A couple of days ago, I was driving by the high school with my son when he realized that he’s not returning in August because he graduated in June. His sigh of relief did not have to do with homework, teachers, other students, etc., His sigh of relief was he did not have to worry about shootings anymore.

In another conversation, with another group, we shared our concern about the pressure of sexual bullying from upperclassmen with incoming freshmen.

Even though, these two instances are alarming, they do not begin to touch the surface on the issues within our school districts. There are alarming and disheartening things happening within the lives of our students every day. However, this is not a time for us to be discouraged, but rather a time for us to bring our concerns to the Lord Almighty.

Joshua 1:9 says, “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

With this said, please be diligent in prayer for our students, teachers, school volunteers and all faculty members:

• Pray that students have the strength and courage to resist temptations.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit would bring peace and unity within the schools.
• Pray that teachers and facility members will have endurance, patience, strength and wisdom to handle each situation.
• Pray that each student, teacher, and facility member who calls on the name of Jesus will be bold in their faith to share the Gospel.
• Pray that our schools become fertile ground for the Gospel that when seeds are planted they will produce fruit for the Kingdom of God.
  Pray for our country to allow God back into the schools.
• Pray that each student and parent who comes to a Feed the Need Missions location would feel the love of Jesus.

Pray about how you can invest in the lives of students to make an impact for the Kingdom of God.

Lastly, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that we may proclaim it clearly, as we should.5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” Colossians 4:2-6

Welcome Summer! Long days, reading in the shade, baseball, iced tea, sunshine — ’tis the season of unparalleled displays of God’s common benevolence.

Summer it’s also full of exciting opportunities for us to grow in the grace of prayer.
Did you know God’s grace is immeasurable, not seasonal? “…so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7. There’s not more of Him now than in January, but summer tends to open our eyes a little wider. We can see a little clearer. And this helps how we pray.

In other words, prayer is when we snap out of it. Out of the busyness, out of Facebook charades, out of our culture-imposed identities. Praying is the most real thing we do, and if summer is when we are most awake, then let it teach us how to pray. Let it invite us into deeper fellowship.

During your prayer time this summer, remember Feed the Need Missions and the families that we serve.

Spring is my favorite time of year!

Spring is the time to open my windows and let the cool breeze blow through my house to clean out all the musky smells of winter. It’s the time of year that flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the grass starts turning green. It’s when neighbors start coming outdoors to mow their lawns, the sound of children playing, and the smell of neighborhood cook-outs please my senses.

Spring rings renewal and community in my heart!

As Spring is here, I pray that each of us take time to….

• Allow God to come through our lives to remove the musky smells of winter. As Psalms 51:10 states, “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
• Take time to glorify God for His creation. As Psalms 8:3-5 states, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
• Build relationships with your neighbors. As Jesus says in Mark 12:31, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

With these thoughts in mind, please be in continual prayer for Feed the Needs Missions staff, leadership, donors and volunteers to continually allow God to create a clean heart within them, to give God all the glory, and continue to have a steadfast spirit to love their neighbors as themselves.

Thank you for praying along side us!

The last few weeks I can’t help but notice we are in the, “Month of Love.” Every store I enter I am bombarded with the colors red and pink, hearts and cupids, chocolates and flowers. Valentine’s Day is a great reminder to stop and appreciate the ones we love, however if we are only expressing our love once a year, we might find ourselves in trouble! Buying my wife flowers and chocolate once a year is not going to cut it. Carving out an hour once a week to spend time with her is not enough either. My love for my wife is demonstrated by spending time with her daily. Making sure that I am meeting her needs, cultivating and nurturing her heart. I need to make myself vulnerable before her.

When I think of how I am to love my wife, I can’t help but be reminded of the Author of Love, Himself. God’s love for his creation is so profound, so vast, he brought redemption to this world through Jesus. This was God’s demonstration of love. And when we are moved to respond to His love, He asks to be loved by us in return. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Matthew 22:36-38

Our response to receiving God’s love is to love him fiercely in return. But if I’m honest, fierce love often looks like fleeting acknowledgements, quick prayers, a few minutes reading my bible when I can squeeze it in, and an hour or so on Sundays.

Maybe you can relate. Does your love for God seem a little flat? I think most of us can use a little heart examination concerning our love for our Creator. The beauty in doing so rests in God, the one who stirs our affections for Himself. We just need to ask Him to do so!

Join me and lets lift our hearts to the Father together:
Lord, thank you for your demonstration of love which brought hope to a hopeless world and transformed our hearts. Lord teach our hearts to beat with yours. Draw us, Lord, further into your love. May we long to be in your presence, and not allow busyness to be an excuse to neglect our first love, You. Use us to be vessels of your love in the world around us. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.