Wheres Your Faith?

First I must apologize to those who pray for the work that is being done in Sebewaing on a regular basis. It is amazing how quickly time goes by and as I logged in to post today I realized that over 4 months have past since I last posted.
The reasons for that are numerous including various summer activities that did not allow me to get to Sebewaing and my internship which has reduced the number of hour I have available to get to Sebewaing. However the one element that has probably been the biggest factor in my failure to post is simply frustration.

Last spring our group in Sebewaing had grown in number and spirit. It was easy to be excited each week as we came together to learn and grow in the Word. When summer came with all the demands on my schedule and others in the group it really seemed like the momentum that we were experiencing came to a crashing halt. After canceling a week here and there over the summer because of scheduling conflicts it seemed like we could not regain the momentum we had enjoyed last spring as summer ended and fall began. I have talked to a number of Pastors whose experience this last summer seemed to be much the same in their local churches. I must admitted that I was beginning to doubt what we were doing and was thinking "alright should we be scrapping what we have been trying and go another direction." My faith in our growing in Sebewaing project was really beginning to wain.

Then a few weeks ago on a Thursday night when it was only John, Rhonda, and myself who were there, and I was not so sure that John and Rhonda would have been there except it was at their house, we decided that the best thing we could do was forget the planned learning and simply take the time to pray. So we spent time praying for the people who had been part of the group and for others who might become part of the group. As we finished that night I had a peace that came over me as I was reminded from Matthew 16 Jesus telling Peter "on this rock I will build my church".

Over these last few weeks God has shown His faithfulness. People began to filter back and last night not only was a large part of the group from last spring there but also some others who were new to the group. There seems to again be a growing momentum building, Praise be to God!

Again to those who have been faithfully praying I apologize for my lack of keeping you posted. One of the great difficulties in the human spirit and my own spirit is that we always want to share good news, but are less enthusiastic about sharing our concerns despite the fact that God calls us to do that. I realize that when my concerns were at their highest I was not sharing that with the body and that is my fault. We are seeking your prayers for wisdom as we go forward and encouragement when we are discouraged.
These days I am feeling a little like the father in Mark chapter 9 who brought his son to Jesus to be healed and the disciples failed to heal him. When Jesus shows up on the scene the man's response to Jesus is "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" I praise God for His faithfulness even when mine is weak

Your Servant in Christ

Brian