"Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost Him. And never assume that if it cost Him His very life, that it won't also cost you yours." Rich Mullins
Last week I requested prayer for our senior pastor and his family. I wrote my request in terms of “challenges” etc and tried to keep it soft. I found out (from the pulpit- no less) that I am an in-your-face type of person. I think that that is kinda cool and so this week I am going to get blunt. All of our pastors are favorite targets of satan, that loathsome deceiver, but these past weeks satan has mounted an extensive and long-term attack on our senior pastor and his family. I am not going to go into the details, that is Willie’s business. (I am not to sure that he would even want me to be this blunt – but it is too late now and what is he going to do? Excommunicate me? Take away my honorary Baptist casserole dish?) After hearing last week’s sermon, it is easy to understand what has satan’s tail in a twist. He absolutely does not want us to build up our evangelism ministry and so he is going after Willie and his family. I am asking you to link arms of love and prayer with me so that we can build a wall of prayer around Willie, Joy and the family and make sure that satan knows that to get to our pastor he has to come through us.
It has been good to see Barbara Kansler in church!
Please pray for Doug Iverson, Betty Arnold’s son-in-law, who recently underwent a quadruple by-pass and is doing well.
Sandy, Kelli’s roommate, continues to weaken and is currently under hospice care. Kelli continues to provide care for Sandy during this time while putting off seeing to her own medical concerns. Sandy is going home, Jesus is ready to receive her – but those of us left behind will feel loss – even as we rejoice knowing that our loss is her gain. Please keep our Kelli in prayer during this very difficult time. Kelli is definitely Jesus’ blessing to Sandy.
I have two unspoken prayer requests from beloved members of our family.
Kat Bailey’s father is now in hospice care; please keep him and the family in prayer.
Please continue to pray for –Ann Herrington with kidney cancer, Norm Baird & his knee, Eileen Betts, Kathy waiting for back surgery, Carol Robertshaw with lung cancer, Norm Baird as he leads the Men’s Emmaus Walk, our Katie as she faced ongoing health challenges, Ellen Burton with worsening cancer and Walt Couch, with prostrate cancer.
Pray for our missionaries –Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Biana and Faith Alive in Nigeria, Judy, Faye & Miisaw with New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray for the person that Jesus has laid on your heart.
King of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and Forever,
Prince of Peace, our spirit longs for You. You are Jesus, our LORD Almighty, our God above all gods, the Everlasting to Everlasting. We could call Your names from now until You come back for us and we would not be able to fully describe the glory that is You.
God of the Angel Armies, You have promised that you are the Tower of strength that we can run to and so, LORD God we run to You. Abba, You know what is going on with Willie and his family. satan is coming hard against him, LORD, and coming hard against his family. We praise You, LORD God, that Willie is strong in You, but we worry because even the strongest rock turns to sand under the relentless pounding of the waves. Abba, we unite together and pray in agreement for the protection of our pastor and his family. Place Your hand in front of the Noltes and tell satan, “No more!” Grant them a season of peace and rest. Use our prayers to build a wall around Willie and his family that satan cannot overcome. We surround them with a covering of our love and ask, LORD, that our love will help them to be strong. Help us to support Willie and all of our pastors along with their families as they serve the Kingdom of God. Thank You so much for the team of pastors that are at FFBC.
Jesus, my Savior, I confess that my fire to be a fisher of persons does not burn as bright as it used to do. Forgive me, LORD, for allowing all that I do for You to get in the way of all that You have called me to do. Holy Spirit, use this series, Go Fish, to rekindle the fire in all of us. Give us a heart for the lost – a heart that is breaking for them. LORD Jesus, all of us know somebody who does not know You. Even as we pray together, LORD, put the name of the person You want us to reach out to in our mind’s eyes. Then, give us an opportunity, give us the words, give us the courage to speak them.
Father we lift up Doug Iverson and ask that You continue to heal his body. LORD, thank You that You have granted us the privilege to come before You in prayer, even when we do not know all the details. We lift up the two unspoken prayer requests and ask that You make Your will known in all of them. We lift up Kelli to You, Gentle Jesus, and ask that You strengthen her in body and in spirit as she goes through this difficult time. Praise forever and ever is Yours because we know that Sandy’s fate is not found on this earth, but found in You. We pray for Kat Bailey’s father, LORD, and ask that You gentle his journey home to You. We lift up all who remain on our prayer chain and praise You for those who are no longer on it.
Holy Spirit, if Your missionaries delight us with their courage and with the strength of their witness for You, how much more so must they delight You by their service to You. Continue to bless them and protect them. Lord of Light, again we ask that You protect and guard our pastors and help us to surround them with our prayers and our love. Guide us daily in how to best serve You. Our desire is that our lives be a song of love that fills heaven with our joy. Provide for the Church, provide for the ministries that reach out to the world. Again, we lift up the name of the one who sits on our heart and ask that You prepare them for what we will say.
We love You, LORD. You are our destiny, our hope, our life’s heartbeat.