Dear Springs of Grace Family and Friends,

Would you consider joining me on Tuesday, May 15th for a time of prayer and fasting directed towards the Summer Ministry at Springs of Grace and One Hope? We believe that we are powerless to accomplish anything of eternal significance – anything that truly matters – apart from the power of God. We believe that our God is in a category all by Himself (peerless) and He asks us to join with Him by faith. Prayer is one of the main ways we express our powerlessness and our confidence in His power.

We know these truths and believe them, at least theoretically. We know nothing that really matters can happen apart from Jesus’ help (John 15:5); BUT – too often life is comfortable enough for us to forget. If we lived in a country where it was against the law to be a Christian we probably wouldn’t forget. If we were a missionary among an unreached people group we probably wouldn’t forget. If we recognized that the people we love were in immediate peril we wouldn’t forget.

One lady described Springs of Grace recently as being “like a Missions Conference that doesn’t end.” There is an inability to forget about people of different backgrounds or different social levels; children with Down Syndrome and handicaps; people who struggle with addiction or homelessness; children with little or no parental influence; the poor and sick; – there is an inability to forget IF you see them and talk with them regularly.

God is honored when we recognize we need Him. Is it any wonder that often He places obstacles before those He loves that make this need obvious? Sometimes we miss the expression of God’s love. We think that because we have a need that compels us to pray we must be doing something wrong or God must be against us. Often, God is loving us by drawing us near to Himself so He can show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are completely His (2 Chronicles 16:9).

The odds in the ministry at Springs of Grace and the people God has given us to love seem too stacked against us. The needs really are enormous. The time commitment alone necessary to walk people out of darkness into the light is incredible. The need for laborers to make any real difference in tutoring, sex trafficking, foster care, addictions, etc., is so great.

We have learned how to do things that are making small impacts in individual lives. We are learning to love. God is helping us but we want to see real good – real spiritual awakening happen in the lives of the families God has given us to love across this city. There is no magic formula but the Bible makes clear God does want us to need Him. Please skip a meal or all your meals for the day and spend that extra time in prayer. Let’s express together our need for Him. Pray for at least these things.

1. Pray that our interns and staff would know how to and be able to take their love to a higher level. Perhaps you could pray Philippians 1:9 for them. Pray for God to bring new situations that require more love and different love and for the real knowledge and discernment to love best. We want the people of our church family and the people in the neighborhood and the city to see more of the love of Jesus that is such a joy to our hearts. Jesus’ strategy is for them to see it through His bride – the church. That’s us. So let’s ask Him to help us take our love to a higher level.

2. Pray for financial provision. One Hope’s school year budget is currently short of raising the money to finish the school year (September 2011-August 2012) by $36,000. The money needed to run our summer ministry intern program is $30,000 and we are still $11,000 short of what is needed there. That is an unbelievable amount of money that I’d ask you to join me in seeking the Lord to provide. Perhaps you could pray 2 Chronicles 14:11 as a part of your petition. Pray that God would provide without anyone giving out of compulsion but that all the provision would come from willing hearts. Or pray that God would show us what things or staff to cut out if He so desires or how to do what we need to do with less. It is not a bad thing to go through needy times. Paul said, “I know how to brought low (to be without), and I know how to abound (to have all we need plus some). In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty (to have all we need plus some) and hunger (to be without), abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” Philippians 4:11-13. One former intern shared with me what an encouragement it had been to his faith over the years to watch God take our ministry through financial struggles and see Him provide amazingly what we asked Him for or give us the ability and the wisdom to do what needed done with less than we thought we needed. Let’s ask the LORD and trust Him again to “strengthen us.”

3. Pray for God to awaken spiritual need in those God gives us to love. Pray that the distresses of life might awaken the longing in their hearts for the Savior, Jesus Christ. Pray for God to use our entire church family in strategic ways this summer to accomplish real awakening. Perhaps you could pray for God to move like He did in Manasseh’s heart in 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 or pray Ephesians 3:14-21. Could this be the summer that God comes down on this city in a way that people see the beauty and glory of Jesus and fall in love with Him? Perhaps or maybe it’s a summer where a few fall massively in love with who Jesus is for them beyond this life. Please join me in praying. We are powerless but our God is peerless. Let’s leverage our influence as children of a peerless heavenly Father who delights in glorifying His Son by helping those who trust Him.

Pastor Joe

–

We are looking for individuals and families
who will commit to partnering with interns
this summer as they minister and serve at
One Hope Ministry.
Those partnering with an intern commit to:
- Praying regularly for their assigned intern
- Asking their assigned intern regularly about personal/ministry
prayer requests
- Being an encouragement and support to their assigned
intern throughout the summer
- Having their assigned intern in their home once in June and
once in July
- Communicating weekly with their assigned intern via phone,
face-to-face conversation, or email
Interns partnering with an individual/family commit to:
- Praying regularly for their assigned individual/family
- Sharing personal/ministry needs and prayer requests with
their assigned individual/family
- Being an encouragement and support to their assigned
family throughout the summer
- Communicating weekly with their assigned individual/family
via phone, face-to-face conversation, or email
If you are interested, please sign your name and email
address to the contact list on the back table, and we will
email you the name and contact information of your
assigned intern.

May this story become the story of way more children in our city and may many of them find a home with families of Springs of Grace.

Rescued

Posted on 03.30.12 by Maggie Paulus

When I was just a little girl, like a wee little thing, I had a different mom and dad. And they were kind to me, but they had hurts and they had addictions and they didn’t know how to take care of themselves, much less a wee girl and her little brother.

I mean, they tried. They hung on to us for several years, but things kept slipping and they kept falling and failing and they mustered up what strength they could, but they just couldn’t make it work and they couldn’t make it right. And so the policemen came over and over again, and took us away and my mama cried in the back of that police car, hands cuffed, and she told me that she loved me. And I knew in my little heart, as I looked up at her, tears streaming and mascara running, I knew that she really did love me. She just couldn’t make it work.

And I still remember my daddy’s face, another time, when the police finally caught up with him, and took his drugs and took his booze and took us kids. And even though I was just a little thing, legs not even long enough to dangle from the seat, I knew deep inside that he was in trouble and that he couldn’t make it right.

And I cried for them because every little girl wants her mommy and needs her daddy, but they were gone, again, and I felt lost. And the social workers took us to some foster homes, lots of times they took us, but we were never safe. (Did you know bad guys can live in foster homes?) I lay in bed at night wishing they would go away. And I was just a little thing.

But, one day something beautiful happened. Something strange. The social workers came and got us and put our stuff in a brown paper bag and we met a different mom and dad. And they said they wanted us. Like, forever. And we could live with them and never go away. And I really liked the idea, but I didn’t know what it really meant to trust, so deep inside I didn’t believe them. Not yet.

So, we came to our new home, and I had a big brother and a big sister and from the get-go they loved us and they never made us feel afraid. And my mom and dad told me how they had prayed for us, because God had put it on their heart to, and so they asked Him to show them where we were and what to do. And one day my mama walked into that government office, saw our picture and knew right away. And she told that social worker that we were her kids. And the lady disagreed and tried to protest and said it wasn’t possible, but my mama knew about the God of all the impossibles, and so it wasn’t long before we came home. For good. And time passed and no one ever took us away, so I believed.

And as days have turned to months which have turned to years, I still believe. I believe in that God of all the impossibles. And I’ve come to find that He’s the One who rescues and He redeems, but He uses our hands and our feet. And He whispers His rescue plan into our hearts and hopes that we’ll obey.

And this same God has healed those wounds from a mama and a daddy who just couldn’t make it work and couldn’t make it right. Because He gave me another mama and daddy who didn’t have it altogether, but who depended on the only One who does. And people say that time heals all wounds, but I think it’s love.

And every day I’m thankful that I’ve been rescued and that my life has been redeemed by the God who can make beauty from a mess. And I’m thankful for a family who became His hands and feet to reach out with a love that heals—reached out to the likes of me. When I was just a little thing.

(Thank you, Ma and Pa—a million times, and with tears, thank you.)

And thank You, Jesus, for always coming for me, for scooping me up and bringing me home. And thank You for how you take the bad and the ugly and the messed up in this world and You make it beautiful. You are good. You are so good. Amen.