Fear not tomorrow, for God is already there. –Unknown
I am back from Nigeria! Although part of me will always be here there is also now a part of me that will always be with my new friends and family at Faith Alive. I am so grateful for God’s promise that any parting between believers – whether time, distance or death – is only temporary – I thank You, Father, for the promise that we will all be together again when we are eternally with You, It gives us something to look forward to!
While I was gone Ann McBain, Joy’s mom, had a stroke. She is currently at San Joaquin Gardens – in their care unit. I had hoped to go and see her today – but car problems interfered. Anybody with an update on her?
Larry Mead got to go home to Father last Wednesday after a battle with a brain tumor. His Life Celebration will be held on Friday at Fresno First Baptist at 11:00 am. Larry is known for his bicycle riding, I often saw him out and about on his bike. My guess is that by now he has circled the outskirts of our home - the New Jerusalem - several times. Please keep Ann, Jan and the family in your thoughts & prayers.
In our last prayer list I reported that a good friend of my mom and me, Charles, was very ill. Charles also got to go home to Father on August 25th. Please keep his family and friends in prayer.
Pray for our missionaries – Judy, Faye & Miisaw with New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Biana and Faith Alive in Nigeria, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Don't forget your prayer challenge of two minutes a day praying for unity within the Body and that we all are given opportunities to witness for Christ.
I have been gone for six weeks – so I am a little out of the loop when it comes to prayer requests and praises. Let me know if you have something you would like added.
Magnificent and Holy Father,
We stand in awe of all that You are. Your power and majesty are supreme. You created all that there is with a thought, You gave us eternal life with just one of your breaths. We fall on our knees and bow before You, LORD of All, and we worship You. Not because You force us to, not because You demand that we do, but because, as we acknowledge Your love for us, Your mercy to us, Your care for us, our love for You, our awe of You and out joy in You can only be fully expressed while we humble ourselves before You.
LORD God, you know the plans that You have for us and they are good. Plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us peace. Abba, we do not know the short-term plans that You have for our beloved Ann, but we have confidence in Your long term plans for her. Your promises will never fail us. Father, touch Ann with Your healing hands.
Precious Jesus, Larry has heard the words we long to hear, “Welcome home, you good and faithful servant.” Although we know that Larry is with You and that He is living within the fullness of Your joy, LORD, we miss him. Help us to find our comfort in You. We pray for Ann, Jan and the whole family during this time, that You will continue to be their shelter in this time of storm.
Triune God, Charles has also heard You welcome him home. He has touched Your beautiful face; He has looked into Your eyes filled with love for him. There is no more pain for him, but there continues to be the pain of parting for us – even though temporary. Again, we thank You for the life that we have in You, a life that never ends. We ask that you bring peace to Charles friends and family.
Holy Spirit, we pray for Your missionaries that serve You so faithfully. We lift up Larry & Jan as they are back home with us for a short season before they return to Thailand. Bless their time here, LORD God, and prosper them. We pray peace, safety and a sense of worth for all who serve You. Help them Father to see themselves through Your eyes.
We pray for Your Church, LORD of Light, and ask that You continue to be the light that guides us, the light that warms us, the light that fills us. We pray for the pastors and leaders as they serve You in all the many places where You have placed them. We lift up our part of Your church, Fresno First, and pray that You help us to keep our focus on You.
We are yearning to be closer to You today than we were yesterday, and pray that we are even closer tomorrow.