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In the cosmic scheme of things, to the God who holds our past, present and future in His infinite now, how important is the change of the calendar? After all, with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Pe 3:8) It would appear that it's not important at all. Yet there He was on that fourth day of creation, forming all the wonders of the heavens. It's true that His creativity is infinite, but this was not simply a monument to God's greatness, His capacity to conceive and act, or even a comparative scale upon which to measure our brief breath of existence. On the contrary (au contraire in this neck of the woods), these lights in the expanse of the heavens are lovingly put there by our Heavenly Father to create a framework for our lives and draw us to Him!
How often we curse the limitations of time (guilty as charged!) We're actually cursing God's loving creation for us! The infinite God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that we, as earthbound, finite creatures would need to have our apprenticeship of eternity presented to us in bite-sized chunks. His desire is that we should mark time, not as an end in and of itself, but as a means to grow in wisdom (using our time wisely) and to grow in faith in our infinite God who holds our individual future securely in His hands. God would have all of us be as the sons of Isaachar, men who understood the times (1 Ch 12:32), all the while heeding the admonition of Jesus to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. (Mt 6:33-34)
So, as 2004 rolls in, realize that God gives you these milestones of time passing as opportunities to seek Him ardently, to actively recall to mind God's loving kindness, mercy, compassion and grace this past year, and to understand what He wants to accomplish in and through you in this coming season.
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I do have some timely prayer requests for this month, but in keeping with this idea of milestones, I'd appreciate if your prayer time for us this month would mostly be a time of thanks for what God has done this past year and a time of "foundational" prayer for what God wants to do in 2004.
- 2003 - To borrow an acronym from the ministry of our friends Tim and Sue Ellis, we've been through T.U.F.F camp this year: Training yoU Farther and Faster. We've lived in three different places this year (Albertville, France, Paisley, Scotland, and Montéléger, France) with three different paces of life and focus. We've gone through a roller-coaster ride of visas and residence permits (with both long, uphill, slow moments, and rushing downhill head-spinning moments). Both Angela and I have gone through strength-zapping illnesses. Our kids have been schooled at home and at a total of 5 different French schools. We've completed our formal language study and are deeply in our informal language study. I'm learning huge things along with the students as a staff member on this YWAM School of Reconciliation. We've celebrated holidays alone, with friends and with family. We've had a cars come and go. We've sold our house in Scotland and have moved all our stuff to France. We've had huge financial needs and have seen God work it all out through the generosity of our friends. We've learned much more acutely and deeply about aspects of our marriage and family relationships and who God is calling us to be. We've ministered in marriage, family and worship in both English and French. We've closed chapters in many very special relationships as we, and virtually everyone around us have been moving away. We're currently writing new chapters with new, special people right now! We've watched God work out all things for His good and our good in amazing ways.
We want to thank God for keeping us and growing us, and positioning us in this wild year of transition. It feels as if we've moved physically, relationally and spiritually "farther" and "faster" than ever before. Join us in thanking God for this!
- 2004 - I have a strong sense about 2004. My friend Dave Hodel has often quoted Jeremiah's warning: If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? (Je 12:5) This feels like a warning to me right now too. I think the "pace" of our life is quickening. It would be easy for that simply to be falling in lock-step with society and culture, whose pace is also quickening. I think however, it's more of a "Kingdom Call" which is saying that certain seasons of training are past and that seasons of battle are ahead. This is not "battle" in the discouraging sense of "everything you do will be a hard-fought, tough battle", but the sense of "step into your calling!", "walk in the paths you were destined for!", and "possess your Kingdom territory!" There is also a sense that those distractions in our life or areas where discipline is lacking will have a much more critical weight in this coming season. It is vital for us to shed a "training mentality" and to put on our armor with a clarity of purpose that is unprecedented. I have a stirring in me that I need to cultivate a "fasted lifestyle", where the appetites of my flesh are brought into proper submission.
This sort of battle imagery speaks to me profoundly but it can be very daunting at times. My desire is that it do two things. First, that it would draw us on a daily basis to run to our Saviour, the Lover of our Souls, that our roots would be firmly established in His Love that is stronger than death. Secondly, that it would be a clarion call that energizes us for sacrificial obedience.
This coming year is, in several very practical and spiritual ways, foundational for the establishment of our family in France. There are physical/practical issues of housing, health, relationship with the government, finances. There are issues of emotional establishment in our family relationships, in schools, with the language, in family roles. There are spiritual issues of our intimacy with the Lord as individuals and as a family. There are spiritual issues of relationships in the Body of Christ here in France and the US and in the UK and our role with respect to all of that. There are spiritual issues of ministry activity and walking in our callings here in France.
Pray for our establishment as a family here in France during this pivotal year. Foundations are very important and determine what can and cannot be built upon them.
- Some selected prayer highlights for January - My parents are still here for their holiday visit, and leave on the 7th of January. Pray for my Dad's health as he has been ill most of the trip and needs strength for the flight home. The kids return to school on the 5th of January and the Reconciliation School starts then as well. Pray particularly for Noah as he will change classes this semester, and still needs language momentum. Pray for the Reconciliation School to overcome "holiday inertia" and really seek what God has for us. We're focusing more and more on Olivia (turns 8 on Jan. 7th) and her pronounced "emotional meltdowns" as of late. Pray that God's "fathering/mothering wisdom" would be released for us to walk in. Finally, we should get our final residence permits in early January. This will put us into a position to let us know if there is any government aid for which we qualify, which in turn will help clarify the potential housing picture. Pray for God's will in our housing situation and grace if we can actually move this month!
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