The “Manyel pou Formasyon Espirityel” (Spiritual Formation Manual) contains 3-5 page chapters on core theological ideas in Haitian Creole to help deepen doctrinal roots  of the Christians Haiti.

We pray God uses this resource to increasingly strengthen the Haitian church for the glory of his name!

“I once had a patient, a sound atheist, who read in the British Museum. One day, as he sat reading, I saw a train of thought in his mind begin to go the wrong way…if I had lost my head & begun to attempt a defense by argument I should have been undone. But I was not such a fool. I struck instantly at the part of man which I had best under my control and suggested that it was just about time he had some lunch…once he was in the street the battle was won. I showed him a newsboy shouting the midday paper, and a No. 73 bus going past, and before he reached the bottom of the steps I had got into him an unalterable conviction that, whatever odd ideas might come into a man’s head when he was shut up along with his books, a healthy dose of ‘real life’ was enough to show him that ‘sort of thing’ just couldn’t be true…[Many] find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar while the familiar is before their eyes. Keep pressing home on him the ordinariness of thing.”

So how do we not become distracted and dulled by the ordinariness of everything around us? How do we cultivate depth in our life? How do we fill our lives with the extraordinary, with God himself? Here’s how an old Puritan describes it:

“If you want a cup to take in water, you must hold it still for if the cup stirs and shakes up and down, you cannot pour anything in, but you will say “hold still”, that you may pour it in and not lose any. So if we would be vessels to receive God’s mercy, and would have the Lord pour his mercy into us, we must have quiet, still hearts. We must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble, discontent and vexing, but still and quiet hearts, if we receive mercy from the Lord.”

Here are a few practical ways to do that:

1. Fast: Fasting is the putting away of something for a time in order to develop a hunger for God in prayer. This could last a day, a week, or a month, but discipline yourself through taking something away. And when the pangs of hunger come on for that object, beg God to give you more of Himself. Or, in those moments of “pain” be reminded of the sufferings of Christ that bought a sinner like you.
2. Seek Solitude: Whether its 5 minutes while kids are asleep, an hour on Saturday morning, or a whole weekend, find a place where you can sit in silence & reflect on the Mighty Deeds of God. Try and schedule it as a regular discipline, be it every week or every other month.
3. Read the Bible & Discuss it with a Trusted Friend: Schedule Coffee twice a month for 45 minutes. One person read the text for about 10 minutes, then the other for 10 minutes. Reflect only on God’s greatness in that passage. Then close in prayer, asking God to call to mind those places He is acting in your own lives
4. Come to Weekly Prayer: Every Sunday at 4PM people gather to pray. They are not there to pray for “Aunt Sally’s toe nail to heal” (though you can pray for that in your own time). They are exalting the One True God & petitioning Him to act. This will help you to get your eyes off yourself and on what He is doing in the world.
5. Invite Others in your CG to Memorize & Meditate on a Short Passage: Take something like John 3.16. For a month, recite it and reflect on the words of that verse.

What will be the outcome if you do this? You will see and be encouraged by the Mightiness of God!

Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

On June 18, we will be sending another team to work with Haitians in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti. This will be our 5th trip and we are excited about building upon the relationship that have been established for some time now. We also look forward to continuing our partnership with Noah and HaitiLove.

We ask you to join us in prayer for this trip. To help you do that, you can download a daily prayer guide.

Changes are you replied with something along the lines of, “I’m busy.”

Why? Why do we so often feel compelled to answer this way? Why do we so often offer up “I’m busy” as a stock answer.

Maybe it’s not a “stock” answer after all. Maybe it says something about our soul. Michael Kelly offers some insight on why we hate being busy, but we really love it:

1. I believe that busyness validates me.

When I am busy, it means I have things to do, people to meet with, and stuff to accomplish. I am needed; I am wanted. And if you don’t believe me, just look at my schedule. Based on my carefully color-coded appointment schedule you can observe for yourself just how important I am.

2. I fear I am missing out on something.

Surely if I am this busy, then I must be in the crowd. In the game. A part of the action. If I’m sitting idly, then I know that someone somewhere is doing something. And they are doing it without me. But if I’m rushing from place to place, it means I’m included. Sure, I’m not included in everything, but at least there is a reason I’m not – it’s that I was included somewhere else.

3. My busyness makes me more important than others.

Oh sure, I’ll pay lip service to those who walk at an unhurried pace, but in the end, I enjoy the fact that I’m sprinting passed them. It lets me know that I am actually doing something, and I can sit in judgment of those who at least appear to be doing less. Yeah for me.

You feeling that? That sinking feeling that I’m feeling as I look back at those appointments that were giving me such a feeling of superiority and importance? Here, too, is another reminder of how creatively deceptive our hearts can be. We can pack our schedules with things – even good things – and yet they can subversively become a manufactured substitute for that which only Jesus can truly bring.

Validation.

Justification.

Satisfaction.

Security.

There is no great action step associated with this post. No calendar clearing. No “5 Steps to an Uncluttered Life.” The truth is that these things that fill our days must be done. What I’m instead asking the Lord for today is the kind of perspective that allows them to be done courageously and wisely in light of my full acceptance as His Son. To do it that way instead of using my calendar (along with so many other things) as an attempt to fill my heart.

In the days that have passed since our team has come back from Jordan, I have had plenty of opportunities to sit back and reflect on all that the Lord was able to do in and through our team in two short weeks. We spent days meeting with university students, listening to them talk about their beliefs, culture and desires in life. We spent nights in conversation classes with English learners at a community center in downtown Amman. We had the opportunity to support the workers in Jordan by providing them with extra hands and feet as they were opened their brand new women’s café. In all of these varied tasks and responsibilities, God was kind enough to open doors for us the share the love, hope and eternal life that can only come through Christ.

Whether sharing the importance of forgiveness with a group of university students who wanted to talk about Israeli-Palestinian issues or explaining the bible’s view on marriage to a man from the community center, almost every conversation led to discussions of faith and the Gospel.  During my initial few hours in Jordan, I had my own anxieties about how to bring up these topics, but as I was encouraged and challenged to look to the Lord for boldness and courage, He graciously worked through my weakness to the praise of his glory. Also, it didn’t hurt that many of the topics Americans deem unfit for casual conversation (i.e. religion and politics) are pretty safe and commonly talked about topics among Jordanians.

For example, one of the guys I spent much time in and out of the community center invited me out to see the city with him, during one of my final nights in Amman. I was truly thankful to spend some time before I returned home, and was prayerfully seeking opportunities to sow some seeds for the Spirit to work in his heart. Sure enough, after about an hour or so of us talking about American and Jordanian culture, our conversation shifted to American films. We somehow got to the topic of dating and the man (who I’ll refer to as Ahmed) asked me if I had a girlfriend. This question led to a discussion of purity and honoring God which eventually opened the door for me to share the Gospel over a period of hours that night. While he did not come to faith at the end of the conversation, I was able to see that he was more and more intrigued by Jesus and asking questions about Christianity as well as his own faith that he hadn’t before.

This experience with Ahmed, typifies many of the experiences that I had in conversations and interactions with the people I was blessed to meet. The Lord continually opened doors for his Gospel to go forth in conversation after conversation in ways that I never could have planned or expected. While there is still a tremendous work still left to be done, I left Jordan greatly encouraged to see what our great and awesome God is doing now and hopeful for the future work amongst those people.  As for now, when I reflect on the blessing it was to be a part of that work, I can’t help but joyously write to share this news with you. God’s grace, in and through your support, helped things to go by smoothly and I know that without the prayers and financial support of this church, our trip would not have been possible. Our whole team truly does thank God for Restoration Church’s partnership in his mission to receive worship amongst the people of Amman.  It’s a testament to your passion for God’s glory among the nations.

Continue to be in prayer for the encouragement and peace of the team that is working there long-term and for the God of grace and love to be revealed to the people in Amman!

Blessings to everyone at Restoration Church!

Paul

In the Holy Scriptures wisdom, when used of God and good men, always carries a strong moral connotation. It is conceived as being pure, loving, and good.… Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all, and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless precision.

From JI Packer’s Knowing God:

Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. Wisdom is, in fact, the practical side of moral goodness. As such, it is found in its fulness only in God. He alone is naturally and entirely and invariable wise.

We approach you in joyful awe of who you are. You are all powerful, able to accomplish all that you purpose. You are all together good, accomplishing those things bring you the greatest glory and your people the greatest joy. You are all together wise able to devise perfect goals and achieve those goals by the most perfect means. Yes, Lord God Almighty, you always work with flawless precision. Not only could your acts not be better done; a better way to do them could not be imagined. You, an infinitely wise God, work in ways that are far beyond our comprehension. O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches and glory.

Yet we confess, that we often doubt your goodness; we grumble and complain thinking we could come up with a better plan than you. We are impatient when you don’t give us what we want right when we want it. Father, we confess that just like Adam and Eve in the garden, we ignore your righteous rules for our good and try to define good on our own. Not only that, we begin to advise you on how you should do things in the world as if we are god and you serve us. Not only that, we take the gift of prayer, and use it not to praise you, but only to request and require things of you. Father, we confess that our prayers too often are not filled with adoration of you, but advice for you. Oh, how wicked and sinful are our hearts.

Our transgressions and sins present us with a list of accusations that mark our guilt before you, a holy, righteous, just God. We do not try to defend ourselves, but trust in the defending blood of Christ. We know that you are faithful and just to forgive those who turn from their sin and trust in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of the your eternal Son, Jesus. We give you praise that our sins will not stand against us, for they have been laid on Christ.

Plough the gospel deep within each one of us, that our hearts may be a fertile field, the roots of your grace spreading far and wide in our lives. Give us a deeper trust in Christ Jesus; give us a deeper knowledge of yourself as Savior, Master, Lord, King.  Give us deeper communion with you in prayer, more sweetness in your Word, a more steadfast grip of its truth. By your Spirit, knit us together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

By your sovereign grace continue to work amongst the members of our church.  We pray in particular for Liz F. – give her a sweet delight in knowing that she has been ransomed from the slavery of sin.  And we pray for Graham and Lorraine F. – we praise you for the many gifts you have given them and the way they use them to serve our church body; fill their marriage with your grace that it might permeate the truth of the gospel.

We pray not just for ourselves, but also for those laboring for the gospel in our city and around the world.  For the sake of your name, continue to use the ministry of the Central Union Mission to serve the marginalized with the hope of the gospel. Grant our brothers and sisters at Redeemer Arlington and Sojourn Fairfax and 19^th Street Baptist the grace to persevere in the faith and be a bold gospel witness.

Help us not overlook the freedom we have here in this country to openly and publically worship Jesus.  We thank you for that, and pray for our government as they face endless difficulties. Give our president wisdom and a deepening sense of justice as he guides this nation. We pray for all the government officials from the small city mayors to state governors to Congress. May they understand the responsibility you have placed on them to rule with humility, wisdom and a sense of justice, for you are a just God.

As we continue our worship tonight, fill us with a reverent awe of just how glorious you are. Use your word to revive our soul; to give us knowledge; to make us wise; to enlighten our eyes to behold the glory of your son Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.

The specific focus was on praying for Foster Care and Adoption in DC, and Restoration Church was asked to pray for the unity of churches in DC. Below is the prayer offered:

Graciously heavenly Father, we come to you boldly and confidently knowing that because there’s a bloody cross and empty tomb on earth, Jesus occupies the throne in heaven. We come to you as your sons and daughters, united to your eternal Son, Jesus Christ, through the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit as he births faith and repentance in our hearts.

We come praising your name for the sake of your glory. Above all else, we plead with you to hallow your name. “Our Father in hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

We praise you, our Triune God, united in all your eternal perfection. You have given us the unifying message of the gospel. We cry out with the Psalmist, “Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity!”

By the power of your Spirit and for the glory of your name, unite churches in DC together that we might encourage one another to proclaim and exalt and delight in the supremacy and sufficiency of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May our churches unite to be a bright light as we faithfully hold to the truth of the gospel, and labor alongside each other to help others in our city taste and see that you are good, that you and you alone satisfy the longing soul and the hungry soul you fill with good things.

By your same grace that saves us, cause our churches to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.

And as this good news echoes from our churches throughout our city, remind the orphans, that you are a Father to the fatherless. Bring hope; bring caretakers; bring adoptive parents; bring the gospel that the fatherless in this city might know you as their heavenly Father, even if they don’t know their biological father.

Cause us to be so captivated by your grace and love that we stand united and lavish that same love on those around us. Ignite a passion in us to care not just for the orphan and the widow, but for all those marginalized by society; for all those physically and spiritually broken.

We ask all of this in the unifying power of the Spirit and majestic name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

We confess Lord that we respond to your faithfulness by being an unfaithful people. We are quick in our hearts to condemn the unfaithful spouse, the ungrateful child, the exasperating parent, the selfish friend, the shirking employee or coworker. But our condemnation is unjust. Who are we to judge when we stand before you justly condemned by our own unfaithfulness to you. We are unfaithful to you when our affection for a spouse, a child, or any person outstrips our affection for you. We are unfaithful to you when we take your name in vain, using it loosely and carelessly. We are unfaithful to you when we do not set apart the Sabbath to you, when we do not honor our parents, when we murder or even hate another person, when we commit adultery or even lust after another person. Lord, we confess that there is no end to our unfaithfulness.

But in your great mercy you have reconciled to yourself all who have turned from their sin and trusted in you. You have blotted out our transgressions like a cloud and our sins like mist. You call us to return to you, for you have redeemed us.

We thank you Lord that in your kindness you not only rescue our souls, but you supply all our needs and so much more. We recognize that it is you who provides us food, clothing, and shelter. You have provided us the freedom to gather and worship you without interference.

We pray not just for ourselves but for our brothers and sisters in other countries who lack the freedom to worship you openly or evangelize freely. We pray that they would remain steadfast in the face of opposition and bold in their proclamation of their faith. We pray particularly for those in North Korea who face persecution for their faith in you. Increase their number as a demonstration of your power over the rulers of this world. Increase their faith as you sustain them in great difficulty. Increase their hope in you as they look forward to the day when they, when we all, will worship at your feet. Let them hold fast the confession of their hope without wavering, for you who promised are faithful.

We pray also Lord for our city. We’re thankful for the way you have greatly increased the number of churches that teach your word and your gospel in the District. Continue this work we pray. Grow Grace DC Downtown and Grace DC Meridian Hill for your glory. Grow Church of the Resurrection, Church of the Advent, and Church of the Ascension for your glory we pray. And speed godly men who hope to plant more sound churches to glorify you in neighborhoods like Logan Circle, we pray.  Bring all these things about for the good of your people and the glory of your name. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

“[Look to Jesus]…remember how bled for you, poured out his life for you, is now risen for you, gone to heaven for you, sits at God’s right hand, and rules the world for you; makes intercession for you, and at the end of the world will come again to you, and receive to himself, to live with him for ever and ever. Surely if you believe and look upon this, your life is comfortable and death will be sweet. If there be any heaven upon earth, you will find it in the practice and exercise of this gospel duty, in, ‘Looking unto Jesus.’”[1]

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[1] Isaac Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications 1986/1658), 694.