My Favorite Feast

Autumn is my favorite season. I simply love the splashes of yellow and orange against an azure sky. I love picking apples and baking pies and drinking cider. I even enjoy the crisp weather and switching over to cozy sweaters and warm socks. Yet amongst all these delights, what tops the list are the fall holidays of the Lord. There are three: the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). These fall festivals provide a cycle of repentance, re-commitment, and rejoicing that I look forward to every year. This year we celebrated the Feast of Trumpets with our friends in Kansas City – hearing the ram’s horn cry out, “Wake up! Repent! Seek God! Be alert, for the King is coming!” And then 10 days later we celebrated a day of fasting and prayer – sitting on my mom’s deck, thanking God that the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, has made atonement for my sin and I am now welcome to enter the very throne room of God. Our names are written in the Book of Life! Amazing! And now we’re back in Michigan, just in time for my favorite feast – Sukkot. Dave helped me erect our little “tabernacle” on our back patio and for the last few days we have enjoyed sitting under the sukkah and meeting with God. Yes, it’s just PVC pipe with sheets attached for walls and pine branches draped across as a roof – but somehow, as we dedicate this temporary structure to God and ask Him to come, He does. Actually, He’s the one who set the date, so He has been waiting to meet with us. We eat, pray, read, sing, rejoice, gaze on the moon and stars, and contemplate the reality of God’s presence. The Ancient of Days has been faithful to dwell among His people throughout the ages – and now He dwells within us through His Spirit. Jewish people throughout the world are celebrating this festival under their “sukkot;” it’s a time of joy and thanksgiving. Dave and I pray that just as Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, Jesus will reveal Himself to his brothers during this special holiday. We long for the day when both Jew and Gentile will honor Him as the Messiah and all nations will go up to Jerusalem (Zech. 14:16-19) to celebrate my favorite feast.

Midwest Tour

Dave and I just returned from what we fondly call our “Midwest Tour” (Sept. 25 – Oct. 9). After soaking up as much wisdom and advice as possible during our first night at Dave’s parents in Indiana, we made our way to Kansas City to see Kezia. Kezia lives across the street from the International House of Prayer (IHOP) where prayer and worship have continued non-stop (24/7) for more than a decade. It was refreshing to have time to be in the prayer room, joining with 100’s of others in worship and intercession before God. We met for prayer with the staff at Exodus Cry where she works (anti-human trafficking organization), connected with team members who came to Poland this past summer, saw the screening of EC’s documentary “Nefarious,” and experienced significant times of prayer and prophecy.
During the next week we gave updates on our work with Impact Europe to five churches (mission teams) (Mt. Sterling, Taylorville, Bloomington-Normal, Lincoln, and Concord, IL) as well as to several individuals who support us. It was refreshing to be in “farm country,” where hard work, home-cooked food, and hearty hand-shakes are staples of life. On Thursday, we participated in Lincoln Christian University’s internship fair and it’s always encouraging to meet so many inter-cultural majors who are eager to serve overseas. We spent the week at my mom’s in Bloomington and I thought we would have a few days to read, study, write, and prepare for upcoming events – but God arranged meetings daily with people interested in our mission. We believe many important connections were made and we thank God for the spiritual renewal we experienced. For a few pictures w/captions, see: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2387296275475.2128221.1042840549&type=1&l=8d689a1ab7