PREFACE: The culminating impact of this message on the future of our mission is timely and substantial. If our alliance as co-laborers is important to you (and I hope it is), I would beg the indulgence of your utmost attention. Thank you.
That said, I submit the following as a prayer request...
Let me speak as plainly as I can here.
You might be wondering what's going on with our mission. Two summers have now passed where we've not done a major prayerwalk campaign. Have we quit? Or even worse...have we just given up? The answer to both questions is a resounding "No."
The reason behind this seeming inactivity is simple. I haven't felt up to it physically.
I was hospitalized in the June 2008 for a very serious matter which, all told, took about a year to bounce back from. Then this last summer, while preparing to re-launch into the "homestretch" season of prayerwalks, I cancelled that announcement because of further physical challenges, apparently distinct from the trauma of the previous summer. My doctors are still trying to figure it all out.
To make matters worse, Deanna, who has dealt with chronic arthritis issues for some years now, had an intensely acute and sustained flare-up this year, leaving her virtually (and quite painfully) disabled for a season. Though she would have preferred to stay on a homeopathic course of treatment, her pain level and lack of mobility necessitated she try more aggressive meds, which she'd hoped to avoid. At least she is beginning to feel significantly better.
What do we do in the face of these challenges?
We do the same thing you do; we keep standing. As the Apostle Paul wrote in the sixth chapter of Ephesians, "having done everything, to stand firm," we "stand firm" in the full armor of God.
The Lord's reach is never short, His sovereignty never shortsighted.
Jesus promised we would have "stuff" to deal with. He calls it "tribulation." (John 16:33) But even as he warns us, He admonishes us to cheer up, because He has overcome it all! Hallelujah! Besides, when compared to our brothers and sisters around the world being tortured and martyred for their stand in Christ, our "stuff" is small potatoes. This is certainly true for Deanna and me...
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory..." (2 Corinthians 4:17)
And although this shouldn't need be mentioned (I would hope you know us better by now), please don't think we've stopped contending for Christ's finished work of supernatural healing. (Puleeease!)
I've seen plenty of eye-popping miraculous healings in my day, even experienced a few of them myself. And while altogether glorious, none of those victories changed my life nearly as much as these recent challenges have. The "stuff" God allows us to endure shapes us. Faith-testing and day-numbering experiences truly are His richest blessings! (See James 1:2-4, Psalm 90:12)
Why am I telling you all this?
The dynamics of a communiqué like this are fascinating. Typically, neither Deanna nor I would share about personal health issues in such a public forum, not to withhold anything from our national "army" of prayer warriors, but to honor the very "concentric circles of priority" I spoke of in my last email. Notwithstanding, I'm sharing all this for three reasons:
One: That cat's already out of the bag.
When I went into the hospital in 2008, it truly was a life and death scenario and so Deanna wisely reached out beyond our "first circle." God has given us stewardship of a national call to repentance-in-unity. We saw that medical emergency as a spiritual attack against this very assignment. Therefore, it made strategic sense to do spiritual battle against it on a national level. And thanks to your help as part of that prayer-front, we prevailed. Glory to God!
Two: What's good for the gander is good for the goose.
We are a very small operation. It's just Deanna and me, plus a handful of volunteers around the country. Here's a real-life example: I cleared my travel schedule this October to finish up some writing vital to the mission, but ended up spending most of that time taking care of Deanna. Mind you, she's no wimp and didn't make a single demand, but she was really suffering and needed help even getting around. (Again, she is starting to feel significantly better. Hallelujah!)
Now, praise the Lord that His sovereign guidance allowed me to be home to care for my beloved, but it does illustrate how fragile a small operation like ours can be. From a spiritual warfare perspective...an attack against Deanna is an attack against me, is an attack against our family, is an attack against our mission...is an attack against our nation.
I'm not inflating the importance of our mission over anyone else's calling. Obedience is obedience; period. God doesn't measure things the way we do, thus, He admonishes us to not to think "more highly" of ourselves than we ought to, always remembering that "we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." (Read Romans 12:1-5)
After today's email, I won't keep dwelling on these personal prayer requests, but at this crossroads in the life of our mission, I'm hoping it will bring some context and understanding, to wit...
Three: There's no other explanation for these inordinate delays.
You support us...both in prayer and even financially. Notwithstanding my efforts to shield my family's privacy, it became clear to me that silence on these matters was no longer an option. Not explaining these delays to you would be akin to not treating you the way we would want to be treated. Sooner or later, you were going to start wondering why we're not "out there" more.
Well, we're gonna be...as the Lord wills.
So where do we go from here?
After a year-and-a-half of prayer on this, I finally got a revelation... IT'S NOT ABOUT ME.
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
That's not to say I ever thought it was about me. To my knowledge, I haven't thought that way since coming to Christ thirty years ago. (Thank You Jesus!) But when it came to strategizing about "homestretch" prayerwalks and such, I kept tripping up (no pun intended) over what I could personally do physically. Until it finally dawned on me... It doesn't matter what I can or can't do. All that matters is what we can accomplish together!
So you'd better start training now...I might need to lean on your strength!
I will be publishing plans for these remaining "homestretch" prayerwalks after the holidays. These plans will touch all 50 states and will be laser-focused on the repentance of ministerial leaders.
As we under-shepherds (literally) walk out the "stricter judgment" spoken of in James 3:1 as authentic examples of brokenness and humility, may we not only experience revival in our collective congregations, but may we see restoration of the public's trust in the Church, resulting in the greatest awakening in our nation's history!
With all my heart, I believe this mission is an integral part of the fulfillment of God's promise to a truly repentant people...even in this generation...
"...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Will you help us get there?
As I said in my last email, I've felt compelled to ask you to consider sowing a significant year-end gift into this mission. Let me be very clear: We don't deserve your help any more than we deserve God's grace. Nonetheless, your love and friendship is a big part of His grace to us. In the fear of the Lord, I believe He has sovereignly brought us together for such a time as this.
So let me say straight-up... These challenges I've outlined have taken a great financial toll on our little mission these last couple years. We didn't have a lot in reserves to start with, but the health-related setbacks to my full-time travels quickly depleted whatever small surplus we had, and then some...
Here's where the "significant" part comes in. As simple as the following sounds, I believe it's the strategy God has led us to... If you feel called to support this ministry in prayer, would you also consider sending us a special year-end gift of $100? I know that's a lot of money for many of us...especially during the holidays. (You may need to spread it out over the next 90 days or so.)
Why $100? I have no idea. Maybe it's because, even in 2009, a hundred-dollar bill is still..."significant." But I do know this: If this truly is God's simple plan to pull us out of the red ink of these recent spiritual battles, then it will bear its intended fruit...and God will be greatly glorified.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we often say things like the following to one another: "Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you."
I'm letting you know.
I would love to hear back from you today.
If you want to send a gift right now, you may go here. If you are planning to make a donation in the days or weeks ahead, I would love to hear from you. Any and all feedback is always appreciated. Thankful for so much to be thankful for, including you. Tom
(We had a relatively small Thanksgiving gathering this year...just Deanna, me, our three and some of our "adopted" kids.)
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