Sarah Update below
This Week:
Today is the day to begin the 5 week prayer challenge from the brochure I sent last week and was in the bulletin yesterday. Pray for 5 neighbors, 5 days a week for 5 weeks. Think about those God may be stirring you to invite to join us and pray into that too. Last year in December we began praying for 12 new members for this year. Yesterday, we heard of the 11th one God has stirred! How cool is that! God here's and answers! Think about how we have 11 new members joining us Sundays and participating in many ways as we serve! God is good! Praying for one more (actually for many more!) Join me!
Tues Zoom Huddle 10-11 (we will take our holiday break after our Dec 3rd gathering and resume in Jan.)
Wed:
Bread Ministry 10-12 (Note we will have a holiday schedule set soon since Christmas and New Year holidays are on Wednesdays this year)
Chosen and Family Dinner Huddle 6-8. This will be our last Wednesday until Jan. Next week we will gather for our Thanksgiving Eve Eve Taco Tuesday the 26th diner worship time 6-8
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Good Morning Faithful, Praying, Peace-Filled Servants of the Lord! That is us! PTL! There are many purposes and ways we are custom made to serve and in which we are serving. PTL! For some of us praying is our part in God's Good News Delivery Company. Thanks for being faithful to your purposes and call! BUT all of us are called to pray as well. Please use the prayer guide from the bulletin yesterday and begin praying for 5 neighbors. God is hearing and answering! Yesterday we heard Paul's warning from 2 Thessalonians 3 about the idle. Only you and God know for sure if you are an idle one. However I can testify that I don't really see that in us. We are all doing what we can with what we have been blessed with in this season of our lives. Thank you! I have never had the privilege of co-laboring with such faithful servants! You guys rock! Now some of us also have to learn to abide and rest in the Lord and work from rest and focus on the best things God has for you. Is there a good or better thing you can release? Maybe that is someone else's call and purpose and gifting? Talk to God about that and His best for you. How we serve should be a joy and the sweet spot offered to God out of gratitude and joy and love, not obligation. What things are dragging you down? What might God be leading you to do about that? Who might be your co-laborers to share the load with? Pray into these things. God has a perfect custom made plan just for you! And it will be a joy for you to be part of! PTL!
I was rudely awakened at 1 this morning with a vivid nightmare of Satan trying to break down my back door. I couldn't go back to sleep as I prayed the blood of Jesus over us and our house. Satan is prowling about and he will be after us as we earnestly pursue and follow God to His plans for us. Expect it! Pray on that armor! Stand firm in Christ and on Gods Word and promises. I often think about how Jesus told Peter that He was praying for him because Satan asked to sift him. I think about Job and what God allowed Satan to do to him as a testing and refining. It's bad enough dealing with the hard times we are in and then add Satan's schemes to the mix and it becomes very evident that we need God and that God is with us and for us and will help us in our time of trouble. Count on it! We are secure in Christ for eternity, yet as citizens of heaven and earth, we have many battles to endure. Stand firm and turn your sorrows and hurts over to God and refocus on Him as you count your blessings and lift praise. Be content in the Lord and what He has given you and give it back to Him as a sweet offering of praise that He loves.
I feel like I'm all over the place this morning. God has been speaking many things to my heart and as I try to narrow down what He wants us to hear today, I sense this..."I love you! I have redeemed you. I am calling you by name. I am with you always. I am all you need and I am enough. Dwell in my love today and always and I will make a way for you." PTL! Right? And so my devotionals for today follow in the order God put them. What's He saying to you? What do you have to lift in praise, receive in trust and go forth with to share in love? He really does have great plans for you (and us) and even for today and He will be with you--always! Trust, stand firm, receive, obey, praise and follow well, my friends! He has a great story to write through you! I can't wait to hear them! Shalom shalom! Perfect peace to you today! You are very loved and being held close always! Amen! It's time to fly!
As I laid in bed after my awakening this song kept coming to mind, "I Speak Jesus" Check it out as a starting point for praise and trust today. Jesus is all we need! Sometimes all we can pray is His name, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Come!" Amen Begin with worship now... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV4sYN173HY
Maybe play it again and draw close to our Savior. He is there with open arms of love speaking right to your soul!
Chuck Swindoll
Joyce Meyer
Sarah Young
Upper Room: From Tears to Joy
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. - Psalm 126:5 (NRSVUE)
I was sick, and it was getting me down. I wanted to pray for help, but I barely had the energy to sit up or even string a sentence together. When I tried to pray, my words came out in a confused muddle. I felt so disconnected from God, just when I needed God the most.
Worse than my physical illness was the feeling that God wasn’t with me.
I knew this wasn’t the case; God is always with us. God knows our thoughts and hears all our prayers — even the garbled ones. But in this moment I just couldn’t feel it.
I told God how awful I felt, how I couldn’t feel God’s presence, how I was so tired of being unwell and unproductive. I began to say whatever was on my mind in a stream-of-consciousness style. Then I started to cry. That’s when I began to feel God’s presence again. I talked a bit more, cried some more, and I felt God’s presence a little more. My hurt and pain had been blocking me from feeling God’s presence. Each time I honestly prayed about whatever was on my mind, I felt a little bit closer to God.
Praying isn’t always easy. Words don’t always roll off the tongue. But with perseverance we can find ways to talk to God and restore our connection, just when we need it the most.
Today's Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for always being with us. Help us to feel the joy of your presence. Amen.
The Word for You Today
OUR DAILY BREAD
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Winters in the Netherlands seldom bring a lot of snow, but it can get cold enough to freeze over the canals. When my husband, Tom, was growing up there, his parents had a family rule: “Stay off the ice until it is thick enough to hold the weight of a horse.” Because horses would leave evidence of their presence behind, Tom and his buddies decided to get some manure off the road. They threw it on the thin ice and ventured out onto the surface. No harm came to them, nor were they discovered, but they knew in their hearts they’d been disobedient.
Obedience doesn’t always come naturally. The choice to obey or not to obey can spring from a sense of duty or fear of punishment. But we can also choose to obey out of love and respect for those in authority over us.
In John 14, Jesus challenged His disciples by saying, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. . . . Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (vv. 23-24). It’s not always an easy choice to obey, but the power of the Spirit living within us gives us the desire and ability to obey Him (vv. 15-17). With His enablement, we can continue to follow the commands of the one who loves us most—not out of fear of punishment, but out of love.
By Cindy Hess Kasper
REFLECT & PRAY
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In what ways have you been willfully disobedient? Why is it important for you to obey God even when it’s difficult or inconvenient?
Loving God, please soften my stubborn heart to listen to Your instructions. Help me to set aside my own agenda and to faithfully obey You.
For further study, read The (Impossible) Task of Following Jesus.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Four times in John 14:15-24, Jesus emphasized that obeying Him would be proof of the disciples’ love for Him (vv. 15, 21, 23, 24). They weren’t left alone to obey Christ by their own volition and human strength. God the Father would give them “another advocate to help [them]— the Spirit of truth” (vv. 16-17). The Holy Spirit would remind them of everything Jesus had taught them (v. 26) and show them what’s right and wrong (16:8-13). To love Christ is to obey Him. As we’re “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18), we’ll obey Him and “keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25).
K. T. Sim |
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Charles Stanley
Harvest prayer:
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November 18 - Prepare to See Greater Works
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“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:7-8).
“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you” (John 15:16).
When a nation sends an ambassador to a foreign country they go in the name of the President of that nation and its people. Alone, they are just an ordinary person with no powers of their own. But when they come “in the name” of their country they carry all the authority of their President and nation.
Of course, to be effective, this Ambassador must be trustworthy. he must know what the wishes of his Commander-in-Chief are. And, he must behave in such a way that does not discredit those he represents. But when he speaks, he speaks in the name of his President. When he asks, he asks on behalf of his President. He carries the authority of their name.
There is no name higher than Jesus’ name! It is the Name before which one day every knee will bow. As believers, we come to the Throne Room not on the basis of our name, but Christ’s. His sacrificial death and resurrection have paved the way for us to come. We have a right to be there, not because of our perfection, but because of our union with Him and His invitation to come before the King. We enter in His name. The more we read His Word the more we know what He wants. Our will and prayers align with His. And, we pray with the right motivation—not to glorify ourselves, but Him.
Think of this honor and this granted authority! We come as a representative of the King of kings. We ask on His behalf for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. And we live to honor Him well.
When you have thought and prayed through a request so fully that you can genuinely say, “Lord, I ask this not for MY name, but Yours. And I know You will hear this request.” Then, prepare to see greater works.
King of kings, there is no other name that is higher than Yours! Bend my heart to resonate with Your authority, Your desires and kingdom purposes! I can hardly comprehend that when I pray, I am invited into Your throne room! May every prayer I utter be for Your honor and glory alone!
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God for the good gifts he gives to those who ask him (Mt. 7:11).
- Give thanks, even in the midst of pain all around, that God’s gifts are good.
- Confess your lack of quality time spent with God in prayer (Rom. 8:26).
- Commit yourself to modeling Jesus’ example of praying in solitary places (Mk. 1:35).
- Ask God to give you a real devotion to prayer—being watchful and thankful, making the most of every opportunity (Col. 4:2-5).
- Ask God to use emergency or crisis situations in the lives of unsaved people to bring them to the foot of the cross. Pray for eyes to see how you can help in such situations.
Prayer Pointer
“One of the most common weaknesses of our prayer lives is the vagueness of our focus. Petition saves us from that. It forces us to be specific, to be precise, to clarify our wants and desires.” —Maxie Dunnam
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Sarah update:
Good afternoon, church family,
I am sending out the prayer needs that were shared today during worship, so we can pray for them
throughout the week.
Praises:
Very thankful for the crew that takes care of the Media part of our worship service. They work with the equipment, and the Zoom set up to make sure all are able to hear and see and enjoy the service. Thank you, Debbie, Gary, and Travis. We are very thankful for these willing servants of Christ.
Thankful for Lori, who prepares our weekly bulletins, does the office work and assists with other projects that come up throughout the week. Thank you Lori!!
(from Don): Thank you to all our volunteers! Yesterday we gathered after worship to celebrate and plan with our Children's Church team! Thank you all! Mike, Barb, Karen, Brittany, Travis and Tabby!)
Harry Waterman wasn't feeling well during the week, and Yay God he is much better now and he was 'delighted' to be in worship today!
Josie is praising God that she is doing well after a fall she had this past week. She is mending. She is also praising God that her grandson, Greg is doing better with his back. He still has a ways to go with healing, but is showing signs of good progress.
Barb Schware is asking for prayer for her sister who will be having eye surgery this Thursday. Praying that all goes well
Kay Paul is asking for prayer for her daughter, Nancy, who has a blood clot in her lung.
She is also asking for prayer for her sister in law who is suffering with cancer.
Also, Larry (her son) and Enol who are in the Philippians, as being slammed by typhoons. Please pray for their safety through the storm.
Lori Rohrer's grandmother (on her father's side) who is 94 years old fell and fractured her femur. They have performed surgery today and she is headed to ICU now so they can keep a closer eye on her progress. The future prognosis of whether her grandmother will be able to bear weight on that leg is unsure at this time.
May we all continue to pray for one another, as each of us have situations on our hearts, and are dealing with various matters/situations in our lives.
Continue to pray for those in our church family dealing with treatments, therapy, etc.: Diane H, Larry, Bill, Houston
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Praying you all have a great week. Always remember that you are NOT alone.....Our awesome Father is always with us and you have a church family that is surrounding you.
If you have any prayer requests, or would like to pray with someone, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself and/or Pastor Don........
Have a great week, everyone....choosing JOY through it all!!
Blessings,
Sarah
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