Grace and Peace
Grace and Peace. These two elements were at the heart of Paul's greetings to his fellow believers in Christ in the early church. It is easy to dismiss these two values or quickly read past them, but they are at the heart of the gospel and the two things our world needs more than anything as we look at our current condition. I just returned from a ministry trip in New York City where I was daily reminded of a world without grace and peace. I saw it on the faces of the people quickly passing by on the streets and in the eyes of the children I encountered at the park where our team ministered in Harlem. It is a look that captures the deepness of the hurt and hopelessness that abounds in this city. In fact, it was in these streets and parks of New York City that God began to move my heart to action for the hopeless.
Grace and peace are inseparable from the gospel because they are the elements of love. They are the key to opening eyes and breaking the chains of sin and it's consequences. As followers of Christ, we are messengers of this grace and peace that is so freely offered. It is a message of hope in desperate times and reminds us that our hope emanates from God and is focused in Christ, not governments, denominations, or people.
Our family was able to setup our first meetings this month and begin identifying future ministry partners. We have a long way to go, but are overwhelmed by God's grace to us! We are trusting that the God who holds the limitless resources of the universe will provide in His perfect timing.
Our month was marked by my brother and sister-in-law returning from China with their newly adopted son. Quinn and Gracie had a great time getting to know him as you can see from the pictures below.
I also had the opportunity to spread the gospel with almost four hundred fellow believers from all over the country in NYC this past week. It was encouraging to see friends with whom I have ministered over the years and who have impacted my life to live the gospel everywhere.
Finally, our weekly sports outreach to inner city Greenville has really taken off this month and given us a picture of the potential for using this model in an urban setting. The video below gives a glimpse of that and how we plan to weekly impact lives in Berlin for the gospel (Use google chrome for best viewing experience). Thank you again for your continuing prayer and support.
Prayer Requests
- Scheduling opportunities for September, October, and November
- The hearts of the kids we are working with weekly in Greenville
- Wisdom as we continue to gain knowledge for effective ministry in Berlin
Praises
- New ministry partners
- Encouraging week of ministry in NYC
- Growth of our weekly sports program in Greenville