Oh God, you are my God: earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live: in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 64:1-4
Lord of the Land and of Your People, Lord of our personal salvation, Lord of Israel,
It seemed “on again, off again, maybe yes, maybe no…” We said we would wait for Your will. We fought through the ups and downs, even shared our struggle and disappointment with friends and family; thinking that the “deal was off”—too many walls in the way to knock down. But that is Your way Lord, preparing us to see, not what we can do, but how You alone are able. Now You have made Your presence known. So simple, so…You. When Your Spirit says, “go,” there is no stopping the plan. We received notice from our friend, Sam that all is now in place for our flights and lodging to Israel, November 8th – 22nd. Other friends have joined in, to travel with us, and our ministry is launched!
Oh, not that there aren’t still challenges. Patti fell and broke three ribs, my work has been affected by the economy, world events suggest chaos will triumph. We are unsure if the enemy is provoking, or if You are asking us to “step out” in faith. Pardon me, we do know: It is a little of the first and a lot of the latter. In confidence, we stand. Not our confidence—You, Jesus give us strength.
And when You give strength, Master, You do no fool around! My wife will not be daunted by physical restrictions, I will not let worry stand in the way. And so we already see fruit. My business shows great signs of improvement. Patti’s stamina grows daily. Friends and family offer support and…enough said…You have called and we answer.
Our hope though is not just in the blessing this trip provides for us, but in the sharing it allows. We will serve those in need through The Joseph Project and other Israel ministries. I will share, in blogs and through my book writing, whatever new insights You will inspire, my God. We will chronologue the journey; engaging in prayer with all who desire to participate, whether traveling with us physically or in spirit. We will share Your Gospel message without fear or apology.
And stilll we expect challenges. We know that the enemy will continue to try to distract us. We know that You will continue to shape and use us to Your purpose. Will we need others to help us? You are a God of community: we don’t know, nor can we imagine all of those You will inspire with this adventure: So as You instruct us to do, we pray…
And stilll we expect challenges. We know that the enemy will continue to try to distract us. We know that You will continue to shape and use us to Your purpose. Will we need others to help us? You are a God of community: we don’t know, nor can we imagine all of those You will inspire with this adventure: So as You instruct us to do, we pray…
—We pray for active and continued support, encouragement and the prayers of our friends and family.
—We pray for strength and support to those who will physically be traveling with us; for Sam, Peggy, John, Ed, Donna, and Dawn.
—We pray for your purpose in all of this and that we are inspired to greater understanding, strong teaching and spiritual growth for all of us while we journey in the Land.
— Lord, we pray that those, we encounter—through this blog, in our daily lives, during our Israel journey and beyond—will see Your light reflected outward through us.
—We pray that the lives You send us to touch will join in to support and spread the message of our purpose so that above all, the world may know that You are God.
Praise to You, Sovereign God, for we we will do by Your will, walking out our faith with Jesus as our heartfelt companion. In his name we pray. Amen and amen.
And to you reading along, please let us hear from you. Even if you have no interest in Israel, or in the God that Patti and I serve, we are excited about even that discussion: we hunger to understand and to be understood. So share your hearts with us and let’s discover together, what this conversation is really all about.
Blessings and Shalom, ברכות שלום
And to you reading along, please let us hear from you. Even if you have no interest in Israel, or in the God that Patti and I serve, we are excited about even that discussion: we hunger to understand and to be understood. So share your hearts with us and let’s discover together, what this conversation is really all about.
Blessings and Shalom, ברכות שלום
markc91754@comcast.net
If you feel compelled to contribute financially to this ministry journey: https://www.gofundme.com/IsrealMinistryTrip
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