Written by Paul J Bucknell on November, 07, 2020
Prayer Letter #348

Discovering God’s Fall Brilliance

Dear Prayer Partners,

We join others astounded by God’s autumn colors, even though the leaves are not fully turned here. God has many means, apart from His creation, to display various aspects of His rich glory. “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self” (Eph 3:16).

“According to the riches of His glory” (Eph 3:16)

I still marvel at God’s enabling for those two 2-hour-long online sessions, in Chinese, that addressed many challenging questions about the Holy Spirit. The Lord helped me by providing a general framework of the Spirit’s work to help evaluate people’s questions. It was so helpful, not only to me but also to the hearers. Thank you for your prayers; they powerfully unleashed God’s grace.

“According to the riches of His glory” (Eph 3:16)

I also sense the beautiful woods and shore scenes beckoning me to come out and enjoy. It’s drawing out a deeper appreciation for the Lord. Even though there are many fallen leaves and walkways to clean, there is a physical refreshment absent in our noisy corner of Pittsburgh. I have fun slowly trimming and cultivating the shrubs and trees. I told Linda that even though this might be a temporary place for us, it is also a place and time that God is renewing our lives. I feel so enriched by the ducks and geese quacking, eagles calling, leaves falling as I write article after article. I am so productive here.

In the meantime, while tucked out of the urban setting, the BFF website is flourishing. With October’s numbers in, we are well on our way to reach more than 5 ½ million pages viewed this year (over 15,000 pages each day).

We hope that God might use us longer here, but it’s still uncertain even after the board meeting. The board wants a few more months to decide. We will stay here at least into the new year, just in case we need to find another place to live. Your prayers are very appreciated! It’s especially hard for Linda to wait when she has boxes that are crying to be opened and properly sorted. (One of her gifts is organization.)

Next week our family holds an early Thanksgiving get-together here. On the one hand, we are learning how to accommodate many people (which is needed), but it also serves as a big challenge for Linda to plan for our big family (all but one) to be together under two roofs.