Update Tuesday

As you may have noticed, I have changed the blog a bit. I am experimenting with new formats as we consider our new developing role for Hamilton and how best to communicate what is going on in our lives as well as with the new work in Hamilton. In order to stream line the process a bit, because I am terrible at multi-tasking and primarily because as we think about our lives and the new work they are so intertwined and I truly feel that our call and or lives are one in the same and not compartmentalized, I am going to use this blog to share about it all. With that in mind, I am going to aim to dedicate Tuesdays (give or take) to share something about the new work in Hamilton. Please check back each week for updates, stories, prayer requests and for thoughts and insights into the new work.
I am also aiming to do a bit more blogging on other things that come up throughout the week so make sure to check back more frequently, or scroll through a few posts when you visit weekly.
So...about Hamilton. I have been doing a lot of thinking and writing those thoughts down and so have a lot to share over the next few weeks. I thought, however, that the best place to start is with prayer. There is a passage that I have been looking at a lot over the last little while and have been using to guide my daily prayer about our new work. The passage is Luke 10:1-12 and it is where Jesus sends out the seventy-two. It has been a reminder to me of the expanding nature of Jesus' call to join him in His work. He originally sent out the twelve, but here the work has expanded, and in verse two He commands the seventy-two to pray for even more workers. It is a reminder to me that His call to go out is expanding and includes me. I am also struck by the statement that there is in fact a harvest ready to be harvested. As we pioneer a new work, a lot of our job may be preparing soil, pulling up weeds or planting seeds etc. but I don't want to forget that I believe God is saying that He has been at work and that there is a harvest as well. As I continue to read the verse there are three other things that have stood out to me the most and that I have been using to guide my prayer.

Firstly, there is the call to be praying for workers to go out into the harvest. I believe that we are among those workers going out, but I also believe that even now I can be praying for those that we come into contact with and eventually disciple. If our work is to grow, be sustainable and then multiply it will require others to sense that call to join us in the work. My heart's desire is that it would be people whom we introduce to Christ and walk with in discipleship that then see responding to this call as a part of their response to Jesus through discipleship.

Secondly, I am taken by the fact that in both verse 4 and 7 Jesus refers to provision for the needs of His workers. In this case He tells them not to take provisions (v4), and to accept provision from those with whom they work (v7). Certainly, their context and that specific journey was different then ours. I am also aware that in Luke 22:36 Jesus tells them that this time they are to take provisions. It does come, however, after a reminder about the time before when He sent them without. He asks them to recall that time and asks if they ever went without. I believe that He is asking them to remember what he did for them, and that ultimately we are called to trust in the Lord for out provision. What I take from this is that I too must trust in the Lord for our provision, and that even though the circumstances are not exactly the same, I trust that He has a plan and that just as he did for the seventy-two, He will communicate that to us. We are praying for faith to trust in His provision and for sensitivity to discern the plans that He communicates to us about how they are to unfold.
Lastly, we have begun to pray for people of peace (v6). We are praying that God would lead us to those in whom He is at work and with whom He is calling us to begin our ministry. We are praying even now, so that when we finally arrive in our new neighbourhood we might meet those with whom we can build a relationship and begin to disciple and eventually work with as we reach out to others.

So, this has been a bit of a long one, but I believe important. We would invite you to join us in this prayer even now, with joyful expectation for all God will do in our new work. For those who have been skimming (like I often do) however, here is a brief, to the point summary:

Please pray:

1) For workers to be sent into the harvest.
2) For financial provision and discernment for God's plans.
3) For people of peace.

If you have any thoughts and comments I would encourage you to leave a comment.
Thanks for all your support.