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Archive for the ‘Prayer Requests’ Category

Pray for the unreached deaf peoples of the world

Posted in News, Prayer Requests on November 7, 2010| 3 Comments »

On Friday at Desiring God we heard an incredible report of what God is doing through the global church.  Several staff had travelled to the Lausanne Congress a couple of weeks ago, and we finally had the chance to hear from a few of them.

Included in their report was a list of the 632 unengaged, unreached people groups with populations over 50,000.  “Unengaged” means these people groups have NO full-time workers involved in evangelism and church planting.

If I counted correctly, 52 of those groups represent deaf people in various parts of the world.  Regardless of whether deafness is considered a disability or a culture, please pray that God would raise up workers for the millions of deaf people around the world who currently have no access to the gospel.

You can read more about all the unreached people groups at Finishing the Task.

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An opportunity to speak to the next generation of leaders

Posted in Prayer Requests, Special Events on November 6, 2010| 2 Comments »

One of my great joys at Bethlehem is getting to do almost anything with Pastor David Michael, the pastoral overseer of the disability ministry in his role as the Pastor for Parenting and Family Discipleship.  He’s a wonderful, God-honoring, wise, thoughtful, persistent leader who loves our children with disabilities and has worked very hard on behalf of this ministry BECAUSE he loves the Bible and its clear articulation of the sovereignty of God in all things.  God is very kind to give us men like David Michael!

He has asked me to join him on Monday, November 8, as he brings his vision of family discipleship to the first-year seminary students at The Bethlehem Seminary.  He wants me to talk about the sovereignty of God and disability.

Would you pray for both of us as we prepare?

My goal is not to convince them that they should care about disability through statistics or specific examples.

But in loving God and soaking in God’s word they would love God’s sovereignty over all things and cling to all his promises for them SO THAT when disability enters their lives – in their churches, their mission agencies, their seminaries or their own families – they will boldly and confidently and lovingly, with great anticipation and ‘as sorrowful yet always rejoicing’ rush to welcome families like ours, to serve these precious families he has given as gifts to them with the strength God provides with the wisdom he provides with the resources he provides.

And not just to serve those with disabilities, but to be served by those the world and the culture considers expendable, weak, and worthless.  To actually long for and seek out fellowship with those who are daily being destroyed and discounted because of disability.  To understand and enjoy and soak in the reality of God’s purposes: On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable (1 Corinthians 12:22).

I have about 30 minutes with them, and want to use the time well.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

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Please pray about disability ministry today

Posted in Prayer Requests on August 10, 2010| 1 Comment »

I spoke with Brenda Fischer yesterday.  She coordinates the disability ministry at Bethlehem and carries a huge burden for the ministry and for the families involved.

As we approach the fall season, the need is so great for more volunteers to serve the families experiencing disability.  I know many are experiencing this same thing at other churches – not enough volunteers, not enough resources, not enough room.

These are dangerous moments.  It is easy to become discontent and grumble.  Other people or processes or programs can appear to be the ‘problem.’  Precious brothers and sisters in Christ become a means to an end.

I have to fight that discontentment constantly.  But it is not a fight in my own strength nor is it with my family in the church!

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.  Ephesians 6:10-20

So, would you pray today, that hearts would be tuned to God, that God would provide all that is needed, and that people with disabilities would be seen as the indispensable gifts to the body that God has made them to be?

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When news rocks my world, God is still good

Posted in Prayer Requests, Scripture on July 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Dianne’s phone call had happy news: “they know it isn’t lymphoma, leukemia or diabetes.”

That stopped me.  I didn’t know they were looking for things that medically serious.

Background: for awhile Paul has been having what we call ‘spells’ where he is obviously uncomfortable, refuses to eat, and sleeps more than normal.  We did the normal routine of checking on his diet and whatever sicknesses were being passed around his school.  But the spells didn’t stop.

So Dianne, good mother that she is, started the rounds with doctors.  Initial blood work didn’t show anything.  First round of medical intervention seemed to make it worse, so we stopped that.  They ruled out the serious things mentioned before.  We have a reasonable plan we’ve worked out with his primary doctor to try to figure this out.

God is giving us good medical care and I am grateful for the doctors and specialists we have.  But we are constantly reminded that as skilled as they are, they don’t know everything.  They can’t know everything.  I trust they are doing their best, but I do not hope in them.

My point is simply this: God alone is sovereign.  God knows what is going in inside of Paul.  God cares about Paul even more than I do.  There is not one promise that God has made that he will fail to keep.  He is absolutely, entirely trustworthy.

His ways are inscrutable even as they are perfect.  I know God will help us even as I don’t know the particular outcome of these episodes for Paul:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  Romans 8:26

Dianne and I aren’t playing around with a notion that somehow believing good things or hoping for the best or bargaining with God has any value at all.  Jesus himself is holding it all together.  Nothing can separate us from Jesus:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

So, we don’t know if these spells are serious or will be easily dealt with.  But I do know this: God is good, he has never done me or Paul wrong, and someday I will clearly see it is all for his glory and for my good.

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God knows more than we do, and I am very glad!

Posted in commentary, Prayer Requests on June 25, 2010| 1 Comment »

I met an extraordinary young man earlier this week.  He came into the world on May 15.

This morning (Friday) he will have surgery on his heart.

His young parents are clinging to Jesus.  They are the very picture of ‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.’

I was humbled to be in their presence at the hospital and grateful God gave me the opportunity to pray for and with them.  Would you join me in praying for him today?

And I was amazed at how much God has given to us in the common grace of medicine, medical technology and trained medical personnel.  They know what is wrong with this boy’s heart.  And they know how to address the problem.  And they have done it many, many times.

But they don’t know what God knows.  He knows how and why he made this boy, he knows this boy’s days, and he loves this boy more than anyone.  How sweet it is to cling to hope here, in the one who knows all, commands all, and has given us many gifts, like medical care.

After seeing this young family, I watched this video, thanks to Abraham Piper and his blog, 22 Words.

I was just amazed at this as well.  God has made us far more complicated than I can begin to comprehend!

Thank you, Lord, for letting me see and feel a bit of your extraordinary abilities today!  Truly, we can rest in you and all the promises you have given us because you are able to do everything you have said you will do.

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Gus wut this is

Posted in Prayer Requests on May 24, 2010| 3 Comments »

Translated:  Guess what this is.

Several of you prayed for me last week before I spoke to the children at North Heights Christian Academy on what God has to say about disability.  I’m grateful for your prayers.  My continuing prayer is that God used something in it  to reveal more of himself to the children, who ranged from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Below is my own kindergartner’s version of that chapel talk.  I’m not sure why I have purple hair, but I like it a great deal!

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Pray to spread a passion for God to the children

Posted in Prayer Requests on May 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

Next week I will be speaking to a younger crowd than usual on this subject of disability and God’s word.  My three typically-developing children attend a private Christian elementary school, and there is interest in Just the Way I Am: God’s Good Design in Disability.  I’ll be speaking at their regular Friday chapel, which includes children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

It has been a good school for us.  Their theme this year has been “Do Hard Things” and their weekly chapel services have included some of the video series that Alex and Brett Harris created to go along with their book of the same name.  Their school verse for the year has been 2 Timothy 2:2, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

But there are other issues at play.  Recently a third-grade girl was teased by some boys because her baby brother has Down syndrome.  The word ‘retarded’ was thrown at her repeatedly in cruel ways.  The principal dealt with it personally, and my third-grade son and sixth-grade daughter took their own initiative to address it with their friends.  That was helpful, but that girl, and her rightfully-protective mother, were already deeply hurt.

So, it feels like an opportune moment that God has given.  High expectations about student behavior and attitudes have been communicated, but the cruelty of sinful, willful, prideful young hearts has also been revealed.  And it was revealed because of attitudes about disability.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated as I prepare for next week’s event.  Ultimately, I would consider it a failure if they only understood some words are not acceptable or that they will get in trouble if they use certain words in the presence of adults.  Treasuring Jesus is so much more important than that!

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God is answering our prayers, and our need is growing!

Posted in Prayer Requests on January 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

During this prayer week to begin 2010 at Bethlehem, Brenda Fischer identified two things among the many for prayer:

  • That the Lord would provide one-on-one aides for Sunday morning at the South Site and North Campus (and Downtown as well – my addition!).
  • That the Lord would provide direction in ministering to adults and older teens with cognitive disabilities.

Joyously, more families experiencing disability are finding Bethlehem and considering it as their church home.  But this also means our need for more volunteers, and thus our dependence on God to provide, continues to grow.

Thank you for praying with and for us.

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A Strange Anniversary

Posted in News, Prayer Requests, Scripture, tagged on October 12, 2009| 6 Comments »

Five years ago today, Dianne went to see a surgical oncologist who confirmed that she has breast cancer.  By the end of that week it would be diagnosed as Stage IV cancer, having spread from her breast through her lymph nodes to her bones in her back and ribs.

Stage IV cancer is a strange thing.  As her doctors have said on more than one occasion, “you will die with it; our goal is that you don’t die of it.”  And, praise God, she is able to serve in the roles she loves best today, as mother and wife and member of the church.

To this day, Dianne, good mother that she is, counts the 17 days that Johnny was in the NICU as the hardest days of her life.  My hardest days were those following that cancer diagnosis, through chemotherapy, surgery and then radiation.

Hardest days, but not the worst days. (more…)

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Please Pray for Desiring God’s National Conference

Posted in Prayer Requests on September 26, 2009| 1 Comment »

Don’t pray because it is about disability or suffering – it isn’t.  It is on Calvin and you can follow it here.

Pray because people who get saturated in God-honoring, Christ-exalting, prayfully-dependent teaching and preaching that, Lord willing, is happening at the conference deal with the issue of disability and suffering in much more helpful ways.

And if you’d like to hear some good teaching on suffering, the 2005 Desiring God National Conference, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, is very good.  It includes a wonderful message from Joni Eareckson Tada I recommend.

Thank you for praying!

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