Two Are Better Than One

"If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!" - Ecclesiastes 4:10

This Old Testament poem is quite familiar, but took on a new meaning with our retreat if we consider that much of the wordly imagery of the Old Testament is understood in the New Testament in spiritual terms. It is so easy to fall in our spirit, but so often even the church is not a place where we can find a friend to give us a helping hand when we are hurting inside. Can we change this?

Brian Morgan gave us a lesson in expressing ourselves via poetry last weekend. In spite of the shock, there is an important lesson in it: Frequently we don't even know that our friend has fallen, so how can we help him up? May God grant us wisdom in supporting each other and may we use the things we learn about others only to build others up, recognizing our position and shortcomings before the Lord.

HIGHLIGHTED PRAYER

Praise God for a very meaningful retreat. We not only learned about the Psalms, but we also shared poems that we wrote over the weekend. The honesty and vulnerability was immense, but it opened us up to God and each other in a very new way. Please pray that, as a result, we will be able to converse and pray with each other about the things that are truly in our hearts and minds; that we will move beyond mere nice-ness and engage in deep friendships with each other.

PRAY FOR OUR CONGREGATION

We still have a few initiatives that are in the brainstorming stage, but we need God's guidance to see if they need to be brought into fruition: a monthly couples group, a prayer network/interface specifically for our non-Christian friends/family, an initiative to grow our relationship with the Compassion Network for the benefit fo the poor, among others.

Please pray that we will reach out and bring to Christ both non-Christians and new believers this year.

Please pray for those among us who are being negatively affected by the economic downturn. Pray that they will have faith in God and that God would provide for them.

PRAY FOR THE REST OF OUR CHURCH

Pray that the Lord will grant us wisdom as we try to reconfigure schedules for our three congregations and Sunday School programs for when the new building is available.

The Mandarin group is seeking more people who are gifted towards serving in the worship team. May the Lord provide them faithful and enthusiastic brothers and sisters in this ministry who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The Cantonese group is having a small group leader meeting this weekend. Pray that God will grant them willing leaders who are gifted as needed and that these groups will grow in unity and in their relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The remodeling work is happening! We anticipate completion by Easter Sunday. Many details are popping up and demanding swift attention. Please pay that we will have good and clear communication between everyone.

PRAY ABOUT HOW GOD IS LEADING YOU ON HIS MISSION

PRAY FOR THREE(3) OF YOUR UNCHURCHED FRIENDS/FAMILY

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen