from Ron Rose
December 29, 2008

Preparation

It’s time for the “Best of 2008” stories. The papers and magazines are filled with reviews and analysis, but today I’ve got a “best of” list that is totally unique. Based on times the faithFeature stories were listened to on the website FaithTeam.org, here is the top 5 for 2008: (in order)

1. I'm just Bob:
2. Adoption Confirmation:
3. Prayer on the plane:
4. Rusty was there:
5. She refused to turn loose of her purse:

See what you think! Click here to listen for yourself.

This year has been blessed by God’s surprising presence and power:

* I2eye daily inspirational faith-spots have been on KLUV 98.7 since April of 2008.
* Subscriptions to Faith Notes have more than doubled (we now have hundreds of new subscribers because a friend forwarded and recommended this faith coaching message).
* The number of financial donors increased four-times over 2007.
* This was the year we prayed for God to send us a surprise donor who would give $25,000 by the first of August; and God made it happen.
* PrayerPoints with LB Lyon are now reaching listeners in 4 states.
* Email feedback is growing every week. God is showing up 24/7.

Do you see them? God’s fingerprints!

So, what’s next? A faith step!

During church on Sunday we saw a short video… Click here to watch

The mall is empty… there is no one to help… no one has a phone… they cry out for help, but they only hear the echo of their own voices. But they are not trapped in an elevator or in a flooding water chamber; they are stopped on an escalator… All they have to do is take a step… just a step… then another and another and surprise! Escalators without power turn into effective stairs. Just take a step.

There you have it… our ministry resolution for 2009. The adventure continues… and we are going to stand tall and take the next step.

Pray for us as we launch the second full year of Faith Coaching Network. I feel like I have Issachar blood in me. You remember these guys; they were valued on King David’s team because “They knew what Israel should do, and they knew the right time to do it.” With so much uncertainty swirling around us… I know what to do… and I know this is the time to do it.
So, as the year begins please pray for us.

Inspiration

Years ago Lyn and I were members of a West Texas church that had a major flaw in the sanctuary design. The nursery was behind the pulpit, which meant that if you had a crying baby, you had to walk down to the front of the building to get to the nursery area.

One Sunday morning, a toddler behind us was having a tough morning. Nothing was going right, and the corrective whispers were getting more and more distracting.

Finally Glenn, the father, grabbed up the youngster tucked her under his arm like a football, with her bottom up and heading hanging out facing the audience as he hurried to the nursery exit door. Just before they reached the door, the little girl stopped crying, lifted her head, looked out at the crowd, and said in a loud voice, “Pease, pray for me….”

If I remember correctly, the preacher who had already stopped preaching, took a moment and said, “Would you bow with me?

Motivation

Please pray for us.

This is your year for promise, for faith steps. So, if you really want to keep your New Year’s resolutions, remember that crying toddler. Take care of the resolutions quickly and pray about them publicly.

Let’s pray for each other. 2009 is going to be a year of great faith steps, some of them planned and some of them unplanned. Even if everything in your life seems to come to a standstill, God is eagerly waiting for you to take that first step. You may stumble a bit, but the step of faith is what God is waiting to see. He’s watching for that little step. He wants to know what’s in your heart.

So does God have a resolution for 2009? Yes, God wants to know what’s in our hearts… so every crisis, every struggle, every failure is a journey inside the heart…he is testing our hearts…. So step up and step out.

Together we will experience the fingerprints of God and live to tell the stories of his power and might in this generation and the generations to come.