Much prayer needed this month!

(1) Undoubtedly it is in response to your prayer, the spitballs* have slowed (YAY!). And while we are very thankful for not being ceaselessly pelted with them, we do continue to encounter them, though more often in significant challenges rather than minor annoyances (snowballs rather than spitballs??). Please pray that we would nevertheless stay the course and endure 🙂

(2) The marriage small group has leapt into motion with great enthusiasm and energy, as is common among the young folks who attend. Spanning the gamut from single to "long time married" (4 years!!), it has already opened the door to deeper investment in several of the couples; one as partners in ministry and another who could use your prayers as they sort through some significant "baggage" revelations that have come to their 10-month old union.

(3) Please keep intercession for wisdom and discernment rolling as both of us invest in the leadership of Zoe’s Christian school and of the church in Cloudcroft where Slick is now the associate pastor. As with all folks in organizations facing the change of progress, patience, grace and tact are much in demand for all involved.

(4) And finally, we celebrate the completion of an 18-month course of study with one of the men Slick has been discipling**. One-on-one discipleship continues to be where we see God work most demonstratively, so please consider standing with us before the King as we pour into the lives of seven other young folks and as an eighth starts shortly.

Please let us know, too, how we may aim the prayer arrows we send up on your behalf and thank you again for walking this course with us.

*Please see last month’s post for our definition of spitballs.

**Mike and his family (Nadia and their three children) are moving to Palau to take over the church our friends Pastor Bambit and Joy just left when they took charge of a Christian school in the Philippines. One has to beware of discipleship with Slick: nearly all his guys have ended up either going to seminary or to the mission field. Guess God’s working…

One of the things we like most about NM is regular visual reminders that the Master Artist is still at work! This one is looking from just beyond our back porch.