Thursday, May 26, 2011

Prayer for a New Training Cycle

As I contemplate prayer, I am reminded of a quote from Elizabeth Elliott’s book about the life of Amy Carmichael.

One way of laying down our lives is by praying for somebody. In prayer I am saying, in effect, “my life for yours. My time, my energy, my thought, my concern, my concentration, my faith- here they are, for you.” So it is that I participate in the work of Christ.

Thank you all for participating in the work of Christ by lifting us up in prayer. This week Jeremy began a new training cycle at Spokane Turbine Center. For this first week, they have one student from Adventist Aviation. Next week, they will add one more student who is from JAARS. Please pray for Jeremy as he teaches the G1000 course this coming week- Tuesday-Friday mornings (May 31-June 3). Here are a few things you could pray about:

- Wisdom for Jeremy as he teaches, that he will present all the information in a way that his students will understand.

- Understanding of the content for the students, that they will be able to use the information from this training back in their respective ministry locations around the world.

May the Lord be glorified in and through this training cycle. May it be used for His purposes and for the furthering of His kingdom.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Rejoice. Pray. Give Thanks.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. Am I always rejoicing, no matter what circumstance in which I find myself? Do I pray throughout my day without stopping? Do I give thanks to the Lord in everything and not just in select areas of my life? These three questions have frequented my thoughts and meditations. I have come up short again and again. I don’t think I was rejoicing when I was missing my family and friends back at home. I know that I have not been faithful to pray continuously throughout my day. Without a doubt, I can tell you that I didn’t give thanks when I filled up my gas tank yesterday. Thankfully the Lord’s grace is abounding and in His strength He is teaching me to rejoice, pray and give thanks.

REJOICE: Rejoice means to be glad, to thrive, to be well. What makes me glad? Without a shadow of a doubt, I can say it is what Jesus Christ has done for me. He loved this sinful, imperfect human so much that He died on the cross and rose again to bring me life, not just an abundant life here on earth but, more importantly, eternity in heaven with Him. The Lord’s grace and mercy are limitless; He has forgiven my sins and has washed me white as snow. When I stop and ponder those truths, I can’t help but rejoice, no matter what is going on in my life. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

PRAY: We are given an amazing gift of communicating directly with our sovereign, all-knowing God. I will admit that prayer doesn’t come naturally for me. I have to work at it, especially to ward off distractions. When I stop and think of with who I am talking, my heart, mind and thoughts regain focus on Him. The more I pray, the more focused I become. That is only possible through His power. Prayer is our opportunity to commune with the Lord, to lift up others, to present our requests, and to listen to the Lord’s voice. We should be living in a way that enables us to be in constant communication with our heavenly Father.

GIVE THANKS. I looked up the Greek word for “everything” just to make sure there weren’t any exceptions. “Everything” literally means all, the whole, each. There are no exceptions. Rejoicing and praying are not dependent upon our circumstances. Giving thanks is dependent on our circumstances, but the Lord says that we are to do give thanks in everything. Am I living a lifestyle of thankfulness to the Lord for who He is, all He has given me, and how He is leading and directing my life? The Lord has a perfect plan for our lives. As we believe that truth, we will give thanks for everything in our lives.

Lord, make us people who rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything, for this is your will for our lives.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thoughts on Thankful Thursday

  • We so thankful for our wonderful, faithful support team who have continued to support us over the last 6 crazy busy months. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we haven’t updated the blog recently or sent out a spring newsletter yet. The blog will now be updated more frequently and the spring newsletter is in the making.
  • Jeremy and I are so thankful to be married! Married life is far better than we had imagined. It is so nice not to have to say goodbye, to talk on the phone for hours, to drive long distances for short weekend visits, or to send long emails. We enjoy sharing meals together, going to bed and waking up together, and just sharing in the everyday life activities together. We are blessed!
  • Now that we have been married for about five weeks, we are grateful to be settled into our home in Spokane.
  • As Jeremy and I have been able to look back and reflect on our wedding day, what keeps coming up again and again in our conversations is how truly blessed we are by our family and friends. We are so thankful for your love, prayers, support, and encouragement. We thank the Lord for you all! You're a big, important part of our lives.
  • During our first month of marriage, we have been reminded of the Lord’s great love for us and how His love for the church is represented in the marriage relationship. He desires what is best for us and loves us so much that He gave up His life so that we may truly have life.