I hope everyone is warm, dry, and safe after a few strange days close to home.
Ice on the roads. Homes turned into shelters. Plans on hold. Life slowed down whether we wanted it to or not. Many of us have been inside, watching and waiting for things to thaw.
Moments like that tend to quiet the noise. They remind us what really matters.
At the same time, many of us are carrying the weight of what’s happening beyond our city. Violence, loss of life, and deep division across our nation are hard to watch and harder to understand.
When truth feels unclear, and fear runs close, hearts can harden, and relationships can fracture.
We see it. We’re not ignoring it. And we believe moments like this call God’s people not to reaction, but to prayer, and prayerful action that honors Him.
That’s part of what we heard on Sunday from John 17. Right before the cross, Jesus pauses. He doesn’t rush past what’s coming.
He lifts His eyes to the Father and prays. Not only for the disciples in the room, but for everyone who would come to believe in Him. That includes us.
And what He prays for is telling.
That we would truly know the Father.
That we would be kept while living in a broken world.
That we would be shaped by truth when clarity feels thin, and voices are loud.
That we would be one, held together by love.
That the same love the Father has for the Son would live in us.
Jesus reminds us of something we easily forget. God’s mission does not start with effort. It does not survive on a hustle-and-grind mentality. And it does not end in exhaustion.
It begins, is sustained, and overflows through prayer.
As we gather on Zoom tonight, we’re letting Jesus’ prayer in John 17 shape our own. We’ll pray as He prayed.
To know God deeply, not just know about Him.
To be kept in the world we actually live in.
To be formed by truth when clarity feels thin.
To walk in real unity rooted in God’s love.
To be filled with a love that spills into our homes, our church, and our city.
To show the world who Jesus is, not just by our words, but by a people held together by love.
Jesus entrusted the mission to the Father in prayer before He ever entrusted it to His followers. Tonight, we do the same.
As the streets begin to thaw, may the places in our hearts that feel fearful, tired, guarded, or fragile soften and renebe wed to life again toward the Father’s love through prayer.
May we slow down long enough to be filled, so that love can overflow into the world God is still redeeming.
See you at 7 pm!
Blessings,
Pastor Alvin & Mallary Brown
alvin@makingamosaic.com :: mallary@makingamosaic.com
P.S. Is there something specific you need prayer for this week? Just reply—we’d be honored to stand with you.
Additionally, we will make space to pray for God to extend His reach beyond the limits of our city and into the world, seeking His wisdom, unity, safety, and provision for the following people and initiatives:
Let’s pray for Jonathan and Kaylin Polus as they serve with Every Nation City Church in Los Angeles as Every Nation Campus directors at California State University Northridge and Pierce College. Pray for strength and wisdom as they lead students in the San Fernando Valley. Ask God to open doors for meaningful conversations, to establish students in their faith, and to equip and empower them to live on mission in and beyond college.
Let’s lift up Pastor Curtis and Denise Campbell as they lead WellSpring Fellowship Church in San Antonio. Pray for wisdom and strength as they shepherd a Gospel-centered community rooted in discipleship and life groups. Ask God to use WellSpring to change lives, expand His Kingdom, and glorify the name of Jesus in San Antonio.
General Prayer Requests & Updates
For evangelism to flourish so communities and campuses in the greater Fort Worth area will be reached, and the lost will see and experience the love of Christ and be drawn to his kingdom.
For signs and wonders to follow the preaching of His Word.
For team unity and laborers to help carry the load.
For finances and provisions.
For fully funded campus missionaries (2 per campus) to help reach the next generation — Texas Christian University (TCU), Tarrant County College (TCC), Texas Wesleyan University (TWU) and Tarleton State University – Fort Worth (TSU), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and Dallas Baptist University (DBU).
Alvin Brown, the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Fort Worth, brings over a decade of pastoral ministry experience and more than 20 years of operational and technical leadership expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Mallary, and their three children and contributing as a writer to various media outlets.
