Dominican Republic 12.29.20

 Today was yet another beautiful day here in the Dominican Republic. Today was a day that reminded me of the fact that every tribe and every tongue will bring glory to His name.

All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.  - Psalm 86:9

There is something to be said about the universal language of music. It draws people together. A song, even in a language you don’t understand, can have an amazing impact on you. I used to travel as a worship leader and retreat speaker and I can honestly say that worship fuels me, feeds me, and refreshes me. I have some amazing memories of leading at camps and retreats when His people unashamedly worshipped. As a family, we are drawn together to worship our Creator for his truth, beauty, and goodness. He has always been, and will always be the constant for us. I realize that most of us equate worship to singing songs of praise and adoration, but it is so much more than that. It is literally a lifestyle that we are called to have.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. - John 4:23

The understanding that I have is that to be a true worshipper, you must worship in spirit and truth. So apart from the spirit, it is impossible to be a true worshipper. This also leads us to believe that apart from the truth, it is impossible to be a true worshipper. 

Don’t hear me wrong. Don’t neglect that truth that we are all worshippers of something or someone. The question is what are you actually worshipping? Who are you actually worshipping? If it is not the King of kings, through the truth of who Jesus is and the spirit that leads and guides us for His name sake - than you are NOT a true worshipper. At least not the kind that is spoken about in the scriptures. 

Today was just a reassurance of the fact that His children are wired to worship Him. 

Dominican Republic - 12.28.20

 Well, I’m sitting here again, in a place that has a big portion of my heart, reflecting on the day so far. We have 27 students involved in our leadership retreat this week, and I am already excited about what HE is doing. This morning as we walked through the gospel I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how that gospel was being shared with clarity. Students, here in the program, who are learning and gleaning truth from the Word are not ashamed to share it. Miguel Angel and Claudio are always willing to share and present the gospel unashamedly to all of their peers. As a matter of act, as we were leaving this afternoon they asked if we were going to continue studying the Bible because they loved it. Those conversations are what makes all of this worth it. I also love the fact that my son, can come in behind the study and put a bow on it with his stories that help drive home the points. It is also very encouraging when the students here are asking where the rest of my family is. Natalie, Meaghan and Kellie (Watson) - please know that you are a blessing to them and that they miss you. 

We then took some time to walk through the village and pray for some of the families that are being supported through the @25project. One of the little girls, who is new to the program, asked that we pray for her Mom who is still in Haiti and for her Dad and step mom who she lives with here in the DR. She told us she wanted to be a doctor. Another precious girl, also new to the program, asked us to pray for her mom’s health  and she told us that she wanted to grow up to be a good mom. This was precious to hear out of her mouth. The fact that she desires to be a good mom is wonderful. It reminded me a lot about some of the things we strive to put in front of our students back home. We challenge them to become men of valor and women of virtue. 

 

Puritan Prayer- Devotion

God of my end, it is my greatest, noblest pleasure to be acquainted with You and with my rational, immortal soul; it is sweet and entertaining to look into my being when all my powers and passions are united and engaged in pursuit of You, when my soul longs and passionately breathes after conformity to You and the full enjoyment of You; no hours pass away with so much pleasure as those spent in communion with You and with my heart.

O how desirable, how profitable to the Christian life is a spirit of holy watchfulness and godly jealousy over myself when my soul is afraid of nothing except grieving and offending You, the blessed God, my Father and friend, whom I then love and long to please, rather than be happy in myself! Knowing, as I do, that this is the pious temper, worthy of the highest ambition, and closest pursuit of intelligent creatures and holy Christians, may my joy derive from glorifying and delighting You. I long to fill all my time for You, whether at home or in the way; to place all my concerns in Your hands; to be entirely at Your disposal, having no will or interest of my own. Help me to live to You for ever, to make You my last and only end, so that I may never more in one instance love my sinful self.

Puritan Prayers - Contentment

Contentment

Heavenly Father, if I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty, make my heart prize Your love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is Your mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil, and be delivered from it with gratitude to You, acknowledging this as the highest testimony of Your love.

When Your Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labour to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and He must become to me more than vile lust had been; that His sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from Himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have His graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where You will show Yourself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day.

Prayers from The Book of Common Prayer

I often enjoy reading through the Book of Common Prayer for many reasons. One of them being the fact that prayers such as these are found there. This morning, as I study and reflect on the scriptures for my sermon tomorrow, I find myself once again drawn to the beautiful grace of our Lord. 

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desires not the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn from their wickedness and live, has given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. He pardons and absolves all those who truly repent, and with sincere hearts believe his holy Gospel. Therefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on this day, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Litany of Penitence from The Book of Common Prayer

Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven. Have mercy on us, Lord. We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit. Have mercy on us, Lord. We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives, We confess to you, Lord. Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people, We confess to you, Lord. Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves, We confess to you, Lord. Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work, We confess to you, Lord. Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us, We confess to you, Lord. Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty, Accept our repentance, Lord. For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, Accept our repentance, Lord. For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, Accept our repentance, Lord. Restore usthose who differ from us, Accept our repentance, Lord. For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, Accept our repentance, Lord. Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us; Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great. Accomplish in us the work of your salvation, That we may show forth your glory in the world. By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection. Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desires not the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn from their wickedness and live, has given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. He pardons and absolves all those who truly repent, and with sincere hearts believe his holy Gospel. Therefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on this day, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Contentment- A Puritan Prayer

Heavenly Father, if I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty, make my heart prize Your love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is Your mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil, and be delivered from it with gratitude to You, acknowledging this as the highest testimony of Your love.

When Your Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labour to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and He must become to me more than vile lust had been; that His sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from Himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have His graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where You will show Yourself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day.