An Unbeatable Formula

I had experienced what I determined to be a call from God to the ministry and was offered an opportunity to preach at the Star of Hope Mission in downtown Houston. Since I was still a teen-ager, my grandfather was strongly opposed to me doing so. I did what he may have thought disrespectful; I quoted scripture to him. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Granddad mumbled something that sounded like, “You’re name is not Paul!” and I declined the invitation out of respect for him. It’s been too many years ago to determine who was right, and who was wrong, but since then, I have preached and taught in many a diverse circumstance, including places similar to the Star of Hope Mission and in some places that surely made my grandfather turn over in his grave. I have become a firm believer in Philippians 4:13 as well as a quote from Henry Ford, “Those who believe they can do something and those who believe they can’t are both right.” I am consistently trying to determine what God is calling me to do, and in God’s strength, attempting to do it. What has God called you to do that you have not yet done? What’s the cause of the delay? Human opportunity plus divine strength is an unbeatable formula.

Join me in remembering the following global concerns:
• From one who serves in Southeast Asia comes a request to pray for a Church Growth and Evangelism Conference to be held on May 18-27 to help established churches again grow after years of stalemate. They are asking pastors from the US to lead their churches to adopt Southeast Asia cities and pray for future church planting.
• Pray for a church in Maple Ridge (metro Vancouver), Canada that still needs a mission team of 3-6 persons on July 8-12 and/or August 5-9.
• Join those who serve in Eastern Hungary who are observing May as a month of prayer, lifting up strategic towns and people groups in the area. An online interactive prayer calendar is at http://www.hope4ehu.com/prayer.html
• Continue to pray for Jerry, the missionary pilot who has been missing since April 7th. The family is still working to discover what happened to him and his plane.