Tuesday, May 30, 2006

If all this blogging lark sounds like a foreign language click on the link below:

AQuickGuideToBlogging.doc

WHAT'S GOING ON THIS WEEK?
Here's a quick summary of the practical activities we are involved in this week

Tuesday
- Community Care Day: Working with the young people to serve and express God's love to the people of Perry Common
- Girls Allowed: Girls Club for 11-14 year olds, treasure hunt!
- Boys Football Project: Kingstanding, 2-4pm
- Football Club: 4-5pm
- Senior Club: 14-18 year olds, 7.30pm-9.30pm

Wednesday
- Girls Day Out: Waterworld, 10am-2.30pm
- Boys Football Project: Kingstanding, 2-4pm
- Junior Club: 10-14 year olds, 4-6pm
- Football Social: 10-11pm

Thursday
- Boys Day Out: Mountain Biking, 9.15am-2.15pm
- Boys Football Project: Kingstanding, 2-4pm
- Perry Common Cell Group: 7.45-10pm

As you can see we are quite busy this week so please pray that we would keep our guys on God and his heart for the young people rather than losing ourselves in managing the activities!

Thanks!

P.S. We'll publish some pictures soon...

Monday, May 22, 2006

We are 2 weeks into a season of prayer, and already there have been numerous encouragements through the Holy Spirits working in our hearts and within the local area.

As we have been praying it is like a new freedom has descended on times of prayer, both a freedom of prayer and a freedom of heart from which to pray. There have been many words about preparation, and going deeper, and these challenges have been both to our prayer investment into the area but also the investment into our own spirits of sensitivity to the Father. There is a tipping point, a 'right' depth that needs to be pressed into in order to sustain the seed and growth of the Kingdom.

Within the physical realm of the community there has also been a new openness, both in relationships and in receptivity to prayer. This is encouraging and yet we are also well reminded that this is a battle ground, and in order to extend the grace of God into the community we have to stand firm in prayerful authority on behalf of the community and each other.

Please pray with us this week for:-

Crime rate - (Increase for first 2 weeks in May)- pray for exposure / conviction and for the rule of peace over the community of Perry Common.

Government - There is a bit of a tussle at the moment within the political realm of Kingstanding (our Ward) with BNP candidate voted in through a mis count - pray for breakthrough of Gods rule of peace.

Scotty & pukka - 2 of the lads that God has really layed on our hearts at the moment - pray for revelation / conviction / salvation.

UDB - Pray for Andy who is currently in Ukraine doing short term mission stuff - Pray for energy for him - and blessing on Emma (Andys wife!)

TONIGHT - UDB presentation at neighbourhood forum - boldness in communicating who we are and what we believe - favour in response to what we do.

Thanks for your journeying with us in prayer, we may never know the full reality of the investment that prayer has made here, but how exciting to stand before the Father one day and hear him explain it!!!

Big Blessings

Monday, May 08, 2006

This week begins a journey of prayer for us in UDB as part of the missional community of Perry Common, as part of the UK and as part of the global prayer community. This week is National Prayer Week across the UK which we are connecting in with specifically to pray into our local community, and as such the prayer room is hosting a significant increase in prayer across the area. This Saturday coming is the national prayer day (Trumpet Call III) at the NEC and in the midst of that is the launch of redeeming our communities - prayerful pursuit of community transformation that has socio-economic impact. June 4th is the global day of prayer for which 500 million people worldwide will be uniting to pray. Leading up to this day will be 10 days of prayer, and follwing on from the Global Prayer Day we are hosting a team of Urban Missionaries through YWAM for 12 days, over which period the plan is to invest over 100 hours of prayer in each week into the local community.

Exciting hey, please join with us as we link up with the purposes of God across the earth, and if you would like us to send you more info about any of the specific events and how you can connect in with us in the midst of it all please email us at office@urbandevotion.org. We will keep you updated through posts on the blog of the things God speaks into us that may be of encouragement to you and your journey or inform your interest in ours!!!

Big Blessings

Friday, May 05, 2006

"Each time your spirit goes under and faints in the testing & trials which come to you, you lose mastery over the powers of darkness, i.e. you get below them instead of abiding above them in God. Every time you take the earth standpoint - think as men think, talk as men talk, look as men look - you take a place below the powers of darkness. The mastery of them depends upon your spirit abiding in the place above them, and the place above them means knowing God's outlook, God's view, God's thought, God's plan, God's ways, by abiding with Christ in God."

The above is an entry in the journal of James Fraser missionary to China, I have found it a really helpful reminder of the things we know yet so easily forget. In the context of our missional journey this struggle to remain in Jesus and not under the influence of the powers of darkness is a daily one - holding on to faith, prayer & patience is not that easy. Thank you to those of you who are journeying with us in prayer. Please Pray that we will remain in Jesus, both for our own sanity, and for the sake of the breakthrough that only he can release.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

PRAY!
  1. Wisdom for how to develop the project into the wider Kingstanding area
  2. Vision for Melissa as she begins shaping UDB's work with children in and around the estate
  3. Blessing for our team - Alex, Amy G, Amy K, Andy, Ann-Marie, Dean, Emma, James, Joel, Julie, Lou, Louisa, Matt, Mel, Sam, Victoria
  4. Kids Club - pray for the children that come along that they would meet with God and discover His love for them.
  5. Weekly Drop-In Clubs - pray that real relationships would form in the midst of activity and that the young people would discover Jesus.

If you would like to pray more specifically for any of the young people that we encounter please email us