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When I was feeling lost and hopeless, I shared my struggle with my friend David Meysembourg through a message on facebook. Once I hit the “send” button I felt a little odd. Why did I burden my busy friend with my stupid situation? I know what ministry and church planting calls me to sacrifice and work through, so I feel like such a dummy for crying on his shoulder. It was an impulse thing I did, that had I thought more about it, I probably would have never even written that message. Well, instead of just telling me to keep my chin up and hang in there, he replied with an awesome prayer that was so amazing that I was humbled and convicted. It was if this prayer had so much power that I could not even get myself to speak this to my God without fear that he would call me out for coming before him without believing it with all of my heart and soul. I was in a pretty dark place and God knew it.

As I am seeking God for where he will order my steps to go next, I am focusing on getting to a place where this prayer can have the meaning that God wants it to have from my heart to his ear. As I share this prayer with you, I pray that God may use this prayer to speak powerfully to where you are at and to have you present yourself before God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of God:

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light! It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! God, I’ll never comprehend them! I couldn’t even begin to count them— any more than I could count the sand of the sea.

Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!

And you murderers—out of here!— all the men and women who belittle you, God, infatuated with cheap god-imitations.

See how I hate those who hate you, God, see how I loathe all this godless arrogance; I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Lord, we lift this psalm to you in Jesus’ name, amen.

Father, thank you for caring for me so much that you would send this powerful prayer to me through the blessing I know as David Meysembourg. What a great friend who is there for me whenever I call–a friend that inspires me and encourages me to trust in you and to live the life you’ve called me to live, whether it be in the church, the board room, or a classroom. My life belongs to you and I pray that I may have the humility and faithfulness to let you use me in your way, rather than have me turn away and do things my way. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Warning: Twiter language about to be used here, so if you’re out of the loop, check out twitter.com

I’ve been following tweets from an awesome lady named Tiffany D. Smith, whose twitter alias is appropriately: @tiffany_d_smith. I follow a little over 100 twitterers on a daily basis, but Tiffany holds a special place in my life. She’s not only wise and interesting, but she tweets several quotations and scripture verses per day and I am encouraged and convicted every single time. So, in honor of her gracious inspirations, I figured I’d post a quote, show you some quotes she posted this week, and then open it up for your motivational or thought-provoking quotes in the comments section. So, read, speak up, and be encouraged

Dave: My quote is from a book I just started re-reading again this morning titled On Being a Servant of God by Warren Weirsbe…

• “Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.” –Warren Weirsbe

Tiffany: as tweeted on twitter <–I feel 5 years old as I type that

• Oswald Chambers: “If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?”
• John Piper: “Our church exists to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.”
• “If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.” (This is reflective of my week!)

PS. If you haven’t been consumed by Twitter yet, I suggest you give it a try and look me up at: twitter.com/daveingland Sphere: Related Content

Stop for a minute and take a look at what today’s date is. Can you believe this year has gone by this fast already? It’s kind of funny, but the older I get, the faster time seems to slip by.

So many things I’d like to do, but I just don’t get to them. Too many people to connect with that I end up overlooking someone. Places I’d like to go, but never have the opportunities. Is it really all just a matter of lost time?

Being 41 years old, I remember a lot of songs from the 1970’s. As I thought about how fast time has been passing me by this year, I was reminded of a song from Jim Croce called “Time in a Bottle” from 1972. The first verse is a very familiar one and it goes like this:

If I could save Time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day
‘Til Eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

Unfortunately, there is no way to put time in a bottle. Days come and days go–we can’t live in the past. I need to make a dedicated effort to be more concerned with the affairs of my life today rather than being so focused on the future. It’s a recurring theme with me as I set my sights on carrying out an exciting and life-changing vision I believe God has me journeying through. However, I need to trust God for tomorrow, make wise choices today, and stop and smell the roses that won’t be around tomorrow.

If I have not spent time with you because I’ve been too busy, I apologize. It’s easy to hide behind the idea that God’s work must come first, but I must receive my friends and family as the blessings that they are instead of considering them (consciously or subconsciously) to be burdens that take away my time from doing God’s work. I need to love God and love others ahead of loving my calling or enjoying the work of ministry.

As I right my course and re-direct my time to enjoy and appreciate those people that I have been fortunate to have in my life, I pray that God will season these relationships with grace and that we may pick up where we left off, almost as if time were in a bottle.

For those of you that transitioned over from my old myspace blog, you may recall the tremendously bad experience I had when I tried to fast along with Pastor Jentezen Franklin and Free Chapel Worship Center of Gainesville, Georgia last January. My mind was ready and my schedule allowed it, but my body just wouldn’t submit. Headaches, nausea, tired, cranky, I felt awful and was awful to be around.

In my mind I figured that maybe the timing wasn’t right in the plan God had for my life. He wasn’t being honored by my crankiness, so I stopped after 3 days. As much as there is a big part of me that wants to give it another go in 2008 and just work through it this time, there is another part of me that resists. Actually, after much prayer I believe it is the still, soft voice of God telling me not to fast. So, I have concluded that I will not attempt round 2 of the global fast, but I can tell all my friends at Free Chapel that are committed to the fast that I am praying for all of you.

Every year Pastor Franklin emerges from the 21 day fast a new creation in Christ. He seems broken and humbled, yet with an excitement for the revelation and burden God places in his heart for ministry in the new year. This year the focus is on release, restoration, an reward. I will be praying in the word of Isaiah 58:6, Joel 2:25, 2 Chronicles 2:14 alongside you.

It is with great anticipation that I await the overflow of blessings upon the world as you all fast and pray and seek the Lord’s guidance for 2008.