Streamlining...

As you all know by now, I can be a real windbag in my writing. (Warning: Here comes some more!) So as not to detract too much from the activity at hand, i.e. praying, I've decided to try and minimize the amount of this I do in the monthly Prayer Bulletin (baby steps...the word eliminate just sounds so...harsh!). So, from now on, if for some bizarre reason, you actually miss a regular dose of my stream of consciousness, you may get your fix on my blog page: "Pragmatic Pontification".

Feedback...

A new round of thanks is in order to our awesome God and to you all for praying about our financial provision. Significant bills have continued to mount and so have some significant gifts! The Lord is faithful...and doooooonnnn't yew fergit it! (very old cartoon allusion!)

The school year has started off well and challenging for all of us. This is mostly what we asked you to pray about last month. A brief breakdown of where we're at:

• Olivia - I've called it the least challenging year academically for her, but a struggle with math has surfaced as well as a first "disappointment" with her new teacher. I see these both as opportunities that the Lord has given her (and us to work with her) to work on some character issues like overcoming doubts (among others) as we asked you to pray about last month.
• Noah - His start academically has been good so far. Notably, German has gotten off to a good start. He still needs prayer about his attitude about school. It remains the most significant issue about school (which is most of his life at this point, after all) that he struggles with. On the other hand, his thirst for learning has never been higher. Of the too much time he spends on the computer (imitating his father, of course), a large part of it is at www.howstuffworks.com where he just eats up knowledge about new things!
• Rachel - Rachel has started well and as we asked you to pray about, has continued to cultivate a diligent spirit. Though having me as her "teacher" (really just a "grader" of her online curriculum) can seem pretty un-official, she is really taking it seriously. This has also been good father-daughter connection time. With Angela's increased responsibilities, there is a bit of difficulty with Angela and Rachel having as much time to connect as we would like.
• Angela - The new teaching responsibilities (as well as the "old" English ones) continue to bring significant challenge in Angela's weekly routine. It has been very fatiguing but it has given us all an opportunity to try and help with new family routines and has connected Angela more significantly with some of the teachers (and, of course the kids) at the school. At the moment, the long-term impact seems to be quite swallowed up in the increase in workload and pace, but the building blocks of long-term impact are nonetheless there.
• David - My start of the school year has not gone at all as I anticipated. This is due to the fact that the worship workshop that I offered to do was met by an overwhelming lack of interest among the students. On the one hand, it has been a bit of a relief, especially seeing Angela's challenges, but on the other, a disappointment as I realize the need for the kids to really worship God! I trust that the Lord has His timing and His organization for how that important goal is to be achieved.

Please Pray...

• "Gideon Attack" - Tomorrow, October 2nd, our church will be launching a time of prayer in Guebwiller (the large community next to ours, where our church and the kids' school is) that is patterned much like the attack that Gideon launched against the Midianites in Judges 7. Guebwiller is in a valley surrounded on 3 sides. Sunday night we will be meeting for about 2 1/2 hours in church worshiping and praying while 5 teams take to the hillsides to do the same. The plan was received by one of our youth and, as such, is an example of how God is currently stirring up the next generation in our area. Please pray for unity, protection and boldness as we proclaim that Jesus is Lord over this region. (you can read the direct text of what our youth received to do by downloading this translated Word document).
• Worship - Angela and I will now be regularly leading worship at our church (as part of a rotation). We are so conscious that this is far more than filling a ministry slot. In fact, I resisted any regularity to our worship leading before now to make sure that it was not entered into with the motivation simply of "picking up the slack" as it were (which is laudable and necessary but must not be of primary importance in anything we do for the Lord). Indeed our "team" is the two of us plus any youth from the youth worship team that can play with us that week. This is significant because it gives us an opportunity to be multi-generational in our worship and to be involved in helping launch the next generation in their worship. It's still quite embryonic but I'm excited about the possibilities. Please pray for unity between Angela and me and for purposeful 2-way connection with the youth. (Note: our worship-leading Sundays will be posted on our on-line calendar for those who will be praying on those days).
  
  Speaking of worship, next weekend (Oct 8-9th), there will be a coordinated worship event all along the Rhone river in France. I was hoping to participate with a group near Geneva, where the Rhone enters France, but it is not going to work out. Nevertheless, it is a significant milestone in France as God is working to raise up worship in the nation...a significant building block for the Good News of Jesus in Europe. Please pray for the strength of those who will be participating in 24 hours of worship during those days!
• Noah - As I mentioned, Noah really does need prayer about his attitude towards school. Right now it manifests most clearly in his words/speech that he uses when it comes to school. It is, of course, a heart issue, but we need to sow into him the importance of the words he pronounces. He likes to "joke" about how horrible school is. While we as parents want to be diligent to respond to true issues he has in school we want him to learn how to pronounce words of blessing instead of cursing on his own life. Please pray that Noah would learn to speak blessings on his own life and that we would be discerning about real struggles in his heart.
• Angela - Please continue to pray for Angela and her teaching responsibilities. Pray for lesson inspiration. Pray for wisdom in dealing with the sometimes incorrigible children. Pray for her relationships with the other teachers.
• David - Currently I am working on developing a web site for a YWAM ministry branch that has a rather "pastoral" focus on those who have been a part of YWAM, but no longer are for what ever reason. This is my first "paying gig" as a web designer...though it's on the barter system (sort of a 3 pigs and a chicken for a web site exchange). As we seek God about what to put our hand to and where "work" fits into the picture, web design may play a part. Please pray that I manage my time well and put the Lord squarely in the center of this work, and that this web site be used as a tool for His Kingdom.

David