It’s snowing again
this evening. A wet and slushy
ick; the last-ditch effort of a winter that doesn’t know when to let go of a
good thing. We ache (even us Canadians) for warmth and green and the
smell of new growth.
This Passion week we will re-live that ache in the last
days of the Old, when darkness seems to have won and our Hope is
crucified. But! But WE KNOW, darkness, DOES NOT WIN! Before the week
is out, our hearts will burst with joy because Jesus DID NOT STAY DEAD! The
New has come and changed everything. The darkness within will not stand
before the LIGHT. We find ourselves walking with the Father again as we were
always meant to walk.
Wow, Happy Easter
folks! Don’t let the slush get you down.
New things
await. “New life for
old dreams” as I wrote in January. The Biblical Studies for
Discipleship, a 3-month Inductive Bible Study course I am co-leading, will be
underway just a week after Easter! Can I tell you
I am really, really excited?! This desire to help others truly know
God through His word comes from a deep place within myself. It is
also core to who YWAM is. Our Belief Statement, from which all our
Values flow, begins with:
“Youth
With A Mission affirms the Bible as the authoritative word of God and, with the
Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the absolute reference point for every aspect of life and
ministry.”
This next generation desperately needs to know how
to know God. Not from song lyrics or single verse posts on
social media, but from His word under the tutelage of His Holy
Spirit. We will give them that opportunity. Please pray for
my co-leader, Ben and I as we finalize teachings and plow through the mountain
of logistics in the next 11 days. We're
just grateful to be a TAs (Teacher’s Assistants) in His classroom.
I’ve
also been asked to teach on Repentance and Forgiveness in our
Bilingual DTS, which is also starting April 9th. Again,
so few youth today can articulate not only what the Gospel says, but how
they’ve actually lived it. I will have 4, 3-hour classes to co-labor
with Jesus in helping these students see first their own desperate need for
saving, and then the earth-shattering extent of His love and
mercy. I am very aware that I will need your prayer support as
I prepare for this teaching. For the Name of Jesus, thank-you.
Can I ask you to pray
for one more thing? Pine Ridge and the Oglala Lakota are
still tugging on my heart. This summer we’ll take our favorite Korean church
from Chicago out there again, but I always yearn for more ways to sow into the
Kingdom of Jesus on the reservation. Just as these things
began to stir in me last week, a way began to present itself. A
friend on the reservation who connects us with the children reached out to me,
looking for help growing his relationship with the Lord. Life in
Pine Ridge is taking its toll, he’s been doing children’s ministry for 27 years
and, and his generosity is continually overreaching his
resources. He wants to come to YWAM Minneapolis for a DTS next
fall. I believe walking alongside this Lakota believer as a disciple
will make a bigger difference for the kingdom than many short-term mission
trips. Please let me know if God leads you to invest in Pine Ridge
by helping with the finances he will need to come here for a season of
discipleship.
On
the home front, the
Pike Homeschool is keeping the local librarians on their toes, while rounding
the corner into the 4th quarter. Joshua has
joined a track and field team and is getting stronger and faster every
day. Rachel decided she wanted dreadlocks, so I gave her
dreadlocks and they fit her well. Madelynn is as sweet as ever
and zipping through school. Hudson gave his life to
Jesus and is still a complete goofball. Renée is
continuing to build her Chickadee Tree business, selling Kombucha to support
the development of new and happy herbal salves.
Please
don’t be deceived by the weight of this letter given to YWAM stuff, these
five are my first ministry, my joy, and ones in whom I see most
clearly the grace of Jesus and my desperate need for Him.
With
all my heart, thank-you for supporting us and praying for
us. If you’re not already giving financially, pray about it and let
us know what God says!
Grace,
Joel
