It is my hope that you have had a great time celebrating with family and friends. That you are settling into your new year, your new routines, or your old. Now as we look ahead to the new year and are hopeful for all the exciting possibilities and the resolutions we may have already broken.
Today I was reflecting on the reasons why my heart breaks when I think of England. I was pondering the encounters with people, the experiences, and the moments that made it clear for me how much God's heart breaks for them. I asked God to show me his longing for the people in England, the young ones who are growing up and making daily choices that can and will affect the rest of their lives, and eternities.
Later I was scrolling down the posts on facbook and saw this posted on the wall of a young person we met while in England. I sat there realizing this is how they see God... unknowable, unreachable, uncaring. They see him as judgmental, cruel, and out of reach...
I want to scream that He is extremely distinguishable from every other 'god'. That He is the King of all Kings. That He shows himself in the complexity of a flower, the innate design of the bumblebee. That even how we are created and function reflects who He is and how much He loves us.
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| Posted on the facebook page of a young guy we got to meet in England. |
I want to scream that He is extremely distinguishable from every other 'god'. That He is the King of all Kings. That He shows himself in the complexity of a flower, the innate design of the bumblebee. That even how we are created and function reflects who He is and how much He loves us.
The problem with this is there are nuggets of truth (we will suffer for eternity if we follow other gods/ God does love us so much) but the rest of the picture is distorted.
I want to invite you to start this new year off in prayer. Specifically in prayer for the ministry in Somerset. Please pray for the youth, the ones who are receiving the distorted message instead of the truth that will set them free. The church we will be working with the most, Gospel Tabernacle Church (GTC), is holding 50 prayer meetings in the month of January. They started 2 weeks ago and will continue holding more than one meeting a day to lift up the young adults in their area. They are praying specifically for a young adults ministry to take root and hearts to be ready to grow.
