worship

i stole this quote off of one of my friends. i thought it was an interesting thought for the day...

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions
exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions,
because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over and the countless
millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God,
missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship
abides forever.
Worship, therefore is the fuel and goal in missions. It's the goal of
missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the
white-hot enjoyment of God's glory. The goal of missions is the gladness
of the people in the the greatness of God. Worship is the fuel of
missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in
preaching. You can't commend what you don't cherish. Missions begins and
ends in worship."

John Piper --- Let the Nations Be Glad

philippians 1:6

i see so much potential for God to work in this country. one of the first weeks i was here i visited a youth group for a winter/christmas party. throughout the party there were around 30 people in the room. i had heard that they were also having an all night prayer meeting in the same room after the party ended. as the party was coming to an end a few hours later, i noticed a lot of young people trickling in the door. by the time the prayer meeting started, i was blown away to see the number of people in the room double! let me say that again... the number of youth in the room doubled after the party... to spend all night praying!!! how often do you get to see that? standing room only... for a prayer meeting?!?!!? crazy. i came away that night encouraged to see so many young people seeking the Lord.

may God continue His good work in latvia. amen.