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July 3, 2005 I Almost Sold Your Son !!!! Several years ago, a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, " You better give the quarter back, it would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount of money ? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare, they would never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep it." When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then handed the quarter to the driver and said, "You gave me too much change." The driver, with a smile replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I've been thinking about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday." When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the
nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter." Prayer Requests 1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church... . Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read !!!! 2) Pray for our country. . .thanks to God for the freedom and liberty that He has bestowed upon our nation. As we celebrate 229 years of freedom, we are reminded that without divine help, this nation would never have been born. Pray that we will continue to be a nation that God can bless, honoring and welcoming Him into our public and private lives. 3) Pray for our president. . .As President Bush observes his 59th birthday on Wednesday, July 6, pray that God will continue to lead, guide and bless him. Pray that he will be drawn often to God's powerful Word, and will fellowship with Him and others in prayer. Pray also that he will continue to enjoy vibrant health and strength as he serves our nation. Additional leaders to pray for: EPA Administrator - Stephen L. Johnson Secretary of the Interior - Gale Norton Secretary of Homeland Security - Michael Chertoff © www.presidentialprayerteam.org Read: Exodus 15:2 & Romans 12:12 4) As the world observes the one-year anniversary since the handover of sovereignty to Iraq, give thanks for progress made as 8 million participated in elections. Pray for those working to draft the Iraqi constitution. Pray also for the diminution of the insurgent efforts and the strengthening of all who are working for peace and democracy in Iraq. Oregon 5) Pray for a young man who is shipping off to Iraq soon. He is full of bragging to cover his fear. He doesn't have Jesus. California 6) Pray for Rich Hood who is going into Mercy Medical Center in Sacramento for surgery to remove his pacemaker and also his defibrillator. Both units will be replaced with one combination unit. 7) Pray for Ron Norman, Rich's brother in law who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. (Don't know if he is saved, so pray for salvation first then pray for healing. 8) Pray for Rich's son, Rob, who has post traumatic stress syndrome and has constant panic attacks. Pray for the Lord to guide him to the right training program. Missionaries 9) Pray for Peter & Debbie Dodds' daughter, Sarah. She was riding a bike and fell face first, probably into the handlebar. She broke the section of her jaw between her nose and her lip that includes both bone and cartilage and knocked a tooth almost completely out (fortunately a baby tooth) and her front top teeth and gums were bent inward at a pretty good angle. Their dentist who was gracious enough to stay open for them to arrive, just happened (by the grace of God) to have had a lot of experience in jaw reconstruction, and only charged them $1.50 US for all the work he did. X-rays showed no other broken bones. Pray for no permanent damage. 10) Pray for Harry Sudarma and his family. He is Indonesian and is going back to Indonesia to teach in two seminaries. Pray for book shipments to be made and arrive on schedule. Pray for scheduling and travel issues. Pray his family is prepared to go in God's name. Montana 11) Pray for Wilbur. He is in the state corrections facility in Montana. He prayed for a Christian roommate but the new man is not yet interested in the Lord. pray for Wilbur to be strong in his witness and to lead the man to a saving faith. Pray for Wilbur to use his time wisely and make the most of his situation. Current IssueSome Great Tips
Thanks, Rich and JoAnne
July 10, 2005 Why Am I Here? I used to think that I came here to save souls, or to get the word out that Jesus saves us, that I’ve found in Jesus what the Kyrgyz people need. Slowly it has been dawning on me that God brought me here for my own good, to do some needed work in my heart. Yesterday I read again these words from Isaiah 43:10&11: "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no Savior besides Me." It flashed across my mind all that has been sacrificed for me to work here for the past decade: the money, the grandparents’ longing to be near their grandkids, our kids’ longing to be near them, other family and friends we have lived distant from over the miles and time zones, ten years of our own work, sweat, stress, distress, and life, ¼ Thinking about all this, which God sent me through in order that I would know Him in a new way, I began to believe that it is indeed that valuable. Knowing Jesus progressively deeper, understanding Him in new ways as the journey goes on, growing to believe Him beyond what used to be ¼ it is that valuable. Valuable enough that God saw fit to invest all the above great costs so that Jay Neuharth would have a bit more of Jesus. WOW! The rest of my family are part of the bargain, Linda and the girls also are His witnesses so that each may know and believe and understand Him, too. God evidently wants each of us to know Him more, wants it very badly. Next I thought of our work among the Kyrgyz people, "I guess that’s not so significant after all. I’m really here so God will change me, not them." But then . . and I doubt I can describe this with any coherent sense — I realized that the value of knowing Jesus is the whole thing that makes my work important. I’m here to catalyze Kyrgyz people and Jesus coming together, and if that’s valuable for them, it should be so for me, too. And so if I realize afresh that it’s of dynamic huge value for me to progress in believing Jesus, that only affirms that it’s of huge value for each of them, and that it's a really important thing we do here! So ... far from my coming here with a load of salvation to disperse to the needy ¼ my purpose here is to journey onward in the lush and mysterious jungle of getting to believe in Jesus myself, drawing Kyrgyz to walk with me forward, to slog and machete our way towards knowing The Way and the Truth and the Life. We'll be leaving in around 30 hours, going back to Portland for two months there. Please pray for God's hand to protect us as we travel and to richly bless the Kyrgyz friends we're leaving here. Prayer Requests 1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church --and in our own hearts. Why are you here? 2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for America's 25 million military veterans that they will be well cared for by our nation and that they will know the gratitude of the nation and the world whose freedom they defended. Pray for all our veterans' needs, including health and medical care, housing and pensions as well as their spiritual needs to know God and His love for them. 3) Pray for our president. . .and his family as they travel to Scotland and Africa serving our country and serving the world. Additional leaders to pray for: Director of the Secret Service - Ralph Basham Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Robert S. Mueller, III Director of the Transportation Security Administration - Admiral David M. Stone © www.presidentialprayerteam.org Read: Luke 18:1 & I Thessalonians 5:16-18 4) Pray for the world. . . Pray for those injured in the brutal attacks in London, for the families and loved ones of all the victims as well as the emergency responders and medical professionals who now step in to care. What a glorious thing it would be if millions of us would avail ourselves of the greatest privilege and the greatest power this side of heaven-the privilege and power of prayer! Missionaries 5) Pray for Jay Neuharth and family who are now in the States for two month's furlough. Pray they go back as a family, united in the knowledge of why they are there. 6) Pray for The Master's Work (PrayerWorks). Summers are very hard for most ministries in the financial area. We're no exception. Pray for some decisions that will need to be made. 7) Pray for Hard Hats for Christ as they make the decision whether to do a project in Africa. There are a lot of problems involved. Oregon 8) Pray for Jonathan and Beth. He is very sick and she is struggling. Pray for healing, peace, and wisdom for both. 9) Pray for a lady who is trying to win back her children from the courts. The hearing comes up in a couple of weeks. 10) Pray for a man and the softening of his heart. 11) Pray that God sustain two women who are trying to care for their sick husbands under adverse conditions. 12) Pray for Earl. He has some new, very bothersome, health issues. 13) Pray for Ed that he learns to trust as he goes through a time of transition. 14) Pray for a group of men who want to learn to follow Jesus. 15) Pray for Salvation for Kim. Alabama 16) Pray for Martha who has breast cancer. 17) Pray for a situation only God knows the answer to. Supreme Court 18) Pray for the president, the congress, and the Supreme Court as they work together to fill the vacancy left by Sandra Day O'Connor. Pray the person "of God's own choosing" fills this position. Current IssueOh, No! Not Another Groaner Children's Sermon for the Day: Out of the mouths of babes comes the simple truth! ~~~ I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven. I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" "NO!" the children answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, the answer was, "NO!" By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun! "Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again. Again, they all answered, "NO!" I was just bursting with pride for them. Well, I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?" A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD." Happy moments praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments trust God. Every moment, thank God. When you are down to nothing .. God is up to something! Top
July 17, 2005 Mudslinging Prayers Several worshippers knelt before the lurid idol housed at the sacred shrine of a Chinese heathen temple. The western visitor watched silently as devotees produced small pieces of paper on which their prayers had been written. Wrapping the papers in little balls of thick mud, they threw them at the idol. Asking about this strange custom, the visitor was told that if the mudball stuck fast to the idol, the prayer was sure to be answered. But if the mudball fell off, it meant the prayer was rejected by the god. We may find this method of testing the acceptability of a prayer amusing. But then, what is prayer? It is certainly not persuading God to do what we want; it is not bending the will of a reluctant God. "We must not conceive of prayer as overcoming God's reluctance," says Archbishop Trench, "but as laying hold of His highest willingness." Prayer does not change God's purpose -- but it can release His power. Many of us find it tough to pray longer than grace at meals. When we try to focus on God for extended periods of time, we have a hard time staying awake. Often we become so self absorbed we don't want to spend time on our knees before the Lord to pray in behalf of the needs of others. Rarely do we spend time in prayer just praising him! More than changing God's heart to conform to our desires, prayer is designed to change our hearts to conform to his plans. Scripture says that we must pray according to his will -- and when we do, all things will be answered. How do we find God's will? Read Scripture! Read, and read, and read. Then pray God's words back to him. No fair just throwing mudballs at him and hope they stick! Prayer Requests 1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. 2) Pray for our country. . .As hurricane season continues, pray for FEMA Director Michael D. Brown and his team as they respond to this week's storms, flooding and wildfires in other parts of the country. Pray for Drug Czar John Walters, DEA Director Karen Tandy and all who fight drug addiction. With recent studies showing methamphetamine is now the greatest drug problem in the nation, impacting everything from crime rates to increased pressure on foster care systems due to addicted mothers, pray for the implementation of an effective strategy to fight this problem. 3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for the President as he considers candidates for the U.S. Supreme Court, asking God to guide him to the very best candidate for the job. Pray that the process will be conducted appropriately with a spirit of cooperation with Senate leaders. Additional leaders to pray for: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Porter Goss Director of National Intelligence - John D. Negroponte Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board - Alan Greenspan Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations - Anne W. Patterson © www.presidentialprayerteam.org Read: Psalm 91:15 4) Pray for the world. . .As the world reels from the shock of last week's bombings pray for the President and those who develop America's response and preparedness against future attacks. Pray that all Americans will be safeguarded, asking God to guide those involved with our security with His wisdom and help. Around The World 5) Members of the last legal Protestant church in the autonomous Karakalpakstan republic in north-western Uzbekistan have failed in their last-ditch attempt to fight off an official ban on their activities. On 5 July, the economic court in the regional capital of Nukus rejected the Emmanuel Full Gospel Church’s appeal against the Karakalpakstan Justice Ministry’s decision to close it down. Because the Justice Ministry closed down several other Protestant organizations after a revised religion law was adopted in 1998 and it is illegal for unregistered religious communities to hold worship services or other religious activities, all Protestant activities in Karakalpakstan are now banned. Pray for the Christians in this country and in the surrounding countries. Hawaii 6) Pray for a family in crisis. 5 months ago, Michelle's husband died of a drug overdose. This week, her toddler drown in the apartment pool. Michelle is not a Christian and has no foundation to stand on when things go so horribly wrong. Michelle was suicidal after her husband's death and her stability is again challenged. The ex-step- grandfather is the only Christian in the family and he lives in Oregon. Pray that someone finds a way into the family with a Christian witness. Pray for Michelle as she struggles with this new crisis. Oregon 7) Pray for Irene who is dealing with severe lower back pain. She is a Christian. 8) Pray for Steve who is undergoing chemotherapy. 9) Pray for a Christian lady who is dealing with past hurts. Somewhere 10) We'all were made aware of a situation that is so volatile that we can't disclose the situation nor the location. Since God knows all, pray for this situation as though you know all you need to know about it. God does! 11) Pray for a church leader who is paying a high price for lust. He is repentant and is with a Christian counsellor. He has confessed to the church and it appears they are rallying around him and his family. California 12) Pray for Joy's daughter who has had two surgeries on the foot she broke in February and still there is pain. Doctors are hesitant to try a third time because she has diabetes. 13) Pray for Agnes, Joy's friend who fell and broke her hip the same weekend. Pray for healing. Missionaries 14) Pray for Ben and Donna Duffy in their duties as a Northeast Representatives of Operation Mobilization. They worked (and you'all prayed for them) in Israel for a long time. They have a deadline to meet in September. Pray that all things come together in God's time. Current IssueI'll Bet You Didn't Know That..... If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2nd, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. In Shakespeare's time, the mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase. . ."Goodnight. Sleep tight!" In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. . .So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down!" It's where we got the phrase, "Mind your P's and Q's" Each King in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Top
July 24, 2005 The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways Even a Spider Web During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen." After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. "Hah, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor." As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall." We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget what God can work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. And remember with God, a mere spider's web becomes a brick wall of protection. Prayer Requests 1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .Do we look for the ways God works or are we content believing he hasn't? 2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for those in the path of Hurricane Emily, asking God for His protection and care. Pray for services and utilities to remain intact. 3) Pray for our president. . .Give thanks for President Bush's decision to nominate Judge John G. Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking God to guide and bless Chair Arlen Specter and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee as they begin hearings in late August or early September. Ask God to lead them into His will for the Court and our nation. Give thanks for the speedy developments in the nominating process and pray the confirmation will be dignified and orderly as President Bush has requested. Additional leaders to pray for: Director of the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives - James Towey Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms - Carl J. Truscott Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy - John Walters © www.presidentialprayerteam.org Read: Psalm 141:1-2 & Romans 1:8-10 4) Pray for the world. . .Pray for the end of insurgency in Iraq as well as terror around the world, asking God to powerfully intercede with His strength and might. Pray for an uprising of godly intercession to call on the Lord to defeat those who would bring evil on innocent victims. Pray for talks beginning July 25, on ending North Korea's nuclear arms program. The U.S. will be represented along with host, China and Japan, South Korea and Russia. Oregon 5) Wednesday, July 20, Bill and Patti had the awesome opportunity of welcoming their first grandbaby into this world. Skylar weighed in it at 7lbs 10oz, 20in long born at 8:22 pm. He had some respiratory problems to begin with but has improved greatly . Mom & Dad are very excited and proud. Pray for continued improvement with the health issues. Pray also for the parents to bring up Skylar in Christ. 6) Pastor Rice sent this note: "We have a close friend Pastor John Eichmann, whose wife, Linda, is in the hospital recovering from surgery. We ask you to remember her in prayer." 7) Marty asks for prayer: "Last Thursday as a friend was leading a horse, it lost it's balance and fell on her. She suffered many broken bones and had to be Life Flighted out. When I saw her on Friday she asked for prayer for help with her dental clinic and her 70 acre horse ranch. Yet, in spite of her circumstances she was still praising Jesus for good friends and for his protection. Washington 8) Dennis asks for prayer: Jan's health has declined. Would you'all pray that she will experience strength and God's peace as well as finding the right doctor and healing Alabama 9) Pray for the family of MaryAnn Cavender Hood, one of our longtime prayer warriors who passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She wrote poems and articles for the front page of PrayerWorks many times. Missionaries 10) Jay and Linda Neuharth are home in Portland for a summer vacation. First thing he had to do upon arrival was fix plumbing! 11) Pray for two missionary friends who do some dangerous work going over borders and finding helpers in odd places. Pray that the obstacles be removed. Pray for their protection and strength. Pray for wisdom about who to trust. Montana 12) Pray for Pastor Emory who has just taken responsibility for a church in Frenchtown. He has 15 children (only a few are adopted). Prayerworks You'all noticed that last week there was no prayer letter and this week you'all received two at once. We didn't have enough money to mail each week so until God rectifies the situation, we will mail two prayer letters every other week. Sorry for the inconvenience and confusion. Current IssueNew Perspective Abby was singing and doing the motions to "He's God the Whole World." She proceeded to sing, "He's got the whole world in His hand. He's got the whole world in His hand. . ." Before she repeated it a third time, she turned around and asked, "Who is he?" The couple had been debating the purchase of a new auto for weeks. He wanted a new pickup truck. She wanted a fast little Saab-like sports car so she could zip through traffic around town. He would probably have settled on any beat up old truck, but everything she seemed to like was way out of their price range. "Look!" she said. I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in 4 seconds or less. And my birthday is coming up. You could surprise me." For her birthday, he bought her a brand new bathroom scale. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape. Top
July 31, 2005 Bedside Talk I knelt beside my bed to talk to Jesus I poured my heart out to Him and He listened; Nothing can compare to praying Christians; Prayer Requests 1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .Are you truly a "praying Christian"? 2) Pray for our country. . .Wildfires rage and heat blisters. Pray for those affected 3) Pray for our president. . .Pray he stays in God's will and exercises his decisionmaking according to God's plan Additional leaders to pray for: Pray for salvation for the Senators and Congressmen from your district that you are not sure they have accepted Jesus. Read: Revelation 22:20 & 21 4) Pray for the world. . .The leader of an underground Chinese church is due to appear in a Beijing court accused of illegally printing more than 200,000 Bibles. Cai Zhuohua, along with his wife and two other church members, has been charged with "illegal business practices", his lawyers have said. The Protestant pastor has already been in detention for 10 months. Although Bibles are not illegal in China, only one firm is permitted by the state to print them. The country's Christians are also only allowed to worship in state-approved churches, although many people prefer to attend underground or "house" churches. Mr. Cai's lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, conceded that he was not optimistic about the verdict for the three detainees. "It is impossible for them to be found innocent, but I have confidence to strive for lighter sentences," Mr. Gao told the French news agency AFP. "The books in no way were going to enter the market, they were to be given away free of charge to the church members," he added. Missionaries 5) Pray for Joan Lipis who ministers in Israel. Recently she went to Thailand (a favorite vacation spot for Israelis) and witnessed to the Israelis who have gone in search of Eastern Religions, some she met at the New Age Festivals she witnesses at in Israel. The orphanages and the children broke her heart. Pray for those children who have no parents, no money, and no future. 6) Pray for Hans and Vivian who are with Christar and work in Virginia with Kurdish Muslim refugees. Pray for better fluency in the Kurdish language and more time to study. 7) Pray for a missionary couple who are facing some hindrances in their work. Pray God removes these obstacles and gives the couple peace and completed projects. 8) Pray for a group of Middle Eastern refugees who have recently accepted Jesus and are now facing family and friends -- a sometimes violent event, certainly an emotionally difficult time.
Oregon 9) Pray for two women who have not resolved some hurts and are working very hard to hate instead of love and respect someone else. Neither are walking very close to the Lord, nor have they been for quite a while. Pray God breaks this yoke of bondage and sets them free to restore relationships. 10) Pray for a lady who has a kidney stone larger than the kidney. The doctors are going to break it up and hope she can pass the pieces. If she can't, they will be doing surgery to remove the kidney. Pray for wisdom for the doctors, healing and peace for her. 11) Continue to pray for Billie. The custody court hearing was postponed and still hangs over her head. Pray for God's steadying influence in her life. Pray for peace and trust to form in her heart. Current IssueThink Again!
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