Tag Archives: missions

Rain on a a Canvas

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Sometimes it is interesting to just sit around and watch. To observe people, happenings, or just nature. Watching wind blowing the trees. Acorns falling from the limbs. Clouds traveling across the blue sky. Dogs running across the yards.

The other day, as I took my lovely wife to Missions BBQ for salmon, it began to rain … and rain pretty hard. We sat inside and I listened to the impact each little rain drop made on the windows. And then, as I stared at the patio umbrellas through the windows. They were out there on the empty outside eating area and just being pelted by the falling droplets. But the cool display was even better for I got lost watching the droplets descend the canvas … they streamed down the canvas, smaller droplets joining together to make larger droplets … like little rivers coming down the mountainside and falling off the canvas forming picturesque waterfalls descending to the patio below.

My mind just ponder the simplicity of the image, the beauty of nature, the essence of the moment.

In life, sometimes things just happen. Nature is a beautiful display of the creativity of God. It’s not that it has a message to proclaim, or a truth to challenge us, or a principle to ponder. What it does have is just a simple beauty, a simple repetition to get lost in.

Nature is like that. Find something to just observe, simply get lost in the wonder of life. Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy life.

On a closing note, I am not sure what my wife was doing during all this … I think she was watching me and appreciating the beauty of her great husband.. Actually, I think she was just eating and enjoying her salmon, collards, cornbread and cherry cobbler. I am not sure she knew I was there after I paid for the meal.

Open the blinds … Look outside … Enjoy the view.

Life would be a better is people would slow down ever so often and chill!

Week of Prayer: Day 6 of 8

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We often think of Mexican or Canadian missions. Maybe even the territories. But much of North American missions takes place in the 50 United States. Our cities have millions that need to hear the gospel. Let’s look at one city – Denver.

Denver is not huge. A little over 700,000 reside in the county. But there is only about 1 evangelical church for every 32,000 residents. Wow! A lot of work for those churches.

But missions is more than numbers and statistics. It really is about relationships.

Into Denver we have sent Briana McKinney.

While there is only one evangelical church for every 32,000 people in Denver, Colorado, the ratio of marijuana dispensaries to residents is one for every 2,000. Young professionals and families are moving to Denver from all over the world, but they’re struggling to find real community here. But as #AnnieArmstrong featured missionary Brianna McKinney serves alongside church plants and compassion ministries in Denver, she’s seeing people’s lives change through gospel-centered relationships. Join us on Day 6 of this Week of Prayer, in praying for perseverance for Briana and her team as they share Christ’s love with this city.

For Denver and Dallas and Duncanville and every other city – we are thankful for Briana and every missionary working to reach lives for the gospel.

Week of Prayer: Day 5 of 8

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Canada – our dear friends to the north. A land of great diversity and secularism. The need for the proclamation of the gospel is of paramount importance.

Just off the door in St. Catharines is about 400,000 residents and tens of thousands of tourists.

Into this world, we introduce e the Martins.

Nearly 90% of the more than 400,000 residents living in Canada’s Niagara region have no belief
in God. Since planting Sevilla Chapel in 2019, missionaries Steven and Cindy Martins have been strategically and intentionally going door-to-door in the city of St. Catharines. They’ve been sharing the gospel, and people are listening. On Day 5 of the #AnnieArmstrong Week of Prayer, pray for God to continue to open doors and hearts for the gospel in this challenging community.

May we pray, give and go all across North America.

We’ve got

If You’re Prayed Up, You Don’t Need to Pray Long!?

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If you’re prayed up, you don’t need to pray long.

I’ve been told this before, and even have used it. The quote may sound weird, but I think what it is emphasizing is that some people overlook personal prayer time and use corporate time in their stead. I have been in prayer services where it seems people are catching up on their private prayer times in the middle of a group’s prayer service. The length of their prayers seem to be, well, out of proportion.

Before you get the tar and feathers, or call for a vote of confidence, let me explore a bit.

I look at Nehemiah, he spent time in intense prayer, but when Artexerxes asked what Nehemiah was requesting, Nehemiah said a prayer and then responded (Neh. 2.4). No long prayer service, no hold on, but a quick, probably non-verbal, “give me courage”, and gave his response to the king.

Why bring this up? I believe in prayer, the power of prayer, and that prayer changes things – mostly us, the one praying. And I believe we are to spend time alone with the Lord. Jesus showed us this in His life, He spent time alone in prayer with the Father. The Bible doesn’t say “if” you pray, but “when” you pray. I believe in corporate prayer. But I also believe corporate prayer should be an outpouring of the private prayers.

I believe in prayer, the power of prayer, and that prayer changes things – mostly us

Again, why bring this up? I hope to challenge you a bit about your prayer life. Southern Baptists are in the middle of our annual week of prayer for international missions. Every day we are encouraged to read about and pray for missions and missionaries. And I think we should do this in our worship services as well … and hopefully, the time in the worship is an outpouring of the time open our prayer closet.

Today, I read a great blog by a former missionary on how to pray for missionaries. It builds a deeper appreciation of our time in prayer and helps us be more invested in the lives of missionaries. Here is a summary of his article …

– Pray for them by name. This makes it personal for you.

– Pray with understanding. Get to know their country, their work, their challenges.

– Pray they learn the language and the culture. This will open doors for the Gospel.

– Pray for their safety. They often put themselves in harms way and in cultures that are not always open to the Gospel.

– Pray for their health and the health of their family.

– Pray for open doors and open hearts.

– Pray for the harvest.

When we do this type of prayer in our quiet time and in our family time, it will pour into our time of corporate prayer for the mission work.

A common mantra about mission is pray-give-go. It starts with prayer.

Have a blessed day … and start it with prayer.

Merry Christmas

Full Article on Prayer For Missionaries Here