Weekly Update: Tuesday 12/04/2012
Hello everyone,
First update from Helsinki, Finland!
Well, I’m in the international section right now, but I did walk on the ground outside of the international section on my arrival, so I’m counting it.
My travels have started out really well; played with our son last night and kissed him goodbye this morning, my wife was able to travel with me to the airport, and the flights so far have been very peaceful. I’m a little hungry, of which anyone with my appetite and wallet will understand if they’ve been to an airport too. All the food on airports is really expensive; however, I just saw the biggest, cheapest, and best looking sandwich I’ve ever saw on an airport – so, if I have time, and they don’t dash my hopes by cutting a sixth of it of it off and serving only that to me, I’m going to go enjoy that after I’m finished writing!
Thanks for partnering with our family!
Other Updates:
– We had our second prayer meeting for Enschede last Thursday and had a really good time too. My wife volunteered to set them up while I am in Asia. Keep praying that we run into some more people who would like to lead it in the future!
Scripture:
The last bit of scripture that I read was Ezekiel 20-23.
It’s a hard bit of scripture to read and the images it gives are very hard to forget. It’s also loaded with God’s character. It shows everything of what God has to do with sin, what it is like for Him to behold terrible sins and what happens when nobody cares about them anymore.
I would recommend praying a lot before reading it – if it isn’t something that you are ready for God to speak to you then wait until you are ready.
Reading the Bible before we are ready to do what God speaks to our hearts through it isn’t the best idea… we will learn a lot, but that tends to stay in our heads. When the Bible stays in our heads it doesn’t do what God designed it for. When it is received into our hearts then it achieves the purpose that God gave it.
I can’t say what this passage of scripture will do in your hearts, but when I read it my heart is troubled at the severe effect of sin. It takes people from being God’s beloved, not that God stops His love toward us, and turns them into doers of evil. All the gifts God has given us are turned into ways of doing more evil, against ourselves and others.
This is how much of the world operates, almost all of it. However, God promises to come and redeem this world and its people through Jesus, the one “who’s right it is” to receive the diadem.
And, it is in this that we are set about as His followers to do!
I hope that you will find this encouraging!
Praise & Prayer Report:
– Praise God for our time in the Netherlands!
– Please continue praying for my wife’s visa application!
– Please pray for our family’s finances and continued support!
– Please pray that our family would receive everything God has for us during these months together in the Netherlands!
Thanks for all your prayers!
In Christ,
The Abiding Kingdom
The Abiding Kingdom 