Category: Thoughts

Sarah and Stephen are doing a special “project” this fall. Yesterday Sarah sent out an e-mail to the Bright Lights summer traveling team, inviting them to do the same.

Anyone interested in doing a “speed read” through the Bible with me? (I’m thinking of something like 15 chapters a day, starting tomorrow and finishing Dec. 31st.) It’s something I’ve been interested in doing for a while, and now that conference season is over, it seems like a good time! …For me personally, I know that the fall/winter is a season where I can spend extra time in personal study and disciplines…I think my plan is to read 9 chapters in the morning (starting in Genesis), 2 chapters at lunch (Psalms and Proverbs), and 4 chapters before bed (starting in Matthew). But I’m sure each day will vary. 🙂
Love,
Sarah

Although it’s great to slowly digest a chapter or do word studies, there is a special perspective and understanding you receive when you read through the Bible at a faster pace. It causes you to step back and see the whole picture at once. I’m not doing it this time, but I wanted to put the idea out there in case any of you would like to join! If you are doing it too we’d love to hear from you!

We took this picture when we were in Malaysia a few years ago. One of the things that stood out to us immediately was the “call to prayer” that sounded throughout the city five times a day. It reminded us to pray for these people.

Last Sunday a friend at church passed out these booklets to encourage Christians to pray for Muslims–especially during Ramadan (this month). Ramadan is the time when Muslims fast and try to focus on seeking God.

Let’s join the thousands of Christians all over the world who are also taking this month to pray for Muslims. See testimonies page of Muslims coming to Jesus.

I recommend that you either sign up to receive their daily emails for the month of August, or that you order the booklet (priority shipping :)) or download the booklet off their website.

After lunch today, we watched this great documentary of the Bates Family–a homeschool family with 18 kids from Tennessee. We appreciated the good job ABC did with the documentary and praise the Lord for the beautiful testimony this family has!

Click HERE to view the 8 minute clip. I think you’ll enjoy it! 🙂

“Rebekah and I regret that we did not have a more Biblical view of family when we were younger. Many years ago the Lord used Psalm 127 and some hard lessons to drastically change our perspective about children and families. He corrected our misconceptions and errors and gave us a love for children. We went from wanting no children to wanting many. We do not deserve any but God gave us three, and we are so grateful for them.

Families are important to God and this concept has become a major ministry message for us. Over the years it has been one of our objectives to communicate to other parents how much God loves children and how much he desires for parents to raise up a “godly seed” for His kingdom. We are thrilled now every time we hear of a large family being brought up to serve the Lord.”
-Harold Mally

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5)

Earlier this month we attended the annual “Workers and Elders Conference” in Cedar Falls, IA. (In connection with our Bible chapel) I had been praying that the Lord would teach me to pray, and what did He do? Send me to a 3-day confernece on prayer!

Here are a few tidbits:

– “Watch” means to keep alert, just as Col 4:2 tells us to “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it…

-Prayer cultivates intimacy with the Lord. We pray because we want to become closer to Jesus –because we want to draw near.

-Praying is like building muscle. The more we pray, the more we want to pray.

-The word “fervent” could be described as “boiling.” God wants hot, boiling prayers, not lifeless, cold repetitious prayers. We must get close to the source of heat in order to boil.

-If our heart longs for the same things as Christ longs for, it won’t be difficult to pray in His will.

-Paul truly believed his ministry would be more effective if people were praying for him, because he asked for prayer so often in his letters! Prayer makes a difference.

-Church revivals in history start with prayer

-“When we talk to God, all other things that scare us begin to melt”

-We pray, not only because prayer changes things, but because prayer changes us.

To hear audio messages from the conference, click here.

This summer, one of my good friends (and great example to me) from church, Augusta, suggested that us ladies have more prayer time together. She’s from India and she told us about the frequent all night prayer meetings and times of fasting her believing friends in India held. So a few of us ladies decided to start coming to church at 7:30am to have a prayer meeting before the service started. It has been such a sweet, powerful time. We have become closer friends with each other, our hearts are more prepared for the service, and we have already seen the Lord answering prayers. How exciting to have a God who listens and acts!

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20