Dear Beloved Community,

It is the second week of Lent and I’m trusting that your fast is going well… which of course means if you are at all like me, you are failing miserably at being perfect and are therefore forced to rely on Jesus! Just knowing that our Savior spent forty days in the wilderness of temptation and chose to fast as he fought the good fight for us is a comfort. My prayer this week is that we keep Him central in our thoughts, prayers and actions. Remember, we belong to Him and in this world full of trials we need to be ever more tuned into His desire for us…

I have the opportunity to speak at Vanderbilt’s RUF ministry meeting this weekend. We’re having a discussion on what new urban ministry looks like. Stacey Croft, the Campus Pastor, is a dear brother with great insights for his students; hoping they will see the city as a viable place to live and work. Too often we see the city as a refuge for evil instead of an opportunity for the Gospel. My own work in my city has made for a very rewarding life and I am more stirred up than ever to be a part of God’s movement to win souls, (Matthew chapter 28) as well as people (Matthew chapter25)! It is important to know we are not just here to win souls but to win body and soul… people. Maybe I should ask what relationships do I have that are in need of tuning up and giving special attention during this special time in the Christian calendar. We dare not neglect our neighbors as we trust Christ to lead us in our fasting and our feasting.

Finally, be prayerful for our friends in Japan as they dig out from the earthquake. Pray specifically that the Lord continues to bring recourses of love and trust to that amazing country. I know that the Missional movement of the past one hundred years produced amazing revival in China and then later after the war in Korea… both countries revealing remarkable numbers of churches and converts. But in Japan the movement has not been as pervasive nor as popular; and that great culture remains as secular as Europe. We need to see this real opportunity to bring charity, love, financial and physical need into God’s demonstration of the Gospel among our Japanese brothers and sisters. Lord bless them in their strife and sorrow…

All Glory to Jesus as we worship, care and serve,

Scott