November 6, 2005
Prayer Request
Not Forgotten

"I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength."
Phil 4:13

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by.

The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body, was in the shape of a cross. The man felt a strange feeling, like someone was speaking to him. Instead of diving, he knelt down and finally asked God to come into his life.

As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on. The pool had been drained for repairs.

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. God does work in mysterious ways, doesn't He?

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito as he meets with members of Congress under the guidance of Senator Dan Coates and Ed Gillespie.

Pray for Donald E. Powell as President Bush has appointed him as Coordinator of Federal Support for the Gulf Coast's Recovery and Rebuilding.

As the President has asked Congress for an additional $17.1 billion in Hurricane Katrina emergency funds pray for wisdom for the President’s staff and Congress as they consider funding cuts.

Pray for Ben Bernanke as he prepares to step up to be Chairman of the Federal Reserve System when Alan Greenspan steps down at the end of January.

3) Pray for the president. . .as he travels and works for what is best for the United States. Pray for wisdom and safety.

Additional leaders to pray for:

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

4) Pray for the world. . .persecution of Christians goes on around the world, every day. Pray for strength, wisdom, and safety for those who need it most.

Oregon

5) Tom asks for prayer for his friend. "Joe has what appears to be a large tumor in his right kidney, an unidentified spot in his left lung, and something going on with his liver (the doctor's words). He said Joe's condition is serious and needs attention. Pray for Joe's wife, too.

6) Pray for Barbara. She was hit by a car and broke her leg severely. The doctors had to put a rod in it. She was a hairdresser and cannot work standing. Pray for peace and comfort as she heals and direction for her future.

Missionaries

7) Jay from Central Asia asks for prayer for Azamat. He recently lost his mother and father to illnesses. At the same time he and his wife had a baby. He is confused and searching and is quick to absorb comfort and witness from Jay. Pray his heart remains open and he comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

Jay will soon be teaching English in the high school in Sharshen Village. He says, "I am sure that I am here to proclaim Jesus, to communicate freedom. It followed that teaching English, which is so appreciated here, would be a good way to serve the young people in the village, as well as an avenue to relate with people there to share Jesus." Pray for him.

8) Pray for a missionary couple whose daughter (3 months old) had malaria. They serve in a remote jungle outpost in Southeast Asia and had to travel 3 hours to get help. The child is still not out of the woods. Continue to pray...there are some leftover difficulties.

Idaho

9) Pray for a child born with a heart defect who will need a heart transplant soon but the doctors feel they must wait til the child is 6 months old. They live in a remote area where help is not too readily available. They had to come to Portland to see doctors.

California

10) Pray for "Big Chuck". He is going to Malawi to be the headmaster at a missionary school for 6 months.

11) Pray for Al that the Lord would continue to help him to be obedient.

Somewhere

12) Pray for a young man who is making some life changing decisions for the better. It has been a long fight. He recently wanted to know why his life wasn't going well, like everyone elses'!

Not Forgotten

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.

He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

Moral of the story? It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

****************

A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"

November 13, 2005
Prayer Request
What Ya Think?

The Bequeathing of Prayer

Then Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk". Acts 3:9

As the holiday season approaches and technology becomes cleverer and more expensive, many people on limited incomes struggle with gift-giving ideas. The best gift I ever received came from my great-grandmother - Gussie AnnLou Christian. She prayed for me and she taught me how to pray.

My great-grandmother became my legal guardian when I was a little more than a toddler (approximately 4 -5 years old) and she was a senior citizen (approximately 70 years old). Granny-great, which is what I called her, only had her social security benefits and what she could earn from sewing, baking and ironing.

A lot of memories flood my heart periodically from that juncture in my life. Granny-great had unwavering faith. Every morning and every night I would hear my great-grandmother fervently praying, crying and calling on the name of Jesus. It amazed me how she would humbly kneel down to pray and she patiently took her time to get off her knees. Granny-great was a prayer warrior.

When I was thirteen years old, my great-grandmother became sick and was hospitalized. She convalesced for approximately one year. While with relatives, I was given materialistic items as gifts. Those things did not make me happy. Their dazzling effects were temporary.

In my despair, I remembered what my great-grandmother would do when she reached an impasse in her life. She would stand up with her face and hands extended towards heaven pleading her case before a just God.

Therein was my opportunity to share with Granny-great the gift she gave me as a small child. She gave me the Gift that keeps on giving, loving and saving: Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Because I have a personal relationship with Jesus, I too (like granny-great), give Jesus Christ as a gift for every season and reason one would encounter in this earthly sojourn. For example, when I discerned that one of my friends was having an issue within her family, I bought her the book by Stormie Omartian: The Power of a Praying Wife. Then, I interceded on behalf of her family to our Heavenly Father.

It is an extremely rare occasion for me to forego my daily tryst with the LORD. I understand how important it is to keep an active and open line of communication with Him. Prayer has become an essential component of my life. It is the conduit that keeps me connected to the presence, the power and the protection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
© Yvette Freeman Rowland, Sunrise FL

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. To whom have you bequeathed a life of prayer?

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for Judge Samuel Alito as he continues the get-acquainted process with members of Congress, asking God to guide the process of the confirmation hearings that His will may be done.

3) Pray for our president...pray for him to have clarity of thought and the wisdom of God.

4) Pray for our world. . .As President Bush has condemned the terror attacks on American hotels in Amman, Jordan, pray for the many innocent victims of several nationalities who are impacted by the bombings. Pray that no further acts of terror will be planned or, if planned, will not be successful.

Leaders to pray for this week:

Read: Joshua 1:9

Missionaries

5) A missionary couple, David & Lisa Lloyd, who work in Haiti, had their two children taken from Lisa this week at gun point. The Lloyd's children are 6 & 4. PLEASE MAKE THIS A MATTER OF PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!

6) Pray for Brother Howie Hunter and his family in the Philippines. He has worked diligently to get the radio station up and running and they will begin broadcasting November 28th. Also a medical missionary will be joining the team during December. Pray for the outreach during this time. Church planting will follow the contacts made with this people group.

7) Pray for Evani´s health-- she still may face surgery on the tumor of the hypothalamus if the medicine doesn´t reduce it. She has lost weight (down to 90 lbs). Evani and Scott work in South America with a church planting group who makes contacts through the use of a medical van going from village to village. The unsoundness of the current van keeps things in an uproar most of the time.

8) Pray for the Sudarma family. All are in Houston TX while Harry is in Indonesia- teaching and preaching. His schedule is very stressful.

He reports that near him four Christian high-school girls were attacked and three of them were beheaded in front of the church. One escaped with big cuts on her face. Pray for the safety of the brothers and sisters there -- and Harry too!

9) Pray for Frontier Missions who bring the necessities of life to Native Americans on reservations while doing evangelistic crusades with excellent results. Their last truck load went to Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota where a school shooting occured. The church there has no heat (and temperatures get to 40 degrees below zero). The pastor has diabetes and has had both legs amputated and recently had a heart attack -- and is still pastoring the church. This trip cost $2,000 in fuel alone. Pray for this group!

10) Pray for InterAct Ministries who work in Russia, Alaska, and Canada. They have translated children's stories and books that will help teach the Bible to children and families. They are ready to go to press. Pray for the completion of this task and the distribution of the books in a timely and wise manner.

Oregon

11) Pray for Brenda who had bypass surgery this week.

12) Pray for Monica and Barbara who just lost their mother.

13) Pray for Clarence who is in a new facility and needs time to adjust.

14) Pray for Phillip who had gall bladder surgery this week but that didn't stop the problem.

15) Pray for Jim who had an appendectomy this week and then the doctors decided he had diverticulitis instead.

16) Pray for Anita who is having trouble sleeping.

What Ya Think?

Mildred, the Church gossip and self-appointed arbitrator of the Church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several members were unappreciative of her activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence. She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.

George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny - he said nothing.

Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house and left it there all night.

**************

Thought For The Day

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning. Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!

November 20, 2005
Prayer Request
Thankfulness

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .How often do you pray for your church? The church at large?

2) Pray for our country. . .Even though the "season" is over, there are still tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes. Pray for those affected.

3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for strength and wisdom as President Bush faces the day to day "stuff" as he leads our country. **Pray he stays centered on the Lord.**

Leaders to pray for this week:

Read: Micah 6:8

4) Pray for the world. . .Did any of you see Dr Phil the day he talked about Natalee Holloway? She is the teen who went missing in Aruba about 6 months ago. Dr Phil dealt with the subject from the point that there are hundreds of girls who "disappear" into the sex slavery market each year from just the same kind of circumstances. Pray for Natalee, Amy -- the other girl he profiled on the same program -- and all the girls facing such a fate.

Missionaries

5) Carl and Cindy Reed work in Indonesia. Christy, their daughter, just completed 4 months working in Aceh, Indonesia whoere the most of the tsumani damage was done. She is now teaching "Theological English" in a seminary. She is the only American in town. Pray for her safety and wisdom.

Short term missionaries working in the Aceh region are struggling with health issues -- contracting Dengue Fever, a sometimes fatal disease. Pray for their healing. More than those who died, 100,000 were injured and 400,000 were displaced. Relief teams will be there a long while. Pray for health, strength, wisdom, and God's witness.

6) Pray for the entire Siberean team of missionaries from Interact Missions. They need wisdom and discernment as they discuss leadership changes on the field. The Field Director had to leave Russia earlier than anticipated due to Russian visa expirations.

7) Pray for a family in a very dangerous place. They recently lost a child in the birth process. This is the second such loss for this family. Pray for strength to continue ministering. Pray for those they witness to. Pray for those who show signs of responding.

8) Pray for a group called Global Recordings Network who record the Bible and religious books for people groups with no written word. Pray for the barriers of spiritual blindness be pulled down as recordings play the truth of God's word in many of the 5600 languages and dialects that this group has available for other ministries to use.

9) Pray that Kenya's government drafts the new constitution wisely. The current draft says that criminal jurisdiction remains with the state but family or religious disputes will be given to a Muslim sect who will have jurisdiction. Kenya is predominately Christian and this seems to be a "first step" to giving power to the Muslims. Pray!

10) Pray for Byron and Lois Goodman who work for Hard Hats for Christ. Pray for strength, management of new positions and responsibilities, and centeredness as they are on the move.

11) Pray for Dr Tim and Joan Herrick who minister in Mali with The Navigators. Pray the Lord would make them sensitive to new people that may be interested in dialoging with us about their Messiah. (Not many Muslims know that the title for Jesus in the Koran is "Isa al- Masihj Jesus the Messiah.)

Oregon

12) Pray for a small child who is being used as ammunition between a divorced couple to bring in more child support or have more visitation hours. He doesn't want more -- but keeps asking for more because she doesn't want him to have more.

13) Pray for Laura whose son was killed in a car accident this week. It's hard to loose a child at any age.

14) Pray for Anna.

Thankfulness

Gentle words cause life and health; griping brings discouragement
Proverbs 15:4

If you have good eyesight and good hearing, thank God who gave them to you.
Proverbs 20:12

Be thankful for your problems. For if they were less difficult, someone with less ability would have your job.

He who receives a good turn should never forget it; he who does one should never remember it.

The worst possible moment for an atheist is when he feels grateful and has no one to thank.

Happiness comes when we stop wailing about the troubles we have, and offer thanks for all the troubles we don't have.

There is one thing for which you should be deeply grateful: Only you and God have all the facts about you. (From The Complete Book of Practical Proverbs and Wacky Wit by Vern McLellan)

November 27, 2005
Prayer Request
Children's Thoughts

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .Pray for such assurance in your own life.

2) Pray for our country. . .As rebuilding continues in New Orleans and all the hurricane-affected areas of the Gulf Coast, pray for those who remain homeless and for those who face difficult decisions to return and rebuild or to relocate.

3) Pray for our president. . .Now that President Bush has returned from Asia, pray for the follow-up, that the key issues discussed and debated will be enacted in a manner that honors God and works to bring greater health, peace and freedoms to the peoples of the world. As President Bush worshiped with Chinese Christians prior to addressing the issue of religious freedom there, pray that this grave concern will be addressed.

Additional leaders to pray for:

Read: Psalm 100:3-5

Missionaries

4) Pray for the world. . Give thanks for agreements made at the APEC conference regarding avian influenza praying that each country involved will be diligent in preparing for and preventing a flu pandemic. (www.presidentialprayerteam.org)

4a) Pray for North Korea. The practice of religion is increasing inside North Korea, prompting a reaction from the regime. A recent report said, "Some North Koreans are testing prohibitions against religious activity. There is renewed government interest in ensuring that North Koreans coming back from China are not ‘infected’... by any form of religious belief."

Oregon

5) Pray for Pastor Jerry who has been diagnosed with cancer.

6) Pray for Neil who is having trouble with his feet and with the doctors who can't seem to fix the problem.

7) Pray for Georgie who has been given 4-12 months to live. Pray for acceptance.

8) Pray for Danny and Christy who are searching.

Missionaries

9) Here are some requests from Potter's Clay - a ministry to kids in North Portland. Pray for three Jr. High girls who attend club, and the leaders who work with them. These girls are heading down the wrong path and need to get turned around soon. Pray for two children who want to get baptized, that their confession will be an encouragement to their families and the other kids at club. Praise God that some of the health issues for the staff have subsided.

Somewhere

10) Pray for David who is out of work. He left a job he loved to take a job that would pay the bills and lost both jobs. He needs direction and wisdom how to handle the time God has given him.

11) Pray for a church just starting.

Children's Thoughts

One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?" The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear," she said. "I have to sleep in daddy's room." A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy."

**************

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast to her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?" Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"
Thanks T.J. McDuff, Boise ID