Shabbat Shalom
Dear Family,
I am sorry we weren't able to send out a letter last week, but we have been working very hard over the last 2 weeks to finish Callie's document for her thesis. I am happy to report to you that she turned in her document to the university on Friday! Thank you all so much for your prayers concerning this. We could not have seen this through with out the strength of those prayers. It has been incredible to see how the Lord has been using this thesis to shape and mold us . He has also used it to touch others in the process. When the Lord begins a good work, He is absolutely faithful to finish it. My new job is going well and I am already seeing the fruit in my relationships to my co-workers. Please pray that I could be a light to the people who work there. In the second week of June, I will be going to Scotland to help lead a prayer conference with two brothers from Intercessors for Israel. It is a wonderful conference every year that spans a week. There is a lot of prayer and speaking that goes on, so I would really appreciate your prayers. Please pray that the Lord would prepare me for this wonderful but spiritually intense conference.
Israel is heading into a crucial few months. As many of you know, there is a major concern that Iran is a few months away from having the technology to build a nuclear weapon. Israel is in immediate danger if this happens, so there is a frantic effort by the world powers to make negotiations succeed. I wish I could say they were doing it for fear that Israel is in danger, but in truth, they are frantically talking with the Iranians because they are concerned about an Israeli strike on Iran. Adding to this, Israel has just formed a large unity coalition. The other times something like this has happened in Israel has been when there was a major concern that there would be conflict soon. Making sure there is unity in a nation is the best way to stand against a potential threat. Please pray for Israel to have wisdom to know exactly what to do and when to do it. I am not going to be so bold to say I know what Israel should do, but I do know that these "talks" are meant to divert attention away from Iran's goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. This is a crucial time for Israel and the world. Please pray that the Lord would have His way and that he would defend this nation.
The process of writing Callie's thesis has taught us many things, but chief among them is the value of perseverance despite what we see with our eyes. There were a few times that both of us wanted to pack it in and just say forget about it. Things were just too hard and we couldn't see how everything was going to get done they way it should . Sometimes it is very difficult to talk about perseverance, because through reading Romans, it looks like perseverance is something that we have to drum up ourselves. Also in 1 Timothy, it says that perseverance is something that we should pursue. But what if we don't think we can bring ourselves to the place of perseverance? Thank the Lord that we don't just have one book in the Bible. The FULL council of God is found through out all the books of the Bible. We should never just take one verse or book alone without seeing it in context of the whole Word of God. Philippines 4:13 says that I can do all things through the the Messiah who strengthens me. If we don't feel like we can persevere to the end, we need to see that this is a good thing. We can't do it ourselves! We need the Lord to help us persevere. He is the one strengthens us and brings us to the finish line. Our perseverance depends upon His strength and not ours. Our job is to realize this and daily come to Him for strength. We start getting into trouble when ever we think we should be strong enough to get there. It doesn't matter how long you have been a believer, everyone desperately needs the Lord to give the strength so that we can persevere. Blessings to you!
In Yeshua,
Devin, Callie, and Aviel
I am sorry we weren't able to send out a letter last week, but we have been working very hard over the last 2 weeks to finish Callie's document for her thesis. I am happy to report to you that she turned in her document to the university on Friday! Thank you all so much for your prayers concerning this. We could not have seen this through with out the strength of those prayers. It has been incredible to see how the Lord has been using this thesis to shape and mold us . He has also used it to touch others in the process. When the Lord begins a good work, He is absolutely faithful to finish it. My new job is going well and I am already seeing the fruit in my relationships to my co-workers. Please pray that I could be a light to the people who work there. In the second week of June, I will be going to Scotland to help lead a prayer conference with two brothers from Intercessors for Israel. It is a wonderful conference every year that spans a week. There is a lot of prayer and speaking that goes on, so I would really appreciate your prayers. Please pray that the Lord would prepare me for this wonderful but spiritually intense conference.
Israel is heading into a crucial few months. As many of you know, there is a major concern that Iran is a few months away from having the technology to build a nuclear weapon. Israel is in immediate danger if this happens, so there is a frantic effort by the world powers to make negotiations succeed. I wish I could say they were doing it for fear that Israel is in danger, but in truth, they are frantically talking with the Iranians because they are concerned about an Israeli strike on Iran. Adding to this, Israel has just formed a large unity coalition. The other times something like this has happened in Israel has been when there was a major concern that there would be conflict soon. Making sure there is unity in a nation is the best way to stand against a potential threat. Please pray for Israel to have wisdom to know exactly what to do and when to do it. I am not going to be so bold to say I know what Israel should do, but I do know that these "talks" are meant to divert attention away from Iran's goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. This is a crucial time for Israel and the world. Please pray that the Lord would have His way and that he would defend this nation.
The process of writing Callie's thesis has taught us many things, but chief among them is the value of perseverance despite what we see with our eyes. There were a few times that both of us wanted to pack it in and just say forget about it. Things were just too hard and we couldn't see how everything was going to get done they way it should . Sometimes it is very difficult to talk about perseverance, because through reading Romans, it looks like perseverance is something that we have to drum up ourselves. Also in 1 Timothy, it says that perseverance is something that we should pursue. But what if we don't think we can bring ourselves to the place of perseverance? Thank the Lord that we don't just have one book in the Bible. The FULL council of God is found through out all the books of the Bible. We should never just take one verse or book alone without seeing it in context of the whole Word of God. Philippines 4:13 says that I can do all things through the the Messiah who strengthens me. If we don't feel like we can persevere to the end, we need to see that this is a good thing. We can't do it ourselves! We need the Lord to help us persevere. He is the one strengthens us and brings us to the finish line. Our perseverance depends upon His strength and not ours. Our job is to realize this and daily come to Him for strength. We start getting into trouble when ever we think we should be strong enough to get there. It doesn't matter how long you have been a believer, everyone desperately needs the Lord to give the strength so that we can persevere. Blessings to you!
In Yeshua,
Devin, Callie, and Aviel
Congratulations Callie! Thanks for letting us know how we can be praying for you guys and for Israel.
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