Prayer.....make it as easy or difficult as you want.

A few weeks ago we talked about prayer in Elementary.  I approached the subject with our early arriver students as prayer can be difficult.  A 1^st grade girl looked at me like I was crazy.  She proclaimed, “Praying is so easy.”  My heart soared.  I love God’s children so much.  

 When does this change?   Have you even been in a group of adults when you are about to start a bible study, a dinner group, etc.  When it comes time to pray we look down, avoid the eyes of others hoping that the host will not call upon us to pray.  

So, how do we pray?  

1 Make it simple.  God loves us for who we are.  So, let your prayers be real, be simple.  This year our family is taking all of our Christmas cards and praying for every family that sent us a card this year.  Sound difficult right?  Nope.  We are pulling out one card each week and putting that family on our fridge.  So, when we walk by the fridge we will pray for them.  We will think of them.  Simple.

   Use the example that Jesus gave us: Pray with Honor, Pry with a caring heart, ask for Forgiveness, and ask for Guidance.  (Below is taken from our Curriculum)

Luke 11:2, ‘Father, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come.  (NIrV)The first part of Jesus’ prayer is about HONOR.

“God, You are the greatest. There is no one like You. You are in control of everything and You know everything, and yet You still love us. Please help me to HONOR who You are with the way I live and the way I talk about You. I give You praise, because You are good and so worthy of my praise. You are my King and I will follow You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Luke 11:3.‘Give us each day our daily bread.’ (NIrV) “The prayer Jesus gave His disciples was also about CARE.”

God, thank You for the way You take care of me every day. I know there are a lot of things I WANT and I can be pretty selfish sometimes, but You always give me what I NEED. Help me not to worry about the future, but to trust that You will provide for me tomorrow just like You have provided for me today. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

Luke 11:4a ‘Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone who sins against us.’ (NIrV)In His prayer, Jesus also talks about FORGIVENESS.”

 “God, there are times when I have really messed up. I have hurt other people, and more importantly, I have disobeyed You. Thank You, God, that when I sin, I can ask for Your forgiveness. I also know there are times when others will hurt me and sin against me. In those times, please help me to forgive them the way You have already forgiven me. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Read Luke 11:4b ‘Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.’ (NIrV)The prayer Jesus gave His disciples was also about GUIDANCE.

 “God, life can be pretty confusing sometimes. There are a lot of temptations and it can be pretty easy to mess up. I need Your guidance to stay away from the things You have asked me to and to live the way You want me to live. Please give me Your wisdom so I can make the right choices. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

A Quilt vs. The Lost One

Have you ever lost something really important to you that you cannot replace? I have.  It was a quilt that my grandmother made me.  She gave it to me as a wedding gift.  It was a blue and white king size quilt that had connecting rings all around the quilt to remind us of the connection of marriage.  It was made with her own hands.   I kept it tucked away in a closet for over 10 years.  Then I decided to begin to use it.  We took it on picnics, had it available in the cold of soccer and baseball games.  This precious quilt found a home in the back of my car.  It was getting some stains, and not as perfect as it was in my closet, but it was being loved.  I loved that this quilt became a part of our family rhythm.   Then one day we used it at an outdoor Easter Service.  It was great.   It was another memory that the quilt was a part of.  Then at the end of that service a massive thunderstorm began.

It was controlled chaos putting away all the church supplies and making sure my kids were out of the fun mud pit and safe in the car. It was about 10 minutes into our drive home that I remembered that the quilt was back on the field.  It was pouring horribly and we were all soaked to the bone so I decided to go back the next day or later that afternoon.When I went back it was gone.

This is honestly something that my mother and I don’t really speak about.  It is a horrible loss that cannot be replaced.  I truly mourn the loss of this quilt but understand this is an item, not a person.  I know this is a loss.   However, it cannot compare to the parable of the Lost Sheep, Searching for the One. This Saturday/Sunday Rev. Robert Hasley will be preaching an important message in all of our services.  This message will inspire use to keep our eyes searching for The One. I urge you all to be present to hear this message.  We often misunderstand salvation, thinking of it as a one-time event rather than a process that began before we were born and continuing into eternity.  That is the gift that everyone needs, and we have to figure out how not only to tell the story, but how to make St. Andrew a place where people walk in from the outside and are able to find Jesus here.  We must continue to search for the One....

Luke 15:1-7 - The Parable of the Lost Sheep Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them. ’So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

My Wish for 2015

As my family sat around on New Year’s Eve we listed our “Top 10” from 2104:

 

10-  Dad’s beard.  (The boys like this much more than me!)

9- Education- we have amazing teachers that we LOVE!

8- A trampoline! 

7- New Home!

6- Trip to New Mexico

5- Trip to Washington, D.C.

4-  Our Church Family

3-  Friends- making new friends and treasuring the old friends.

2-  Family- especially new nephew, Collin!

1-  New Dog, Ginger!

 I am amazed on how fast the years go by.  In this next year our family will have a 6^th grader (gasp), I will graduate from Perkins (yippie!!), and we look forward to all that 2015 has in store for our family.  

Our family devotion book starts the year with this verse, “For I know the plans I have for you.” declared the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  - Jeremiah 29:11

The adventure of 2015 is waiting for us, let us remember that God is with us always and will be with us in every moment of 2015!

This year has been full of many great memories with our friends and family.  My prayer is that this year your Church Family at St. Andrew can also be a part of your “Top 10 ten of 2015”.    I feel blessed to be on the faith journey with your family!  Thank you from all of the Faith Zone Team for sharing your family with us!

We wish you a Happy New Year! 

Let us know of any upcoming births, surgeries, or big events so that we can celebrate and pray with you in 2015!!!  Email Kim: kmeyers@standrewumc.org