Being grateful is the key to living a life of joy and contentment. Thanksgiving is a day to set aside to renew that thankfulness in us and a great time for us to pass on that trait to our family. I offer to your family this brief devotional share with your family.

Prayer: Almighty God our Father, your generous goodness comes to us new every day. By the work of your Spirit lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scripture Reading: (read one or both)

• Deuteronomy 8:7-18
• Psalm 65

Devotional thought:  In his Small Catechism, a basic explanation of the Faith, Rev. Martin Luther wrote about the phrase “Give us this day our daily bread” from the Lord’s Prayer.

“What does this mean? To be sure, God provides daily bread, even to the wicked, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that God may make us aware of his gifts and enable us to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread? Everything required to satisfy our bodily needs, such as food and clothing, house and home, fields and flocks, money and property; a pious spouse and good children, trustworthy servants, godly and faithful rulers, good government; seasonable weather, peace and health, order and honor; true friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”

In the Large Catechism, Luther wrote, “When you pray for “daily bread” you pray for everything that is necessary in order to have and enjoy daily bread.”

Prayers: people gathered may say a series of prayers.  You could ask various family members to take one of the topics, even the children.

• For food and clothing, house and home
• For your employment as a means to provide for your family
• For your resources and property
• For your family, your spouse, your children
• For true friends and good neighbors
• For godly and faithful rulers, and for good government
• For seasonable weather
• For peace in your home and health
• For a spirit of gratefulness to inhabit your home.

Closing Prayer: Lord, help us always to remember to give thanks for all the blessings we receive from you. Most of all, we thank you for your love that you show to us in your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 The workplace is an everyday context where many people spend the majority of their time.

1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.

2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.

3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.

4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.

5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.

6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.

7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month.

8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.

9. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.

10. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job.

11. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.

12. Find others that live near you and create a car pool.

13. Offer to throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby.

14. Offer to cover for a co-worker who needs off for something.

15. Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites).

16. Organize a weekly/monthly pot luck to make lunch a bit more exciting.

17. Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out.

18. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.

19. Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families.

20. Visit coworkers when they are in the hospital.

21. Bring sodas or work appropriate drinks to keep in your break room for coworkers to enjoy. Know what your co-workers like.

22. Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook.

23. Find out your co-workers favorite music and make a playlist that includes as much as you can (if suitable for work).

24. Invite your co-workers in to the service projects you are already involved in.

25. Start/join a city league team with your co-workers.

26. Organize a weekly co-working group for local entrepreneurs at a local coffee shop.

27. Start a small business that will bless your community and create space for mission.

28. Work hard to reconcile co-workers who are fighting with one another.

29. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day.

30. Lead the charge in organizing others to help co-workers in need.

Would love to hear other ways you have connected with the people you work
with.

These are very practical ideas for what to do but we also need to consider how and why we do it. Here is a helpful sermon from Jonathan Dodson on this subject – LINK: EXISTING TO WORK

I would add that then that steps 31 and 32 are:

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you discernment for when to speak.
• Have the boldness to speak about our hope in Christ to others.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full
understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” (Philemon 6)

Your friend in Christ, Douglas

We are often afraid that evangelism must be some sort of spiritual mugging. The LORD does not call us to carry out evangelism as warfare where we have to take down the biggest and baddest atheistic Goliath we know. Evangelism is more natural and simple than most of us think.

Inviting people into the Kingdom is natural and simple.

 When Jesus sent out his disciples, he said, “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.”  (Luke  10:5-6)  Jesus is telling us that as we go about our day, we are to be looking out for the Person of Peace.

The Person of Peace is someone who is open to hearing the message of Christ and His kingdom. They are captive to what God gives you to say in that moment.   Rather than thinking we have to toil to bring someone to faith, we simply need to tune in with God to connect with the people he is already preparing.

So our prayer as we head out into our day should be: “Bring me into an encounter with a person of peace and give me your grace speak your message to this person.”

Evangelism is natural and simple. We simply have to have our spiritual eyes open to see the person of peace we come across. Prayer is critical to perceiving the people we know who the LORD is making ready.

Jesus gave the great commission, “GO and make disciples.” (Mt 28:19) Even in this critical kingdom assignment, God does most of the work.

One tool you may want to use are the Resurrection Church business cards with a blank space for you to write your name and a map to the church and the service times on the back.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of
every good thing we have in Christ.” (Philemon 6)

Your friend in Christ, Douglas

I am fasting on Wednesdays for the next few weeks to seek the LORD. I felt it was what the LORD called me to do to seek him and rely upon him. I am asking the LORD to lead me and help me see opportunties for sharing the Gospel. I am fasting to push aside the distractions which keep me from focusing, from listening. I am fasting as I ask the LORD for breakthroughs – how I can be more in tune with His will.

A sugar cookie is simple food. How does a mere cookie represent my self-serving desires?  If I can’t control myself when it comes to a sguar cookie, how will I control myself when it comes to a whole meal?  If I cannot resist a meal, then how will I resist the desires that are careening through my mind and soul all the time? How can I let the LORD lead me if my self-serving desires, whether for food or sleep, for success or acclaim, for comfort or entertainment, take center stage?

Fasting is not about denial or deprivation. It is about delineation. It is about delineating or marking off a focus for God. It is about pushing aside the multitude of human cravings that interfere with my connection with God.

So, sugar cookies will wait. I am seeking a sweeter satisfaction.

Bermuda grass. That is what I have in my front lawn. Bermuda spreads by sending out runners. Then the grass grows in new places like the flower beds and the paving cracks.

When it comes to growing our church, it is also about sending out feelers and runners to extend the reach of the saving gospel. Over the past couple of months, we have had new people coming to our church whom the LORD has guided to us. With vacations coming to an end and as we head into the fall, I am looking forward to people coming to worship on Sunday mornings. (We actually have had a busy summer with our people involved in youth events, bible studies or small groups, VBS, and of course worship.)

On September 11th, we are holding a friendship Sunday. Recognizing the tragic events of 9/11 is a good opportunity for us to invite people to hear about Jesus Christ who steps into our world to take on our suffering and give us the kingdom of God. So, we want to be sending out shoots, runners and feelers to grow in new places. I am inviting you to participate in some very simple ways.

1. Pray for Friends, Family, Neighbors, and Co-workers.

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be inviting people.

3. Invite People to join you for worship.

4. Involve your children in praying for friends and inviting others to worship.

Jesus said he would grow his church. We simply have to wwalk with him and rely upon GOd to expand his Kingdom. So how do we to carry out these simple ways?

Praying for Friends, Family, Neighbors, and Co-workers. On Sundays, you will be receiving a prayer card to list the friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers to be praying for. This is a spiritual Family and Friends plan. If you like, you can fill out a second copy for the Gatecrashers prayer team to pray over.

Who do you write down? Who are the people God is placing on your heart? Who are the people who you see struggling in this life who need to hear that God loves them as his beautiful children? Who are the people you know around here who do not have a church home?

These people make up your agape* or grace list. You are not gunning for them. You are praying they will come to receive the selfless love of God in Christ and his Cross. It is your AGAPE list.

Pray over these people every day. Simply lift them up to God and say, “You know they need you. So open their hearts. Help them to ask for my invitation” Then wait and see where openings occur.

Praying for the Holy Spirit to be inviting people. We know that only God can change people’s heart. So, you want to be praying for the Holy Spirit to be at work in your relationships.

- Prayer Alarms: I want to encourage you to set your phone alarm to go off every two hours during the waking hours. I recommend setting the alarm for 10 minutes before the hour. When the alarm goes off you say a quick prayer. A couple of minutes.

- Prayer Dots: If you are not technically inclined, you could place a small dot sticker on your phone or on your watch over the number ten to remind you to make a quick prayer. You could even pray quickly for the people on your agape list.

Lord, help me to see where you are at work around me. Lord, help me see the opportunities to share your grace and your word. Holy Spirit, help me to hear you. To perceive your leading.

Inviting People to join you for worship. Praying for people is critical. Only the LORD can bring people into a life saving relationship. Prayer is the most important action. But if you never make an invitation, how will they know (Rom 10:14-15). So, pick up some brochures or some business cards with the map. Invite the people you are praying for. You don’t have to be a theological expert. You don’t have to be a salesperson. You simply have to say, “I want to invite you to my church. I have been blessed by Resurrection church. And I want to share that with you.” Come and see what God is doing at our church. NOW if they respond positively, this next step is really important. Offer to meet and guide them to the church. Offer to drive them to worship. Offer to buy them donuts. Offer to go out to lunch with them afterward. Going to a strange place can be intimidating for all of us. For a lot of people, going to church is very intimidating. If they know they have a friend who will cover their back, they will be a lot more at ease about coming to church. After all, what we are inviting people into is not a set of propositional truths. We are inviting people into a set of relationships that will forever change their lives. If you will take this step, you will be putting your faith active in love.

Involving your children in praying for friends and inviting others to worship: I know a lot of you are timid evangelists. So, if you have children, I have a great suggestion: pass this off to your kids. Kids are natural evangelists. They are eager to invite their friends and family to worship. What grandpa or aunt can say no to a big eyed child inviting them to experience the love of God? So, help them fill out their own family and friends prayer card. Encourage them to pray over these people, like at dinner time or bedtime. Pick up the brochures with them, and let them invite their friends, family and neighbors. Then you come along after they did all the hard work of inviting and asking to say you will meet them at the church.

I am really excited about what God is going to do amongst us in the next few weeks. Rather than pouring money into some slick advertizing or buying a large billboard. Rather than getting people to come fill up chairs. We are inviting friends and family to the life changing relationship we have with the LORD. This effort is about watching the God of the covenant pouring out His Spirit.

May Christ dwell in your hearts. (Eph 3:17)

Pastor Douglas

* agape: Greek word translated as love, but which means the kind of love that is given undeservedly to others. A love that is not self seeking or expecting some benefit or return.

We walked over to a large swath of dirt to watch and wait  for the fire trucks to arrive. The grass around the buildings had caught fire.  It was burning in all directions. We could see young men all around ripping off  branches of mesquite trees and swatting at the flames. You might think it was a
futile effort, but they actually did stop the spread of the fire.

People lives are on fire all around us. All kinds of crazy  things burn people up.  Often we feel helpless to beat down those flames to stop people from being engulfed in a problem. Often the only way for those problems to get resolved is to let them  burn themselves out.  We can simply come along  side of them after the fire to offer our prayer, support and guidance.

But there are always small flames on the periphery. We can make a difference in keeping the flames from spreading father. From affecting other areas of their lives and from affecting other people. Our efforts to share the gospel may seem small at times, but they do keep small fires from growing and engulfing more lives. That is not a small thing. Rejoice in how God is working in you.

Our fence blew down a few weeks ago in a Texas storm. Now, the vista from my back porch has opened up.  While the new expanse of backyard does not belong to me and is not my responsibility to mow, the walls of my backyard existence have moved to the back of the neighbor’s house.

While the fence is down we have gotten to know our back neighbors for the first time. Our kids have played with their girls. We made a connection when the fence came down.

In Acts 10, God blows down the privacy – purity fence of Peter. He shows Peter not to consider any person common or unclean. (Acts 10:28)  Because his vistas have opened up, Peter heeds an invitation by the Roman centurion Cornelius to tell him and all his Roman friends about Christ and God’s Kingdom.

We often put fences up to keep people who we think are unclean unworthy or unlike us at a distance. Yet, when God blows down those fences and inspires us to move past our fears, we discover   1.  that they have a craving to fill the imprint of God in their lives and 2. that God is at work in their lives already.

Where is God knocking down your privacy fences causing you to interact with people you did not expect to talk with?

Where does God want to open up your vistas and bless you with connections?

May Christ abide in your hearts. (Ephesians 3:17)

Summer has begun. The kids are out of school. My oldest is off on a mission trip in New Orleans. Monday I took Joshua and Rebekah along with three nephews to watch the Texas Rangers get whomped on by the Deeeetroit Tigers.

The challenge of the summer is spending time with the family while also getting my tasks accomplished. I am always tempted to believe that my tasks are so important.

Last night the announcers were talking about how slow the last Tiger’s pitcher, Joaquin Benoit, performs. He takes up to half a minute between pitches. The rest of the team out in the field gets antsy waiting for him to finally heave the ball across the plate.

I get antsy with God. I wait and wait on the LORD. I am tempted to go and make ministry happen. I am inclined to help God get his Kingdom moving around me.

Of course, the people in our congregation are often antsy to see our church moving and active as well. They wonder why don’t we try this, or why don’t you do this. Of course, I am always open for them to following a direction they have received from the LORD. I am also open to ministries they want to initiate.

But for me, the LORD has compelled me to be in a season of waiting. I HATE waiting. I always look for the shorter lines.

What the LORD is saying to me is that I must wait for Him.  The LORD is pressing upon me that the only effectiveness I can have is if I abide in him.

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” John 15:4

No matter how strong your arm is, no matter how fast you can hurl that ball, if your footing is off, you are not going to be effective in your pitching.  No matter what gifts and skills I have, no matter how much effort I heave into ministry, the only lasting fruit will come if I am doing what the LORD is already doing. The only words which will penetrate human hearts and willfulness are the words that the LORD is saying. (John 14:10)

During these hot, pollen soaked days of summer, I wait for the Father to throw his pitch and let me know when it is my turn to follow him. 

So, how are you looking for God’s cues to you?

We often ask why doesn’t God do miracles like that for us. We hear about praying in faith. Now, faith is not “hoping” for God to do something. Faith is knowing God will act according to his Kingdom purposes. I have always been squeamish about the idea that one had to have enough faith for prayers to be answered. For me, it sounds like you have to have enough money in the bank. Like you had to earn a prayer. I just can’t buy that.

But as I grow in knowing my identity, I don’t hope my Father will act. I know, I trust, I have assurance that my Father will act. Too often I pray with timidity – even I would say doubt or fear. Instead I want to pray with assurance.(Heb 11:1) 

 “This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.I pray therefore that you£ may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.”    Eph 3:11-13

Last Sunday, we prayed specifically for God to send some new people to first service. This Sunday, we had a new family show up for first service.

So, in this quick exposition, my bottom line is that prayer needs to be grounded in faith – not that you believe hard enough – but instead that you trust – trust your identity as a child of God who is calling out to His heavenly Father. If I trust my heavenly Father, then in what manner do I approach him in prayer? Boldness. (Luke 11:8, 2 Cor 3:12, Heb 4:16, 1 Jn 3:21, 5:14)

Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Mt 17:20

So it is not about how big my faith is, but do I have the bold trust in my heavenly Father.  Even if I feel small or weak, am I bold enough to call out to God to act, not out of fear, not ouf of timidity, but with the bold assurance of a child.

 God, Make me bold. Make me look past the things that intimidate me – make me look to you. LORD, May I live out the bold confidence Jesus says is mine! AMEN!

Yet, we all know how people resist coming to church. I know many of you have invited people to come to church, only to be rebuffed. When we ask people to come, the invitation often lacks power. Our invitations lack the invitation of the Lord.

In a song, “You Said” is the line, “You said, Ask and I’ll give the nations to you; O Lord, that’s the cry of my heart.” God has promised to give a harvest of people. (Mt 9:37-38, Jn 4:35-38)

Too often we take all the responsibility for working to get people to come to church. Instead we need to be praying that the LORD will use us. Instead we need to pray that the LORD will send people who will worship Him with us.

So, I ask you to join me in praying specifically. Will you pray for God to send people? People we may not even know about? Perhaps people we would never expect to show up? Ask God to send people to come and see what God is doing in Resurrection Church.

For the song, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEpaG4VlBcA