Exhausted, but Content

Anytime a week goes by and I don't post anything here, you should pray extra hard for Elise, the boys, and me.  When a month goes by, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes might be called for!  It is an indication of not having any margins for healthy living.  Those margins have been taken by two things: reorganization and a health "event."

I have a friend who went through several reorganizations within his company and the memory of his stories have been most helpful.  Thanks to Kent for sharing!  I have to say reorganizing has been challenging, but at least the people I am blessed to work with have the very best of intentions and really do care about the people out here.  I am still on the fourth budgeting phase, and fear it is not the last!

• Pray for patience, grace, and love in every communication and decision during this time.

• Pray for us all to be focused on the main thing of sharing God's love.  There is more response throughout central Europe than I have ever seen or heard of before.  Rejoice in that, but also ask that nobody would be distracted by reorganzing.  Simply put, the lost really don't have time for our distraction.

What are We Teaching?

Timmy Brister posted this great YouTube of Matt Chandler speaking for a couple of minutes about how many of us do not understand the gospel or the nature of God, but have more a religion of moralism.  It is powerful stuff!  Click the link to Brister's blog above or check out the YouTube below.

Prayer and Facing Atheism

Check out this great link from iMonk, which points to a reality we face every day.  I would encourage you to follow several of the links within his blog post as well, if you are interested in ministry to atheists today.

Atheists here are different than what I grew up with or found ten years ago.  iMonk says this is true in America as well.  Not only are many much more serious and socially acceptable, but the others are amazing on the apathy end of the discussion.  They just don't care.  Pray that God would give wisdom in overcoming these barriers.

Encouragment in Prayer

I sent this to our team in central Europe and thought it might be an encouragement to you as well.

This morning I woke up earlier than I like.  It has given me some time to reflect and pray that I don't normally have.  This letter is simply intended to be an encouragement to prayer in general and to our month of prayer in particular.

Yesterday, I got a little facebook note from Tom Blackaby, with whom we had the joy of serving with as jmen, during seminary at a local church, and on church staff in Canada.  Tom said, "Prayer is not meant to be a religious activity or duty we perform, it is a means by which we come to know God Himself." I want to make sure that heart is being communicated to you during our month of prayer.

The C3 Month of Prayer is not about getting from God.  It is not about a checklist or formula we follow to achieve some good and desirable result.  It does not impress God, nor somehow earn more favor with Him.  It is not about impressing anyone with your piety and personal holiness.

It is about knowing God better.  That alone is more than enough.  This week I have shared in the prayer guide about some answers to prayer God has already given; however, it is more than enough that we know Him better.  What a gracious and good Father we have.  He discloses Himself to us.  He longs for us to be His children, resting in His peace, joy and contentment.  Keep praying.  Not for the results, but for the joy of knowing the Creator and Savior!

Check out this link for more on the ministry God has given Tom and Kim Blackaby.

Month of Prayer Invitation

August 15 - September 14 the larger team we serve with in Europe will be focusing on a month of prayer.  And, you are invited to join us.  You can do so in several different ways.  Choose the one that will work best for you.

1.  Follow along here on the blog.  The requests will be of a more general nature and a lot of it will be encouragement to pray and to enjoy knowing God.

2.  Join our prayer team and receive email updates and documents that will give more specific infomation on what to pray for.  All you need to do is send me your email address (mine is trey.atkins@gmail.com), you will be added to the prayer team and get the updates.

3.  Send a request that I add you as a friend on facebook and ask me to add you to our facebook group.  This is the place that will have the most specific and up-to-date information.  You can find me by searching for "Trey Atkins."