Sudden India Trip

This past Tuesday afternoon I (Richard) learned that that one of the team members for the current India trip was to have emergency eye surgery for a detached retina and would not be able to go. Shortly thereafter I was called to see if I could go as a replacement, since I have a ten year visa for such last minute situations, I checked with the elder team and pastoral team. The responses were unanimously positive that I should go since they consider it is part of our commitment to India. So with their input I have accepted the trip as an assignment that the Lord would have for CBC.

There will be about 15 airport transfers on at least four carriers, so with air travel what it is these days these transfers are a matter of prayer. If you would like to be a part of a quickly constructed prayer team for this trip please reply to this email and let Toni know. Also if you would like to have a financial part, please indicate on your gift: India.

Thanks for understanding that this is part of who we are at CBC. We are about reaching our neighborhoods and our neighbors half way around the world! In some ways the Lord is giving us a real life application of some things we discussed in a morning service several weeks ago, when we observed in the life of Hannah that God uses the unexpected and difficult as tools to:

1. Draw us to God as the only solution
2. Craft an honest desire for total surrender
3. Remove prideful self consciousness
4. Produce an engaged faith
5. Cause a believing expectancy
6. Generate a constant mindfulness of God
7. Move us towards “The Big Give”

In the same message I shared this “Puritan Prayer” and I would ask that you pray this prayer for me the next two weeks. “Lord of grace, The world is before me this day, and I am weak and fearful--but I look to You for strength. If I venture forth alone, I stumble and fall--but on the Beloved's arms I am firm as the eternal hills. If left to the treachery of my heart, I shall shame Your name--but if enlightened, guided, upheld by Your Spirit, I shall bring You glory. Be my arm to support, my strength to stand, my light to see, my feet to run, my shield to protect, my sword to repel, my sun to warm.”