prayer – Church of the Servant King

Upson Downs 8.1.21

Dearest friends, please continue to pray for us as we welcome more guests. It is critical for us to welcome others and be hospitable; it is even more urgent that we extend that love and grace to those among us here. “Above all hold unfailing your love for one another..” (I Peter 4:8) We must be knit together in love in order to not become easily untangled. The church is both local and universal, yet it is in our day to day dealings with one another that Christ is made manifest and authenticated for others to experience. As Fran and Steve depart, Craig returns, followed by Linda, Liesl, Sean, Kirstin, and subsequently the Miller clan. I want to be full of thanks that the Lord has deemed us worthy and filled our plate with lots of good stuff! May our shoulders be broad enough and our sleeves sufficiently rolled up. Some of you ask about ways to participate in our lives here in Gardena. We have many things happening now and anticipate future events which need your prayers and any other more tangible help you might offer. We look forward to reviving Wineskins, to bringing a young Burmese pastor here to share in our life for an extended stay, to getting Abif back here for good, and to finally having a memorial remembrance for Rich. These are but a few. Many of these things are beyond our reach, so we covet your prayers, your financial support, and your continued friendship and support. Grace and peace to you all for Church of the Servant-King,

Regan

Upson Downs 5-9-2020

Life in the Body of Christ

Like everyone else, we are in the throes of corona-virus concerns. We are mostly off work, working from home, or transitioning to a different work schedule. We are trying to balance due-diligence and carefulness while also demonstrating calm and lack of fear.

The ever-unfolding events make it difficult to keep firm footing. Keeping up with the latest info can be a full time endeavor. We want to be good stewards of our time. For those off work we are trying to redeem the time. Long put-off errands are finally being tackled. Procrastination is a little harder to justify. All (some!) overdue reading is being undertaken, and part of the writing endeavors are starting to materialize.

So what else is going on besides covid-19? Our dear sister Cheryl has come down for some much needed R&R. Through the years she has been a faithful partner and support. In more recent times she has come to help take care of her brother Rich. Since we are virtually “confined to quarters,” she is stuck with us for an indefinite stretch.

While not undertaking an Extreme Home Makeover, we are embarking on various home improvement adventures: cleaning closets, attending to yard work, repairing various nonfunctional items, fixing roofs, cleaning carpets, planting gardens and so on. We have an abundance of unskilled but willing workers who will pitch in when needed, and we even have some skilled workers. We are trying to keep our more vulnerable members more sheltered: the pregnant ladies and those of a “certain age,” currently defined as over 65.

Our younger members have made many trips to the store, for us and also for our neighbors. We want to be available to our neighborhood to shed the love of Christ abroad. Our children are still being homeschooled which requires our attention. Meals are being fixed and shared on a daily basis.

So we are busy. But we still have moments to work together on puzzles, pray together, read by the crackling fire, talk, encourage one another, and share the abundant life together as we are in greater proximity on a daily basis than ever before.

We continue to pray for our nation and our world as we find ourselves in the midst of this crisis. We wish to be found faithful. Jesus makes the astounding statement in Matthew 16:18 that even the “gates of Hell shall not prevail” against His Church. May we demonstrate this truth today and all the days ahead.