I'm a bad blogger... sorry.

I wanted to forward along an email I wrote to a friend recently that will catch you up to speed. This was written about a week ago. Reading over my own words is convicting. Pray that God would sustain my own faith in his faithfulness and character as we continue in ministry. Our staff team has been swimming through the waters of discouragement. Sometimes it's a doggie-paddle, sometimes it's a strong breast stroke, and sometimes we are just barely staying afloat. I hear the words of our Father God calling us to have faith... have faith.... HAVE FAITH. Pray for us that by his help, we would.

Here's the letter... edited a bit;)

...ministry has been pretty intense lately. It doesn't seem fitting to just list all the things that have happened-- like it would be focusing on sin rather than on God's faithfulness to bring sin to light, in order to redeem, ya know?

But in the last month, we've had to ask one of our students to leave our ministry after repeatedly confronting him about deception. He's had so many opportunities to allocate grace and has only hardened his heart. We went through all the steps of Matthew 18 with him and still there is no repentance. So this has been one of those, "hand them over to Satan" for a time and pray that eventually he'd repent deals. Heart breaking. We've been ministering to this guy well over 3 years. When we told our students, their response was sober, but very encouraging...

I had 2 unanticipated marriage counseling sessions within one week's time... both saddening and long, but hopeful. The couples both seem to be ignored at their respective churches and hungry for help.

A couple from our ministry's past, recently told us their marriage is on the rocks. Mike saw the same guy downtown out with a woman other than his wife and gave him a serious rebuke. Thankfully, he responded well... and called the next day thankful.

One of my girls' I used to disciple and still am pretty close to, has a close friend who was recently murdered. She also recently learned she didn't get accepted to a rehab program that would have been amazing for her. I trust God's will in that, but I'm still disappointed in the decision. But I have seen an increase in her initiative towards sanctification, fulfilling personal responsibilities, and making wise decisions, which has been encouraging. She has also begun to meet with Margo in a small "Knowing God" Bible study and is applying the gospel to her past. Continue to pray for God's protection over her.

Oh, did I mention that none of these people are the actual people that I disciple?? But don't think all is quiet on the western front there, God's been revealing the same heart issues and depth of sin with them. Please pray for a spirit of perseverance. Please pray for faith in the Lord's power and activity in their lives. It is so easy to become discouraged by observations and not live by faith in the character of God. The character of God must be sustaining for us right now, because so much is stirring and spiritual warfare is strong.

So basically, my life has been composed of lots of listening-- to people and to the Spirit-- much prayer and fighting through a whole lot of spiritual warfare. It has become most incredible to me that Christ's work on the cross gave us power and authority over sin and the evil one.
Lately, that has caused me to praise Jesus even more than the thought of him forgiving us. The truth that we are no longer captives is much more unbelievable and has greatly motivated my prayer life.

To sum up my prayer life in a word, I'd choose "fierce". I am glad to be taught the authority that has been freely given us in Christ and to exalt God as a Mighty Warrior. So, even with all this going on around me, God has sustained my hope and faith that he IS working and freeing these that we lead by the power of the gospel! ... But, now this week my body has given in, and I'm sick, fighting fatigue... and wanting to be a beach bum... But what greater purpose could I have, but to minister to others for the glory of God? So, by the grace of God I will not be defeated by my flesh and desire to check out when God has obviously called me to fight!!!

So, that's ministry for me, in a nutshell.

I could really use your prayers. Our students could, our staff team could, and Athens could. Pray for faith. Pray for encouragement. Pray we continue to press on and fight the good fight.

Love you all.
How can I pray for you?

hmmm...

So it's been a while... well, let me catch you up! We're a month into the semester and...


** We're embarking on our fourth week of teaching through Nehemiah and meeting on Tuesdays. Our group is still meeting at Mike's house... relocation to our downtown space is still pending with the city council. But we are enjoying the hospitality and coziness that the Satterfield home provides. God has met us and been very kind as students are sharing with one another and growing to trust the leading of the Spirit during our corporate times together. Our time of prayer for one another has been particularly encouraging. Students whom wouldn't ordinarily share their struggles with our large group have been doing so, giving other students the opportunity to experience serving and ministering to others in a new way. Pray that God would continue to grow us up into Christ in this way and that we would not just coast through our times together.




** I took Samantha, Krista, Tara, Tiffany, Ashley, and Katie to Saint Simon's Island over Labor Day weekend for a time of seeking Christ through rest and prayer. It was a great time connecting with one another and being with the Lord... At the beginning of each semester there is a sense of rush and busyness that can be distracting from fellowship with believers and Christ himself-- I feel like this weekend was fighting against that, spiritually speaking.


** Every Wednesday our staff team meets with directors of other ministries in Athens to pray. This has been a crucial time as we learn from, pray for, and encourage one another. I have seen a genuine move of the Spirit-- creating unity in the body of Christ here in Athens... This morning there seemed to be a weariness among the group. Please pray that God would be our source of encouragement, strength, and hope as we do Kingdom work here. Pray too that we would be faithful in leading the groups God has given to us... not building on the foundation of Christ with wood, hay, and stubble, but building with the gold, silver, and precious stones.

**In other news, I have continued taking my trapeze class... which is always lots of fun. My hope is not only to learn cool tricks and get killer arm muscles (smile), but that this would serve as an outlet to build friendships with people who don't know Christ. Please pray that God would help me love and care for my fellow trapeze enthusiast;)

Thanks again for reading and keeping up with me. Thanks all the more for your prayer. Drop me a line and catch me up with your life if you have time!

Fall is well under way and we’re rolling with it. Below is our series for the fall semester. Hope you enjoy. Don’t forget to go and listen to the mp3s on our site .

Broken. Seems like we as people are good at breaking things. Let's face it, breaking a thing is much easier than putting a thing together. And all around us are testimonies to our laziness…broken things…relationships…lives…people…In our culture, many of the structures that God ordained and set in place have been broken down and lay in shambles. Is there any hope to rebuild the walls of a broken generation?
Nehemiah was a man used of God to do just that. God's people had forgotten what it was to live whole before Him. They had given up and accepted broken as a way of life. God used Nehemiah to remind them that while brokenness of spirit is desired by God in our lives, living broken is not God's heart for His people. Together, they rebuilt walls. Could God do a similar work in our day? In your life?

Please pray for my parents!

Taiwan was hit by 2 typhoons, a tropical storm and a 5.7 earthquake last week. My dad said they have had 5 days of constant rain-- All you Georgians, try no to be jealous! Another typhoon is on the way. As my mom wrote me two days ago, flood water was beginning to come in the 1st floor of their home. Their missionary supervisor 1st floor is already flooded. Pray for physical protection, that God would grant grace to my parents to meet the needs of the local Taiwanese community, and that the gospel would go forth in power! Thank you so much!

Fall is here!

We are welcoming fall back this week... and students are everywhere. I miss the lack of traffic and lines in general that makes Athenian summers so wonderful... But am excited for the return of students-- new and old. God has ordained them to live here and ordained us to preach the gospel to them and help them grow. So I say bring on the traffic and grocery store lines!!

Ministry is up and running. We had our first Tuesday night of the semester last night. It was a sweet time in studying the Word, praying for one another, and catching up. We had a handful of new students too! The location we were set to move into was bumped back for at least 2 weeks as we wait on the city to give approval to renovation plans. Oh well, we can’t control it and God knows what He’s doing... We are studying though the book of Nehemiah this semester. The audio will be up soon on the web site. Let me encourage you to keep up with us by downloading the free mp3s there and listening to our talks. Go to http://www.thejourneyuga.com/lg.htm Check this weekend for Tuesday night's talk.

Look for changes in our ministry soon as the Journey is becoming the Athens Acacia Fellowship. I’ll be explaining more about this change in the days ahead, but know that we are excited about what the Lord is doing. We’re still a part of WDA’s national ministry, but our focus is becoming more than just the UGA campus. There’s a whole generation of 20-somethings in our country who are exodusing the church, and our mandate is to reach them with the Gospel, help them grow to maturity in Christ, and reconnect them into the local church. Pray for us as we seek the Lord for strategies to accomplish this. We are so dependent on his direction!