"Not Afraid of Bad News"

This Christmas season has, not surprisingly, been difficult for Kristen and me. The time we've spent with our families has been encouraging and enjoyable, but my dad's absence is painfully noticeable. As I've had more time to think about my dad's passing, one of the questions I've wrestled with is how I would press on if a tragedy like this affects me again soon. It's not necessarily a rational fear, but it can be paralyzing. Thankfully the Lord has used Psalm 112 to remind me of his gracious providence.

Psalm 112:7
    "He (the righteous person) is not afraid of bad news;
        his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD."

What a blessed reminder of the Lord's trustworthiness in the midst of worldly uncertainty.

Please pray:

• That Kristen and I would not be afraid of bad news, but instead trust in the Lord in the midst of our pain and uncertainty.
• That the Lord would care for my mom in a unique way as family members prepare to go home after the holidays.
• That Kristen and I would be energized as we return to Gainesville for an exciting ministry season. I'm looking forward to saying more about this after the first of the year.

Partiers

This past week, Kristen and I attended a neighborhood potluck, hosted a neighborhood Christmas party, and then attended yet another neighborhood Christmas party. In other words, we enjoyed quite the flurry of social activities involving our neighbors. We saw one couple at all three parties and we have some encouraging opportunities to spend more time with them in the future. Kristen exchanged phone numbers with a woman who lives down the street, and they plan on spending time together soon. God has blessed us with more opportunities to build relationships with our neighbors than we could ever have imagined, so please pray with us that God would use these relationships to lead people to Christ. Of all the neighbors we have met thus far (around 20-25 people), not one of them appears to be a Christian.    

Please pray:

• That Kristen and I would boldly share the gospel with our neighbors, and that they would follow Jesus.
• That neighbors would continue to invite us into their homes, and that Kristen and I would continue to find creative ways to invite neighbors into our home.
• That I (Chipper) would have a chance to share the gospel with one of the guys I am getting to know who works at the gym that Kristen and I attend.
• For the church plant name! As catchy as it may be, the name of the church plant will not be "The Gainesville Church Plant" forever. In fact, we (mainly myself and Ryan Harding) are getting much closer to deciding on a name for the church plant. We are essentially working with three name "finalists" at this point. Please pray for us as we make a decision, which we will base largely on  feedback we receive from non-Christians who live in our target area.

God Uses Cookies

This past week, four launch team couples (the Flanikens, Yus, Hardings, and the Frackiewiczs) walked through their respective neighborhoods and passed out bags of Christmas cookies to their neighbors. This amounted to 60 bags of cookies! God has used these cookies to open new doors in all of these neighborhoods. We all met people for the first time, had extensive conversations, and were treated to several home tours. Kristen and I were invited to two neighborhood potlucks, one of which we have already attended. On Wednesday evening (Dec. 12), we are hosting many of these same neighbors for a Christmas open house.

Please pray:

• That all of these launch team couples would continue to build positive (and ultimately Christ-centered!) relationships with their neighbors, and that these couples would find creative ways to serve their neighbors.
• That families, students, and other people in our neighborhood would attend the Christmas open house that Kristen and I are hosting on Wednesday evening.
• That all of us would have the boldness to share the gospel with the neighbors we are meeting.
• That these neighbors would one day be a part of the church plant.

New Launch Team Couple Moves to Gainesville

On Friday evening, Marion and Esther Frackiewicz arrived in Gainesville. They moved across the country from Chicago, IL to be a part of the church plant's launch team. The various sacrifices they are making to be a part of this team encourage and challenge Kristen and me. Please pray for Marion and Esther!

• Pray that Marion and Esther would each find jobs in Gainesville. They are taking a huge step of faith by moving to Gainesville before securing jobs.
• Pray that Marion and Esther would find permanent housing. They are currently in a temporary housing arrangement.
• Pray for Marion and Esther as they grieve the loss of the vibrant community they enjoyed in Chicago.

Once again, thank you for praying!

And So It Begins...

Welcome to the Flaniken Prayer Blog! Kristen and I hope you'll check this blog regularly so you know how to pray for us. We will update this blog at least once per week, although at times we will update the blog even more frequently than that as new prayer requests arise. We hope you will commit to praying for us consistently! Don't forget - you can subscribe to this blog to get alerts whenever we post new entries.

Our Commitment to You: This blog is only for prayer requests. That's why we're calling it a prayer blog. If Kristen and I have thoughts about our favorite animals and we think we should let you know about those thoughts, we'll find a way to do so. You just won't find those thoughts here. 

Without further ado, here are four of our first prayer requests. We will always limit our requests to four per post! 

• Pray for the adjustments that our Chicago launch team members are making as they settle into Gainesville.
• Pray for Kristen and me as we focus on building relationship capital in the Gainesville community.
• Pray that many more people would prayerfully commit to being financial partners with the church plant.
• Pray for Kristen and me as we grieve the loss of my dad.