From the Word:  HEAR AND FOLLOW (John 1:35-51)
“The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” (John 1:37 NASB)

What a great word picture!  And how simple.  Because of who John the Baptist was, how he lived his life and what he had already said to his followers, all he needed to say to them was “Behold the Lamb of God”.  And his disciples began to follow Jesus.

May my life and my words be a signpost to You, Lord, as John’s was.  AMEN.

P.S.  And then Andrew, one of these two guys, found his brother, and brought him to Jesus (v41-42).  What a great follow on!

Please pray with us:

Pictured here are the directors of The Navigator’s Metro Missions in major cities around the U.S. Also in the photo are our national Metro headquarters team.  I am travelling to Kansas City, MO this week to meet with them (and others).  We have been gathering annually in late January for encouragement, for keeping up with concerns and issues in our cities, and for time in the Word and prayer together (one of my favorite parts).  This year our time in the Word is focused on the issues of poverty, corruption, and injustice.  Leading up to this time, we have all done a Bible study on these topics and will be discussing our findings together.  Please pray for us that our discussions and our other times together will be led by the Holy Spirit.  Thanks.

Cities represented above include Atlanta, Boston, Philly (me - back row center), Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Denver, DC, and more (including Kansas City).

My prayer on Dec 31, 2011:
“Lord, the last day of the year.  How have I done trusting You?  How have I done loving people?  I commit 2011 to You, and I commit my heart, soul, mind and strength to loving You wholeheartedly and serving You in 2012.”

What my biggest problem may be in 2012:
“They came to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.’ ”  (Acts 23:14 NASB).

When I read this passage, I usually wonder what happened to these guys.  Did they keep their oath?  I doubt it.  They were so determined to accomplish their goal of eliminating Paul, but they didn’t have the big picture, only their own agenda.  They couldn’t have guessed that God would arrange for half a battalion of Roman soldiers and cavalry to escort Paul out of the city to the safety of custody in the Roman governor’s palace in Caesarea 50 miles away (23:24-33).

This makes me wonder what plans I have that I am so determined to accomplish, yet I don’t see things from God’s perspective.  My biggest obstacle to seeing God’s plans accomplished this year may be myself: my blind spots, my weaknesses, my self-interest and lack of faith.

“May I trust You this year, Lord, to reveal Your plans to me and show me the part You want me to play in Your plans, rather than me coming up with my own plans without knowing what is over the next hill.  Amen.”

From the Word:  A heart of obedience (Psalm 119:59-60 NASB)
“I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies.  I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments.”

While stationed with the Navy in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba years ago, several base residents, including me, were interviewed by the base paper, the Guantanamo  Gazette, as to what our New Year’s resolutions might be for the coming year.  I remember my response almost verbatim:

“I am not in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions.  I have submitted my life to Jesus Christ, and when God points out a habit or attitude that needs changing, I don’t want to put it off until another time but take action and make the change right away.”

Although my response in the interview was spontaneous, I realized that my thinking and priorities had been significantly influenced by the passage above.  I don’t want to delay obedience, but immediately obey God when I become aware of something in my life that does not line up with what He wants me to do.

If you are planning to make resolutions this year, don’t let this thought keep you from doing so, but let me suggest that your first resolution be, regardless of the day, that when God taps you on the shoulder about something, not to put off making the change until another day.

And may God give you a Happy New Year!

Please pray with us:
Pray for us for hearts of obedience, of immediate obedience, as we enter the new year.  And not out of obligation, but out of appreciation and gratitude for who Jesus is and for what He has done for us.  Thanks!

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.

From the Word:  Restoring my soul (from Psalm 23)
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside ‘waters of rest’, He restores my soul…”  (Psalm 23:2,3 NASB)

Lord, what do I need right now - comfort? encouragement? motivation? admonition? rebuke? exhortation? chastisement?  You know what I need better than I do.  If it was up to me, I would probably try to give me an incentive from the rear.  Ahhh, but You provide very practical help from the side!  The ox, the yoke; that’s where I want to be, Lord.  You say there is rest in being yoked with You! (Matt 11:29)  Now that is an amazing thought:  a yoke is supposed to be an implement of labor, yet You call me to join with You in Your yoke in order to experience rest!  Talk about encouragement - that is “en-heartening”!

Only You, Lord Jesus, can make labor an activity that produces rest.  I can see that; it makes sense.  Just as an athlete is invigorated, even refreshed,  in the exertion demanded by his routine,  I am able to feel Your strength pulling us along as I keep stride with You in the yoke and sense the surging of Your strength through the yoke from Your side to mine.

Lord, may I yoke up with You and hang on - and rest, experiencing the restoration of my soul that Your strength provides.  May I honor You with my faith, trusting You alongside me (or should I say me alongside You) - and may You give me the wisdom and courage that I will need for today.  Amen.

Please pray with us:
December 1st is World Aids Day.  I will be attending a prayer gathering in Philadelphia tomorrow morning that will address this global problem, specifically focusing on the impact of HIV/AIDS here in the Philly metro area.  Please pray along with us for your own community, as well as for the ongoing problem around the world.  Since 2004 Saddleback Church (pastored by Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life) has been mobilizing prayer and other resources and encouraging the body of Christ to be actively engaged in addressing the AIDS epidemic.   “HIV/AIDS is still the greatest humanitarian crisis of all time, killing millions every year and leaving millions of orphaned and vulnerable children behind.” (- Kay Warren, Rick’s wife).  You can check out the Saddleback website for more information as to what they are doing not just on Dec 1st but throughout the year.

Thanks.

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.

From the Word: “He rescued me” (from Psalm 18)
“He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.” (Psalm 18:19 NASB)

Lord, this is encouraging to read how David delighted in You…no!  How You delighted in him!  He loved You (v1) and he lived his life for You with fervor and commitment.  But because You delighted in him, You watched over him and did things for him that he couldn’t do for himself.  And as for me, Lord,  I need Your hand of safety on my life today - just driving to the airport may be my biggest challenge, I don’t know.  So many circumstances totally out of my control, but certainly not out of Yours.

Give me wisdom for today, Lord,  I belong to You, so I can trust You that You will do with me what needs to be done, what You determine to do with my life, and through my life, according to Your purposes.  There is great security knowing that inasmuch as things are out of my control, I, with David, can trust You to bring me into a broad place, if that is Your plan.  I do love You, Lord.  Thank You from rescuing me from myself.  Amen.

Please pray with us: This week I am turning 60.  I have been pondering how much time God will give me from here on out to walk with Him and serve Him.  I have also been thinking about Veterans’ Day, and how much we owe our military, past and present, for the freedom we have to worship.  It is a young man’s pursuit.  I couldn’t do it anymore.  But I am thankful for the Scriptures that give us examples of military life, as in II Timothy 2:4, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” (NASB)  I must say that the armed forces of the 21st century are a far cry from what life as a soldier used to be - it wasn’t all that long ago that a man had to get permission from his CO to get married.

May I embrace the spirit of what was required when Timothy wrote his words, and recommit my life to serving God, loving Him and fearing Him with all my being, for all the remaining time God gives me.  (Deut 6:4-9, Deut 10:12-13)

Thanks.

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.

From the Word:  Satisfied with You (from Psalm 17)
“As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisified with Your likeness when I awake.” (Psalm 17:15 NASB)

What a thing to say! To be satisfied with You, Lord Jesus!  A simple goal, yet so profound and unattainable in the flesh.  And in my flesh I wouldn’t even think of this as a goal or sense it as a yearning.  Yet David is expressing the deepest desire of his heart, and is speaking with a confident expectation that he will be satisfied with You, a desire that will no doubt be fulfilled in just a few hours.

He even says he expects to “behold Your face”, a privilege reserved for the pure in heart (Matthew 5:8 - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”). Makes me wonder if, when David wrote these words, he had not yet sinned with Bathsheba.  He could speak with confidence about his feet not slipping (v5), that You had tried his heart and tested him and found no transgression, that there was no evil device in his mouth (v3 footnote).

That is certainly not my experience, Lord!  Can I, will I ever be satisfied with You?  I so want this, yet I consider how distracted I still am by worldly cravings.  Maybe the question I am asking is, “will I ever be satisfied with my own performance?”  If I conclude that I can never be good enough, my heart never pure enough to experience contentment in You, then I am forgetting who You are and what You have done at such a huge price.  How easily I forget what You have done to wash me and sanctify me, to make me holy and set me apart in my behavior?  My only hope is to join with David in his confession in Psalm 51.  It is Your Holy Spirit that gives me the joy of my salvation, not my accomplishments or a bravado generated in the flesh.

Thank You, Lord, that I can be satisfied with You because of what You have done.  When I awake, rather than dreading the day and thinking of the demands and difficulties that I will face, may I think of You first thing, may I see You and rejoice with gladness in my heart (Psalm 4:7), for You have lifted up the light of Your countenance upon us (Psalm 4:6).

On the practical side, then, how am I to control my thoughts?  How can I be assured that I will see Your likeness when I awake?  Part of the answer may be based upon how I prepare myself for bed the night before, and fill my mind with thankful thoughts of You, to remember You on my bed and meditate on You in the night watches (Psalm 63:6), to wait for You eagerly (while following Your judgments, longing to for You at night, seeking You diligently in my spirit Isaiah 26:8,9).  Thank You, Lord, for these thoughts from other men whose hearts were captivated by You, who sought You wholeheartedly and without reservation or hesitation, and were totally committed to and focused on You.  Amen.

Please pray with us:
Now that the hub-bub of the mid-term elections is over, there is the inclination, for me at least, to get back to my own business as usual and leave the ruling of the country up to our elected officials.  Whether or not you voted for them, or voted at all, please pray with us for those in authority, that God will guide their decisions to eventually create an environment that will be conducive to people being saved and coming to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:1-4).

From the Word: “Looking for Jesus” (from Matthew 28:1-20)
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.  He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.  Come see the place where He was lying.’ ” (Matthew 28:5-6 NASB)

They were looking for You, Lord, because they knew You and they loved You, and they were grieving, and they wanted to do what they could for You and couldn’t find Your body.  And of course, You met them on their way (v8,9) and told them what to do, to tell Your disciples where to go - to Galilee, “and there they will see Me.” (v10)

Yes!  To see You, Lord, to see You as the risen Lord, having overcome death and the grave!  I still don’t think that I grasp the full extent of the greatness of this experience that You gave to Your disciples, first to the women, the two Marys, to see You after You had risen!  They thought they knew where Your  body was, but when they went to the grave, You were not there! They were looking for You and couldn’t find You. You found them - You “met them” as it says.  What an amazing opportunity!  They were looking for You, and You found them.  Hmmm…

Lord Jesus, I want to keep looking for You; I must keep looking for You.  I want my heart to be in that searching posture.  I know that Your Holy Spirit is in me and in spirit You are with me always (v20), but You have also reminded us that when we treat others with compassion, it is as if we are doing it to You (Matt25:31ff).  I can find You in others, too.

Thank You for Your Spirit who will never leave.  Thank You for Your Word which teaches me more about who You are and what You would want me to do and how You want me to live.  And thank You for Your heart for people, for others who are in need, even if they don’t know that You are there with them. May I see You in them, even if they are unaware of Your presence.  Give me this understanding , Lord, in practical ways.  May I walk in response to the coaxing amd coaching of Your Spirit.   Amen.

Please pray with us:
In the next few days I have plans to engage three different groups of people in settings ranging from an overtly deep spiritual level to casual interaction in the normal flow of life.  I will be in the city, in the suburbs, and close to home.  Each situation comes with its own set of sensitivities and opportunities.  Please pray for guidance and help from the Holy Spirit for me - to listen carefully to what is being said and then to speak (or not to speak) an appropriate response  - with words that are “apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).  Thanks!

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.

From the Word: A rich disciple (from Matthew 27:57 - 66)
“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.”  (Matthew 27:57  NASB)

I like this guy, Lord - he was in a position of influence as a member of the Council, and a prominent one at that (Mk 15:43).  So when he went to Pilate to ask for Your body, he wasn’t just any common person.  Was he possibly known by Pilate?   In the other gospels he is described as a good and righteous man (Lk 23:50) who himself was waiting for the Kingdom of God (Mk 15:43) and had not consented to the Council’s plan and actions to do with You what was done.  He was actually in a difficult position, a prominent Council member yet opposed to the direction and plan that had been taken to dispose of You.  In fact it says that he was a secret disciple of Yours, secret because of fear of the Jews (Jn 19:38), so he had to gather up his courage to go in before Pilate to ask for Your body.  As a Council member he had influence, yet he was in the minority as the his opinion of what should have been done.

Lord, what can I learn from Joseph?  It’s one thing to read about ‘a secret disciple’ of 2000 years ago; it’s another thing for me to try to envision in my present circumstances why a prominent man would fear.  Of course I hear of people in the world today who suffer persecution for following you, but it is not something I personally identify with.  Help me to understand what it took for Joseph to do what he did and how this can affect my daily decisions and my interaction with others.   Amen.

Please pray with us: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization
This weekend the Third Lausanne Congress begins in Cape Town, South Africa ( see the prayer request in my last entry).

Also this weekend, whether providential or intentional, our home church is holding their annual missions conference.  We have the opportunity to present our ministry with The Navigators here.  Please pray with us to communicate effectively and to encourage and stimulate those we worship regularly with about what we are trusting God for here in southeast Pennsylvania.

Thanks.

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.

From the Word: Not Taking Responsibility (from Matthew 27:1 - 26)
“When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.’”  (Matthew 27:24  NASB)

Lord, this is my problem!  Trying to pass off responsibility to others, when in fact there’s something I should do to be more involved, to make things better rather than by neglect or denial to let them get worse.  Pilate’s act of washing was simply symbolic; it meant nothing in reality.  He knew what was the right thing to do but did not do it.  He knew that You were not guilty, yet he did not free You.  ( I wonder how much his wife’s comments influenced him (v19)? )  Irresponsibility leads to injustice - that’s what happened here in this passage.  Failure to do what was right led to Your death, Lord.  Now of course we needed Your sacrifice for our sins, but could it have happened another way?

Help me, Lord, to do what is right and not cave in to the pressure of other people or of circumstances.  I wasted a good part of yesterday because I didn’t want to press on in doing what was right.  I want to make better decisions today, but I also need to be considerate of others in the midst of that, and not overreact today because I failed to step up yesterday.  That’s another problem - my overreaction to things.  And when I overreact in dealing with things, it usually means backing off and trying to not be involved.  That may be the right thing for me to do in some cases, but certainly not in that case.  That is when I need to hear the voice of Your Holy Spirit, to know when to step back and when to step in.  Amen.

Please pray with us: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization
Just a few weeks away, Oct 16-25, is the third congress meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.  Cape Town 2010, held in collaboration with the World Evangelical Alliance, will bring together 4,000 leaders from more than 200 countries to confront the critical issues of our time.

Some of the main issues as they relate to the future of the Body of Christ and world evangelization that will be addressed are:

– other world faiths

- poverty

- HIV/AIDS

- persecution

Please pray along with us the next few weeks for:

- a prayerful dependence upon God to set the spirit and tone of the conference

- that humility, appreciation and respect will typify the interaction among attendees,

- that strategic dialogue will take place, and

- that decisive action for the advance of the Gospel will be a key outcome.

[From the website:  "Together we will seek the Lord as we examine the world and our culture to discern where the church should invest its efforts and energies to most effectively respond to Christ’s call to take the gospel into all the world and make disciples of all nations . . . lives changed for all eternity, broken families mended, physical and emotional hurts healed, communities transformed."]

For specific requests, go to the Cape Town 2010 prayer link.

Thanks.

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.

From the Word: They all fled (from Matthew 26:47 - 75)
“ …then all the disciples left Him and fled.”  (Matthew 26:56  NASB)

Lord, I must realize that I, too, would have run away and abandoned You to Your captors.  How presumptive it is for me to think that I might have stuck with You!  Each of these guys had determined ahead of time that they wouldn’t abandon You - v35.  But when the situation sprang upon them and the real heat was on, each one of them, all of them, reacted spontaneously and took off.

O Lord, I must not think that I would be any different from any of Your chosen men.  But I also have the opportunity to make numerous choices through my day that are not made under the same press of circumstances.  I can deliberately think through my priorities and look back on my previous decisions and actions.  I can trust You to give me the strength and wisdom to make the right choices now, and train myself in right reactions, before I have to face the unexpected pressure of the moment. A good place to start is to admit that my natural tendency would be to react selfishly.  Help me to rely upon You to overcome my weaknesses and to get past my personal fears and tendency toward self-protection and preservation.  May You be honored by my ‘natural’ reaction to things that You bring across my path.   Amen.

Please pray with us: Lifetime laborers for the future…
The compelling call of Jesus to me is from Matthew 9:37,38 - “…the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  Years ago, after praying over this passage for several months, I told Jesus that “whatever a laborer is, I want to be one.”  In cities around the country, The Navigators are focused on training men and women in their 20s and 30s to be God’s labor force for the future, as they are the ones who in the next ten to twenty plus years will advance the gospel into our nation and around the world.  Please pray with us that “the Lord of the harvest will raise up laborers” as we seek to pass on our heart, faith and vision to the young men and women in the major cities across the US.  Thanks.

To go to my website, click here or on the title.

To send me an email click here.