SEVENTEEN MINUTES

(for some ideas on seeing God work at your work, check the Ministry tools link to the left)

Marc’s story.

Marc worked a high-paced demanding job for 20 years.  With a heart for God and a desire for his faith to make a difference in his workplace, he eagerly sought input as to how to effectively connect his faith in Christ with his workplace colleagues.

One problem: most of the ministry tools and techniques he learned did not work in his situation. Host an investigative Bible discussion group? It was impractical to try to organize a meeting with people who were doing the work of three. With the pressures of a shrinking workforce in a competitive global company, Marc figured out that his best bet was to grab someone for lunch on the fly – the daily 30 minute lunch break they were supposed to have.  Even at that, Marc realized that of those 30 minutes, at best he would have seventeen minutes to engage in focused conversation. In the context of a few co-workers around a cafeteria table, every imaginable subject was broached. Marc's genuine listening ear and respect for the views of others often opened an opportunity to conversationally express his perspective.  His relational approach fostered open dialogue. Imagine the shock of hearing,“Why should Middle East Muslims not consider the west 'the great Satan' with all the decadent western culture that is portrayed in our movies?” His personal approach opened the door to bringing a godly perspective into their conversations.

I identify with Marc's dilemma, having faced the same challenges during my time in the Navy  –  too much to do, not enough time to do it, and frequent interruptions and brush fires.

As Marc related his experiences to me, I realized that many of us face the same daily challenges of the unpredictable busyness of work, family and just living life.  So, would you join me these next seventeen seconds in praying for Sean (below)?

Over the past two years I have been meeting with Sean before his classes started in the morning. He recently graduated from business school with an MBA and is now working a high pressure job here in Philadelphia. We are trusting God to use him at his work and in his neighborhood as well as in his relationship with his wife and children.

THANKS!

P.S. Marc retired from the business world and is now ministering with The Navigators.  You can find out more about Marc’s ministry on The Navigators website (look up Marc Horton).

P.P.S.  And to see a creative way that Marc deals with the pressures of work, check out this video.  ;-)

Lessons from Nature 2

In the flow of life.

I had been fishing an isolated section of a local trout stream, and didn't see another fisherman until I was on my way out. Here is our conversation, to the best of my recollection:

“Any luck?” he asked. 

“A few. How about you?"

“Just getting here, ” he said.

I glanced at his rig. It didn't look like he was set up for trout, and I wondered if he would catch anything at all. “Do you fish here much?” I asked. 

“I usually fish the lake for bass, but thought I'd give the stream a try.” 

I thought about asking him if I could watch him for a few minutes, but I had already overstayed my time streamside. “Good luck...”

Later, relating the conversation to our daughter Katie, I said, “Trout will only bite if given a natural presentation.” 

She immediately replied, “just like the gospel”. 

Ah! – she is right!

We are asking God for open doors to engage people naturally, in the flow of life, verbally and with the testimony of our day to day lives. When others initiate with us, which has recently happened a few times, we take note.

Would you pray with us as we seek to live out the gospel in practical ways, “ in the flow of life”, and teach singles and young families to do the same?

Thanks ~

Hi all -

Grateful for your prayers and interest in our ministry here. Would you pick one paragraph below and pray for us? Thanks.

Collegiate ministry – LOCAL.

I love cheesesteaks! When I was invited to join 20 or so college students in a “cheesesteak challenge”, my hearty “yes” was quickly followed by the thought to bring Mitchell along (Mitchell Graves is in our 20s group). The main purpose, of course, was not to feast on Max's Cheesesteaks in north Philly, but for Mitchell and me to engage with them over Jesus' compassion for people and the need for laborers in Matthew 9:36-38. The students, from Nav ministries at the University of Maryland and Bowie State University, were here over spring break for 5 days of ministry with The Philadelphia Project, repairing the homes of families facing hardships. Please pray with us that God will convince one or more of them to come to serve here, as a volunteer or full time.

Collegiate ministry – REGIONAL.

Check out what God is doing at Penn State, and the key role a donor played in getting it going. Here is a link to an interview by the Pocket Testament League with Morgan Forney, the Navigator Rep at Penn State http://www.ptl.org/videopages/psunav.php

You can also read a writeup about this project on The Navigators website:

http://www.navigators.org/About-Us/Stories/Navigator Stories/March 2014/One-to-One-to-Thirty-Thousand

This past spring.

Young couples and singles continue to be our emphasis, meeting with them one on one and in small groups. Our emphasis is twofold: content and relationships. The Biblical content we discuss provides a foundation, and modeling Biblical values and lifestyle is another. Jesus is our example, of course. I love what Jesus said when John the Baptist's disciples approached and questioned Him. His reply, “Come and see” (John 1:39). He invited them into the flow of His life. They spent all evening with Him where He was staying, and then the next thing we read about is that they are traveling with Him and accompany Him to a wedding (John 2). We include the people we are discipling into the flow of our lives - in our home, in our projects, and in our recreation. And in the midst of all this, we model and talk about what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

This summer.

When we moved here ten years ago, it was with the understanding that whatever Tina and I did, we wanted to do together. We have included her as much in ministry as her availability has permitted. This May, after 23 years of teaching, Tina's homeschool responsibilities will be completed; our youngest, Jack, graduates May 31^st. We are asking God to lead us in this transition. No major change is obvious to us yet, other than a new season of availability. We will be taking some time this summer to reflect on what God has done these past ten years here in Pennsylvania, and ask Him to direct our focus in the months ahead.

With eyes fixed (Heb 12:2) -

John & Tina