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1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. 

3 And gathered from the lands,From the east and from the west,From the north and from the south

As we get ready to head into 2019 I would ask that you pause and reflect on all the good the Lord has done for you in 2018. So many times we forget to stop and say thank You for the smallest things in life… for our families, and how we are uniquely made and blessed by one another, for our vehicles that get us us to our homes and work places. We can even be thankful for where we live — East/West/North/South can be such a blessing. Stop sometime in the morning, noon, or night and think about all the good God has done. As you begin to do this I trust that your heart will be filled with joy, knowing that even in some of the most difficult moments of the year He was right there with you every step of the way. The more we sit with God and remember all that He has done for us and given us, the more our faith increases. Take some time to reflect on God’s goodness and faithfulness over this year, and let your roots grow a little deeper in Him.

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He talked about their early struggles and some of life’s difficulties as a couple, but along the way he and his wife found Jesus. Their lives were radically changed because of it and they got a vision for their lives in their marriage. They realized God had given them the ability and creativity to do great things. Their goal was to lead people to the Lord and to be generous with their earnings. Joe and his wife Anna now have 5 children and run 33 McDonalds. They use their platform in business and their testimony to love and lead in a difficult world. I watched family and friends say that because of Joe and Anna’s life change, their lives got changed! The one thing I took away from all that Joe said was: don’t forget where you came from and don’t be ashamed of where you came from! God can do miracles!!!

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Waiting can be a difficult thing in a world where everything is at your fingertips. We’re living in a time where things are easily accessible : all we have to do is point and click or chat with our favorite voice assistant and we get what we need.

But, patience can be a good thing because it can teach you the value of something.

I remember a time when I played college football and I thought I was ready to get on the field. I complained about not getting playing time, and sometimes thought I was better than those guys on the field. But what I didn’t know was that I had to be prepared first in the little things: watching film, reading the playbook, and conditioning.

In one game in particular, I tried to get on the field too early, but failed miserably and got embarrassed. From that experience I learned you must be prepared for the things you’re asking God for, and be willing to take the long road, not the shortcuts. The process of waiting is ok because it teaches you what you’re made of internally, and helps you to be thankful when you make it to the mountaintop, or reach your goal. Patience is difficult… But the journey is always worth it.

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By: Shino Prater

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Baja took us out of our comfort zones and normal routines. From the first day, we worked with people we recently met on the bus. We also learned to navigate a new culture and language barriers. This trip stretched us beyond ourselves. God met us as we stepped out in faith despite being in an unfamiliar place. We knocked on doors and invited people to our events where we had a blast bringing hope to so many in Baja. We also got our hand’s dirty building a church for the community. Boy, was it dusty and hot! It was all worth it in the end.

Looking back, we went in thinking that we were going to be a blessing for Baja. We did not know that Baja was going to be a blessing to us. We left with new friends and deeper relationships. We saw what God can do when we show up, do our part and ask Him to meet us and answer our prayers. We saw how God can use our simple lives to speak to and even encourage others.

None of this would have been possible without the prayers and support from you, our Every Nation NJ family. We look forward to sharing our testimonies with you and hope you too will be inspired to go on a mission trip. It will change your life for the better!

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I taught this to my son Nathan when he started playing football. When he was younger he would play off the receiver and he would let him run past him. I told him, “son, you need to go up and get in front of him and jam him up!” The first time he did it he pushed the kid down and we got a sack on the quarterback! One of the greatest joys I have as a father is to pass down the wisdom that was handed down to me about this game.

As a child I grew up playing football in the state of Texas — football is a religion down there. It goes like this, God, family, and football. I started out playing pee-wee ball and I was small in stature and afraid to get hit! But God gave me speed. Because of that gift of speed I got noticed going into middle school. Our local high school coaches would drop by our games. They singled me out pretty quickly based on talent.

When I arrived in high school I was ready to play Texas high school football. It seemed like everybody was good and that you had to play your best at all times. This pursuit of excellence opened the doors for me to play for Penn State, and then a short stint in the pros.

And now my son Nathan is on this same path. I helped coach his pee-wee team, and now I watch film with him and teach him techniques that I didn’t learn until college and the pros. I’m believing that I can pass the baton to him so he can run farther and faster than his dad. Now that he is entering high school, I believe the best is yet to come!

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

This verse isn’t talking about football training, but the principle is the same. Whatever wisdom and insights you have, if you pass them down to someone, they will reap a reward from what you taught them. A coach’s job is to take their knowledge and give it to the players to make them better.

You don’t have to be a parent or coach for this Proverb to apply to you. We all have been given influence in someone’s life — sometimes it is obvious, and sometimes we need to look around at who God has placed in our lives. Being a mentor in any capacity can greatly transform someone’s life.

This verse is an encouragement. If we put in the time and energy into another person, it will pay off. They will grow, and we will have impacted them. People respond — especially people younger than you — when you show them that you want to help them grow because you truly care about them. A kid’s face will light up when you tell them that you believe in them and that they can be even better than you are.

To pass the baton is simple. Find ways to mentor, train, or build up others in something that you are good at. You have knowledge that can benefit someone who is coming up behind you — knowledge that could change the trajectory of their life.

We were created to make a difference in our communities and so I encourage you today, find someone in your life that you can pass the baton to.

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From the beginning, I wasn’t in this alone. God brought three other young men into my life that had a similar dream. They were campus missionaries at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. They too wanted to serve the church as senior leaders. Almost instantly we went beyond simply being friends — we became each other’s champions.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to find people that will champion you where you are at now. Few of us are able to reach our goals on our own. If you look at many successful people you will find a team of people behind them that are helping them attain their goals. We live in a culture that says success comes easy, but it doesn’t. The process of realizing your dream can be agonizing and you need people there to encourage you when you are at your lowest. On top of that, you need people who will grind with you until you begin to see results, and that is what I had in these friends.

When I think of that group of friends that I had back then, this verse comes to mind: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) I remember our many phone calls, checking in to find out how we were doing and how our campus ministries were coming along. We would ask each other how we could help, and if there was anything we could do on their campuses to help build momentum.

We also set goals for our ministries. These goals kept us focused and allowed us to keep building. We could see the progress we were making and places where we had to press in even more. There were many sleepless nights, as we continued to believe God to help us with raising up the next generation of leaders on black college campuses across the country. We didn’t know it then, but this was preparing us for the work of being senior ministers.

Sixteen years of friendship and counting. That is what it took for us to get where we are today. Who would have ever thought that 4 young campus ministers who were chasing a dream would end up becoming Senior Ministers in churches across the country? Each of us can trace the dream back to our relationship with each other and how we spent time cultivating it together. To this day we still keep in touch and have solid relationships.

Through this process, I learned that no man should walk alone. When I was a young campus minister I didn’t think that way. It was all about me and my things, my life, what I wanted. I never realized how much I would need my brothers, and I am so grateful that they have been there with me through it all. We could not have come this far on our own, and I thank God every day for bringing my brothers along for the journey.

God knows exactly WHO you need to achieve your potential on this earth.
Ask Him today to show you those friends who will help you to carry your dream until you begin to live it.

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I don’t know about you, but I enjoy receiving gifts. There have been moments in my life where against my better judgment, God has asked me to give to Him and to others. Now, I was in a position where I needed the gift, but instead, I was supposed to be the gift giver. God was asking me to trust Him and step out in faith. In these moments, I am reminded of the impoverished widow in Mark 12:41-44 who gave all the money she had. She had nothing, but she still gave and Jesus praised her actions, her actions showed her level of faith in God, and of her reliance on Him. If we serve others, God sees that.

There is something interesting that happens when we decide to focus on God and others instead of ourselves. When we turn our eyes away from OUR situation, we can get ourselves out of that rut. At first, we think that we have to figure out what is making us stuck, or find an answer to our problem. But, more often than not, if we simply let go of the need to figure it out, we release our faith and allow God show us the answer. Often times we cannot see it for ourselves. We need God to reveal the answer to us. But if we are continually focused on ourselves, then we are trying to do God’s work for Him, instead of relying on Him.

Christ teaches us to put others above ourselves, to be sacrificial: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Why is it that when we are attentive to others, our needs somehow get met too? When we give, not looking for anything in return, God is the one who can reward us, and we get more returned to us. God’s promise is that when we “give, it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).  

There is no greater reward we can receive than that which comes from God. I have witnessed many times how God’s rewards have been far greater than what I could have imagined for myself. I remember a specific time when I was dealing with a difficult situation and had some unexpected additional expenses to pay for. Because I had been pouring my life into others around me, many of my friends stepped up to help me with whatever they had. I did not even have to ask them! God will reward us and provide for us if we rely on Him. When He provides or gives us the answers we’ve been seeking, we know that it is from Him alone!

God has not called us to give what we don’t have but to give from what we do have. As we do this, we are sharing the love of God to those around us. As we take care of others, God takes care of us. And all that comes back to us and into our lives is from God, and we give Him the glory.

So today I challenge you, instead of looking to be blessed, think of a way that you can be a blessing to someone.

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