Prayer Requests and Praises

Please pray for the Vanderfords. They recently had a death in their family.

Please pray for the Wilsons. They are dealing with a lot of family issues.

Please pray for a fellow student. She recently had a death in her family, and she is trying to concentrate on finals.

Thank you, God, for working all things out for my good!

Please continue to pray for Ms. Chester for her health.

Please pray for a friend who is recovering from surgery.

Thank you, God, for giving me strength and energy for my day!

Please pray for Sylvia and her family. Her mother just recently had a heart attack, and her family is still trying to heal from the death of her father.

Please pray for my sister who needs healing, and certain members of our family who need salvation.

Thank you, God, that joy comes in the morning!

Thought of the Day

Be thankful for the molehill.
Whining can turn it into a mountain!

Prayer Requests

Please pray for all the people who were in the line of tornadoes that hit Mississippi.

Please pray for the people of South Florida who are dealing with some pretty nasty storms today.

Please pray for me as my family is traveling and I have very little help with my daughter during my final exams.

Continue to pray for our partners and their families for peace, joy, and the many blessings of God.

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for K. She is having surgery in the morning.

Please pray for my parents. They are traveling this week.

Please pray for D. He will be traveling a lot over the next few weeks.

Please pray for all the students who are taking finals next week.

Thank God for His help with my daughter.

Thank God for His direction.

Thank God for His shelter and protection.

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for Mrs. Chaffee and her granddaughter. Both have been dealing with cold and sinus problems.

Please continue to pray for Ms. Chester. She is going to a new surgeon this week.

Pray for D for help with his business.

Please pray for my daughter. She is being very stubborn and has been refusing to go to bed at a decent time at night. She is very tired during the day, which makes her even more stubborn at night. I am concerned for her well-being.

Please pray for a friend who may have to have surgery on her knee.

Thank you, God, for taking care of each of these people and their situations.

Lesson for Week of 4/20/10

Our Own Worst Enemy

Did you know that next to Satan, we are our own worst enemies? Think about it. How many times in a day do you mentally beat yourselves down? I know that I still struggle with this. I’m overweight, clinically obese, to be exact, with exactly 37 pounds to lose (well, it was that the last time I looked). I went through my young life being made fun of. I held on to that pain for years. I learned to take humor and use it as a shield. I would make fun of myself before anyone else got the chance. I convinced myself (CAUTION!! BIG LIE AHEAD!) that the pain was somehow lessened if it comes from within. I still catch myself doing this some days. Those old habits are hard to break.
So, I guess my questions to you today are as follows: How do you see yourself? Do you beat yourself up? Do you do it for things you have no control over? Has it become a way of life? And the most important question is: Is there a difference in the way you look at yourself, and the way God sees you? I’d say, for most of us, the answer to that last question would be yes. So, how do we change this? The first thing we have to realize is just how much God loves us. That’s the most basic thing. It ties into every part of our lives. Let’s all take the time this week to really examine God’s love for each of us… and remember that not just knowing it, but accepting it, will help us to see ourselves as God sees us.

Psalm 136

Isaiah 63:7-9

Jeremiah 31:3

Lamentations 3:22-23

Zephaniah 3:17

Prayers and Praises

Pray for those who are stressed out by tax day!!!

Praise God for the warm weather we've been having.

Pray for Alma and Dean. They are traveling today.

Paise God for drawing me to Him with the beauty that surrounds me everyday.

Pray for Lucas. He is child who has been having strokes.

Pray for Ms. Chester. She is having health problems.

Praise God for being our healer, lover, protector, friend, comforter, and guide!!

Prayers and Praises

Praise God for healing Katrina. She is in remission from cancer. Please also pray for her grandmother. She just went into a rest home. She has dimentia and other health issues. Pray for the family

Pray for my daughter. She is still dealing with a lot of pain from the divorce.

Pray for a friend of my mother's. She is getting ready to have surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Pray for me for guidance with school. I have yet to decide what my major will be, and where God wants me to go.

Praise God for His guidance out of a dark place in my life!!

Pray for all the students who are finishing up the semester in the next few weeks. Pray for them to have peace and finish the semester strong.

Pray for my church that we continue to grow in love and unity. Pray for wisdom and guidance for our leaders.

Praise God for family who is always there for me!!

Pray for me to have balance. I continue to feel overwhelmed sometimes, and it seems as if I have taken on too much.

Continue to pray for our country, our military, and emergency workers.

Praise God that I have a roof over my head, a car to drive, and food to eat.

Pray for the homeless in the United States.

Pray for my friend who is having some tests done tomorrow.

Continue to pray for the people of Haiti, Chile, and Turkey as they are still recovering from their respective earthquakes.

Pray for blessings for all of our partners.

Lesson for the Week of 4/13/10

Building Bridges

As I was sitting in my ethics class this morning, I heard my teacher make a statement about Jesus and the Ten Commandments. He said that according to one of the philosophers we were discussing, Jesus was looked at as a rebel and an unconventional man. This is true. The argument he made supporting this theory, however, was not. He said that Jesus taught us to disregard the Ten Commandments and all the old laws, saying that we now only needed to follow the law of love. I did not want to get into a religious debate with the man due to the context in which he was speaking, but the statement did make me think. Jesus did not tell us to disregard the Ten Commandments; he told us that the law of love summed up the Ten Commandments. Let’s take a look. In Matthew Jesus tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the law of love. So let’s look at the Commandments. The first four: 1) You shall have no other Gods before me… 2) You shall not worship any idols or graven images… 3) You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain… 4) Keep the Lord’s day holy… all revolve around loving God with all you heart, soul, and mind. The last six: 5) Honor your father and mother… 6) Do not kill… 7) Do not commit adultery… 8) Do not steal… 9) Do not lie… 10) Do not covet… all revolve around loving your neighbor as yourself. Think about it this way, when you’re in love with someone, do you want them to put other things (other than God) before you? Do you want them to disregard the days that are special to your relationship (i.e. anniversary or birthday)? Do you want them to talk bad about you, steal from you, or lie to you? No, because those things do not show honor and love, they cause sadness and pain. As someone who sometimes needs to watch her own mouth, I know I need to concentrate on the message of love daily: love for God, love for myself, and love for others. The next time we need direction in this area, let’s start with the Ten Commandments. They are the basic tools God gives us in building bridges of love.

Exodus 20:1-17

Matthew 22:36-40

1 Corinthians 13

Lesson for the Week of 4/6/10

Please Don’t Throw Me in that Briar Patch!!

Ok, imagine this. I’m at Disneyworld with my daughter, friends, and family for Easter. The trip is for her as I don’t like to ride roller coasters, flying rides, or anything that spins excessively. There is one ride, however… just one… that has eluded me for more than fifteen years. “Splash Mountain”. I almost got on it with an old roommate, but chickened out at the last minute; but Sunday, I did it. Here’s my story. I made the decision to get in line knowing that I would stay nervous for the entire hour I waited to get on. I talked with my sister and her daughter calmly, like I’d never known fear, but the whole time I was thinking about a way out. I was reading signs telling me of the 50 foot drop to come. I was listening to people scream as they were thrown through the “briar patch” into the water below. I was smelling the chlorine in the water and tasting the gum I happened to be snapping as I walked. Most importantly, I was praying. What should I do God? Should I stay in line or get out? Should I see this through, or just live with the knowledge that I let this ride get the better of me? In the past, I was content with the knowledge of defeat; but that day, I could find no peace in that thought process. There was one thought that kept me going. It was you… my partners and readers. God put it in my head that I couldn’t ever ask you to face your fears when I wasn’t willing to face my own. I couldn’t live with being a hypocrite. So, even though the last chance exit was calling my name, I forced myself to get in that boat. I expected two drops, one small and one large. What I got was a rip roaring ride… one that I don’t really want to do again; but that‘s not the point. I think the point is just that I did it at all. It was a step, and that’s all that God expects… steps... steps of faith. The next time you have a step in front of you that you can’t seem to take, remember me, terrified, but determined. Keep the attached picture in your mind. There I am, the top left, in the brown shirt. See my face? I’m just about to go into the briar patch, and guess what? God brought me through, and I’m still here!

Psalm 27:1-3
Hebrews 11
Matthew 14:25-33

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for M and her kids.

Please pray for Zoe. She has been fighting off a cold.

Please pray for Miss Gill. She is in the hospital with pneumonia.

Praise God for his provisions! God just gave L a new job.

Please pray for K for healing.

Please pray for help in finances for family members.

Praise God for his love, comfort and mercy!!