one big stretch

this week has been one of the most emotionally and spiritually challenging weeks in my life in a long time. but as one speaker i heard recently said, when God speaks and shares a new part of Himself it might feel like a long painful stretch...it hurts and is uncomfortable, but the end result is so good, often a good we can't describe. God is stretching my perception of Him, challenging my knowledge of who He is, and reminding me that He is so much more infinitely grand than I could ever imagine. i don't want a God i can aptly describe or even begin to understand. He would no longer be God to me. i know i'm failing to let you know what exactly He is doing in my heart in these days - that's probably because i don't even know. i just know, i am so desperate to know Him and experience Him in all His glorious fullness and richness. so, God, go ahead and stretch me out...show me more of Yourself and empty me out till i overflow with Your Spirit.

this weekend john and i had the privilege of leading a seminar together at the Stepping Stone retreat. Stepping Stone meets on Hopkins campus and is the sister ministry in our network of 3 churches (the Gracelife network). it is an incredible, growing ministry of some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. the retreat was from Friday night thru Sunday morning and John and i had the opportunity to do a seminar on dating and relationships. We only had a few days to pull it together, but had a good time doing so and were even able to dig a little deeper in our own conversation as we gained a better perspective from each other on this whole theme of Christ-centered relationships. the seminar went well and we got some good feedback from the students who attended it. great growing experience for us as a couple. the retreat itself was an incredible time of worship and fellowship and God showed up in a powerful way. 6 students committed their lives to Christ in first time professions of faith and about 13 more came forward when Pastor Roger gave an invitation for those feeling called to ministry. i'm thrilled to see what God is doing and will do in and through this ministry and the lives of these students.

the photos i posted today are from a couple different events. the bottom one is from the Progressive Dinner we hosted with the Light (taken in my apt). it was a fantastic success. even with the weather being rainy and cold we had around 30 people fill my apartment and two other apartments as we had appetizers and a main course and dessert together. those who came represented all kinds of backgrounds ranging from Peabody students to Hopkins residents, to MICA students, interns, and young working professionals. and everyone had a blast hanging out, enjoying the good food, and getting to know each other. for a church that had been running less than 30 on a regular basis for the last year, this was an incredible sight. God has been so good to grow our church and bring in the most beautiful array of unique individuals. praise the LORD for new growth.

the first few photos are all from the Stepping Stone retreat. so enjoy those. :)

please keep praying for john and i as we plan for January and the life ahead of us and more specifically as we pray about and work towards raising financial support to continue in this ministry God has given us. we are confident in His faithful provision and have no doubt He will make a way, but we also know the next year is going to be an enormous period of growth as we learn to do life as husband and wife and ultimately trust God entirely for everything we need. i'm eager and nervous and so excited all at once to know how hugely my faith will be challenged and strengthened in this new season.

lastly, 6 other girlfriends and i will be heading out tonight to see the last of John's old roomies married off to my wonderful friend Sarah. it's going to be a LONG drive down to Jekyll Island, GA, but i know its going to be a wonderful time of sweet fellowship with friends, celebration of new life adventures, and a wedding ceremony that will be beautifully dedicated to our LORD. not to mention, it'll be the last of the weddings John and i attend before our own in January! have i mentioned how tremendously, wonderfully blessed i am by that precious gift of God? he is absolutely the man of dreams and a man furiously chasing after God's heart and already has been encouraging me, leading me, and challenging me to run into a deeper relationship with our LORD. i can't express well enough how blessed i feel to be preparing to share life with him. just thought you should know. ;)









thank you for your continued prayers. if you read the last post...keep them coming for issues we're working through on MICA campus and for issues of space for our churches. again, we know God is sovereign and is already working these details out, but we are seeking His face for the wisdom to know how to move forward and surrendering each step to Him. love to you! -m

prayer needs

i can't seem to focus on getting things done today because my mind is distracted by a rather heavy prayer concern on the hearts of Light church leadership lately. it seems there have been some new students groups forming on MICA's campus under the banner of "Christianity" that are presenting a skewed message of the gospel. it has begun to create some serious confusion and frustration for some of the students that are members of our church and is creating tension and mistrust between friends whose close friends are getting swept into these groups and then challenging the faith of others. it's no surprise this is happening in the same season that our church has been gearing up to establish more of a presence on MICA's campus in hopes of building the Christian community and providing a stronger sense of fellowship there. certainly spiritual warfare will amp up as believers step up their commitment to the Great Commission.

Please please be praying for MICA's campus, for our students out of the Light church - that their faith would have a firm foundation and that the Spirit would give wisdom and real insight into what is truth and what is false. Pray also for those students becoming so committed to these other groups. Their degree of devotion and passion in regards to these groups is admirable yet to be quite frank, rather new and sudden. Something about the ministries of these churches is absolutely captivating these students, but its leaving those of us who love them feeling uncomfortable and wary of what exactly they're committing themselves to.

With that, our Gracelife network is encountering a number of battles ranging from not having enough space for an influx of new church visitors, to not having space to meet at all, and a variety of other struggles between ministry burn-out and funding issues. The glorious thing is, God is absolutely in control. This network of churches is a family committed to our Savior and surrendered to His plan and I am confident that He which began a good work will be faithful to complete it.

John and I are in the midst of writing our own support letters as our NAMB funding will end abruptly at the end of this year. It is a whole new world for both of us since we have been fully funded in our ministry roles for the last two years. For sure, our first year or so of marriage is going to be an adventure and a growing experience as we trust God to make a way and provide for us to continue giving our lives away in the very specific calling He's placed on us both.

this Sunday night is our annual Baltimore Baptist Association meeting, so please also be praying for that time with our pastors. we will be announcing some big changes for the association and recognizing the evangelistic efforts of our churches over the past year. my time with Embrace is wrapping up and with the end of the year slow-down there isn't much going on around the office, but my prayer is that our churches have learned and grown and benefited from these last two years as a strategic focus city. this city is broken and there is SO much work left to do, but our churches desperately need your prayers to continue pressing on in the ministry God has given them.

please keep praying for Baltimore. for the presence of darkness to be dispelled by the Body of Christ and for God to be glorified in every corner of this city. in that prayer, please pray for the refreshing of His servants. it truly can be a battlefield and some of our church leaders have undergone intense spiritual attack in recent months, they need to know the Body is praying. thanks all.

love - m

scenes of summer...in honor of the last day of summer!

news out the wazoo.....

wow....yes, i know how terribly far behind i am in reporting updates. i wanted to post a bunch of photos for readers to enjoy but can't seem to figure our blogger in order to do that. so anyway, i'll give you a photo of my new FIANCE and i. :) john kovacs and i got engaged on august 7 of this year and are planning for a january 2, 2010 wedding. i couldn't be more delighted and thrilled at the precious plan of our LORD in our lives. we had the opportunity in mid-August to travel to my dear friend, Emily's wedding in Texas, drove home w/ mom to spend a couple days in AR, then flew to New Orleans to spend some time in Baton Rouge w/ John's family. i have since thanked the LORD so many times for blessing us both with tremendous families that love us so much. i couldn't have asked for a more wonderful family to marry into.

in other news, summer has wrapped up for Embrace Baltimore and the Baltimore Baptist Association. we had another good year with more teams than i can count coming from all across the US to serve w/ Baltimore churches including two churches very close to my heart, FBC London AR (who served with Valley Baptist Church) and FBC Rogers AR who served with Graceplace Church. God has been doing a continual work of stretching and challenging our local churches and giving them a new heart and passion for loving Jesus and loving others as He has called us to do. there is still SO much work to do and i still beg your prayers for the ministry of follow-up that so many of our churches struggle to grasp.

we also had a team of incredible summer missionaries who came with hearts so ready to love and serve the LORD in whatever thing He called them to. i was very proud of their flexibility, ability to work together, and eagerness to serve. they're all back on their respective college campuses now, and i'm excited to hear how God might use them in those mission fields. thanks for coming and giving your all guys: Anthony, Anna-Colby, Ashley, Jeanna, Sara, Melissa, Elisabeth, Andrew, Natalie, Jared, Kathrin, Damian, Hannah, Emily, Miranda, and Mark.

the changing of the summer season seems a sign of other changes in so many lives around me including my own. roomie Lily married Jeremy Cotton-Schmidt on august 29 (they are currently honeymooning in Costa Rica), roomie Brandy has transitioned into part-time service with a local church plant called Infinity and has moved into her own apartment in their target area (they launch September 13, so be in prayer for them!). Dawn will be finishing her USC2 term in late September and be headed back to GA for whatever God has for her from there. i am now enagaged, planning a wedding, have recently moved into a 4th floor apartment in the middle of Mt. Vernon (2 doors down from the Light!), and am also working part-time with the Light Church. Brandy and I are still putting in two days a week at the Embrace office and serving our BBA churches however they may need. it has been a season of BIG change in all our lives, but God continues to prove Himself so incredibly faithful to us.

thanks for your continued love and prayers. there's still a lot of unknowns, particularly after january 2 :) but again, God has been faithful all along and i know He has some beautiful plans still to unfold for our lives. i'll try to do a better job of keeping you posted.

as you pray for us thru the fall please just pray for our BBA churches to stay motivated and driven by the Spirit to love the lost and take risks in Jesus' name and pray also for the Light church as we minister to college students and young professionals in the Mt. Vernon community. we're expecting a big season of growth both numerical and spiritual and we as the leadership of the church just want to be in the center of God's will in order to be ready for that growth. pray also for john and i as we plan a wedding and our lives together beyond december. both of our USC2 terms finish in December, so we are praying hard about how God will allow us to continue in ministry without the financial support of a NAMB missions position. we're open to whatever He has for us, and excited about it all.

thanks again. love you all. :)

m

if My people...

If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14

I can't begin to express the heaviness of my heart for the Church in Baltimore right now. I’m hesitant to write this because I know it could be read the wrong way or feelings of those working in the Church may be hurt, but I’m writing because the Church so desperately needs your prayer right now. It has been a full summer of ministry and outreach happening all over the city and county and mission teams have flooded our fields once again, but the work is far from completed, in fact, it feels the work has barely even begun. As you may know, I work mainly with our churches on outreach such as VBS and Bible Clubs - this season is always supposed to be the most exciting because of the fruit it yields with hundreds of unchurched children finding their way into our church sanctuaries and hearing the glorious Gospel of Jesus preached loud and clear, at their level of understanding. This summer we've not seen the fruit in these ministries that we’d expected or hoped for, and I know that's due in part to the fact that as a Church we expect big movements of God without a willingness to commit to the big work those results require. Perhaps it’s also due to a void of purity and holiness within the Church. Perhaps it’s due to Churches failing to produce disciples of converts. Perhaps we have truly hardened our hearts and blinded our eyes to the great need of this dark city. Perhaps it’s safer to stay inside, to build a holy community that cannot be sinfully tainted, or to shut out the needs of those around us in order to focus on meeting our own needs. Whatever the case, sin and evil are rampant as ever in this broken city (check out this link for recent news: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.violence28jul28,0,6786209.story) and even the Church whose calling is to storm the gates of hell is silent in the chaos.
Please, brothers and sisters, pray with me for our Church in this city – for believers to humble themselves and pray and seek the face of our just and holy God. He desires to hear the cry of a broken heart offered in humility and repentance. Please pray with me for a passion for purity, a contrite and repentant spirit, disciples to be made intentionally, leaders to lead with wisdom and integrity, and a unified desire for our LORD to take His place as King in our hearts, our Church, and our city.

thank you for your continued faithful prayers....

love-m

SM photo shoot

photo of our Embrace office Summer Missionary team at the Inner Harbor

and another from Convoy of Hope - our Summer Missionary Crew and the lovely Mrs. Rose Dowell (wife of my wonderful boss Mitch)

two weeks in...

so our girls have been here two weeks now. it's been a fun ride thus far. our housing at Middle River Baptist Church has worked out well, but it also means our house also functions as a dining hall and hang-out. :) its been a bit of an adjustment, but the girls have brought a lot of life, fun, and fresh enthusiasm to our lives and workplace. i have one more missionary arriving this evening to join our evangelism team. please be praying for these three young women, Sara, Jeanna (pronounced Gina) and Elisabeth. i pray this summer will bring great spiritual growth for each of them as they seek to know God better and discern His will for their futures. i'm also praying they will provide a shot of encouragement and blessing as well as urgency and passion to the churches with whom they are serving over the next 6-8 weeks.

i had asked your prayers for the Convoy of Hope city outreach that happened in Baltimore a couple weeks ago. here are some stats:
* 1000 people served in Haircuts
* 375 families received portraits
* Over 200 people tested and screened for AIDS/HIV
* 80+ churches were involved
* 22 churches will be conducting follow up
* 70+ participating organizations
* 1101 volunteers
* 1100+ children heard the gospel and enjoyed the Kidz Zone
* 80,000lbs of groceries were given away
* 2600+ guests received personal prayer
* 110+ decisions for Christ
* 3052 Guests attended and witnessed first hand the love of Christ.

thanks for your prayers, and praise the LORD for His answers.

please continue to keep us in your prayers. summer is picking up speed and with crazy busy schedules its easy for attitudes to sour and make living and working together a trial. pray for extra grace for all of us to live with patience, a servant's spirit, humility, joy, and absolute dependence on His provision. and pray that Baltimore continues to see the love of God thru His children all summer long.

much love - m

a little updateage

i have been pretty good at inventing new words like "updateage" lately. apparently "prolongation" is not a word either....hmm.

so here's a photo of me and my "moms"....yes i have two. ;) john took us hiking at gunpowder falls.

just had a great week and a half visit with them. they were here for about 10 days so Mrs. Dixie could do some work for her doctorate that she's working on. i got to introduce mom to all the wonders of B'more like Patterson Park, Rita's Italian Ice, Trader Joe's, Pitango...i could go on. i'm pleased to report she really likes my wonderful city! they surprised John, he didn't know they were coming. :) i'm excited they both had a chance to meet him and get to know him a bit. for those of you AR folks still anxious to meet him, i think you'll have a chance in August. looks like we're planning a trip then to spend a little time with both our families. keep praying for this relationship as well, please. i can't tell you how full my heart is over how God is working in both our lives. He is a faithful God. pray we continue to trust His leading and wait patiently on His will for us.

so, i had requested prayer for summer missionary housing and you may disregard all i mentioned in the last post about the city dwelling. that all fell apart on us last week and we were back to square one clinging tightly to the belief that God really did have something better in store for our now homeless summer ms. at this point in time, the plan is to house all 5 girls (2 are with Brandy, 3 with me) in the church next door to our house. which works well for transportation, though not an ideal set-up for our girls. but God knows what He is doing and i have high hopes that it will all work out for the best. now, we have just a few days to get things set up and new sheets and towels washed and ready for their arrival. they all get in on the 3rd (next Wednesday!) and will be settling in on the 5th after a couple days at Orientation in Ocean City. i am still a bit anxious about how the summer will play out and would love your prayers for my ability to be a good supervisor for these 3 young women, to have wisdom in encouraging/mentoring them in ministry, and just knowing how to balance my own life over the next couple months. i have a feeling God has a lot to teach me this summer about leadership, balance, trust, and discipleship.

thanks for your prayers for John and Gracelife church in Peru last week. they had a tremendous week of ministry and saw God move in some exciting ways. i still need to be caught up on all the stories. the 2nd group from Gracelife will be leaving before too long for another week long trip. i'll keep you posted.

like i said above, summer missionaries arrive on Wednesday and all of us 604 girls and the summer Ms will head to Ocean City til friday for Orientation. should be a fun time. i'm excited to meet them all and see them get busy in their respective ministries. please be praying for them, their safe travel, their relationships with their local supervisors, and their time here in Baltimore. i really pray God lays a passion and burden on their heart for our city and shows them the potential for Kingdom impact that lies within them.

summer's just about here! thanks for your love and prayers! enjoy this last May weekend and happy June!

love -m

may day...

its a beautiful sun-shiny may afternoon in the city. summer is fast approaching yet again. we just got a handful of MayMester missionaries in from Hannibal La Grange College in Hannibal, MO. HLG is a great partner of ours who sent us MayMesters last year as well. these are college students who come and serve with our churches for the month of May. when they fly back home in June we will be getting our next set of missionaries who will be coming from all over the States and serving with our churches and in our office through the first of August. they bring a lot of freshness and excitement to our association and to our staff so we are all excited about what God has in store there. i will have three girls (from AL, FL, and MO) serving on my VBS/Bible Club team this summer who will also be staying with me in my new city home. yep, i said it. city home. one big area of prayer for me....there is an opportunity for me to live very inexpensively in the city in an area near the harbor called Canton. the house is a small rowhouse belonging to one of our associational churches. they wish to use the home for missionaries and as a ministry to families in the area for Hopkins treatment. i would basically be the "house manager" making sure things stay in order there. the downstairs has a private suite that would be my space with a common area in front and a common kitchen space. upstairs will be dorm-style living with enough bedding for 15-20 people. it could be an interesting experience, but may be worth it for the opportunity to be in the city until a better housing option is available. we will see how God provides. in the meantime, it looks like it will definitely be my summer home and that of my summer missionaries as well. i'd love to have your prayers that all of that works out smoothly and also that God would just bless me and these girls with a great summer serving alongside each other to be a blessing to our churches. i am pretty thrilled with the "shepherding" role i will get to have with them. mentoring/discipling college students has become a big passion of my heart in recent years.

i'll be home this weekend for a short trip to see little brother get his bachelors degree at AR Tech. pretty exciting, i am proud of him and Jered (who just got his Masters from UA). i'm eager to see what God has in store for them next. hope to see a few of you at church on Sunday. and so excited to know i will see some of you here in my city come August!

john and i went to our first "prom" this weekend. :) it was actually a party hosted by our friends from church (they advertised the party as a 2nd chance at prom- though 1st chance for me and john who had never attended one!). the girls have a big apartment in mt. vernon and love hosting parties for all their friends (a very unique group of people since there are 5 unique girls who live there!). so, john and i made a thrift store run saturday morning and spent about 25 dollars between the two of us for our prom attire. :) it was a fun evening and a fabulous first prom experience. i included a photo for y'all to enjoy!



please keep us in your prayer as things start getting busier with summer plans. pray especially for wise and diligent planning and investment on the part of our local churches in regards to their community outreach and also for our May missionaries to have a great month of ministry and for their overall time here to be smooth and positive - as always there have been a few kinks to work out, but we know God is in control of all the details. also, you can be praying for John and a group of Hopkins students and some of our Gracelife staff who will be traveling to Huaycan, Peru on Thursday. They will be there till May 22nd doing street evangelism, ministry in local orphanages and schools, and working with a local church there. Please pray for their safe travel, protection, good health, and God's hand on all they do while they're there.

thanks as always for your faithful prayers and support. love you guys so much! -m

we did it!

10 Miles! Who would have thought? So, after three months of training and lots of anticipation, we finally ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in D.C. this past Sunday. God blessed with a glorious, sun-shiny day and the trees and flowers were blooming in radiant splendor. God's creation really does sing His praise and it made for a fabulous environment in which to run. Our little five-person running crew ran the miles together and had such a blast doing it that I think we may recruit some new runners for next year's event. Thanks for your prayers and for cheering me on.

Please be praying for focus and intentionality for me this week in my work. We are in something of an in-between time now where all the events are on the calendar and mission team matches have been made and its now up to the churches to get busy with planning, so my job has come to a bit of a slow-down for a while. I want to make the most of my time and be fruitful in these office hours. It will just take a little creativity and initiative perhaps! Not to mention, spring fever is putting me in the mood to throw on play-clothes and run around outside for a while. :)

The newness and freshness of the season seems to inspire a fresh spirit of hope and joy and excitement for things to come. What fun to be in Kingdom work at a time like this! As we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I am overwhelmed to think of the HUGE love of our LORD for His people, and I pray that each of you can grasp that love in a brand new way this week.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. Love you all so much! -m

praises :)

just wanted to share a praise with you all:

little kaia-lyn that we have been praying for since late last year (my roommate and co-worker's niece) is finally at home. she weighs a healthy 5 pounds and is breathing on her own and should come off the feeding tube soon. praise God for keeping His hand on her little body as she grows stronger.

and if you remember, pray for me this sunday as my friends and i make an EARLY morning trek to D.C. to run the Cherry Blossom Ten-Mile Run. i am battling an allergy attack that has my head feeling rather foggy right now so i'm hoping that clears up some over the next couple days. we're all excited tho, and the weather (and trees!) should be perfect. i'll let you know how it goes! thanks in advance for your prayers.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us RUN with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

my cup runneth over

i don't even have words for how tremendously blessed i feel coming home from the Global Impact Celebration at First Baptist this past week. i have always dearly loved my home church but to be celebrated, prayed for, hugged a million times, and loved on so tremendously- i was just amazed and astounded by God's sweet grace and love that was poured out through the encouragement and support of so many First Baptist people. i also had opportunity to spend time with some fantastic missionary families, one in particular with three beautiful daughters who are about to move off to Dubai for 3-5 years. i loved getting to know those girls and had a great conversation with their parents about discipleship and church starting. families on the mission field together is a beautiful thing. i love it. :)

part of my time at the GIC this week was also spent with the youth as a Disciple Now home leader for the Sr. Girls' group and as a "resident missionary" with my childhood best friend Tara. that was a super experience as well. tara and i kept commenting in amazement at all the familiar faces of children we BABYSAT! ....they're now 6th, 7th, even 12th graders. wild. the theme of the DNow was "live love" and once again in His awesome sovereignty and wisdom the curriculum covered texts from john and 1 john addressing concepts of living love and abiding in Christ, the theme that has come up repeatedly in my personal life and study for the last few weeks. just further confirmation that God has something specific to teach me and areas in which i need to grow as i study these texts. i was very encouraged to talk to shana and deb (two incredible and hard working servants in the youth ministry) and hear what great strides toward growth some of those kids are making, a couple girls even surrendering to career missions. what a joy to see tears fill these leaders' eyes as they talk about seeing God's hand upon the lives of the students. awesome.

one sweet (and nostalgic!) evening was spent on a soccer practice field with my tremendous soccer coach from years ago. Coach K has been an incredible blessing to me since my first encounters with him on a soccer team in '96. a godly coach and a dear friend with a heart for encouraging others, he is still one of the first faces i look for when i come into the sanctuary for sunday morning worship at FBC Rogers. last thursday i had a chance to join a practice with him and chelsey and their next generation of soccer players. such a fun evening.

with a couple personal days that i took before the GIC began i also got to visit Tech and spend some precious time with more wonderful people who have helped shape who i've become. my God has blessed me beyond measure with the relationships i've been able to develop in church, at school, and now on my mission field in baltimore. my cup truly does run over. :) all glory and praise to God.

thanks for your prayers and love. you're all precious to me. love-m

"...walk in the same manner as He walked."

In my study of First John, i came across this verse (2:6) and instantly began to wonder HOW this looks for me personally. So, i wrote out some follow-through questions:

- How am I making sacrifices?
- How am I changing my world?
- How am I living in communion with and obedience to my God?
- How am I bearing fruit?
- How am I making reproducing disciples?

While these were great, thought-provoking questions, I'm ashamed to say my answers were far less than sufficient. But, my study led to an earnest time of prayer and petition that God would grant the desire to make necessary changes and show me HOW to live like Him on a daily basis. I want Jesus to spill out of my life all the time and as long as I compartmentalize and hold things for myself, it will still be my selfish and prideful self that spills out of me. While this quiet time in His presence was difficult and challenging, I feel a nervous and excited sensation within that is eager to jump out in faith and commit to surrender. Pray for me, please, that I don't lose my focus or my zeal and that both are followed up with action. Some things you can hold me accountable for that I am praying about is managing my free moments (at work and at home) better - investing more time in study for personal purposes as well as for my discipleship groups and reading more. additionally, i want to find practical ways to show real love to my coworkers in our often crazy and harried office as well as to our neighbors at the PO and the convenience store, both of which i am in at least once a week. i am praying too about doing a Daniel fast for the 40 days of the lenten season. This would definitely require diligence, commitment and getting out of my "comfort zone" so to speak as many of the foods I would fast from are "comfort foods." But, this journey He is leading me on is revealing the selfishness in which I live even in the most basic areas of life, and I want so much to transition into a life of total dependence on Him and delight in His presence.

On the ministry front....please please be praying for our pastors and church members. We MUST do a better job of equipping our churches for follow-up and discipleship this year and the first step is going to be THEM beginning to VALUE these essentials in ministry. Right now the focus and emphasis is entirely on the event and follow-up and discipleship falls to the wayside, meaning in the big picture our churches rarely experience real growth and new leaders are NOT being developed. We're trying to get creative and figure out how to encourage the development of this as a value, but please just pray the Lord Himself will stir that up in their hearts and plans as they prepare for upcoming events. And if you have suggestions/resources I can share with them please let me know!

Last thoughts - my 23rd birthday was Friday and my sweet Father God just decided to totally and completely overwhelm me with love. :) My amazing church family at the Light and my roommates worked to plan a marvelous surprise party for me at John's house. (For those who don't know, John is an incredible man of God I have come to know over the last year in Baltimore and also a fellow USC2 working directly with the network of churches that my new church, the Light, belongs to. God is blessing me abundantly in this new relationship He's brought about with John.) All that said, my birthday was spent celebrating with some of the most beautiful people I know and I felt loved beyond measure. Thank You Lord for being so wonderful to me!

Thank you again for your prayers and love. I pray each of you would experience God's presence and grace in a unique way today. Enjoy our Jesus and please keep Baltimore in prayer.

LOVE! -m

joy made full...

i just started a study of 1 john with 3 of my fabulous ladies from the Light and this little phrase, "joy made full" came up in chapter one, verse four. we're taking the study slow - one chapter a week, so it's giving me a better opportunity to dig out the diamonds. this phrase jumped out at me the first time i read it and i've taken some time to study it a little further and read through various old and new testament accounts of what and who should be making my joy full or complete. when i stop and think about it, my cup of joy is always running over if for no other reason than the fact that i belong to Him and He is more than enough for me.

please be praying for my church this week. the Light is in a continual season of transition. we are sharing space with another church that is part of our 3-church network and while it's a privilege to worship as one body, it brings its own sort of dysfunction and disjointedness for the two congregations. pray for peace for each member and for the ability of our visitors to feel welcome and at home even in the midst of a somewhat confusing season in the life of our church.

MICA - the Maryland Institute College of Art is where many of the Light members have graduated college or are currently attending. this campus has been heavy on my heart this week. art students represent a culture all their own and the approach for ministering to them and meeting them where they are is entirely unique to any other form of outreach. even my artist sisters at the Light are at a bit of a loss to know how to reach these students with a message of hope and life transformation so we are praying for boldness and wisdom in our outreach and for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work on that campus and in Mt. Vernon.

last night i had an opportunity to meet and talk with a few students who all came to worship for the first, second or third time. all MICA students who had come at the encouragement of one of our own. Jesus shines brightly in this girl and i'm so thankful for the way she loves on her peers on campus. among her friends was a guy who grew up catholic but without much thought of personal relationship with his Savior and a girl who grew up Jewish and now balks at organized religion and isn't sure what she believes about any sort of deity. pray for these guys as my friend has opportunity to share her Jesus with them and pray they find a home in our Sunday night gatherings.

pray too for a guy named Wayne who is a tenant in the building where the Light meets for services. he is unhappy that a church is there now and has been actively seeking ways to run us out of that space. his usual gesture is blasting hip-hop music from both his upstairs apartment and his downstairs video store while the Light is meeting for service. while it's certainly not accommodating, God is greater than any disturbance and we are just begging Him to do a mighty work of salvation in Wayne's heart. what a blessing it would be to see him profess Christ as his Savior and Lord.

the staff of the Light and the other churches in the network are taking this week to fast and pray over the direction of the churches and God's will for these congregations. pray for their strength and clarity and for God to speak a common vision to their hearts. pray for their physical and emotional well-being as we press on through a season of trial and transition.

thanks for your prayers, guys. they mean so much to me!

i can't tell you what a blessing this body of believers has been to me over the past year and its a tremendous delight to serve alongside them and be a part of the life transformation that takes place within the church and through its ministry. a church home was an earnest prayer request on my heart this time a year ago, and i just praise the Lord for the way He has answered that request. be blessed and be a blessing today and let Jesus make your joy full. :) love - m

new year news...

happy january...yes, almost february! hard to believe. it has been a busy start to the year in our Embrace Office and many of our pastors, excited about a new year, have hit the ground running with planning projects and outreach for the coming year. we are regularly making comments about how much farther along we are this year as compared to last January. praise the Lord for progress!

i've had the privilege of working with one of my AR churches (shout-out to FBC London!) to help get them set up for the (BIG!) possibility of coming to serve with one of our churches this summer. it will be exciting to see some familiar faces and let some home folks experience the joy and burden of this city that i love.

i also have the marvelous opportunity of being one of the missionaries at this year's Global Impact Celebration at FBC Rogers, my home church. so excited about that. i told a friend today, i felt like a little girl whose "grown-up" dreams had all come true!

a number of sermon messages, my own quiet times in the Word (specifically Genesis and Isaiah), and the past Christmas season have all had me thinking a lot about salvation and sin and grace. i cannot and will not ever understand the full depth of God's grace in my life, but i am inexplicably thankful for that grace and for the salvation that set me free as a small child. after a challenging year of changes and adjustments and new environments, i am overwhelmed by God's perfect and all-consuming love for me. delight has been the word on my heart lately...i have been delighting in my Lord like i haven't in a long time. i am finding fulfillment in hearing from my sweet Father's heart and learning what it means to trust in His plan and be content with His will no matter what. i'm not there yet, if there's anything i've learned this year, it's that we are ALL on a journey. a journey to know Him and make Him known. i praise Him that the longer we are on it the closer we get to Him. i'd encourage you to thank the Lord for sweet salvation today and then perhaps we ought to ask Him to help us live out loud with the joy of that salvation.

as you pray for us this week i'd just ask for you to remember a few things...

- That our churches and their VBS planning teams would think beyond the event and put in place effective follow-up teams
- For our national partners as they pray, plan and prepare to travel to Baltimore to serve with our churches in 2009
- For our association as a whole to develop a burden for discipleship and seek to develop Christ-followers and not just converts
- For our churches to catch a vision for ministering to youth and training up leaders who will commit to investing in students
- For me personally to learn creative ways to encourage and equip my churches and to continue to delight in the work God has given me

thanks for your faithful prayers and love and support. you all are a treasure and a blessing to me. praying you enjoy Jesus this week...

maria