Leigh Family Prayer Bulletin - October 2007

Feedback...

I believe that we're in our school-year-pace finally! ;c) This being the beginning of only our 4th year here, I really don't have much to go on, but I have the feeling that the intensity for this year, both at school and at church is at a new level. The "rentrée" as back-to-school time is called here in France, really had a sense for me of new hope and new possibilities...side-by-side with new challenges...really a time for "leaning into" our dependency on God with an expectancy of new fruit to come. It's probably no coincidence that we begin the school year in Autumn, sowing into young lives and giving time for roots to grow in the winter and living with an expectation for new growth and new fruit in the Spring. Sorry to "wax poetic" like that, but in the midst of the daily grind, I'm encouraged when I look at the bigger picture of where we are.

Depending on how well I did my work and how you receive emails, you may notice a difference in the format of this prayer bulletin. This is because we've just re-done our web site (graphic design by our daughter Rachel!) and I'm trying to coordinate our newsletters at least a little with the format of the site (my blog will stay with the former site theme). So, take a look at the changes on the web site when you get a chance!

Thank you for your prayers for our time in Trier, Germany. On so many levels it was powerful...not the least of which for Angela and me as a couple, simply to work at being in ministry together. Our life is "being in ministry" here (as our lives should be always and everywhere, I suppose ;c) ), so our old tendencies of living our separate lives can creep into our marriage in destructive ways. Consequently, this was a very redemptive time that we want to see more of! You can read my report of the time on my blog here.

We've all gone through a cold already this season but are all out the other side now and Angela has been feeling better lately in general which really lifts her spirits. My injured knee is finally showing some progress at improving to the point where I can start taking my regular walks again...which I need for both health and spiritual reasons.

Please Pray...

• Spiritual Life of Our Kids - What we see in Noah and Olivia spiritually at this time sometimes troubles me, and yet the junior high age for kids is really famous for sending out all kinds of mixed signals about their life direction. This year seems so key for both Noah and Olivia in so many ways. So, please pray for our parental wisdom to know how to help our kids navigate this time in their lives, for an openness in our communication with them, and pray for their ability to directly connect with God on a personal level instead of simply living their parents' faith.

• Worship/Intercession at church - It looks as if Angela and I will be starting a regular time (weekly?) of teaching/discipling in the area of worship/intercession with some of the young people in our fellowship. This is an exciting prospect for us as we see the potential of some of our "future vision" coming closer! This is, however, still quite vague and we need to both further define it and start it soon...perhaps this month. We hugely value your prayers that this would go where God wants it too and that we would have good seed to sow into good soil.

• Technology Work - At the school, a "technical team" has not materialized quite the way I was looking for, though I'm able to have Noah as a teammate a couple of hours a week while his class learns English. That's a nice turn of events and I'm looking forward to this new way to be with him and accomplish more tasks! The daily pressure of technical issues has taken more time than I would like, but there is some slow and steady progress towards a better environment, both technically and in the sense of "team" with the teachers. So I'm encouraged and challenged at the same time (that's the story of my life right now!). Please pray specifically for the ability this month to prepare to take the most advantage of the vacation week at the end of the month for significant upgrades/changes. I don't feel real positive about this at the moment. Increase my faith Lord!

• Church Steps of Faith - Thank you for your prayers about the new things our church is diving into. I read on Martin Scott's blog recently this quote: "This 'going higher' and 'going deeper' has been wrongly separated. The early disciples knew how to access heaven and how to care for the marginalised." We've been a church that has leaned heavily on the "going higher" side...i.e. seeking God's presence. There are other streams of the Body of Christ that have leaned heavily on the "going deeper" (concretely touching the spheres of creation/society, etc.). I agree with Martin that this needs to come together and that is, in my opinion, what God is walking our church through at the moment. This month is decisive as this month is when we start paying a rent on the additional facility. We also need to get it renovated for occupation as quickly as possible. So, please pray for God's supernatural provision for finances, renovation manpower and more people stepping into the leadership roles for the new efforts to touch the creation that God is calling us to.

Thank you for praying!
David