One Circle

Hello Favored One.

Do you know how much you are loved?

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep.  O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.   How priceless is your unfailing love!
Psalm 36:5-6

This year is named Prayer.  

Might I encourage you today?

Today I drew a prayer circle.  I have been living in a foreign country, at times grieving the community of believers I have left sprinkled together across the world.  Grieving my loss of daily intimacy with them.

Today I extended an invitation to circle one prayer for 2012 and gather in community to carry each other's burdens.  Here is the invitation I sent:

Hello Friends,

Ken and I are in a period of fasting and prayer, seeking more of God.  You are each an important part of my life and my heart, and I am frequently in conversation with God about you.  This morning as I meditated over Galatians 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ," I realized I wanted to move my thoughts of you from "frequent" to daily, and pray something very specific to your needs.  I have been in community with each of you, and many of you still have the privilege of sharing life intimately with one another.  We are so grateful that God at some point in our journey wove you into our hearts, and truthfully, we miss the daily walk with you terribly.  Simply, my request is that you send me one specific personal thing to pray over you this year and one relational (marriage, family, vocation) thing to pray over you this year.  If you would like to make this a community and join me in praying one thing over each other for the year, then reply all.  If not, just send this back to me.  I know you do not all know each other, but we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and how tight the circle draws when we "pray without ceasing."

My personal:  that God clarifies the purpose and gives me a venue for the passion I have for writing.

My relational:  that God turns the heart of one child towards Him, pouring into the emptiness that he carries inside.

I covet your prayers - to give and to receive.

"With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.  As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.  For who is God besides the LORD?  And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."  Psalm 18:29-32

Love in Christ,

Tobi

Might I encourage you to draw a circle?  

Circle one thing~

Issue one invitation~

With one person~

And believe in the one God who has heard and answered your faith before the prayer crossed your lips.

"Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."  Daniel 10:12

Time to circle-up, Favored One!  I would love to circle with you.