The Cycle of Life

This is such a beautiful time here in Tennessee and many parts of the US, as the leaves are changing and making everything so beautiful, even though in reality they are dying so we may see the beauty not only in their death but again in the Spring in their resurrection as they bud and bloom into the beautiful creations they were created to be.

And so the cycle of life goes in nature, as Christians we have too have to die to self, to put aside the old man, through the symbolic washing of our sins through baptism, and allow the  new man to be born, with a new heart and a mind that will no longer conform to the ways of this world, but that will be transformed by the renewing of his mind in Christ Jesus, as we constantly wash our new man with the Word of God.

There has been much ‘dying’ in the Gray household of late, as the Lord prepares David and I as husband and wife to take our marriage to a new level in learning to work together in an arena we haven't before, as we head off into new unchartered territory for our family, much refinement is taking place, and refinement is never an easy or pleasant process, it takes time and a lot of pain, but as we are being refined we are seeing more and more of the new creatures we are being transformed into, as we die to our selfish natures and learn to lean on the Lord in all areas of our lives, He reveals more truth and more of the plan He has for us.

Our children too are part of this process, in our time studying the word at home, we have been learning about Pauls missionary journeys and what was required of him in a physical sense in going on these journeys.  It so brings joy to my heart for our children to see not only the fruit of Pauls labors, but also the sacrifice of his labors, and for them to realize that much might be required of them too, leaving the comfort of their home and friends, stepping outside of their comfort zone in a physical and for one of children in particular a geographical sense, and entering a whole new culture, that prayerfully they will embrace as David and I have and especially not having all the different cereals or snacks to choose from every day! – this a big step for our little brood.

 A lot of focus is on David and I and what we are going to do, but for us as parents, we are seeking to prepare them as much as ourselves, because they too are missionaries on this journey, as believers they too are called to share the Good News and to 'Go' and encourage others.  So it has been a sweet testimony this week to watch Timothy (we call him our little evangelist) in particular, step out and share his favorite verse with us that he wants to share with some of the kids at the orphanage.  Timothy’s verse came about this year, with the death of his baseball coach, and writing his son a note and encouraging him with that verse at the funeral over the summer, then again this past week, when a fellow homeschool mom was suddenly taken home to be with the Lord last week, he remembered that verse and what a comfort that scripture could be for her Husband and 5 children, so for him to experientially see it come alive in his own little life, as he and Daniel and Abigail, work through the issues the Lord allows to pass through His hands hands into their young lives, to help them know Him better, and to better prepare them for what their future holds, our God is a living, breathing God, who so loves us He sent His son to die for us, I could never imagine giving up one of my children that way, but what a God we have who loves us so intimately that He numbers the hairs on each of our heads, how much more than David and I does He love and care for our children, and will prepare and carry their hearts through this season in our lives.

Sunday (during our team training!) we had been discussing as a family what skits or scripture we would like to share over there and we encouraged to kids to pray about what God would have them do, then today as we were discussing a passage of scripture we had memorized last year, Timothy remembered how we had put it to actions (thanks Stephanie B) and how he thought that would be cool to do over there. What a blessing to see fruit in their young lives!! Lord may we be so filled up with you, we will just overflow with your love for the people of Zimbabwe and South Africa....

We are so privileged to be going on this journey and so thankful to those of you who have been supporting us prayerfully and financially, to allow it to happen.

Please continue to lift our family up in prayer, and for the remainder of our support to come in.  We have been blessed to be able to pay for our air tickets and to be able to cover the first months expenses over in Zim.

We will be leaving on 19 January, and still need to cover another month and a half of expenses and then ministry costs, for projects we are hoping to do in Zim.  Also if you could too be praying for our house, the renter didn’t work out and we are still hoping to sell before we leave, this would relieve a huge financial burden while we are gone.

If you have been wanting to make a donation and have not yet, or are able to make another one, all tax dedicutible donations can be made online at:

http://www.shepsstaff.org/gray.aspx

If you would like to make a cash donation to help cover ministry costs in Zimbabwe you can mail us a check or cash donation to David or Jackie Gray at 1715 Mountain Bay Drive, Hixson, TN 37343

If you had considered being a monthly supporter please go to http://www.shepsstaff.org/gray.aspx and you could prayerfull consider starting that from November 1, for the next few months, to help us reach our support goal.

Many thanks for your support and love

David, Jackie, Timothy, Daniel and Abigail

FUNDRAISING DINNER Tickets: There is still time to reserve your tickets for our Dinner Fundraiser at Blue Orleans Seafood Restaurant Downtown on October 2nd (5.30pm-7.30pm) Onsite Childcare is available for $5 per child (max $10) Tickets for the Dinner are $20 ($25 includes a $10 Blue Orleans Gift Card). If you come to Calvary Chapel Chattanooga we will be selling tickets before and after all 3 services this weekend. AUCTION: Gray Family Auction: Online Silent Auction (click on link to view auction)  is available for viewing online-many more items still to come, you do not have to attend the Dinner to bid, but bidding will be open till 7pm at the dinner...come join us for a wonderful evening, and be a part of what the Lord is calling our family to be a part of in Southern Africa.

Bear much fruit...

How we are but dust, but in and through Him, that dust can be turned into something eternal, something of infinite value, that no amount of money can buy, or sustain eternally.


We live in a society that screams materialism, that revolves around how much you have or don't have.  One of the elements of going on the mission field, is money, the need thereof, and oh how we need it, we cannot go without it, but lately through trying to raise support and trying to 'get what we need' I am slowly realising that God knows that need, that no matter how much we market, or campaign, or send letters or emails or have fundraisers, God knows that need and will supply it.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"  Phillipians 4:13.  The Lord does not need our works, yes we are called to be obedient to His call and to do what He asks of us, but does He really need us to do anything? He is God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the very breath that we breath, the one who hung the stars in place and knows them all by name - by name!! I can barely remember my kids names day to day in the busyness of life.  How so much higher and wiser are His ways than ours!

In the stilllness here of the night I realise that all He really wants is a relationship with me, for me to talk with Him and walk with Him, and how in doing that I start to see the plan He has for my life, and then in turn how when I am obedient to the things He asks of me, I in turn find myself in deeper realtionship with Him whick in turn leads me to start getting relational with others, yes He could just drop us a check into our bank account for what we need to go on our trip, but oh how sweet are the relationships we are developing along the way, how refining is the process for us to become more and more like Him.

In the effort to raise support, how sweet are the friendships that are deepening through this process, and some more than others, some are being refined or even blown away like chaff, but how sweet is the fruit in the lives of those around us as others see and watch us Walk and Talk with our Lord, may we all be a blessing to each other, and truly use what He has gifted us with - whether it be finances, time, prayer, encouragement, acts of service...22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22 and 23 

 In our current walk and talk with the Lord we are seeking to raise our airfare to go to Zim and South Africa, there are a few fun ways to get involved by either coming to our Yard Sale this Friday 2-5pm and Saturday 8-2pm, or by joining us for a sweet evening of Fellowship at Blue Orleans in downtown Chattanooga on October 2nd from 5.30-7.30pm (tickets available through Thursday 22 Sep)  or lastly by bidding on our Online Auction, see tab at top right of Blog page...

May the Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, may He be gracious to you and
give you His peace....

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS...

Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^f of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

This past Sunday Evening we had to great privilege of being part of something BIG.  You know when you see the Mighty Hand of God at work in others and you are there in the midst, by none of your own doing, but just privileged to see how great the Lord is, and how when a few individuals are faithful in prayer and obedient to the calling the Lord has for them, you truly see what can be accomplished for His purposes.

Homes of Love celebrated its 10 year anniversary this past Sunday, and when 79 orphaned children are living in a loving home, being taught the word of God, attending school and learning what it truly means to be  “ predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will”  Ephesians 1:5, it is a beautiful thing and I know it makes the Lord smile and say "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'. Matthew 25:23

Our friends Shadrech and Millie in Zimbabwe, and their now 5 children, have been ‘grafted’ into this marvelous work of the Lord and we are truly thankful that the Lord has us in their lives for such a time as this, they are one of the reasons we are wanting to go to Zimbabwe, to be a part of this marvelous work of the Lord.  After Sunday night David and I truly looked at each other on the way home, having a WOW moment, having had the Lord confirm in both our hearts that sweet night, the deep longing of our hearts, to say with all certainty that we are truly sons and daughters of God, and the people of the beautiful land of Zimbabwe truly are our brothers and sisters. And we thank God that He has called us for such a time as this to be a part of the great and marvelous work He is doing in that land, to be able to humbly serve those who are accomplishing great and mighty things for our great and marvelous God.

“and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that w may also be glorified with Him:  Romans 8:17

So as we continue to have this calling confimed in our lives, we ask that you petition the Lord with us for the saints in that land, as they seek to do spirtitual battle and go against cultural norms, that the Lord would strengthen and heal them both  physically and spiritually, that He would provide much needed resources to help them to continue in their calling, and that as the team from our home church Calvary Chapel goes out in a just over a week, that they would be an encouragement and help to those there.

We would also ask for you to prayerfully consider making a financial donation to help us cover the costs of our trip and ministry costs when we go.  Our target date for leaving is January 15, 2011, which has shifted some to help better serve those we are going to serve.  We still have a mountain to conquer financially, and are trusting the Lord to accomplish this.

If you would like to make a financial contribution towards our trip please click on  www.shepsstaff.org/GRAY.ASPX  and click on the DONATE NOW button, all donations are tax deductible and will go towards our airfare and living expenses on our trip.  If you would like to give more than you are currently able, you can also get set up as a Monthly Supporter and give a smaller amount over the course of a few months (i.e. if you would like to give $100, but cannot afford it in one lump sum, you can set yourself up as a monthly support and give $20 per month over a 5 month period),  you can cancel your monthly support once you have reached what you would like to give.

BLUE ORLEANS DINNER: Lastly please note that our Blue Orleans fundraiser dinner is now on Sunday October 2^nd, space is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot now, payment is not due till the middle of September (please see previous post for full details)

 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen  Ephesians 4:19-20

Save the date: Sunday October 2, 2011 (date has changed!)

Blue Orleans 2 October 2011, 5.30pm-7.30pm
Please note the date change, if you have already reserved a spot, please let us know if you are still able to make the new date)

We will be hosting an exclusive and fabulous dinner at Blue Orleans Restaurant, in downtown Chattanooga at Market and Main Street, to help raise support for our upcoming missions trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa in December 2011.

Reserve your seats now, tickets are limited and will be a minimum dontation of $20 per person (adults and children) in the restaurant and $5 per child in the childcare area (12 and under maximum charge of $10 for families of 3 or more children needing childcare).

We will be having a fun night of Great Food, Fellowship, Silent and Live Auctions and Sharing our heart on what we feel the Lord is leading us to over there in the short term for our December-February trip and long term over the next few years. 

Please email d_jgray@bellsouth.net or call Jackie 423-304 1508 to reserve your spots now.  Childcare will be limited to the first 50 children and the restaurant to the first 130 to make reservations.  If you would like to purchase extra tickets please also let us know.  Payment will only be due in September, but we need to know how many to cater for in advance, so reserve now!

AUCTION:  If you would like to donate any items to our silent auction please let me know, Professional Services, handmade goodies, perishable and non, gift cards, paintings any items really!  All proceeds will go towards our airfare and towards projects we would like to be do with the ministries we will be working with.  We are also looking for 2-3 larger items for our Live Auction.

*If you would like to help serve or have teenagers that would like to help serve in the restaurant and with the childcare, please also let us know.

If you are not able to come that night, but would still like to be involved, we are still trying to raise monthly support for our expenses in Africa, for the months we will be gone, all online donations are tax deductible and can be made either monthly or as a one time gift at:
 www.shepsstaff.org/gray.aspx    Acct no: 6003 (David and Jackie Gray)

Much love in the Lord
David and Jackie

Overcoming Goliath...

Dear Lord,

We're here to love You, to obey you, to glorify You. O my Beloved may I be a joy to You!

Today thankfulness comes from having the privilege of being able to pour into my sweet family, as much as laundry, and dishes and cleaning and schooling can get tiresome, I am amazed at how each morning the Lord renews us and gives us grace for another day - how privileged we are to be entrusted with the life of another - at times I am overwhelmed with the joy that my children bring me, but other times I am overwhelmed with how much heartache we can cause each other as human beings.  On my first trip to  Zimbabwe I was in awe when we got to see giraffes - I had never before seen a real live one that close, they are so beautiful and statuesque, I almost expected Noah to be standing around the corner next to the ark! But how much more beautiful and worthy of our admiration is the One who created our children and all living things. Gods promises are always true, He never has and never will fail us or cause us heartache or dissapointment, when man seems to fail you, look to the One who will never fail you, who will never dissapoint you or let you down!

Aren't you grateful for the delight and privilege of praising our wonderful God, the most beautiful and generous and trustworthy of all beings!

Today I choose to trust the Lord, to remember His promises and to listen and be reminded of the Goliath's He has overcome in mine and my families life, today I lift up friends who also face their own Goliath's who maybe need to be reminded that the Lord is faithful and trustworthy and His promises are always true.

 

As we continue on our journey to sell our home and trust the Lord to provide financially for a big journey with our young children, in just over 4 months, may I ask you to partner with us in prayer and petition the Lord with us to give us the patience needed in the process, to trust His timing and provision and to be sensitive to what He (not what we feel) He is calling us to. 

 

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

For Sale

Acts 17:26...and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation

As our boundaries begin to shift and we feel the Lord tugging on our heart to continue forward with our journey to Africa, we find it is time to set up for ourselves guideposts, so we may return to the cities we feel the Lord leading us back to:  our FOR SALE sign in our yard being the first one!

Please would you prayerfully partner with us as we seek a buyer or possibly renter for our home, which will allow us to downsize considerably to enable us to go to Africa for 3 months this coming December, not only will it help us financially but we also feel long term it is part of the Lords plan for us to be over there longer term.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.236260226394830.58272.236255709728615#!/pages/Grays-Home-for-Sale/236255709728615?sk=info to see all the info, please feel free to share this with anybody whom you think may be interested.  The Lord has very graciously allowed us to sell two homes on our own in Florida, so in light of wanting to be good stewards with what He has gifted to us, with our real estate over the years, we are pursuing this route for now.

If you would like further information on our trip, our would like to contribute financially please click on the link on the RHS of this blog which will link you directly to our Shepherds Staff account.

Please also follow our blog so you can stay updated on our upcoming fundraising yard sale and dinner....