Leigh Family Prayer Bulletin - February 2005

January 30, 2005

I do. I'm more and more convinced that the dynamics of communication with God are much more profound than any of us imagine...regardless of whether we're currently on the side of "prayer is dry and boring" or the side of "prayer is vital and dynamic". Either way, God has riches and depth and consequences literally unimaginable to our current level of comprehension and experience. God works on the principle that if you can live without something, you will and that will define your experience...you'll live without it and consider it unnecessary. If however, you can't live without something, God will give it to you over time. I believe this is true with respect to our experience in prayer. If I continue to hunger and thirst after depth in my prayer experience, over time, He'll grant it in abundance. He sees the hunger in our heart and defines us that way...not by our stumblings on the way.

This has hit home to me this weekend. As I type, I sniff and blow my nose (what amazing coordination!). On Thursday evening, there was the first intercession meeting of 2005 for our church here. Thursday afternoon I started to come down with a cold. I missed the meeting. Friday evening began a weekend of intercession with the regional intercession group that I've just made contact with. I'd been looking forward to this weekend for two months. Needless to say, I've been home in bed all weekend.

If I'm defined by my (literally) weak flesh, I give up and quit. I'm not. Instead, I regroup and remember that God defines me by the "yes" in my spirit, and over time, I will grow in my depth and effectiveness in prayer.

Prayer Requests

• French - All 5 of us need help in this area in some way or another. Rachel and Olivia are doing the best but even with them, there are times where the level of French "gets in the way". We want to get better in French, but in the way that God wants us to. Not being fluent in the language continues to produce opportunities to stay humble...and that's not all bad! ;c) In particular, however, Angela has begun meeting with one of the teachers at the kids' school and may also start meeting with yet another...all just to work on her French. Please pray for progress in communicating in French specifically in the context of building relationships that are mutually edifying. That is a prayer for all of us!
  
  
• Schedule - Lately, I (David) have begun to have a schedule that is getting full. A quick resume: I've had the opportunity to have one-on-one discussion and prayer times with people who have asked me for input into their lives...an unexpected ministry opportunity and blessing. Prayer/Intercession opportunities are growing (and I hope that continues). People are asking me to bring my guitar to gatherings (some extra preparation time involved). But probably above all, I'm being increasingly asked for computer help. This includes: working on the kids' school's web site; creating a registration database for a Christian Education seminar coming up; improving the integration of databases at the kids' school; fixing any number of bizarre problems that come up in people's computers as they increasingly dive into the turbulent waters of the internet. I, of course, tend to love this kind of activity and I fully believe that God gave me experience in this area to use for His Kingdom. I also realize, however, that the venerable computer is the #1 distraction in my life and distractions are extremely effective in sapping our love and passion for God. So, my prayer is that I keep the 1st commandment (Love God) in 1st place and the 2nd commandment (Love Your Neighbor) in 2nd place!
  
  
• Car - Our delightfully huge American mini-van ('93 Dodge Grand Caravan) is giving us more signs that the transmission is on its last legs. While Dodge Caravans/Chrysler Voyagers exist in Europe, they never have automatic transmissions if they were "born here". Ours is 100% American. Therefore repairing this oddity is very expensive, not practical and perhaps even impossible. Additionally, our moving days are hopefully behind us so its hugeness no longer serves any purpose except to feed our thoroughly American craving of comfort and convenience...which we can do without; thank-you-very-much!;c) We've recently gotten some money that we can use to buy a car. Personally, I hate buying cars as I'm not too knowledgeable car mechanics. I can't immediately look at a used car and "sense" its reliability as some seemingly can. Anyway, the money should arrive in our French bank account Monday or Tuesday and we want to act before our mini-van decides to breathe its last. Please pray for wisdom and favor to find the right vehicle at the right price.
  
  
• Worship - At the end of February/beginning of March, I'll be leading worship for a week-long conference that our church does each year with a well-known speaker in France. Please pray for my preparation of heart and music.
  
  
• Travel - I'll be traveling to Berlin February 24-26 for the next meeting of the African-European Reconciliation process. I'm looking forward to this as it is an opportunity to "be American" in a specific redemptive context. America was represented in the 1884-5 conference in Berlin that divided up Africa for colonization. In addition to European nations working to heal this wound, I'm glad that Americans can be involved as well. Additionally, I still have a strong place in my heart for Germany and living in Alsace, with its French and German heritage, causes my heart to hunger for German and French reconciliation. Pray that this will be a time of key connections and relationships that will be used to bring God's light and life to Europe.
  
  
• Health - Both Angela and I are trying to work on our "weak flesh" since were not involved in any physical activity normally. I'm going to start swimming at least once a week (started Wednesday) and Angela has been doing an exercise class at a pool once a week. Pray that these times would be guarded and their effects multiplied. We want to have the bodily strength and health to do what God asks us to do.

Bless you all!
David (and "the Soultz Gang")