AN UPDATE
I read an excellent book written by a Christian leader last week (at one sitting) on coming to terms with the aging process. If there is one area that has been a challenge to me it is this. I have always been blessed with excessive energy and I denied to myself that this was no longer the case. No doubt my contracting the Staph. infection in hospital some years ago and the consequent damage to my knee that it caused has not helped. I would feel guilty if I had to lay down and rest in the afternoons. I mentally refused to consider that travelling overseas to teach and preach was no longer practical. In just a few weeks time I will turn 76 and have at last recognised and come to terms with the fact that physically there are many many things I can no longer do. AT LAST I AM PEACE.
You may remember that three months ago I starting praying and asking the Lord for a new area of ministry (partly in the light of the above). There were signs that it could be in the area of assisting local churches with their Discipleship & Mentoring programs. I started to visualise using Skype as the means of doing this. Sadly this has simply NOT developed which has surprised me as all would know it has been an ever increasing passion, so I have kept on praying. I realised some time ago I had much more time for Intercession, and had developed a lengthy list of people and nations to pray for, this has now developed quite uniquely (for me) into making a commitment to a number of Church Planters and Workers to PRAY DAILY for them. This started with a group of ten which almost miraculously grew to twenty five (from 15 different nations). Some are past students, others I have met in my travels, and I am excited that I can partner with these people to see them build local churches, according to the pattern of the Word of God, and that the glory of God is manifest amongst them.
I am also committed to writing them a message EVERY WEEK to encourage and bless them. So physically I am unable to get “out there” but spiritually I can still be on the frontline seeing the enemy driven back and the Church being built. I could not have visualised or planned this, BUT GOD has wonderfully answered my prayer, and I humbly thank Him.
I will continue my blogging, and will still accept invitations to preach. So from a very public ministry of over 50+ years, from now on much of what I will be doing will be in the “secret place”, which is sure fine by me.
May I please ask you to keep me in your prayers, that this ministry will remain fresh and fruitful, and that every week I will share a GOD WORD with these labourers in the Vineyard, and that my health will be such that I can keep doing this for as long as the Lord desires.
Please feel free to respond with your comments and suggestions.