Pray BFF #53                                  January 13, 2004

Delighted in Him

Two days before Christmas our 12 passenger van broke down. After having it towed to the garage, we were told the bad news: the engine seized up. Since our Volvo was in the process of being junked, we were out of transportation. But by God's grace, we had a nice and quiet Christmas! We made a choice to trust the Lord on this one. We didn't just accept the situation but delighted in it (Sure am glad Linda did the food shopping ahead of time!). Later the next day, Christmas Eve, someone came to our home bringing an anonymous love gift that fully covered putting a rebuilt engine in our van. We were touched deeply with expression of love. It crowned this year of special provision. (Ask us about the potatoes some time).

God also provides much wisdom and fruit. Each time I think about BFF, I am both amazed and humbled. I keep asking myself, "How did it happen?" It is not BFF but God-designed. God is the glorious enabler. The major series produced in 2003 are: Genesis: The Book of Foundations, Understanding Genuine Revivals, Biblical Parenting Principles: Toddlers and Up, The Origins of the Bible, The Flow: Establishing a Growth Pattern in the Church, Understanding the Dark World, Deep Magic and Reality, Principles and Problems of Urban Church Planting and Advanced Discipleship Training. This is all to God's glory. We just try to keep up with Him.

Annual Reflections

Let's think a little further about what God has done in 2003.

• Readership. We have about 500 people viewing over 1,000 BFF web pages each day. This is double what we had last year. But Google, the big search engine is going public. We don't know what changes this might bring. Our goal is still 2,000 daily pageviews.

• Financial target. Last year we were rather embarrassed by the Lord. Our goals just didn't match up with what God wanted. The Lord took care of our needs but not through BFF. This year we are going to do what the Lord tells us: Simply ask for daily needs. We really do not know what our genuine needs are. Sometimes we need testing. The Lord is more interested in the changes brought about in our personal lives than set income.

• Advanced Discipleship Training (ADT). We are most excited about the potential of this training program. By establishing this material, a very significant step has been taken. We are not sure how God will utilize this concept to help train thousands of workers around the world. Just this morning I heard of one place where a number of churches have started spontaneously. The leaders of each one aren't trained pastors. They need training right where they are. We want the number of churches that begin to share this vision to grow. Only He can do that. This year, we will carefully watch Him and again follow. Come join us in this prayerful watch.