September 2015 Prayer Letter

Keeping Our Eyes on Him

Are you facing problems, trials, struggles, or at a point of indecision? We’ve all been there at one time or another. It has recently occurred to me, the first thing I do when facing a problem is try to solve it. I begin to plan on the first step I need to take. I may consult with others regarding the best approach to solve my problem. There is no right or wrong way to address your struggles or decisions that need to be made.

We all know God allows trials into our lives. According to James 1 it is to develop perseverance and I believe they do that. Speaking for myself however, when facing some recent problems, I really felt the Lord tapping me on the shoulder. I felt like He was saying, “Sue, you know I have this right? I am way ahead of you on this issue. Please keep your eyes on me. Remember that my relationship with you is the priority, not solving the problem.”

It is so easy for me to get way down the road on a plan for problem solving and never stop to realize why I may have the problem in the first place. By remembering that everything in life is about God and my relationship with Him, I have begun to refocus my attention. Now, instead of desperately trying to work through an issue, I schedule more one on one time with the Lord. Instead of looking at the struggle, I look at Him.

Sure, I may still consult others, may still put a plan in play, but only after having spent a lot of quality time with Him. How awesome is it that the Creator of the Universe wants to have a personal relationship with us?  No detail is too small, no problem too great that He isn’t right there with you, no He’s even ahead of you. His greatest desire is that you come to Him, share the problem with Him, and keep your eyes on Him.

August 2015 Prayer Letter

Recap Cru 15 Staff Conference

 

Being together with 5-6 thousand other US Cru staff in Fort Collins, Colorado was an amazing experience. Just worshipping with that many people was a thrill! We had many sessions and breakouts and heard from many different speakers. It was truly a time of spiritual renewal for us.

             Here are a few highlights from Francis Chan. He was one of several terrific speakers.

Regarding having the right mind set in ministry he said, “It is easy to let selfish ambition get mingled in with serving the Lord”.

He understood all the ministries of Cru are looking to form partnership with other ministries. Instead of duplicating efforts, to join forces with others. To this he said, “How often do you get down on your knees and pray for another ministry”? Wow, that was convicting.

When talking about Christians being judgmental and critical he said we have it all backwards. “We are to judge those inside the church. We are not to judge those outside the church”. Instead we do the opposite, we don’t judge ourselves but we do judge the world. That certainly hit home!

From 2 Timothy 3 Paul is talking to Timothy about the church in the last days, not about the world. Starting with verse 2 the list of sins will be seen in the church. The people will be lovers of self. That is the first one mentioned and all the others flow from that.

He cautioned that even in ministry we are often looking at it with selfish motives and ambitions. We all have the “it’s all about me” mentality. He reminded us that in Scripture over and over God cautions that in everything “no one should boast”. We are even offered salvation by grace and not by what we do, that “no one may boast”. Pride creeps into everything we do. Verse 4 and 5 conclude with, people will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. Oh boy, could that be me?

He spoke of unity in the church. In John 17:22 and 23 Christ is praying to God the Father. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. It was great to be reminded of how God wants us to be united as one so that the world will see Him!

We are very grateful we were able to attend the conference in Colorado this year. Thank you for your faithful support. This time of renewal was only possible because of you!

Houston (Sugar Land) Weekend to Remember

Houston Top Ten Comments

Attendance: 573

Salvation: 4

Holy Spirit: 75

Recommitment: 115

As I/we were coming to the conference my cell phone was at 8% battery.  I felt the same way – my marriage felt like it was at 8% power, strength, etc.  Praise God because it’s been fully recharged.  Husband, marital strength from 3 to 9, married 14 years

 

It personally impacted me tremendously.  It caused me to really examine my “record” as a husband and father.  My record wasn’t as good as I thought, and there’s really no good excuse for that.  I now know what I need to do to serve God better by serving my family as God wants me to.  Husband, 7 to 9, married 8 years

We are a military couple blessed to be attending on a scholarship.  This getaway gave us a chance to relax in a non-threatening large group setting and learn how to let God work in our marriage.  Thank you!  Wife, 4 to 5, married 6 years

I constantly tell myself that I need to be a better husband, father, and leader, but until this weekend it was all just a superficial pep talk.  Now after learning more about God’s plan for marriage and manhood and fatherhood, it is more than talk.  I have recommitted myself to my wife and my family and my God and Savior.  Thank you.  Husband, 5 to 8, married 15 years

Recommitment to God 1^st and each other 2^nd.  Opened my eyes to the things that we were doing to each other that drove both of us to isolation.  His bags were packed to get an apartment on Thursday night.  I’ll let you know what happens but I am hopeful because I heard him say a prayer for the 1^st ever two days ago, and we have been together for 10 years.  Thank you, God, no matter the outcome.  God is great!  Wife, 1 to 6, married 7 years

Being newly married (3 months), it has allowed us to delve deeper into God as a unit and has improved our verbal and nonverbal communication.  We have made a decision to go to a conference/retreat at least once a year to get away from the distractions that life can bring.  This weekend has satisfied his need for respect as a leader and my romance/love.  We are in the process of leading The Art of Marriage because of this weekend.  It has added to our love of service and made our connection even stronger.  Wife, 6 to 9, married 3 months

This weekend has debunked myths and worldly ways to salve problems in relationships.  It has also reminded me that God must be first and honestly marriage is about making the Lord famous!  It has been a huge blessing.  Wife

This weekend has shifted my focus from my spouse to myself and God.  Remembering that our marriage is only as strong as our individual relationships with Christ is vital.  Also, just being very reflective of what role I play in the success and /or failures of our marriage has been very helpful.  Of course, extra tools are always helpful to have in our arsenal.  Thank you for your ministry.  Wife, 8 to 9, married 15 months 

We knew we had a problem, but we couldn’t put a finger on it.  We had been treating the symptoms but hadn’t gotten to the core of things.  This retreat helped me (us) see how I’d/we’d slipped away from God and need to start having a fruitful spirit again.  Our hope for our marriage has been restored.  Husband, 3 to 8, married 3 years

I always thought of myself as being a real man, but being here has shown me different!  I was providing, but not nourishing, blaming but not accepting blame.  To take my rightful place as head of my family.  Husband, 8 to 9, married 21 months

We were able to be equipped and reminded of important truths and tools about marriage.  It was awesome to take a break from wedding planning and focus on our marriage and the years to come after.  This weekend allowed us to have constructive, healthy conversations.  It made us so excited to get married and to get to glorify God better together than apart!  Pre-married

June - July 2015 Prayer Letter

     Though school is nearly out and summer is around the corner, our spring WTR season is

still going strong. We had one event in Dallas the weekend after Mother’s day.

Here are two comments from Dallas:

 

  As a church pastor, I approached this weekend with the attitude of an observer.  I thought I would evaluate FamilyLife to see if it would be good for others I know.  However, through the weekend I was the one whom God evaluated through the sessions and projects.  I was weighed and found lacking in some key areas.  Thank you for the healthy “heads up”.  I will use what I learned to improve my marriage. 

   We were the couple with divorce papers in the car.  We realized this weekend that our marriage is worth fighting for.  We redirected ourselves to Christ, each other, and our family.  We have a blueprint and tips to help us navigate through life together.   Husband, married 19 years

    Then off to Corpus Christi the last weekend of May. Here are two comments from there:     

   Life-changing and we were thinking about divorce.  Arguing was daily for months and now we want to work on us and have the tools to do so.  Wife,  Married 19 years

              We’ve been married 40 years and we have been to many marriage events and read lots of materials.  This was FRESH and very useful.  Great choice of speakers.  This helped my wife and me prepare for the next phase of our life together.  Husband, Married 40 years

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

 

   We feel so grateful to work the Weekend to Remember events. They are a lot of work both physically and mentally. We set up the ballroom and resource center on Friday and tear it all down and pack it up on Sunday. I logged 20 miles on my pedometer this past weekend in Corpus and it was a small event.

   Still, it is so worth the hard work. How rewarding it is when you see God changing lives for eternity.

   I had a commercial crane worker volunteering in the resource center this past weekend. He had never attended the event before. When I asked if he gained anything from the weekend, this was his response: “ I came here with a half full tool box and I’m leaving with a complete mechanic’s set”! His wife’s response was, “I came being my husband’s coach, I’m leaving being his cheer leader!”

   We hope all of the married couples on our team will consider attending a Weekend to Remember whether for the first time or the 20th. Even if the material is the same, you are always at a different place in your relationship and are impacted differently by the content.

   If it were not for your financial support and prayers we would be unable to do this job. Thank you so much for investing in us. We hope you feel a part of what goes on at these events as much as we do. To God be the glory!