Your prayer

Lord,

We call on you today to comfort those in sorrow.
We do not understand death.
We do not understand pain.
Comfort those who have lost their Mom or Dad or another loved one.
Jesus, we know that one day we will be with you.
It is so hard to be separated from them even for a short time.
We pray to you this day.
Give us strength to endure all that comes our way.
You are our strength --- only you.
Thank you for hearing my prayer.

Make us aware of those around us that need a loving hug today.
I ask you to bless them this day, as we share your love with them.
Help us to be open to your Holy Spirit
and say any words that you want us to say to them.

We praise you and thank you for the beautiful trees
and weather lately.
We thank you for the abundant record setting corn harvest this year.
We thank you for all the many, many gifts that you give us.
Thanks! You are so good to us!

Amen.

Your prayer for today

We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected us through the night from all danger and harm. We ask you to preserve and keep us, this day also, from all sin and evil, that in all our thoughts, words, and deeds we may serve and please you. Into your hands we commend our bodies and souls and all that is ours. Let your holy angels have charge of us, that the wicked one have no power over us.Amen

Daily Prayers are Heaven's Stairs

The "Stairway" rises "Heaven high"-
The "steps" are dark and steep,
In weariness we climb them
As we stumble, fall and weep...
And many times we falter
Along the "path of prayer"
Wondering if You hear us
And if You really care...
Oh, give us some assurance,
Restore our faith anew,
So we can keep on climbing
The "Stairs of Prayer" to You-
For we are weak and wavering,
Uncertain and unsure,
And only meeting You in prayer
Can help us to endure
All life's trials and troubles
It's sickness, pain and sorrow,
And give us strength and courage
To face and meet tomorrow

Practicing the presence of God

I pause for a moment, aware that God is here.
I think of how everything around me,
the air I breathe, my whole body,
is tingling with the presence of God.


Freedom

I try to let go of concerns and worries
that may be dragging me down at this present moment.
I place any concerns I have in Gods hands
- at least for these few minutes of prayer.


Consciousness

I remind myself that I am in the presence of the Lord.
I will take refuge in His loving heart.
He is my strength in times of weakness.
He is my comforter in times of sorrow.


The Word

God speaks to each one of us individually. I need to listen
to hear what he is saying to me. Read the text a few times, then listen.


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John 3:1-8


Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."


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What are you saying to me, Lord?



Some thoughts on today's scripture:


Nicodemus was a Pharisee, one of a closely-knit brotherhood who were pledged to keep every detail of the Law, as expressed in the first five books of the bible. They were good people, but they had created such a maze of obligations that it was a life-time's work to remember them all. In face of that, Jesus was saying something simple: Be born of the Spirit. Love God and love your neighbour.


The love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us, and who makes us children of God. Lord, may I heed your spirit, and live by the spirit.




Conversation

Begin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture you have just read.
What part of it strikes a chord in you?
Perhaps the words of a friend - or some story you have heard recently
- will slowly rise to the surface of your consciousness.
If so, does the story throw light on what the scripture passage may be trying to say to you?


Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen

Prayers for peace

.


Women from around the country stand before God, the United States government, and the world reading prayers for peace. The reading of these prayers is a witness to the faith and determination of United Methodist Women to work for peace in Iraq and the world.

Fifteen to 20,000 prayers have come in from around the country and the world.

They are prayers of military mothers and prayers for all mother’s children in the military.

They are prayers from rural areas and prayers from the inner city.

They are prayers of those who remember past wars and prayers of those have witnessed the affects of violence in their own homes and communities.

They are prayers of those who believe in the Prince of Peace, in miracles because of God’s love, and in the amazing power of the Greatest Commandment, "to love thy neighbor as thyself."

These prayers are as diverse as those women who sent them. Women wrote them in their own words, from the heart, and from their own understanding of what peace entails. And in reading these prayers aloud, these prayers are a witness of faith, of a belief in the Prince of Peace, and in the power of prayer


We thank you, O Master, Lover of Mankind, King of the ages and Bestower of good things, Who destroyed the dividing wall of enmity, and granted peace to the human race, and Who now has granted peace to Your servants. Instill in them the fear of You and confirm in them love one for the other. Extinguish every dispute and banish all temptation to disagreement. For You are our peace and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

We also pray, O Lord our God, for all those who suffer from acts of war, especially for the victims and all those involved in the struggle in Serbia-Kosovo. We pray for your peace and your mercy in the midst of the great suffering that people are now inflicting on each other. Vouchsafe to accept the prayers of your Church, so that by your goodness peace may return to all peoples, hear us and have mercy on us.

We also pray, O Lord our God, to remember and have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia and Eritrea who are involved in civil conflict. Remove from their midst all hostility, confusion and hatred. Lead everyone along the path of reconciliation and peace, we pray you, hear us and have mercy on us.

Let all believers turn aside from violence and do what makes for peace. By the strength of your powerful arm save your people and your Holy Church from all evil oppression; hear the supplications of all who call to you in sorrow and affliction, day and night, O merciful God, let their lives not be lost, we pray you, hear us and have mercy on us.

But grant, O Lord, peace, love and speedy reconciliation to your people whom you have redeemed with your precious blood. Make your presence known to those who have turned away from you and do not seek you, so that none of them may be lost, but all may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, so that everyone, in true harmony and love, O long-suffering Lord, may praise your all holy Name.

– prayers being used at the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam



O Lord, how many are our foes who battle against us and say: there is no help for them from God or man. O Lord, stretch forth Thy hands that we may remain Thy people in both faith and works. If we must suffer, let it by in the ways of Thy justice and Thy truth — let it not be because of our injustice or hatred against anyone. Let us all fervently say: Lord have mercy.

Again let us pray to God, the Savior of all men, also for our enemies — that our people Lord who loves mankind will turn them away from attacks on our Orthodox people, that they not destroy our churches and cemeteries, that they not kill our children or persecute our people, but that they too may turn to the way of repentance, justice and salvation. Let us all fervently say: Lord have mercy.



And may I just add...Even so Come Lord Jesus!

Not your normal prayer

Thought you might enjoy this interesting Prayer given
in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems Prayer still upsets
some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session
of the Kansas Senate, every was expecting the usual generalities, but this is
what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word
says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of
expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called
it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from Every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev.
Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those
calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests
for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

And may I add Amen and amen!

My Corner

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them. I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with you. Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.

Forgivness

Father,

Let me accept your forgivness and forgive myself. Let me no longer consider myself unclean, when You by your forgivness have call me clean. Help me not to condemn and despise myself, but to understand myself and move on to spiritual maturity.

Amen

Can you help?

Dear friend in Christ,
Grace and peace from our lord be with you and your members. firstly let's give thanks to God for his wonderful protection up to this annual.
please the main reason for writing you to this letter is that, i am pastor asare emmanuel at gospel avenue church at kumasi and we are coming to do a crusade at kumasi children's park and we need some christian materials such as HOLY BIBLES, BOOKS, PENS AND MAGAZINES to spread the word of God to every soul in the church and the crusade, please try us much us you can and send us as what you will get, and the lord will richly blessed you with everlastinglife. because the Bible says a cheerful giver recieve more blessing than the reciever. please we hope you will not dissapointed as and try to reply as soon.
GOODBYE. YOUR'S ONE IN CHRIST,
PASTOR ASARE EMMANUEL
P.O.BOX SE 2117
SUAME- KUMASI
GHANA WEST AFRICA

APPIAH CHARLES BOAFO
EMMANUEL METHODIST CHURCH
P.O. BOX SE 1057
SUAME- KUMASI
GHANA WEST AFRICA
e-mail- appiahcharles2000@yahoo.com
precious person in christ,
Greeting be with you and the soviour Jesus Christ. The essential point of forming a pen to you is that i am a man of God appiah charles and establish a particular christian denomination in Ghana.To pleasure my christian church members and want to prepare a medieval christian military expeditionto recover the holy land of God to delineate siners to God the creator and his holy descendant Jesus Christ but please there are no church essential materials like the sacred book of the christian church (bibles), the Jewish bibles , the old and new testament,pens and fanancial probles for the crusade.please we necessity assistants from you and we know in the cretor name that you will assist us with the materials why we acquaintance you .please we beg you to assist us .May God grant happiness in your ministry.Thank you.

Lord, Teach me...

Lord,
Teach me to see You, and show Yourself to me as I seek: for I can not seek You unless You teach me, nor find You unless You show Yourself.

"Preparation Day"

The Messianic Jews claim the killing and roasting of the Passover lamb pointed to the way in which the Messiah was to be hung. In the booklet Let Us Celebrate the Feast, by Rivi and Danny Litvin, we find this remarkable information

God said that the blood of the lamb was to be spilled, and it was to be placed on the door posts and on the lintels of the home. THUS IT FORMED THE FIGURE OF THE CROSS. THE SHED BLOOD OF THE LAMB FORMED A CROSS. But remember, the Jewish people did not know what a cross was at that time. It would become apparent only later. The cross was a pagan religious symbol which the Romans adopted. And, in a form of sacrifice to their gods, they killed their enemies on it. At the time of Yeshua [Christ], though, this instrument of cruelty was well known to the Jewish people for the Romans murdered many thousands of Jews on crosses in addition to Yeshua.
But not only was the blood of the lamb shed in the form of the cross, the lamb itself was roasted WITH A SKEWER FROM HEAD TO TAIL AND ANOTHER SKEWER FROM SHOULDER TO SHOULDER. So again, we see the death of the Passover lamb associated with the FORM OF A CROSS [patibulum and upright] pointing towards the death of Yeshua on a cross. -- Hope of Israel Ministries (HIM), Covina, CA. P. 23.

Devotions on the Passion, published by the Church of England, the London Record of April, 1842, gives the following excerpt:

"O faithful cross, THOU PEERLESS TREE,
No forest yields the like of thee, Leaf, flower, and bud;
Sweet is the wood, and sweet the weight,
And sweet the nails that penetrate Thee, thou sweet wood."


Oh Gift of Gifts,
Oh Grace of Gace
That God should condsend,
To make my heart His dwelling place,
And be my bosom friend

the Master's Hand

In the Palm of the Master's Hand

Isaiah 41:13 "I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don't be afraid. I am here to help you."

Isaiah 43: 10-11. "My people, you are my witnesses, and my chosen servant. I want you to know me, to trust me, and understand that I alone am God. I have always been God; there can be no others. I alone am the Lord; only I can rescue you.

Isaiah 44:1-2. People of Israel, I have chosen you as my servant. I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Israel, don't be terrified! You are my chosen servant, my very favorite."

Isaiah 46: 13. "I will soon come to save you. I am not far away and will waste no time.


Isaiah 48: 10. "I tested you in hard times, just as silver is refined in a heated furnace. I did this because of who I am. I refuse to be dishonored or share my praise with any other god."

Isaiah 49: 25. "Could a mother forget a child who nurses at her breast? Could she fail to love an infant who came from her own body? Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you. A picture of your city is drawn upon my hand. You are always in my thoughts!"


Isaiah 51:16. "I have told you what to say, and I will keep you safe in the palm of my hand."

In our darkest hours, God's word speaks light and hope into our souls. He wanted me to share this with you today. Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

Prayer of blessing

Spirit of God
Lord and Giver of Life,
Moving between us and around
Like wind or water or fire;
Breathe into us your freshness that we may awake;
Cleanse our vision that we may see more clearly;
Kindle our senses that we may feel more sharply;
And give us the courage to live
As you would have us live
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Introduction to Prayer

In its simplest definition prayer is a conversation between the one who is praying and the one to whom those prayers is directed.

Prayer can take many forms, and encompass the whole range of poetic and literary styles. It can be a cry for help or a cry of joy. It can be a single word or a symphony of prose.

Pope John Paul II is quoted as follows on the difficulty of praying. "How to pray? This is a simple matter. I would say: Pray any way you like, so long as you do pray."

Prayers can be individual or corporate, liturgical or extemporary. They can be short or long, simple or complex in language. In fact words are not always necessary, for we have the promise that when words fail us the Spirit will intercede for us with the most intimate prayers of our heart.

Living for some years in Wales and being aware of the interest and influence of the early Celtic Church within this land, it is difficult not to be influenced by the vision and prayer life of the early Christian saints.
To the Celtic Church their God was a personal and loving God totally involved in the whole of the Created world, which He had breathed into existence.

The Celts knew that their God was involved totally in all of His Creation. They held firm to a belief in the incarnation and the knowledge that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again from death to show the great Love of God for His Creation, and indeed for all of us, His creatures.

Michael Mitton in his excellent book 'Restoring the Woven Cord' talks of the Celts' love of wholeness, and how they wove together the various strands of their faith into a most effective cord for ministry and mission. Mitton suggests that over the centuries the Church has picked and chosen from these strands, ignoring, losing and then re-discovering lost strands as if they were the most important strand of all.

As a result, the original Cord and the effectiveness of the Church in its mission has become weaker. The strands of the Celtic cord which Mitton emphasises are holiness, a love of the Bible, the importance of children, community, creation, creativity, death, evangelism, healing and miracles, the Ministry of Women, prayer, prophesy, spiritual warfare and the Wild Goose (the Holy Spirit)

It is my opinion that the early Church in this land was in some ways much closer to the heart of God than our current denominational jumble sale. We can pick and choose as we would sweets in a market stall - there's something for everyone.

But the strength of the Church is surely in a weaving together of all the strands of our Christian faith - One Church, One Faith, One Lord.

I started this introduction by stating that at its simplest prayer is a conversation, and conversations are rarely one-sided. Within our time of prayer needs to be the silence that enables God to contribute.

David Adam says of silence 'It is not an empty time but a God-filled time.' 'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer'

God, give us eyes to see the beauty of the Spring,
And to behold Your majesty in every living thing -
And may we see in lacy leaves and every budding flower The Hand that rules the universe with gentleness and power -
And may this Easter grandeur that Spring lavishly imparts
Awaken faded flowers of faith lying dormant in our hearts,
And give us ears to hear, dear God, the Springtime song of birds With messages more meaningful
than man's often empty words Telling harried human beings who are lost in dark despair -
'Be like us and do not worry for God has you in His care'
Amen

We seek the Father

Father,

Our thoughts are turned toward you: Again we seek you at this hour and at this place, not with an unsteady step of a lost traveler but the the sure flight of a bird homeward bound. Grant then our confidence in you that it would not be a fugitive thought, a momentary leap, a mistaken appeasment of the heart and flesh. Grant that our aspirations toward you Kingdom, our hopes for Glory, be not unproductive birth pangs or waterless clouds, but that being heard they will rish toward you and that being heard they will quench our thirst like the refreshing dew and satisfy us forever like your heavenly Manna

.

We seek the Father

Father,

Our thoughts are turned toward you: Again we seek you at this hour and at this place, not with an unsteady step of a lost traveler but the the sure flight of a bird homeward bound. Grant then our confidence in you that it would not be a fugitive thought, a momentary leap, a mistaken appeasment of the heart and flesh. Grant that our aspirations toward you Kingdom, our hopes for Glory, be not unproductive birth pangs or waterless clouds, but that being heard they will rish toward you and that being heard they will quench our thirst like the refreshing dew and satisfy us forever like your heavenly Manna

.

A request

Gentle Reader,
We have a request please pray for this dear saint of Godand drop him a note if your able to pray for him
Thank you,
Dennis

PRAISE THE LORD

Dear Beloved in Christ,
Greetings. My name is Pastor A.David Raju, Andhra Pradesh, India. I was converted in to Him in the year 2002. I completed my C.Th Course in a Bible College. I returned to my own village named "Agraharam" and have been doing His service. From then onwards, I am conducting "Big Big Crusades" every year . For the past three years these have gone successfully. This year on may 19,20,21, I am going to conduct these meetings. Please pray for the conversion of souls into Him. Please pray for the people baptisms so that their lives will be changed and they will be given good position in His kingdom.
I think you knew this that our country is a Hindu dominated religious country and thus we opted many villages. WE are trying our best by preaching His word at every nook and corner of our country.
I am having rich desire to construct the churches at every nearby village, to give Bible Training and to extend His kingdom. My ministry name is "SOWING THE SEED MINISTRIES". I registered my ministry with our government of Andhra pradesh also. The no is : 675/2004.
Under this ministry, we undertook 10 kids who are orphans. But I am not able to meet the feeding needs of these kids Please pray that every requirement of this orphan kids shall be met by Him.
My aims of this ministry are:
1. To construct churches at every village in which these are Hindu dominated.
2. To give shelter for all the orphan kids who come to me.
3. To conduct gospel and crusades every year to convert many souls into Him.
4. Now our church is a thatched one. If God wishes, I want to extend and reconstruct my church.

Please pray for the success of our every need and deed. This is my humble and sincere request.

My kids are sending their love and kisses to you and my church people are greeting you heartily.
Awaiting early reply
Thanking you in His name
Yours in His service
Pastor A.David Raju,
SOWING THE SEED MINISTRIES,
STS NAGAR, AGRAHARAM VILLAGE,
SAJJAVARIPALEM, PO, NAGARAM MDL,
GUNTUR DISTRICT, A.P. S.INDIA.
PIN: 522268.

My Email Id: dvd_pstr@yahoo.co.in
.

Fix me Jesus

Oh yes, fix me, Jesus, fix me.
Fix me so that I can walk on
a little while longer.
Fix me so that I can pray on
just a little bit harder.
Fix me so that I can sing on
just a little bit louder.
Fix me so that I can go on despite the pain,
the fear, the doubt, and yes, the anger,
I ask not that you take this cross from me,
only that you give me the strength to continue carrying it onward 'til my dying day.
Oh, fix me, Jesus, fix me.

An Irish prayer for peace

And in English

Incline Thine Ear, O HaShem

A Prayer of David. Incline Thine ear, O HaShem, and answer me; for I am poor and needy. Keep my soul, for I am godly; O Thou my God, save Thy servant that trusteth in Thee. Be gracious unto me, O Lord; for unto Thee do I cry all the day. Rejoice the soul of Thy servant; for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For Thou, L-rd, art good, and ready to pardon, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee. Give ear, O HaShem, unto my prayer; and attend unto the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I call upon Thee; for Thou wilt answer me.