Update Tuesday

We are having a great time with our friends from Mt. Yonah Baptist Church in Cleveland, Georgia serving our community. We had some time last night to prayer walk a school here in Hamilton. As I was walking the perimeter of the school yard I came across a patch of thistle whose dried white seeds had begun to be scattered by the wind. I was reminded about a similar image of a dandelion that our National Ministry Leader, Gerry Taillon has shared, and I began to think about how this thistle represents the vision that God has been growing for our work here in Hamilton.

The main purpose of the thistle is not to grow one big, beautiful, healthy plant. Rather, the thistle best lives out its purpose when that beautiful flower dries and dies and the pocket of white seeds is dispersed. It lives out its purpose by dying to self, and giving itself away so as many small seeds as possible are dispersed, seeping out and covering the area around that first thistle. This is how I see my church, existing to die unto ourself and give ourself away to see many more small works begin to pop up across our city and multiply to seep across our region.
My vision is starting to become clearer and a thought is beginning to form of a fellowship within walking distance of everyone in the city.

This vision could only be a work of God, and such works only come to fruition when they are given by God through prayer and enacted through prayer. We have been praying a lot this week with our visiting friends. It is amazing to see that during these two days of mostly prayer how often our phone has been ringing. There have been friends trying to connect other friends who live in Hamilton to our group (one friend from as far away as Tennessee!) and students planning their return to the city wanting to plug in with us.

We keep praying and dreaming. We appreciate all those of you who faithfully pray for the ministry here in Hamilton.