Thank you, Daddy

This, then, is how you should pray:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." -Matthew 6:9-13

Amen! I've been praying the Lord's prayer everyday and it has been helping me to re-focus my mind on Him. I hope it will do the same for you.

Thank you Lord for all your blessings...especially in the past week. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) has been helping with our youth on Thursday nights and it has been so awesome...not only are they AMERICANS-they are so much fun and bring energy to the group. We've been looking at God's character...He's our Daddy and not some distant person up above. Daddy is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, and is not proud. It's so refreshing to call Jesus our Dad...especially when our earthly fathers fail us, He's there for us.

Thank you for meetings in preparation for the Olympics...we are actually in 2012 and only 6 months away till the Games begin! It's all very exciting and becoming a reality in London. I pray that Jesus would reign over our plans for Woodford...especially our Family Fun Day/Opening Ceremony screening and Queen's Diamond Jubilee Street Party.

Retreat to ADVANCE was amazing. Sweet time of fellowship with young adults at church, tropical paradise swimming pool (water slides!), growing deeper in Jesus, and getting away from the city. I enjoyed the speakers and convicting messages...especially about living generously. As a TFG volunteer, I've been challenged to live simply with our small stipend each week...it's hard for me to be generous with tithing and buying gifts for friends. However, if we're called to be a blessing to the nations, we need to LIVE GENEROUSLY. Even the little things, such as buying a drink for a friend or making dinner for people you love.

The speaker also gave us four questions to think about...

1. What am I doing with my time?
   
2. What am I doing with my pain? (We need to give it to Jesus and acknowledge our brokenness.)
3. What am I doing with the gifts He's given me?
   
4. How do I spend my money? (Where your treasure is, your heart will follow.)
   

A friend shared this verse with me when I was missing my family, friends, and home in the states. Thank you Jesus for providing all my needs...“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." -Mark 10:29