Prayer for our Path

I found this prayer in something I was reading this week, and thought it was particularly appropriate to the current season in our lives.

We have been shown many paths

Laid out before us by our modern world.

Give us the discernment to walk on the path of your choosing.

As we love, may your love grow within us

And by the limitless thrust of your constantly-creating hand.

We thank you for the ways you hold us together

And guide us on our way;

Let your kingdom come.

- New Providence Community Church

Let us also pray for our friends who received news this past weekend that was less than what they were hoping for. They also are seeking direction; let us pray that God will point each of us in the direction He would have us go.

Grace and Peace,

Ryan

Our trip last weekend!

For those that might have wondered where I was last weekend, I was on a teen trip! My great friend Greg Pirtle was short chaperones for a road trip, and asked if I might be willing to come along. I said I would, especially if he allowed me to bring MY youth group (Kara and Becky!) - he said yes and so Taylor, Kara, Becky and I joined 40+ teens and chaperones from the Greenville Oaks Church of Christ up in Allen for a long weekend trip to Memphis! It was great and I was very thankful for the opportunity for Becky and Kara to hang out with so many wonderful Christian teens! Thanks to Hoover for preaching in my absence!

New Pics!

Now that is community! Amy Foster holding a sweet, sleeping Willow Colvin during our recent House Church Retreat! For more pics from our retreat, check out my facebook album!

OK, so I have been thinking about what it means to 'do Church'. Right now I am reading a very interesting book, and thought I would pass along this quote for you all to comment on!

'The image of much contemporary Christianity could be summarized as holy people coming regularly to a holy place on a holy ay at a holy hour to participate in a holy ritual led by a holy man dressed in holy clothes for a holy fee. Since this regular performance-oriented enterprise called 'worship service' requires a lot of organizational talent and administrative bureaucracy, formalized and institutionalized patterns developed quickly into rigid traditions. Statistically, a traditional one- or two-hour 'worship service' is very resource-hungry but produces very little fruit in terms of discipling people, i.e. in changing their lives. Economically, it is a high input, low output structure. Traditionally, the desire to worship 'in the right way' has led to much denominationalism, confessionalism and nominalism. This not only ignores the fact that Christians are called to worship 'in spirit and in truth', rather than in cathedrals holding songbooks. It also ignores the fact that most of life is informal, and so too is Christianity as 'the Way of Life'. Do we need to change from being powerful actors and start acting powerfully?'

-- From 'Houses That Change the World' by Wolfgang Simpson

THANKS!

Many, many thanks to so many who did SO much to make our retreat a success!

Thanks to Connie Bingham, who did our prayer material before the retreat. To Kara, Corey, Jonathan, and especially Holden (who made the extra effort to come), thanks for doing a great job with the music. To DeeDee, Amy Foster and Taylor for organizing the snacks and to all of you for helping to bring them. To Jamie for bringing all the fun games, and for Jeremy sharing his heart with us around the Communion Table. To Bill, Donna, Corey, Deanne and Amy Gibbons for being such wonderful small group discussion leaders. THANKS!

And to each of you who came and opened your heart to the Lord, and His plan, THANKS! May we continue to listen for the Lord as we journey together!!

Grace and Peace to you this day!

Friday Prayer Material

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If

anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last,

and the servant of all." [Mark 9:35]

Prayer: Lord of All: In serving others, the

ability You give me to love and the wisdom to love is

necessary. Show me where people need me and how to

best serve you and others in your Kingdom. Lead the

way Lord, that I may follow, and enable me to be

Your selfless servant. By the power of THE Name above

all names, Amen.

Thursday Prayer Material

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all your soul and with all your strength and with all

your mind and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.

[Luke 10:27]

Prayer: God of Everlasting Love: I need

the power that can only come from you to really love

other people. Please open my heart and fill it by

the power of Your Spirit to love You with all of my

heart and to also love others deeply. I need

your power to enable me to be less self-minded and

more other-minded. Along with love for others, grant

me also the wisdom to know how to love them and what

they need.

Wednesday Prayer Material

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

[James 1:5]

Prayer: My Dear Father, I need your wisdom to stay

on the path You have chosen for me. I ask that you

give me the wisdom to love and serve you and the

wisdom to love and serve others. I ask you for

wisdom for our group of believers as part of your

body, to know your desire for us and the path you

would have us take. Show us where we fit in Your

Kingdom.

Tuesday's Prayer Link

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

[Luke 11:7-8]

Prayer: My Lord, I want to seek you. I want to seek

Your Face wholeheartedly. I truly want to know You.

I ask you for singleness of heart and mind. Give me

the desire to seek You and Your Kingdom first above

all else. In Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.

First Prayer Link

Thanks to Connie Bingham, for doing all of these...each day there will be a new prayer prompt, so check back each day!!

Be still, and know that I AM God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth…for Who

is like the Lord our God, the One who

sits enthroned on high, who stoops down

to look on the heavens and the earth?

[Psalm 46:10; Psalm 113:5-6]

Prayer: Your Majesty, My Lord and King, the Great I AM: As I sit in still quietness today, reflecting on You, I ask that you reveal Yourself to me. Please help me forget myself today and show me more of Who You are…Your ways, Your greatness, Your glory and give me more understanding of just how Awesome and Wonderful You are. I ask this by the power Jesus’ name, Amen.