This page is for those who are praying for and in other ways partnering together in support of Ruth Hubbard’s ministry with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
June 2012 Prayer Update
General requests that apply all the time
- Pray that I will continue to grow in endurance, patience and grace (and yes, I do know that’s a dangerous prayer).
- Pray that I will rely fully on the Holy Spirit to provide all that I need to do all He directs me to do.
- Pray that I will not let ego get in the way — either propelling me to self-serving decisions/responses or hindering me from courageous leadership.
- Pray that I will find spaces for restoration and rejuvenation along the way.
- Pray that I will not be distracted by all the things that can distract me personally.
- Pray that I will daily spend time in the Word and in worshipful prayer, that I will listen well to those who hold me accountable, and that I will apply what I learn.
Answers to some of your prayers:
Anita’s house: SOLD!! She’s made financial sacrifices to stay with Wycliffe rather than moving back to St. Louis. Praise God for the sale and join me in asking Him to keep showing Himself Anita’s faithful provider and comfort.
LOOK!2012: The gathering of leaders in the Bible translation movement exceeded expectations in many ways. Praise God for ways that He worked in and through us.
- I loved meeting some of my “heroes” in this movement — found myself just short of gawking as I stood in line for a meal and realized that the person over yonder was one of the men or women whose story I’ve told.
- I loved having my heart and mind challenged through the teaching of Chris Wright who focused on the holistic Gospel. Good stuff.
- My butt was kicked by Lindsay Olesburg in a bonus session on Spiritual Renewal. I’m working on implementation for the long haul. Things she taught combined with things I’ve been hearing from multiple other people have me considering what it would look like to take monthly one-day retreats and have me more committed than ever to real vacation each year.
Pray with me that I will be faithful to all I’ve committed to do. Pray also that God will use theses plans according to His purposes — and that we will be flexible to alter the plans if He directs us to do so.
Prayer in Calendar Order:
May 29: Ad Hoc Committee of Wycliffe’s Board of directors all day will have me fully engaged from 7:30 until I head to the airport mid-afternoon. Pray that God will guide this time together.
May 29-31: I’ll travel (with Wendy Scott-Penson) to Dallas where she and I will facilitate the BASIC course for a group gathering there on Wednesday and Thursday. Pray that the time will be beneficial to all.
June 4-8: This will be my first “regular” week in a while. Pray for focused productivity, including a number of meetings: Wycliffe@URBANA12 strategy team, a group considering volunteer ops, staff updates, etc.
June 6: EnterMission. I’ll be sharing a bit of my story and leading a time of Q&A with staff as we establish one of the “summer features” for our weekly gathering.
TO BE CONTINUED>>>>>
Prayer by Topic:
EnterMission
- Pray that we will identify someone to take on the coordination of EnterMission so it can get the attention I can’t provide.
- Pray that alternative plans for the summer months will come together quickly and meed real needs among staff while staying true to the purpose of EnterMission.
Wycliffe@URBANA12
- Pray that God will move the leadership of Urbana to include some of the seminars we proposed.
- Pray that the strategy team and marketing/communications team will work well together as our plan is fleshed out this month.
- Pray that we will identify and recruit God’s team for on-site at URBANA12
Translation Controversy
It’s possible that you’ve received (or soon will) a letter from Bob Creson, President of Wycliffe USA, making sure you’re aware of a translation controversy in which Wycliffe is deeply engaged. This issue has been one of my primary points of focus for the past six months and will continue to be a part of my work for the foreseeable future. While I’m not the expert on the theological or linguistic aspects of the controversy (even though I know quite a bit more today than I did last year at this time), I’ve given leadership to various aspects of our response including what we say and don’t say — and when — and through what media. I’ve been a part of a team and am grateful for God’s grace extended to us time and again over these months.
- Pray that we will consistently reflect the very character of Christ in all of our responses to criticism, including accusations which have sometimes been rather twisted and therefore difficult to answer with a “sound bite.”
- Pray that we will continue to seek God’s wisdom and God’s direction in all things.
- Pray that God will work through the panel being called together by the World Evangelical Alliance to speak into the controversy.
- Rejoice with us that the WEA accepted the invitation (by SIL International and Wycliffe) to do this audit.
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Financial Partnership Update
My prayer requests related specifically to the financial aspects of my partnership team continue to be essentially the same as they’ve been:
- Pray that I will make wise choices while stewarding the resources I have
[A number of sizable one-time gifts in April enabled me to restore my savings, making a "short" month like May (less than $600 made it to my account) livable. When extra arrives, I need the discipline to see it as "for something I'm not yet aware of" rather than "let's go shopping" money.] - Pray that I will continue find great joy in generosity and not succumb to fear or a scarcity mindset
- Pray that God will clearly direct me toward what I need to be doing to invite others to join our team
[As June appears to bring a few weeks without travel, I'm expecting that some of the things identified by my advisory board will be put into action. Grateful for the accountability and creativity.] - Pray that those through whom God intends to provide for my financial needs will be obedient and find great joy in generosity
