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Archive for February, 2014

Heart of Worship

February 27th, 2014 1 comment

ruth-patzloff-man-reaching-out

It’s been awhile since we’ve updated the blog, but we’re still hard at work. We’re preparing for the launch

of VAYA, the Vineyard Bible Institute in Costa Rica, which will start January 24, 2015! It has been stressful, exciting and an ongoing lesson on keeping our eyes on Jesus.  Looking on our prayer page, we see a number of prayers we asked everyone to be praying with us this last Fall and they’ve been answered. God is good!  We are more convinced than ever that we are on the right track. Yes – it’s risk; yes, there’s sacrifice involved; and yes it is costly – on many different levels … BUT it is also good.  We understand that VAYA has the potential to train the next generation of Vineyard leaders (although it’s not limited to Vineyard). We understand that God is doing more than we can see or understand, and so we’re fixing our eyes on Him!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Eph. 3: 20

We keep looking forward, and taking the risk. We keep investing our lives – our time, our effort, our heart and even our money.  We’ve been talking to some Vineyard pastors in TX and they’ve been very supportive and excited about what we’re doing. It’s been an uphill struggle and if it were not for the word spoken in our hearts from God, we would have been tempted many times to give up and turn back. Every piece of printed material was hard to get done, shipments of materials we’ve relied upon have been lost in the mail, our house in NH is minus 1 tenant and our New England driveway almost impossible to drive down due to the weather conditions, making it difficult to even show the apartment, let alone rent it. This week the deck of our house fell off the back of the house, collapsing from the snow and ice onto our garden tractor and the 2 air conditioning units. Things like these never seem to let up and are emotionally, spiritually and even physically draining. And it’s times like these (basically almost all the time) that we find our hearts being anchored on Hebrews 11: 1:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

It’s because we remember that the One we serve is the Author and Finisher of our faith – it’s not about our great plans or grand ideas. It’s all about Him – His plans and His ways and even His timing. And we know we do not see and cannot see the whole picture.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55: 8-9, 11

Heart of Worship

While here in TX, we were incredibly blessed to have someone gift us with tickets back to Costa Rica. It’s also been a very
refreshing time as we’ve gone back to basics. We’ve been reading John Wimber articles and listening to his teachings and found them to be so refreshing and encouraging.  Just before we came back to the states this time, Rodney LaFrance had a word about a very old song, The heart of worship, which ties right in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Zp586pvZg