October 2, 2005
Prayer Request
No One Believes Seniors.. Are They All Senile?

How Do You Pray?

"God is great; God is good. Thank You for our daily food. Amen!"

That is what little kindergarten children often say before having their cookies and milk. Some older children say it for grace, too. Some children also have a bedtime prayer -- "Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. . ."

Many of us have our own "form" prayers, don't we? Those prayers are very helpful when we don't want to get too close to God -- or have Him get too close to us! Some of us lean on the Lord's Prayer. Our Lord Jesus gave us this prayer, so it is perfect -- if we really mean and understand every word!

Insincere Prayer: Then again, some of us pray insincerely, just wanting to make a good impression on other people. According to Jesus, that's what a certain prideful Pharisee did. This man looked down his long nose at a nearby publican and thanked God he wasn't like THAT sinner and others like him. Then in his so-called prayer, he bragged about how "good" he was. The publican, however, bowed his head humbly. In anguish he cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"

Meaningful Prayer: We are missing out on the joy of prayer if we are not aware of the power and blessing of it. And we miss out on the true meaning of being a Christian when we do not regularly and conversationally talk with our Lord. Personal communication with Him is a sweet privilege.

"Pray without ceasing," Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. How do we do that? Well, we have to be right with the Lord. The prophet Amos said, "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" That's why we ask God to forgive our sins and turn us from wrongdoing, so we can be in step with Him. This may cost us something in worldly pleasure and self-discipline, but the rewards are greater than the cost. For we are filled with peace and joy when we walk and talk daily with our Lord. Also, we can speak to Him throughout the day. We can call quickly and quietly to Him when we need help. We can discuss with Him our problems and leave them in His capable hands. We can be lifted to joy by praising and thanking God for His blessings and the beauty of his marvelous creations.

True Communication: True communication is both speaking and listening. When we talk with the Lord, we can know He will guide us in the decisions we have to make. If we trust Him, we will see prayers answered. We will see Him do "more than we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). God may not always answer the way we want Him to, but He does answer. If you record your prayer requests in a little booklet, you will experience great joy when the prayers are answered and you can write the answer in red, alongside the date. Try it!

Jesus told us, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you" (John 16:23). This promise is real to me. Is it real to you?
© Muriel Larson, Greenville SC

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church.

2) Pray for our country. . .As President Bush has called for conservation of all forms of energy, particularly gasoline, pray that our nation will come together to conserve fuel, share rides and eliminate unnecessary travel. Pray for restoration of refineries and pipelines.
Pray for those in TX and LA returning home to complete destruction--for a spirit of hope and strength in the face of hardship for weeks to come.

3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for President Bush as he considers choosing a person to head reconstruction and renewal in New Orleans, asking God to empower the entire process with His wisdom. Pray that local communities will have God’s help and vision as they consider how to rebuild.

4) Pray for the world. . .Give thanks for the great progress in Iraq reported by Gens. Abizaid and Casey, thanking God for the increase in the Iraqi security forces and praying for strengthened security in the run-up to the constitutional referendum next month.

Additional leaders to pray for:

Read: Psalm 106:1-3

Arizona

5) Pray for George whose health has been failing. He is 78. The doctors want to remove one kidney but they are not sure his other one will hold up to the extra strain. His wife, Dolores, is 85 and his only caregiver. Pray for her health. Pray for both George and Dolores to keep trusting the Lord to give the strength to deal with the future.

Missionaries

6) Pray for Bob and Becky Otten working in Central Asia evangelizing the professional community there. There are changes in their office staff and some new laws that are making things difficult. They are expecting an "audit" from the government which really means a giving of a bribe soon. The house loan has not gone through. Pray for direction and wisdom.

7) Pray for Ron and Karen Rohman, street preachers in Portland. They worked long hard hours most of the summer and are now feeling the illnesses that come with too much taking care of others and not taking enough care of self. Pray for healing and restoration.

8) Pray for Rod and Dawn Taylor in Ireland. Here's their message: "More than ever we recognize that we are in a war. The battle that rages around us is real and threatens to defeat our family, our marriage and our ministry. We know that God is in control and we are desperate for your prayer. Last month I asked you to pray for the internet connection for our GEM Youth Ministry office. Well, we still don’t have the connection. Please pray that this comes through." Pray for strength and trust, travel mercies and safety at home.

9) Pray for the Hunters who returned to the Philippines after home furlough but their shipping container is stuck in customs in Manilla.
Too many officials want palms greased. Pray for its quick release.

10) Pray for Hard Hats for Christ as they make a transition in leadership. Pray for it to go smoothly and be done in God's grace.

Oregon

11) Pray for Peggy. She is in a nursing home trying to gain strength to walk so she can go home. Pray for progress.

12) Pray for Potter's Clay Ministries, a group in North Portland who minister especially to youth. They have a good program going.

Illinois

No One Believes Seniors.. Are They All Senile?

An elderly couple were celebrating their 60th anniversary. The couple had married as childhood sweethearts and had moved back into their old neighborhood after they retired. Holding hands, they walked back to their old school. It was not locked, so they entered and found the old desk they'd shared, where Andy had carved "I love you, Sally."

On their way back home a bag of money fell out of an armored car, practically landing at their feet. Sally quickly picked it up, but not sure what to do with it, they took it home. Andy said, "We have to give it back," but Sally said, "Finders keepers" and hid the sack in the attic.

The next day, two FBI men, canvassing the neighborhood, knocked on their door. "Did either of you find a bag that fell out of the armored car yesterday? Sally said no but Andy said, "She's lying. She hid it in the attic." Sally said, "Don't believe him, he's getting senile."

One of the agents said to Andy, "Tell us the story from the beginning." And Andy said, "Well, when Sally and I were walking home from school yesterday. . ."

One agent turned to his partner and said, "We're outta here."
Old Country Church Bulletin, Summer 2005

October 30, 2005
Prayer Request
Unlikely Source For A Wise Statement

Do You Know?

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side."

The doctor was holding the handle of the office door. On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing. . .I know my Master is there and that is enough."
© Thanks, Ron

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . . Is it enough for you?

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for states with elections this month--24 states will vote on 11/8 to elect two governors and other officials. CO will vote on 11/1 and LA on 11/12.

3) Pray for our president. . .As President and Mrs. Bush celebrate their 28th anniversary pray for God’s continued blessing and for them to draw near to Him in Spirit and in truth, taking time for daily worship. Pray for First Lady Laura Bush as she celebrates her birthday next week, praying for her health, safety and continued grace as she faithfully supports the President. Pray for the President in light of the many pressures he currently faces, asking God to strengthen him with His grace and wisdom, granting good judgment and discernment. Pray that his heart will be drawn to God’s Word daily.

4) Pray for the world. . .As the troops death toll in Iraq has now passed 2,000, pray that military families who have experienced loss will know God’s nearness and comfort. Pray for continued progress in Iraq-for the strengthening of the government, the end to insurgent attacks and progress by Iraqi troops and security forces. Give thanks for the victory with the constitutional referendum.

Additional leaders to pray for:

Read: Isaiah 58:9

Missionaries

5) Update from Julisa and Bill Rowe, going to Kenya to teach ethnodrama: "Answered prayer! Our RV finally sold! Thank you for praying! Please continue to pray. We are set for Jan. 9 departure, and need another $900/month.. Pray for packing and work details."

6) Update from Bro. Howie Hunter in the Philippines: "I want to thank you so much for praying. I am shouting and rejoicing at what has been done in the last two weeks. We asked many to pray for our personal shipment and then for the ministry container. Our personal container had the probable cost of 500. US dollars to clear through customs. We paid 3150. peso ($57.58 US)! The duty taxes started at 105,000. peso, (1919.56 us dollars) on the ministry container. I was told to bring cash (for bribes). The taxes were 3438 peso ($62.45 US!) Two missionaries rejoiced and thanked the Lord for really taking care of His business. Thank you for praying and we can rejoice together. may the Lord keep you close to himself.

7) Recently there was a celebration of the 1st Kurdish church of believers with Muslim background in Northern Iraq. More than 80 people dedicated the new church, with 6 new converts and several baptisms during the service. Even the personal representative of Iraq's new president was there to affirm that, with democracy has come freedom of religious worship! Keep praying!

Oregon

8) Pray for Ed. His lungs keep filling with fluid. He's been in the hospital again.

9) Pray for Lea's friend. She is aware of the gospel message, but has not yet embraced Jesus as her Savior.

10) Pray for Linda that the Lord would sustain her. She is totally bedridden now and is having difficulty adjusting to not being able to get around easily.

11) Pray for another Linda who has recently discovered she has breast cancer. Pray for strength and God's sustaining hand as she goes to the East Coast to visit her grandkids before beginning treatment.

12) Pray for Grace who is being led down a path sounding good but leading to destruction.

13) Continue to pray for Sean who is having serious migraines 3-4 times a week. Pray for the medication to work better without the awful side-effects.

Iowa

14) Pray for a young lady who is undergoing some heavy stress training at college.

YOU"ALL REMEMBER that requests are not repeated unless there are answers or new information. Please continue to pray for each request until an answer comes. Please also send in those answers -- each one is a precious blessing to those who pray.

Unlikely Source For A Wise Statement

With Hurricanes, flooding, fires, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes tearing up the world from one end to another, the quote of the day is from: Jay Leno

"Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

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"In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."
Al Rogers

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"Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!"