Anger. Greed. Pride. Simple words, but they all add up to one big word: SIN. My friends, in today’s world, with the evil, debauchery, and sexual immorality in this world, we as Christians must be ever vigilant to make sure we don’t lower ourselves to the level of those that don’t follow Christ. It is a struggle for me, and one that I would appreciate your prayers on, please. At times, it can be really easy for me to see the injustices of the world — for example, major department stores opening at 8PM on Thanksgiving Day, a move that is absolutely nothing but greed at it’s ultimate — and allow the anger and frustration at the situation creep into my heart, and the next thing I know, I’ve sinned. Do you experience times like this? If you do, the only thing I know to do is to talk to God — pray, tell Him what you are going through (which, of course, He already knows) — and you will distract your mind and heart off of the potential sin, and put your focus on your Heavenly Father instead. Thank you for joining us for this week’s Prayers for the Week!
Praises!
God is so good to us! I wrote last week’s post and titled it “Praises in the midst of Trials”. Well, throughout the week, I saw many praises — almost as if God was saying to me to keep my eyes open, they exist everywhere! Here are some of the ones that I saw:
- My friend Autumn, the daughter of the Baptist Minister that baptized me, reminded me of the good that exists in the world. Here is her statement on Facebook:It’s pretty bittersweet when you realize that tonight is your last shift on one of the most amazing hospital floors I have ever been on. To say that I will miss the floor is an understatement. I don’t know that I can even say thank you enough to the men and women there that taught me so much… thank them for their support, help, love, and friendship. Thanks also to the amazing patients on the floor.. Bone Marrow Transplant is truly the most amazing calling, and I am honored to have been a part of that for two years. I hope to see you all (under good circumstances–not an ICU transfer) still as I move in to the Cardiac ICU.
love forever & alwaysToday, I give praise to God for her and others like her, that work for those that have special needs, and give of themselves, rather than always taking. - Here’s another praise-worthy event from my friend Heidi, one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met!13 years ago today, Brian and I laid eyes on this girl for the first time, and our lives were forever changed. Not only did we gain a new daughter that day, but we extended our family through the bond that is adoption So, today, I’m thanking God for bringing Gracie into our lives and for the all the joy she has brought us. And I’m also thankful for our far-away (yet very loved) family – RoseMarie (the lady who made it all possible), Karen, and Lora (and the “other” Gracie). HAPPY ADOPTION DAY!!!
- Praises for a safe journey for my niece Stephanie and her husband Shane and their dog Zazzy!
- Praises for my friend Bambi, who has been through so much but has more that she needs to go through even still. Despite the pain she has had this year, she still has one of the best souls of anyone I know, and I give thanks to her and her husband Ricci for the love they have for one another and for the family they have created together! In addition to this, the other praise for Bambi is that she passed the kidney stone!
Prayer Requests
- From my friend Aunesty:Gabe has his first Nerve Block tomorrow morning, please pray that it is successful and gives him some relief.May God grant him the relief he needs today and for the rest of his days! May the Peace of God descend upon him, and give him all the rest he will ever need! Amen.
- I’ve received an anonymous prayer request. Please pray for this situation:Hi Everyone, I am writing to you this morning to ask for some prayers. As you may or may not know, our daughter is at grad school where she is studying to become a physician assistant. Recently she became concerned about some heart palpitations that she has been having, so decided to go get an EKG just in case. Yesterday the dr. contacted her because they found something that could potentially be a problem and want her to see a cardiologist for further evaluation. The dr. stressed that it was just as a precaution, and that is what we are trying to focus on…..but it could also be something very bad too. This syndrome that they want to check for, can cause the heart to actually just stop, and is one of the leading causes of sudden death in otherwise healthy young adults. She is scared as we all are, because she knows exactly how serious this could end up being. We are just trying to stay positive at least until we know more when she sees the cardiologist on Thursday. So if you wouldn’t mind keeping her in your prayers this week, I would be beyond grateful.Healing prayers for their daughter. May God take care of the family, give them His Peace, Comfort, and Strength, and may He also guide the doctors looking after their daughter so that she may be healed physically and emotionally! It is in Jesus’ name we pray with Thanksgiving. Amen!
- In addition to the praise for Bambi, we’ve also got a big prayer request for her too:A few weeks ago I had to visit the ER with abdominal pain. After a few CT scans, diagnosis, kidney stones. However those same CT scans showed a mass on my left kidney. Today I had that mass biopsied. The test at the hospital was positive for asymmetrical cells (cancerous). I will need half if not all of my kidney removed. All I’m asking for is prayer!! Because with God, all things are possible!! Thank you!
- Please pray for my friends in California. They are in the ER right now, and Randy is experiencing chest pain and has been vomiting for three days now. Please pray along with me:
Heavenly Father, please be with your servant Randy as he strives to get over whatever is bothering him. Please guide his doctors as they work on solving his vomiting and heart trouble, and bring him the Peace that only You can provide, and give them all the comfort and strength they require at this worrying time. It is in the name of Your Son Jesus that we pray this day and every day with Thanksgiving. Amen!
Prayers for the Week 
Lisa left this comment on Facebook Sunday October 27th. Please pray for her and her husband:
Just before leaving for our nine day stay at Disneys Art of Animation, my husband was told his brain tumor had returned. He will be having surgery mid-November & we would appreciate your prayers.
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Here was my reply to Lisa:
Oh Lisa, I am so sorry for that! Pray with me: “Heavenly Father, we know that your ways are mysterious, and I know that we do not always understand why the trials we are given are given to us. Please be with your servant Lisa and her husband, and grant them the Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Healing that they need during this time of trouble in their lives. Please be with the skillful doctors and guide their hands so that they may do what is needed to heal your servant. It is in the name of Your Son Jesus that we pray with Thanksgiving each and every day. Amen!”
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Please pray for my friend Brenda, specifically, for her daughter-in-law Kay-Cee and her son (Kay-Cee’s husband). Here is what is going on:
Prayers needed: On Friday October 18th we found out that twin A “Gunner” had passed away suddenly. Since the twins were in separate sacks this didn’t cause any damage to twin B “McKinley”. There are some higher risk factors of corse. Yesterday my “water” for twin A ruptured and I am at the hospital at UTMB. This causes risk for early delivery so they are going to keep me here until she is born… I am 24 weeks pregnant right now and the goal is to at least make it to 28 or 30 weeks. McKinley is doing great right now. Her heart beat is strong and steady. Please pray for her to stay in as long as possible to give her the best chance at life. We know God does everything for a reason and we are leaning on him now more than ever. Thank you very much for your much needed prayers.
Please pray with me: “Heavenly Father, it is our loss and your gain for Gunner, and we know that You had a good reason for calling him Home so early in his life. However, while we grieve the loss of Gunner, we still cling to hope and love that everything with McKinley will be okay, so please grand Your Peace, Comfort, and Strength to Kay-Cee and the rest of the family, so that they may be able to assist Kay-Cee as best as possible in her times of need. Please also be there, guiding the team of doctors that are helping her, so that McKinley may be born safely into this world and may live to show the world the Miracles that You can create through Your children.
It is in the name of Jesus that we pray with everlasting Thanksgiving. Amen!”
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Praising God for keeping my focus and integrity intact when I was sorely tempted to go another way.
I really struggled this last week on my Moms Panel application.
The simple “In 100 words or less, tell us about you” prompt had me majorly tempted to answer in a simple, happy way that entirely glossed over the most important part of who I am.
After literal hours of moving the words “I am a Christian” from the top of my essay to hiding in the middle and even some versions where I’m sorry to say it, it disappeared entirely, I finally felt the calming peace of God with me.
I returned the most important part to the front of my essay and easily moved on to tackle the other essays.
“I am a Christian…”
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Amen, Lori! Congratulations on your advancement to the second round of the Moms Panel, but even more Praise and congratulations on the way you brought the most important part of your being back to the front and center of who you are! For so many of us, that isn’t something we are willing or able to do, but I believe God is smiling down at you for doing so! Good luck in your quest to move on to Round 3!
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I wanted to take a moment and give a big shout of PRAISE to God for the way He has helped His Servant Heather. Look at what she wrote on Facebook recently:
The devil has been trying his best to destroy my ability to see myself the way God does. I am still in limbo with my job at the lighthouse and have been doubting if God can truly use me. Last week I was at a health fair and hear my named called. As I look up I see several boys walk up to me. I had these boys over the past year in the juvenile system. They each told me that they would be graduating from the programs and either going into college or a trade school. I was so proud of them because they have worked so hard to overcome some bad decisions. Each of us have made bad decisions but I have always felt that everyone deserves a second chance. They thanked me for coming to talk to them and they promised they would let this time make them stronger. I know that youth without a support system will probably make more bad decisions but I am determined to encourage these youth even if only for an hour.
I have always held on strong to the knowledge that God makes something beautiful out of messes (believe me I am a huge mess that even bounty could not clean up). This faith got me through years of being a mess and feeling worthless. I will not allow the devil to destroy the woman God is waiting to make me. Because without my faith; I am nothing but a mess. I will keep praying and asking God to continue to speak words through me every day at every school, even if for just a few more weeks. This passion was created by Him and I cannot believe He made me like this without a reason!! And the best thing is as messy and broken as I am; God loves me. I must show that love to others no matter what.
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My friend Angie needs some prayers for her Mom. Here is what she wrote on Facebook:
My mom…..I love her so, please pray for her. She is having some health issues that she is dealing with that the doctor has told her not to go on the cruise this weekend. This has made her pretty sad because she was so looking forward to it, there will be other cruises, we just need to get her better! So if you could take a minute to lift her up we would appreciate it.
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Please pray for my friend Jackie. She lost her Aunt today (October 30, 2013). Here is what she wrote on Facebook:
Thank you all for your prayers for my Aunt Helen. She left us this morning and is at rest now. May her memory be eternal. I will miss her dearly.
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A prayer and a praise for my good friend Jess, who lost her horse Pug this week. 😦 Here is what she wrote on Facebook:
Had to say goodbye to my beloved horse Pug today. When I held her empty halter in my hands it reminded me it is not about the ribbons, the buckles, the points, or the money won. It is about the horse. This horse was a great one. As a young horse she was a fantastic athlete and performer, but it was in her golden years she became irreplaceable. Teaching the timid to lope for the first time, Patiently standing to be groomed, trotting bareback down the road, taking a kid for their very first pony ride. For almost 30 years we were so lucky to have her and it is with every ounce of love in our hearts we return her to heaven. Rest in peace my angel and thank you.
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Prayers please for my dear friend Jodi. Her Uncle John passed away on October 31st. Heaven’s gain is their loss, and while we rejoice in her Uncle’s ascension, the human part of us grieves over having lost our loved one. Please pray with me:
“Heavenly Father, we give you absolute praise and thanks for Uncle John. We rejoice that he is now in Your loving embrace, and that he is no longer in any pain or suffering. Lord, please be with Jodi and her family in their time of sorrow, for while they don’t grieve as one does who has no hope, they are still human, and they are grieving for losing their friend, loved one, Uncle. Please give them all of Your Peace, Comfort, and Strength at this time and in the future so that they may continue in their lives. May their memories of their loved one be strong and never fade, and may they rejoice in knowing they will see him once again one day. It is in the name of Your wonderful Son Jesus that we pray with Thanksgiving each and every day. Amen!”
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Thank you so much, Mike, for your prayer for our family! It is so hard to say goodbye, but we are confident he is in the presence of the Lord and we will see him again one day.
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I have an update to our anonymous prayer request that is listed above. With high PRAISE to God, we have learned that everything is OK, and that they are not worried at all about the heart condition that the grad student was going through! Praise be to God for that blessing! They are going to tweak the medication she is on to stop the palpitations, but that is all they need to do! God is Great!
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Please pray for a friend, Renae. Her son and my son are good friends. She is in her early 40’s and has been diagnosed with lung cancer. It has spread to her lymph nodes and her bones. She is a strong believer and otherwise good health. She has 3 boys ages 11-15. Please pray for doctors as they determine the best treatment for her.
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