Praises!:
- Andrew and Jennifer Lane and their children have arrived from Kentucky! They felt the Lord calling them to move to Bozeman to share the Gospel and we have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. Andrew will be running the Youth ministry at Kirkwood and we are excited to have them here!
- The kids in Bozeman get out of school today!! June 7th is their last day so we are getting ready to hit the summer running after a couple great weeks of preparation!
- I have decided to join a Bible study held here in Bozeman this summer in order to get to know more people in the community. Please pray that will be a good time of fellowship and connecting with other Christians in the area!
- There is also an adult kickball league I will be participating in beginning the end of June, in hopes of meeting people in the community to develop relationships that open the door to share the Gospel. Please pray that my back will hold up during the season and that God will open doors with the people there.
Here are our upcoming events at Kirkwood Baptist:
-Clean-up at the Covered Wagon, Thursday, June 7th
-Outdoor Evening Worship Service, Sunday June 10th ... pray the weather cooperates!
-Kickball Club starts Tuesday, June 12th (for kindergarten through 6th graders) - will run for six weeks and includes weekly devotions with the children
-VBS Block Party: Sunday, June 24th
-VBS: Monday-Friday, June 25th-29th
-Family Day at Kirkwood, Sunday, July 1
Prayer Requests:
- I have some meetings I am trying to set up in the next couple weeks with different people around Bozeman (Christian leaders on MSU campus, etc). Please pray that we will be able to get together and, if it is the Lord's will, we will be able to partner in some way in sharing the Gospel here in Bozeman.
- Please pray for our first outdoor worship service scheduled for this Sunday, June 10 at the Covered Wagon, a community close to the church and for Pastor James as he brings the message.
- Pray that children will come to the Kickball Club and we will be able to develop relationships with them and their families while sharing the Gospel with them in a tangible way each time we are together.
- The mission team will be joining us from Judson for Vacation Bible School. The week will kick off with a block party Sunday, June 24th and then VBS will run June 25-29th. Please pray many children and families will attend and respond to the message of the eternal hope we have in Jesus Christ.
- My dad visiting this weekend - pray we are able to share Christ with him in a tangible way.
- I unfortunately have to get my wisdom teeth out Monday, June 11th. Pray I will heal quickly because I need to do ministry the next day!!!
- Pray for Pastor James as he leads Kirkwood, and for his wife Misty who is due with their fourth child in October. It is a blessing to serve alongside them!
Quick food for thought:
This past week I started reading the book, "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns and below is a brief excerpt:
"We are...Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." -2 Cor. 5:20
"God chose us to be his representatives. He called us to go out, to proclaim the "good news" - to be the good news - and to change the world. Living out our faith privately was never meant to be an option... (p. 3)"
Our personal and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ should lead us to have "a public and transforming relationship with the world."
It goes on to talk about asking the question "what if?" ... "What if each of us decided with renewed commitment to truly embrace the Good News...what if we each said to God, "USE ME!"
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." - Romans 1:16
It caused me to stop and look at my life and evaluate if there are better ways I can be spending my time, using the resources God has blessed me with, and using my talents to impact the body of Christ to the glory of God. Each day we have a choice. I know God works in and through us to accomplish His purpose, but that comes through our complete and total surrender and a willingness to sacrifice many of the things the world deems as important. May the prayer each of us lift up today be, "Use me, Lord!"
