April 4, 2004
Prayer Request
All Rise

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . . Whose hands hold your spirit? Gods? Your own?

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for the families of the civilian contractors who were killed in Iraq this week.

3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for Mr Bush and his staff who are working to eliminate terrorism.

Additional leaders to pray for:

Read: Jeremiah 29:11-14

Oregon

4) Pray for a lady who is doing all she can to lose weight and straighten out her life.

5) Pray for a lady who has a habit that needs to be broken.

6) Pray for a couple who has a vision for developing a pastoral prayer retreat complex. Pray for direction, wisdom, and God’s will.

7) Pray for an elderly gentleman who has had several seizures and the doctors cannot find out why. He says he is a Christian. Pray God confirms it or redirects him.

Update: Remember Ray? --You’all prayed for him several weeks ago because he had the flu and didn’t seem to be getting over it. Yesterday, Ray tried to kill himself. He is in the hospital in Washington. His wife is saved (but very upset by his actions) and he is “a good church goer”. Pray for salvation and healing of mind and body.

Missionaries

8) Pray for Peter and Debbie Dodd. Peter’s dad died just before Christmas and now Debbie’s mother is sick. Debbie has come home to care for her for a month or so. Pray for healing. Pray for the university classes Debbie teaches in Taiwan, that they are not disrupted by this unplanned visit to Portland. Pray for Peter and their girls who were left at home to “batch” while mom’s gone.

9) Pray for Rich’s mom. Now the doctors are saying the cancer in her throat is also in her lungs.

10) Pray for Ron and Karen Rohman. Their usual street preaching spot in downtown Portland is unavailable due to construction projects. They will have to move which will give them a different audience. This is good but they hope they won’t lose contact with some they have been witnessing to.

11) Pray for a group of missionaries who are having trouble obtaining the necessary documents to allow them to stay in their country of service. Pray God will touch the hearts of those in charge to accept these visa applications.

12) Pray for some new missionary applicants as they seek His guidance in moving forward toward a field of service.

13) Pray for all the short term summer missionaries going out to various fields around the world. Pray for their travel expenses, their own heart responses, and open hearts and minds for those they minister to.

14) Pray for Peg who recently had a scare with a “melanosis” in her eye. She has had surgery and the doctors assure her that this kind of melanosis is common and rarely turns into bad melanoma. (It’s still scary). Pray for Peg to trust God and leave the results to him.

Washington

15) Pray for Raymond. He has suffered with bouts of depression for the past 8 years. He is in a very real spiritual battle at this time. The good and evil forces are at work. Pray for victory in Ray’s life -- that he will make a commitment to Jesus Christ today. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

I Hope So. . . .
A man is seldom as smart as his mother thinks, or as dumb as his mother-in-law says he is.

All Rise

The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to, after the worship service, ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play. “Here’s a copy of the service,” the pastor said impatiently. “But you’ll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.” During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.” At that moment, the substitute organist played “The Star Spangled Banner.” And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country. “Is there anything breakable in here?” asked the postal clerk. “Only the Ten Commandments,” answered the lady.
Thanks Ginger Burton, Glenwood WA

April 11, 2004
Prayer Request
Put The Glass Down

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .Statistically, one in every four women has suffered physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. The stats are the same for women who attend church regularly. If your church has 400 women -- 100 of them have been abused in some way. What are you or your church doing to work with these women?

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for a return to the faith of our fathers and the God in whom we trust.

3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for strength, wisdom, and safety. These are perilous times.

Additional leaders to pray for:

Read: Psalm 66:19-20 & Matthew 28:5-7

Oregon

4) Pray for John. 9 months after an accident, he has not come to terms with the guilt of surviving while his wife was killed. Pray for him to understand God’s plan. Pray for John’s daughter to encourage him and to help him to sort it all out.

5) Pray for Eunice. After an illness made it impossible for her to continue living alone at home, she was moved to a care facility. Her family then sold the house and its contents and left with the money. Now Eunice is faced with no home, and no ability to pay for the care facility. Pray for justice against the evil-doers, mercy for Eunice, and God’s provision to restore what the locusts stole.

6) Pray for Mattye’s eyes. She has macular degeneration and it is getting worse and worse. She is a strong Christian and has a strong trust in God. She cares for her husband who has had a stroke and some other problems. It is getting more and more difficult to do so. Pray for her foot also. She has an infection in one toe and it is very painful.

Update: You’all prayed for Rosie and her feet. One was turning in so badly she was walking on her ankle bone. She has gotten new shoes, and good doctor and healing feet. Thank you for praying and continue praising God for her. She’s a strong Christian.

Update: You’all prayed for Suzie’s dad and mom. He had surgery this past week and the doctors indicated there was only a 50% chance he would survive. Several days later he was up and walking around. Praises to God are in order. Mom is getting better. The doctors have cut some of her pain meds and she is not sleeping all the time and therefore getting some much needed exercise. All in all, she is also doing better. Continue to pray.

7) Pray for a lady who has cancer and the drugs are making her belligerent. This lady’s insurance may stop in May and Medicare not take over until July. Pray for something to happen so that she’d be covered for those two months. Pray for those who are caring for her.

Update: Remember Ray who tried to commit suicide? Turns out he drank so much water that it caused a chemical imbalance in his system. Continue to pray for healing, but praise God he is home and the neighbors have another chance to work on his salvation. Says he’s a good church goer.

Missionaries

8) Pray for Randy Armstrong leaving for Russia April 22nd. You’all are already praying for his trip. Here are his requests: “What with jet lag, general lack of sleep, cultural boo-boos, intensive ministry and the accompanying spiritual warfare, we'll need all the prayer we can get. Please pray especially for our relationships with Him, and our willingness to let Him set the schedule. Pray that our Lord will keep us all from personal sin. We will also need servant attitudes, something that comes and goes with me.” Pray for the whole team.

Put The Glass Down

A teacher was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, “How heavy do you think this glass of water is?”

The students’ answers ranged from 20g to 500g, “It doesn’t matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is okay. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. What you have to do is put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again.

“If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on; the burden becomes increasingly heavier. We have to put down the burden periodically so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

“Before you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you have on your shoulders, let it down for a moment. Pick it up again later when you have rested.”

***We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but they all have to learn to live in the same box.***
Thanks to the Hoods, Redding CA

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn’t always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Command- ments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a bit in her lap and was awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, and his son, Reason. His is survived by two stepbrothers, My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Thanks, The Hoods, Redding CA

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. Do you miss Common Sense?

2) Pray for those who have been captured and are being held as hostages in Iraq. Pray for their families here at home as they wait for news of their loved ones.

3) Pray for the president to experience grace and strength from the Lord in light of the tremendous pressure he faces both at home and abroad. Pray for encouragement through God’s Word, and for wisdom to deal with every challenge. Pray for wisdom for Mr Bush and all leaders involved in bringing peace to the Middle East.

4) Pray for Nancy. She went to a writers conference and got several encouraging comments from editors for a book she is writing about her great grandmother. Pray for the ability to write clearly and quickly. (One editor wants to see the first 3 chapters soon.)

5) Pray for a family with some interpersonal relationship problems. Here’s a problem I’ll bet you’all haven’t had. Ted and Nancy came home from several months traveling to find their home filled with lady bugs. They literally shoveled for several days, vacuumed more days and finally called an exterminator. They are still finding lady bug carcasses. The blessings of God’s creatures!!!

6) Pray for a man who is undergoing some tests to decide whether a tumor has returned. Pray for strength and peace.

7) Pray for Helen and Earl. Health issues are worrisome. Pray for God’s peace and grace.

8) Pray for Sandy who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors have removed the mass and are now deciding on further treatment. Pray for the family as they face this crisis.

9) Pray for Marty and Dawna as they take over Awanas in a new setting where they will have room to work and a better division of classes by age. There are several rowdies needing extra attention.

10) Pray for a little boy who has Tourette’s Syndrome, is ADHD, and has arthritis. He is teased and bullied at school.

11) Pray for a lady to overcome the spirit of adultry.

12) Pray for Jay and Linda Neuharth in Central Asia. They are involved in some deep spiritual warfare for the life a lady who has acknowledged Jesus but is dealing with a witchdoctor. Pray for the lady to renounce her connection with the spirit world.

13) It is departure week for Randy Armstrong going to Russia. Pray for the whole experience. Pray he has clear guidance from God, a willing and consecrated heart, and a flexible attitude. Pray that those the team is ministering to have open hearts and a willingness to listen.

14) Pray for Dennis Fuqua with International Renewal Ministries. He has a busy schedule and will be in several prayer summits this month. Pray also for his family.

15) Remember Thursday May 6th is National Day of Prayer. The theme this year is “Let Freedom Ring”. Watch in your area for announcements of events. Remember to participate in local events, too. Take some extra time for prayer that day.

Interesting Website To Check Out as you teach VBS, Sunday School, or your own children or grandchildren. A group called Christian Child Care Coalition in Topeka Kansas provides free downloadable Scripture portions and coloring pictures and lots of helpful hints. I have not checked the organization and am not endorsing them -- just free resources are a good thing. Their website is www.homeword.ws

Some houses try to hide the fact
that children shelter there;
Ours boasts it quite openly. . .
the signs are everywhere,
For smears are on the windows,
little smudges on the door.

I should apologize I guess
for toys strewn on the floor,
But I sat down with the children
and played, laughed and read.
And if the doorbell doesn’t shine,
their eyes will shine instead.

For when I’m forced to choose
the one job or the other,
It’s good to be a housewife
but I’d rather be a mother!
Author Unknown