Ministry

When Fear Dissolves into Nothing

Posted on

Perfect love casts out all fear - Good Photo; Thanks to the GoSummerProjects.com Team!

Ready for summer?   Over 2,500 American college students are ready.  They’re ready, by faith, to trust God with their summer plans.   These students have made preparation to go on a summer missions project with Cru.   This is a big deal.   Taking a step of faith like this can be a bit scary, but a huge faith-builder for these students.

About 25 years ago (gulp, has it been that long?), Shannon and I each went on a different Cru summer missions project.  God truly worked.  It was a life changing summer.

Over 70 of these missions projects will take students to countries overseas – areas where Campus Crusade already has an ongoing outreach.   From South America to Asia, the gospel will be communicated one-on-one through these student missionaries.   Another 4 dozen or so summer missions projects take place here in the USA – including creative venues the students will create to build relationships with inner city homeless, youth and even student athlete training camps.  It’s all for the purpose of sharing – by word and deed – the reality of who Jesus is and how He completely transforms hearts.

photo of Brandon courtesy of the GoSummerProject.com teamBrandon (pictured here) experienced feelings of fear and inadequacy as he approached his missions project last year.   See his story here and learn how God used the fear to build his faith: “When we look at God and how big He is and focus on what He has done for us, fear dissolves into nothing. Only the grace of God is left,” said Brandon.

As a side note, our team in Orlando developed the web hosting, financial tracking and content management systems which are empowering these 2,500 students to create a simple website – telling their stories and raising their financial support for their summer expenses.   See one example of such a website created by a student here.

Imagine the lives that will be changed this summer!   Thank you for serving with us to make all this possible!

 

Financial Update

To Reach the Summit

Posted on

Thanks for your prayers!

Ready for another quick update on our climb of Mt. Fully Funded?  To catch up on the previous updates, click here.

God is awesome. He has done great things. And He is doing much more than we see or realize to keep us climbing.

Our April 30 faith goal date brought more steady encouragement.  As of today we still need about $955 in monthly commitments to be fully funded.   (See photos below). View of the summit

reaching the ridge line; the mountain air is nice!

Of course we will keep climbing to reach the summit!   The great thing is that now even more people will now have an opportunity to help us plant the flag on the summit.

Several of your specific prayers are being answered or have been already.   Being “on the mountain” for this season has encouraged us in significant ways.

Although “climber man” (see below) may look like he is traversing the slope alone, make no mistake – our climb is a team effort.   In fact, we would have never made it outside of base camp without our amazing ministry partners.

Climber man is part of an awesome team

Obviously we didn’t reach the fully funded peak by our target date.  Yet we are reminded…

We can make our plans,

but the lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 NLT

We have no lack of confidence that the summit is attainable.   HE will get us there.   His plan and His glory are more important than any goal date.

 What’s become unmistakably clear through the climbing process?

Giving is part of worship.  It may sound theoretical, theological or even a little counterintuitive.   But we’ve experienced this aspect of worship through many of you.   You give and share in our ministry with Cru as a means to bless the Lord and make His name great.   It’s not a game.  It’s not really about helping David and Shannon.  Yes, you want us to reach our goal, but your heart attitude to give freely, joyfully and directly to worship the Lord has made an impact on us.   We thank the Lord even more for you.

By faith, we keep asking, seeking, knocking to be fully funded.

Please pause to thank God with us for the great progress. And please keep praying for the Lord to be glorified – both through our trusting Him and through others’ heart attitude of giving to Him as a sincere act of worship.

 

Financial Update

Climbing Mt. Fully Funded

Posted on

We’re still climbing!  Only 6 days left to reach the summit of our April 30th faith goal.   See “climber man” pictorial updates below for a brief status report and prayer requests.   Thank you and please keep pouring on your prayers daily!

Climbing towards fully fundedHoorah, we’re almost above the tree line at step 5 – meaning we still need $1100 in monthly commitments to be fully funded.   By April 30th this seems crazy impossible.   Yet…

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

we recovered from the rock slidesWell, you may wonder about this drawing of climber man.   What is it? Rock slides.   Recently we slid down several steps on the mountain (lost financial support) but praise the Lord – He replaced the decreased giving amounts and even bumped us up a notch to step 5 this week.  We thank the Lord for working all things for His good.

When I thought, “My foot slips,”

your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. Psalm 94:18

still climbing by faith

Please pray specifically for us to be fully funded by Wed, April 30.   Only God could scale the remaining 1100 “feet” of “vertical ascent” in such a short time.   Our confidence is not in our legs but in Him.   He is able to provide “exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or even imagine.”

Pray that we could find 11 people who will commit $100 per month.  Or an equivalent number at a different monthly commitment.  This could come through new people committing for the first time or through current partners increasing their gifts.   Again, only possible through God.

Ask specifically that the Lord would arrange time in people’s schedule simply to talk with us by phone.   This has been a challenge all along.   Climbing each step of the mountain requires communication with people:  People hear our vision for ministry, sense God’s call and then respond and share in our ministry.   But without face-to-face conversations – or at least conversations by phone – the first step of communicating never takes place.

If we don’t reach the summit by April 30, then certainly we’ll keep on climbing.  The Lord is faithful beyond all comprehension.  It is His goal, His mountain, His summit, His climber and His children who help boost the climber to the peak.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

Thanks for your prayers.

 

General

Did He Smile at Me?

Posted on

light of the cross shines through dark shadow on Good Friday

On Good Friday, did Jesus smile when He thought of me?  Does He now smile at me when I am at my worst?  When my rebellion and anger towards Him deliver the thorns to His head and strike the nails in His hands?

It can only be mere speculation that there was any smiling by anyone during the dark day of Good Friday.  Those who rejoiced in crucifixion may have been sneering a sinister smile.  Proud others may have smiled at finally bringing silence to Jesus’ (presumed/accused by them) blasphemous lips.

Sadness pierced His heart.  Sorrow over the depth of my sin and all that He saw in the future where I would directly disobey Him.  In some ways, I would prefer Jesus not to smile.  Any man fully human – and Jesus was indeed – would have been feeling horror and wretched suffering all night and all day that Friday.  A machine or madman oblivious to pain could have smiled, but not a real man.

Yet, real men can smile from their hearts alone.  You can sense it.   You can “see” love delivered and transferred deep from within.   Confident, steadfast, persevering, enduring suffering – not for the sake of suffering but for the sake of me.  For the joy set before Him of finishing the work that only He could finish on my behalf:  Redeemed. Finished.  Loved now and for eternity.

What does it do to me – what does it mean to me – to see Him smile?  It means He deeply loves me.

He led me to a place of safety;

   he rescued me because he delights in me.

  Psalm 18:19