Building Bridge and Not Walls

Jeri Abraham
Apr 18, 2016
3 min read

Prayer & Praise, Jeri Abraham 18th April 2016

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men" (Romans 12 :18).

Living at peace with all people has come up a lot for me lately. If it is something I need to work on, God tends to point it out to me in several ways. I was reminded last week at a concert that Christ died for one church. There have been other situations that have come up lately where my first thought is Romans 12:18, to live at peace with all men.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

If we have problems with people it is our responsibility to go to them. We should be the one to take the first step for reconciliation. We need to approach them in love. If you feel someone is angry or upset with you, don’t ignore it. Ask if there is something you have done to offend them. I have felt someone was avoiding me

and approached them only to find out they were going through a rough time. My feelings were not correct and I was glad I had approached them. I have also approached people I had offended and we have ironed out our differences. Approaching people can be hard or scary, but is something we need to do to build bridges.

When dealing with others, I need to remember that we are all imperfect. It doesn’t help if I complain about others. That is building walls and not bridges. I need to encourage others and bring peace to circumstances. I need to build bridges in relationships. That is putting into action the Bible as it states, if possible, when it depends on me I need to live at peace with everyone. Build bridges and not walls.

PRAISE:

Roosevelt Student Leaders are really growing in their leadership skills.
Our staff has had multiple opportunities lately to be refreshed spiritually because of things they have been a part of. It is a great way to be ready and focused for a busy week with the school assemblies/extra after school Collision events that will take place this week.
Student leaders at Lincoln High School were seeking new ways to reach their peers. This past week they recorded a video of them doing a skit that they showed at their outreach on Friday. Thank God for His answered prayers for new ideas.
Thank God for the many businesses that support Collision and empower students ideas and dreams to reach their friends. We are especially praising God this week for a business that is going to get more involved by having their employees volunteer at a school. This will help this school tremendously with mentors and many other needs that they have. We are also believing that other businesses will want to do the same at other schools.
School assemblies went very well in Sioux City. They also had an after party at a church and 12 students received Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
We have 69 table hosts for our Annual Celebration Dinner on Thursday, May 26 as of today. We would love to have 100 hosts!

Prayer Requests:

Pray for Carla Schwartz, Ministry Staff, who was in a car accident on Thursday. She has a concussion. Pray for her pain, nausea, and dizziness to be gone in Jesus’ name. Thank Him for the protection for her daughter Kristin who was also in the car.
Pray that Collision students can continue to help build a bridge among school cliques.
Pray for the assemblies this week. Students will be invited to an after school Collision Sponsored “Party” where the ithinkbig team will be there for games, fellowship, and the student leaders will have the chance to share the gospel. If you would like to pray for the school specifically each day, they will be at Roosevelt on Tuesday, Washington on Wednesday, Lincoln on Thursday, and New Tech High on Friday.
Pray for students to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, grow deeper in the Word, and get connected to some type of discipleship group.
Continue to pray for the Annual Celebration Dinner and all the details that go into it. Pray that God is glorified and that students’ testimonies will have a big impact on those attending, even spurring on more student leaders, volunteers, and new donors.