Hello community! Having just heard reports about the victories and blessings the Lord handed down on the October Women’s Walk (which was fully attended, praise God!), I continue to be amazed at how gracious God is, and how he provides for this ministry and His children. This Community’s leadership has been meeting for corporate prayer lately and praying privately for God to shine his glory on Emmaus, and revive and restore any part of it that has faded, and looking at the walks since we began, God is moving.

Sometimes I forget how much of a privilege it is that the God who created the universe and all that is in it with nothing but the power of His voice would choose to hear the requests of a fool like me. And moreover, He would take the time to consider those requests and answer them. We are blessed to have such a loving Father, that in all of his might and glory, He still hears and answers the prayers of His children.

Please continue to be in prayer with me for Emmaus, and for God to take this, His ministry and bring His children into new and strengthened relationships with Him through it. Praise God for all He has done and all He will do as we humble ourselves before the only one who can!

A few important reminders:

• November community is THIS THURSDAY, Nov. 6th at Aldersgate – 6:30 pm
• The next Men’s walk is January 15-18, led by Rod Smith
• The next Women’s walk is February 19-22, led by Linda Chapman

De Colores,
B.J. Schilling

“Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.” Job 11:15-17

Greetings community! What a fantastic weekend of events of the Men’s Walk we all got to experience! The candlelight service was packed and powerful, and the beautiful testimonies at closing reminded me of the verses above – Freedom through Jesus Christ realized, and a hope and purpose for the future written on hearts. Thank you God!

We have a Women’s Walk #131 in a few weeks and are still looking for women to fill it up. So brothers and sisters, please be in prayer for the team and walk and for God to lead you to sponsor those that He will bless abundantly on that weekend.

Thank you for all you did to make this past weekend such a success, and I look forward to seeing all of the good works that God will continue to do through you in the future. Community meeting is THIS THURSDAY at FBC in Tahoka. Hope to see you there!

De Colores,
B.J. Schilling

Well I pray that everyone has had a great Labor Day weekend with opportunity to rest and get back into the swing of things. This summer seemed to be busier than normal, and looking at the Emmaus calendar, that trend will continue in September. This weekend hosts a girls College Chrysalis, followed by the boys Chrysalis next weekend, and a Men’s walk at the end of the month (all of which have open spots for additional pilgrims!!).

I was thinking the other day about what Emmaus walk #1 must have looked like, and maybe more importantly, what the men and women who planted this Llano Estacado community had in mind when doing so. I assume they prayed fervently, and if they prayed for God to use this ministry to change the hearts of His children across the South Plains, then I’d say those prayers have been answered and then some. If they prayed for God to do a work through Emmaus such that when they look back years later, the only thing that they could attribute the amazing victories of Emmaus to is the divine hand of a marvelous and gracious God, then I’d say praise God for doing just that.

May we all continue the prayers of those who began this ministry. That, beginning now, in ten or twenty years we can look back at this ministry and the victories God has won since, and the glory that He has brought to His name, and see how nothing should of His power could have accomplished the things we have witnessed in Emmaus. Please join me in praying for God to do just that, so that His name will be proclaimed all the louder and His glory shine all the more.

I look forward to seeing you at community at Powerhouse Fellowship this Thursday, and at all the Emmaus events coming this month, so that we can join together and proclaim the praises of the one who has given us much and has much more in store!

Blessings,
B.J. Schilling

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
~ Philippians 4: 6-7

Our Sunday School class has been studying the book of Philippians over the summer, and looked at this passage last week. I’ve read this before, but with the recent news of all that is happening to our fellow Christians in Iraq right now, Paul’s words seemed to strike a chord this time. What power do we have over things that we seemingly have no power to effect – PRAYER! Whether it be persecution across the globe or problems with our hearts, our faithful Father is waiting for His children to come to him with all of their needs in prayer.

So I will do that by thanking God for a near-full Women’s Walk coming up next weekend. I can’t wait to see how God reveals His glory to all of the lucky ladies in attendance! So if you have procrastinated in signing someone up, you better hurry and get them signed up.

I also want to highlight some of the events on the Emmaus calendar:

August 7th – Community meeting at St. Josephs Church in Slaton. We will send the ladies off for the Womens Walk at Mercy Center at 7:00ish, and immediately go across the street for community. There will NOT be a fellowship meal beforehand.

August 15th – Mercy Center is hosting a pot-luck Emmaus Fellowship meal on the patio. This will be a great chance to see some of the faces from Emmaus you haven’t seen in a while. Mercy center will also unveil their fundraiser tile wall. More info about that is at www.mercyrc.com.

August 19th – Community wide prayer gathering at the Fellowship Church – 9417 4th St. Lubbock at 6:30pm. We will corporately pray for our community and the upcoming walks.

Please continue to be in prayer for Women’s Walk #130 next weekend, as well for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe. Hope to see you at community and candlelight, and together we can all worship our Father who faithfully hears our prayers!

De Colores,
B.J. Schilling

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

As we celebrate America’s Independence Day, I am reminded just how blessed we are to live in, and raise our children in a nation where the only limitations we have are those we place on ourselves. My wife and I recently went to El Salvador, and it doesn’t take much time in a foreign land to realize just how unique America is and how far removed from home we really were.

As we praise God for our freedoms this 4th of July, let’s also give thanks for our greatest freedom that is found in Christ. He came to set us free. Free from the yoke of sin, free from a death we owed because of sin, free to worship him greatly and live as a saved people clinging to the freedom found in our Savior. And as special as America is to us, let us remind ourselves that we’re not quite home yet.

August begins a series of Emmaus events, starting off with a high school flight. Please pray for God to lay folks on your heart to sponsor, and let’s strive to help make these a success through prayer and bringing pilgrims.

Be blessed,

BJ Schilling