November prayer update

Personal

Char and I are thankful that things have settled down. Char saw her neurologist for a follow-up and was cleared to return to work, which is great news. Her anti-seizure medication seems to be working well, as she hasn’t had any further partial seizures in the past few weeks. These episodes had been causing her to lose or not store certain memories.

In the meantime, I am learning from speech therapy how to reduce stress on the vocal cords and I’m hopeful about returning to preaching in the not-too-distant future. For now, I’m easing into public speaking by doing Teen Challenge chapels. The main challenge is remembering to practice these new speaking skills while I’m teaching, as I tend to focus on the content and lose track of my delivery.

We are grateful for your ongoing prayers and support.

 Ministry

A few months ago, before Char and I faced the challenges I mentioned earlier, I began sharing in these newsletters about the different aspects of my ministry. Today, I want to focus on my involvement with Adult and Teen Challenge, following my earlier update on grief education.

My connection with Adult and Teen Challenge began when I was pastoring. I would invite the whole house to present at our worship service, followed by a potluck. Their testimonies were always riveting. Since then, I’ve spoken at chapel services—mostly weekly—for about 15 years, and have also been involved in student mentoring and thrift store visits.

What stands out most in working with these students (average age 29) are the extremes I witness. There is deep disappointment when someone leaves the program or relapses after graduating, sometimes with tragic consequences—three students I mentored have died of overdoses, which is heartbreaking. Yet, there are also dramatic transformations through Christ that are incredibly encouraging. Seeing someone move from deep addiction to loving God and becoming a man of prayer and the Word is truly beautiful. In church work, I’ve rarely experienced such intense disappointment or such profound encouragement.

GENERAL PRAYER

Pastor Ed covets your prayers. You can use the acronym OAR to pray for his speaking ministry. 

O—Open doors of ministry

A—Anointing

R—Responsive audiences

Pray also for wisdom as he mentors Adult and Teen Challenge students, open doors and open hearts for sharing the gospel on the street and fruitful ministry as he connects with pastors and ministry leaders in Lebanon and throughout the region.