Can We Pray for Crazy Things?

Duh! Of course! If we ask God to do things that are just beyond our grasp, he gets ALL the glory for the answered prayer. We don't have to second-guess him and think, "well maybe it would have happened anyways." Like I do when I'm looking for parking or my wallet.

So please pray for the mayor of the town of our church. He and his wife have a good relationship with a couple from the church. This couple therefore invited the mayor to come for dinner at their house and he's accepted the invitation. I just catch myself imagining God working that man's heart and bringing him to know Jesus. Our relationship with the town hall has always been very friendly (unlike many churches in France), but imagine what a witness this man would be!

So join me in asking God to soften the mayors heart, to open his eyes and give him a desire for life and to know Jesus.

Netherlands, Here We Come!

The Logos Hope has left Sweden headed for the Netherlands. Jérémie has news of the time in Sweden as well as details of the voyage to Harlingen. I've got to get him to start putting up photos! For your information, Harlingen will be Port #2 in the Logos Hope history of ports. THAT is pretty cool. I wish I could join them!

Pray that the crew will rapidly gain an understanding of how things work. Jérémie did mention that everything is new for everyone, so it can be interesting at times... Pray also that each young crewmember will be focused on glorifying God in all that they do.

For those among you that had watched the departure video and wondered how Ruben did it, you can check out their blog. Oops, its in French... Well the photo is clear enough! :)

Please Pray for Me as I Prepare the Sermon This Sunday

I've been assigned 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 as sermon text for Sunday 22nd of February. I remember reading the passage a few months ago, as we were dividing up the letter into six passages. As I read, I knew who should preach that text. I found it rich, wonderful and so full of questions that needed answers.

I was hoping my father would be assigned the few first verses of chapter four. Instead, here I am preparing to preach on a topic I'm hesitant to speak on, sanctification/holiness.

Please pray for me. Ask God to give me humility, wisdom and strength to preach to glorify God. Pray also that I would have much love for the flock of Feignies (the church I attend). Thank you.

Shockwave 2009, Will You Be There?

Shockwave 2009 is from March 6 to March 8. Young Christians from around the world will gather to pray for the persecuted Christians around the world. Join us to pray that God would glorify himself through his children.

Jérémie has arrived onboard the Logos Hope and there's video!

I don't have the video. It wasn't easy to embed it here, so you can go see it on Jérémie's blog and on the Logos Hope website of course.

The 39 new recruits walked onboard the Logos Hope to a warm welcome. You can pray that they rapidly integrate the community. It isn't an easy transition for either parties. The welcomers have just said goodbye to many good friends (having completed their 2-year commitment) and the welcomed are entering a strange new world.

Get the Old Ladies and You Win the War

While distributing the monthly flyer in my village, I thought of a video I'd watched. The video was made by Mars Hill Church in Seattle. On the web it is known as the "Banned Church-Planting Video" for an interesting reason...
Anyways, Mark Driscoll argues that a church-planter should strive to get the young men in their twenties. They are the innovators, the entrepreneurs, the leaders and the heads of young families. "Get the men and you win the war", says Driscoll. He is very convincing.

However, as I was doing my route in Recquignies, I was hit with the reality of my present situation. It seems that most people in the village are little old ladies, where am I supposed to find the men?
As I was talking to God about this, it hit me that Driscoll might have it all wrong. It isn't the men we need, for example, look at George Verwer's testimony. As he always tells us, some little old
lady put him on "her Holy-Ghost hit-list" (aka Prayer) and he gave his life at a evangelistic meeting.

So I felt that God might be saying to me, "get the old ladies and you
win the war..."

Praise God for Ryan Air!

Ryan Air is this low cost airline that has revolutionized they way we live, travel, date and fall in love. A friend of my mine, upon hearing that I was considering a long-distance relationship, had only one question for my attention, "Ryan Air! Does Ryan Air fly there?"

One of my best friends is flying in today from Dublin. It will be good to see him again for the weekend. We first met onboard the Doulos where we were on the same work team for 6 months. With a few other guys we began meeting together on a near daily basis to start of the day with prayer, encouragement and Bible reading.

He left the ship about two years before I did, but he's done a good job calling up every holiday to talk about life. Each time, we've reconnected nearly instantly. I'm grateful to God for the gift of friendship. May it continue this time around.

For those of you reading this that feel you don't have that kind of friendship, pray and ask God, who loves to care for His children. Then live a life as transparent as possible, allowing people to see your strengths, weaknesses and failings. That is good soil for friendships to take root.

Pray for me, there's a reason I'm not blogging

Dear friends,

I've not been in touch for some time now. I'm at the lowest I've been since coming back to France. Please pray for me. I'm physically exhausted and its affected my relationship with God.

Pray More Than You Criticize

I felt rebuked by reading the notes of Marc Driscoll at the Desiring God Conference. I'm going through a more difficult time and I would like to shoot down several people that probably deserve it. So these words were good for me.
I perhaps didn't read them as I was intended to. I read them as if I were the shepherd and I examined myself to know if that was indeed a description of myself.

"Pray that they would have a thick skin. Pray that they would have a humorous outlook. That they would laugh at themselves, that they would have a tender heart toward Jesus and the sheep. That they wouldn’t be hammered, that they would keep a tender heart, that they would have a humble disposition, that when criticisms are true, they would repent. That they would look at a criticism for a kernel of truth to be sanctified by."

You can read the whole thing for yourself here

Roller Coasters and Prayer Life