John McGowan

We’re continuing our study of David’s life and the Psalms he wrote in hopes of continuing to upgrade our prayer lives by praying more biblical prayers.  This week, we’re tackling a topic we all have to deal with more than we would like - what do we pray when we’ve sinned?  This should honestly be the most freeing and encouraging night of the series!  So, make plans to join us at one of our campuses or online.  It’s also a great weekend to bring a friend as we lift up the hope of forgiveness and restoration we find in Jesus.

 See you at Frontline!

Ever wonder why we’re so excited about the potential of Regional Communities?  Read this short update from Frontline PW’s Gainesville RC to find out:

Hello friends,

We are Tommy & Karsta and very excited about what God is doing through our Regional Community in Gainesville. A few months ago we started working with The BARN, a transitional housing & service provider for women and their children in the Northern Virginia area. We are happy to share that at this point, we serve dinner to the families and help out at a Yard Sale Fundraiser on a monthly basis.

Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to serve a delicious pasta/salad/dessert meal to the approx. 30 women & children and we are thankful for everyone who came out!!! It was fun to interact with and talk to the moms as well as play with the kids (they LOVE all the attention =)). It was one of the children’s 5th birthday and we all got to sing Happy Birthday to her!

Every Tuesday evening the women have to take a life skills class and Tommy was asked to teach it at the very last minute (the people who were scheduled to teach canceled unexpectedly). He explained tax laws & regulations that apply specifically to the women at The BARN and answered many questions. We even got to cover some budgeting techniques as well as share about our Gainesville Regional Community & MBC/Frontline! It was amazing and we laughed so much with the women!!! What a HUGE praise and we look forward to going back again soon.

Another big praise and update: at the last Yard Sale a total of $6,921.94 was raised for the families at The BARN!!!

We are very thankful for the opportunity to serve The BARN and pray God will bless our growing relationship with the women, children and staff.

Tommy & Karsta

How awesome is that?  Praise God for what He is doing in Gainesville and all over the DC area!

This seems like the right kind of series to be announcing on the National Day of Prayer!  Timing aside, I can’t wait for the series we’re starting at Frontline this weekend.  We’re going to study four different psalms David wrote at various points in his life to answer the question, “What Do I Pray When…?”  We’ll be talking about what to pray when:

• We’re Joyful
• We’ve Sinned
• We’re Spiritually Empty
• We’re Sad

I’m asking God to use this series to help us pray more consistently and more biblically.  It’s going to be a real shot in the arm for our prayer lives.

See you at Frontline!

We’re wrapping up our series, “The Broken Clock”, this week at Frontline.  We’re going to tackle the elephant in the room: our jobs!  For most of us, the big threat to living according to God’s priorities and finding time to rest is our jobs.  They’re all consuming and leave us exhausted.  This week, we’re going to talk about one simple principle that could change all of that for you. 

You don’t want to miss Frontline this week.  Bring your friends and co-workers if you want.  You can even bring your boss - I promise, they won’t be offended!

I get asked this one a lot, actually.  I sometimes hesitate to answer because I think there’s more value in you figuring out what rest looks like for you.  But if it helps, here’s what an average day off looks like for me:

- I actually don’t sleep in!  I know, that’s shocking but I’ve found I sleep better if I get up at the same time every day.

- I grab a cup of coffee, head to my little office at home and spend time with the Lord first thing in the morning.  I read, pray, journal and think back over the past week.

- Then I go meet one of my closest friends for coffee.  It’s a time for accountability, catching up on life and talking about God’s Word.  We do it every week, same time, same place.  It’s honestly one of the most important things I do every week.

- After that, I go to the gym or go on a hike with Laura.

- All of that usually takes until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.  From there, we do whatever we want: take a nap, read, cook dinner together, go for a walk, go out to lunch, hangout with friends, watch a movie, go for a drive in the country (I know, that sounds crazy old fashioned!), really….whatever!

- I almost always go to sleep early that night.  So, if we hang out with friends, we do it early.  With a good night’s sleep behind me, I feel great the next morning.

The only things I absolutely won’t do: check email, answer the phone or schedule meetings.

Like I said earlier, the real question is what does a day off look like for you?

Taking a sabbath day requires planning.  Since Friday is normally my day off, that means I spend 15-20 minutes on Thursday making sure everything is in good shape before I go.  That time is mainly about anticipating things that could come up on Friday that would force me to interrupt my rest.  Over the years, I’ve developed a checklist of questions to help make sure I’m ready to rest.  I thought I would share it in the hopes it helps ease you into your weekend/day off:

• Is there anything my boss has asked me to do this week that is still undone?
• Any phone calls I need to return today?
• Any emails that need to be answered today?
• Is there anyone on my team who is waiting to get an answer from me on something?
• Is there anything happening while I’m gone that I want to give input on now?
• Any unresolved conflicts, misunderstanding or tension I need to deal with?
• Is my Out of Office reply on my email?
• Did I update my voice mail to say I’m out of the office?

It doesn’t take long to run through the checklist and it prevents all kinds of interruptions when you’re trying to rest.

I’m praying we’re all doing a lot of thinking this week about God’s priorities for our lives.  I really meant it at Frontline when I challenged you to define them and write them down at some point this week.  Don’t dismiss that as so simple that it’s not worth your time.  It will reap huge benefits for you in life. 

Once you have those priorities clear, figure out how to keep them in front of you.  A one time exercise doesn’t change anything.  Romans 12:2 teaches us we’re transformed by the renewing of our mind - that’s an ongoing, daily process.  So, keep those priorities in front of you.

Maybe you’ll put them down on an index card you keep on your desk.  I have a sticky note on my Mac’s dashboard that lists out my priorities (PC people, there’s got to be a way for you to do that too, right?).  I would also encourage you to share your list with your small group, mentor or accountability partner.  Make that a regular part of your conversation.  Find people who will ask you, “Are you living according to your priorities?” 

However you do it, get those priorities defined and then figure out how to keep them in front of you.