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The First Day of the Rest of My Life

I was deeply moved at Tent tonight to make a profound, lifelong, change of direction.  I have not been seeking the Lord first as I ought.  I have not been embedded in His Word and have not been deep in prayer as I am called to be.  I have allowed the distractions of life to carry me away from seeking Him first.  I have allowed my frustrations and carnal reactions develop a root of bitterness.

 

I choose to seek Him and His temple.  I choose to dwell in His House.  I choose the One Thing that truly will bring satisfaction and protection and victory over my enemies.

 

Holy Spirit, seal this decision tonight as the first day for the rest of my life.  Without Your seal, without Your power, I have no hope.

Awaking the Plans of God

If I look back on the scripture promise above from Ps
20, I realize that one of the key desires and plans is
for Alla to be cared for. ?Lord, I present her to you
and ask that you bring forth the desire in my heart,
that she is cared for, that she is a integral part of
our family, that she is blessed through us and that we
are blessed through her, that we enjoy lifelong
relationship and heritage. Let our plans you planted
in our hearts for bringing her into our family not be
futile.?

I woke up this morning with a keen awareness of my
father?s heart toward Alla. It was unique, like
nothing else I have experienced with someone outside
my three children. I realized I had a deep, pure,
tender, fatherly, shepherding heart over her. In
working with the poor, I realize that one of my
greatest strengths and one of my greatest weaknesses
is my emotional detachment from those I work with. I
serve the poor out of conviction, that God has called
us to do so. While the compassion element is in my
heart, it is there on a macro level. While this is
not intentional, it is helpful because I do not get
emotionally entangled in those I work with.

With Alla, my heart is far different. I have such a
deep, personal interest in her well-being. I want to
make plans now for her future to be secure. As I
realized that in my heart, I began asking,?Why is that
in my heart?? the obvious answer became, ?The Holy
Spirit has put it there so that His purposes will be
accomplished in her.? It compels me to move forward
with the plans that you have put in Paul?s heart to
develop a girls home for Domboki. I sense the Spirit
wants me to assist in driving this project forward so
it will be completed on time to receive these girls,
Alla being the first in the home.

?Lord, I can look only to You. You alone can
accomplish this. You alone can produce this. Fruit
comes from You alone, as we abide in You. Let me be
in step with You, let me abide in You to let Your
perfect fruit come forth.?

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Off to Chippity Chop

The train from Budapest to Chop

So much has happened over the last few years; I never
imagined I would be leading a team to the Ukraine. I
enjoy traveling with Paul. it is comfortable to be in
a support role. To be team leader, it certainly
demands a different level of focus.

I am not worthy, never will be worthy. I am not
prepared, would probably never be prepared. I cry out
for you alone. I ask that, in your amazing grace and
mercy, look past my weakness and look toward those you
so desire to love; those you so desire to care for.
In my weakness, in the midst of my clay vessel, use me
to pour out leadership and spiritual authority for the
hungry, the lonely, the poor, the yearning, the
oppressed, the forgotten, the forsaken, the
downtrodden, the helpless.

I can only look to You, my Lord. The True and Living
God. I trust in You alone, trust in the fact that you
are Alive and Active, that you see the needs we will
encounter, and that your burning heart of love so
desires to touch these people. You desire to touch,
transform, and redeem. Use us. Use this team, in all
its weakness, to be a blessing; not because we deserve
to be a blessing but because you so desire to bless
the poorest of the poor that we will encounter.

Let our fruit last. Let us abide in you and then let
our fruit last for eternity, multiplying one hundred
fold, bearing even more fruit than we can ever
imagine.

Surprise us. Surround us with your surprises. I am
ashamed that the quality of the honorable ?missionary?
has taken on a new meaning; forgive us for our
haphazard dedication. In your rich mercy, forgive us,
forgive us, forgive us O Lord.

Knowing we stand by grace alone, perhaps there is
something grievous among me, among us, that we must
give up. Maybe you see something that I don?t see.
If that is the case, whether in me or in another, in
your mercy, I invite you to do whatever necessary to
remove that sin from us; to purge us to be a people
that will honor Your name. We want to honor you;
bring us to the place of full honor.

Use me as leader. Let me have eyes and ears and a
heart to know what you are doing, what you are saying,
and how you are moving. I do not want to miss one
cue. I want every step, every movement to be provoked
by You alone. I want to lead the team into the
fullness of what you have prepared for us. Give me
wisdom on how to ignite the gifts within the team.
Forgive me for my apprehension from asking. Let me
ask others to step into their gifting, asking in the
right way, to stimulate them to the full usage of
their gifts.

In the end, may you be pleased. May you be honored.
May your compassion pour down. May you have full sway
in changing our hearts and lives. May you use us
completely, according to your most pleasurable plan.
May we embrace all you have for us with full awareness
and complete thanksgiving.

We love you O Lord, for all you have done and for your
unspeakable loving kindness toward us.

Ps 20:4
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all
your plans succeed.

Isa 63: 7-9
7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds
for which he is to be praised, according to all the
LORD has done for us? yes, the many good things he has
done for the house of Israel, according to his
compassion and many kindnesses. 8 He said, ?Surely
they are my people, sons who will not be false to me?;
and so he became their Savior. 9 In all their
distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his
presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed
them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days
of old.

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The Enigma of Doing

I have such strong convictions; strong beliefs in how certain things should be done in the church.  Why does it seem so hard to execute these beliefs?

 

In the first couple months working as Pastor of Ministry I have felt so ineffective, so bogged down by menial administrative tasks, so far from truly helping people.  While I have always believed so strongly in empowering others to do the work of the ministry, I seem boggled at how to make that happen.  I am eating up all the "ministry" instead of empowering others to do it.  When I do meet with people in crisis, I feel so powerless, my words so empty, useless, almost foolish.

 

What can I do to open the pathways, to open the pipeline of needs to all of the leaders?  What can I do to empower others to begin moving in their gifting.  Beyond cheering them on, beyond saying "go for it," what can I really do?  Can I set up an intranet of needs, organizing all the needs by gifting, by geographical region?  Can I set up a shepherding team to oversee people in groups?  How do I challenge people to use their gifts without motivating through guilt?  In our choice-centric society, how do I value people's free will while making sure the needs are covered?  How do I ensure a level of quality without seeming controlling when I assess other people's work?  How do I find time to train?  When do I pray?  How do I pray in a way that honors the Lord?

 

I seem utterly baffled in how to foster a functioning body of this size in this commuting-cocoon culture.

 

"Lord, HELP!"

Building Better Lives and Better Families for Jesus

I am deeply moved by the call of God in this point in time.  Through a series of conversations, the Lord has confirmed that He wants Chris and I to focus on building up marriages in this season.  A few months ago, as I was working on the theme statement on our web page, Judson blurted out "building better lives and better families for Jesus."  When he said that statement, the Spirit confirmed it was a statement that would come to pass...boy how has it.

 

We have been led to start a "Couples Night Out" ministry on Friday nights.  The parents can drop off the kids and we provide childcare and a marriage builder.  Since talking to people about this idea, I have been overwhelmed with the feedback.  I have gotten more positive feedback on this ministry idea than, perhaps, any idea we have ever launched.  When we made an initial pitch for volunteers I expected a meager few.  We got bunches.

 

Simultaneously, my eyes have been opened to marriage after marriage that is on the brink.  Once again, more than ever before, I am seeing marriage after marriage before me that is in crisis.  I am literally dumbfounded that conversation after conversation has revealed a new couple in crisis.  God is clearly using this to open my eyes to His call in this season.

 

We are going to ask our partners to commit with us in the following ways:

 

1)     First and foremost, pray for and nurture your own marriage.

2)     Pray for the marriages in our community

3)     Agree to help no more than 1 Friday every 2 months

4)     Agree to undergo a background check.  With pedophilia such a flashpoint issue today, we are committed to maintaining the highest degree of safety for the kids and imparting the highest degree of integrity to the parents.

The Hop Hightop Heritage

Today was a significant day. I took my three kiddos skiing for the first time. The boys took a lesson, and I held my daughter in tow. At her tender age, she had a fantastic first day on the slopes. The ski instructor remarked, "If she is not crying at that age, consider it a bonus." She did quite well, shouting, "Weeeee" and "Again Daddy!" as we went up and down. Truly a day to book in the memory. Just as Dad brought all of us as youngins, so I took my Hop clan up to the High, Mighty, and Majestic White Mountains. On the last run, Chris and I were able to take a run together, an enjoyable reward after a day of hard work.

"Dieu est si bon."

Thanksgiving Weekend Feast

This Thanksgiving I ate good. I was fat and happy from feasting with my family. My sister A.J., a.k.a. "the gravy master," made me want to stuff my face until it hurt. And I did. God is good.

Right on the heels of that feast, the Lord has brought me to His banquet table of revelation. Starting on Sunday morning, continuing through this evening, the Lord has encouraged me with glimmers of "rhema" truth. His Word spoken to me, at just the right time, purposed to enliven my heart, stir my vision, and ignite my soul.

Sunday morning a lifelong Pastor articulated key principles in the Macedonian Call and then used his life as example of those principles. My heart was set free as I was reminded of God's Sovereign Hand over our lives. Throughout the day today, despite feeling sick, tired, and discouraged, the Lord strengthened me by His Word. I found myself crying out for God to fulfill the many gems of 1 Thessalonians in my life:

• Give me "grace and peace."
• "Let my preaching be in power, in the Holy Spirit, and in deep conviction."
• Release us from "Satan who is stopping us" from being thrust into our call.
• "Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you."
• Let me be "sanctified, holy, and honorable."
• "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through."
• "May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
• "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

Continuing further, Paul sat me down to discuss his vision for church planting. He mentioned towns like Manchester and Salem and asked me to consider Boston. I had mixed emotions from the discussion, excitement about God's possible call, confusion about His desire for us to wait on going overseas in the next season. I told Paul I would pray about it.

The fulfillment to "praying about it" came sooner than I imagined, as I woke up tonight feeling stirred to pray. I sensed that I laid the decision at the feet of our faithful Lord, to plant here or to head overseas, whatever His will. I truly know His will is best and am completely satisfied at that, knowing that all things will work together for good. If I stay here, I have an inclination toward Salem; that city has been on my heart for five years now. God planted that seed in my heart years ago when we still lived in Derry. It seems to be a clear example of the type of place Sjogren encouraged us to plant. I could sow the initial seeds there while still at Grace. It is also within my hometown district of Andover. I would actually be ministering to Lawrence, the city where I first got my passion for ministering to the poor.

Tonight I found myself visioning some of the church values:

Foundation ~ Jesus Christ ~ "there is no other foundation laid except that which is Jesus Christ."
Pillars ~ Word, Prayer, Poor, Missions
Building Blocks (a.k.a. Distinctives) ~ Family-oriented ministry, art (creative expression encouraged and integrated), community of believers (continual social and spiritual interaction), radical financial giving from the inception(50%+), thrusting forth the Body into ministry, work-life balance among church staff

Lead me on O King Eternal.

...and the song continues

"Holy, Holy, Holy,

Is the LORD Almighty,

the whole earth is full of His glory."

A Cry for Just Justices

My heart cry for months has been justice justices, "Lord, give us righteous judges." I have been following the work of JHOP, the Justice House of Prayer. A few months ago, they opened a 24/7 House of Prayer right across the street from the Supreme Court. The day they opened, the Supreme Court heard the first case on Roe vs. Wade in years. A few months after they opened, we have two open seats in the Supreme Court. The first double opening in my recollection. Amazing stuff. God is on the move. He responds to the prayers of his people. I was moved even further as I perused the news stories about Rehnquist's life and found a picture of the JHOPers pleading for justice at the steps of the Supreme Court. "Lord send me! I want to pray with them in D.C.!"

Hermit Island ~ A Touch of Heaven

We spent Labor Day weekend at Hermit Island, a camping resort located on beachfront property in Maine.  Hermit Island is an incredible place, a touch of heaven. Due to its isolated location, there is all sorts of wildlife throughout the island. We were able to walk within a few feet of deer, discover innumerable sea creatures, spot eagles, and harvest fist-fulls of clams. We were able to take incredible pictures of the kids playing in this beautiful environment.

 

Stop by our photoblog for a peek at the pictures.  (Email me for login info.)

We Conquered the Mighty Monadnock!

We had a great day hiking up the Mighty Monadnock today.  I tried to keep up with the boys all day.  Chris and Dad were hiking buddies.  Xochi hiked up about half way and I backpacked her the rest.  So much fun.  But we are sooo tired.  Monadnock is the most hiked mountain in the world!  We thought that was going to make it easy but it was quite a challenge with a sharp incline, rock slabs that were over 15 feet high, and 3200' elevation.  One of the sweetest memories was a prayer from Xochi as she was snuggled in my kiddie pack, "Jesus, please do not let the rocks be slippery for my Daddy."

 

Stop by for a gander!

 

http://gjhopwood.fotopages.com

 

Login: hopwood

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I Pledge Allegiance

I Am 52% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

According to an online survey I am listed as being 52% American. The survey says I "cringe" at some of the things our country does. True. While I am thankful for my heritage and embrace America as my homeland, there is so, so much we do that grieves the heart of God. As difficult as it is, the decisions made by our government represent all Americans. When we travel abroad, people view us by the decisions made by our government. I disagree with some of these decisions and, for this reason, "cringe." When I meet people from other nations, I do not want my nationality to be a hindrance to the gospel.

In sum, while I appreciate and enjoy much about my homeland, I consider myself a child of God and a citizen of heaven first and foremost. I pledge allegiance to Jesus Christ alone, my only Lord and Savior.

Photo Page Password

I decided to put a password on my family photo page.  I welcome your visit to my photo page...simply drop me an email and I will send the password your way.  If you do not know my email address, leave your email address on the comment to this blog entry and I will get it to you.

Fun in the Sun

We have been taking Fridays as family days...what fun. We had a great time at Ogunquit today. Toward the end of the day I went on a run and reveled in the beauty of God...the sky was glowing with God's glory. I was also delighted to see the kids playing in the ocean inlet. They were in full discovery mode...digging for clams, hunting down crabs, finding lost treasures in forgotten seashells, splashing in puddles...what fun. It delights my heart to see my kids be kids.

Prayer Time

I need prayer for this Sunday.  I am preaching during the Sunday morning services and need the Lord to direct my thoughts for the message.  I invite Him to prepare my heart, direct my thoughts, and order every word I speak. 

 

If you read this before Sunday, July 24, I really need you to pray...I know I do not get many visitors so you may be the only person to pray on my behalf.

 

Thanks.

Not by might nor by power but by His Spirit

I awoke tonight with an urge to write.  I need to forge forth with a clear passion, fulfilling a compelling need, into unfamiliar territory.  I realize I do not have the resources to accomplish the task.  I am not disciplined enough, I am not focused enough, I am not experienced enough...simply...I am not enough.  I do not have the might or the power to accomplish the task.  I can depend only on His Spirit. 

 

"Holy Spirit, I depend entirely on You.  Do Your work in me.  Accomplish this task in me.  Carry me.  Let me be Your Hands and Your Feet.  I wait upon You alone.  I trust in You alone."

 

"Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it."  1 Thess 5:24

Lightbulb from Bright Bill

A while ago I was impressed to read the biography of my spiritual father, Bill Bright. I was saved while alone reading his book, "The Uniqueness of Jesus." Since I knew the Lord had a special purpose in this book, I pressed on, picking it up over and over.

As I read today, I stumbled upon a section that I know was meant for me. I have been praying for some time about hearing the voice of God; wanting to know the delicate balance in stepping out in faith ~ Do we go after an undeniable "word from the Lord" or do we go after the Spirit's whisper. What is faith? Is it faith that God had spoken to us or is it belief that God is faithful to His promises? I have pondered this for months and presented it to the Father uncountable times. In my youth I was impetuous in my zeal, yet in my older age I do not want to become tentative. I want to follow the counsel in Psalm 32:9 "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."

Some of the key quotes from Bill Bright are as follows:

The phrase was a vast oversimplification of a process of perspiration--study, prayer, fasting, and planning--as well as inspiration...

Bill...often made clear that he "never heard an audible voice." He said that his mind and heart 'were impressed' and that he 'sensed' an unmistakable message which, by his measure, was in harmony with the Word and will of God. He quoted Philippians 2:13 from the Living Bible: 'For God is at work within you, helping you to want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.' Through a person's reliance upon the promises of God, Bill would explain, 'a conviction is an opinion that is carefully thought through to a defensible conclusion.' With such logic, he said he was certain God was leading him through the complex and challenging projects of those years." (Amazing Faith, p. 180)

Family Fun at Fireside

It feels good to be spending some family time. We spent one night Camping with our church and then left for Camp Fireside.

We had a wonderful time at the annual GFC Camping Trip. The kids played better than ever, we never ran out of bacon, and we had a special time of sharing on Sunday. The Lord wove a special theme during out sharing time, that the Lord would keep our children and our heritage close to Jesus until He returns.

Our time at Fireside is going well. The kids are open-hearted to the preaching. While the number of campers seem small, I prayed that God would make them like David's might men; using this small number to do great things. My kids are having a blast.