Prayer & Support for OBers from Valley Grace

Please keep the four young people from our Church who are planning to invest their summer in serving the Lord in Operation Barnabas (more OB info here) in your prayers. Mandy Jenkins, Spencer Draper, and Wade Weaver are planning on serving the Lord in the United States. Elizabeth Draper, second from left, is planning on serving the Lord internationally. Please pray that this will be a time of maturity in their Christian lives. Also, please pray that their support will be raised. They are in need of $13,500 for the four of them. If you wish to give toward their support, you can mark and offering envelope "OB". Pictured left to right: Mandy Jenkins, Elizabeth Draper, Spencer Draper, and Wade Weaver.

Update (3/3/2009): The Elizabeth's mission's trip to South Africa has been canceled by CE National. Elizabeth is considering a 3 week mission's assignment to Urban Hope, Philadelphia for this summer. This reduces the needed support to approximately $9,000.

Prayer for Happy Church & Need

We would ask that you would keep the Happy Church in Jackson, KY in your prayers. They have suffered a tragedy in their congregation which you can read about here. This is the church we are tentatively planning a mission's trip to this summer.

Living with Hope when Things seem Hopeless

I recently read a post by Michael Hyatt (here) entitled 7 Ways to Keep Your Spirit Up in a Down Economy. Below are his list of 7 suggestions with some of my observations on his list (you are encouraged to read his list also).

1. Turn off the news media: feeding your minds with the consistent negative comments from the news can give you a feeling of despair. Hyatt states that the media is no longer reporting the problem, they are the problem! Turn on Christian radio, turn on uplifting Christian music that focuses on our God and our trust in him. Turn off the "somebody done somebody wrong" songs.

2. Connect with God: Hyatt writes that we were designed to function connected to God. This is not some "higher power" or "supreme being." This is a connection with the only true God as revealed in Scripture.

3. Read inspirational books: the negativity needs to be replaced with positive and wholesome content. Inspirational books are normally built around a theme of hardship which is conquered. Hyatt has a couple of suggestions on his blog.

4. Hang around positive people: some people are just like Eoyre in Winnie the Pooh. They are constantly negative. These folks seem that happiest when they can explain how miserable they are. Seek out positive people. I am not saying that we ought not to share our burdens with one another, but we ought to also share God's goodness and grace.

5. Exercise regularly: this is huge. It is amazing how getting the heart rate up for a sustained period of time can help to put things into perspective. The medical/psychological community tell us that regular exercise leads to great psychological health with the release of endorphins. This exercise could include a good 30-40 minute walk three or four times a week. Plus it takes self-discipline and there is a feeling of accomplishment when we learn to master ourselves (put down the bowl of ice cream/bon bons and do the exercise) Disclaimer: see your physician before beginning a strenuous exercise regimen.

6. Get more rest: Hyatt states it is just about "impossible to stay upbeat if you are tired."

7. Go to church: discouragement often leads to isolation, but this is the opposite of what we need. We need a community that cares. But most of all, we need to be reminded that God is a God of hope and we need to reflect on His promises. We need to be reminded that God is not confused by the stimulus package, or the different economic theories. He will provide for His people as he does the sparrows and the flowers of the field (Luke 12:6-7). Peter writes that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and that you and throw your cares on Him because He care for you (1 Peter 5:6-7 ).

Memorial Service for Bob Hauver

The Memorial Service for Bob Hauver will be Saturday afternoon @ 1:00 pm here at Valley Grace. The family will receive friends after the service and refreshments will be provided so that there can be an opportunity to reflect on Bob's life. The picture above is of Bob & Cindy. (Obituary is to be in Thursday's paper).

Congratulations to Jesse & Cathy Taylor

Please pray for Jesse & Cathy as they have begun their lives together and desire to build their home on the only true foundation, Jesus Christ. They were married January 3, 2009

Inexpensive Valentine's Day Ideas

Obviously, Valentine's day should not be the only day to appreciation for your spouse. It is important to work on keeping the spark of romance alive throughout the year. This involves making time to be together weekly. This can be challenging with children and schedules, but it doesn't have to be elaborate. Even walks together can be an effective time. It is important to make time to communicate. This should occur frequently.

Here is a link for some inspiration to get you started in coming up with inexpensive ideas for Valentine's Day or those weekly times scheduled to be together.

Cheering for the Other Team

(This is worth reading to your children!)

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!" (Read the rest of the story here)

Note: A great illustration of creatively thinking how to make an impact for Christ (Thanks Jeff for the article!)