| March Update and Prayer Requests from Mike & Jenny Sullivan
Wow! What happened to February? It disappeared in a flash. The meetings at Ganson Street Baptist Church were received exceptionally well. Thanks for praying. I am thoroughly enjoying my classes. Philippians-Colossians-Philemon ends this week and I will then teach Life of Christ 2x a day plus my class on the Purposes of Suffering once a week. I will be teaching a new five-hour module on Biblical Principles of Handling Conflict in the middle of the month. We have a lot of traveling ahead of us in March & April. I received final confirmation that I earned my Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Grace Theological Seminary. Graduation is May 7. Regina will receive a Bachelors Degree in the same ceremony – with a major in communications. She continues to plug away at film classes in LA. She has one of five projects behind her and two others under development. Jenny just returned from a special staff ladies weekend retreat.
Here are some requests for March:
Pray for the following church meetings: o March 6 – Special pre-missions conference message. I have traditionally spoken at Skiff Lake Bible Church the week before their conference for the last 18 years. o March 11-13 – I am speaking at Hope Church in St. Louis, Missouri – doing parts of 3 meetings plus a short testimony at a Men’s Breakfast. o March 12 – Saturday night, I give a short devotional to a small gathering of Florida Bible College and New Tribes Mission friends in the St. Louis area. o March 20 & 27, I am doing AM & PM services again at Ganson Street Baptist Church – Palm and Easter Sundays. o Pray that my speaking (in the meetings listed above and in the classroom) is spirit empowered, spoken with humility, relevance, clarity, conviction, and edification. Pray for good interactive learning in the classroom. o Pray for safety in travels to St. Louis (above dates) and Florida (at the end of the month). Jenny leaves for a family reunion on March 25 in Georgia. I leave and join her in Georgia and Florida March 29 for 16 days. I will list the itinerary next month. Continue to pray for Regina as she develops her projects. She needs creativity, time management, and good interaction with classmates. With only 44 students, they are constantly being used in each other’s film projects. Pray for continuing growth and testimony to the grace of God through our lives. Pray that our home will always be a special place of love and refuge and a place of encouragement for each other and those who come under its roof. Pray that we would continually be mindful of the little things and opportunities in life to be a blessing to others. Pray that our contacts with individuals would be meaningful, no matter how short. Pray for wisdom in my leadership responsibilities on the Administration Team of the Bible School and as facilitator for the Academic Management Team in overseeing the classrooms and curriculum. Pray that we would be tender toward the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not allowing ourselves to become complacent with ritual and routine. Some Recent Thoughts for Meditation
In recent months I have read two different books by David Augsberger on interpersonal relationships – Caring Enough to Confront and Caring Enough to Hear and to be Heard. Though I do not agree with everything in these books, as I read them I was challenged to put together a series of thoughts on biblical principles for handling conflict. Below is a synopsis of the first lesson – learning to truly value people. This truth is applicable in the home, in the church, and in the public arena. It will go a long way toward creating open hearts for the message of the gospel.
The Value of a Person
How you respond to a person depends upon how you view a person and upon your understanding of how to relate to people. Here are a few thoughts as to why we need to value people for who they are in the sight of God. If all men viewed life as God sees and declares it to be, 9/11 or the holocaust would never have happened. Abortion would not be an issue. The further society moves from its Christian roots and concept of God, the easier it is to devalue life. The tragic thing is that Christians are becoming insensitive to the value of an individual life. Christians turn deaf ears to the needs of people. Christianity can be accused of fostering isolationism rather than evangelism and compassion toward the lost. Instead of being salt and light, the church has sometimes become a place of condemnation and rejection.
Why should we value people for who they are? God created them. Life is a gift from God, every life is therefore given by God. How important is it to believe the creation account? Without it life is meaningless random chance. All men are designed and known by God in the most intricate parts of their being – Psalm 139:14-18. God has declared the human soul as priceless – Mark 8:36-37. Christ died for them. God desires them. His love should compel us to give them what we have and what they need – 2 Cor. 5:14-15. God would have all men to be saved – 2 Peter 3:9. God commands us to care for believers and unbelievers. God wants us to pray for them – 1 Timothy 2:1-8. God wants us to be salt & light to the world – Matthew 5:43-48, Phil. 2:12-16. Unity and harmony are His priority for the Church - Eph. 4:1-6. Every believer is part of one body. Each time we attack one another,
we are attacking ourselves – 2 Cor. 12:13-21. Just a little note to express our thanks for your continued financial |