Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Life at Mosaic can be an emotional and spiritual roller coaster. One day it looks like people are being transformed by the love and power of Jesus Christ, and another day it feels like no one is interested in changing or experiencing freedom of any kind. It is in these times that so many get discouraged and wonder why they are even serving. Thoughts of giving up can cross the mind of the most dedicated servant of Christ.

It is at this time that God's word rushing across our heart and mind like a cool drink of water on a hot summer day. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9. I wonder how many people have missed the harvest because they gave up in the heat and warfare of summer and never experienced the harvest that could have been theirs?

God uses these difficult times to draw us into Him. He wants us to find satisfaction in Jesus Christ alone, and He wants us to redefine our definition of success. For the child of God success must be measure by how connected we are to the vine, not by how much fruit we are producing. As a matter of truth, God produces the fruit not us. Our only responsiblity is to remain in Him, stay connected to the vine. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

With that in mind, it's not our responsibility how people react or respond to the freedom that Jesus Christ alone offers. What matters for the believer is discovering and understanding the connection or lack of connection to the True Vine, Jesus Christ. Harvest is coming and we will see it, but we cannot give up. We must persevere through the summer so we can experience the frutifulness of the harvest.

So many wonderful things are happening at Mosaic and through Mosaic. Our ladies are growing in their relationships with the ladies from Serenity Shelter. A safe place for women who are experiencing some level of crisis in their lives. Mosaic ladies provide a wonderul night of food, activities and relationship building on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. Seeing those ladies come to church on Sunday is truly fulfilling.

Housing is something we continue to discuss and explore but God has not released us to do anything yet. He continues to close some doors and open others. The need is tremendous.

One new ministry that God has begun is in the area of precovery. As we work with many adults we can see the burden of many years of addiction and bad choices. Recovery is and will always be a big part of what we do at Mosaic. Recovery is long, hard and requires many resources. We have been discussing how we might be involved in the lives of children and teens before they enter a life of bondage and chains. Precovery is a word we are using to engage children and teenagers to equipped them with hope and a future. We are connecting them to educational opportunities and mentoring. I look forward to the doors God will open in the area of precovery.

We are going to begin a week night prayer gathering starting in June. It is important that we understand the spiritual realities we deal with each day. We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but spiritual rulers in dark places. It is vital that we deepen our prayer life, both privately and corportately.

We sense that something great is about to happen, some break through, opportunity, or miracle. We wait patiently with great expectations. Keep praying that we will not grow weary in doing good, but remain connected to the True Vine, Jesus Christ.