From the Word : More than before ( from Mark 6:30-44)
”They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish”. (Mark 6:42-43).

A good reminder that when Jesus meets needs, He does it with “amazing grace”!  From five loaves and two fish, 5,000 men were fed, with 12 baskets of leftovers (one for each disciple, perhaps, to have in his own hands tangible evidence of Jesus’ power?). 

What could I do with five loaves and two fish?  I could feed my family for a day, but that is about it.  Jesus wants to take what I have, and do far more than I could ever accomplish on my own.  When I take stock of my own resources, I barely get past my own needs.  But when I turn over to Jesus all that I have, He can do amazing things with what I bring and make it a huge blessing for others.  What if the boy, the owner of the loaves and fish, had clung to his resources in order to meet his own needs?  

Lord Jesus, I want to trust You with what I have, and also what I lack.  My resources are sorely inadequate for what needs to be done, and my natural inclination is to cling to what little I have.  But I bring to You what I have.  My life is yours, my heart is yours, my thoughts, intentions, goals, aspirations: all are Yours, Lord.  May You receive glory and honor from my life and all that I have, little or much.  Amen.

Please pray with us:
We have had two visits from missionaries to southeast Asia in the past month. Both are back in country now, Indonesia and Thailand. In one case, as a result of the gospel being lived out through difficult circumstances among the people, best guess is that there are now several hundred new believers. In the other case, in a culture that forbids proselytizing, the work of breaking ground and building rapport and credibility has just begun, and visible fruit may still be years away. Talking with them for several hours each was an excellent reminder of the importance of keeping the gospel free of cultural expectations. Pray with us for our friends on the other side of the globe, that they would continue to grow in their understanding of the purity and simplicity of the gospel, and patiently live and speak as effective and fruitful witnesses for Christ.

Also want to mention David, one of our friends locally who is part of our young professionals group and has a heart for missions. He has made several trips on his own to southeast Asian countries for the sake of the gospel in those nations. He was able to join us in one of the meetings mentioned above. Pray for him with us that God will guide him in his career and personal decisions as he continues to grow in his heart and vision for the people of other nations.