Hearts!
God creates them,He loves them,
He longs for the returning of them,
and
He saves them.
The hearts of this group of men and women are incredible. They are extensions of how God loves and serves. They have been so loyal to God and seek after His heart. Some of them have walked through so much. And still they choose Him. Mike so respects and loves them all. At one time each of them knew God in such a different way, but each of them opened their hearts to the Father, daring to believe a Radical Truth, daring to serve a Living God. Daring to do life different then those around them. Daring to break tradition and not worship God as Haitian or American, but as He is in the bible.
I am reminded of a song called By the Grace of God.
I rest my soul on Jesus
When the mountains shake
I put my trust in Jesus
The moment I awake
And when my soul is lost at sea
He will be my rock
My vision be in Christ alone
This grace is all we've got
His love is like the mighty ocean
His love for me will never stop
Oh, His arms are strong enough to carry me
through it all, by the grace of God
So I, upon His shoulders
Safely brought this far
Helper of my helpless soul
The King of broken hearts
His love is like the mighty ocean
His love for me will never stop
Oh, His arms are strong enough to carry me
through it all, by the grace of God
You are the passion of my life
Lord Jesus
You are the song within my soul
My strength
My hope
My all in all is You
Jesus, You
Thank You, Lord
When breath grows still and night draws near
I will not be afraid
I know the plans He has for me
Don't finish at my grave.
His love is like the mighty ocean
His love for me will never stop
Oh, His arms are strong enough to carry me
through it all, by the grace of God
By Your grace, I'm saved
(This version is by Bethel Music and Brian Johnson.)
Today was such a blessing of sweet community with the smaller more intimate group of our Pastors, about forty. A lot of the Pastors conferences are between one hundred and two hundred attending, but Mike wanted to have this time to spend with our core pastors. Thank you so much for praying into today.
Tomorrow morning will be a very hard and special day. Mike has been asked to preach Sunday morning in Poteau. This is the church that lost our good friend Kael in October. You may remember reading about him in a prayer partner near the end of October. Kael endeared himself to Mike early on in the ministry by saying,
"Pastor Mike, I can't believe that I have lived this long without understanding all that Jesus has done for me and that He wants to have a personal relationship with me, WITH ME; CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!" Kael was one of the first pastors to get it. He greatly helped the others to understand that truth. Mike was asked to write a letter that would be read at Kael's funeral and Mike ended that letter with "Kael has occupied a precious place in my heart ever since that day.
"Kael; you sir, will be deeply missed."...
The people of Poteau have requested that Mike come and share with them tomorrow and I know it will be emotional and bittersweet. Please keep Mike, Nathan and the community of Poteau in your prayers.
In the evening Mike will be preaching in Pass Rein, one of our favorite villages. There will be many happy dances tomorrow night:) Please pray for soft and open hearts. We really appreciate your coming along side of us, we couldn't do it without you.
Blessings, Chris
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