West Texas Missioner

Saturday, April 18, 2015

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Day 34"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 34"

"Often we combat our evil thoughts most effectively if we absolutely refuse to allow them to be verbalized. It is certain that the spirit of self-justification can only be overcome by the spirit of grace; and it is just as certain that the individual judgmental thought can be limited and suppressed by never allowing it to be spoken except as a confession of sin … Thus it must be a decisive rule of all Christian community life that each individual is prohibited from talking about another Christian in secret. It is clear and will be shown in what follows that this prohibition does not include the word of admonition that is spoken personally to one another. However, talking about others in secret is not allowed even under the pretense of help and goodwill. For it is precisely in this guise that the spirit of hatred between believers always creeps in, seeking to cause trouble."

Biblical Wisdom

“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” — Ephesians 4:29

Questions to Ponder

• Talking with people about someone else you are having trouble with when they are not there is called “triangulation.” In what ways does triangulation harm a community of faith?
• How can a community of faith enforce the rule “that each individual is prohibited from talking about another Christian in secret”?
• Would this be a good rule to generalize and apply to the workplace, school, families, among friends? Why, or why not?

Psalm Fragment

“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity.” — Psalm 141:3-4

Journal Reflections

• Have you ever experienced being triangulated․being talked about negatively when you where not there? If so, write about the experience. How did it feel?
• Have you ever engaged in triangulation? If so, write about the experience. How did it feel?

Intercessions

Pray that we might all overcome evil thoughts and the spirit of self-justification, by the spirit and word of grace.

Prayer for Today

Spirit of love, may the words I speak be the kind that build people up.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 18, 2015

WASHINGTON PRESBYTERY, PENNSYLVANIA - In January 2014, Jeanne Clapp traveled to rural Nicaragua to visit with farmers whose lives are being improved through the Presbyterian Coffee Project. She stayed in their homes and trekked a mountainside to see where the coffee beans are grown.

“If it were up to me, I would be charging $100 for a cup of coffee,” says Clapp, hunger action enabler for Washington Presbytery. “It took us an hour to get up to this coffee patch in the jungle. These farmers work so hard in very difficult conditions!” ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, April 17, 2015

From @FWMission ... Friday Story: "Fighting for His Dreams"

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission

is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

Friday Story: "Fighting for His Dreams"

Greetings, and Happy Friday!

I love to share about recipients who don’t let their lack of mobility discourage them from pursuing their goals. This week, meet Muhammad from Indonesia:

When Muhammad was 15 years old he blacked out and fell face forward. When he woke up he was extremely weak in his arms and legs and lacked the strength to walk. After being rushed to the doctor, he found out he had damaged his spinal cord resulting in partial paralysis.

Despite his physical struggles, Muhammad has been determined to work to care for himself. He had just enough strength in his legs to push himself backwards on a skateboard he used to get around. He used his limited mobility to get to and from his current job at his family’s motorcycle repair shop so he could help support his family. But it wasn’t easy ...

• read the rest of this story ...

Want to take one of these wheelchairs for a test drive? During normal business hours, visit the lobby at the Texas Street entrance of First Presbyterian Church-Midland, at the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west side of downtown Midland. You can give the gift of mobility. The cost of $72.00 is a bargain to us ... but it is a life-changing gift to impoverished and disabled recipients ... and there are times when your contribution will be matched, reaching not one - but TWO, and sometimes FOUR recipients. Please note on your check "Wheelchair Gift."

In the News ... "Oil Downturn Impacts Local Ministry Through Lack of Donations"

KOSA Photo

• For the homeless, low-income individuals that visit their shelter

Staff Report
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - Jesus House in Odessa is one of the many organizations feeling the impact of the downturn in oil production.

Pastor Donny Kyker tells CBS 7 that they can use more paper goods and plastic ware for their soup kitchen, as well as food donations.

Kyker says they would be happy to accept extra food from restaurants ...

• read the rest of this KOSA report ...

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Day 33"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 33"

"Every act of self-discipline by a Christian is also a service to the community. Conversely, there is no sin in thought, word, or deed, no matter how personal or secret, that does not harm the whole community. When the cause of an illness gets into one’s body, whether or not anyone knows where it comes from, or in what member it has lodged, the body is made ill. This is the appropriate metaphor for the Christian community. Every member serves the whole body, contributing either to its health or to its ruin, for we are members of one body not only when we want to be, but in our whole existence. This is not a theory, but a spiritual reality that is often experienced in the Christian community with shocking clarity, sometimes destructively and sometimes beneficially."

Biblical Wisdom

“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” — Romans 12:4-5

Questions to Ponder

• What do you think Bonhoeffer means by an “act of self-discipline”?
• How can an individual’s sins “harm the whole community”?
• What are the implications of Bonhoeffer’s assertion that, “we are members of one body not only when we want to be, but in our whole existence”?

Psalm Fragment

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.” — Psalm 139:23-24

Journal Reflections

• Reflect on your experience in your community of faith. Does it feel like a living body of which you are a member? Explain.
• How might you better serve “the whole body”?

Intercessions

Pray that you, your family, and friends might identify needs for self-discipline, and become a healthy part of the body.

Prayer for Today

Holy God, thank you that you have made me a member of the Body of Christ; help me keep healthy that I may not harm the whole body.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 17, 2015

UPPER OHIO VALLEY PRESBYTERY, WEST VIRGINIA/OHIO - By 2008, First Westminster Presbyterian Church of Steubenville was a congregation in decline. Worship was no longer held in the sanctuary but in a small chapel that could comfortably hold the 15–20 people who came.

The congregation hired Jason Elliott, an MDiv student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, as Christian education director. The hope was that he could get the young people back in church. The people of First Westminster rallied behind him, and in 2010 Rev. Jason Elliott became the installed pastor. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

In the News ... "Willis brings 'Hope for the Hood' to south Odessa"

OA Photo by Edyta Blaszczyk

• “I was a well-known criminal in this town”

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Recently named pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, the Rev. Darren Willis wants to make a difference in the crime-plagued areas of south Odessa.

Pursuing a program he calls “Hope for the Hood,” the 55-year-old native Odessan said he will go onto Snyder and Monahans streets “to reach the people where they are actually at in their mindsets.

“It’s heavily populated with certain gangs, and you have to respect them in their neighborhoods,” Willis said ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Day 32"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 32"

"Intercessory prayer is also a daily service Christians owe to God and one another. Those who deny their neighbors prayers of intercession deny them a service Christians are called to perform. Furthermore, it is clear that intercessory prayer is not something general and vague, but something very concrete. It is interested in specific persons and specific difficulties and therefore specific requests. The more concrete my intercessory prayer becomes the more promising it is …

All this proves that intercessory prayer is a gift of God’s grace for every Christian community and for every Christian. Because God has made us such an immeasurably great offer here, we should accept it joyfully. The very time we give to intercession will turn out to be a daily source of new joy in God and in the Christian congregation ."

Biblical Wisdom

“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.” — 1 Samuel 12:23

Questions to Ponder

• Is it a contradiction to say that intercessory prayer is both a “daily service Christians owe to God and one another” and “a gift of God’s grace for every Christian community and for every Christian”? Why, or why not?
• Could the lack of joy evident in many Christians and in many Christian communities be a sign of a lack of specific, concrete, intercessory prayer? Explain.

Psalm Fragment

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.” — Psalm 5:11

Journal Reflections

• Write about how you feel when praying for others in your community of faith.
• Is intercessory prayer “a daily source of new joy in God and in the Christian congregation” for you? Why, or why not?

Intercessions

Pray that your community of faith in particular, and all communities of faith in general, would experience the joy in God and in each other that comes from the service of daily prayer on behalf of their members.

Prayer for Today

Holy God, thank you for the joy of bringing people into your presence this day and every day.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 16, 2015

PRESBYTERY OF SHENANGO, PENNSYLVANIA - Shenango is a presbytery undergoing internal change while ministering in a constantly changing world. We are continually reminded of these words of Jesus: “Go! I am sending you” (Luke 10:3 NIV). Even as life changes around us, Jesus remains the same, and the communities that our congregations serve remain ever needful of Christ’s love.

For more than 15 years, the Presbytery of Shenango has been involved in missional church work. We are learning to work with our neighbors—to see them as partners in God’s mission—and it is making a daily difference in the way we do ministry ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

**In the News: "52 Faces" Q&A with Bobby Trimble**

MRT Photo by Tim Fischer

"52 Faces of the Community" is a new, regular feature of the Midland Reporter-Telegram that is recognizing the unsung heroes and volunteers of Midland, Texas. The latest installment in this series offers a question-and-answer session with Bobby Trimble, founder of Christmas In Action, in Midland.

• read the rest of this MRT report

• visit the "52 Faces" index page

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Day 31"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 31"

"Offering intercessory prayer means nothing other than Christians bringing one another into the presence of God, seeing each other under the cross of Jesus as poor human beings and sinners in need of grace. Then, everything about other people that repels me falls away. Then I see them in all their need, hardship, and distress. Their need and their sin become so heavy and oppressive to me that I feel as if they were my own, and I can do nothing else but bid: Lord, you yourself, you alone, deal with them according to your firmness and your goodness."

Biblical Wisdom

“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” — James 5:15-16

Questions to Ponder

• How does seeing others under the cross of Jesus Christ cause all that “repels me” about them to fall away?
• In what way is everyone equal under the cross?
• How does looking at other people through the lens of God’s mercy change our feelings about them and about ourselves?

Psalm Fragment

“May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.” — Psalm 72:2-4

Journal Reflections

• Make a list of the people whom you would like to bring into the presence of God today.
• Write a line or two describing the nature of your relationship with each of these people.

Intercessions

For each person listed in your journal today, pray: Lord, you yourself, you alone, deal with (name) according to your firmness and your goodness.

Prayer for Today

Forgiving and transforming God, thank you that under the cross of Christ we all stand equally together under your love and mercy.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 15, 2015

PRESBYTERY OF REDSTONE, PENNSYLVANIA - "I never thought I would be able to go on a mission trip, because of all my health problems,” was the comment made by a woman on our trip home after working at the SERRV center in New Windsor, Maryland. She had supported SERRV and the Heifer Fund and other mission projects by giving money, but this time she was able to be the “hands” as she packed and priced items for sale. Because the organization pays producers a fair price, purchasing SERRV items made by artisans from around the world helps to fight poverty ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Word from Uganda: "The Sweetest Statement"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

The Sweetest Statement

"I walked into my office today, having been out of the office doing various duties for the past 2 weeks," Natlaie writes, "to this greeting by Marion ..."

• read the rest of Natalie's post ...

**In the News ... "God Bless Midland Event"**

KMID Photo

Staff Report
KMID-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - One local church turned Saturday into a day full of free fun for the whole family.

First Methodist Church blessed the community this weekend with a family-friendly event that they called "super Saturday" ...

• read/watch the rest of this KMID report

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Day 30"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 30"

"A Christian community either lives by the intercessory prayers of its members for one another, or the community will be destroyed. I can no longer condemn or hate other Christians for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble they cause me. In intercessory prayer the face that may have been strange and intolerable to me is transformed into the face of one for whom Christ died, the face of a pardoned sinner. That is a blessed discovery for the Christian who is beginning to offer intercessory prayer for others. As far as we are concerned, there is no dislike, no personal tension, no disunity or strife that cannot be overcome by intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the community must enter every day."

Biblical Wisdom

“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.” — Ephesians 6:18

Questions to Ponder

• What is more common in the church, generic prayers for “those in need” or specific prayers for specific individuals? Why?
• How common is it for individual Christians and communities of faith to pray for the good of those they dislike or are in conflict with?
• In what ways does intercessory prayer protect a community of faith?

Psalm Fragment

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.” — Psalm 122:6-9

Journal Reflections

• Reflect on your prayer life. Have you ever prayed for the good of anyone you were in a conflict with?
• If so, what happened as a result of your prayer? Did it change the way you thought about that person?
• If not, reflect in your journal as to whether or not you are ready to pray for the good of people who have hurt you or whom you dislike for any reason.

Intercessions

Pray that your community of faith would be a place where conflict is resolved and hard feelings softened through intercessory prayer.

Prayer for Today

Forgiving God, may I see those with whom I am in conflict as your beloved, and may I share in your love for them by praying for them.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 14, 2015

PITTSBURGH PRESBYTERY, PENNSYLVANIA - In the heart of one of Pittsburgh’s most distressed neighborhoods, Presbyterians have banded together to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, just where it’s needed most. Several years ago, Rev. Eugene and Dina Blackwell felt stirred to reach out to the people on local streets long ravaged by the kind of violence that too often makes the news.

Pittsburgh Presbytery joined with the Blackwells to launch a new ministry, House of Manna, in 2010 ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Faces of Children: Prayer Concerns for This Week

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Prayer Concerns for the Week of 04/13/15

Please pray for children who are awaiting adoption here and abroad ...

• Those in foreign countries who have been approved for U. S. adoption but await the bureaucratic process of their country to be united with their adoptive parents.
• Those whose adoptive parents are anxiously awaiting the U.S. government’s final approval to bring their adopted child into the U. S.
• Those in foster homes longing for the love of a family.
• Those who suffer from sexual abuse in foster home.
• Those whose lives are unsettled from being transferred from foster home to foster home.
• Give thanks for the organization Both Ends Burning that is dedicated to defending every child’s right to a permanent loving family. See the film STUCK on the BEB’s web site.

If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to info@facesofchildren.net

In the News ... "Baptist Crisis Center steps up to fill local needs"

MRT Photo by James Durbin

• Mission to meet the basic needs of families and individuals, in Jesus' name

Steve Kuhlmann, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - With the recent closing of Area Missions Outreach Services clinic, it seems another nonprofit is already preparing itself to pick up the torch.

“We’ve talked with our board of directors and everyone was overwhelmingly in favor or moving that direction,” said Russell Cowan, director of the Baptist Crisis Center. “That (clinic) is a need that AMOS filled for so many years and we want to keep that going.”

Although the center is “moving in that direction,” said Cowan, there is still quite a bit of work to be done before its version of the clinic will be ready to open its doors ...

• read the rest of this MRT report ...

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Day 29"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 29"

"Third, we speak of the service involved in bearing with others. “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” — (Gal. 6:2). Thus the law of Christ is a law of forbearance. Forbearance means enduring and suffering. The other person is a burden to the Christian, in fact for the Christian most of all. The other person never becomes a burden at all for the pagans. They simply stay clear of every burden the other person may create for them. However, Christians must bear the burden of one another. Only as a burden is the other really a brother or sister and not just an object to be controlled."

Biblical Wisdom

“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” — Galatians 6:0-10

Questions to Ponder

• In what ways might “bearing with others” have a positive rather than negative connotation?
• What do you think of Bonhoeffer’s assertion that: “The other person is a burden to the Christian”? Can that be a good way to look at other people?
• How does the church “bear with” the larger community that surrounds it?

Psalm Fragment

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.” — Psalm 55:22

Journal Reflections

• Think of the people in your life. To whom are you a burden? How does it feel?
• In what ways do the people in your life help bear your burdens?
• Whose burdens are you helping to bear? How does it feel?

Intercessions

Who in your circle of family, friends, and acquaintances is weighed down with heavy burdens? Pray for them in their need and ask God to show you how to help them bear those burdens.

Prayer for Today

Loving God, thank you for bearing with me; make me willing to bear with others.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 13, 2015

PRESBYTERY OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - First Presbyterian Church in Kensington used the occasion of its 200th anniversary to celebrate the church’s legacy while affirming the new and exciting things the Holy Spirit is doing among the congregation of today.

First Kensington sees itself as a primary stakeholder in the community of Fishtown and is therefore committed to prophetic and compassionate witness ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.