the list

"Don't be afraid for I am with you.
Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
See all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated.
Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing.
You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you.
Those who attack you will come to nothing.
For I hold you by your right hand - I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
"Don't be afraid. I am here to help you."
Isaiah 41:10-13

Just wanted to remind you of some of God's promises as we enter into prayer. I think it's amazing that He holds us in his VICTORIOUS right hand. Keep that in focus...no matter how big the wave that seeks to overwhelm you is! I know you probably have numerous people in your own circles to pray for, but here is a list of requests that I had thru my email to pass along...Pray for....
breakthrough...protection...healing...restoration...salvation...

Pray for families...
• MY family...specifically my parents marriage. That there would be healing, forgiveness and restoration.
• Marissa - a mother of three in her thirties, who found out she has breast cancer and liver cancer.
• Wilma - a mother of five whose husband has left her for another woman.
• Kurt - an unsaved brother who has been coming to church since his father passed away, but isn't a Christian yet.
• Maia - her grandmother is suffering from stomach cancer.
• Sarah - a friend whose father has recently been arrested. She has been experiencing high blood pressure due to the stress(she's pregnant) and is trying to deal with the repercussions of his decisions.
• David - as he is contemplating a major shift in his family with job opportunities.
• Jesse - as he is adjusting to moving to a new home and school.
• Marg - a friend who has been dealing with intense family situations, and will have to put her house up for sale in February.
• Brent - that his mind and spirit would be healed.
• Sarah - as she prepares for service in Kenya.
• Esther - as she contemplates serving God in Uganda.
• For protection on marriages...I cannot begin to list the couples I know that are under attack at this moment!
• For unsaved friends, or friends who have left the church...that the salvation of Christ would touch their lives in a radical way.

Pray for church families...
• YES church & city of Brantford - that the devil would flee and that God would have ownership. We are specifically declaring that no-one in our body will be taken by suicide and would ask that you stand with us in that declaration. It is time for 'The Church' to arise and claim it's rightful place.
• Youth ministries - that God would raise up leaders in the coming generation. And for the youth struggling with substance and physical abuse.
• That we would be places of hope for a hopeless world...sharing the heart of Christ with all who walk thru our doors.
• For LIFT, a new church plant at MAC University.

Pray for schools & students...
• for godly teachers to influence and lead the students.
• for friends struggling with drugs, alcohol and sex.
• for opportunities to share Jesus with unsaved friends.
• for the outreach happening @ MAC University today!
• Miriam, Selena & Marissa - three students involved in a car accident last year from HDCH - that God would give them complete physical, emotional and spiritual healing. I thank Him for sparing their lives!
• Marie - as she goes before the school board to oppose native spiritualistic rituals from being taught in a highschool course - that God would give her wisdom, words of clarity, and boldness.

Prayer for camps and outreaches...
• Rough Acres Bible Camp, BC - just got a prayer request from Grandma Firefly (camp name)....amazing woman of prayer! It is through her faithfulness that so many kids have been impacted with the truth of the gospel. Pray for her strength...but also for the Board that runs the camp - that they would exercise wisdom and unity. That this would be a place for children to meet Christ. And that God would use Band-Aid (camp name) and protect him and his family in this ministry.
• Bree...one of my campers who has a very special place in my heart. Pray that she truly experiences the freedom that is found only in Christ - and that His love and grace would cover her and keep her in His care.

Thanx for joining the prayer force today..
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Through suffering our bodies continued ot share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies....We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus...and as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God wil receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up...For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever!" - I Corinthians 4

sticks and stones

I'm getting tired...not tired as in weary, but tired as in the last straw...of watching sin have it's way with the church while we stand by and watch. What is up with that?!! We have become sucked into the vortex of passive Christianity. We have chosen to take leaves of absence while the battle is at it's peak. We spectate the fallen and the wounded as "tragedies"...but what are we doing to help? We can listen to story after story and comment on "How sad...", but what action are we taking? What responsibility do we have - especially in the lives of strangers?
You're probably wondering what has brought on this tyrade of thought...it's more of a kick in the pants for me as anyone else who may cross this page. I cannot begin to tell you the countless stories that have passed through my heart zone over the past couple of weeks. Families that are absolutely devestated. Marriages that are broken. Mothers that need healing. Friends that need Jesus. In this overwhelming wave was the taunts of the enemy...claiming a victory over land that is not his. And I literally felt like kicking him in the butt...an interesting task to say the least when dealing with the spiritual realm.
But wait! God has given us the boot to do it...and it comes in the form of prayer/fasting. I read an interesting story in Mark 9 the other day about a man who's son was possessed by a spirit of epilepsy. He had brought him to the disciples but they had not been able to cast the spirit out.
"Have mercy on us and help us, if you can."
"What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes."
The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"
I found the fact that the man asked GOD for help with his unbelief amazing. So often we as Christians tend to doubt God's power in changing a situation that seems beyond repair. Maybe it's time to start asking Him for faith to overcome that! Just a thought...
Anyways, Jesus goes on later in the chapter to tell the disciples that that kind of spirit could only come out by prayer and fasting. What did He mean by that? I would like to wager an opinion...that God wants us to focus our energy. He doesn't want us to treat our warfare lightly, but subject ourselves to the higher authority of Heaven. And by our obedience and subjection, we invite God to do miracles. He desires to use us...but we need to be AVAILABLE!

I'm sure you're all wondering by my long winded approach what my point is in all this. After talking with a friend over the weekend, we decided to pool our resources of prayer warriors and kick some butt! We have chosen Tuesday, January 30th as a day of unified prayer/fasting that runs across nations and denominations. I'm sure you're no stranger to hurting families or friends in your circles. Make this a day where you are intentional about praying breakthrough in their lives...in whatever form that may take. I will be posting some prayer requests on this blog of people you may or may not know that you can pray for. If you have something that needs prayer...don't be afraid to ask! We have an awesome strength when we unify as believers - friends or strangers. May the enemy find us on our knees...not in surrender - but in strength. Not just Tuesday, but every day!

in a land of crystal

So I woke up this morning to find the world as I knew it covered in...ICE! I would have rather substituted for snow, but either way, I had the day off work. My car was cocooned by the slippery stuff...
Nothing like spending the day in my jammies watching an old season of 24 with my lil' bro. My fall count was up to "3"...with some nice bruises to show for it, but I still braved the outdoors for a bit with my mom and my camera.
I posted some more of my ice pics on the following links:
http://bbcpics.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyespyphotography/

honey...I'm HOME!!!

Well...I've finally made it back from Peru. I cannot begin to tell you the overwhelming feeling that I am experiencing. On our bus ride from the airport it felt so surreal to be in North America. It will take a bit for our group to process all the thoughts and experiences we have gone through. Thanx for all your thoughts and prayers...I didn't get sick once while in transit - although the plane food on the way back was a bit of an interesting rollercoaster in my stomache! I was sad the internet was not at a point I could update my blog during the journey...I will be posting our day to day journey in the next couple of days so you can hear all about our adventures and see some of the 1500+ pictures I took over the past couple weeks.
God did some pretty amazing things on our trip - and I can only say thanx! Thanx to all who made this possible - through financial and spiritual support. I love you all...and a big thanx to God who accomplished infinitely greater things than I ever imagined. We serve a great and awesome Creator, Saviour and Friend!
now for a nice hot shower and a clean bed...