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Can anyone not recognize the tension in our nation as we struggle with the results of the Virus that has upset everything that used to be? People have been isolated, lost friends and family members, lost means of income. Many have suffered from horrendous natural disasters. Our country is divided like never before in our lifetimes due to perceived injustices, causing anger and rage. And then there’s the looming question about what the impact of this election season will be on us! What do we do?

Is there more to all of this than what meets the eye? Some have suggested that our nation is under judgment from God for the evil that pervades our society, including the Church. Some are looking more intently for the Lord’s soon return. Some see that the Church is under the devil’s attack. Some say we must become more activist politically to fight evil. Some are praying more now than ever. I would suggest that all of the above are likely true to the disciple of Jesus Christ.

The big question I have for us as the church of Jesus Christ is where are we going to find peace in our souls during this time? Is the answer we are looking for in our government; in science, in putting blame for all of this on someone or something, or can we affirm together that God is the answer? He is the Rock we will stand upon.

God has some wonderful promises in the Old Testament, like Psalms 103: “…the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant, and remember His precepts to do them. The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all…Bless the LORD, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the LORD, O my soul!”

In the New Testament, we can read some amazing things about the unseen realm where God reigns, like in the book of Ephesians: “Christ is seated at God’s right hand…far above all rule and authority and power and dominion…God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” And further we the church are to be making known to these rulers and authorities “the manifold wisdom of God…” But we also read at the latter part of the book that we are in a struggle against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. So, we put on God’s armor, and we pray in the Spirit.

There is a lot going on out there in the unseen realm, as we learn from another Old Testament promise in Jeremiah 29: “…plans to give you hope and a future.”

Hope because we have full confidence in God’s redemptive work in the world and in us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

A future walking with Christ now and forevermore, seated with Christ in the unseen realm, engaged in God’s redemptive work in the world wherever he has placed us.

This confidence causes us to “call upon me (the Lord) and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me…”

Is there enough going on in the world to cause us to call upon the Lord, to come and pray to the Lord? How are we praying?

Can we pray for the Lord’s blessing on our nation, on the Church, on the children?     Can we become intercessors in the sense that Rees Howells described an intercessor in his biography? It was said of Mr. Howells that his definition of intercession included three laws: “identification, agony, and authority”. We see these lived out in the life of our Lord Jesus. God’s grace is open to us as we walk by faith, and intercede.

1. Jesus identified with man, becoming one of us, and “tasted death for every man”. Can we get outside of ourselves to understand what others are going through?
2. Jesus suffered the agony of the cross, and the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with “groanings which cannot be uttered”. Can we say we are being crucified with Christ, the self being released from itself, the Holy Spirit being in agony within us?
3. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. Can these weak vessels of ours be clothed with authority by the Holy Spirit to bring deliverance and redemption to those we meet in our circumstances?

The Lord bless you
And keep you
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His
Face toward you
And give you peace

Amen, Amen

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
Your family and your children
And their children, and their children

Amen, Amen         

(Elevation Worship)

God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

“... as a man of confidence in the Bible,

he found out what God had promised and rested on it. 

Faith, to [George] Muller, was finding out what God said or what he permitted,

and doggedly hanging on to the promises

even when circumstances were screaming otherwise.”

 ~ Jim Elliff

What a great reminder for us today!  George Muller’s legendary life of prayer and trust in God was born out of a secure confidence that the Lord was true, and that His promises are sure.

How do we “hang on to the promises, even when circumstances are screaming otherwise?”

In a word, prayer!

Prayer is where we lay hold of God’s nearness.  Prayer is where we pour out our needs, and soak in His truth, until our fears are assuaged, and our affections are stirred.  It’s where faith takes root, as God speaks to our soul in personal ways.  It’s where conviction is nourished, as we test all our motives in His presence.  Prayer is where God’s healing balm is applied for our comfort.  It’s where clouds and confusion are cleared away, and direction is received.  Prayer is where the truth of God comes to bear on our own experience.

If you feel far from the Lord, or discouraged; how is your time in prayer?

In this relationship with our Father through Christ, we will grow through many seasons.  Each of these may teach us new aspects of prayer.  There is not one, single way to pray; but let me offer you some suggestions to consider, if you’re ready for a new venture in your life of prayer with the Lord.  In the coming weeks, we’ll be hearing about prayer as it relates to different aspects of our life: work / school; witness; for our nation; and for believers all over the world.

This week, maybe you’d like to practice one of these disciplines, in some way.  Take a small step of trying something new, dedicate it to the Lord, and just ask Him to meet you:

• with fasting (for a meal, or more)
• pray on the hour (choose topics, make it a day with Christ!)
• start with you, pour out your heart, and then move in circles outward from there
• all-night prayer (Lk. 6:12), or wake up for a “prayer vigil” in the night
• Morning: praises & requests; Evening: thanksgiving & confession
• take a prayer walk (focus more on praying than on walking); invite a friend!

I’d love to hear what the Lord leads you to try, and how it goes!

May He be near, and may His presence be rich.

Frank

 “Your love has given me much joy and comfort...for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.” Philemon 1:7

Let me take a moment to introduce myself to those who do not know me yet.  My name is Heather Johnson. I am quirky, sometimes too serious, sometimes silly, compassionate, and slightly awkward...or maybe more than slightly awkward.  I love God and I love people a lot.  I am not always good at it though. I am a work in progress. One of things that God has placed on my heart as an ongoing ministry, whether it be official or unofficial, is the ministry of uniting people.  We are better together. I believe God created us to be in community and when we are connected with others, we grow, we thrive, and mutual transformation occurs.  Therefore I invite you to keep reading to hear some ideas I have for seeing moms grow in their connection with one another and with their Creator. I can’t do any of these ideas on my own, but I think that if someone else will catch the vision with me, some really beautiful things can be planted and the blooms of which we may see for years to come. 

New Vision

There are a few different elements I would like to integrate into MCC’s mom's ministry. Though the acronym for MOPS is “Mothers of Preschoolers”, I hope to be able to bless and encourage moms of many seasons of life.  I do not want moms to think that they age out of having a mom's ministry simply because their kids are now school age.  So, moms...of ALL stages...we want to hear from you! We want to serve you and be here for you too.  One of the things that drew my family to Mountain Christian Church was how much people looked out for one another. We have experienced so much love and support from many families.  I want other moms in our community to feel as welcomed and loved as I did. Let us continue to love one another and spur one another on to love and good deeds!  Let us look out for each other and intentionally look for ways to encourage one another.  

God created me with a specific passion to see people of diverse backgrounds united. So when I stepped into the MOPS coordinator position this summer, it wasn’t long before I started thinking about how I could combine the moms ministry with my love for people from other countries.  I personally believe that when we are serving in any ministry capacity it is important that we think about how God created us and what passions He has given to us and to integrate our passions into our ministry.  For me this was to integrate our church partnership with International Students Incorporated (ISI) with MCC’s moms ministry.  I have been an international student before and I know the loneliness, the culture shock, the vulnerability that comes with that and I also know the power of kindness from a local person to refresh the heart and bring so much joy and comfort.  I’m imagining the friendships that develop between moms of the east mountains and moms from all around the world, who are currently living in Albuquerque, could lead to a ripple effect of transformation that we cannot even fathom spreading to all ends of the earth.  I see an image of a map with arrows going from East mountains to Albuquerque and from Albuquerque shooting out every direction to all over the globe.  We cannot underestimate the transforming power of intentional relationships.  

Another emphasis that another mom on the leadership team wisely suggested we pursue is recruiting more mentors. We want to set up a mentor-mentee partnership for moms to grow in their connection with moms that have more life experience.  How valuable is it for moms to have older or more experienced moms to learn from and to be encouraged by! This is something that the Titus ministry is doing so well. My hope would be to have one mentor for three moms.  

Connection with God and with others is what leads to positive transformation. When we connect with others, we thrive in our roles. 

A call to action

There are so many ways you can get involved in making this ministry effective in reaching moms in our community and be a part of the transformation that takes place when moms are encouraged and empowered to thrive in their motherhood.  Maybe you are a mom yourself or maybe you were highly impacted by a mother and you want to support moms to know they are valuable and to be supported in growing in their role.  Here are some ways you may be able to help:

• You can become a friendship partner to an international mom (If you are a mom yourself)
• You can sign up to be a mentor mom and encourage moms weekly through phone call, email, in person, letters or any other way you think of to show your care. 
• You can make homemade gifts or baked goods for the moms in our community and drop them off with the MOPS coordinator.
• You can become a delivery person to deliver gifts or baked goods to moms
• You can host mom and her family for Thanksgiving or Christmas at your home 
• You can be a motivational speaker at a moms event 
• You can bring a meal to a mom who recently delivered a baby or is facing some difficulty.
• You can donate diapers for our moms with infants 
• You can serve on the MOPS leadership team
• You can help recruit other moms to be friendship partners for our international moms. 
• You can be a volunteer driver for our moms who do not have cars.

As I walked into the secretary interview with Frank and Paul I didn't know if I'd get the job. If I'm being honest, I wasn't even sure if I wanted it at the time. Yes, I needed a job. And yes, God seemed to be handing me one right then. But was I ready for this kind of job? Secretary work I'd done before, but church secretary?? That felt like a whole different ball game. I seriously wasn't sure, especially after the interview was finished, if I wanted it. Thank goodness the Lord had different plans and, as y'all well know, I accepted the job Frank and MCC elders offered me. 

So I settled in, learned what I needed, and prepared myself for an onslaught of questions and printing and being available and and and …. 

Except, that's not really what happened. Yes, those things are commonplace in the job itself, but what I wasn't prepared for, or expecting, were the literal blessings I received. From getting to know more people in the church to being involved in all the different ministries by simply serving those who head them up. Or getting to bond with individuals I never thought I would. Forging friendships with many of the ladies in the church I'd never met! And these ladies, as the amazing Titus 2 women in my life know, were ones I may not have ever been in contact with if it hadn't been for my position. 

I quickly learned how humbling it was to work at MCC. To be able to pray daily in the office for those who come in or who submitted a request. Or to simply have a conversation with someone who dropped by. It seriously blessed me and honestly, I'm getting a little teary eyed just thinking about it! 

My year and a half at MCC has zipped by. I never thought it would go so quickly or that I would have gotten SO much out of it. But what I do know is that it will always hold a special place in my memories as I continue down the path as the Lord leads. I am so grateful for the relationships that were built - ones I seriously doubt would have happened otherwise and ones that I needed, nay, still need in my life today.

Ok but... honestly how can I sum this all up? How do I fit in one blog post all of the individual stories? All the amazing moments? All the growth God did in me because of this position? I'm not really sure if I can... although I'm more than happy to sit down and have a cup of coffee with anyone who wants to listen to me ramble about it. So many of you have been tremendous in working with me. It's been an honor to get to be part of this church in this specific way. Thank you to all of you for the way you've poured into me, prayed for me, and been a blessing to me in this position!

Of course, I can't forget to mention the genuine joy I had getting to work closely with amazing people like Pastor Frank, Paul, Jodi and now Jess. It is so fun to be with such wonderful Christians who are striving to walk daily with Christ, serve the church, and still be able to joke around, encourage me, and be excited for all the opportunities I have ahead.