One Month Down

I have officially made it through one month of this experiment.  It has been great so far.  The Bible reading is going really well.  I love getting to spend time reading through large sections of the Word.  Praying for the world is really cool!  I have learned a lot about several countries I didn't even know existed.  I will admit, though, that my prayer for them has become a bit stagnant.  I will read about a country because I need to do it to keep on schedule, but my prayers have not been as diligent for the countries I am reading about.  This needs to be fixed.  I also need to continue working on spending my money for a specific purpose.  With the holidays, there have been several opportunities to give and bless people, but I'm not sure what spending my extra money will look like after they are over.  And I need to spend ALL my extra money.  Give sacrificially, not just a little bit.  So this one is still a learning process for sure.  Spending time in a different context actually came up yesterday and I got some advice on how to go about rocking babies here in the states.  Hopefully I will pursue looking into this and will not just put it on the back burner until I am "less busy."  And I'm thinking that I will just travel around my country this summer instead of going out of the country again.  But who knows... the Lord may have bigger plans for me!  I heart my multiplying community!!!!!  The church I attend is in the midst of a big service project and my Sunday school class and small group and both helping to grow me in many ways.  Not to mention, I will be taking on more commitment in a leadership role for the next year.

So, all things considered, I like the way my thoughts are being pulled by trying to live out this radical experiment.  Obviously I am not there by any means.  But I am still excited about what the Lord will teach me throughout this process.  I listened to a sermon by David Platt about his whole challenge and he was adamant at the end that the whole point of this is to know Christ.  That's it.  Not to see how good we can be.  Not to check things off of a list.  Not even to see what can be accomplished in or through us.  It is simply to know Christ.  To know the Savior.  To know Him.  If after 11 more months I can say I know Him much better than I did today, this will have been a success.

Pray: United Kingdom
England- most secular of the four countries.  Only 6% are church goers.  London might be the most international city in the world, making it a place of global impact.  Pray for church life in London and ethnic minorities.
Northern Ireland- experiencing a time of fragile peace.  Church attendance is in decline.
Scotland- lots of moral issues: 1/2 of children are born out of wedlock, drugs, alcohol...  Pray for transformation through the gospel.  Pray also for the church to return to Biblical teaching.
Wales- economic changes are causing a decline in population and church attendance.  They are known for revival, but the most recent one was in 1904.  Pray for revival and the return of the people singing God's praise.
Isle of Man- completely self-governing, but dependent on England for certain things.  They have a long Christian tradition, but like the other countries in the UK, they are moving away from this.  Pray that they would return to their roots.
Channel Islands- another independently ruled nation that relies on Britain for defensive protection and international representation.  Materialism is prevalent.  Pray for awakening.

Genesis 13:17-15:18
Pharaoh let the Israelites go.  They followed a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.  Sometimes I wish I had one of those pillars showing me where to go.  Then they walk across the dry ground in the middle of the Red Sea, and when the Egyptians follow them, the Lord causes the water to wash them away basically.  After they have been saved, they sing a song of praise!

Matthew 21:23-46
I am having more difficulty with the meaning of some of what Jesus says lately.  I know He talks in parables, but I don't always understand how the lesson goes with the story.  For instance, today I read the parable of the tenants who killed servants and even the owner's son thinking that they would receive the inheritance instead, but Jesus asks what the master will do when he arrives and says "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone..." verse 42.  I don't really understand the connection.  Another thing going on in this part of the book is that the Pharisees are wanting to arrest Him, but they feared the crowds.

Psalm 26
"...I will bless the Lord." verse 12  In my midweek Bible study we questioned whether we bless the Lord enough or not.  Obviously, most of us do not.  I want to bless Him, though, with my words and actions and money and time management and labor...

Proverbs 6:16-19
Seven things the Lord hates.