A Brief Request

This past week has been crazy busy and fun!  I've been running on minimal sleep, but endless energy.  I can only rationalize that I feel as well as I do because of all the support coming my way from home.

I have a lot to say about this week, but no time to write as of yet!  I do have a particular request though:

Please pray for my heart on November 12th.

I've been feeling very....whole lately, but that day is going to be particularly tough on me.  Please pray that God will direct my thoughts and focus where He wants them.

I will write a full update as soon as I'm able!

November: A Month of Intercession

This year, I've dedicated the month of November to intercession.

I love teaching.  I believe it's the work God has put before me.  Working abroad has been wonderful, challenging, and life-changing.  Though I feel my time in China is drawing to a close, I don't know if God is pulling me back to the United States or not.  I'm considering many places and options, including Ukraine, Brazil, Oregon, Dubai, and Palestine.  I have many ideas about the changes in store for my life and my career, but I want my decisions to be grounded in God's will and direction.

I believe prayer works, and I believe it works even better in company.  During the month of November, I would love to have a prayer partner every day as I prepare and apply for work around the world.  Please consider joining and supporting me in prayer as I research and prepare for the next leg of my journey!

If you're able to join me, please comment on this post to tell me your name,* and which day you're committed to.  A red 'X' marks days that people are praying.

*All comments are submitted for approval.  For the sake of privacy, names will be removed before the comments are published.

That Kind of Thing

Today someone I really care about let me down a little.  We had made plans that were cancelled for very, very good reasons, but I was left waiting for an hour without knowing what was going on.  I knew that my friend's business was MUCH more important than my feelings, and that voicing my feelings would be a great unkindness given the circumstances.  My hurt was legitimate, but airing it would have been damaging to my friend.

But still - it was there.  Feeling taken for granted, a little neglected, and just....sad.

So I prayed about it.  For me, prayer often takes the form of letter-writing, usually for pages on end.  I sort out my feelings and often come to some kind of conclusion or perspective change.  This time I knew my perspective was good, but this nagging feeling...which made me feel a little silly.  About a paragraph into my writing, I said, "I just don't want this feeling anymore.  Could you take it away?  Do you do that kind of thing?"

Apparently He does.

I literally felt the sadness lift off of me, replaced, with peace and quiet joy.  I suppose I commonly associate sadness and disappointment with incorrect thinking, so instead of asking for release, I "work on" my perspective.  Sometimes sadness, disappointment, bad stuff just happen in spite of correct perspective and attitude.

This was a little thing, a simple thing, really.  I wanted to share it with all of you because it was a simple, pure gift from God given merely because I asked.  No prayer war, no soul-searching, or spiritual travail.  It was quiet and sweet.  And I'm glad.

The Prayer of the Children

I would like to dedicate this to the people 

of Portland, Connecticut, and Xinyang,

especially to the children.