Our self-inflicted pressure is controllable and is based upon decisions that Amanda and I have made. We both are wired to be people who do, who jump in and get the job done. It is difficult for us when we see an opportunity to shy away from it and do something else. The good and the bad of that is that there are so many good things that can be done here in Everett. There are lost people literally everywhere whose lives are trainwrecks. These people are looking for a lifeline, and when someone comes along to live life with them they cling to it with all they have, as we would if we were in the same situation. The Lord works in situations like that to draw more people to Himself.
On another level, this has been a very difficult move for us. While getting into a house has been great, there has been a lot of work that needed to be done to make it livable and comfortable. We have had tons of help in doing those things, but over a period of days and weeks it tends to tire the body out.
Perhaps the spiritual level of pressure we have experienced lately is the hardest to deal with. Last weekend I went to the store with the boys and came back in the evening to find this painted on our fence.
Some of you may see this and think that it was just a kid passing by who decided to tag a wall that is visible from a distance, and you'd probably be right. But this week has shown me that we are definitely on enemy territory. This city and many cities like it has been claimed by evil, and those forces are not going to be pushed out without causing some trouble on the way. I do believe this was a message to us, although it is unlikely the writer knew what they were doing or who they were doing it for. Fortunately I found our power washer the next day and was able to take this down quickly.
America has been lulled into a spiritual sleep, and I believe that is one of the schemes the enemy uses in this country. Distract people with money and things to induce spiritual numbness and they won't recognize that their territory is being overrun. Convince people that they need to go to church to "be fed" instead of allowing the Lord to work in their lives to help other people out of the chains that bind them. They won't pick up their armor and their one weapon, the Word of God, and get into the fight. We make it so easy for those who wish to spiritually conquer our territory, and their work is apparent but is masked by our own distractedness.
I could list all of the things that happened to discourage us this week, but I won't. It isn't necessary. However, I also was reminded this week of how God moves His people. In one of my lowest moments this week I received a text from someone back home who said they were praying for me. I don't know why that person was moved to pray for me at that time, but I have experienced this when praying for other people. They will tell me that at that moment they needed help the most, and for my part I just felt the need to pray for them. That's the work of the Holy Spirit.
So this convinced me to move on an idea that I've had for a while now. We desperately need regular prayer and prayer partners. You and I have no idea sometimes what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray, but there is real power in it because there is real power in Jesus. There are countless stories out there about how Christians were moved to pray for a specific person across the globe at a specific moment, and there were tangible results in the person's life. We have experienced that, and need more of that for as long as we are called to be in this place.
How can you help? It might be as simple as committing to pray for us every day, whether it be in the morning or evening. My wife, myself, and my boys all need it. You also may want to consider being a front-line prayer partner for us. I have figured out an easy way for you to do this if you choose to, and it doesn't cost anything. When I was at Summer Creek, we discovered a great tool called Remind 101. If you have a cell phone, you can easily sign up to receive a text message directly from me when something is going on. It goes directly to you and isn't a group message. I can type in a specific prayer request, whether it is for our family or for a specific person and need that we are currently dealing with, and you'll get it instantly. It is at that moment that we will need you to pray. The coolest thing about this isn't the technology, but the fact that you can pray from anywhere and the Spirit of the Lord hears and moves from any distance that separates us. That still boggles my mind.
Here's how you can sign up:
Good Stuff
The Lord is doing a lot in our lives right now, which might explain why things have been difficult lately for us. I always will need to be very careful on this blog about giving many specifics about the people we are discipling. It is not our intent to shame anyone or put a spotlight on them, so I will attempt to keep things sufficiently general to protect them.
Men's Bible Study- We kicked off a Men's Bible Study over the last few weeks and have had a lot of enthusiasm with it. Our goal over time will be to draw more and more men in from the apartment complex and not only teach God's word, but disciple them on the side. We have met twice now and at the last meeting the dam broke for some of the guys. They talked about how excited they were about our time together, about their past mistakes, past hurts, and what's going on in their lives now. We have men who have some significant struggles right now, but they were willing to share those so we can pray for them.
Women's Bible Study- This study has really exploded over the last month. There are women coming to this who are at the end of their rope, but they keep coming back for more. This study has allowed Amanda to spend a lot of quality time with several women who are in desperate need of discipleship. They come from backgrounds that are similar to what our 3 adopted boys came out of, so you get a clue as to what kinds of issues are currently being dealt with.
Everett Family Church- Mike and I are now on an every other week rotation for preaching and teaching. This has allowed us to support each other and utilize both of our strengths. We are seeing new families continue to come to the church, and growth seems to be pretty steady at this point. The relationships among the congregation are deepening as we spend more time together.
Overall, we are seeing doors open to discipling both men and women on an ongoing basis. What a blessing that is, and a continuous job as well. We are finding that we must be in prayer about these individuals daily.
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