Please pray for the victims and their families of a bus crash on I-95 in Virginia.
Please pray for Jamelle Assad and his wife Coren. He is dealing with cancer. Pray not only for him but continue to pray for a cure.
Please pray for Cleve and his family as they are grieving from the loss of his wife.
Please pray for John for salvation.
Please pray for our troops and their families. Also pray for all our emergency workers and those who are helping in the aid efforts after the tornadoes.
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6-7, NIV)
Tonight as I was giving my daughter a shower, she kept whining about the boo-boo she had on her finger. After telling the ‘drama queen’ to calm down she said the funniest thing, “God won’t let me calm down!” To which I laughed and said, “God won’t let you calm down? Yes He will!” Then she answered, “Well, God will let me calm down, I just don’t want to!” While admiring her for realizing that important point on her own, I thought how significant that statement truly was. It was representative of the struggle we face everyday… our will vs. God’s will. How many times has God tried to keep us calm in the storm so that we don’t make matters worse; yet we continue to whine, fuss, and complain and cause more problems in the end? How many times has God given us a task and we answered with, “Now is not the right time”… or, “I’m just not ready to do that, Lord”? We can come up with any excuse we want in order to ease our minds, but we need to realize the truth… we just don’t want to do what it is God may be calling us to do. So why do we try to block God’s plan for our lives? Could be fear (probably the biggest reason), laziness, tiredness (we all know that one)… but in the end it comes down to the two “F’s”: free will (the power God has given us all to choose our own course each day), and faith (whether or not we truly believe that God has our best interests at heart). When Joshua was speaking to the Israelites he said these words, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NIV) In faith Joshua made his choice. Let’s make ours.
Please pray for the people of Joplin, Missouri and surrounding areas as they deal with the aftermath of last night's tornadoes; and continue to pray for the people of Alabama while they recover.
Please pray for me for wisdom and for my daughter for healing.
Please pray for my mother as she will have some testing done today and tomorrow.
Please pray for Don's mother as she's going to the doctor this morning
Please pray for Laura as she is healing from a pretty bad fall last week.
Please pray for Nora as she is adjusting to new medication.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)
I have trouble asking people for help. I always have. Maybe it’s because of a lack of self-esteem. Maybe it’s because I feel that most people have enough to worry about without me adding to it. Maybe it’s because I have trouble trusting others with my problems. Whatever the reason, my thought processes have led to me being exhausted and lonely on many occasions. I know that I need the help, but how do I get over myself long enough to get it? There’s only one way… by doing the thing I fear the most: asking for it. God tells us that, “…You do not have because you do not ask…” (James 4:2, NIV) He also says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, NIV) So what’s my next step? The next time I need help, ask. I can’t wait until my thought processes get the better of me… I just need to go ahead and ask. Then when the help comes, and according to God’s word it will, I can receive it with a grateful heart.
"Your Love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love!"
"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."
Please pray for Amanda and her family in the mission work they are doing.
Praise God for who He is! "...God is love." (1 John 4:8)
Please pray for all the people in the U.S. who are dealing with flooding.
Please pray for the volunteers who are getting ready for the ABC sale at Boone United Methodist Church. All the money made will go towards missions.
Please continue to pray for Nora and her family. God knows the situation.
"I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together." (Psalm 34:1-3, NIV)
This morning as I was reading about God’s abundance, I found myself feeling unworthy of the many gifts and blessings that God gives me every day. I felt as if I had done nothing to earn them. Then God reminded me of His provisional nature through Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) God blesses me and meets my needs according to His love for me, not because of anything I’ve done to earn it. It’s amazing how we continue to need reminding of the basics, isn’t it? When our feelings tell us that we are not worthy, God reminds us that we are because of His love for us and what Jesus did for us on the cross, not because of anything that we have done. He is so amazing! Praise you, Lord!
The other day I sat and watched a live church webcast with a friend. The message was entitled, “What’s a Warning Worth?”; and it helped me to understand that God gives us warnings out of compassion and correction, but most importantly out of love. Yesterday, God gave me further perspective on this subject. As I was attempting to get my child going that morning, I continually had to warn her that if she didn’t move, she may not have time to play her game, or even eat breakfast for that matter. As she dawdled and played, and ate her cereal one piece at a time with her fingers, I continued to remind her of the time, explaining the consequences of her actions as we went. Finally, though she hadn’t finished her breakfast, I told her that it was time to brush her teeth and that she would not be able to play her game on the way to school because she needed that time to finish her juice… temper tantrum and strike one (warning strike) for the day to follow.
Later that afternoon I picked her up from afterschool and took her to the grocery store. She loves to push the cart. As we walked through, I had to keep reminding her to follow me. I would turn around, and she would be several feet behind me looking at anything that happened to catch her eye. Now usually, I try to have plenty of patience with her because she has ADHD, but this evening, as she continued to ignore my many warnings, my patience was wearing thin. I tried saying “please” and “do you hear me?”… then it turned into “the count” (“If you don’t get here by the time I count to…”)… then the final warning: “The next time you ignore me, it’s an automatic strike.” Well, as I’m sure you have discerned by now, strike two and crying trailed closely behind.
I tried to have a talk with her, making sure she understood why she was losing her TV privilege for the night, and warn her again about what would happen if she got strike three. I thought maybe it was successful, until I tried getting her ready for bed. First she went into my room to get ready for her shower, and locked my door behind her while going through my drawers. Then when I told her to go to the bathroom she told me she didn’t have to. When I told her to try, she said, “Well, I guess I really do.” This was her way of getting out of a lie, which led to an automatic strike three (removal of all privileges) and more screaming and crying.
Needless to say, it was a rather stressful day with my child; however, in the midst of all the mess, I was reminded again of all the warnings our Heavenly Father gives us. Sometimes His warnings are given in order to protect us from others; but many times it’s to protect us from ourselves (just like any parent does with his/her child). Below I have given the website address for the webcast with Pastor Bob Coy preaching from Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale entitled “What’s a Warning Worth”. It’s a great message, and I encourage you to watch if you can make the time. I also have a listing of a few of the passages that he referenced so that you may follow along better with the message. I hope it is a blessing to you as it was to me.
The other night as I was getting my daughter ready for bed, I began to battle with her over her use of soap and water. As a six year old, she loves to let the water run for long periods of time and use as much soap as she can. One day she even came to me with a ‘cat that ate the canary’ grin on her face letting me know that she had used seven pumps of hand soap to wash her hands (to which she quickly gained her first strike for the day – ‘three strikes and you’re out’). As someone living on a fixed income, the only thing I can see is waste, waste, waste. This particular evening, as I watched her get her usual two pumps of soap instead of one, I immediately became irritated and started my tirade with the parental catchphrase, “How many times to do I have to tell you…?”… to which she answered with the three most well-known adolescent words on the planet: “I don’t know.” I then said, “You know you only need one pump of soap, right?” “Yes.”, she answered. My next statement sent me into a mental whirlwind. “If you know what to do, then why don’t you do it?” Immediately I was convicted, especially in the area of my health. There are many things (namely exercise and getting enough sleep) that I know I could be doing for better health, but I don’t. I pray almost every day for my health and for balance in my life, but I have yet to attain what I desire. And I have to ask myself, “How much of my own personal health problems are within my control? What can I be doing differently that I’m not? When have I used too many ‘excuses’ to get out of doing what I know will be beneficial for me in the long run?” These are hard questions for me to ask myself, knowing that I may not like the answers. These questions could be applied to any area of our lives, however… finances, relationships, taking time for daily prayer, our jobs, etc. Yes, there are a lot of things that are beyond our control; but our actions and our attitudes are something we have the power to change every day. It’s not an easy process; but through prayer and the wisdom that only God can give us, we can do our best. Then we can let God do the rest.
Please pray for Maxine's mother. She recently had a stroke.
Please pray for a team of people who are going to Alabama to give aid to those who were affected by the storms last week. Please pray for God to guide them and for safety in travel. Also continue to pray for all the victims.
Please continue to pray for Alma. She will be undergoing some testing.
Please pray for Vicki who has been having some back pain.
Please pray for Allen for wisdom in decision making.
Please pray for a little girl named Natalie and her family. God knows the situation.
"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling." (Exodus 15:13. NIV)
Lessons, Prayers, and Praises is an extension of Lessons in a Shell Ministries. Our mission is to encourage the body of Christ through prayer, praises, and lessons from the Word of God. We hope that we are a blessing to all who come to us.
I am first and foremost a child of God. I am also a single mother, a full time student, and the founder of Lessons in a Shell Ministries. I live in Boone, NC, and have been here the majority of my life. I believe that I am blessed and highly favored by our God; and am grateful for all the help he gives me every day of my life. Praise Him!
