But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless. Psalm 141:8

Next weekend, October 4th and 5th, presents an opportunity to interact with a global Christian leader. Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi will be in our midst at Saint Barnabas for a men's breakfast on Saturday, October 4th from 8:30-10:30 am. The following day, on October 5th at 6:00 pm in Fort Worth, he will be speaking at a fundraiser for an international mission agency, Sharing of Ministries Abroad (please find the flyer here).  

I would encourage you to take advantage of one or both events as you will walk away strengthened and emboldened in your faith. Every time I have an opportunity to be with Archbishop Kwashi I am reminded of the great cloud of witnesses we are surrounded by in this life. He has been a spiritual father to me as he has invested deeply in my life and ministry over the years. I know your time with him will bear much fruit as he shares from his vibrant knowledge of the scriptures and his active faith.

Archbishop Kwashi is an Anglican bishop in northern Nigeria. In the region where he lives and ministers he daily faces persecution. Muslims and animist religions are a real threat, as you may have seen in news reports of the several bombing, kidnappings of school girls, and violent outbursts over the past several years. In fact, several attempts have reached close to home for both he and his family. Attempts have been made upon his life as a result of his unwavering leadership and faith. His home has been broken into, his family harassed, his wife and son attacked while he was away, additionally his priests have been killed.

Yet, in spite of this all he continues to place his steadfast trust Jesus Christ. The Anglican Church in his region continues to multiply rapidly producing new dioceses every few years as he leads his clergy and people to seek the lost and build the found. He has been sought after as a speaker in Africa, Europe, Australia, and all over the United States as Christians find hope in his testimony, teaching, and ministry. He has authored several books, and his wife, Gloria, recently released a book about her trials and God's provision and protection in the midst of her trials.

I hope you will seize this unique moment to spend time with this articulate and passionate pastor, leader, and brother in Christ. I promise that you will find it time well spent!  

Guest post by Kristi Heffron
 
I have participated in the 40 Days for Life for the past two years, and am looking forward to participating again this year.  Joining in with others, as we each commit to one hour a week to intentionally pray to end abortion in our country has truly been one of the highlights in my spiritual walk with the Lord. 
 
The Lord used the 40 Days events to speak to my heart, heal it and restore it; and has given me a great testimony to His grace and to the power of prayer.
 
I know that I am not alone, so I think I can confess, that before participating in the events, I had not always recognized the true power of intercessory prayer in my spiritual walk with the Lord.  Now, having participated in 40 Days for Life and also by participating in the group that prays for Saint Barnabas each week; I can testify and say with experience that intercessory prayer matters! 
 
Intercessory prayer is different than our personal prayer time with the Lord. I have come to know that intercessory prayer is prayer that we participate in with others, for others.  Praying for other people and their needs matters.  Our Lord hears the cry of his people, and I believe He honors our participation with Him. In the case of 40 Days for Life - praying for those who are considering, those who provide, and those who have already had an abortion matters!  Praying for the unborn matters!
 
For me, the discipline of committing to an hour on my calendar and committing to go with others who would hold me accountable was the key. Once I arrived for my hour, (which let’s face it, is 90% of the battle), hearing the prayers of others, or just praying in silence with others was the most peaceful hour of my week; and it was, for me, a beautiful moment of sacrifice that I knew the Lord would honor and bless. 
 
I invite you to join with me as we bring before the Lord the sacrifice of an hour to pray for the unborn.  The 40 Days for Life begins with a Kick-Off event the evening of September 24 at 7 p.m. at Planned Parenthood 6464 John Ryan Drive. 
 
The 40 Days runs from September 24 to November 2.  One hour a week during that time frame is what is being asked. Father Petta is happy to coordinate his schedule with anyone wanting to go. Email me or him if you are interested.  Once you decide on a time, go to www.40daysfortworth.com to register yourself, choose your time slot and sign your agreement to a peaceful prayer time.
 
If you are unable to participate in the 40 Days this year, but want to explore what God may be calling you to do in the area of intercessory prayer, I invite you join in at the church, Thursdays at noon, as we gather to prayer for the needs of the congregation; or feel free to email or call me and we can find a time that works for you to pray together for the needs of those around us.

Sunday initiates our fall calendar at the church. As we begin with classes and programs, our gospel reading from Matthew 18:21-35 serves as a perfect starting reminder of why we do so. In it, Jesus continues to challenge the cultural expectation as Peter asks about forgiveness following upon Jesus' teaching earlier in the chapter.
 
The norm in Jesus' day within the Jewish context was to forgive someone up to three times for grievances committed against them. After extending such graciousness, then one was free to disassociate and disregard the individual if it persisted. In many ways this in itself was seen as countercultural to those outside the Jewish context. So, as Peter asks if one should forgive seven times, he indicates he is absorbing Jesus' teaching by extending even more grace.
 
However, Jesus' reply to Peter pushes the expectation even farther to get to the heart of the issue. For Jesus states that one should not forgive merely seven times, but seventy times seven. To drive the point home, he concludes with a parable teaching about radical waiving of debts to show how we are to forgive as we have been forgiven by God. It truly blew the lid off of any cultural standards of the day, and would come as a start challenge to all who heard it.
 
It seems fitting for us to contemplate such a lesson as we begin a new fall calendar year, because we too are called to be countercultural. All that we do as a church is designed to help us grow as apprentices of Jesus and to assist us in following his life and teaching. It is for this reason that I urge you to make many of the fall offerings a priority.
 
The primary ongoing opportunities this fall are Wednesday night Alpha and Sunday morning studies. Wednesday night Alpha is for the whole family.

Alpha is a great program to empower us to articulate the faith, while simultaneously providing a safe atmosphere for us to bring others who may be wrestling or even hostile to the faith into conversation about it.

Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. we will meet for our Inquirer's or Church Membership Classes to explore our expression of Christianity within the Anglican context.

Following Sunday service, children and teens have an opportunity to grow in the faith during Sunday School as they dive into God's Word in fun and creative ways. While they meet, adults begin to mine the riches of the faith as they explore it in relationship with one another through a new tool, the catechism.
 
I encourage you to make such offerings a part of your fall routine, so that you may be salt and light in our world today. The Christian witness is not easy in our culture today, and so it is important that we encourage, grow, and uphold one another as we bear witness to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.