Greetings Mighty WatchKeepers!
I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your prayers and encouragement. I couldn't ask for a more faithful band of prayer warriors! God chooses to work in response to prayer, so let's continue to call on His name. Also, please let me know how I can pray for you as we serve Christ together.
In my article on Revival Praying, I briefly share my personal struggle with prayer and how God is building my faith through obedience to Him.
In my article on the FCC Mission Fair, I share two stories from the mission field which will bless and encourage you. In particular, make sure you're sitting down when you read the story from Haiti.
You can read about What's Next in my efforts to prepare for and engage in the mobilization of prayer for unreached people.
Join me in praising God for the work HE is doing as you read my Praises and Petitions. Thank you for keeping the petitions lifted up throughout the month.
Finally, the Team Expansion founder and president Doug Lucas is always inspiring us to grow and to serve effectively. Read his short yet thought provoking article, Note from Doug Lucas.
I hope these articles encourage you in the things of God and move you all the more to become people of prayer! May our lives demonstrate to others that prayer makes a difference!
Many Blessings,
Angela Bleier
Revival Praying
On June 3rd I had the privilege of giving a talk on Revival Praying to women at First Church of Christ (my home church). I was extremely nervous, but the Holy Spirit enabled me to pull it off. I was very encouraged by the positive feedback I received!
One of the things I shared was my personal struggle with prayer. Because God had not answered an important prayer request the way I expected when I was young, I let this crush my faith. I came to the conclusion that prayer didn't make a difference, that God was going to do what He wanted to do regardless of prayer.
As I became more obedient, doing things that required me to depend 100% on Him, He showed me that prayer DOES make a difference. When we call on the Lord, He hears our call. When our focus goes beyond our expectations and lands squarely on Jesus, we are able to receive His answer and His blessing no matter what form it takes. God has made the power of prayer real in my life so I can tell others.
During the talk, I spent much time defining revival (Ezek 37) and discussing the role of prayer in revival. The ladies were given specific areas for which to pray, and they were handed a list of prayer ministries where they can get involved.
I pray that God will use this study to ignite revival in the heart of each person and make each one a house of prayer for all nations. Tell yourself, "IT STARTS WITH ME!!" When I become a house of prayer, when my home becomes a house of prayer, then God's church will become a house of prayer!! Let today be the beginning of a prayer revolution in you, in your family, and in your church!
FCC Mission Fair May 15-16, 2010
We had 48 missionaries represented at this year's fair. I don't know how, but every year seems to be better than the year before. This year I visited each missionary and wrote down their prayer requests.
I learned many things about their ministries and heard many interesting stories. For example, the representative from Haitian Christian Outreach reported that many in Haiti were giving their lives to Christ as a result of the earthquake that struck Haiti back in January. In fact, newly converted, former Voodoo priests were coming to Christian pastors and ASKING THEM to BURN DOWN their Voodoo temples. This is not something Christians in Haiti would typically do. Only GOD could transform their hearts that completely. Praise God for doing a mighty work in Haiti!
Also, the representative from Christian Care Communities told me about their plans to build a senior center in Midway, KY. This center would allow for seniors to not only attend the local college as students, but they could also participate as guest speakers, sharing real-life history lessons with the young students taking classes. What a blessing for those students to be able to see history through the eyes of the people who lived it! Additionally, the seniors will feel appreciated and fulfilled by being able to share their lives with interested youths.
Visiting the mission fair always gives me a new appreciation and a renewed sense of awe for the great work God is doing around the world. I'm already looking forward to next year!
What's Next?
Planning Team
Church-Wide Prayer Walk
June 27th 4-6 p.m.
First Church of Christ
40 prayer locations across the tri-state area!
Regional Mobilizer Retreat July 9-11
Team Expansion in Louisville, KY
Kairos Missions Course July 12-16
Team Expansion in Louisville, KY
Mobilization of Prayer Calendar
Working with FCC missions director to get calendar on new church website and to investigate effective means of promoting it within our congregation.
Praises and Petitions
Praises
Master Provisions was a mission agency on my prayer calendar. The lease on their warehouse is to expire at the end of July, and they requested resources for a larger warehouses which they could call their own. Praise the Lord! They received a $275,000 donation to acquire a new warehouse!
Praise God for enabling me to talk about revival praying on 6/3.
Praise God for giving over 40 people at First Church of Christ a passion to pray for a specific location in our area and the desire to encourage others to pray with them.
Petitions
Ask God to give us safe travels as we drive to and from Team Expansion in Louisville in July.
Ask the Lord for discernment as I get closer to my goal of working with other churches. May He help me to steer clear of churches which do not practice sound doctrine.
Pray that Dave and I will make good decisions financially so we can eventually work in missions full time.
Note from Doug Lucas, Team Expansion Founder and President
Did you ever stop to realize that Nehemiah didn't start up his short-term mission trips until he made an advance set-up trip? See it in Nehemiah 2:11-16. He started by staying 3 days.
We don't know what he was doing during that time. Getting over jet lag? I doubt it; I think Jerusalem might have only been, at most, one time zone away from the palace where he was working. Maybe he was praying. Scripture gives us no indication. When he did finally hit the streets, he did so in a very quiet way, conducting his research at night with just a few cohorts. This was special forces, special ops stuff -- for the Lord, of course.
He then immediately translated his research to mobilization. He didn't leave the film in the can. And when others tried to discourage him and even attribute false motives to his work, he deflected their criticism by staying focused on the Cause. All in all, he seems to be a very effective researcher.
You know -- practically every Team Expansion missionary has to be a researcher as well. We have to learn what makes our adopted land "tick," how to reach their hearts, and how to communicate the Good News. In a way, we're just following in Nehemiah's footsteps! Your prayers & partnering funds provide for that research -- and we appreciate it!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
My First Update
I praise God for all of you who have agreed to pray for me as God uses me to mobilize unity and prayer for the unreached people of the world. I believe that when ordinary people become fully yielded to the extraordinary God, revival will happen!
In June, I hope to begin distributing a monthly email newsletter with updates, praises, and prayer needs. However, I wanted to send out this quick update since many of you have asked how things were going.
Praise God for opening many doors to mobilize prayer!
* My church had its Mission Fair this past weekend. I had many interesting conversations with missionaries or their representatives from both near and far. I will be creating a missionary prayer calendar for individuals and small groups to use throughout the year. They will be equipped to pray for the specific needs for each mission agency represented at the Mission Fair. The mission agency's web site will also be included for those who want more information. I pray that the Lord will not only use this calendar to mobilize prayer but to also be a catalyst for raising workers for the harvest! The Mission Calendar is now available. Please email ableier@insightbb.com and request a copy!
* On June 3rd, I will be giving a talk on Revival Praying to 54 women at my church. I'm excited and nervous! I don't know why God has chosen me to do public speaking (there are several women who are better gifted to talk in front of a group), but I want you [and Satan] to know that I am standing firmly on the Rock (Deut 32:4). I know that the Lord will work through me to accomplish His purpose for that meeting (Phil 2:13). Furthermore, God did not give me a spirit of timidity, but He has equipped me with a spirit of POWER, of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE (2 Tim 1:7). I will not be afraid because the Lord has gone before me and He will be with me (Deut 31:8).
* Our lead pastor, Greg Marksberry, has called for a church-wide prayer walk on June 27th. Cheri Westmoreland, our prayer band leader, and myself are helping Sue Locke, our Director of Women's Ministries, to organize the walk. I think this will be a life-changing event for many at our church. We are asking the Lord to call 1,000 people from our congregation (men, women, and children) to meet for silent prayer at specific locations in the NKY/Cincinnati area. We will be reclaiming our community in Jesus' name! I'm looking forward to many more prayer walks!!
* In July, I will be spending 8 days at Team Expansion in Louisville, KY. I'll be taking a five day missions course called Kairos. I will also be training for PACE, a program to encourage awareness and adoption of unreached people groups. I intend to use this as a resource for mobilizing prayer and at other churches. Even though other churches may have their own mission sending organizations, there are still plenty of opportunities to share resources in order to unite in prayer and church planting. I believe this will be a critical resource for doing just that.
* In the Fall, I plan to teach a women's Bible study on prayer. I'm currently investigating different studies and am open to your recommendations. So far, I like "Love to Pray" by Alvin VanderGriend. The goal is to deepen the prayer lives of our congregants so that First Church can become a house of prayer (Mark 11:17). I'm praying for God to also give our men a passion for prayer and to raise up prayer warriors among them!
Please keep the following requests lifted in prayer.
May I not be concerned about what people think of me when I do the talk on June 3rd but that my only concern will be to point people to Jesus.
May God's heart for revival and His spirit of love emanate through my every word and action so that God gets the glory.
May the Lord call many point-people and pray-ers to participate in the prayer walk, and may He use this event to birth a passion for prayer in our church.
May God give me wisdom and discernment to know with which churches He wants me to partner and how to best mobilize these churches toward unity and prayer for the lost.
May the Lord of the Harvest call missionaries and supporters to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it.
May God call His church back to the basics of prayer and scripture so we don't forsake our first love (Rev 2:1-5).
I am so encouraged to know that you are praying for me regularly. I also want to pray for you. Please send me any prayer requests, and I will gladly go to the throne oom on your behalf.
In HIS service for HIS glory,
Angela
In June, I hope to begin distributing a monthly email newsletter with updates, praises, and prayer needs. However, I wanted to send out this quick update since many of you have asked how things were going.
Praise God for opening many doors to mobilize prayer!
* My church had its Mission Fair this past weekend. I had many interesting conversations with missionaries or their representatives from both near and far. I will be creating a missionary prayer calendar for individuals and small groups to use throughout the year. They will be equipped to pray for the specific needs for each mission agency represented at the Mission Fair. The mission agency's web site will also be included for those who want more information. I pray that the Lord will not only use this calendar to mobilize prayer but to also be a catalyst for raising workers for the harvest! The Mission Calendar is now available. Please email ableier@insightbb.com and request a copy!
* On June 3rd, I will be giving a talk on Revival Praying to 54 women at my church. I'm excited and nervous! I don't know why God has chosen me to do public speaking (there are several women who are better gifted to talk in front of a group), but I want you [and Satan] to know that I am standing firmly on the Rock (Deut 32:4). I know that the Lord will work through me to accomplish His purpose for that meeting (Phil 2:13). Furthermore, God did not give me a spirit of timidity, but He has equipped me with a spirit of POWER, of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE (2 Tim 1:7). I will not be afraid because the Lord has gone before me and He will be with me (Deut 31:8).
* Our lead pastor, Greg Marksberry, has called for a church-wide prayer walk on June 27th. Cheri Westmoreland, our prayer band leader, and myself are helping Sue Locke, our Director of Women's Ministries, to organize the walk. I think this will be a life-changing event for many at our church. We are asking the Lord to call 1,000 people from our congregation (men, women, and children) to meet for silent prayer at specific locations in the NKY/Cincinnati area. We will be reclaiming our community in Jesus' name! I'm looking forward to many more prayer walks!!
* In July, I will be spending 8 days at Team Expansion in Louisville, KY. I'll be taking a five day missions course called Kairos. I will also be training for PACE, a program to encourage awareness and adoption of unreached people groups. I intend to use this as a resource for mobilizing prayer and at other churches. Even though other churches may have their own mission sending organizations, there are still plenty of opportunities to share resources in order to unite in prayer and church planting. I believe this will be a critical resource for doing just that.
* In the Fall, I plan to teach a women's Bible study on prayer. I'm currently investigating different studies and am open to your recommendations. So far, I like "Love to Pray" by Alvin VanderGriend. The goal is to deepen the prayer lives of our congregants so that First Church can become a house of prayer (Mark 11:17). I'm praying for God to also give our men a passion for prayer and to raise up prayer warriors among them!
Please keep the following requests lifted in prayer.
May I not be concerned about what people think of me when I do the talk on June 3rd but that my only concern will be to point people to Jesus.
May God's heart for revival and His spirit of love emanate through my every word and action so that God gets the glory.
May the Lord call many point-people and pray-ers to participate in the prayer walk, and may He use this event to birth a passion for prayer in our church.
May God give me wisdom and discernment to know with which churches He wants me to partner and how to best mobilize these churches toward unity and prayer for the lost.
May the Lord of the Harvest call missionaries and supporters to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it.
May God call His church back to the basics of prayer and scripture so we don't forsake our first love (Rev 2:1-5).
I am so encouraged to know that you are praying for me regularly. I also want to pray for you. Please send me any prayer requests, and I will gladly go to the throne oom on your behalf.
In HIS service for HIS glory,
Angela
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Your Role in Reaching the Unreached?
After spending the winter working through, then facilitating the Experiencing God Bible study by Henry Blackaby, evaluating my spiritual markers, and seeking confirmation of God's will through prayer, scripture, circumstances, and others in the church, I am embarking on a new ministry as volunteer Regional Mobilizer with Team Expansion, an international church-planting mission agency. My vision is for God to ignite a fire in the bellies of churches in the Northern Kentucky area to pray for revival in our community, our nation, and our world. I will be building a collaborative network of churches which hold to the defining, uncompromised Biblical truths of the Christian faith in order to bring about an awareness of and prayer for the lost. In particular, I will focus on the 6,700 ethnic/people groups around the world who have had limited, if any, exposure to the Gospel. My long-term goal is that through prayer, God will use the local church to initiate and sustain effective church planting movements among these people.
I'm both excited and scared to death about this opportunity! This is a God sized task that only He can accomplish. I believe in His faithfulness to equip and enable me to complete what He has called me to do for His glory.
First things first... My first objective is to build a prayer band of WatchKeepers to be in regular, concerted prayer for me and for my efforts to bring prayer for revival to the forefront of our churches. Prayer ALWAYS precedes revival! Constant prayer by the saints preceded the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14), and so it has been ever since. God has always chosen to involve His people to accomplish His will, and prayer is always the first step.
What is a WatchKeeper? In Matthew 26:38, 41 Jesus asked His disciples to keep watch with Him as He went into Gethsemane to pray. Unfortunately, they kept falling asleep. Just imagine, if they had any inkling of what was about to unfold, they would have been on their faces crying out to God.
This same scenario is happening today. God is calling out to us from His Word to watch and pray (Mt 21:13; Phil 4:6-7; Lk 18:1), yet to a large extent, the church remains asleep. Oh, if we could only imagine what the world will be like in these last days and how God wants to use His people to share the hope of Jesus to those who have never heard... If we could just catch a glimpse of God's heart for the lost and the broken-hearted, we would humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He would heal our land (2 Chron 7:14).
Prayer is a serious discipline. There is so much God wants to accomplish through the church if His people would seek Him with all their hearts (Deut 4:29, Jer 29:13). Therefore, a WatchKeeper is someone who knows first-hand the power of prayer and who feels compelled to pray regularly. A WatchKeeper takes the time to approach God no matter how busy or hectic his/her schedule may be. A WatchKeeper seeks God FIRST. A WatchKeeper is someone who really prays for you when they say they will. A WatchKeeper stands confidently before the Throne and isn't afraid to ask and believe God for the impossible. A WatchKeeper earnestly seeks God's will in every matter, even when God's will is costly or contrary to human reason.
Will you be a WatchKeeper? I want to build a band of 100 or more WatchKeepers to pray for me and for this ministry to reach the unreached by engaging the local church to pray. If you want to stand with me by committing time in prayer until all have heard the Gospel, please email me at ableier@insightbb.com to let me know. I'll be sending WatchKeepers a monthly newsletter with updates on my activities and with specific prayer requests and praises. All I ask is that you commit to pray for me regularly... REALLY pray for me. I'm going to need it!
Email me at ableier@insightbb.com to confirm your commitment to pray. I would also like to pray for you. Feel free to send me your prayer requests any time, and I will lift them up to the Lord.
And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
-Mat 24:14
Welcome to the front lines!
I'm both excited and scared to death about this opportunity! This is a God sized task that only He can accomplish. I believe in His faithfulness to equip and enable me to complete what He has called me to do for His glory.
First things first... My first objective is to build a prayer band of WatchKeepers to be in regular, concerted prayer for me and for my efforts to bring prayer for revival to the forefront of our churches. Prayer ALWAYS precedes revival! Constant prayer by the saints preceded the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14), and so it has been ever since. God has always chosen to involve His people to accomplish His will, and prayer is always the first step.
What is a WatchKeeper? In Matthew 26:38, 41 Jesus asked His disciples to keep watch with Him as He went into Gethsemane to pray. Unfortunately, they kept falling asleep. Just imagine, if they had any inkling of what was about to unfold, they would have been on their faces crying out to God.
This same scenario is happening today. God is calling out to us from His Word to watch and pray (Mt 21:13; Phil 4:6-7; Lk 18:1), yet to a large extent, the church remains asleep. Oh, if we could only imagine what the world will be like in these last days and how God wants to use His people to share the hope of Jesus to those who have never heard... If we could just catch a glimpse of God's heart for the lost and the broken-hearted, we would humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He would heal our land (2 Chron 7:14).
Prayer is a serious discipline. There is so much God wants to accomplish through the church if His people would seek Him with all their hearts (Deut 4:29, Jer 29:13). Therefore, a WatchKeeper is someone who knows first-hand the power of prayer and who feels compelled to pray regularly. A WatchKeeper takes the time to approach God no matter how busy or hectic his/her schedule may be. A WatchKeeper seeks God FIRST. A WatchKeeper is someone who really prays for you when they say they will. A WatchKeeper stands confidently before the Throne and isn't afraid to ask and believe God for the impossible. A WatchKeeper earnestly seeks God's will in every matter, even when God's will is costly or contrary to human reason.
Will you be a WatchKeeper? I want to build a band of 100 or more WatchKeepers to pray for me and for this ministry to reach the unreached by engaging the local church to pray. If you want to stand with me by committing time in prayer until all have heard the Gospel, please email me at ableier@insightbb.com to let me know. I'll be sending WatchKeepers a monthly newsletter with updates on my activities and with specific prayer requests and praises. All I ask is that you commit to pray for me regularly... REALLY pray for me. I'm going to need it!
Email me at ableier@insightbb.com to confirm your commitment to pray. I would also like to pray for you. Feel free to send me your prayer requests any time, and I will lift them up to the Lord.
And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
-Mat 24:14
Welcome to the front lines!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Kairos Missions Course Offered!
For those of you who don't know, Kairos is an effective, power-packed course on world missions. It is being offered at Team Expansion in Louisville, KY on July 12-16. Now is the time to register for the class! Here are more details:
WHAT IS KAIROS?
- A great biblical/historical mission's seminar/tool for mission mobilizers
- An excellent boost in the soul for mission minded Christians
- A "mount of transfiguration" experience according to one veteran missionary
- It's for mission agency personnel (in fact all new Team Expansion workers will be required to take this course)
- It's a practical and powerful tool for the local church to connect her members with God's plan for the nations
- One participant said "I have to change the way I teach the Bible" (he already has 3 Master's degrees and is a dissertation away from his doctorate)
- "I wish we had this course 30 years ago" said another veteran missionary.
- Perspectives Author Steven Hawthorne refers to Kairos as “Our Favorite Daughter”
WHERE will it be held?
Team Expansion
Emerald Hills Campus
4112 Old Routt Rd.
Louisville, KY 40299
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
$100.00
WHAT DOES THAT FEE INCLUDE?
All materials and training for 5 full days (9 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Lunches, drinks and morning and afternoon snacks
HOW ABOUT HOUSING?
Team Expansion will do their best to find you a home with a Christian family at no charge.
Or there are comfortable private extended stay places nearby for $175 per week.
Or there are numerous hotels near the 40299 zip code.
Or perhaps you have your own contacts near Louisville, KY
HOW DO I REGISTER?
Visit www.kairos.teamexpansion.org
QUESTIONS?
Send them to Eric Derry ederry@teamexpansion.org
WHAT IS KAIROS?
- A great biblical/historical mission's seminar/tool for mission mobilizers
- An excellent boost in the soul for mission minded Christians
- A "mount of transfiguration" experience according to one veteran missionary
- It's for mission agency personnel (in fact all new Team Expansion workers will be required to take this course)
- It's a practical and powerful tool for the local church to connect her members with God's plan for the nations
- One participant said "I have to change the way I teach the Bible" (he already has 3 Master's degrees and is a dissertation away from his doctorate)
- "I wish we had this course 30 years ago" said another veteran missionary.
- Perspectives Author Steven Hawthorne refers to Kairos as “Our Favorite Daughter”
WHERE will it be held?
Team Expansion
Emerald Hills Campus
4112 Old Routt Rd.
Louisville, KY 40299
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
$100.00
WHAT DOES THAT FEE INCLUDE?
All materials and training for 5 full days (9 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Lunches, drinks and morning and afternoon snacks
HOW ABOUT HOUSING?
Team Expansion will do their best to find you a home with a Christian family at no charge.
Or there are comfortable private extended stay places nearby for $175 per week.
Or there are numerous hotels near the 40299 zip code.
Or perhaps you have your own contacts near Louisville, KY
HOW DO I REGISTER?
Visit www.kairos.teamexpansion.org
QUESTIONS?
Send them to Eric Derry ederry@teamexpansion.org
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Task Remaining
Click HERE to see a 20 minute video from Doug Lucas, Founder and President of Team Expansion, on the state of Christianity in the world and the TASK REMAINING.
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