Quietude

 

God's quiet beauty is all around us. This picture was taken on an early morning walk at the nature preserve which is right across the street from where we live. View this email in your browser

Update from Ireland. In the autumn of 2017, my teammate Robert and I met a man, we call "B." He was recovering from an addiction and believed that Mary and his deceased mother were his spiritual guides. He said he was a wee bit interested in hearing more about Jesus, but the follow up really didn't go anywhere. Flash forward to the Lockdown of Spring 2020. During this time B was struggling with his addiction again and reached out to a neighbor to see if she had a bible. She got him in touch with Andrew. During the last couple months, he has been attending bible study regularly and has now come to understand that the God of the bible is really the only God. However, he is struggling a bit with the idea of being saved by grace alone and that there "isn't something he needs to be doing." He has been asking Jesus to help him overcome some of the temptations and sinful habits he has cultivated. B has also said he is thinking of what it means to be a true Christian. What is the cost of following Jesus? Can he be strong in the face of the persecution that would certainly come to him if he walked away from Catholicism and his traditional upbringing?  And that if and when he makes that decision, he said he will publicly be baptized to show everyone that this is a genuine decision and he is serious about being a Christ follower. PRAY:  By reading the above, I think you know how we need to be praying for B! We know God created him for a wonderful purpose and that God's desire is for B to come to Him.

This meme, when I saw it on Facebook, made me chuckle. I think we all feel this way to some extent! But it should remind us of James 4:13-15 in that we should not say "tomorrow we will go here and do thus." But instead say, "if the Lord is willing we will do." And so we say, if the Lord is willing, in 2021 we will be taking teams to Ireland: July 6-13 September 8-15 We may add additional trips, but we will start with these. Registration should be live on the e3 website soon! PRAY: That God would give back the year the locusts have eaten and allow us an open door in 2021 to return to Ireland.   I've put it off for a long time. For years, I have been living with pain in both my feet. I knew surgery was inevitable but I always just lived with the pain saying,  "I'll get them fixed one day." Well, two weeks ago, I had my first foot surgery and Lord willing, I will be done with both feet and fully recovered by the end of the year. Since we can't travel, I figured it was now or never! This time has been even more difficult for me than the shutdown. I cannot workout. I cannot drive. My beloved morning walks are on hiatus. (I'm way too active for this surgical boot!) For the most part, this has been a great time to study, pray and read more so I'm thankful for this forced quietude as it has been a really nice time of worship and hearing from God. However, if I'm truly honest, some days are quite boring. But, I'm thankful to finally be getting this done and looking forward to living pain free!  PRAY: For no complications in my right foot continuing to heal and upcoming left foot surgery sometime in September.  And also for a full and speedy recovery.    It is that time of year again! e3 Giving Day 2020 is on Thursday, September 10th. All online donations given that day to my staff support account between 6am and Midnight (Central Time) will be enhanced by a $100,000 pool of bonus funds. So, mark your calendars! PRAY: About becoming a monthly partner on Giving Day or making a one-time donation. As always, we love and truly appreciate your partnership. Please let me know how I can be praying for you. Soli Deo Gloria, Lisa and Tony