Wednesday night, during service we had some special visitors; a group of 5 women, one of whom is the International Students pastor for the college missions program at a nearby campus. It was awesome to hear a brief insight into what God is doing on that campus, and the favor and influence being extended to this pastor.

It got me thinking about these "niche markets", if you will when it comes to missionary work. We always think of being in the middle of nowhere, bringing the gospel to some remote village or tribe or people group that hardly anyone as ever heard of until you tell them that's your mission field. It's amazing, how far the gospel of Christ has reached and the lives impacted for eternity and yet, such a long ways to go remains. And as we pray every Wednesday, you can't help but wonder about the next generation.

I think of my friends in Latin America, reaching out to kids in need and what they are accomplishing in lives and communities by changing the story for those "up & coming". Likewise, the same holds true for college. I reflected yesterday; perhaps, I wasn't ready for college when I enrolled. And perhaps, upon graduation, I wasn't ready for life. Don't get me wrong; I learned a great deal... probably more about life than a particular focus of study and career. That said, I can't imagine how much more of a struggle it must be today; with the changes in society and culture; the philosophical and ideological trends that keep pushing the envelop and moving the bar further away from God. Meanwhile, I always kinda smile, when I see or hear someone say, "I'm having difficulty in life, could you send some good thoughts and vibes my way. I don't believe in God, but if you want to pray for me, I'd appreciate it."

With each passing day, I'm reminded just how much I need God. How much I can't live this life without Him. How much I will screw up, if left to my own devices, resources and responses. And while it's not always a pleasant reminder in the moment, afterwards, it is a comfort to know that I am not alone... not matter how many people may be nearby. There is One who sticks closer than a brother. Even when I deserve to be left alone.

Pray this #missionsFriday, for the "mission field" itself. In places of hardship and difficulty, pray for the realization of many; that there would be an awakening in peoples' lives for their need of Christ. Pray God would sovereignly bring people to places where their need and desire for God can no longer be denied or ignored. Pray for the barriers and obstacles of the mind and within the heart to be removed; that through kindness and love, people would sense and understand the knocking of Jesus' on the door of their heart. Pray for continued favor and strength in the lives of missionaries; that God would open doors for them with people of influence and position, not for the benefit of the pastor, but to aid in the advancement of the gospel of Christ.

Lives changed.
Eternity impacted.
Results far-reaching, yet not fully-realized.
For the glory of God
For the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

It's amazing how quickly we can get ahead of God. In this, go fast; go now, go faster world, how do you suddenly change gears, or more seemingly, come to a sudden arboreal stop. The world says GO! God says, Wait. Like a school crossing guard making us hold our place on the street corner for much longer than it appears to us to be necessary.

I pondered this yesterday, as I thought about some friends, and a decision they have been praying over and waiting patiently on now for months. I want to say it's been since November or so, because they knew a decision could take a few and it's been a few more on top of that. Last week, they got the answer to prayer they had been waiting to hear. This was followed up, by another significant change that is now pending in their lives.

As they brought this need to the attention of a small group of friends via social media, I simply commented, that God had come through on the other matter, even though it took much longer than was comfortable; and as such, God had a hand on this "new" dilemma and would provide wisdom and direction.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in life... notifications going off. Where are you? Are you there yet? Where are you now? We don't consider God asking such questions of us, but if you've been on the receiving end, you know after a while, they can take their toll on your day. Yet, we don't hesitate to offer these questions to God, as if we could hustle Him along.

Little did I know (or perhaps, recall) that Pastor was starting a new summer series on Wednesday nights, of which last night was part 1. On finding purpose, from the life of Joseph, he started with an overview of Joseph's story. Towards the close of the devotional, he pointed out something incredibly profound in the life of Joseph. In Genesis 37, where in one chapter, Joseph goes from favorite son to a sold slave, covered up by a fake death story instead of his cherished coat; if you look closely in that chapter, God is nowhere to be mentioned.

In all that transpires in that chapter, Joseph isn't seeking answers for his frustration and demise. He maintains through all of it, "God's got this. God's got me. And He will use this; all of it, for His glory." Which is pretty much His answer at the end of his story when His brothers plead for mercy.

A powerful reminder: God is not rushed. Why are you?

Pray this #deaconThursday, for deacons and church leaders feeling the pressure and temptation to succumb to hurry and rushed decisions and actions. Pray a quiet confidence that God has things under control, even when it appears is not even in the picture as things transpire and situations unfold before our eyes. May their resolve to trust in God regardless of what they see remain in tact and firm. Pray they continually seek the face of God waiting steadfast for His direction, as His bird's eye view sees all that we face and not just the 30-50 feet of life we capture from a crowded street view. May they experience grace for their missteps; may the trust God for the miraculous, despite others failures against us. Pray we watch with anticipation, how God will bring it all together for His glory and Honor.

For the cause of Jesus Christ
For the advancement of the kingdom of God.

- PNC

I don't know what made me think of this yesterday, other than the fact that once again, it came moments after acknowledging to God I had nothing for this post. But for whatever reason, I recalled in my mind, a scene from my favorite political drama television show.

The Chief of Staff is contemplating to handle resolving a situation before it escalate and the matter happens to arise while he is meeting with his lawyer regarding another challenge. In discussing how he plans to handle this negotiation before it becomes a real thing, he lawyer offers a different perspective and in support of her argument, uses the following phrase.

"Do it for the next guy."

In other words, consider tomorrows impact for today's actions.

All too often, in this highly driven, production-oriented, "get done as much and as fast as you possibly can" era, not only do what not always consider the impact it will make on one of many tomorrows, we fail to leave something "for the next guy" to work with and take our accomplishment to the next level.

We have all seen it happen, when there is transition.

There's the story of a task, job or project being performed at a certain level and brought to a certain stage and the "next guy" who is given or takes responsibility looks at it and has a "seriously?" moment. Something is wrong, something is amiss, something got missed... and the person who came behind is left spending considerable time in "correction" mode; having to fix things, that had they been done differently or altogether right, there would not have been a problem.

Meanwhile, had we had a more long-term outlook; had we been advised by someone who was considering the impact on tomorrow from decisions made today, I imagine things would look very different. They would have started looking different a long time ago.

What are we leaving for "the next guy"?
What are we handling well, that the next generation will be prepared to take to the next level?
What are we mishandling, that whoever comes along, will have to fix, correct and repair?
How are we considering the impact on tomorrow and allowing that perspective to influence today's decisions?

Pray, this #youthPastorWednesday, for pastors in the places of challenge and difficulty. May God grant to them wisdom and discernment in their decision-making. May their be a resolve to "do right" by the next guy. Pray the mind of Christ, to consider the impact of our decisions with an eternal perspective. May there be a passion to leave greatness in the hands of the next generation; having taught them stewardship and responsibility to handle it well; rather than leaving them a mess and no skills whereby they would able to clean it up.

Legacy.
For the glory of God.
For the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

For whatever reason, I'm not really sure, I keep finding myself throughout the day, for the past few days, singing Petra's song Open Book. It talks about our life unfolding, with each passing day and our life being an Open Book before God. He knows what's in the next line, "will I stand or do I fall?" It's our recognizing that as we read between the lines of our life, we recognize it's His love that binds us.

The part that keeps standing out on the forefront however, is the following stanza:

"Cover to cover, Lord you know me
And what I want to be.
As You read the pages of my heart
Please tell me what you see."

We know God looks at the heart, while man looks at the cover of man.
We know many heroes of the faith knew the condition of their heart... just look at King David.
Scripture says God know intimately about us, the hairs on our heads being numbered.
He knows what we have need of, before we even ask or think.

And yet, these lyrics inquire of the Lord...

"What do you see when you look at what's written on my heart?"

While that answer will be different for each of us, depending on our place along the journey of faith, it's incredible to know that God is writing an epic piece of literature with our lives; using what the enemy of our souls meant to destroy us for His glory.

And in a similar vein of thought, as we prayed yesterday for pastors struggling in ministry because of difficulties in having a healthy ability of loving their self, I couldn't help but wonder about pastors; struggling with what is written on their heart; and what God is dealing with them personally, as He continues to work on each of us, to create us anew, to take on the image of Christ with each passing day.

What is He rewriting for His glory?
What direction is He taking with the twist and turns of life?
What will He map out in our life as we seek His face for which way we should go when the light goes green?

Consider this:

God has laid out His life; His story, as an Open Book for us to read.
We can not grow in the knowledge, fear and admonition of the Lord while keeping the book of our heart and life closed towards Him.

(I had to smile, just then, as I reread that... I can hear my pastor in my mind, stating what He often does in His messages: "Whenever you read the Word of God, it reads you.")

And it's so incredibly true. You can not read God's Word without God reading your heart, shedding light to the "what's next" area of focus, whereby He will work on us, that we may become and appear more like Christ.

So, join me, this #associatePastorTuesday, as we pray for pastors experiencing difficulty with the work God is doing on them personally, in their heart, mind and spirit. Pray for those having trouble with what God is revealing as He reads the pages of their heart; perhaps not knowing how to deal with what is coming to the forefront or not being able to come to a resolution of what and how to change. Pray for their to be a genuine renewing of the mind, as they read and study God's Word. May their be fresh illumination into the character of God and the person of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray the fear that prevents us all from allowing God full access to our hearts would be removed; the barricades set aside; that God would have free reign on Earth, as He does in Heaven.

What the enemy has meant for destruction,
May God bring to new life through restoration
By the blood of Jesus Christ
With the power of the Holy Spirit
Our lives, an incredible story...
Authored by God Himself.

- PNC

Once again, I wasn't sure what this morning's prayer would look like until the Spirit brought to my remembrance Pastor's message yesterday morning. Speaking on living a life of love, He used the passage from Mark, where Christ boils down the Ten Commandments into two. And in these two simplified commands, were three parties we are to love. The first, what I want to highlight on this #seniorPastorMonday.

Obviously, we are to love God with all four aspects of our being (emotions, will, intellect and physical). And we are to love our neighbor as our self.

We can not give what we don't have.
We can not offer to others what we have not experienced for ourselves.
We can not help from a lower position... we must do so from a position of strength.

Which got me thinking... how many pastors are struggling because they are having a difficult loving themselves?
There's a difference between looking in the mirror and liking the person that looks back out you, confident in who are, especially in light of Christ versus looking at yourself through your cars' rearview mirror and thinking you are better than ever other person on the road of life.

Yet, if you are battling your own weaknesses; suffering from a flawed image that is perhaps the culmination of years of neglect and mistreatment during ministry, then you will no doubt have difficulty expressing the love of Christ, let alone, a friendly, brotherly, neighborly love to anyone new because you don't feel there is any worth in your self from which you operate.

How will I see the positive in you if I can't see the positive in my self?
How will I share the truth of God if I don't see His truth in my life?
How will I share the love of Christ to you, if I don't experience His love for me?
How will I show grace if I don't receive grace?
How will I believe for the miraculous if I haven't witnessed the same?

Neither will a pastor experience victory if they wake up feeling defeated.
Neither will a pastor witness growth if they aren't rising to the challenge
Neither will a pastor accomplish much for the kingdom of God if they feel unable to conquer the world; regardless of whether they acknowledge the truth of "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength."

So, pray with me, this #seniorPastorMonday, for pastors on the verge of breaking mirrors. For those frustrated by who they feel they have become; inferior, worthless, unqualified, incapable... whatever it may look like; pray God breaks down the  negative spirit. May they remember, as we sung yesterday, that we are no longer slaves to fear, but we ARE a child of God. Pray God would restore a spirit of confidence within them; that He is with them and for them and therefore, who can be against them. Pray they would be reminded; that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ; that there is power, truth and healing for their lives at the feet of Jesus. Pray the power of the Word of God would accomplish the miraculous; as God illuminates and renews their mind anew and afresh. May the fire within them be rekindled; whereby they would once again be able to love God; will all their heart, soul, mind and strength... and just as importantly, love their neighbor as their self.

A child of God
By the grace of God
For His glory.

- PNC

Let me preface this post by saying, I love my kids.

Let me follow that statement with, I'm pretty sure a few new gray hairs turned in my gotee yesterday.

Last night, I had en epiphany last night about grandparents.

They have much more patience with grand-kids, than their parents do. And the reason for this is simple... the kids don't pull with Grandpa and Grandma what they push with the parents.

Correspondingly, grand-parenting comes with an internal joy... it's the satisfaction that the time is around the corner, when the parents will return for their kids and exchange the pleasant goodbyes of "here they are... have fun!"  Like they've been wound up.

What is it, that parents can turn their face to 50 sheds of red or blue in giving instruction and direction to their children resulting in peace and quiet for no longer than a few seconds. Then it starts again. And after a decent nights rest, its starts again in the morning. Such as final preparations for church.

As last night came to a close... does this happen in churches? Do pastors feel this way? Are congregations anything like kids? The teen-age attitude that begins long before their age is in the teens. The rough-housing. The desire of the same toy. The disagreement over which cartoon to watch on Netflix.

[insert your priceless church conflict here]

If we haven't seen them, we've heard of them. And responded like parents. Seriously, this needs to be said? Repeated? How old are you? Why is this an issue? Did you not hear me the first time? Who's kid are you?

It's hard to be effective and efficient, as a parent or a pastor when it seems there is no growth. No progress. And the repetitious instruction and direction gets old... yet, must be maintained, if we expect in the long run for kids to grow up mature and healthy, and for the believer to have the same transpire in their faith.

Pray, this #effectiveSunday, that pastors and churches would experience healthy growth. In the maturity of their faith. In the ability to show compassion. In the efforts to express the love of Christ. May the frustrations of ministry and the repetition of issues, not detour or derail their focus. Pray for strength in the times of discouragement. May the church of Christ be one that brings honor and glory to God... in how we live our life; in how we point a lost and dying world to His life.

For the advancement of the gospel of Christ.

- PNC

I experienced a "hey I know that guy" moment the other day, as one of the former vice presidents of my alma mater has been making headlines in recent months speaking up on various social and cultural issues that have been unfolding in regards to Christianity and the Christian's response on these matters.

He is now the President of a Christian university in the southwest portion of the country and in an interview he shared this past week, he made a statement that stood out.

"This is what happens when you worship government instead of the gospel."

On this #communitySaturday, these are pretty accurate words.

We have legislated God out of public life; out of the public square. At least, society continues to keep making the push to do so. The church is not speaking the truth in love as they should; as the movement to be more concerned with "try not to offend" continues. We place our trust and hope in other things, in other people, in other identities and rather than standing on the Word of God, we stand in the shadow of government to protect us, save us, and defend us when someone says anything contrary to how our opinions and feelings.

I say "we" because, sadly, people within the church have such tendencies as though outside of the church, so collectively speaking...

God is love. God is grace. Absolutely.
Yet He is light. He is truth. And He is Holy.

When we find ourselves in a position where we hold humanity and people in positions of power with greater regard and reverence than Almighty God, who is to this day Creator of all Life; when the rights of those offended are more important than the rights of those still in the womb, we have clearly lost our way.

When we're more worried about the safety of our schools, than we are of a Mother's womb...

The truth is hard to hear. And I'm not for using it to demean and destroy anyone or anything. But our unwillingness to hear it and respond appropriately can not be so great that it should not be spoken at all.

As the church, we must rely on God and trust in Him to help; that our words would be seasoned with grace and that it would not be the opinions of man, but the truth of the message of Christ, that would resonate from our hearts and our lives as we engage this lost and dying world.

So, pray with me, this #communitySaturday, for the church to be the hands and feet of Christ. Pray we would meet those in need at their point and place; not expecting so quickly they would move towards the church without making a move towards God. Pray, people would find their identity in Christ first; not in government, career or social or culture issue. May the truth reveal the reality that every person must realize; we all fail; we all will fail and we all have fallen; short... very, very short of the glory of God. May we accept, that by the grace and love of Jesus Christ alone and His selfless act of death that we can be brought into health; into right relationship with Him who is able to do exceedingly more than any government ever known to man... for the Creator of Life is the institutor of governments as well.

For the glory of God;
For the cause of Jesus Christ

- PNC

Yesterday morning, I was given a desired deadline to meet. Nothing that hasn't happened before, except my reply was met with an even more profound response.

My reply was that I'd do my best.

This is nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that hasn't been said to you by anyone that you've asked for them something specific to accomplish. Certainly, nothing that you have said to someone who has asked anything of you. And many of heard or said, thanks as a response.

So what stood out this time?

"I don't want you to do your best. I want you to do it. Get it done."

I posted a prayer a while back about "just do it" and what I've termed "NIKE Christianity". And while I don't want to be repetitive on the matter, the words stayed with me throughout the morning.

Life happens, especially as you rely on other people along the way. Delays happen and other people don't sense the urgency of what you are trying to accomplish and so you have to account for that. When all was said and done, I was 40 minutes passed the mark. Out of my control; a domino effect, in two delays that ended up causing two more; and had the first never occurred, I probably would have made the goal.

Be that as it may, though... what lingered was what God asks of us; of what God asked of heroes of the faith, from the passages of Scripture. And along the way, many of them spoke of their effort; recognizing that there was a lack... that they didn't have what they felt they would; that they would be unable to complete the assignment or that someone else was better suited for the task altogether. And in some cases, God made allowances, like Moses brother' Aaron, helping speak to Pharaoh. But it wasn't the same as if Moses had prayed for God to empower Him and fill in the gap with strength and grace from On High.

How more importantly, in this day and age, do we do the same. Like a kid arguing with their parent...."But Dddaaaaaddddddddd!!!!! Come on. We all had these conversations, both with people and our Creator. 

This is above me. This is beyond me. This is greater than me.
And it freaks me out to no end, that you would ask this of me.

Yet, loving Father God.
Go. Do what I asked. Do what I said. And I will be with you.

We love the part about God lighting our path, but we forget all too quickly, being a lamp to our feet. There may be some notice of what's ahead of us, but by and large, life is stepping out in faith and continuing to put one foot in front of the other, as we go about fulfilling the plan and purpose God has called us. Lest we see too far forward and back out. Nope... if I have to go through that; cross that, encounter and overcome that, then why even bother? As if our efforts mattered and realizing we were insufficient, we never bother to put in any effort at all.

That's the kind of thinking that will leave you forever missing the mark. You can't win a race that you don't start. You can't win a game in which you play. You can't live life while playing dead.

Pray, this #missionsFriday, that we not focus our minds upon our abilities or efforts in fulfilling what God has planned and called us to accomplish in this life, but we would simply obey. Pray for missionaries today, struggling with how God will bring things together and make everything work. May they resolve to focus on the task at hand; seek God's face for how to accomplish it and trust that God will be there with strength and grace to see them through to completion. May they not be concerned by the delays; stressed out by circumstances or worried about responses... instead, keeping their eyes on the prize to be found faithful in their service to the kingdom of God.

Our best efforts mean nothing if we first don't resolve to obey.
May the focus be on what God can do through us;
Not on what we can do for Him.
All for His glory
None for our fame.

- PNC

Yesterday was one of the longer days I've had at work in quite some time. Close to 13 hours. Add another 1.5 hrs, I was up before hand, for yesterdays anniversary post. We didn't make church last night, which we were bummed about... had I had an extra 15 minutes, we would have pulled it off.

Yet as I contemplated yesterday afternoon whether we'd make it or not, I got to thinking about the extra time my parents put in while at church, when they were heavily involved in ministry. Meetings before services, meetings after services, events on Saturdays... I got to thinking, "Man...what if I was on the board and we had a meeting after service tonight?" Which I think my Dad had a few off those happen after Wednesday's service. A long day, arriving late enough to church to miss the first 30 minutes of service (essentially) and then take care of church business after?

I know we all work hard, or we've had such commitments before. My friend was sharing over the weekend how busy her week would be, including a couple of work-related events after hours, that she had to be a part of that would take her to 10pm or so. Live gets busy and the days get long. And should the days go long long enough, you begin to feel like life is becoming more of a daze. You become too tired to sleep well, which just makes you want to sleep even more! Lest we not forget all the other factors that come into play into daily life; like managing kids schedules and homework, projects and upkeep around the home, and if there wasn't enough to do there, this same friend often brings work home with her (as many people do) so now you're working on work stuff while not at work.

When does this end??  A question we've all asked ourselves, yet pastors and church leaders dare not ask out-loud. Nor within earshot of anyone who might be in close proximity. Or far, for that matter, should they desire to scream the question at the top of their lungs. Who would understand?

We all would understand, except those in ministry are exempt from problems and frustrations and the voicing of them to others, let alone a close friend... which many don't even have that.

So, pray with me this #deaconThursday for pastors and church leaders struggling to maintain. Pray strength for those exhausted from the responsibilities of ministry and the balancing act of life at home. Pray rest, for those experiencing difficult with sleep, that God would bring a calm to hearts, spirits and minds. May their energy be renewed and their heads lifted. May their eyes see clearly; not glossed or fogged over constant barrage of problems and issues. Pray that God would surround them with people to come alongside and help carry the burden; that would pray with them; that would befriend them and show their support. Pray, today would be the day one more pastor is saved from the brink of burnout.

Strength for the day.
Rest for the weary.
For those whose work, is the work of the Lord.
For His glory and honor, we ask these things.

- PNC

Welcome to Year 2, since the relaunch of Bring Me 70, this day, 12 months ago. This feels so incredible... with a few exceptions, you've been reading a #pray4pastors post daily, before I left for work in the morning... which is saying a lot, since, I'm not normally a morning person. But it's early enough that nobody else is up yet.

And for the past few weeks, I've been getting up even earlier, trying to write these in the morning, rather than late at night, then paying for it with my tiredness factor as I rolled into work.

It really has been the grace of God, how these prayers have come together; how he has given me insights and perspectives throughout the day, as I've changed my routine and spending the day in an attitude of prayer. It's not a matter of spending hours on end in prayer, but an awareness that God could drop something in your heart or bring a situation or person to the forefront of your mind, which you in turn, bring to the forefront of the God's throne.

It's required me to change some habits along the way. When I was writing these at night, after the kids were in bed, you can't write a prayer, at least not a good one, while half-engaged in your favorite television series that you've watched entirely the way through, more than a few times now. (it really is that good!) You can't be prepared for God to drop something in your heart if the radio is turned on to your favorite talk radio station for 11 hrs. (yes, their programming really is that good!) As already stated... I can't focus if I'm being bombarded with kids arguing over toys and the youngest coming up to me every 90 seconds with "Daddy, can I ask you something?" (yes, she really is that polite when interrupting you)

Likewise, developing good decision making skills (or better ones at least) take time. Instilling good habits and "best practices", also takes time. Helping kids do so, takes even more time! But as this past year has proven; it starts with commitment. Which is how the relaunch unfolded. The Spirit of God having a moment of truth with me, that "you can't have a page called 'daily prayers', and then NOT write a prayer every day!"

Today is a great sense of accomplishment for me and I'm humbled that God is using me to draw attention to the need to support our pastors and church leaders in prayer. As this culture and society continues to spin away from God, the same level of prayer support needs to be given to your youth, their parents, and pastors and life leaders who will prepare them for a life of good decisions, good disciplines, good habits. We celebrate the anniversaries of lives changed through salvation. We celebrate the anniversaries of those set free from addictions and weight-loss; of faithful service to a company or our country; to a ministry. So also, some of the smallest life changes can make significant impacts over the long term. Like earning interest on an investment.

But it starts with a commitment to doing something different. And that always goes better when relying on God's help to make the change. Interestingly enough, today marks the first day of another area in our life we are attempting to change, so while you're reading this, I'm speaking to myself. Stick to it and watch the difference unfold. Trust in God to do His part as you faithfully work what you are responsible for. As we prayed yesterday, diligently develop your responsibilities.

Thanks so much, for joining me, as we pray over the second year of Bring Me 70 and this #youthPastorWednesday, that pastors and leaders, as well as us parents, who possess and maintain good and Godly habits and disciplines. Pray that our young people would take notice of our commitment to do the right things and to be aware of our motives and intentions. Pray for a spirit of grace for our failures and "dropped the ball" moments. May kids recognize the hand of God and His favor upon those who seek Him first, whose focus is on what God has in store and desires for their lives rather than self and interests that are self-serving and opportunities that are self-promoting. Pray God would help us to live lives of consistency; not perfection, but always seeking to be about the things of God and how He would and should be glorified in our lives, as we live for His purpose and not our own. Pray great foundations of faith be laid in their hearts and minds that todays kids will grow to be modern day heroes of faith; impacting this world for the cause of Jesus Christ... no matter what the world looks like in the days and years to come.

For His Glory
For the advancement of the Gospel

Thank you, from the depths of my heart.
In all humility...

- PNC