adult Huddle begins with dinner. Soups for a chilly night of warmed hearts gathering together to fellowship, study, pray and play. All welcome!
Sat 10-1: Clothing Closet
Good Morning Igniters of Revival Fires! Pray into that and continue to sow lavishly in prayers as you enjoy the abundant life in Christ--living, loving, teaching, leading and praying more and more like Jesus! John 10:10 reminds us that Jesus came so that all who will believe may not only have life but enjoy the abundant life. That's a promise to proclaim today! And as we live that sold out abundant life in Christ, we get to not only witness but be a part of His promised end times revival. PTL! Keep your focus right, your prayers flowing, and your feet following step by step in faith as you enjoy and bring to life this promised abundant life! AMEN!!!
All our devotionals are of worth today, especially as they lead you to be still and spend time with God. But I am only focusing on two: Harvest Prayer's revival prayer for day 16 and Charles Stanley's God's Purpose for Your Life daily devo. What might God be saying to you as you engage Him through these? What will you do about it?
Today in huddle we will probably discuss these and few other things more deeply as we reunite to study, pray, fellowship and plan. Join us! And possibly may do the same tomorrow evening as Family Ministry/Adult Huddle resumes at 6.
For a long time I've been trying to discern exactly how to share what God is saying to me and where He is wanting to lead me and us. He has great plans for each of us and our church that are coming to life and good fruit is budding. He's wanting to (and making some headway as we surrender to Him and His ways) help us grow into the people we were created to be, doing the things He has planned for us as we don Jesus' easy yoke and enjoy His abundant life. He's given us life, new life, and now wants us to grow to experience His abundant life as we live more fully for Him and walk more earnestly in His ways. Help us Lord! Help me! 
Check our Charles' devo below and meditate on this as he put into words all I've been sensing and God has been leading us too. We can love God and enjoy this life, even the promised abundant life, if we choose. What might the abundant life feel like for you? How might you move towards it? Part of it will be living life as if Christ is all that matters, learning to become more like Jesus and allowing Him to live and love through you. Maybe as you contemplate this, He's leading you to know His shalom and promised rest for your souls and to a word or two to focus on this year to help you move towards your fuller potential? Talk to Him about that and process with some others. Are you hungry and thirsty for more? Panting after God's best for you like a deer longing for water? The Satisfier is available and so is His abundant life and so is the joy that comes from the deep soul satisfaction you can know as you grow in Christ and bring Him alive! That's revival as God's Word goes out and doesn't come back void and comes alive in and through you. PTL! Now the challenge is how do we bring this alive to others? Especially the importance of embracing this and choosing well as a child and young adult? Who may God be sending you to encourage with your experiences and these truths as you live your best life and help others towards theirs?
It's time to ignite some revival fires, maybe under your own butt, as you choose Christ's promised abundant life. That's choosing to live and love more like Jesus. Become More in '24! Do More in '24! Love More in '24!
Be Jesus More in '24!!! I'm praying for you! Choose the abundant life and start right now!
Charles Stanley:
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Harvest prayer:

January 16, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 16): From Death to Life

Death Valley is an expansive desert in California, known as the lowest, driest, and hottest location in all North America. It is a barren, desolate place that holds the record for the highest recorded temperature in the Western Hemisphere—a mere 134 degrees Fahrenheit!

In 2005, a rare torrential downpour deposited six inches of rain into the cracks of the rock-hard valley floor. Suddenly this lifeless desert blossomed with abundant and gorgeous flowers that had not been seen in 20 years! Dormant seeds, sitting underneath the soil for years and barely hanging on to life, were suddenly awakened when saturated with life-giving rain. The desert was alive, much like the promise of Isaiah 44:3–4: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.”

This is a picture of revival—when the Spirit saturates a church with God’s Word about God’s Son so that God’s people come alive to His glory in whole new ways.

God Almighty, I praise You for Your heart to pour out water on a dry and thirsty land! Send the refreshing waters of revival in our day! Please show me the areas in my own life, in my family and in my church that need an outpouring of Your Spirit. Saturate each area with Your Word and may a fresh wind of Your Spirit blow across my community and nation to extend the reign of Jesus Christ!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God for His heart to pour out water on a dry and thirsty land! Ask Him to do it again with refreshing waters of revival in our day.

• Identify places in your own life, your family, and your church that need an outpouring of God’s Spirit—and invite Him to send a torrential downpour!

• Pray for your church to be saturated with God’s Word about God’s Son—and for your congregation to come alive to the glory of Christ.

• Pray for a Christ awakening that changes both your church and society.

• Pray for fresh winds of the Spirit to extend the reign of Christ to your community and nation.

--Adapted from Day 16 by David Bryant: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

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Tuesday, January 16 2024

Good Morning Gathered and Sent Surrendered, Faithful Servants of the Lord--Co-Laborers! Please Lord! Grow us as we gather. Equip us. Empower us! Send us to be your vessels of love, healing, hope and revival. Team us up with others--co-laborers and raise up some small group leaders. We are Your very loved children, longing to be used to advance your Kingdom and make disciples of Jesus. Come! Thank You for creating us and placing us right where you want us for such a time as this! Shepherd lead us and use us well for your glory. Amen!

And AMEN! Come Jesus us come! This morning as I sat down at my desk and pondered yesterday, Psalm 23 came to mind again...The Lord is my Shepherd. Is He your Shepherd? Are you allowing Him to lead you beside the still waters and restore your soul? Are you walking with Him through the dark valley today? Are you content in His provision and following His provision? I shall not want! Are you allowing Him to guide you in the paths of righteousness? Why? "For His name's sake!" Are you living up to the calling of being a sheep and allow the Great Shepherd to be your Lord? That's where revival begins as you humble yourself, even die to self and let go of control, for His names sake! So, surprise, as I open my Charles Stanley devo that begins with Palm 23:3. Oh, yes God is always speaking. PTL! Are we being still and listening? Are you allowing Jesus to lead you as you serve others for His name's sake? Are you working as if you are working for the Lord? Praying, serving, repenting as if for the Lord? God has great plans for you just as you are and is wanting to grow you to your fuller potential and His greater things. Rejoice! Surrender and live this life as if Christ is all that matters, because it's true! Engage Him through the devotionals below as you turn off the noise and tune into God. Ask Him to reveal a word for you to work on this year too. He has at least one! Come Jesus come!! Have all of me and grow me to my fuller potential in Christ and use me as I am, today right where you place me, for such a time as this. Bring revival and send me as you agent of it. Come! Thank You! Amen! (Pray the Harvest Prayer revival prayer at the end--earnestly for those prayers are powerful and effective!) 

What's God saying to you today and what will you do about it? Who is He leading you to partner with? is He leading you to lead a small group? What word(s) is He leading you to for growth? How might He want to use you to advance His Kingdom? Who might He be leading you today? ASK! LISTEN! and receive! Then share and process that with Sarah, me, or your small circle of friends. And worship for all He is and will do! God is on the move! Hallelujah!

Charles Stanley:

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TWFYT:

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ODB:

Serving Others for Jesus

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Mark 10:43

READ Mark 10:35–45

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

Actress Nichelle Nichols is best remembered for playing Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series. Landing the role was a personal win for Nichols, making her one of the first African American women on a major TV show. But a greater win was to come of it.

Nichols had actually resigned from Star Trek after its first season, to return to her theater work. But then she met Martin Luther King Jr., who urged her not to leave. For the first time, he said, African Americans were being seen on TV as intelligent people who could do anything, even go to space. By playing Lieutenant Uhura, Nichols was achieving a greater win—showing Black women and children what they could become.

It reminds me of the time James and John asked Jesus for the two best positions in His kingdom (Mark 10:37). What personal wins such positions would be! Jesus not only explained the painful realities of their request (vv. 38–40) but called them to higher goals, saying, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (v. 43). His followers weren’t to seek personal wins alone but, like Him, use their positions to serve others (v. 45).

Nichelle Nichols stayed with Star Trek for the greater win it provided for African Americans. May we too never be content with a personal win alone but use whatever position we gain to serve others in His name.

By Sheridan Voysey

REFLECT & PRAY

What are your current personal and career goals? What doors could you open for others right now?

Dear Jesus, show me how to use my position to serve others in Your name.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

James and John’s request to sit at Jesus’ right hand and left hand after He’s glorified (Mark 10:37) shows they didn’t yet understand that Christ’s path to glory would be through suffering. Jesus responded by referring to His coming “cup” and “baptism” (v. 38)—both metaphors referring to His future suffering for His people. He would drink the cup of suffering and identify fully with His people to save them—taking on the consequences of sin for their sake. In response to James and John’s request for honor, they’re instead promised that as Christ’s disciples, they’d suffer like Him (v. 39). And Jesus used this occasion to teach all His disciples about offering themselves in service (vv. 42-45).

Monica La Rose

UR: Working for the Lord

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. - Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Preparing to graduate from university and commissioned as a military intelligence officer in the United States Army, I envisioned a highly successful career in the armed forces. I experienced health issues during my senior year of college, however, and I was medically discharged. My plans were dashed. Reeling from disappointment, I accepted the first job I could find after searching for months. I found an entry-level position answering phones for a small business. I was disappointed and struggled with a poor attitude about my work. How will I possibly find fulfillment in a job like this? I wondered.

In Colossians 3:23, the apostle Paul encourages us to work at whatever we do with our entire hearts, as if working for the Lord. No job God has placed us in is unimportant. When we commit whatever we do to God, working willingly with everything we have, we honor God. Whether we are working as a CEO, custodian, teacher, secretary, or stay-at-home parent, God can help us to bear fruit for the kingdom. No job is small or insignificant because we do not serve a small or insignificant God.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear God, help us to commit everything we do to you and to remember that nothing we do is small in your eyes. Amen

Harvest revival prayer:

January 15, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 15): Come Upon Your People Again

Our hearts are growing increasingly urgent about the need to pray for God’s mercy and grace in our country. This is the simple prayer that the Lord put on my heart:

Lord, throughout our nation’s history You have blessed us with times of spiritual awakening and revival. Your Spirit moved in our midst to restore godly worship. You empowered Your people to be witnesses to Your truths and to take stands for righteousness and justice.

Oh, God, do it again! Come upon Your people again in reviving power. Before our nation can be changed, our hearts must be changed. Turn us from selfishness and sin to Your loving ways.

Your Word tells us, Lord, that judgment begins in the house of the Lord (1 Peter 4:17). May Your mercy and grace also begin there. Pour out a spirit of repentance upon the Church in America. Forgive us for making our faith more about us and our comfort and preferences than about Your purposes on planet earth.  Fill our pulpits with godly preachers who will proclaim Your Word fearlessly.

We will respond to Your Word as those who are called by Your name, humbling ourselves before You and in prayer, seeking Your face and turning from our wicked ways. Father, will You then hear from heaven and forgive our sin and heal our land (2 Chron. 7:14)?  

We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus! Amen.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God for His mercy and the many ways He has blessed our nation.

• Praise God for the way He has used this nation as a beacon of righteousness to the world and ask Him to use us again to reflect the love of Christ.

• Pray that God will use His Church to be a standard of righteousness and justice in a hurting world.

• Ask God to pour out a spirit of repentance on His Church that paves the way for revival.

• Pray for God’s blessing of the fulfillment of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

--Adapted from Day 15 by Dave Butts: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison.

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Sunday, January 14 2024

Worship live in person and on Zoom at 10 with Children's Church. (attached below is the handout in our bulletins for those joining on Zoom.) Today we begin our journey in learning about the Holy Spirit, Spiritual Gifts and what that all means to us as we seek to Become More in '24. We will have a lot of words to pick from as we ask God to reveal to us what He desires us to work on in '24 as we seek to become more like Jesus and doing more of what we were created to do. I'm excited! Hope you are too!

Good Morning Very Loved Masterpieces of God, Family, Friends, and Empowered Sent Ones of God! There is one thing I always pray to do and that is to love like Jesus--to incarnate or bring His love alive to all those He sends my way. We are commanded to love God and others just like Jesus does--sacrificially, lavishly. And I pray that that continues to grow and come alive in, through and around me. I pray that over all of you as well as we continue to grow in and work on living sacrificially, loving lavishly and being all in for God's ways like Jesus. 

God is looking right into your heart and reminding you that He knows you and everything about you and still loves you with an everlasting love. Jesus has His arms wide open for you to feel His loving embrace as He calls you by name to come to Him. His hand is outstretched to you as you are sinking in the waves of the storm and reminds you to turn off the noise and chaos and focus on Him--the Prince of Peace. He is cheering you on and wanting you to grow into His purposes for you. He sent His Holy Spirit to help you and to gift you to grow into your fullest potential and do all He has for you. His Spirit not only equips, but empowers you to go love well, grow His Kingdom and Church and make disciples of Jesus as you complete your custom purposes and mission. What joy and blessings we know, are growing into and get to share! Man, God is so awesome and good--all the time! PTL! Prepare your hearts to enter His courts with praise today! 

Times are hard but not unexpected as Jesus told us to be ready for all the trials, troubles and tribulations that are to come. Our devotionals continue the reminder to be ready, stay focused on Christ and to persevere in growling faith. Check them out below. God is weaving all things together for His purposes and the good of those who believe. Keep your eyes fixed on Him and your feet following. Be attentive and be still. Listen to hear His whisper and directions. Spend time with Him and in His Word so He can speak, you can respond and He can guide you step by step in faith. He has great plans for you! You know that but do you really believe that always--especially when in the storms? Prepare your heart by working on a growing relationship with our Lord and Savior. When you ask Him to be your Lord or the Lord of the day, you can be assured that no matter what happens, it is filtered through God's hands, part of His plan and will eventually help to lead us to His best. So choose joy always as you learn to die to self, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus earnestly! As we do, His peace beyond understanding overwhelms us and we find the strength, help and wisdom to continue on this journey to Christlikeness and for God's glory alone! He is worthy of a fully surrendered life of obedience and worship that will lead us to His best! Amen! and rejoice! Sing the hymn as a prayer today, "I Surrender All". He is worthy and will lead us to His best and prepare us for eternity with Him. Amen! A life well lived in Christ begins with surrender and grows as you seek Him more with all your heart. We are learning to live and love like Jesus. Lead us Lord! Thank You! Amen

I Surrender All: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW8EA7DEQ2M

Harvest Revival Prayer Blog:

January 14, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 14): Hope Deferred

Hope can be defined as the belief or expectation that something can or will happen. Proverbs 13:12 describes it this way: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

How do we pray when hope seems lost, when a situation deteriorates rather than comes to resolution?

How can we keep from becoming discouraged and giving up when our nation slips further and further into darkness? How do we maintain confidence in the grace and love of God when judgment, logical consequences, and the downward slope of destruction seem inevitable?

There is a reason Paul reminded the Church at Rome: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom.15:13). The God of hope wants us to overflow with hope, but it will require the power of the Spirit in our lives.
Just imagine: complete joy, total peace, and an abundance of hope! Isn’t that what we need?

I praise You God of hope, for You pour out joy and peace as I trust in You! Please give me renewed endurance in my prayer life to keep interceding even when I don’t see immediate evidence of revival. Pour out Your mercy on our nation even when it seems judgment is what we deserve.

Father, please increase my faith and inspire my prayers with “the assurance of things hoped for.” Send a wave of repentance and a flood of revival throughout the Church in this nation.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise the God of hope who pours out joy and peace when we trust in Him.

• Pray for renewed endurance in your prayer life to keep interceding even when you don’t see immediate evidence of revival.

• Pray for God’s mercy on our nation, even when it seems judgment is more appropriate.

• Ask God to increase your faith and inspire your prayers with “the assurance of things hoped for.”

• Pray for a wave of repentance and a flood of revival throughout the Church in this nation.

--Adapted from Day 14 by Jim Jarman: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

Charles Stanley:

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ODB:

A Gaze Fixed on God

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

READ Isaiah 26:3-7

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Nineteenth-century Scottish pastor, Thomas Chalmers, once told the story of riding in a horse-drawn carriage in the Highlands region as it hugged a narrow mountain ledge, along a harrowing precipice. One of the horses startled, and the driver, fearing they would plummet to their death, repeatedly flicked his whip. After they made it past the danger, Chalmers asked the driver why he used the whip with such force. “I needed to give the horses something else to think about,” he said. “I needed to get their attention.”

In a world overflowing with threats and dangers all around us, we all need something else to arrest our attention. However, we need more than merely mental distraction—a kind of psychological trick. What we most need is to fasten our minds upon a reality more powerful than all our fears. As Isaiah told God’s people in Judah, what we truly need is to fix our minds on God. “You will keep in perfect peace,” Isaiah promises, “all who trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 nlt). And we can “trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock” (v. 4 nlt).

Peace—this is the gift for all who fix their gaze on God. And His peace provides far more than only a technique for holding our worst thoughts at bay. For those who will surrender their future, their hopes, and their worries, the Spirit makes an entirely new way of life possible.

By Winn Collier

REFLECT & PRAY

Where do you normally fix your attention? How might you renew your gaze on God?

Dear God, my mind can be a scary place, and I fear so much. Please give me Your peace.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In calling His people to trust Him instead of trusting in other nations, God proclaimed Himself sovereign over all human history (Isaiah 24-27). He’s at work behind the scenes, orchestrating events to the triumphant outcome He planned for the end of time. He’ll judge and punish the wicked and the proud (24:16-23; 25:10-12) but will bless those who humble themselves and trust in Him (25:1-8). Isaiah 26 is a song of praise celebrating the salvation and blessings God will bestow on those who trust, obey, and honor Him (vv. 7-9).

K. T. Sim

TWFYT:

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UR: Behind and Ahead

[The Lord] guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. - Psalm 23:3 (NIV)

I am facing south on a long, narrow strip of land that is nearly at the southernmost point of Africa. Sometimes it is calm and beautiful at Cape Point, but today it is buffeted by storms. The raging Atlantic Ocean is on my right and the turbulent Indian Ocean to my left. I have walked bravely but with trepidation to my present position below the towering lighthouse that has guided mariners for many years. Behind me is the solid bulk of the African continent, and far ahead of me, unseen beyond the horizon but certain in my mind, is Antarctica. I stand awed and exhilarated.

I liken my situation in this moment to my life in Christ. At times calm, at times buffeted and storm-tossed, I have walked bravely along a narrow path. But Jesus is my eternal beacon. If I listen carefully I can hear his voice calming the waters and bidding me to keep the faith, knowing that behind me is the solid ground of forgiveness, power, and love. Ahead of me, unseen and awesome but certain, lies eternity with Christ.

TODAY'S PRAYER

O God, grant us strength and guidance when we encounter the stormy gales of life. Help us to be beacons of your grace and shelter for others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bulletin Insert: Words...

Become More in ’24 Challenge

Pray about and pick a word or two to work on: a “be” word to help you become who you were created to be and a “do” word to help you to work on what you were created to do

Possible words to work on

Words for ’23:

Faith, hope, peace, time, value, understanding, bold, change, patience, pause, energy, stewardship, useful, courage, relationships, restoration, rest, agape and discipleship

Spiritual gifts words:

1 Corinthians 12:8–10: 

1. Prophecy 2. Serving 3. Teaching 4. Exhortation 5. Giving  6. Leadership 7. Mercy     

1 Corinthians 12:28–30

1. Word of wisdom 2. Word of knowledge 3. Faith 4. Gifts of healings 5. Miracles 6. Prophecy 7. Distinguishing between spirits 8. Tongues 9. Interpretation of tongues      

Romans 12:6–8

1. Apostle 2. Prophet 3.Teacher 4. Miracles 5. Kinds of healings 6. Helps 7. Administration 8. Tongues 

Ephesians 4:11

1. Apostle 2. Prophet 3. Evangelist 4. Pastor 5. Teacher     

1 Peter 4:11

1. Whoever speaks 2. Whoever renders service

My word(s):_____________________________

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Saturday, January 13 2024

Good Morning Resting in the Lord, Preparing, Persevering, Faithful Followers of Jesus! Amen! May this be us Lord! You know us and call us by name to come rest and abide in Christ. You are preparing us to be used in this life and for our duties in heaven. Thank You! You are allowing the circumstances of our lives and this nation to grow us, mold us and teach us to persevere in faith. Thank You! Help us to always trust You, persevere in faith, choose joy and allow you to carry us to the other side of whatever we face. May we be your faithful servants as we learn to live and love like Jesus more fully and follow Him fully surrendered to You. Thank You! May Your Kingdom come and will be done in, through and around us today. May we be ready and willing to follow You. Come! Amen!

Today as I stilled myself and interacted with God through our devotionals and His Word and in prayer, it became evident of the thread through what He provided for study today. (See devos below and ask God to speak to your heart). He also affirmed to me His call to equip, prepare you and help you to be ready for the promised hard times ahead, yes even persecution that may come because of our faith and walk with Jesus. The way things are going it may not be very long before this nation is taken over by China or some anti-Jesus regime. Heck, it's already being led by anti-Jesus minions of darkness. Will you be ready and prepared to stand up for Christ, persevere, even lay down your life for your faith? Are you ready to stand up and live your faith out loud, even in captivity like Daniel? God keeps impressing on me the importance of preparing for that possibility. In days gone by we could never imagine that it could happen here. Yet here we are. Are you ready? If Jesus would come back next year would He find you persevering in faith and standing firm in Christ?

I don't want to be Donald Downer, but we are commanded to prepare and persevere in faith, to patiently endure suffering that produces growing faith. We are committed to becoming more like Jesus who endured and prevailed over all trials He faced, even death. We are working on growing into our new nature more fully and doing more of the things we were created to do. That's living this life as if Christ is all that matters. And that is the truth that motivates our commitment and obedience. Pursuing that will lead to opposition as the enemy and the culture around us rises up against Him.  But fear not! Be strong and courageous! (That's a command given at least 365 times in the Bible so it's doable!) Christ has overcome death, sin and the world! He's already defeated Satan. And His Spirit lives in you to help and direct you. PTL! We are just waiting as we travel through this life representing Him. He is with us and in us! He is able to protect and carry us home. BUT GOD! But God has created us and placed us here to prepare for our next life and to bring people along and teach others how to persevere in Christ. And God spoke today through all our devotionals reminding us of this. Are you ready? Who are you helping to prepare? Be of good cheer! Chose joy as you endure and allow God to mold and use you. He does have great plans for you! What might that be for today? Talk to Him about that and commit to walking by faith and not sight into His future for you and us with His armor firmly affixed to our bodies and  guarding our minds in Christ Jesus. Turn off the noise and focus on what really matters in this life--Christ and His good ways. Count your many blessings and choose joy and faith over fear and doubt. We know the Victor and He lives in us! PTL! Come Jesus! Your will be done! Amen!

Abide in Christ! Don't give up! Cast all your anxiety on the Lord. Know His peace beyond understanding, His new mercies everyday an His strength and wisdom to carry on. You can know deep rest for your soul and have confidence to stand firm, live sacrificially and love lavishly more like Jesus. He's equipped you, is with you and cheering you on! He has great plans for you that carry into our life in heaven with Him. Rejoice! This is not the time to coast along, shrink back in faith or turn back to the world in fear of offending someone or being ostracized! We are not of this world! We are in a battle and if we want to see revival, we need to be the bringers of it through Christ in us! Be strong and courageous. You were created for such a time as this! PTL! I'm praying for you, us and God's Body worldwide to rise up and shine bright in this time of darkness. We are overcomers! Pronounce that; believe that; and live like it! Amen

Harvest Prayer, Revival Prayer Blog:

January 13, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 13): Hope in Suffering

The apostle Paul knew the secret and the cycle of hope:

“Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:1–5).

Are we hoping for national tranquility, church/ministry growth, or relief from our suffering? Or is our hope that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14)?

Paul wasn’t focusing on tranquility of the heart but on a relationship with God. We may feel more like lamenting than rejoicing in our suffering, but God tells us to persevere and to allow Him to lovingly transform our character through repentant prayer and grateful worship.

Ultimately, we will always cycle back to hope when we recall with Paul that God’s compassions never fail, and He continually pours His love into our lives.

Father, I praise You for the ways You strengthen me and reveal Your character in my times of waiting. In times of suffering, You renew my hope and peace in Christ! I ask You to continue to use my life for Your glory even as You fill the earth with the knowledge of Your glory! May Your overflowing and abundant love permeate every area of my life so that I may be a witness and an encouragement to others. Please give me a deeper relationship with Jesus that gives me hope to persevere and the faith to continually pray for revival and spiritual awakening.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God for the ways He strengthens you and reveals His character in your times of waiting.

• Pray that in your suffering, God will renew your hope and peace in Christ. Ask Him to use your life for His glory.

• Invite God to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory— even in our day!

• Pray that God’s overflowing and abundant love will permeate every area of your life—and be a witness to others of hope in Christ.

• Pray for a deepening relationship with Jesus that gives you hope to persevere and faith to pray for revival and spiritual awakening.

--Adapted from Day 13 by Kay Horner: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

ODB:

Persevering in Jesus

Consider him who endured . . . so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3

READ Hebrews 12:1−3

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When I was studying in seminary years ago, we had a weekly chapel service. At one service, while we students were singing “Great Is the Lord,” I spotted three of our well-loved professors singing with fervor. Their faces radiated joy, made possible only by their faith in God. Years later, as each went through terminal illness, it was this faith that enabled them to endure and encourage others.

Today, the memory of my teachers singing continues to encourage me to keep going in my trials. To me, they’re a few of the many inspiring stories of people who lived by faith. They’re a reminder of how we can follow the author’s call in Hebrews 12:2−3 to fix our eyes on Jesus who “for the joy set before him . . . endured the cross” (v. 2).

When trials—from persecution or life’s challenges—make it hard to keep going, we have the example of those who took God at His word and trusted in His promises. We can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (v. 1), remembering that Jesus—and those who have gone before us—was able to endure. The writer urges us to “consider him . . . so that [we] will not grow weary and lose heart” (v. 3).

My teachers, now happy in heaven, would likely say: “The life of faith is worth it. Keep going.”

By Karen Huang

REFLECT & PRAY

Who’s inspired you to keep going in your faith journey? How does their example encourage you to endure in times of trial and hardship?

Dear Jesus, help me to keep fixing my eyes on You. When I’m weary and losing heart, thank You for Your example.

For further study, read Going the Distance: Practices to Strengthen Your Faith.

Going the Distance

Have you ever wondered why Scripture compares running to faith? They both require consistency and discipline to ...

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Who are the “witnesses” the writer refers to in Hebrews 12:1? That’s a matter of some debate, but a plausible interpretation is that they’re the faithful believers who’ve gone before us. Now they stand as “witnesses,” while we on earth remain in the arena, competing in our race of faith (v. 1). We accomplish this by “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (v. 2). This means that Christ is our leader as we live it out. The word pioneer in the Greek is archēgos. Other translations render it “author,” “champion,” or “originator.” The path Jesus took was far more difficult than the one we’re on. He bore the sins of the whole world, yet it led to His rightful place “at the right hand of the throne of God” (v. 2). Our race is difficult as well, but we know the joyful conclusion, for He’s blazed the trail for us.

Tim Gustafson

TWFYT:

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UR: Making Time

Anyone who goes too far and does not continue in the teaching about Christ does not have God. Whoever continues in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. - 2 John 1:9 (CEB)

At our mountain cabin, nestled among the quaking aspen, we have a small pond. Every summer a family of ducks with several ducklings nests in the pond’s cattails, and we spend a lot of time watching them from our deck.

One day I watched as the ducklings played. Some of them explored on their own and then rushed to catch up; several scurried ahead, not waiting for their mother; and a few stayed beside the mama, mimicking her every move.

It occurred to me that their actions resembled my walk with God over the years. Many times I would lose focus, letting my Bible study and time with God take second place to more “urgent” matters. Eventually, I would realize my need to focus on God, so I’d hurry to catch up, hoping I hadn’t missed God’s message for me. Other times, I would be trying to get on to the next thing, so I would rush ahead in my studies, not taking the time to meditate on scripture and its meaning. But when I have stayed anchored to God’s side, following God’s leading and studying scripture, I have been rewarded. Whenever I take time to hear God’s voice in God’s word, I find my faith is stronger and more fruitful.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Faithful God, help us to block out distractions and take time to walk with you, anchoring ourselves in your word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.Charles Stanley:

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Saturday, January 13 2024

Thank God I'm Forgiven! Thank God I'm Restored! Thank God for using you as His vessel of love, forgiveness, restoration and example! What stories we have to share of ALL God has and is doing and we will have many more to share AS WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW HIM, INVITE HIM TO USE AND SEND US! Thank God I'm forgiven and empowered to go love!

Good Morning Springs of Living Water and Lighthouses! That's God's pronouncement over us today in the dark, dry and weary land. We are redeemed, restored and sent to bring the Light to darkness and springs of Living Water to the thirsty. Today darkness continues to try to overcome our communities and nation. Many are weary and thirsty for some love, truth and hope found only in our Living Water, Jesus. We are commissioned to go, love and bring life where things are as dead. Satan and His minions are relentless and continue to lead to great sin, self-serving love, chaos and hopelessness. He is a liar and on mission to deceive and destroy. Many are entranced and consumed by his darkness and ways. BUT GOD! But we have the remedy and He lives in us! Many are becoming weary and need to sip some of the Living Water we have in us. We have the Light that drives back the darkness. Someone said, "God eagerly awaits the chance to bless the person whose heart is turned toward Him." We know and experience these blessing and we are sent to bring them to those God is drawing and are searching for Him and His Life, Light, Love, Hope and our help. On this TGIF Friday, commit to allowing God to use you to shine bright among those of the darkness and bring life and Living Water to the thirsty. Pray a covering over us. Pray for God to open our eyes to the thirsty and weary He is drawing out of the darkness. Pray for Him to prepare and use you well. Thank Him for redeeming and restoring and wanting to use you. Thank Him for preparing you for such a time as this. Revival begins on our knees and in each of us before it explodes around us. Pray for revival to explode around us and to be a firecracker that is part of that. Pray for blind eyes, deaf ears and hard hearts to be open to Truth, Light, Love and Life. Come Jesus Come! Send me! Use me! Bring revival and let it begin with me!

Check out the thread through our devotionals today. Do you see it? Turn off the noise and chaos of this day and tune into Truth, Love, Light and Life that comes from our Living Water and His Living Word! ODB reminds us that we are God's Workers. In the Become More in '24 Challenge God wants us to seek Him more and do more of our created for, custom made assignments each day. Do you know yours? God is always speaking, directing and bringing life to His plans for you and for us as His Body. Ask Him to direct you to the words He'd like you to work on this year to become more like Jesus and do more of your created purposes. God always draws me to Eph. 2:10...we are God's masterpieces, made new in Christ to do all He planned for us before we were born. We all have purpose and potential and we matter. What's your part and what are you doing about it? The UR reminds us of God's renewing, restoring power and how He restores us so we can restore others. Be refreshed in His Living Water today and then allow springs of Living Water to flow from you and refresh the thirsty. 

Now all of this thinking may cause you to shrink back and grumble as you are set in your ways and comfortable. God is in the business of growing our faith by stretching us and leading us from being couch potato Christians to going, as His vessels, of life. Like the Bishop reminds us, to be a movement of God, people have to get off the couch and move with God. Are you willing. It all begins with little steps of faith. maybe those first steps are to turn off the TV and pick up your Bibles? Check out TWFYT's reminder to take control of the little things so God can lead you to the greater things He has for you. God is speaking and the darkness will never push back His Light and the dryness will never snuff out His Living Water. Where's your focus today? Grumbling pity party is where Satan loves to keep you. But Jesus has the words that bring life. He's speaking them over you wanting to speak them through you. Turn off the noise, receive His Living Water and Light and go love well today! Amen! TGIF! Who needs to know how to receive that Good News? God has great plans for you and us! PTL. Go light up your neighborhood and bring refreshing love and new life to the thirsty God is placing near you. Revival is coming! PTL! Go and join Him in it.

Today many will gather in Emmaus to gush over our president. Many of these are blinded and think the government has all the answers and put their hope in lies, deceit and man. Whichever side of the political fence you are on, we know man and his ways are folly compared to God's wisdom and ways. TURN OFF THE NOISE! Don't be deceived! The dominion of darkness controls this nation no matter who is president. Pray for deliverance and revival. We know Hope! We know Truth! And we know Life! Pray for the people of this nation to stop putting hope in man and their plans but to come to Christ, our only hope. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Trust Him. Turn off the noise and cry out for His Kingdom to come and will to be done and for Him to use you and us as His change agents and Good News Bringers. Ask God to lead you to one person who is weary and needs to be refreshed by the Living Water. This is the year of the Lord's favor and we are His vessels of Good news. What's your part in His Good News Delivery Co? What will you do about that? Start on your knees today!

Harvest Prayer Day 12 revival prayer:

January 12, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 12): Yet We Have Hope

Jeremiah offers the consummate answer to life’s dilemmas—hope in God! The weeping prophet defines the anchor of our hope as the Lord’s infinite love, unfailing compassions, and abounding faithfulness:

“This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:21–23).

Jeremiah continues by recounting the reasons for his hope. He then challenges himself and the people of Zion to examine their ways, return to the Lord, and acknowledge their sin (vv. 25–42).

When divisiveness pervades a nation, this bright picture of repentance and hope, against the dark backdrop of despair, becomes a starting point for prayer. Even when the doors of prayer seem tightly shut, the foyer of weeping is always open.

The prophet’s hope confronts his sorrows. Faith debates fears. Night or day, the Lord God of heaven and earth demonstrates His extravagant kindness and inexhaustible faithfulness. God’s covenant love always wins the argument!

Jesus, I praise You that I can continually put my Hope in You as my Lord and Savior! Your great love keeps me from being consumed, and Your unfailing compassions are new every morning!

Oh God, renew my prayer and praise, even in the midst of disappointments that sometimes seem insurmountable in our nation. I ask for a spirit of weeping and repentance to overcome the Church and for a nation-transforming demonstration of Your extravagant kindness and inexhaustible faithfulness.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that we can always put our hope in Him as our Savior and Lord!

• Praise the Lord that His great love keeps us from being consumed, and His unfailing compassions are new every morning!

• Ask God to renew your prayer and praise, even amid disappointments that may seem insurmountable in our nation.

• Pray for a spirit of weeping and repentance to overcome the Church as a prelude to revival.

• Pray for a nation-transforming demonstration of God’s extravagant kindness and inexhaustible faithfulness.

--Adapted from Day 12 by Kay Horner: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

ODB:

God’s Worker

The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Genesis 39:23

READ Genesis 39:19–23

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In a refugee camp in the Middle East, when Reza received a Bible, he came to know and believe in Jesus. His first prayer in Christ’s name was, “Use me as your worker.” Later, after he left the camp, God answered that prayer when he unexpectedly secured a job with a relief agency, returning to the camp to serve the people he knew and loved. He set up sports clubs, language classes, and legal advice—“anything that can give people hope.” He sees these programs as a way to serve others and to share God’s wisdom and love.

When reading his Bible, Reza felt an instant connection with the story of Joseph from Genesis. He noticed how God used Joseph to further His work while he was in prison. Because God was with Joseph, He showed him kindness and granted him favor. The prison warden put Joseph in charge and didn’t have to pay attention to matters there because God gave Joseph “success in whatever he did” (Genesis 39:23).

God promises to be with us too. Whether we’re facing imprisonment—literal or figurative—hardship, displacement, heartache, or sorrow, we can trust that He’ll never leave us. Just as He enabled Reza to serve those in the camp and Joseph to run the prison, He’ll stay close to us always.

By Amy Boucher Pye

REFLECT & PRAY

When have you experienced God’s redeeming action, such as Reza and Joseph did? How does Joseph’s story help you to trust Him more?

Saving God, You never leave me, even when I face the hardest of circumstances. Please give me hope and eyes to see Your work in my life.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In Genesis 39, the word translated “prospered” (v. 2) or “success” (vv. 3, 23) is the Hebrew word tsalakh. In Genesis 24, it’s used in connection with the mission of Abraham’s “senior servant” to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac (vv. 21, 40, 42). Elsewhere in Scripture, “success” is associated with obedience to the Scriptures. After the mantle of leadership had been transferred from Moses to Joshua, God told Joshua that he’d be “prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8) when he obeyed God’s law. In Psalm 1, the person who delights in the words of God “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (v. 3). The success of God’s servants is based on God’s provision—His presence and His strength to obey Him.

Arthur Jackson

UR: God's Renewing Power

[The Lord] turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground. - Psalm 107:33 (NRSVUE)

One day, I looked across a valley and saw a garden of maize. I wondered why the garden had been planted in such a hot, sandy, and dry place. I was surprised there could be such green growth in an almost desert area. Then I learned that the farmer had dug wells to water his garden so that he was able to plant the maize and get a plentiful harvest.

When I seem to be stuck in barren situations, God is able to make waters spring up and bring me renewed life. Oftentimes, when we feel like we are dwelling in a desert, our needs overwhelm us. When our work seems not to be yielding anything good, we feel lifeless, barren, unfruitful. But God is able and willing to cause waters to flow in the midst of our deserts to give life, fruitfulness, and productivity — even where there seems to be no hope. So let us be encouraged by our powerful and loving God!

TODAY'S PRAYER

O Lord, may you create fruitful fields from the barren situations in our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen.TWFYT:

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Charles Stanley:

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Posted by: AT 02:14 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Saturday, January 13 2024

Sarah Prayer Email below

Good Morning Forgiven, Restored, Commissioned, Protected, Empowered, Sufficient in Christ, Bringers of Good News! Well Pastor Don, that sure is a mouthful! Maybe, but it's truth to pronounce over you, our church and God's Body! We are custom made for our custom part in bringing the Good News. We are made new and empowered by the Holy Spirit when we come to Christ to do all He has created us to do. (Eph. 2:10) What might that be? The Great Commandments and Great Commission--Love God, others and each other as Jesus loves and go make disciples in His way. That's our purposes. And their custom made for us and our gifts, abilities and circumstances, empowered with new everyday mercies. PTL! I think of Jesus' easy yoke for us weary and striving in our own strength--come to Him and find rest for your souls. Yoke to Him as you learn to walk in His gentle and easy ways. I think of Proverbs 3:5-6 and the reminder to stop leaning on your own understanding. God is always doing new things, new ways and all we need to do is trust Him and allow Him to direct our steps. I think of Solomon who said in Ecclesiastes how meaningless life is without God. And he would know as he pursued all kinds of things to find meaning and purpose for his life to no avail. He teaches that we should love God and enjoy life. We love God! Thank Him for His love and your faith. And we can enjoy this custom made life as we surrender to God and Jesus' ways and just allow Him to use you, as you are, for His plans today. And as you do He will grow you more fully into your created potential and use you as you grow into the greater things He has for you. PTL! So, stop striving in your own strength and follow God's lead, provision and peace (Jesus' easy yoke) and love well and enjoy life! Find soul satisfaction that you are God's forever and He is well pleased with you, His faithful child! AMEN! Go team!

We've been on this journey the past several years to become more like Jesus and to doing more intentionally the things He has for us each day. We are making progress and seeing some good fruit from that! PTL! The fruit showed up yesterday as we fellowshipped, ate some donuts together, shared the Good News with some, prayed with some, encouraged some, served all who God sent and loved well during Bread and Donut day. And like Acts 2:42-47 (read it prayerfully today!) the Lord added to their numbers daily. PTL! God is doing that through us as several people that we have connected to and are connecting to God have expressed interest in joining our church. And many others keep coming back to be fed by the Living Bread being distributed by His faithful servants weekly. God is on the move and using us as we love Him and others and enjoy this life we've been given. What JOY we are experiencing as God uses us just as we are with what He's given us! His grace and provision are sufficient! PTL! (our next donut day is Feb 14th...come and see what the Lord is doing! Or come and see at our next brunch Sun Jan 28th after worship and bring a friend! These new disciples are coming because someone saw God at work in them and invited them to come) Keep praying into all God is doing and for some new connection points for us this year as we seek to Become More in '24...more of Christ and His way and less of me! More Love! More Holy Spirit Power! More growth as disciples of Jesus. And more doing of the things He did! That's our mission as we learn to live and love more like Jesus everyday!

I am still processing our vision team meeting the other night. God spoke to us in volumes as He began to show us some open and some closed doors and some things to build upon. Thanks Lord! Continue to lead us and help us to hold loosely and follow well. It can be a wild ride as we "fly the airplane while building it"! But that is God's way as we let go and trust God to reveal as we follow Him step by step in faith. He reveals and provides as we take those daily steps of faith from our comfort zones and allow Him to lead us on the thrill ride of our lives! He's created us to accomplish our parts of His plans and purposes. He's given us the Holy Spirit and gifts to accomplish these as we follow Him into the unknown but promised awesome future. Tighten those seatbelts and your helmet of faith straps tight.  Love God! Be all you can be in Christ, doing all He has for you--your custom made part in His Good News Delivery Co. that only you can do. And Enjoy the ride!

God has a plan and purposes along the way for each of us and us as His Body. He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, even those yet to come. We know who we are (or are discovering that as we step into our new natures more fully and our custom made purposes along the way to becoming more like Jesus). And we know Whose we are and are assured that He is with us always and we will be with Him always. Come Jesus Come! Send me! That's your prayer for today as you commit to let go and let God have His good way with you and use you well. Check out our devos for today below that thread through all of this as you spend some time with God today. Turn off the noise and chaos all around you. Be still and know He is God, He loves you and has great plans for you. And step into your anointing today! Love God and enjoy this life He's given you and live it with gusto and for His glory! Amen! Check out today's Harvest Prayer Revival prayer for today too talking about praying expectantly for a vision for revival. Yes, Come Jesus come and use me well today! Amen!

We are: Forgiven, Restored, Commissioned, Protected, Empowered, Sufficient in Christ, Bringers of Good News! (Did you notice how everyday since Kathy shared her "restored" testimony on Sunday how God brings up restoration every day in our devotionals! God is calling us to be restored and to become restorers of broken down lives all around us!) Come Jesus! Send me and use me for your glory as you revive and use me to bring love, joy, peace, hope, help and revival alive--Christ and His ways incarnate through me! Come! Amen!

Harvest prayer for Revival:

January 11, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 11): Ripe for Revival

What might spiritual awakening look like in our day? Let’s keep it simple. Acts 1–2 reveals the qualities present whenever the Spirit revives His people and awakens the lost. In Jerusalem, Pentecost’s transforming power of the Spirit on His people arose out of sustained and earnest prayer. The transformation produced powerful preaching. That preaching resulted in profound repentance and faith. And that profound faith launched and sustained a radical way of life that impacted every facet of the city.

There are hopeful signs of a coming spiritual awakening. We should be deeply impressed with the quantity and quality of prayer being mobilized across our nation. The bride of Christ is waking up to the dangers in front of her. A unity, unlike any in previous generations, is forming. This unity is diverse, multiethnic, and multinational. The one thing missing, however, is vision.

I believe God will provide it, but we must pray for that united vision. I believe we are, indeed, ripe for revival and spiritual awakening. Let’s ask God to give us the vision to see what its fulfillment would look like. And let’s ask God to give leaders the wisdom to embrace it.

Lord, I praise You that there is always hope for another Great Awakening in my nation! Inspire my prayers with belief that it is in Your heart to do it again, in my day! Alert and prepare Your Church to pray with urgency and in great unity for a coming spiritual awakening. May the leaders in my church and all others be ready to embrace this vision. Show me how to pay attention in Your word, especially in Acts 1-2, to the ways Your Holy Spirit poured out life and power in the Church. Would you do it again, Father? Help Your distracted and complacent ones to become focused on praying hopeful prayers and give us a vision for revival that is diverse, multiethnic, and multinational. I long to see You pour out Your Spirit, Lord!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that there is always hope for another Great Awakening in our nation! Ask God to inspire your prayers with belief that it is His heart to do it again.

• Praise God for how He is alerting His Church to pray with unity and urgency for a coming spiritual awakening. Pray for your leaders to embrace such a vision.

• Pray through Acts 1–2 by paying attention to the ways the Holy Spirit poured out life and power to the Church. Ask Him to do it again.

• Pray that your church will be inspired to lift up hopeful prayers that go beyond distracted and complacent faith.

• Pray for a vision of prayer for revival that is diverse, multiethnic, and multinational.

--Adapted from Day 11 by Bob Bakke: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Charles Stanley:

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ODB:

A Simple Request

If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. John 21:22

READ John 21:17–24

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“Please clean the front room before you go to bed,” I said to one of my daughters. Instantly came the reply, “Why doesn’t she have to do it?”

Such mild resistance was frequent in our home when our girls were young. My response was always the same: “Don’t worry about your sisters; I asked you.”

In John 21, we see this human tendency illustrated among the disciples. Jesus had just restored Peter after he’d denied Him three times (see John 18:15–18, 25–27). Now Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!” (21:19)—a simple but painful command. Jesus explained that Peter would follow Him to the death (vv. 18–19).

Peter barely had time to comprehend Jesus’ words before he asked about the disciple behind them: “What about him?” (v. 21). Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” Then He said, “You must follow me” (v. 22).

How often we’re like Peter! We wonder about the faith journeys of others and not what God is doing with us. Late in his life, when the death Jesus foretold in John 21 was much closer, Peter elaborated on Christ’s simple command: “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:14–15). That’s enough to keep each of us focused on Jesus and not on those around us.

By Matt Lucas

REFLECT & PRAY

How are you tempted to compare your faith walk with others? How will you keep your focus on Jesus today?

Heavenly Father, please continue to conform me into the image of Your Son. 

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days before ascending into heaven. During this time, He “proved to [his disciples] in many ways that he was actually alive” (Acts 1:3 nlt). The New Testament records some eleven post-resurrection appearances of Christ. The risen Jesus met with different people for different reasons. He had unfinished business with all His disciples. The Passover weekend was a traumatic one for them, and every disciple had “deserted him” (Matthew 26:56). In fact, Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times (John 18:15-27), but Christ restored him (21:15-19). His disciples needed to be forgiven, restored, reinstated, and recommissioned to do God’s work.

K. T. Sim

UR: Love One Another

Put away . . . all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:31-32 (NRSVUE)

My day started with hurt and irritation from a friend’s critical remarks. While I ran errands my anger grew, and I began to develop a grudge. The grocery store parking lot was full, but I spotted an open space one lane over. I sped up and rounded the corner to grab it but then saw a car approaching with its blinker flashing. I scowled as I waited for the other driver to park. But to my surprise, the man stopped and waved me into the parking spot. I was grateful but unmoved by the gesture.

I raced through the store and found myself behind the same man in the check-out lane. He turned, smiled, and began emptying my cart for me while the cashier scanned his items. I stood amazed. I returned the smile and thanked him for both good deeds. He shrugged and said, “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice.” I cringed and felt my face go red as I remembered Jesus’ command: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (Jn. 13:34). I realized I was angry over something trivial, and a sudden rush of gratitude swept over me. I am thankful for the man whose acts of kindness had an impact on my attitude.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear Lord, help us to focus on being kind when things don’t go our way. May we always remember to love one another no matter what the circumstances. Amen.TWFYT:

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Sarah Prayer Email:

Good evening warriors,

Here are a couple of prayer needs:

Friend of Lisa Wenner's, Carol is asking for prayer for her sister Lori Barefoot, and for Carol's father Mark Trimber.

Lori has been having episodes of tingling and numbness in her face and hands. She has had a number of test done,

but no answers yet.

Mark is in the hospital and has tested positive with COVID. He is extremely fatigued and weak, and has a bad urinary tract infection.

** ** **

Praising God for Harry Waterman's surgery going well. He is going good and is spending the night in the hospital, and hopes

to be discharged tomorrow (Thursday).

** ** **

Pray for those that are dealing with water in their homes. This can be very stressful to many. Thank God for people that

have and are coming to the 'rescue' of those in need.

** ** **

Praise God for Coffee, Donuts and Conversation time today.  Good conversations and prayers were offered.

** ** **

Continue to pray for those mentioned on Sunday:

 Barbara Shade, Howie Barley, Gladys Ketner, and any other church family members that may come to mind.

** ** **

Tim Schware made it safely to Eric's in Maryland and then the next day to Virgina. There were areas that were a bit

rough and he did see several accidents along the way but Yay God, He put a hedge of protection around him.

** ** **

The Vision team had a good meeting last evening. Please continue to pray for your Vision team as they seek God's

guidance and direction for 2024 and the future.

Have a great rest of your week, everyone!

    Blessings,

     Sarah

Proverbs 29:18 - Where there is no vision (no revelation of God and His word) the people are unrestrained.

But happy and blessed are they who keep the law of God.

Posted by: AT 02:13 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Saturday, January 13 2024

It's DONUT DAY!!! Come and see what the Lord is doing through this ministry today at 10 and enjoy a treat, coffee and some conversations and prayers!

Sarah Prayer email below

Good Morning Sold Out, Intercessors and Prayer Warriors of the Lord! God is on the move in response to our praying and Jesus is busy interceding for us and releasing His will in, through and around us as we pray. Thanks Lord! Our devotionals today speak into praying! Check them out and know that your faithful prayers are power and effective! Keep up the good work! For many of you, praying is your part in our Good News Delivery Co. Thank you for your faithfulness. For some of us, God reveals His will and plans and what to release in prayer. Keep asking for God to guide your prayers to His plans and will and for stick-to-itiveness. Check out Charles Stanley's devo about our Intercessor, Jesus. He is able! PTL! And He wants to inform our prayers, decisions and ways as we pray and listen and process. Speak Lord, Your servants are listening! Bring Your dreams, visions and plans alive! Come Jesus Come! (check out this song as a prayer starter: Come Jesus Come! (Sometimes all we can do is fall to our knees and cry out for Jesus to come...and He will. he's able!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UViC6DllCeA

We had an awesome Vision Team meeting. Thanks for praying and serving. Thanks for being faithful to seek God, adapt and your willingness to seek Him for more and adapt as we follow the Holy Spirit! God will restore and redeem as we heed His call to pray. He knows what we need even before we ask and even informs our praying. How cool is that! As we come with fully open hearts, seeking His plans and best, he loves to answer and work all things together for our and those who will come good. Come Jesus Com! have Your way with us! Enlighten our prayers. Give us Your heart, mind and spirit to pray and serve well. Thank You for leading and growing us. May we be Your people, always seeking more of You and following You more fully in the year ahead. Come Jesus Come! Use us well and grow us to your best and greater things! Amen!

 Charles Stanley:

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ODB:

A Call to Prayer

I sat down and wept. . . . I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4

READ Nehemiah 1:4–11

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Abraham Lincoln confided to a friend, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” In the horrific years of the American Civil War, President Lincoln not only spent time in fervent prayer but also called the country to join him. In 1861, he proclaimed a “day of humiliation, prayer and fasting.” And he did so again in 1863, stating, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God: to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon.”

After the Israelites had been captives in Babylon for seventy years, King Cyrus decreed that any Israelite who wanted to return to Jerusalem could return. When Nehemiah, an Israelite (Nehemiah 1:6) and cupbearer to the king of Babylon (v. 11), learned that those who had returned were “in great trouble and disgrace” (v. 3), he “sat down and wept” and spent days mourning, fasting and praying (v. 4). He wrestled in prayer for his nation (vv. 5–11). And later, he too called his people to fast and pray (9:1–37).

Centuries later, in the days of the Roman Empire, the apostle Paul similarly urged his readers to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Our God still hears our prayers about matters that affect the lives of others.

By Alyson Kieda

REFLECT & PRAY

Why do you think God calls His people to pray for everyone? Who beyond your own circle can you pray for?

Dear Father, we’re in trouble. Please help and heal us.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In response to hearing about the struggles of the exiles who’d returned to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:1-3), Nehemiah prays a prayer of repentance for both his own sin and that of his nation (vv. 5-11). In his prayer, he finds hope in God’s past promises to restore His repentant people. In verses 8-9, the writer lifts up God’s promise to return repentant exiles to their land where they’d flourish once more if they’d fully commit to serving God (see Deuteronomy 30:1-4, 9-10).

Learn about the work God can do in us when we pray.

Monica La Rose

UR: Before We Ask

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. - Hebrews 10:23 (NRSVUE)

As I write, my beloved wife is undergoing her seventh surgery for breast cancer in just over three years. She has also endured 13 months of chemotherapy. After checking in at the hospital this morning, we prayed together.

Once she was taken back for anesthesia and surgery, I prayed earnestly for her and for all the doctors, nurses, and technicians involved in her surgery. I then read my daily devotional. When I completed that reading, it occurred to me that in my prayer life I have asked for many things. Although I do thank God for the gift of grace through Jesus Christ and for the many blessings of my life, I feel as though most of my prayers ask for a particular outcome for my loved ones, for those in need or suffering, or for myself.

I wondered if God ever tires of my many requests. So I turned to the Bible. In numerous passages I received assurance that God desires my prayerful requests. Those prayers tell God of my true and abiding faith in God’s grace. Paul said it well in his letter to the Philippians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). That is exactly what I am doing today. God is love, and I am most thankful for that and for God’s listening ear.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear Lord, you know what we need even before we ask. May our prayerful requests reveal our sincere and abiding faith in you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.TWFYT:

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Sarah Prayer Email:

Good evening, Church family,

Jim Handfest is at Phoebe Rehab however he tested positive for COVID. He does not have any of the symptoms, but

has to remain in his room alone. And if you know Jim he is a people person. Please pray that he will heal soon, and that

they will continue his different therapies during this time.  Also keep Kay in your prayers as she goes back and forth to

visit him.

** ** **

Tomorrow, at 9:30am, Harry Waterman is to report to the hospital for his valve transplant. He is very grateful

for those of you that called him to let him know that you are praying for him. He feels very blessed. Keep 

Millidine in your prayers also.  Keep his medical team in your prayers 

** ** **

Vision team met this evening. We had some good discussion and ideas that we are praying on and into 2024.

So will you pray along with us to Seek God more in 2024; See what God wants us to do; Where does God want

to lead us into; help us to follow God's leading even though it sounds 'crazy'

** ** **

Gladys Ketner has pneumonia in one of her lung lobes.  She is breathing okay, so symptoms are 

minimal. Let's all pray for her healing.

** ** **

Okay everyone, stay dry!!  Pray for those that may be experiencing water in their basements or leaky roof

   May the Lord meet their needs.

Night and sleep well!

   Sarah

Oh yea, don't forget to stop by the church tomorrow, between 10-12pm for coffee, donuts and conversation!

Harvest Prayer for Revival:

January 10, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 10): When God Doesn’t Respond

Many believers today are getting desperate. Seeing the moral and spiritual free fall in the world around us and the declining condition of the Church in our land drives us to cry out to God. We need Him. We need His manifest presence. We need revival in the Church and spiritual awakening among the unbelieving. We need our nation to be restored to its Kingdom calling as a mighty, gospel-sending station to the world.

According to Scripture, the precursor to any great movement of God is always humble, repentant prayer.

Wouldn’t it be heartbreaking to learn that some things in our lives prevent our prayers from accomplishing what is so desperately needed? Wouldn’t it be devastating to find out that all our hard work in prayer is doing nothing to advance the Kingdom?

While Scripture contains hundreds of positive promises regarding answered prayer, God also outlines many things that will hinder our prayers. No one prays perfectly, and God is not playing with us. He does not make intercession so unattainable that only the super-spiritual can be effective. He understands our weakness. But He is also very clear about those things that can hinder our prayers.

Are we willing to evaluate the effectiveness of our prayer lives? And when God shows us areas of need, we can turn to Him in repentance and take the necessary steps to adjust our lives to encounter Him afresh in prayer.

Oh God, I praise You that You established this nation with a Kingdom calling to spread the gospel to the world. I rejoice at how the Holy Spirit is drawing more and more people to pray for revival and spiritual awakening. Help me to encounter Jesus in fresh ways in prayer that will revive and restore my soul. May my own church see more people praying with greater faith and belief than ever before, seeking God for a fresh move of the Holy Spirit throughout our nation.

Posted by: AT 02:12 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 09 2024

Two prayer updates: Sarah's friend, Tara, that we have been praying for stepped into the arms of Jesus, fully healed and restored, yesterday afternoon. Pray for Sarah and Tara's family for peace, comfort and strength for the journey. Jim Handfest as been diagnosed with COVID even though he is showing no symptoms. He has been transferred to Phoebe for rehab and is in isolation in a small room. Pray for peace for he and Kay and for a speedy recover. Pray for wisdom for Kay as she oversees his care.

Dec. Financial Statement below.

Good Morning Restored, Visionary, Followers of Jesus! Living and loving like Jesus, just as you are. Seek Him for direction and guidance with willing hearts, hands and feet. Repenting and being restored and renewing your thinking as you seek Him and ask Him to examine your heart and ways is part of the process of becoming more like Jesus. We are making great progress but there is always more work to do on ourselves and for God's Kingdom to grow until we are called home to our next assignments. PTL for being with us, restoring us, speaking to our hearts, directing our steps and helping us all along the way! Rejoice!

"Restore" seems to be the theme since Sunday when Kathy shared her testimony. Check out today's Our Daily Bread below. The Jeremiah passages talks all about God's restorative love. His love is beyond measure yet very personal, always alive and active, cleansing, purifying, correcting, directing and overflowing from us. Who needs some love? Restoration? Salvation? Help? Pray into donut day tomorrow as that has been some of what God uses us to do as we bring the Bread of Life alive. Pray for courage to overflow God's love to someone He brings to mind today. Praise God for His love and keep building those gratitude lists. ODB reminds us that "Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's restorative love, giving peace and rest to those who turn to Him." Know Christ and His love and allow His love to come to life in and through you! We are reminded that many reject or turn from His love. But His love relentlessly pursues those who will respond, like me after I walked away from God. Ask Him to open your eyes to those He is pursuing and wisdom and courage to be His vessel. Or maybe you are being pursued. Stop running. Humble yourself and receive His restorative, forgiving love. What joy awaits you! PTL!

Tonight, Lord willing and electric stays on, is our vision team Zoom meeting. Please continue to pray into this. God has great plans for us to discern, receive and sow into as we steward well all His blessings and provisions. Thank you! And thank you to the vision team (our leadership teams) and your willingness to seek God, listen, prepare for tonight and willingness to help us continue on His path for us! It seems like the rest of our devotionals flow from our church being restored and led on its way to revival and speaks to our hearts about Jesus and His way. Charles Stanley reminds us Jesus is the key. And He is--always!!! Col. 3:11 reminds us that in this life Christ is all that matters and He lives in us and wants to love through us and grow His Kingdom. Seeking to discern how well we are doing with that is part of tonight's meeting and where He is leading us to from where we are with that. He has a good plan for each of us and us as His Body with many little purposes we get to join Him in daily and along the way. May we keep discerning where He is at work and where and how He has created and prepared us to join Him.

The Upper Room reminds us that God is our guide. Is He your guide? Is He guiding our church and what we are sowing into? That's some of what we will assess tonight. I know He is faithful to guide His willing servants and St. Matts has many willing servants choosing to do what they can with what God's providing. Thank you! They remind us, "It becomes crucial to allow God to guide us through the twisting and turning passageways of life so that we can find the path that will lead to joy that only God can offer." Yes we seek to choose joy always as we trust in God to lead us. We have experienced how He brings joy to those who ask and trust Him. PTL for we see that and experience that often coming alive through us at St. Matts. Thinking about that triggered the thought of all the joy-bringers that are engaging with many desperate, hurting people God is sending to us. And we see joy overflowing to many. PTL! It also triggered a reminder of the prophesy of Rosa who said that we should rename our church JOY Church. Would that bother you if we got rid of the antiquated saint name that many people reject and take on the name JOY that many are seeking and being drawn to? Pray about that. Every time we say our church name it would be pronouncing Joy over us and our ministries. We are really good at being people with overflowing love and joy that is drawing many to God! Thank Him for that! And remember, others experience joy and joy grows in us as we choose J-O-Y living: Jesus first, then Others, then Yourself. It's agape love of Jesus coming alive!

We are God's family on mission to reach, save and disciple His sent ones. (with much love and joy!). The Word for Your Today reminds us of some of the difficulties of growth: blending families, loving the unlovable and grafting them into our blended family. St. Matts, like this nation is a melting pot. We are already a mixture of many different people and God is drawing many more to our fellowship. Let us prepare ahead and plow the fields with prayer that love and joy would always be at the forefront of our DNA as we learn to live more and love more like Jesus, who welcomes all who will come into His family. May we become a House of Prayer for the Nations. That has been one of my and some of your prayers. For that to happen, all kinds from all tribes become part of our family. We are preparing to receive some new members and pray for many more to come. PTL! May we always be a welcoming, loving, inclusive Body of Christ overflowing with love and joy! Amen! TWFYT reminds us to prepare ourselves for more different types to join our family, listen to understand others needs and what ministers to them. and pray, pray, pray! Ask God to give you His plan for loving well as we meet needs and disciple many. 

God has a plan that is coming alive before our eyes! PTL! Let us pray to, prepare to and plan to follow God as we live well in Christ and love, like Jesus, all who He is sending and grow His Kingdom exponentially. Pray for love and joy overflowing to continue to be what we are known for! And pray to be adaptive and inclusive as we travel with Jesus because we are building the airplane while flying it and some of His plans have not been revealed yet. We will also be encountering many fresh out of the world new believers that God has just begun working on. That involves the patient love God has shown us as He continues to restore and change hearts and grow us all to His best and His plans. Oh yes God is speaking! PTL! What's He saying to you and what will you do about it as you continue your journey to become more like Jesus, and doing more of the things He has for you, His way. Man, I'm excited! God is on the move! Rejoice! Choose joy! Love well! May we be known as JOY Church where Love and Grace abound and Jesus is alive! Amen!

ODB:

Love Beyond Counting

I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

READ Jeremiah 31:1–6

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Those words from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese are among the best-known poetry in the English language. She wrote them to Robert Browning before they were married, and he was so moved that he encouraged her to publish her entire collection of poems. But because the language of the sonnets was very tender, out of a desire for personal privacy Barrett published them as if they were translations from a Portuguese writer.

Sometimes we can feel awkward when we openly express affection for others. But the Bible, by contrast, doesn’t hold back on its presentation of God’s love. Jeremiah recounted God’s affection for His people with these tender words: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3). Even though His people had turned from Him, God promised to restore them and personally draw them near. “I will come to give rest to Israel,” He told them (v. 2).

Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s restorative love, giving peace and rest to any who turn to Him.  From the manger to the cross to the empty tomb, He’s the personification of God’s desire to call a wayward world to Himself. Read the Bible cover to cover and you’ll “count the ways” of God’s love over and over; but eternal as they are, you’ll never come to their end.

By James Banks

REFLECT & PRAY

What are some of the ways God has loved you? How can you return His love today?

Thank You for loving me so fully and personally, Jesus! Help me to love You with my life today.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

For the first twenty-nine chapters of the book of Jeremiah, the prophet warned the people of Judah of God’s punishment—the destruction of Jerusalem and their seventy-year exile to Babylon—due to their chronic unfaithfulness (see 1:14-16; 5:15-19; 6:22-23; 25:9-11). But then Jeremiah speaks words of comfort, encouragement, hope, and restoration. He prophesied of God’s people coming back to the promised land and to God (chs. 30-31). God promised: “The days are coming . . . when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess” (30:3). He would bring them back from exile (vv. 8-17), restore their land (vv. 18-24), and restore the people to Himself (31:1-6). “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people” (v. 1).

K. T. Sim

Charles Stanley:

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UR: God Is Our Guide

You teach me the way of life. In your presence is total celebration. - Psalm 16:11 (CEB)

I remember one time when my children were young, we walked a maze. We followed the walled path; but when we neared what we thought was the exit, there was another wall. We had to back up and look for another way out. It was a bit difficult to reach the end, but with perseverance we reached the goal.

Life is like a maze. Many times, we ask God why certain things happen to us. We try to grasp difficult situations but are unable to understand them. We hurry here and there looking for the right path. Obstacles stop us in our tracks, and we don’t understand why we must backtrack or even face those obstacles in the first place. It becomes crucial to allow God to guide us through the twisting and turning passageways of life so that we can find the path that will lead to the fullness of joy that only God can offer.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Almighty God, show us the path that leads to the fullness of joy in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

TWFYT:

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Year-end Financial Statement:

St Matthew’s Financial Update

 

December

2023

Monthly

Revenue

Monthly

Expenses

YTD

Revenue

YTD

Expenses

General Fund  

$18,089

$18,886

$156,143

$185,212

 

The figures for the “General Fund” include all revenue and all expenses for the month.  This includes all revenue from offerings, rent, and other income.  The expenses reported above are actual expenses for the month.  The totals reported for Missions and the Rebuilding Fund are also included in the “General Fund” figures.

Missions

$902

$2,030

$10,981

$16,360

Rebuilding Fund

$150

$0

$4,347

$8,224

 

Posted by: AT 11:55 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 09 2024

Sarah prayer email and Kathy Canfield's awesome testimony from yesterday below. Thank you Kathy! What an awesome testimony and example for us all. You stirred many to rethink their word they are working on and what God is doing! Thank you for the transparency and for sharing! (When do you want to preach again?)

Good Morning Maturing Followers of Jesus! May we always be maturing in faith, growing in Christ and doing more of His plans for us! Amen! Some of us are seasoned saints. Some of us are relatively infants in faith and many fall somewhere between these. Yet, we are one in Christ--His family--His Body. He is the head and we all fall in somewhere as a Body part. What part are you? We all need each other and are only as strong as our weakest member. How are we helping each other to mature and reach our fullest potential? Who needs to come be a part of this body? How receptive are we to newcomers and moving to God's new things? Pray for us to hear God and clarity of His answers as we prepare to meet as a vision team tomorrow. What's now and what's next that we can build on from who and where we are in Christ? How do we make disciples better and more of them? Is Christ the cornerstone of all we do? Where's His provision? Are we following the provision? Many things rattle through my head most mornings as I seek God for what's now and what's next. What is His plans for you and us and are we sowing into them? My Charles Stanley devo (below) started me deeper into this thinking and prayer as I prepare for our vision meeting tomorrow and the year ahead. What's God saying to you about the state of the Good News Delivery Co. called St. Matts? What might your part be? I'd love to hear!

As I read the Upper Room prayerfully today, Kathy's testimony and many of your stories came to mind. Life is hard and then we die--right? BUT GOD! He is with us, has great plans for us, gives us the opportunity to chose joy despite our circumstances and is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called to Him. PTL! What helps you get through? How has God carried you? Who needs to hear your story or experience God's love, care and encouragement through you? Are you able to refocus by counting your many blessings, looking for the blessing and choosing joy as you continue to persevere in faith and trust God? Check out TWFYT below about persevering. How can we help each other through the hard times to persevering faith? God is LOVE and has great plans for you and knows what you need to endure to get where He wants you. He is with you always. He wants to restore what the enemy has stolen and restore your soul! Will you let Him?

We will be working on Seeking More in '24, Becoming More in '24, Doing More in '24. Blessing More and being Blessed More in '24! How does God want to mature you in faith and grow you into the person He created you to be, doing more of the things you were created to do? That will be revealed as you seek Him more and listen more, receive more and go live and love more like Jesus in the year ahead. And that will involve friends on the journey with you and maybe even all of us working together. We are God's Good News Delivery Co.--His Body! He has great plans for you, His very loved child and He is at work. Will you allow Him to mature you and use you more in '24? Let's work on that together! Maybe God has some friends and accountability partners for you? Let us commit to working together to bless God, each other and others more in '24. Pray about the words God would like you to work on this year and share them with us and a few close friends. And then commit to working on them--working out your faith with fear and trembling is how the Bible challenges us.  Become More in '24! That's God's plan custom made for you and us! Let's roll! Daylight's burning! One step at a time in faith daily leads to our destination in Christ! PTL!

Charles Stanley:

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UR: Blessings with Burdens

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. - Romans 8:28 (NIV)

At age 22, our son, John, who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, had surgery to insert feeding tubes. Loss of muscles, including those that control swallowing, created a condition that contributed to frequent pneumonia. John had also lost weight.

Two months after the surgery, with Thanksgiving approaching, I felt despondent because John could no longer join in family meals with us. The scripture reading at church about Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead took on new meaning, however. Instead of lamenting that John couldn’t eat, I thanked God that he was alive. How wonderful that God gave people the knowledge and skill to put all nutrients needed to sustain human life in a can!

John could not enjoy family meals as he once had, but he could laugh, talk, play games, defend his views, give advice, tell jokes, and watch his favorite football team. Although the ingenuity underlying tube-feeding that restored his life differed markedly from Christ’s miraculous raising of Lazarus, it allowed John to be with us for 11 more years and live to see his younger sisters become adults.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear God, thank you for helping us see how you can use even heavy burdens to restore life. Help us live one day at a time, trusting you to provide for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

TWFYT:

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Sarah prayer email:

Good evening, church family,

Hope you are all doing well tonight and resting...especially those of you that helped with snow shoveling and/or

removal of snow from vehicles.

We had a nice day of Zoom worship, with 38 of you. It was great to have Kathy Canfield share with us how God has been

working in her life through 2023.

Here are some prayer requests that were shared today during worship:

Gary Bastan has asked for prayer for some of his relatives:

    Barbara Shade - she is going through cancer testing and treatment.

     Howie Barley - is experiencing vision loss and memory loss. 

** ** **

Harry Waterman will be having aorta valve replacement surgery on Wednesday. Please pray for his medical team, and

for Harry and his family.  May God's peace surround them.

** ** **

Gladys Ketner - she is at Lehigh Center.....let's have a card shower for Gladys, to remind her that her church family

 is praying for her and thinking of her.   The address is: Lehigh Center, Gladys Ketner - resident, 1718 Spring Creek Road,

Macungie PA 18062.

** ** **

Praises from Darlene Geiger - She is praising God for all your prayers and God answering them regarding her AFIB.   She is also

amazed how God always provides for our needs, at just the right time.    

I think we could all agree with Darlene and praise God for this too.

** ** **

Barb Schware has asked for prayer for her son Tim, as he leaves tonight/tomorrow (Monday) depending when you are reading this....he will be driving to Maryland to see Eric, and then leaves Tuesday to drive to Virgina, where he is attending college, and then attend class on Wednesday.   May God put a hedge of protection around him....Safe travels Tim!

** ** **

Chris and Yvonne Muik are asking for prayer for their family. Several members of their family are going through some difficult 

  times.  Chris and Yvonne have cared for foster children, and within the last week, the children they were caring for have been moved

  out of their care. The children's biological mother has recently passed away, and for the children, it's a lot to process and deal with. May God be with them and those that will be making decisions.as to the future of their care. Praise God for the love of Jesus, that Chris and Yvonne has shown to the children. 

Also Chris and Yvonne's daughter in law's uncle recently passed away and the family is dealing with a difficult and rough situation.

  We have been asked to pray for this family, asking for God's wisdom to help and aid them as they have some decisions to make.

May we also continue to keep Chris and Yvonne in our prayers as they come along side of these family members, praying for them and offering their love to them.  Chris and Yvonne both know that God is with them and He is in control.

** ** **

Tara Walters - friend of Sarah's is currently in ICU, very sick. She is tired and ready to go 'home to be with Jesus'. Please pray for God's mercy on her and lift up her family, for God's peace to surround them during this difficult and stressful time.

** *** **

Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your testimony and journey that you experienced through 2023.  For those of you that missed her

sharing, Kathy will be writing it down so we can share her journey with you in the very near future.

** ** **

Please pray for our Vision Team as they will be meeting on Tuesday at 6:30pm

Also don't forget Coffee, Donuts and conversation on Wednesday from 10 - 12pm, in the Fellowship Hall of the church.

Hope you all have a great week!

   Blessings,

    Sarah

Kathy Canfield testimony: Restored

In December of 2022, when Don & Sarah started talking about goals for 2023. They asked us to think about a word that we could work on in 2023. The idea was to become more  Me in '23. Focus on how Christ would want me to live.  I sat in the pew and processed. I prayed about it. And then I really prayed about it. I prayed that no one, especially Don and Sarah, would notice my eyes roll, because the last thing I needed was another thing on my plate! I certainly didn't need to work on a "word" for 2023. 

The first week in January of 2023 seemed to unfold quietly. Caleb, our grandson, was home from the hospital. Danielle, Caleb and Alex were growing into a cute little family. Caleb was born at 24 weeks gestation and spent about 3 1/2 months in the hospital. Mike and I were enjoying our retired life together. 

So, I thought about a word for 2023.

Restore seemed like a good word to work on. That's a word that might bring life back to normal. I like normalcy. And since I prayed about it, RESTORE was the word. But, truly, I didn't even know what that meant in respect to God. I thought about those shows on TV that take an old home, rip it apart room by room and put it back with an updated modern look. You know, restore it. OK, Lord, You know what You are doing, whatever You think. But I should have known better than to think that RESTORE would mean going back to normal. Going back to the way things were. God doesn't ever "go back". He's always moving us forward, teaching us, growing us.

I knew that Caleb still had a lot of work to do developmentally and Danielle would need some help taking him to doctors and therapists. But that would be doable for me. I loved being a Grammie. I was ok helping her.

On the 10th day of January, our lives began to unfold, unravel. That terrible phone call basically told us that Danielle was moving back home. With Caleb. God gave them 6 weeks in their little home, together, as a little family. Six short weeks. Alex passed away. Twenty-four year old, soon-to-be son-in-law. Dead. How could this possibly be true?! But it was.

THIS is how we are starting  2023?! This is how You are going to work on RESTORE?!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME, LORD??!!

Well, life just became more confusing, more complex. I became more isolated, yet busy. I focused on helping Dani. Helping Caleb. THEY needed me more than EVER! Forget this ridiculous word thing. Just put my life back to normal, Lord.  I went into survival mode. I'm really good at tasking. I attended church, sometimes, came to Donut Day. Did my women's bible study at another church. I read Don's morning blogs.I would text Don & Sarah when we needed prayer for Caleb. Or Dani. But never me. I didn't need prayer. This lady, Kathy Canfield, never doubting God, strong, faithful, grew-up in the church, life-long, baptized believer in Christ Kathy! I didn't need prayer. Or anything for that matter. 

BUT, I was confused. I didn't understand what was going on. I was depressed and my life was spiralling out of control! Chaos!! I wanted my house RESTORED! You and I agreed on this word, Lord!! You said this would happen! This was the 2023 focus word. Why is it not happening?? Restoration seemed so far away. I didn't want to go through any more pain. More so, I didn't want Dani to go through more pain. I just wanted NORMAL!! 

My family started to notice. They were concerned. They would talk to me. So, I started to look at my life. I feel like Don and Sarah started to notice, too. Don started asking, "How is Kathy?" I would give the usual response, "I'm fine." However, I did start to change my attitude a bit. I started looking at things a little more positively. 

Then in December, Pastor Don asked me, "How's Kathy? How's that word doing?" I seriously remember rolling my eyes. But then, at that moment, God opened my eyes. I said to Don, I didn't even know what RESTORE meant before! I was looking at it all wrong. Restore didn't mean going back to normal. It didn't mean getting "my house" in order. I should have been focusing my word on THE WORD. Christ's Word! The source of truth and The Living Word!! 

I was so wrong!! I spent a whole year focusing on the wrong thing! Always get IN the Word, Kathy, get IN the Word! 

So I did. A passage I memorized as a kid in Sunday School.:

Psalm 23:1-4

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

HE RESTORES my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.

Ugh! Lord, forgive me for not trusting You and that You would take care of me through it ALL!  You wanted me to give my soul to YOU to RESTORE! 

And then, in Psalm 51:10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me. Don't cast me away from your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. RESTORE TO ME THE JOY of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

I was thinking RESTORE meant something completely different. But when I started looking at things through God's eyes (and stopped rolling mine!), I realized I didn't need to be strong anymore. I don't need to have all the answers. I don't even need to know what's coming next in my life because God knows. God's strength is my strength. And God hears my cries! He wants to restore my soul, make it new, and then restore it to JOY. Inner JOY. Oh, Lord, yes, please! 

Maybe that should be my word for 2024, JOY.

I'll pray about it. 

Posted by: AT 11:54 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, January 09 2024
Let it snow! I always think of being washed white as snow when it snows! Maybe that's why I love it so much!
Good Morning Snowflakes! (I know some of you are thinking, "What a flake he is!" Maybe I am but I am a very loved, forgiven much, custom made, child of God. PTL! (So are you!) I am sent to touch many with God's love and help them to understand the Good News that they too can become white as snow. (So are you!) (Use me/us Lord!) And I think about how the harvest fields are white unto harvest and how God is bringing in the harvest and how we need more harvest workers and to sow lavishly so we can multiply the harvest. Are you a snowflake? Touching many with God's purifying love, beautifying the dead landscape around you, watering the sown seeds? Oh that we would become a dynamic movement of God doing those things and multiplying His harvest! 
When I think of snowy days, I see a piling up of many blessings too and praise God for how blessed we are. I am also reminded of how eventually, like the melting snow, we are to use up His provisions until we have poured ourselves out and offered wisely, patiently our all for His glory. He has great plans for you, even on snowy days. What's He saying to you as you get to spend some time in His peaceful loving presence. Turn off the noise! (What's it matter if we get all rain or 100 inches? God is in control and has a plan.) All I see and hear when I tune into the hype is an example of the enemy's tactics to distract, rile us up, have us be all worried about things we can do nothing about. Turn off that noise! Be still as a snowy field. Know that He is God and that He is bringing His shalom to the chaos. Take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with God, to encourage others and pray, to be still and receive, and to rest and renew. It's a great opportunity to focus on your blessing, praise God and build those gratitude lists. It's a great opportunity to thank God for the word He gave you to work on this past year, the growth towards it as you pursued His best for you, and to talk to Him about what words He may want you to focus on this year.
I love how God comes to life as I write these blogs after inviting Him to come write them through me! My original plan was to use our devos (I'll let you use whatever you have) to talk about how God is always with us working out His plans. My original salutation was going to be "Good Morning Followers of Jesus and Practitioners of His Way." WWJD? He loved well, made new life available, trained some disciples to carry on His Kingdom plan as they spread the Good News and He taught them the Way to do it but allowed them to do it the way they were created and then gifted and empowered to go love well like Him and make disciples. And here we are today! PTL! He has a plan for you and us and is making a way for fruit to come as we trust, obey, love well and go make disciples His way, just as we are with what we got. Let's pray into that and work on that more in '24! How can we help each other follow His way more in '24? How can we become more of who we were created to be and doing more of the things we were created to do? Talk to Him about that today and in the weeks ahead. Ask Him to give you two words: a "BE" Word to work on becoming more of who you were created to be and a "DO" word, a word to work on that will help you do more of the things you were created to do for such a time as this.
God has a great plan for you, just as you are. He has greater things instore as you follow His Way and grow into your purposes. PTL! Cry out for God to grow His Kingdom through you and us that we would see it multiplying dramatically like a blizzard and not just adding a dusting of new believers, Pray that we would become a dynamic movement of God and a disciple-making hub of prepared, equipped and sent out disciple makers. Pray for our vision team to understand where we are and where God is leading and to join Him on His mission for us. Thank Him for all He is and will do! What's He saying to you as you pray? Write it down and let's pray and discuss it. Come Lord! Revive us and bring revival. Prepare us and move us to follow You well into the future You have planned for us. Help us to sow lavishly of ourselves and your provisions and see exponential, blizzard-like expansion of Your Kingdom. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in, through and around us. Father, thank You! Jesus, we ask in Your name, to be our Shepherd, Teacher and Leader as we learn to live and love more like You in the year and years ahead. You are the Way and You bring the Word of Life. Bring them alive in and though us for Your glory. Thank You! Amen!
Yeah, I'm pretty cool with being a snowflake! I am different. That's how I was made. And I am not of this world. PTL! God has custom plans for me just as He created me. And the same is true for each of you. May you seek Him more in '24 and allow Him more access in '24 to you and His guidance! May you know His shalom more in '24 too. be still and know! Understand and follow well. That's His plan for you, snowflake!
Enjoy this day as you get to have more time with God and more time to encourage and pray for others! Allow His Shalom to fill you today! And worship!
Below are some words to pray about possibly working on this year: God has a plan just for you!
These are the words some of worked on in '23:

Faith, hope, peace, time, value, understanding, bold, change, patience, pause, energy, stewardship, useful, courage, relationships, restoration, rest, agape and discipleship

Here is a chart of Spiritual Gifts. Maybe there is a word there God is stirring you to explore and work on? (We will begin talking about spiritual gifts next week)

Biblical and theological overview 

The New Testament contains several lists of spiritual gifts, most in the Pauline epistles. While each list is unique, there is overlap.

Romans 12:6–8

1 Corinthians 12:8–10

1 Corinthians 12:28–30

Ephesians 4:11

1 Peter 4:11

1.     Prophecy

2.     Serving

3.     Teaching

4.     Exhortation

5.     Giving

6.     Leadership

7.     Mercy

1.     Word of wisdom

2.     Word of knowledge

3.     Faith

4.     Gifts of healings

5.     Miracles

6.     Prophecy

7.     Distinguishing between spirits

8.     Tongues

9.     Interpretation of tongues

1.     Apostle

2.     Prophet

3.     Teacher

4.     Miracles

5.     Kinds of healings

6.     Helps

7.     Administration

8.     Tongues

1.     Apostle

2.     Prophet

3.     Evangelist

4.     Pastor

5.     Teacher

1.     Whoever speaks

2.     Whoever renders service[10]

Other spiritual gifts 

While not specifically defined as spiritual gifts in the Bible, other abilities and capacities have been considered as spiritual gifts by some Christians. Some are found in the New Testament such as:

·        celibacy (1 Corinthians 7:7)[42]

·        fellowship[43]

·        hospitality (1 Peter 4:9–10)[44]

·        intercession (Romans 8:26–27)[44]

·        marriage (1 Corinthians 7:7)[45]

·        (effective) witnessing (Acts 1:8, 5:32, 26:22, 1 John 5:6)[44]

Others are found in the Old Testament such as:

·        craftsmanship (such as the special abilities given to artisans who constructed the Tabernacle in Exodus 35:30–33)[44]

·        interpretation of dreams (e.g. Joseph and Daniel) in Genesis 43-50, Daniel 2

·        composing spiritual music, poetry, and prose[44]

Posted by: AT 11:53 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Saturday, January 06 2024
Let it snow! I always think of being washed white as snow when it snows! Maybe that's why I love it so much!
Good Morning Snowflakes! (I know some of you are thinking, "What a flake he is!" Maybe I am but I am a very loved, forgiven much, custom made, child of God. PTL! (So are you!) I am sent to touch many with God's love and help them to understand the Good News that they too can become white as snow. (So are you!) (Use me/us Lord!) And I think about how the harvest fields are white unto harvest and how God is bringing in the harvest and how we need more harvest workers and to sow lavishly so we can multiply the harvest. Are you a snowflake? Touching many with God's purifying love, beautifying the dead landscape around you, watering the sown seeds? Oh that we would become a dynamic movement of God doing those things and multiplying His harvest! 
When I think of snowy days, I see a piling up of many blessings too and praise God for how blessed we are. I am also reminded of how eventually, like the melting snow, we are to use up His provisions until we have poured ourselves out and offered wisely, patiently our all for His glory. He has great plans for you, even on snowy days. What's He saying to you as you get to spend some time in His peaceful loving presence. Turn off the noise! (What's it matter if we get all rain or 100 inches? God is in control and has a plan.) All I see and hear when I tune into the hype is an example of the enemy's tactics to distract, rile us up, have us be all worried about things we can do nothing about. Turn off that noise! Be still as a snowy field. Know that He is God and that He is bringing His shalom to the chaos. Take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with God, to encourage others and pray, to be still and receive, and to rest and renew. It's a great opportunity to focus on your blessing, praise God and build those gratitude lists. It's a great opportunity to thank God for the word He gave you to work on this past year, the growth towards it as you pursued His best for you, and to talk to Him about what words He may want you to focus on this year.
I love how God comes to life as I write these blogs after inviting Him to come write them through me! My original plan was to use our devos (I'll let you use whatever you have) to talk about how God is always with us working out His plans. My original salutation was going to be "Good Morning Followers of Jesus and Practitioners of His Way." WWJD? He loved well, made new life available, trained some disciples to carry on His Kingdom plan as they spread the Good News and He taught them the Way to do it but allowed them to do it the way they were created and then gifted and empowered to go love well like Him and make disciples. And here we are today! PTL! He has a plan for you and us and is making a way for fruit to come as we trust, obey, love well and go make disciples His way, just as we are with what we got. Let's pray into that and work on that more in '24! How can we help each other follow His way more in '24? How can we become more of who we were created to be and doing more of the things we were created to do? Talk to Him about that today and in the weeks ahead. Ask Him to give you two words: a "BE" Word to work on becoming more of who you were created to be and a "DO" word, a word to work on that will help you do more of the things you were created to do for such a time as this.
God has a great plan for you, just as you are. He has greater things instore as you follow His Way and grow into your purposes. PTL! Cry out for God to grow His Kingdom through you and us that we would see it multiplying dramatically like a blizzard and not just adding a dusting of new believers, Pray that we would become a dynamic movement of God and a disciple-making hub of prepared, equipped and sent out disciple makers. Pray for our vision team to understand where we are and where God is leading and to join Him on His mission for us. Thank Him for all He is and will do! What's He saying to you as you pray? Write it down and let's pray and discuss it. Come Lord! Revive us and bring revival. Prepare us and move us to follow You well into the future You have planned for us. Help us to sow lavishly of ourselves and your provisions and see exponential, blizzard-like expansion of Your Kingdom. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in, through and around us. Father, thank You! Jesus, we ask in Your name, to be our Shepherd, Teacher and Leader as we learn to live and love more like You in the year and years ahead. You are the Way and You bring the Word of Life. Bring them alive in and though us for Your glory. Thank You! Amen!
Yeah, I'm pretty cool with being a snowflake! I am different. That's how I was made. And I am not of this world. PTL! God has custom plans for me just as He created me. And the same is true for each of you. May you seek Him more in '24 and allow Him more access in '24 to you and His guidance! May you know His shalom more in '24 too. be still and know! Understand and follow well. That's His plan for you, snowflake!
Enjoy this day as you get to have more time with God and more time to encourage and pray for others! Allow His Shalom to fill you today! And worship!
Below are some words to pray about possibly working on this year: God has a plan just for you!
These are the words some of worked on in '23:

Faith, hope, peace, time, value, understanding, bold, change, patience, pause, energy, stewardship, useful, courage, relationships, restoration, rest, agape and discipleship

Here is a chart of Spiritual Gifts. Maybe there is a word there God is stirring you to explore and work on? (We will begin talking about spiritual gifts next week)

Biblical and theological overview 

The New Testament contains several lists of spiritual gifts, most in the Pauline epistles. While each list is unique, there is overlap.

Romans 12:6–8

1 Corinthians 12:8–10

1 Corinthians 12:28–30

Ephesians 4:11

1 Peter 4:11

1.    Prophecy

2.    Serving

3.    Teaching

4.    Exhortation

5.     Giving

6.    Leadership

7.     Mercy

1.     Word of wisdom

2.     Word of knowledge

3.     Faith

4.     Gifts of healings

5.     Miracles

6.     Prophecy

7.    Distinguishing between spirits

8.     Tongues

9.    Interpretation of tongues

1.     Apostle

2.     Prophet

3.     Teacher

4.     Miracles

5.     Kinds of healings

6.     Helps

7.    Administration

8.     Tongues

1.    Apostle

2.    Prophet

3.    Evangelist

4.    Pastor

5.    Teacher

1.    Whoever speaks

2.    Whoever renders service[10]

Other spiritual gifts 

While not specifically defined as spiritual gifts in the Bible, other abilities and capacities have been considered as spiritual gifts by some Christians. Some are found in the New Testament such as:

·        celibacy (1 Corinthians 7:7)[42]

·        fellowship[43]

·        hospitality (1 Peter 4:9–10)[44]

·        intercession (Romans 8:26–27)[44]

·        marriage (1 Corinthians 7:7)[45]

·        (effective) witnessing (Acts 1:8, 5:32, 26:22, 1 John 5:6)[44]

Others are found in the Old Testament such as:

·        craftsmanship (such as the special abilities given to artisans who constructed the Tabernacle in Exodus 35:30–33)[44]

·        interpretation of dreams (e.g. Joseph and Daniel) in Genesis 43-50, Daniel 2

·        composing spiritual music, poetry, and prose[44]

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Saturday, January 06 2024
Good Morning Humble, Forgiven Much, Repentant, Thanks-Living, True Children of God! Thank God we are so loved and so forgiven! Ask for God to reveal sins and places you need to repent and conviction to do it. Live as true children of God and for His glory! Cry out for this nation and revival and even personal revival.  We are truly very blessed people, chosen by God for such a time as this. Thank Him and follow Him well! 
Check out the devos below reminding us of our hope, how to pray and seek God for direction and wisdom at our crossroads as we seek to follow Him to His new things for us and how to steward well all His blessings. Ask Him to keep us off rabbit trails and to choose His best over the good and better things. God has great plans for you and us that we were custom made to do and now are gifted, enabled and empowered to complete in Christ. PTL! What's your purposes? What may God want you to work on to Become More of who you were created to be doing more of the things you were created to do. Talk to Him about that and ask for a word or two to work on and for people to work through things with and be accountable to.
IMPORTANT INFO: 
Sun. Worship: We will make an announcement at noon tomorrow (Sat.) regarding if we will be in person or Zoom only for church Sunday. Watch for email and one call notices. (Indications are at this point to be Zoom only. If we open, chose wisely and safely.)
Year End Giving Statements: If you would like your statement please contact Debbie Siegfried at  Thank you (copy and paste this link in your email or text her at 610-657-5762)
Last chance to update your directory information: Email Lori, our secretary at,   (Copy link in your email or text Lori at 610-657-0583
Everlasting Life Offering will be collected next in person worship service.
Giving Envelopes: The 2024 offering envelopes are available for pick up when we next gather. They are on a table in the rear of the sanctuary.
Christmas Cards: The next time we gather please check the mailbox in the main entrance lobby as there are many cards still there. (We did mail some along with some offering envelopes to homebound and Pastor Don delivered some)
One Call phone updates: If you'd like to be added to our One Call phone directory to be informed of important information, urgent prayer needs and reminders, please contact Sarah at 610-392-8778 and she will add you. (Helps to know if building is closed for snow!) We try to use this system only for urgent needs.
Okay, so running very late with this as God allowed me to sleep in until 4 this morning and I spent an awesome quiet time with Him. He's there speaking to us all. Are you listening and responding? He loves to hang out with you and prepare you for the day as He speaks to your heart. Be still and know He is God and is with you always! Worship, trust and obey! God loves you and is calling you by name! Do you hear Him? He is the one who brings the word of life, even to things that are like dead! He speaks shalom over the chaos. He speaks comfort and encouragement. He loves you and loves to bless you as you hang out! Rejoice!
Harvest Prayer for Revival:

January 5 - Praying for Revival (Day 5): Our Sin Is Great

As Isaiah looked at his nation, he understood the depths of the depravity of his day. He didn’t cry out, “Lord, bring Your blessing.” He cried out, “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined!” (Isa. 6:5).

Isaiah was shaken to his core with the sight of God’s holiness and his own brokenness. His only response: “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (6:5).

Is it possible that God has not brought revival to our county because we expect Him to do so, as though we were entitled to that grace? Perhaps God is waiting for His people to show greater remorse and repentance on behalf of the nation. The larger Church also appears to lack deep contrition. Historically, intercession has included a sense of mourning over our personal and collective sins.

Can you imagine what would happen in this country if the Church came together with holy hands, sacrificial fasting, and the worship of God in a way that brought unity and a desire only for God’s glory?

This is what it takes for a nation to be healed. Repentant, desperate prayer is what it will take for certain blessings to be released.

Lord, I humbly acknowledge Your unsurpassable holiness, and I am broken in Your presence. You are good and just in all You do. Wake up Your Church to be obedient in her role of mourning for the sins of our nation and repenting before You. Teach me and my faith community how to embrace hearts of contrition, sacrificial fasting and anything else You wish us to do to demonstrate deep humility before Your holy presence. May our urgent, passionate intercession change the course of history and bring healing to this nation as we repent and desperately seek Your face in this dark moment. Release the undeserved blessing upon us that will result in multitudes of people turning to Jesus!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Humbly acknowledge God’s unsurpassable holiness—and our brokenness in His presence. He is good and just in all He does.

• Ask God to wake up His Church to be obedient in her role of mourning for the sins of our nation and repenting before our holy God.

• Pray that your church will embrace hearts of contrition, sacrificial fasting, and other ways to demonstrate deep humility before God.

• Pray for healing of this nation through repentant, desperate prayer that changes the course of history.

• Pray for God’s mercy to release undeserved blessing upon this nation that results in multitudes turning to Christ.

--Adapted from Day 5 by David Kubal: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. 

Charles Stanley:
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ODB:

God at the Crossroads

Stand at the crossroads and look; . . . ask where the good way is, and walk in it. Jeremiah 6:16

READ Deuteronomy 30:15–20

After days of illness and then spiking a high temperature, it was clear my husband needed emergency care. The hospital admitted him immediately. One day folded into the next. He improved, but not enough to be released. I faced the difficult choice to stay with my husband or fulfill an important work trip where many people and projects were involved. My husband assured me he’d be fine. But my heart was torn between him and my work.

God’s people needed His help at the crossroads of life’s decisions. Far too often, they hadn’t adhered to His revealed instructions. So Moses implored the people to “choose life” by following His commands (Deuteronomy 30:19). Later, the prophet Jeremiah offered words of direction to God’s wayward people, wooing them to follow His ways: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it” (Jeremiah 6:16). The ancient paths of Scripture and God’s past provision can direct us.

I imagined myself at a physical crossroads and applied Jeremiah’s template of wisdom. My husband needed me. So did my work. Just then, my supervisor called and encouraged me to remain home. I drew a breath and thanked God for His provision at the crossroads. God’s direction doesn’t always come so clearly, but it does come. When we stand at the crossroads, let’s make sure to look for Him.

By Elisa Morgan

REFLECT & PRAY

Where do you need direction today? How might God be revealing Himself to you?

Dear God, when I’m uncertain, help me to stand at the crossroads and look for Your provision.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

After God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, that generation (except for Caleb and Joshua) disqualified themselves from being permitted to enter the promised land because they failed to trust God (Deuteronomy 1:32-37). The book of Deuteronomy (the name comes from a Greek word meaning “second law”) addresses the younger generation about to enter the land. In it, Moses teaches them God’s law and stresses the importance of fully obeying it.

In chapter 30, Moses urged them to enter into a covenant, or binding commitment, to be wholly devoted to God (vv. 15-20). Through this covenant, the new generation would pledge anew their devotion to God and His law. In the ancient Near East, covenant ceremonies would typically include calling on deities as witness to the promises made. Since God is the only true God, in this covenant, His creation—heaven and earth—is called as a witness (v. 19).

Study Deuteronomy as God brings Israel to their crossroads.

Monica La Rose
UR:  Intent on Giving

Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3-4 (NRSVUE)

After a snowstorm and dramatic drop in temperature, a thick layer of ice and snow covered the ground. Although it was blisteringly cold, my husband, Solomon, went out to clear the sidewalk in front of our house. It was hard work, but he slowly began to carve a path.

Solomon had leaned back on his shovel to take a brief break when a man passed by. He was dressed inadequately for the weather and looked gaunt, but he offered to help Solomon shovel the snow and did so with gusto. As the man shoveled snow, he and my husband struck up a conversation. Upon hearing that the man was homeless, Solomon’s heart was grieved. He knew that during the harsh winter, many people were in dire need of shelter and provision, yet this stranger had approached Solomon with a heart intent on giving. Working together, they cleared the sidewalk. In return for his kindness, Solomon gave the man a gift before bidding him farewell.

Afterward, Solomon ruminated on the lesson God had shown him — that help can come in unexpected ways and we should be open to receiving it. We each have God-given gifts that we can use to lift each other up and provide hope.

TODAY'S PRAYER
Merciful Father, help us to receive the gifts and assistance of others. Show us how to use our gifts to provide hope and help to those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
TWFYT:
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Don  
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Thursday, January 04 2024

Good Morning Reached and Reaching, Incarnating Love, Servants of the Lord! Oh we are so loved! PTL and thank Him that His love was irresistible to us. Thank Him for using us to reach others as we incarnate His Love, Hope, Shalom and Help. We were custom created by Love to love, help, disciple, bring peace and hope alive. And PTL that God is using many of us to do that well. Thank Him for sending those in need of these things to us as well. Ask Him to keep up His good work in, through and around us. Amen! Some think they are coming for bread, but the Bread of Life has more in store for those He is sending. PTL and keep praying into that!

I am telling you that if you want to see God at work and/or allow Him to use you, just show up any Wednesday during Bread Ministry. I am constantly amazed how God sends just the right people to the right people and how He is drawing many to Him just because we are there and care. I just sit there and God sends people. Plan to join us next Wed. for donut day from 10-12. And keep praying for God to bless and use this awesome ministry. Seriously, you need to check this out! You will experience  Jesus' easy yoke as we just be ourselves and love like Him, pray, encourage and help. Pray for God to lead us to some other connection points to those He wants us to love and minister to. We are doing what we can with what God provides through willing servants and God is using this! Come and see!

Check out the thread through our devotionals below as we learn to seek God for more, be available, trust Him and allow Him to lead and use us. Life in Christ and as a disciple is just being you, being available and willing to be used. And the benefit is that we are grown towards Christlikeness. It is so rewarding as we are blessed by being a blessing and blessed to be more of a blessing.

Yesterday I visited Jim Handfest at the hospital and Kay was there. He is bouncing back towards normal but still is undergoing some testing. Kay has an ear infection I prayed for as well. Jim is eager to get home. Continue to pray for healing for both and for wisdom and shalom for Kay. I stopped to visit Nancy Bahr but her floor is under COVID lockdown. Pray for protection and deliverance and for an opportunity to visit soon. I also visited Glad Ketner. She's always happy to see me. She seems to be communicating better. Pray for healing, patience in the process, wisdom for staff and family for next steps and for shalom over her and Linda. She says hi to all and that she misses you. She's worried about her family too. I did get a big hug before leaving. While i was at the hospital, I talked to a patient transport person and prayed for her. She said it is so busy and staff is really stretched and stressed. She said 70 people were in ER awaiting beds. She said they were opening some closed floors to try to accommodate the need. Continue to pray a covering of protection and health over us and for deliverance and healing for all who are sick right now. 'Tis the season, as they say and probably a really good thing we did Zoom only last week for church as many of us were exposed to things over the holidays. It may be God's will and timing that we have another week of Zoom and worship from home as the snow is coming. Watch for info on Sat. regarding our worship plans for Sunday. Pray for our Support Team meeting tonight and our Vision Team meeting Tues. Ask God to reveal His plans, bring wisdom and that we would plan and steward well and follow well all His blessings. Thanks! Pray for wisdom for me as I begin sorting through what Medicare plan to choose. (I'm open for your input on medigap or advantage plans). Please pray for favor for today as I try to sell my broken car and that I get a fair value for it. Thanks!

Ok here's todays Word from God for you...be still and know! He is God and He is speaking all the time. He has great plans for you that are custom made for you to discover and grow into. Seek Him more in '24 and work on becoming more in '24 too. Turn off the noise and live this life in Christ for Christ alone. That's all that really matters. And when you get to heaven your stored rewards will be based on how well you did with living and loving like Jesus. So choose well, listen, trust and follow well. God's cheering you on and I'm praying for you. Shalom is available as you come to know Christ more and make Him known more better! Revival starts with prayer! And you all are critically needed prayer warriors. What's God saying to you? How does He want you to pray? Who does He have for you to love well today! Seek Him more earnestly and listen more intently with the plan to follow His lead more often. He's preparing you and the way, so rejoice and relax in Him!

Harvest Prayer Blog for Revival:

January 4 - Praying for Revival (Day 4): There’s Something More

One of my favorite revival stories comes from the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland during the years of 1948–50. A couple of homebound elderly sisters, one who was blind and the other who was severely hampered by arthritis, were instrumental through their prayers. The sisters, grieved by the decline of the church in their community and especially by the lack of interest among the young people, prayed faithfully, often late into the night. God implanted a vision for revival in their hearts, and they began to cry out with faith and hope.

As the leaders of the church joined in prayer, God began to move in tangible and powerful ways. The pastor and elders repented before God and humbled themselves in desperation for their community. In one of the prayer meetings, it was reported that the home shook, much like in the Book of Acts (see Acts 4:31).

The presence of God descended upon their community and surrounding villages throughout the Hebrides. Stories emerged of people coming under such strong conviction of the Holy Spirit that they fell to their knees in the streets, begging forgiveness. Eventually, no village was left untouched by the presence of God.

It all started with the faith and conviction of two sisters who simply offered themselves and their prayers as catalysts for revival!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that He responds to the prayers of His people and delights in displaying His glory.

• Humble yourself before the Lord, invite Him to reveal ways you need to repent, and ask Him to bring you into alignment with His Kingdom plans.

• Pray that you will be a prayer catalyst for revival—and will inspire others to pray with faith and boldness.

• Ask the Spirit to prompt your church to pray with a 2 Chronicles 7:14 vision of seeing your city and nation healed in the truth and power of Jesus.

• Pray for the revival of your church, the spiritual awakening of the lost, and the transformation of your community.

Father, I praise You because You respond to the prayers of Your people and delight in displaying Your glory! I humble myself before You in this moment and invite You to reveal anything in me that displeases You so that I can repent and realign my life with Your kingdom plans. May I be a prayer catalyst for revival and inspire others to pray with great faith and boldness.

Holy Spirit, please revive my church, spiritually awaken the lost, and transform our community for the sake of Your glory!

--Adapted from Day 4 by Carol Madison: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

Charles Stanley:

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Upper Room: The Power of Love

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. - Psalm 36:7 (NIV)

When our family relocated to the desert southwest, about the only relief from the relentless heat of the summer months was a trip to the public swimming pool. My parents enrolled my brothers and me in swimming lessons. I can still recall the fear during some of those first lessons, especially when we were taken into the deep end of the pool. But our instructors were kind, and we trusted them to keep us safe.

Many years later, my wife and I had three small children of our own, and we needed to teach them to swim so that they could be safe in and near the water. My wife, being a certified water safety instructor, taught them. I recall some thrashing, splashing, and even some crying, but our children knew their teacher was always there to support them and keep them safe from danger, and that she would not let them go. Eventually my children swam very well, competed on swim teams, and were rewarded with ribbons and trophies.

Now, in my later years, I sometimes reflect on how those swim lessons are similar to my relationship with God who is my teacher and is worthy of all my trust. Yet there are times when I thrash about and feel consumed by fear. But then I remember that God is love and will not let me go.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear God, thank you for your everlasting love that surpasses our understanding. Help us to remain devoted to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Our Daily Bread:

Quiet Faithfulness in Christ

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands. 1 Thessalonians 4:11

READ 1 Thessalonians 4:1–2, 9–12

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

I didn’t notice him at first.

I’d come down for breakfast at my hotel. Everything in the dining room was clean. The buffet table was filled. The refrigerator was stocked, the utensil container packed tight. Everything was perfect.

Then I saw him. An unassuming man refilled this, wiped that. He didn’t draw attention to himself. But the longer I sat, the more I was amazed. The man was working very fast, noticing everything, and refilling everything before anyone might need something. As a food service veteran, I noticed his constant attention to detail. Everything was perfect because this man was working faithfully—even if few noticed.

Watching this man work so meticulously, I recalled Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands . . . so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12). Paul understood how a faithful worker might win others’ respect—offering a quiet testimony to how the gospel can infuse even seemingly small acts of service for others with dignity and purpose.

I don’t know if the man I saw that day was a believer in Jesus. But I’m grateful his quiet diligence reminded me to rely on God to live out a quiet faithfulness that reflects His faithful ways.

By Adam R. Holz

REFLECT & PRAY

How should your faith affect the way you work? In what ways is being a faithful worker a powerful testimony?

Father, please help me to remember that there are no small jobs in Your kingdom and to faithfully serve You each day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Waiting for the second coming of Jesus is a consistent theme in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians (see 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-17; 5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; 2:1-12). The subject of work is also prominent (see 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). Paul’s labor for the gospel resulted in the establishing of the church, but he also labored with his hands: “We worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you” (1 Thessalonians 2:9). “Waiting” and “working” should characterize believers in Jesus until He returns.

Arthur Jackson

The Word for You Today:

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Thursday, January 04 2024

Note: We are aware of the potential for snow Sat. and Sun. Sat. at noon we will make a decision if we will open the doors or be Zoom only. If we do open, choose wisely and safety first!

This is the Day of Fasting and Prayer called by our bishop for us to cry out to God for revival of our denomination, churches and people. Pray that we would become a dynamic movement of God led by pastors and laity with a burning passion for God and a missionary zeal for the lost. Pray for revival in Emmaus as well and through our ministries. (While you're fasting and praying ask God to reveal your part and somethings He'd like you to work on as you seek more of Him and growth in Him.)

Good morning. As you fast and pray, as you empty yourself and cry out for a movement of God in and through you and our church, be still, turn off the noise, listen, receive and worship. We are all called to pray and for some of us that is our purpose God has sent us to St. Matts. Thank you prayer warriors and servants of the Lord! Check out Charles Stanley and the Upper Room devos below and pray through them and the Harvest Prayer Blog on praying for revival today.

Pray expectantly with thanksgiving. God is on the move, hearing our prayers and preparing to ignite the revival fires! He is also preparing you for such a time as this to be His vessels of revival! PTL! Amen! can't wait to see what God has for us today and beyond!

Harvest Prayer:

January 3 - Praying for Revival (Day 3): He Can Do It Again

Sometimes prayer doesn’t just precede a revival. Sometimes prayer is the revival.

It seemed to be a normal Tuesday in February 1970, when students at Asbury College in Kentucky filed into Hughes Auditorium at 10:00 a.m. for their regular, required chapel service. Some, however, sensed the presence of the Spirit upon entering—almost as if the room was being transformed into holy ground.
The school’s academic dean was in charge of the service that day. He decided not to preach, but instead gave his testimony and then invited the students to come and share what God was doing in their lives.

One student came, followed by another and then another. The 50-minute chapel service lasted 185 hours non-stop, 24 hours a day. It was not planned in advance. There was no predominant leader. No one wanted to leave.

Students were weeping, publicly confessing their sins, praying in small groups, seeking out and asking forgiveness from others they had wronged. Some sang quietly in small groups. Everyone was polite and orderly.

Arms raised. Knees bowed. Face down. Hearts broken. It is never too late to ask the God who longs to redeem to do the seemingly impossible.

What God has done in the past, He can do again. This is the hope we have for our nations, cities, friends, and loved ones.

Lord Jesus, would You continue to send more movements of confession and repentance across campuses in our nation today? Many school campuses and churches are beginning to come to life right now – especially after you brought another season of spiritual awakening to Asbury University and many other colleges again more than fifty years after You visited in 1970! You ARE doing it again, Father! Give my heart a renewed hope that no matter how dire or dark it appears, You have no limits about how You might break through in revival again! God who redeems, keep doing the impossible in me, my family and in the next generations!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that He is the same faithful God today as He is of the past.

• Praise Jesus that He continues to intercede for you, your church, and our nation. Pray that He inspires even greater prayer in you.

• Pray for a movement of confession and repentance across campuses in our nation today. Ask God to do it again!

• Pray for renewed hope in your own heart that no matter how dire or dark it appears, God has no limits in how He might break through in revival.

• Ask the God who redeems to do the impossible in your family and the next generation.

Charles Stanley:

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The Upper Room: Sense of Purpose

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSVUE)

I didn’t intend to retire, but I lost my job at 64. Then we moved because my husband changed jobs. Shortly after our relocation, I was able to take two extended trips to be with a family member in crisis and later to welcome my new grandson. These would not have been possible had I started a new job. But I missed the sense of purpose and the structure that my profession had provided, and I wasn’t sure how to fill my days. I realized that I could keep mourning what I had lost or choose to actively nurture a new sense of purpose for my life.

We choose each day how to live out our discipleship. I do not believe there are days when nothing important happens. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians of God’s will for our lives: We are to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. But such simple directives are impossible to follow when we focus on what is wrong rather than what is right.

I now choose to begin and end my day in prayerful reflection, paying attention to the goodness of God that surrounds me. I review the day with gratitude — even the parts that were difficult — and deliberately name the joys. When I choose to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, I can see beyond my circumstances, and my heart is oriented toward God’s purpose.

TODAY'S PRAYER

O God, we pray that our words and actions will reflect gratitude for your presence and provision on this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Tuesday, January 02 2024

Prayer update from Sarah:

Prayers are requested for Jim Handfest. This morning he fell and they were unable to pick him up. He is in LV Hospital, 

being checked by the medical team. He has a couple other health issues also.  Let's keep Jim and Kay in our prayers.

Continue to pray for one another, as some are still dealing with respiratory issues and colds that make daily activities a bit exhausting

Please continue to lift Glad Ketner for healing from her stroke and COVID.

Good Morning Praying Co-Laborers! Lots to pray about and consider this morning as we get back to our normal weekday routines. It's so awesome to begin each day, each week, each month and each year with prayer and time with the Lord! It's the very thing that enables, empowers, refreshes and informs your steps each step of the way through the day, week, month and year. Jesus got up early and got away to a quiet place to pray and reload and He is our example. Sometimes I wonder how early He got up and how long He prayed, especially when I keep waking up at 2 am. I have to testify that the wee hours of the morning spent with the Lord are so sweet, powerful, informative and good for the soul. I truly value this time and can understand why Jesus got up early and got away to be with the Father. Time spent with the Lord is always time well spent! And however long you spend at His feet, He somehow redeems and allows you to accomplish His plans for you for the day--not always your plans but for sure His! Be still and know that He is God. He is speaking to you. He wants to hear you, encourage you and empower you for the day. More of You Lord and less of me! Empty yourself and let go of your agendas and sit at His feet a spell. He knows the plans He has for your day and they are plans to prosper and not harm. Invite Him to be the Lord of you, your time, day, week, month and year!

I talked about fasting and prayer as something some of us do at the beginning of each year. It gives back to God the first fruits of the year and prepares us as we offer a sacrifice of praise. Yesterday I received a reminder from EC Center and our Bishop about His call to fasting and prayer for revival of our nation, denomination, churches and individuals. He's called us to fast and pray the first Wednesday of every month. (Thank God it's not donut day!) Karen and I plan to start with the first one tomorrow and see where God leads us. We do something similar with fasting as the bishop and Carla with skipping two meals. You may choose something different. that's ok. Talk to God about what would be a sacrifice to allow you more time at His feet (maybe turn off the TV? Get up early? Skip one meal or fast a week?) Here's a link to his invite and challenge to us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKvWSqMJUAk

Okay, still with me? Check out the thread through our devotionals for today. In Ecclesiastes (from ODB passage) we hear the Eeyore like whining of woe is me. Life stinks and there is no meaning to anything I do. We are born and die and that's it. Unfortunately, many don't know our Hope and it's showing up in the darkness prevailing all around us. No wonder people are so selfish, evil, lazy, and depressed. BUT GOD! Our mission is to bring light and life and love and hope alive! Yes without Christ there is no hope. Solomon encourages us and teaches from his experiences of pursuing all kinds of meaningless things that "In this life meaning can only be found in God, so love God and enjoy life." Paul puts it another way in Col. 3, "In this life Christ is all that matters and He lives in me." He goes on to remind us of our mission of love, hope and help as we are sent to light up the world. Revival begins with prayer! Revival comes alive as we die to self, take up cross and follow Christ. And revival comes alive through us as we live and love like Christ! Are you seeking Him more and following Him more intentionally as a world changer, joy bringer, and our Hope introducer? That is our mission and focus this year as we earnestly pursue more of Christ and more of our created purposes. (Oh, this is beginning to sound like Sunday's sermon! Can I get a "preach it brother!" and a chorus of "Amens"?)

You'll find our devotionals for today below. Ponder and pray through them. What's God saying to you today? What will you do about! May I suggest to follow Jesus and go love well! Stand tall (UR) and chose joy no matter the trial, trouble, hardship and even in the good times. Keep first things first (TWFYT). We are working on becoming who we were created to be. Be before doing is a teaching we've embraced. However, part of growing into who you were created to be is doing God's will for you and that includes loving and serving others, just as you are. God will use you just as you are and grow you into His greater things as you humble yourself and allow Him control. And Charles Stanley reminds us that God does have plans for each of us, as unlikely as that seems. What's His plan for you? You can discern that as you spend time with Him and allow Him to invite you in to what He is doing today around you. And yes come just as you are. He knows you, is calling your name and reminding you how much He loves you and how good His plans are. Reach out and take His hand today. Put on His easy yoke weary and heavy burdened child of God. Keep following Jesus to God's best for you and allow Him to use you to change your little corner of the world He placed you in for such a time as this! Revival is coming! May it begin in each of us! Amen!

ODB:

The Son Also Rises

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down. Ecclesiastes 1:5 nkjv

READ Ecclesiastes 1:1–11

audio playLISTEN ONLINE

Ernest Hemingway’s first full-length novel features hard-drinking friends who’ve recently endured World War I. They bear the literal and figurative scars of the war’s devastation and try to cope with it via parties, grand adventures, and sleeping around. Always, there is alcohol to numb the pain. No one is happy.

Hemingway’s title for his book The Sun Also Rises comes straight from the pages of Ecclesiastes (1:5). In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon refers to himself as “the Teacher” (v. 1). He observes, “Everything is meaningless” (v. 2) and asks, “What do people gain from all their labors?” (v. 3). Solomon saw how the sun rises and sets, the wind blows to and fro, the rivers flow endlessly into a never satisfied sea (vv. 5–7). Ultimately, all is forgotten (v. 11).

Both Hemingway and Ecclesiastes confront us with the stark futility of living for this life only. Solomon, however, weaves bright hints of the divine into his book. There is permanence—and real hope. Ecclesiastes shows us as we truly are, but it also shows God as He is. “Everything God does will endure forever,” said Solomon (3:14), and therein lies our great hope. For God has given us the gift of us His Son, Jesus.

Apart from God, we’re adrift in an endless, never satisfied sea. Through His risen Son, Jesus, we’re reconciled to Him, and we discover our meaning, value, and purpose.

By Tim Gustafson

REFLECT & PRAY

What occupies your time and what meaning does it hold? How might you change your priorities to follow Jesus?

Loving Father, help me find my fulfillment in You.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes is unknown, but many Bible scholars believe it’s Solomon. The writer refers to himself as Qoheleth, a Hebrew word commonly translated as “the Teacher,” or “the Preacher” (1:1). As a “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (v. 1), he certainly qualifies. And as a king with the reputation as the wisest and wealthiest, he would’ve lived the themes of the book; hence, he becomes the plausible choice. Regardless of authorship, along with Job, Proverbs, and the poetry books of Psalms and Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes makes an invaluable contribution to the Bible’s Wisdom Literature.

Tim Gustafson

UR: Standing Tall

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2-3 (NIV)

When we moved to our current home, we learned that the redbud tree is very common here. They are often oddly shaped with gnarled trunks. Many have broken branches from storm damage. But in the spring, they are the first trees to bud; when their flowers open, they bring vibrant color to the dull, winter landscape.

One fall, my husband transplanted a redbud sapling into our yard. Within a few months, a storm had broken its tallest branch. However, the young tree made it through the winter, and its remaining branch bloomed in the spring. It continues to grow tall to this day. God made the redbud tree to withstand all sorts of adversity, and it continues to be resilient.

I want to be like those beautiful trees. When I am faced with hardship, I want to trust in God my Creator. God has much good planned for us and can turn our struggles into blessings if we persevere. When hard times attack me, I want to be strong enough to say to them, “You are helpless against me because God made me and I can overcome anything through God’s power.” With this faith I can stand tall like the steadfast redbud trees.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Father God, thank you for models of resilience and strength in nature. Empower us to persevere through our struggles. Amen.TWFYT and CS

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Here's the Harvest Prayer blog for today for prayer for revival as well (seems to be a theme as we begin this year!) 

January 2 - Praying for Revival (Day 2): Praying An Ancient Pattern for Revival

If you knew God only wanted you to do two things before blessing you with a revival of His presence—would you do them?

What if they required real sacrifice? A rearrangement of priorities? What if you’d have to give up things in your life, your household, your relationships, and even in your future?

The Bible is full of such calls to absolute commitment: “deny yourself and follow me,” “give up everything you have,” “sell your possessions and give to the poor,” or even “pray without ceasing.” So, what if the road to revival is paved with the same kind of surrender—radical, full-life obedience?

Let’s destroy our idols, worship God with all we have, and pray for revival!

I praise You, Lord God, that Your heart is to restore Your people and pour out a fresh blessing of Your presence. Reveal the idols in my life and in our nation that need to be destroyed and give me a renewed commitment to sacrifice that moves You and other believers to radical, full-life obedience! May spiritual awakening and a revival of pure, God-focused worship spread throughout the Church in our nation resulting in new life and the transformation of churches and communities across our land.

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Praise God that it is His heart to restore His people and pour out a fresh blessing of His presence.

• Ask God to reveal the idols in your life and in our nation that need to be destroyed.

• Ask for a renewed commitment to sacrifice that moves you and other believers to radical, full-life obedience.

• Pray for a revival of pure, God-focused worship throughout the Church in this nation.

• Pray for an outpouring of revival and spiritual awakening that results in new life and transformation of churches and communities.

--Adapted from Day 2 by Dan and Melissa Jarvis: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  

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Tuesday, January 02 2024
REMINDER! Zoom ONLY church today at 10!
Good Morning New Creations! When we come to Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are made new and the door of His possibilities opens up for us as our true identity and created purposes become available. At conversion, we receive the Holy Spirit who seals us in Christ, becomes our counselor and wisdom of Christ in us and brings gifts to enable us to grow into our fuller created potential and to grow His church. PTL! We are made new and continue to be made new as we journey towards becoming more like Jesus. What a blessing! What potential!
Like with the ending of this year and the dawning of the new, we continue to shed the old and put on more fully our new nature in Christ. We celebrate what has gone but don't dwell there because we focus ahead on the new things God has for us in the new year and beyond. (The PA Dutch eat pork and sauerkraut because a pig roots forward as we should move forward in Christ. And if your gastronomical system survives the kraut, you are cleansed and healthy to begin the new journey. Ponder that when you feast tomorrow.) Yes the old has gone and the new has come! PTL! Where's God leading you in your journey towards Christlikeness in the year ahead? What may need some shedding, pruning, refining? Talk to God about that and commit to allowing Him to have His way with you and lead you to His greater purposes. Pray that over all the expressions of St. Matts as well.
Some churches and people begin the new year with a fast; emptying themselves and seeking to be filled more fully with God; shedding the old and putting on the new; releasing their will and ways and crying out for God to bring His alive. Fasting is a great spiritual practice that allows us to come to know God more fully, receive His correcting help and receive His directions for what lies ahead as we pray, release, receive and commit to follow more fully. Maybe you want to consider a day, week, month of fasting? Talk to God about that as you die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus into 2024 and His will and plans. More of Him and less of you. It will be a great start to the Become More in '24 Challenge! 
I'm going to end here and allow you space to engage with our devotionals for the day below. They really do thread together and speak into this. Check them out prayerfully as you prepare your heart to gather and worship on Zoom today at 10 and to follow God to His best into the new year. The year ahead is full of promise! We know God will always be at work bringing His new things and Kingdom plans to life. We know that even if we have to endure some hardships, that God promises to be working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. That's you!
Worship and celebrate all the good things that have happened in 2023. Allow the hard things to be used by God to grow and direct you. Prepare your heart to surrender and follow well in 2024. God has some greater things awaiting as we seek to Become More in '24! Rejoice! Prepare your hearts and pray with anticipation, expectation and much thanksgiving for all God has planned for you and us! Yes rejoice! Be still and know that He is God. And offer a sacrifice of praise! Release in prayer and follow His provisions and shalom and you will be blessed, a blessing to God and others and growing into your fuller potential and God's greater things! AMEN! God really loves you! So do I and I'm honored to call you friends and co-laborers! I'm praying for a fantastic year ahead for you and us! Yes, rejoice with much thanksgiving and anticipation!
Charles Stanley: God has been speaking this to me and pronouncing this over us all year. What's He saying to you and what will you do about it?
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Our Daily Bread: Think about how God may want to impart and/or incarnate the importance of growing fruit to the next generations. As we mature, things of God become more clear and more of a priority. Who needs to understand that? Pray for open hearts to receive and wisdom and opportunities to share and impart.

The Righteous City

May he produce in you . . . every good thing that is pleasing to him. Hebrews 13:21 NLT

READ Hebrews 13:14–21

On New Year’s Eve 2000, officials in Detroit carefully opened a hundred-year-old time capsule. Nestled inside the copper box were hopeful predictions from some city leaders who expressed visions of prosperity. The mayor’s message, however, offered a different approach. He wrote, “May we be permitted to express one hope superior to all others . . . [that] you may realize as a nation, people, and city, you have grown in righteousness, for it is this that exalts a nation.”

More than success, happiness, or peace, the mayor wished that future citizens would grow in what it means to be truly just and upright. Perhaps he took his cue from Jesus, who blessed those who long for His righteousness (Matthew 5:6). But it’s easy to get discouraged when we consider God’s perfect standard.

Praise God that we don’t have to rely on our own effort to grow. The author of Hebrews said it this way: “May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20–21). We who are in Christ are made holy by His blood the moment we believe in Him (v. 12), but He actively grows the fruit of righteousness in our hearts throughout a lifetime. We’ll often stumble on the journey, yet still we look forward to “the city that is to come” where God’s righteousness will reign (v. 14).

By Karen Pimpo

REFLECT & PRAY

For what Christlike attributes would you like to be known? How can you encourage others to seek God’s righteousness?

Dear God, please work in me what’s pleasing to You.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The anonymous author of the book of Hebrews wrote to Jewish believers in Jesus who were suffering because of persecution, encouraging them to persevere in their faith and to endure suffering for the sake of Christ—to “[bear] the disgrace he bore” (Hebrews 13:13). Believers in Jesus can persevere because, as the author reminds us, “This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come” (v. 14 nlt). The author cites examples of believers who in faith (ch. 11) chose to suffer for Christ because they were looking for an eternal home in heaven. Abraham looked “forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (v. 10). Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. . . . He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (vv. 26-27).

K. T. Sim
The Upper Room: "Old News". What are the big dreams and visions God is bringing to you? Commit to following God to His unexpected future as we learn to expect the unexpected and follow God into them. Think About Ecclesiastes teaching: Love God and follow His ways as you enjoy life in Christ! Don't worry! be happy!

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? - Luke 12:25 (NIV)

“Cindy, can you look through your college and work boxes and decide which items you want to keep and which you want to recycle?” Mum asked. My parents were downsizing and sorting through the accumulated clutter from living in the same house and caring for three children for many years.

Sifting through my belongings, I found essays and assignments I had completed for my teaching degree. Glancing at the grades and scribbled comments, I recalled the stress of looming deadlines and my constant fear of failure. I was transported back to a time when feelings of urgency and worries about the future dominated. What was all that worry and panic for? Worrying did not achieve anything except for stress churning inside of me. What had felt so urgent and important at the time has passed.

Constant worrying really is a waste of time because one day, like the assignments I shredded, it will be old news. We weren’t meant to stay stuck in the past but to allow ourselves to be constantly renewed. Although it was hard shredding the essays and the hours of work they represented, it was the right thing to do because they represented the past. Now I can more strongly embrace the hope of new adventures and beginnings with God. I have learned that whatever happens, God will lead us to the place we need to be, even if it is unexpected.

TODAY'S PRAYER
Loving God, teach us how to unclutter our lives and minds. Help us to continually trust in you to renew us each day. Amen.
The Word for You Today: Know Christ more and make Him more known! Become More in '24! A dynamic movement of God called St. Matts.
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Pray Starter Book for Today:
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Harvest Prayer Blog:

December 31 - The Ultimate Will of God

There are three possible answers to any prayer we pray. God can say:

1) “Wait. There are things that you cannot know. Be still and trust Me.”

2) “Of course. I have heard your prayer and the answer is already on the way.” Or

3) “No. My purposes are larger than what you are currently seeing.”

To pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is to accept all three possible answers in our lives of faith.

There is a word of relationship that comes through this account. Jesus knew the will. He asked for another way. When we know the will, it is not wrong to ask for a different path or outcome. History is filled with examples of the people of God crying out for hope in the midst of judgment. Jeremiah was told to proclaim a word of repentance in the hope that his people would hear God’s voice so that the Lord would not be forced to destroy them (Jeremiah 18:5-12). Hezekiah was told he would die, and he cried out to God to spare him and he was granted fifteen more years of life (Isaiah 38:1-6). There is a provisional will and there is an ultimate will. The provisional will can be altered and the means is prayer. The ultimate will can never be changed, regardless of all the prayer in creation. God would have us commit to the ultimate will and to pray through the provisional will.

Trustworthy God, how awed I am at the love You have for me.  You give me hope in the midst of dark trials, forgiveness when I have grieved You, joy in the midst of pain and peace through suffering.  There is nothing too great or too small for my heart to cry out to Yours.  Thank You for being willing to hear and answer me in the middle of my ordinary every day life.  Please give me greater understanding of Your ultimate will as I seek to walk hand in hand with You each day. 

--Adapted from Power Praying (Hearing Jesus’ Spirit by Praying Jesus’ Prayer) by David Chotka.

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Tuesday, January 02 2024
Blessed 2024! This is the year of the Lord's favor! Pronounce that and rejoice as you pray that expectantly with thanksgiving over you, your family and friends and our church! God is on the move and He has great things in store and all ready in the works for you and us! PTL! (The UR below reminds us to speak and prophesy God's love, light and goodness over situations and our lives. Cast blessings not curses!) The Word of Life resides in your heart bring Him to life with your words!
Good Morning Resolute Followers of God! Is that you? Is that how our church is perceived by our neighbors? It can be! Yesterday, Sarah challenged us to three spiritual things to work on this year. (see her prayer email below). Sarah and I are hearing the same things from God as He speaks to and through our true identities and unique personalities like He did with the authors of the Bible. We share what we hear from the Holy Spirit as God reveals His plans for each of us and us as His Body of believers. What might God be saying to you and what will you do about it? Who are your accountability, praying, encouraging partners and co-laborers? Who is on the throne of your heart? Enter this year in surrender, humility, and purposeful living. Paul reminds us in Col. 3:11 of what really matters in this life--Christ! And He lives in you to come alive through you. I'm seeing the fruit of the Become Me in '23 Challenge, as many of you chose to work on a word to help with your spiritual growth and stepping into doing some of your created purposes. In the weeks ahead we will here some testimonies about how God used this challenge to grow us and mold us to become more like Jesus and operate from our true identity in Christ. Who needs to hear what God did in and through you this past year? Pray for courage and wisdom to share your story and glorify God. Resolve to live and love like Jesus and share your story with those God sends your way.
I loved Sarah's message and challenge. God was speaking to me and I will take a bit of spiritual poetic license as I piece what she is hearing to align with the vision and challenge God is giving us for the year ahead. The Become Me in '23 Challenge was all about working on our spiritual growth as we sought to work at growing into our true created nature, our new nature in Christ, and to become more like Him. It was also about discovering and stepping into your created purposes just as you are and allow God to grow you into the greater things He has in store for you. Yes, I think everyone that tried this challenge had spiritual growth and a story to share of what God did. But the story doesn't end there, does it? We are on a lifelong journey to become like Jesus as we discover our purposes along the way to grow His Kingdom on earth. God has revealed to me that we are seeing some great fruit from our efforts and wants to encourage us to continue moving forward into this in the year(s) ahead with the Become More in '24 Challenge. More of Him and less of us. More growth in Christlikeness. More discovering and growing into our greater created purposes. More disciple making. Maybe God's speaking to your heart right now about something more He wants to do in and through you? Write it down. Pray into it. Share it with someone and process it. Then commit to measurable ways to do it. Become More in '24 in Christ! He has great plans for you to discover and do!
So tweaking Sarah's challenge looks like this:
 
God has challenged us to especially work on three things this new year, in 2024.
  Those three things are:
 #1  Get more spiritual - spend more time with God, talking with God, finding out more about Him. Start accountability relationships.
    > This is starting or continuing the Become Me in '23 Challenge
    > It's choosing to live this life as if Christ is all that matters--being sold out to Christ and working on that spiritually
    > Become More in '24 of who you were created to be and stepping more fully into your created purposes--Know Christ         More and make Him more known
            * This ties to the next challenge as well as you begin to operate better from your true identity and step more fully into                 your purposes
(Spiritual poetic license here as I reorder her challenges)     
#3  Perform more Service - no matter how BIG or SMALL or INVOLVED or SIMPLE......do it!   As the scripture says, Do it
    unto the least of these, you are doing it to/for ME.
    >This is living sacrificially and loving lavishly like Christ as you bring His compassionate love, hope and help alive and into         the situations He places you.
    > This is living life expectantly for God to place you and use you, just as you are, where you are, with what you got to         meet needs and glorify Him. Pray for courage and wisdom and discernment to do this. AND Teammates!
    > Doing More in '24! You were custom made for custom purposes. Expect God to lead you to them as you surrender,         process well with others, make plans and just be available as you watch for Him to be at work as you go through each         day. He does have great plans for you to discover as you journey towards Christlikeness daily! And greater purposes to         grow into!
(And #2 becomes #3: the fruit of doing the first two intentionally and well)
#2  Reach More People - by living our faith OUT LOUD so people will wonder what we got living inside us, talk more about Jesus and what He is doing and has done in your life.
    > More Fruit in '24!
        *More of Christ and less of you leads to people asking about your hope and motivation--Christ and His love!
    > More Stories in '24! We will get to celebrate more in '24 as we share the stories of what God is doing in, through and         around us.
    >More Disciple Making in '24!
    >More Love in '24! 
        *Jesus commissioned us to Go and make disciples. He commands us to love God and others with all our hearts, souls,             minds and spirits
        *The amount of disciple making disciples being produced through us is the measure of how much fruit we are             producing along with our personal and corporate spiritual growth as disciples of Jesus. Love come alive and grows!
            < NOTE: More Multiplication in '24 becomes the most sought after and best fruit we sow into.
               + Right now we are adding disciples but Kingdom expansion, growth and becoming a dynamic movement of God                     involves multiplication as the Kingdom expands exponentially through allowing God to use us and our efforts to                     explode Kingdom expansion. (Check out the Harvest Prayer Blog below and pray for revival)
So, what's God saying to you as you Seek More in '24? What will you do about it? Who will you partner with? How will you pray and plan and work at Becoming More in '24?
    > Pray for our Vision Team meeting Tues Jan. 9th. That we would seek God, listen, process and begin planning well to Become More in '24 of who God created us to be and do more where He placed us for such a time as this! Thanks! Please share any thoughts and ideas with us that God is bringing to light to you.
Is Jesus truly the Lord of your life? What is distracting you that needs pruning or ousting? What are God's priorities for you? What are you doing about stepping into them more in '24? Who is helping you and who are you helping on this journey?
Check out ODB below speaking into our true identity in Jesus and our motivation to Become More in '24! And end with Charles Stanley's reminder below to be resolved and resolute to follow God into His plans and purposes for you as we develop more trust and more action as we follow God to our fuller potential and His very best for us! He custom made you, knows you and is calling you by name to step into your true nature and purposes more fully in the year ahead! PTL! Spend some time with Him (and some friends) processing this over the next few days. I can't wait to celebrate all God has planned and will do through us in the year ahead! How about you? Choose well my friends! Daylight is burning! We are sent ones of God! Amen! This IS the year of the Lord's favor! Rejoice and be glad in it! Love God and enjoy the plans He has for you! Shalom
Upper Room: Speak A New Beginning

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. - Genesis 1:3 (NRSVUE)

I felt extremely grateful at the New Year’s Eve service in 2021. It indeed felt like a new beginning, a new hope against the odds of the past year. Yet after the service, I was in tears as I thought of all the things I didn’t have. I wanted so much for the new year, but I didn’t know how or where to start. I felt hopeless.

That night, I decided to pray again. I didn’t ask for anything. Instead, inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:18, I gave thanks for all that I had, and I felt blessed by everything on my list. After this prayer of gratitude, I had Genesis 1:3 in my heart and a new understanding of the verse. In Genesis 1:1-2 it was the beginning, and it looked hopeless. In that bleak situation, God spoke light. With that light came hope, and God kept speaking, forming sky, seas, and land. What God wanted for the future, day after day, God spoke into being. Until it was all good, God spoke.

As believers, when faced with a hopeless situation, the first thing we can do is invite the Light into that situation. We can speak: “Thank you, Jesus.” He is the light of the world (see Jn. 8:12). With Christ’s light comes hope. My resolution this year is to speak light through all my days.

TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, help us to be grateful in all situations. Show us how to speak light and goodness into our lives and the lives of those around us. Amen.
Sarah Boyer Prayer email:
Good afternoon, warriors,
We had a great time on Zoom worship....and there was a good crowd joining us.
God has challenged us to especially work on three things this new year, in 2024.
  Those three things are:
 #1  Get more spiritual - spend more time with God, talking with God, finding out more about Him. If you need an accountability
       partner, let me know.
#2  Reach More People - by living our faith OUT LOUD so people will wonder what we got living inside us, talk more about Jesus and 
       what He is doing and has done in your life.
#3  Perform more Service - no matter how BIG or SMALL or INVOLVED or SIMPLE......do it!   As the scripture says, Do it
    unto the least of these, you are doing it to/for ME.
We will NOT become distracted from helping God with His Mission!!
Only One life, twill soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last! 
Ready for 2024 to come, we are on mission with Christ, let's do this TOGETHER!
Here are a few prayer needs and praises:
Ron Boyer - Had his heart replacement and is doing well. So well that he has been discharged. He will have therapy ahead of him, so let's continue to pray for him.
Gladys Ketner - is over COVID and doing well. She is back at Complete Care at Lehigh Center in Macungie.  Let's send her some thinking of you cards, to let her know we are all thinking of her.  The address is 1718 Spring Creek Road, Room # 105A, Macungie PA 18062
Darla, Josie's friend - continues with Chronic Pain and having pain in her jaw. Continue to pray for endurance and perseverance as she fights through it.  Also may the medication help to take the edge off.
Josie is praising God the time we  get to experience with family and friends, not just over the holidays but at any time.  Never underestimate that time with them that you are given.
Continue to pray for our church family, as some are still working through the flu, colds, coughs, respiratory issues.
Pray for our Homebound members and missionaries also.
** ** **
Praying you all have a safe and enjoyable New Year's!  Enjoy that Pork and Sauerkraut.
Dear Lord, Help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this 
coming year.  In the midst of life's uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging Love for each of us.
  In your name,
     Amen
Blessings,
Harvest Prayer Blog:

January 1 - Praying for Revival (Day 1): We’ve Been Here Before

After years of seeking God, a spiritual explosion took place in 1801 that went through our nation like a wildfire. The revival was so powerful as it swept in every direction that Vanderbilt University historian Paul Conklin called it “America’s Pentecost.”

It changed the course of world history. Hundreds of denominations were born, thousands of churches were founded, modern missions exploded, college campuses were revived, and tract and Bible societies were established. The abolition of slavery fixed itself to the American soul.

The awakening infiltrated every area of American life. It was a harvest of righteousness that fundamentally changed our culture in a few short years and spun out for nearly 50 years.

In the midst of similar problems today, pray with hope and confidence. We have been here before. We have seen the glory of Christ and its astonishing effects.

Father, stir in me a vision of what this nation could look like if another Great Awakening were to sweep our land. Give us a renewal of hope and use me to carry that hope when I pray for others. I ask that You pour out a “harvest of righteousness” in our nation and send a revival that will change the course of history! Fill my church with intercessors who will join me in praying with hope for another Great Awakening. May You be glorified!

Pr a y e r Po i n t s:

• Ask God to stir in you a vision of what this nation could look like if another Great Awakening were to sweep our land. Pray for the fulfillment of that vision.
• If you have felt discouraged about the negative discourse in our nation, pray for a renewal of hope. Ask God to use you as a conveyor of that hope as you pray with others.
• Pray for a renewed “harvest of righteousness” in our nation.
• Pray for a revival in our day that changes the course of world history.
• Pray that your church will be filled with intercessors who will join you in praying with hope for another Great Awakening.

--Adapted from Day 1 by Bob Bakke: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)  compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.

ODB:

New Identity in Jesus

See what great love the Father has lavished on us. 1 John 3:1

READ 2 Corinthians 5:14–21

“I’m not who I once was. I’m a new person.” Those simple words from my son, spoken to students at a school assembly, describe the change God made in his life. Once addicted to heroin, Geoffrey previously saw himself through his sins and mistakes. But now he sees himself as a child of God.

The Bible encourages us with this promise: “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter who we’ve been or what we’ve done in our past, when we trust Jesus for our salvation and receive the forgiveness offered through His cross, we become someone new. Since the garden of Eden, the guilt of our sins has separated us from God, but He has now “reconciled us to himself through Christ,” “not counting” our sins against us (vv. 18–19). We are His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1–2), washed clean and made new in the likeness of His Son.

Jesus liberates us from sin and its dominating power and restores us into a new relationship with God—where we’re free to no longer live for ourselves but “for him who died for [us] and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). On this New Year’s Day, let’s remember that His transforming love compels us to live with new identity and purpose. It helps us point others to our Savior, the One who can make them new people too!

By James Banks

REFLECT & PRAY

What does it mean to you that a new beginning is possible with God? How can you live as His “new creation”?

Abba, Father, thank You for sending Your Son to save me. Please send me to someone who needs You too. 

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Second Corinthians 5:21 describes the very heart of the gospel message: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In this great divine exchange, known as substitutionary or vicarious atonement, God took our sins and placed them on the sinless Christ and attributed His righteousness to us. Jesus took the full punishment that we deserved. The apostle Peter describes this exchange as “the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring [us] to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

When we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we take on His righteousness (Romans 3:22) and receive a right standing before God (see 4:3-4). Paul says of this gift: “Even greater is God’s . . . gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ” (5:17 nlt).

K. T. Sim
Charles Stanley:
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Pray for your pastors and leaders guide. We covet and need your prayers!
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Tuesday, January 02 2024
Please note: Zoom ONLY church tomorrow at 10 as we allow sicknesses to mellow a bit before we gather in person next Sunday.
Good Morning Love, Peace, and Joy Bringers! Incarnating or bringing to life Jesus and His ways, and God's love, peace and joy is part of our greater mission individually and as His Body. PTL and glorify His Holy Name as you reflect and celebrate how God is doing that through you and us at St. Matts. (JOY Church)!
Yesterday I ended with Rosa's prophesy that we should rename our church JOY Church because God's love and joy are flowing through and from us to many. AMEN! God is in the business of bringing His shalom to the chaos and He is doing that through us and our prayers as well. PTL! We have much to be thankful about as God's love, peace, joy and wisdom are growing in us and being incarnated through us! We are on our way to become a dynamic movement of God and world changers as we continue to work on living and loving like Jesus as we grow more fully into our new nature and created purposes for us.
As we end this year, celebrate! And as we enter the new year let us commit to Becoming More in '24. Keep seeking God and following Him to the new and next things He has planned for us. More love! More power! More of Christ in our lives! More of growing into our new nature more fully and doing more of God's purposes for us daily and along the way. More disciple making. More connecting to neighbors. More blessings. Knowing God more and making Him known more. More J.O.Y. (Jesus. Others. Yourself) living. God has amazing things in store for each of us and our fellowship as well. And for some not yet here but being sent by God.
Today, God gave me about three threads I thought He wanted to share with you from my quiet time and then He started typing the above through me. What's He saying to you today? Be still and know! I think He gave me about three sermons from this quiet time! He definitely encouraged me and reminded me of all His blessings and workings in and through us we get to celebrate! Rejoice and again I say, rejoice! I'll put the devos below for you that don't have them so you can engage with God through them. Listen! He's speaking to your heart and revealing many things to you too. PTL! Now what will you do about that?
At first I thought today was to be a day to pronounce deliverance and healing over our flock, families and friends. Let's do that now! 
Father, you are our Healer and Jesus, our Great Physician and Deliverer. In Jesus name, we pronounce healing over those we know who are sick and deliverance from health troubles, addictions, and situations. By His stripes we are healed. Thank You Lord! We pray a covering of protection over ourselves, our families and friends and our church. Keep us healthy and keep using us as joy and shalom bringers. And keep us from sin and with humble, repentant hearts. Thank You Lord for your love, healing presence, deliverance, and protection. Thank You for your provision and many blessings and for using us. May we glorify your name as we steward well all your blessings. Amen.
Please keep Sarah Boyer in your prayers as her legs have been troubling her. Pray for deliverance and healing. And pray for her as she brings our message tomorrow. Thank God for the technology that allows us to gather via Zoom safely from our homes.
May you have an awesome time with the Lord today and with allowing Him to use you to bring many blessings alive as He helps you, His friend, to live and love like Jesus. Amen! May we continue to persevere in faith, grow in faith and service, and live with heaven in view no matter what we face! God is for us and with us--always! Amen.
Jesus is our peace or shalom. PTL! Here is a great prayer blog about that from Harvest Prayer today. (Other devos below)

December 30 - Jesus Is Our Peace

We can follow Jesus’ example as a peacemaker, and allow peace to rule within us. His life was foundationally peaceful, and He passed on to us His peace, which was not of the world but which has overcome the world. Read and reflect on these passages of Scripture as we focus on the peace that passes all understanding as we comprehend His coming:

  • "He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And He will be their peace" (Micah 5:4-5).
  • "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).
  • "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
  • "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace" (1 Corinthians 14:33).
  • "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Colossians 3:15).
  • "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9).

God of Peace, as I face this New Year spread out before me with all of its infinite possibilities, I desire to step into it fully aware of Your power and joy and transformational life living within me. I’m so thankful for the peace of Christ that rules in my heart! Give me the grace to obediently follow the plans You have for me and put into practice all that I learn, receive, hear and see in Christ!

--Adapted from the article Prayers for a Peaceful Family by Kim Butts, author of The Praying Family: Creative Ways to Pray Together. This resource is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

  • Praise Jesus for calling you his friend (Jn. 15:15).
  • Thank him for giving you a job to do in his kingdom—that is, to “bear fruit” (15:16).
  • Confess those times when you’ve sought to do your own work rather than God’s work.
  • Commit yourself to bearing fruit that will last.
  • Ask Jesus for the strength and wisdom you need to carry out his commands.
  • Praise God for family members and friends who also have been called by him to bear fruit. Thank Jesus for his friendship with them. Pray that they will seek to nurture that friendship with their Savior.
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend.

Charles Stanley:
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ODB:

Troubled Souls, Honest Prayers

Father, glorify your name! John 12:28

READ John 12:27–32

Three days before a bomb blast rocked his home in January 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had an encounter that marked him for the rest of his life. After receiving a threatening phone call, King found himself pondering an exit strategy from the civil rights movement. Then prayers emerged from his soul. “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can't face it alone.” After his prayer, there came quiet assurance. King noted, “Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”

In John 12, Jesus acknowledged, “My soul is troubled” (v. 27). He was transparently honest about His internal disposition; still He was God-centered in His prayer. “Father, glorify your name!” (v. 28). Jesus’ prayer was one of surrender to God’s will.

How human it is for us to feel the pangs of fear and discomfort when we find ourselves with the option of honoring God or not; when wisdom requires making hard decisions about relationships, habits, or other patterns (good or bad). No matter what we’re faced with, as we pray boldly to God, He’ll give us the strength to overcome our fear and discomfort and do what brings glory to Him—for our good and the good of others.

By Arthur Jackson

REFLECT & PRAY

What experiences have prompted prayers for God to be honored? What advice would you give to others facing such situations?

Father, please help me to face challenging things honestly and prayerfully that are for my good and will bring You glory.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Jesus would enter the garden of Gethsemane on the evening of Passover Thursday, probably three days after the events described in John 12:27-32. Unlike the other three gospels, John doesn’t describe Christ’s anguish in Gethsemane. But he lets us know that Jesus is already tasting the sorrow coming His way. “Now my soul is troubled,” Christ said (v. 27). In Gethsemane, Jesus would pray, “Not as I will, but as you [the Father] will” (Matthew 26:39). In John, he prays, “Father, glorify your name!” (12:28). Author Warren Wiersbe says that when we experience trials, there are two prayers we can pray: “Father, save me!” or “Father, glorify Your name!” As His hour of trial approached, Jesus chose the latter, praying, “What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (v. 27).

Tim Gustafson
UR: Worth the Effort

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:3 (NRSVUE)

I work as an editor on the publishing team for the Korean edition of The Upper Room. I edit the Korean translation of the devotional guide so that our readers may comprehend it with ease.

Over the years we’ve distributed the Korean edition to many readers for free, especially individuals in hospitals, military camps, and prisons. A few years ago a generous donor began supporting our effort to distribute The Upper Room to multiple prisons across South Korea.

One day at work, I received a call from a person saying he was moved by the message of the devotional guide and asking where to buy it. I asked him, “How did you get to know The Upper Room?” He replied, “A few days ago I was released from prison, where I often read it.”

After the call I was overcome with emotion and could hardly say a word. I gave thanks that our efforts and the donor’s good intentions were bearing fruit. I don’t know what that caller’s life has been like, but I firmly believe that his life will be better than before and closer to God with The Upper Room as a companion.

TODAY'S PRAYER
Lord of hope, help us not to become weary in sharing your love with others. Amen.

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St. Matthew's EC Church

5th & Ridge Streets
P.O. Box 433
Emmaus, PA 18049
Telephone 610.965.5570
Email: stmattsecemmaus@gmail.com

ABOUT US

We are learning to live and love like Jesus. 

We are working on becoming who we were created to be and doing our custom made purposes well. 

We are part of the Evangelical Congregational Church http://www.eccenter.com/

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