April Newsletter: Shalom

Fellow Pray-ers,
In Numbers 6:24-26, is a blessing known as the Aaronic Benediction (or the Priestly Blessing): “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace (shalom).” Peace sounds so tranquil and serene; and yet, shalom can also mean “crush the authority of chaos”. 
We are bombarded with chaos every day. All we have to do is open a newspaper, turn on TV or radio, meet with 2 or 3 people, etc. and we might find ourselves in the midst of chaos. It shows up in our government, our churches, and even our work. This effects our personal lives through splintered relationship, the difficulty to discern truth in what we hear or read, sickness, and the list can go on.

There’s much within the Bible that talks about being in peace. Here are just a few passages: Col.3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts……”, John 14:27 (words of Jesus): “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”, Phil. 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything……” Absolutely wonderful truths. So, how do we reconcile these verses with what we may be experiencing in our daily lives? This may sound overly simplistic but:

1. Stay connected with God’s word. Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came to give us life more abundantly. The Bible will keep us in alignment with God – despite what is going on around us.
2. And, stay connected with God’s people. It is critical to stay engaged with people who can encourage you, pray for you, and even pray alongside you. 

Many will agree it is through the power of prayer we defeat the “authority of chaos” and bring about shalom, peace.
Whether you are part of a prayer group or not, I invite you to join the next Prayer Domain Prayer Meeting on Thursday, April 29^th, from 4-5pm. We will pray about things going on in our city, at 4Tucson, or wherever God’s Spirit leads us. This will give us an opportunity to not only pray with one another, but to also get to know one another; a form of iron sharpening iron. This is a monthly event, the last Thursday of each month. Please click below to receive the Zoom link by email.

Upcoming events or items to pray about:

• Pastor’s Prayer Summit on April 29^th
• National Day of Prayer on May 6^th, working alongside the Government Domain to have a time of prayer at El Presidio Park near City Hall at 12 noon.
• Other prayer summits for 2021 that are right now in the planning stages

Please continue to pray for 4Tucson. We’ve gone through some staff changes recently: Bryan Benz is no longer Poverty Reduction Taskforce Director. Join me in praying on behalf of Bryan for the Lord to open doors for divine appointments, and for greater revelation as to what his next steps will be. 4Tucson is also excited about adding Tracelyn Sutton as the new Economic Opportunity & Development Task Director AND Tim Loraditch as the new Media & Arts Domain Director. Please be in prayer for them as they engage in their respective positions. May they find enjoyment and much success in their work at 4Tucson.

Finally, on a personal note – thank you to all who sent such encouraging responses to my last newsletter AND to those who sent prayer points with scriptures applicable to government. Many thanks!

May the Lord bless each of you with His Shalom, Kris