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Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God. This month we will be praying for YWAM’s Leaders.
Topic suggested by participants in The Invitation survey. Written by David Cole in New Zealand. Photo: Loren Cunningham speaks to the Strengthen the Steel gathering. By Dennis Fahringer, YWAM Kona.
This is a significant time for the YWAM movement and its leaders. YWAM’s founder, Loren Cunningham, is continuing to influence the mission with energy and vision despite stage four lung cancer, maximizing the days he has. During this post-Covid season there have been many regional and focused YWAM leadership gatherings, including a group of 242 young leaders who met in Hawaii in April to consider how to “strengthen the steel” in their leadership. The first YWAM global gathering of leaders since 2014 is taking place this year in Chiang Mai, Thailand from September 14 to 18. At least 650 leaders will attend. God has always led us in major leadership gatherings and we are expecting Him to do this again. Please pray for a deep and powerful move of the Holy Spirit among us. Please take a moment to pray right now and please also pray with us on September 14, our prayer day for the YWAM prayer initiative called The Invitation.
- Pray for YWAM leaders globally that they would be guided by a “GPS” of Generosity, Purity and Servanthood. This message strongly emerged from the Strengthen the Steel gathering in Kona, Hawaii.
- Pray for preparation of every leader’s heart for the Chiang Mai gathering and provision of resources to get there. For protection over all in the YWAM family, ministry locations and campuses as leadership gather from around the world.
- Pray for the backbone team, for wisdom and skill for those working behind the scenes on logistics, tech, registration and other areas preparing for and during the gathering. For the Thai venue and accommodation facilitating team to know great grace on them as they seek to serve us. For protection and security over every aspect of the gathering to ensure the health and well being of each participant.
- Pray for God to be glorified through all that is said and done during this time together. For Jesus to be lifted high above all YWAM ministries.
- Pray for unity, for the gathering to be marked by a deep spirit of humility, unity and love–that we know a oneness in spirit and faith together at a new level.
- Pray for the convening team, for an anointing of wisdom on the convening team, and those presenting or facilitating things publicly. For the “word of the Lord” to be discerned clearly and followed through on each day.
- Pray for wisdom and clarity in strategy as we look forward to the decade ahead and beyond. Pray for a renewed understanding of our role as a movement in the Body of Christ in these days and a release of faith and boldness to go to the next level globally.
- Pray for each participant to be encouraged, strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit during the gathering.
- Pray for the Cunningham family at this tender time. Pray for Loren Cunningham, for strength and guidance as he shares the vision God has given him about oral Bible translation in every mother tongue on earth.
How We Prayed
YWAM’s Broader Family, August 10, 2023
A participant in The Invitation asked us to pray for her relationship with a YWAM friend. As she prayed with us she thought of a possible misunderstanding between them.
Join The Invitation
Sign up for prayer emails and find translations in many languages at ywam.org/theinvitation. Please contact us at prayer@ywam.org to let us know how you prayed, to recommend a prayer topic, or to request an advance copy of the prayer guide.
When I prayed for this meeting, I just reminded of what we had talked on the season of pruning . The thing I got from thinking on that topic is quite bitter but sweet as well. Since then, we have lost lots of great leaders in our era. I’m not professional at gardening, so I searched about pruning on the web. And I found these two forms of pruning implying critical meaning about our time of pruning in some ways.
1. Thinning: A more drastic form of pruning, a thinning out cut is the removal of an entire shoot, limb, or branch at its point of origin. This is usually employed to revitalize a plant by removing over-mature, weak, problematic, and excessive growths. When performed correctly, thinning encourages the formation of new growth that will more readily bear fruit and flowers. This is a common technique in pruning roses and for amplifying and “opening-up” the branching of neglected trees, or for renewing shrubs with multiple branches.
2. Reduction reduces the size of a tree, often for clearance for utility lines. Reducing the height or spread of a tree is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles (at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem). Compared to topping, reduction helps maintain the form and structural integrity of the tree.
As I searching for this, I could feel that our beautiful gardener has been working for us sincerely but at the same time, couldn’t help feeling deep sorrow for the loss of our good neighbors and leaders during His pruning. Why God.. why.
The answer I got was simple and clear.
It was Photosynthesis.
After pruning, the most beneficial thing a tree can get will be the richer sunlight.
The next step for a pruned tree is more active photosynthesis.
I believe God is now leading us to the season of photosynthesis.
God highlighted these 3 words in photosynthesis.
1. Reacting to sunlight
2. Compound; mix, blend, reconcile
3. Transform
I believe these words might give some inspiration to our leaders.
Yes, It’s time to grow again, time to transform, and time to seek more of Him!
Through this GLG, I hope we could find God’s abundant grace upon us and His great plans for us.
Mega blessings,
Young ah