Praying the hours is a rhythm of prayer marked by the hours of the day: morning, mid-day, evening. We see in Scripture this was common for God’s people to pause to center themselves on the presence of God and open themselves to God’s action in their lives. The practice was birthed out of Jewish tradition […] The post Praying the Hours | The Empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit appeared first on Christian Fellowship ..read more

Reflections on Ruth, Part 4 “Then he (Boaz) said… ‘Lie down until morning… then she (Naomi) said, ‘Sit still, daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.’”  Ruth 3:13, 18 I want you to know you are in this place. These same commands are for you. It is as if you are Ruth waiting for a life-changing decision to be made. Nothing will be the same after this decision but still you must wait. God wants you to lie still I know you want to do something, but I am saying, lie still. There is no point rushing around ..read more

Reflections on Ruth, Part 3 “Now the two of them (Naomi and Ruth) went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them and the women said, ‘Is this Naomi?’” Ruth 1:19 “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has born him… also the neighbor women gave him a name, say ..read more

Reflections on Ruth, Part 2 “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean the threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” Luke 7:17 “So, she (Ruth) went down to the threshing floor, and she came softly and uncovered his (Boaz’s) feet and lay down. Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled and turned himself and there a woman was lying at his feet.”  Ruth 3:6-8 These are days when I have come to thoroughly cleanse the threshing floor so that I might bring in the harvest. These are days when I am doin ..read more

Reflections on Ruth, Part 1 “But she said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter), for the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full and the Lord has brought me home empty.”  Ruth 1:20-21 “Also, he (Boaz) said (to Ruth), ‘Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.’ And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she went into the city… and she said (to Naomi), “These six ephahs of barley he gave me for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty handed to your mother-in-law (Naomi).'”  Ruth 3:15-17 Naomi announced to the cr ..read more

Eastertide: Celebrating 50 days of Joy By Kim Stewart, Director of Formational Ministries A few years ago, a friend introduced me to a season in the liturgical church calendar that I wasn’t familiar with—Eastertide. Eastertide are the days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. I was curious! Over the course of this season, I watched my friend celebrate what she was calling 50 days of joy. Each day she posted a picture of something in her day that brought her joy and ways that she was celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and her life in Christ. I was moved by the practice and the invitat ..read more

The Invitation of Lent  by Kim Stewart, Director of Formational Ministries Several years ago, I participated in a 9-month prayer journey with a small group led by my spiritual director/mentor. The 9-month journey followed the prayer experiences of Ignatius of Loyola. I was curious so I said yes. I longed to know Jesus more deeply and explore prayer in a new way. The prayer journey would follow the church calendar, which was something I didn’t know much about. This 9-month journey was what I would call a threshold of grace in my life and one of the most impactful parts was the season of Le ..read more

When we left for Ukraine a week ago, so many people expressed worry over the danger we were traveling towards. But because God is good, He answered the prayers of so many and has kept us safe. We have not worried. We have not felt fear, even when the air raid sirens went off in the night. These have been the most restful days I’ve had in a long time. We were welcomed with open arms like family. Our bellies have stayed full – often too full – with amazing food. We have worshipped with other believers, singing the same songs together like we aren’t separated by different languages. We gath ..read more

The construction team remains healthy and in awe of what God has done over the last few days. Tomorrow is our last day on the work site, and we are going to miss the guys we have been working with. God has shown us part of the larger brotherhood of Christians that exists around the world. We have been mutually encouraged through working, praying, and sharing meals together. Tomorrow night we will reunite with the Uzhhorod Ministry Team for the remainder of our time here. Continue to pray for the men and their families, that they would know God is with them. In a few days we will leave and ..read more

The last few days for the construction team have been productive, encouraging, and challenging. We are bonding well with the local team and have had a great time laughing and working alongside them. We are encouraged by their hope and perseverance in spite of difficult circumstances. Our work on the house is going well, and we have been blessed with great weather and no major injuries so far. Please pray for continued endurance and safety during our last two days with the local team. Pray also for the men we are working with, that God would provide for them and their families. Pictured is us ..read more