Borrowed Light

IMPACT:Jasper Week

June 23, 2013Mike Leake

Last year our church began what we hope to be an annual missions endeavor. We call it IMPACT:Jasper. During the week of IMPACT a portion of our church family acts as a missions team (i.e. staying at the church every night of the week as a normal missions team would do). Another portion of our church family acts as a host church (i.e. providing the missions team with food, volunteers, and other helps).

The schedule this year looks like this:

Monday AM: Prayer Walking
Monday PM: Worship Service at the Riverwalk
Tuesday AM: Service Project at mobile home area next to the church
Tuesday PM: Free Block Party at mobile home area next to the church
Wednesday AM: Nursing Home Ministry
Wednesday PM: Free Block Party at DuBois County Corrections
Thursday AM: Pampered Escape
Friday Afternoon: Free Community Closet

Two events that we are really targeting this year are our Pampered Escape event and the free Community Closet. For the Pampered Escape we are going to try to bless single moms. We will provide free babysitting services (showing a kids film in our sanctuary) while we give the moms free haircuts, pedicures, makeovers, and a free oil change for their car.

For our Community Closet we will be transforming our church into something similar to a Goodwill and giving away all the items for free. For the last few weeks our church members (and even some of their friends) have donated items to give away. Our church basement is now filled with items to give away.

We are excited for the opportunities that the Lord will be providing throughout this week to share the gospel of Jesus with our neighbors.

Pray for our church this week. Pray that we will continue to be a church united to enjoy God’s grace and extend His glory. Pray that we will have several opportunities to share the gospel with people—and the boldness to follow through on these chances.

For more info on our IMPACT:Jasper week you can go here.

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This also means that I will not be blogging at Borrowed Light for the next two weeks. Immediately after IMPACT:Jasper my family will be going on vacation. I have asked several gifted writers to step in and fill the void. You will be blessed by their writing.

Torn to Heal’s Intended Audience

June 21, 2013Mike Leake

Every author writes for an intended audience. Or at least he/she should. Whenever I am training young men in preaching I tell them to preach with a rifle instead of a shotgun. Writing is the same. If you aim too broadly you might hit a good number of people but the impact will not be very deep.

When I sat down to write Torn to Heal I had to decide whether I wanted it to impact scholars/pastors or lay people. I chose to write the book on a popular level. One of the most encouraging blurbs on the back was written by David Murray:

“Torn to Heal is the most concise, readable, and helpful theology of suffering I’ve come across. The content, length, and tone is just perfect for those who are in the furnace of affliction screaming ‘Why’?”

I did not write Torn to Heal for scholars to debate suffering and evil. I wrote it for people in the furnace of affliction that need a helpful theology of suffering and they need it yesterday. I wrote this book because I want to help suffering people give glory to God in the midst of life’s difficulties.

I wanted to write a book that a pastor or counselor could give to somebody in the midst of suffering. Something that is short enough that they could read it in a day or two if they desired. And something that is simple enough and practical enough that almost anybody could easily read.

My hope is that this book gets into the hands of pastors/counselors and that from there the book gets into the hands of struggling people. I really do believe that this book can help people. But it cannot help people unless they get it into their hands. I’ve been praying from the beginning that the Lord would put the book into the hands of anyone that needs it. Ultimately, I pray that the Lord leads suffering people into His own hands for healing and redemption. If that happens through other means then I’m happy—but I do believe that this can be a means to that end.

One of the reasons that I published with Cruciform Press is because their books are inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk for a relatively inexpensive rate. If you are a pastor/counselor/bookstore person let me know and I will try to hook you up with a copy. You can read through it and decide whether or not your congregation would benefit from it.

Buy your copy of Torn to Heal today.

How My Wife and I Are Changing Our Devotional Times

June 20, 2013Mike Leake

My wife and I are changing the way that we do devotions together. For one, we want to be more faithful in actually reading the Scriptures and praying through them. With two young children, ministry, and a host of other things we have had a difficulty blocking out time to spend together in the Word.

Secondly, we have developed an unhealthy pattern. We have a tendency to bond in negative things. This means that when we interact with the Scriptures we talk more about how we blow it than we rejoice in the provision of Christ to meet our weaknesses. I have not led well in making our devotions life-giving.

I want this to change.

For an undetermined amount of time we are going to study the Scriptures for the sole purpose of worshipping together. No questions. No focusing on our sins or successes. Simply worship. With every text we are going to make it our aim to feast on the beauty of God.

This practice is largely inspired by this quote by John Newton.

“I hope what you find in yourself by daily experience, will humble you—but not discourage you.

For if our Physician is almighty—our disease cannot be desperate. Our sins are many—but His mercies are more. Our sins are great—but His righteousness is greater. When our sins prevail, remember that we have an Advocate with the Father, who is able to pity, to pardon, and to save to the uttermost!

It is better to be admiring the compassion and fullness of grace which is in our Savior—than to dwell and pore too much upon our own poverty and vileness.”

Pray for us. Pray that the Lord would cause us to worship together, and that he would give us eyes to see Him.