Hey friends –

Last week I shared my personal Top 10 from 2009, and this week I want to share some vision for 2010. Specifically, there are three goals – one local, one regional, and one global – that I want to prayerfully call us to as we move up, in, out, and together into this new year.

Goal number one happens locally:

One Person.

On a Sunday night near the beginning of each year we write down the names of friends who are far from God, and we commit to praying that God will draw them to faith in him. Did you know that last year we saw at least five of those people become part of Life and/or come into God’s kingdom? It’s a great reminder that God has put each of us in relationship with people that he intends to reach, and that we are his chosen means of working. The hard question it begs is this: Am I present and available for God to use in this way?

As we start 2010 I want to lay out this challenge: one person. What would happen if we all committed to being intentional, and passionately asking God to use us in the life of at least one person this year? Maybe it’s a family member or a roommate, someone you work with or know from school, a neighbor or a new friend. But somewhere in your life there is at least one person that needs to come to know God (or return to living for him), and you are the person he has put in their lives to lead them to him. Will you be faithful with the people he has entrusted to you?

At the end of this year, one of the things we will be measuring as we look back at 2010 is “who is with us today because we were praying for them back in February?”

Get intentional and pray for those around you. Ask God, “Who have you put in my life that needs to be closer to you?” Pray for them – consistently, lovingly, unceasingly. And then act. Serve them, love them, be a good friend. Be a picture of Christ in their lives. And as God opens the door speak of his love and grace. (A step to consider here is joining HOW class #2 this month. Trust me – it’s a life-changing small group, and God will use it to deepen your capacity to give his love and grace to others. Email Katie to sign up katiefoor@gmail.com.)

More vision to come . . .

In other news: this Sunday we begin a new series we’re calling Uncommon Graces. Many of us are aware of the role of God’s grace in bringing us to salvation, but less aware of the ways the Scriptures say that grace permeates our lives as followers of Jesus. In reality, learning to live in God’s grace makes the difference between a life that is driven by our own efforts and one that is carried along by his. The life we deeply want, we find as we embrace grace. This Sunday we kick it off with a teaching that seems especially appropriate for Valentine’s weekend - ‘the grace of taking off our masks.’

Lord bless you guys, and we’ll see you this weekend –

Tim
Mt 6:33