November 18, 2009

John will be deployed to Korea this Saturday. When he came to H.o.P.E, he didn’t expect the prayers he encountered, nor the special prayer quilt prepared for him. He also received unexpected words of wisdom from a church member, Kevin, who had gone to Iraq and served in the military for twenty years. Kevin’s advice to John was: “Be deliberate in listening to what God has to tell you.”

Kevin then shared his own experience with taking time for studying Scripture and choosing to live for God. That commitment towards his spiritual growth had made a difference in his own life, and his example influenced his fellow soldiers serving alongside of him back then.

Our theme actually was that God wants to spend time with us. The God of the universe wants to be in our presence?! We reflected and celebrated this awesome reality through the words of Exodus 22:8-”Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.”, and also from John 14: 3- “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.“

Our upcoming 40 Days of Prayer will be one way for us to create space for greater intimacy with God. It begins next week and culminates during the Power of Prayer Weekend 2010!

One of the tools for our journey will be The Joy of Prayer. This 40-Day devotional with study guides will be made available starting next Wednesday night at H.o.P.E! (A 5$ donation to help with costs would be appreciated.)

The first day will begin this way: “True joy is joy in God. No joy on earth can compare with the joy we have in God…”

To find out more about how the joy of prayer is possible, join us next week as we begin learning about connecting with God, and experiencing His gift of authentic joy.

I think He’s waiting for us with opened arms.

Praying for our joy…and hope for the journey.
-Pastor Sabine

*See more pictures of the evening in Part I (previous post)