Mark your calendars and invite some friends! worship with communion 4 PM followed by a quick pizza meal in the Fellowship Hall
Good Morning Giving Servants of the Lord Most High! Every time I think about you I praise God for calling me to such a loving, giving, encouraging flock of givers and servers! You guys rock! Thanks and keep it up! God's love and care is spreading through us! we served a ton of people with bread and Weis products and love, care and prayer. This year our Support and Finance Teams approved blessing some of those we serve through bread and . night ministries with Weis gift cards. about five of those received with great gratitude our tithes turned to blessings. We still have more to give and will do so next few weeks as God opens the door. Our evening dinner huddle will be on holiday break until Jan.
Tis the season of business. May we pause, abide in Christ and rest in Him often before stepping out to live and love like Jesus. Needs are all around. How might God be preparing you to go bless someone? Talk to Him about that. Maybe partner up with some friends and go bless God, others and be blessed back by being a blessing. We are blessed and gifted to go love well. PTL! Check out the Upper Room and abide and meditate with God about what he's saying to you and then go be a doer of His Word and a blessing to all you encounter ! I'm praying for a real sense of God's leading for each of us to go share the love, Good news and many blessings as we encourage and help others. God loves that! Amen! Be a joy bringer ! Shalom!
UR: Encourage One Another
Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
After I retired, I worked part-time at a hardware store. But I was surprised when the boss didn’t even talk to me! He never even gave me directions or assignments. Each day, I had to guess at what I was to do. I longed for some indication of how I was doing. I was hungry for encouragement, but it never came.
Finally, after several months, I asked him if he approved of my efforts. He laughed as if I should have known what he had been thinking. “You’re fantastic!” he said. “You’ve cleaned up the place nicely. Even the regional manager has noticed. And every time the delivery truck comes, you get the product out on the shelves on time.” I swelled with pride and a sense of accomplishment. I had finally gotten encouragement, but it was sad that I had to wait so long.
As Christians, we need to encourage others. Many people are desperate for attention; they may feel lonely, neglected, or unsuccessful. They may feel unloved and unwanted.
Why do we withhold our encouraging affirmation of others? It could be apathy, ignorance, or simply a lack of love. Whatever the reason, let’s break our habit of silence and pick up the habit of offering loving encouragement to others.
's devotional is available to you for free because of the generosity of our donors.
Thanks to donor support, anyone can read 's meditation without logging in for up to 7 days.
Please consider supporting our ministry. Your donation or paid subscription helps ensure that readers around the world continue to receive spiritual encouragement every day.
Wagner's news:
Greetings from warm and sunny Kijabe! The is shining, the grass is freshly mowed, parrots are migrating through the campus, and colobus monkeys are playing in our trees while eating the succulent leaves. In the past two weeks, we have had several vivid reminders of why we do what we do.
Student Baptisms
Just 10 days ago we had the privilege of hearing the testimonies of eight students who chose to be baptized! Each student shared their testimony and their personal, heartfelt story of discovering who God is and how much he loves them. Many had hard experiences and had to wrestle with God, ultimately surrendering to his love and redemption found only in Jesus. This is a good reminder of why we do what we what we do!
Connections with Alumni and Parents
Just a few days ago, we had lunch with a Korean couple who are retiring after 40 years of ministry in Africa. As they shared some of their story, they asked if we remembered their children. Brian had taught both of their children, who graduated in 2000 and 2002! We are the only staff members still at RVA from those years and these dear parents were so excited to connect with us. Both of their children are married and involved in ministry around the world. We’ve also recently connected with other alumni who are now serving as missionaries in East Africa. More reminders of why we do what we do!
AIM Spiritual Life Conference
As our students departed on morning, AIM missionaries from Kenya and Tanzania began arriving at RVA. We were excited that RVA was again hosting the conference, for the first time since 2017. The speaker, a Kenyan pastor at a church in Nairobi, shared from the Books of Daniel and Revelation, reminding us why we do what we do. We were challenged to be different from the world, to dwell on the sovereignty of God, and to recognize that missions is the fruit of worship. One quote that stood out was that modern Christianity often says to God, “I will follow you because you make my life better”; but biblical Christianity says, “I will follow you because YOU are better than life!”
Lots of thought-provoking questions from our speaker:
Will we choose obedience over deliverance?
Will we worship even if it kills us?
Will we weep for those facing a Christ-less eternity?
Will we keep Christ at the center of our lives?
Will we partner with God in turning rebels into worshippers?
And…we’re off!
, we are flying to the US to spend a few weeks of our school break with family. We are looking forward to seeing our three children, their spouses, and our grandchildren, along with extended family and friends. Pray for safe travels and rich times full of blessings with those we love so dearly.
You are appreciated, as you continue to support us through faithful prayer and giving. Without you, we would not have the privilege of being able todo what we do for so many years as we serve and support many families and their children from across Africa and beyond.
