The Global Prayer Gathering is drawing nigh and our office is buzzing with preparations and excitement. The directors of each field office - Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Peru, Honduras, Bolivia, Guatemala, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, even Ecuador (not yet launched) will begin arriving here in DC in just a few days.

Had a fantastic conversation with Sara Groves last night, putting some final details together for her special leadership role on Saturday night of the GPG, and have been loving the plans Lamont has been putting together for worship throughout the weekend.

What are your favorite worship songs (of any artist) these days, and why? What songs by either Sara or Lamont are you particularly inspired by?

P.S.: Are you on Twitter? Would love it if you start tweeting about the GPG using this marker: #GPG09 - whether you’ll be joining us in person or remotely.

Wanted to pass along a few photos from last night’s DC Benefit Dinner - courtesy of our photographer Ted Haddock. I just found out that not only were we offered up to $200,000 in matching gifts, but thanks to our remarkable IJM supporters who came out in droves and gave so generously last night, we were able to make that match! Absolutely flabbergastingly grateful to God for His provision for this work and for each and every one of you who give to our work in so many ways…

A small sub-section of the 1250+ attendees

Lamont Hiebert and Ten Shekel shirt performed with such beauty and power… (They’ll be leading worship at our Global Prayer Gathering March 27-29)

Gary Haugen served as our featured speaker and we received a field report from Pablo Villeda, our director in Guatemala

Year after year it can feel harder and harder to connect at Christmastime with the deep mysteries of Christ’s birth, of God’s choice to come to earth, to take on human flesh, to come into our suffering, to meet with us, to bring healing to the nations… The reasons for our heart’s distraction from this beauty are many, but sometimes something as simple as a song written in holy surrender can float by our ears and draw us back to the wonder of Emmanuel - God with us.

This is precisely what I’ve experienced over the past 16 hours since I opened Sara Groves’ new Christmas album - an awakening from the distraction, an invitation into holy wonder.  Sara is an artist partner with us (and dedicates the fourth (and title) song on this album to our work).

Sara, thank you for the way you let God use you to draw us to truth, beauty and blazing hope, even in the darkness of injustice and oppression.