Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Ash Wednesday Prayer

From the Meditations and Prayers site..

O Jesus, you place on my forehead the sign of your saving Cross:

“Turn from sin and be faithful to the gospel.”

How can I turn from sin unless I turn to you?

You speak, you raise your hand, you touch my mind and call my name,

“Turn to the Lord your God again.”

These days of your favor leave a blessing as you pass on me and all your people.

Turn to us, Lord God, and we shall turn to you.

Amen

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Prayer for Julie

I'm sharing a prayer request for our daughter Julie.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Julie and her Dad taken last year.

She has had several bouts over the past year with kidney stones. This is the second time she's been hospitalized because the stones are just too large to pass. She had a procedure yesterday to place a stint and push the stone back up in to the kidney. They can't do the second procedure to eliminate the stone with the laser as she has developed a fever and infection. That has to be resolved before they will continue. So she's on pain medication and antibiotics. They said she will have to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

Thank you for your prayers for her in the past, and please continue to pray the fever and infection end soon.

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Gratitude





Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. 
~Henry Ward Beecher

Lord, teach us to have an attitude of gratitude in all that we say and do...
in Jesus' name amen.


What are you thankful for today?



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someone is tired today

Some people wear their emotions on their sleeves. And participating in their lives is like riding a roller coaster, as you get to feel every twist, turn, rise and drop.

My friend Tom is not like that. He is more even-keeled. Ever-steady. The solid ground you can always return to for balance when your own personal roller coaster seems to be heading out of control. (Been there, done that.)

So when you notice something different in a person like Tom, you know that it isn’t a passing whim… it runs deeper. And lately, my friend Tom has looked tired. The kind of tired you can only see by looking into his eyes. The tired that runs through physical, mental, emotional. An all-the-way-to-your-soul tired.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.

For weeks I have wondered… when will Tom find his quiet waters? In the mornings I sit before God asking to refresh his soul. And over this time, my friend only seems to grow more tired.

Today, I am hoping you will join me in prayer. For joy and energy and glee and peace and exuberance. For the sudden sensation for hands-in-the-air dancing within one who rarely wears his emotions on his sleeve. I pray for comfort. I pray for deliverance. I pray for my friend Tom.

In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again.”

Yes, I pray for deliverance. And then, like Paul and the Corinthians, we will give thanks for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

God bless you.

Amen
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Please pray for my friend John

My friend John is around 50 years old and on a respirator in the ICU of a local hospital. They are trying to remove the excess fluid he is retaining. Monday they thought things were going a bit better, but yesterday he took a turn for the worse. He continues to retain fluid in his body and lungs, he's on dialysis because his kidneys aren't functioning properly, and he is in a drug-induced "coma-like" state so his body doesn't have to work any harder than it needs to as he tries to recover. All of this extra stress isn't helping his heart, which is very weak already. Please pray.

Amen
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Watchman Nee Prayer

Let me love
but not be thanked.

Let me serve
but not be recompensed.

Let me spend my strength
but not be noted.

Let me suffer much
but not be seen.

Let me pour my wine
without drinking.

Let me break my bread
without reaping.

Amen

Watchman Nee was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China.

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Praying for Rare Diseases

Today is Rare Disease Day. I am particularly interested in this day because my wife Ann has a rare disease called Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO). I invite you to pray with me for Ann and anyone who has a rare disease.

Our trust and faith is in you Lord. Our confession is that nothing is too difficult for you.

We ask for those who suffer from a rare disease.. we pray for their healing.. we pray for their comfort.. we pray that others will bring encouragement and support.

We also ask that wisdom be given to those who research rare diseases and seek medical solutions. And we pray that understanding be given to doctors and nurses who diagnose rare diseases.

We praise you Lord and lift up your name. You have taught us to praise you in all things. So until these rare diseases are cured we will continue to lift up you name.

Amen

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A DIARY OF PRIVATE PRAYER



Over the years I have embraced the prayers written in the little book "A Diary of Private Prayer" by John Baillie, Published in 1949. He was a Professor of Divinity in the University of Edinburgh and Principal of New College, Chaplain to the Queen of Scotland.

The prayers are written in old English style, but I find them powerful and relevant to my life today! Let me share one of the Morning Prayers from this treasured little book.


"O Lord God, I praise and magnify Thy name that thus Thou hast set Thy seal upon my inmost being, not leaving me to my own poor and petty selfhood or to the sole empire of animal passion and desire, but calling me to be an heir of Thine eternal Kingdom. I bless Thee for that knocking at my heart's door that warns me of Thy waiting presence. I bless Thee for Thy hand upon my life, and of the sure knowledge that, however I may falter and fail, yet underneath are Thine everlasting arms.

O Thou who alone knowest what lies before me this day, grant that in every hour of it I may stay close to Thee. Let me be in the world, yet not of it. Let me use this world without abusing it. If I buy, let me be as though I possessed not. If I have nothing, let me be as though possessing all things. Let me today embark on no undertaking that is not in line with Thy will for my life, nor shrink from any sacrifice which Thy will may demand. Suggest, direct, control every movement of my mind; for my Lord Christ's sake. Amen.

Amen






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Trusting God

This word "trust" is an interesting word. 
Its root is from the word that means 
"to lie face down on the ground." 

Did you know that God will sometimes knock your feet out from beneath you so that you might learn to trust Him? At that point, faith is no longer an option or a luxury; it is a necessity. To the world your situation 
looks hopeless, but that is right where God wants to show Himself powerful in your life. ~Adrian Rogers

Dear Lord, - teach me to trust in You and lean not on my own understandings 
so You won't have to knock my feet from beneath me to get my attention. ~Amen


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Little Blips

Dear Father Good,
Today I thank you for word from Indonesia, little blips from the other side of the globe that tell me my daughter is doing well. I pray that you would fill her heart with joy, that You would be by her side as she continues her travels, and that she would return home having grown in the grace of her Heavenly Father. Please work in the heart of her child of Compassion that A. would truly know the love of Jesus and the saving grace of God.
Amen
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Pray for just one Haitian today

Following is a note from Mark Lancaster about praying for their medical team in Haiti.

So much of our experience is measured. I remember vacationing where I counted the number of stateliness crossed, the license plates I'd seen, or the number of miles until I arrived.

The Haitians do provide an impressive array of counts, including 124 surgery patients, 780 clinic visitors, 350 non-reader glasses given, dozens of towns from which people have traveled, at least a dozen people from Port au Prince specifically for the iTeam. Maybe 8 prosthetic eyes, 3 nights we kept dozens of Haitians waiting for service the next day due to overload.

The number that means most is one. Any Haitian we meet is the child of one Momma, the only name on the patient card, the only patient getting glasses at that moment, the single focus of our care. If we think of them as a mass of bodies, they lose personhood and some value. Treating them as the one we have come all the way here to treat helps make them more than a number. They are Lucius, Rosette, Jean Claude, Marie, Maxon, Vivilin, Anson and lots more.

Pray for just one tonight. Picture holding their ebony face between your hands, then try to count more than one. That is far enough to help.


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Please pray for Sue and her Family

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." -Matthew 5:4

Last night Sue, one of our Daily Prayer bloggers, lost her Dad. Please visit Sue's blog and share your sympathies with her. Also please pray for Sue and her family as they grieve the loss of their dad and granddad.


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Pray for Christchurch

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Christchurch, New Zealand this week while streets were busy with lunchtime shoppers. The quake toppled buildings and 75 people are reported dead and 300 are missing. Please join with me in praying for the people of Christchurch that have lost loved ones and for the rescue of those still trapped below the rubble.

Nothing is too difficult for you Lord. We come to you interceding for the people of Christchurch and grieving with them for their losses. We ask for your comforting presence to be felt by the people of that city. We ask that you would give wisdom to those who are searching for and rescuing those trapped in fallen structures. We ask that many would come to faith and respond to your call in the midst of this suffering. We confess that you are able to bring something good from this tragedy. We commit this to you trusting you with all of our hearts.

Amen

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Brisan and Parker need a Miracle

2/22/11 Update from Grandma Cathy on Brisan who was in the hospital for a number of days:
Days went by and Friday- found out that Brisan had another staff infection, due to his G-TUBE, as it has always given him some sort of challenge. On top of that he was wheezing and was treated for pneumonia at the same time. His heart rate was up and he was in a lot of pain. we again, were preparing ourselves for the homecoming of this child to Jesus. it just makes sense to us every time one of the kids is in. it seems to be a time of great distress and pain, along with a longing for, this time, Brisan to meet his maker, His precious Jesus. it was a time to get ready for a life to begin. We began to pray for God’s will, as hard as it was, we did not want this child to suffer any longer. on Saturday morning there was a small prayer( small in the fact that it was short, sweet, to the point- prayer is always huge in my eyes.) I talked to my daughter that afternoon, and as of noon, when the drs came in, Brisan’s heart rate was back to normal, his pneumonia was gone, pain was under control, and the staff infection was under control enough they were released to go home to finish healing.

It is still amazing to me, I don’t understand it. God has this child and Brisan has held on now for over 2 yrs and shows us all how to totally depend on Jesus. He is such a testimony to me, and I have learned how to come to Jesus as a child. ( it says we need to come to Jesus as a child,- I am learning that. children don’t doubt there caretaker, most of the time, and I know without a doubt that Brisan trusts Jesus and talks with HIM)
I agree with Cathy. These boys are also teaching me about trusting my Caretaker.
Please consider adding these young children to your prayer list.



9/11/10: It is rare when I do not cry when I pray for the grandchildren of my friend Cathy. I asked Cathy to share a bit of background about these dear children and prayer needs for them and their parents. Following is their story in brief as told by a Grandma who loves them so very much.


Brisan and Parker were diagnosed in August/September 2008 with a rare genetic neurodegenerative disease called “Niemann Pick Type C Disease (NPC)” or also known as the”Childhood Alzheimer’s”. The outcome is Fatal. This disease is a lysomial disease. It has to do with the storage of cholesterol and how it passes through and is used in the body. It attacks the liver, spleen, and brain. Children that are affected by this disease don’t usually see Jr high school and most commonly don’t grow to be more than 10 -12 yrs old.

Two years have gone by and they are still fighting for their lives. Some of the symptoms of this disease is an enlarged liver and/or spleen, which both of the boys have. They were born this way and that was one of the signs that something was wrong.

Parker is 4.5 yrs old and his challenges are: he has never spoken, has multiple seizers, he has very low muscle tone and can not walk without help. Last yr he had a feeding tube put in as this is the way he gets all his meds and is now feeding every 4 hrs round the clock to help him maintain his weight. He has forgotten how to chew his food. His gross and small motor skills are affected.

Brisan just turned 6 yrs old and he has had a lot of medical challenges. He currently faces having his spleen out in the next month as to help save his life. He is wheelchair bound most of the time. He also has a very large spleen, liver and does not talk. He has massive seizures. He has no large or small gross motor skills and is autistic. He also has a feeding tube and he is fed every 3 hours with 2 hrs off round the clock.

They both get platelet infusions to help with the blood issues they face. They both don’t clot when cut and have to be very careful. The boys immune system is altered and very low so they have to be very careful who and what they do. Hospice has come in as of May of 2010 to help with the boys and is wonderful with them.

I am asking prayer for them that Jesus would intervene and work in their lives.
  • Brisan will be having more surgery in the weeks and months to come and my prayer for him would be that the Doctors would have wisdom, would have clarity on how to approach surgery and recovery. I ask prayer for Brisan himself that he can stay calm and not be anxious and panic and fearful, that the parents continue to lean into Jesus for affirmation that they are doing the best they can for these kids and that they keep a clear mind about them as they journey with their children.
  • I am also asking that you keep Parker in your prayers, as this is hard for him to be away from Brisan, as both of them have anxiety separation and have been together almost 24 hrs a day except when one is in the hospital. They are only 16 months apart and are used to being together.
  • Their parents feel like they are just surviving so I am asking peace for them as they come along side Jesus.
Ultimately, I am am asking for my God and Savior to do a miracle in their lives and to save them from anymore pain and suffering. Thank you for your support in this journey that we call life.


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