JUNE 2016

Church,
 
We made it to June.  How quickly it has come.  Christmas came and went.  Winter lingered but has gone to bed till another season.  Resurrection was celebrated –and is continued to be – and spring has sprung.  The summer is upon us and fall lies ahead. 
 
I love living in a region where we get to see all four seasons, where we get to remember that there is a cycle to life.  I’m a person of hope by nature.  I’m sure it is grounded in my belief that God is always at work and continues to make all things new.  Resurrection isn’t just what He did, but is what He does.  So, when I think about the new season and the things to come, I always have hope.  God is at work.  No doubt.
 
One thing that I know is an important thought is asking God to work.  There is something to knowing that He does, but there is something else in asking Him to.  It isn’t about giving God direction or even letting Him know where He is needed, but maybe it is about admitting to ourselves and to Him that we need Him.  Maybe it is about surrender and submission, which is the ground we bow at for worship. 
 
So as we think about Summer and as we look toward Fall, I want to invite you to prayer.  We are going to be changing how we do our prayer meeting.  We have tried it just at night, we have tried it in the mornings and although I don’t think time is the real issue, I don’t want it to be a hindrance.  So we are going to be doing some back and forth times.  So let me lay June out for you.  On Thursday the 16th at 11:30 a.m.  we are going to be gathering again to pray as a community, come and pray with us if you are able.  On Tuesday the 21st at 7:00 p.m. we are going to be gathering as a community for prayer, come and join us.  On Thursday the 30th, it will be the same as the 16th, so at 11:30 a.m.  Then going forward, the First and Third Tuesday of the months will be prayer at 7:00 p.m. and the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, there will be prayer at 11:30 a.m.  
 
I know that not everyone probably can’t make it to every prayer time, but by varying the times we hope that you may be able to make it to one in the day or the evening.  It is important, and I don’t think I can stress this enough, for us to pray together and to ask our Lord to be at work.  It is silly for us to work for the kingdom and not be coming before the Lord and asking Him to work.  If this is what we are doing, we are telling God that we got this, but without Him do we really have hope? 
 
I know that each of us can pray on our own and we will be emailing out some of the main prayer focuses for each day to   everyone so they can join us in prayer even if they can’t join us in person.  But if we truly believe that He is the one who works and we desire Him to work in us (Park) and through us (Park), then shouldn’t we (Park) gather together and surrender and submit ourselves before Him and ask. 
 
There is so much hope because we have a Lord who is faithful and works.  Let us not only seek to do His will.  Let us not only Knock on the doors of opportunity that are before us.  But let us ask and out of our believe that God works keep seeking and knocking. 
 
 
Because of Him,
Lynn