The Class of 2012

Lord God, thank You for the gift that our graduates are to their friends and families. Thank You for blessing each one with gifts and talents.  May they use them to Your glory. Fill them with Your love and wisdom. May they always trust in You, seeking You for guidance and strength. I thank You, my Father,  that You are always with them. May they look to You as their Protector, Provider, and Peace. In the Name of Jesus...amen.

Prayer for Military Personnel

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your plan of prayer. We are glad You want us to keep in close touch with You. My petition is for the military. We ask for protection and wisdom for those in harms way. Minister to the families of our military. Their sacrifice is huge. They send their loved ones to serve for us. Please give the administration help and guidance to make wise decisions concerning our troops. You see our hearts as we love You and count on You for our military.

Prayer by Nana B

Prayer for Businesses

Our Father God in heaven, You are our Maker. The earth and everything in it is Yours. You alone are worthy of our praise!

Lord God, we come humbly before You, asking for Your mercy. Forgive us for loving our money and possessions more than You. Cleanse our hearts, we pray.

Thank you, Father, for giving skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts and trades. Your Word say that You give men and women the ability to produce wealth, and for this, we thank You. Thank You for meeting all our needs.

Please bless business owners and workers with wisdom, creativity, ingenuity, humility, generosity, and the fear of the LORD. May all business be conducted with honesty and integrity. Let all be good managers of the resources You have provided. May we trust in You alone for our financial stability and security. May Your people show Your light and love in the workplace. In the Name of Jesus, our Bread of Life...amen.

References: Psalm 24:1; Psalm 50:10; Psalm 121: 2; Psalm 51; Matt. 6: 24; Deut. 8:18; Deut. 25: 13-16; Exodus 31: 3-6; Prov. 22:4; Prov. 16: 11; Phil. 4:19; Matt. 5: 13-14; Matt. 22: 36-40; John 6: 35

My Grandmother, My Hero

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."

2 Timothy 1: 5 (NIV)

"My Grandmother, My Hero"

Mamaw, if I had searched the whole world through

I could never have found a "hero" more wonderful than you.

If I had been born to any other mother,

I would never have known you...a grandmother like no other.

A grandmother who lived a life so inspiring,

One who never had a thought of quiting or retiring.

A wonderful mother, a loving wife,

Then a young widow when you lost the love of your life.

Pneumonia took your sweetheart, but not your peace,

Or your faith or your courage -

All of these - gifts from God above, who with His strong hand, held you and your children as you returned to the land.

There you raised your children, not alone, but with God,

Who gave you the strength to faithfully work the sod

That provided a home for family or stranger

Who need a shelter or a refuge from danger.

My favorite childhood days were spent there with you.

Working, playing, and learning - my favorite things to do.

You taught about endurance and hope and faith and love, and the importance of daily time spent with our Father above.

Even now, years later, in my mind's eye, knowing that you were here, without asking "How?" or "Why?"

You would find the right answer needed to calm my fears

As I brought to you my grown-up needs with older heart and tears.

As Mother's Day approaches, my thoughts are of you

And of my precious mother, a replica of you so true.

She passed to me the legacy you taught her long ago.

And I, in turn, will pass the torch to my grandsons whom I loved so.

With love,

Lucy

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of mothers - both physical and spiritual. We are grateful for those who have lived a life of faith, trusting You in all things. May we be diligent to pass the legacy of faith we inherited to our children and grandchildren. Bless all mothers with Your strength and wisdom. We humbly ask, that You protect their families,  provide for every need, and fill them with Your peace. Give each mother and child, a heart that seeks You, O God. In the Name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord...amen.

Did you inherit a spiritual legacy from your mother or grandmother? If so, please share a special thought about her.

National Day of Prayer 2012

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD..."

Psalm 33:12

An estimated 2500 Houstonians attended the National Day of Prayer event at City Hall Thursday, May 3. We met to worship the LORD, and to pray for our country, government leaders, families, marriages, churches, and businesses. We prayed for those who serve in the military,  those who work in the media industry, and educators. Together, we represented a variety of denominations and ethnic groups.

Approximately 100 prayer gatherings took place in churches, parks, city halls, and arenas throughout the Houston area.

As Praying Grandmothers, we will continue to pray for the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church, and Family.

Sovereign God, may we humble ourselves before You, pray and seek Your face. Turn our hearts to You and away from our sin. Have mercy on us! Hear our prayers, forgive us, and heal our land.

Your word says to pray for kings and those in authority. Bless them with wisdom, and lead them to do Your will. May they govern rightly, and fear You. Give each one the courage to live a life of integrity. May they love truth, administer justice, and resist evil. In the Name of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords...amen.

Did you attend a National Day of Prayer event? If so, where?

Words for Me

"Therefore encourage one another

and build each other up..." 1Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

"Are you a praying grandmother?" asked the young woman. Her name was Alicia.

"Yes," I replied.

"I just wanted to encourage you." She explained that after God heard her grandmother's prayers, God answered, rescuing the girl from danger and destruction.

I thanked and hugged her. Her sweet words brought tears to my eyes.

And then,  she said it again... "I just wanted to encourage you."

As I drove home from the meeting, the impact of Alicia's words hit me.

"I just wanted to encourage...you." 

Alicia's words were for me. Not a generality. Not for the masses. They were personal. Specific words spoken at a specific time to a specific person. Me.

"Encourage" means to help, comfort, strengthen by consolation, to call for someone for aid, to exhort, to admonish.

While praying 1 Thessalonians 5:11 for our descendants, somebody's granddaughter encouraged me.

Allow these words to comfort and strengthen you today...God hears your voice (Psalm 6:9; 18: 6; 34: 6; 116: 1). And not only does God hear, God turns (bends down) His ear to us, and saves (Psalm 116). The psalmist responded with praise, thanksgiving, and commitment  (Psalm 116: 17-19). 

May we rejoice in the LORD, draw strength from His Word, and encourage one another.

And to Alicia's grandmother, wherever you are, because of your prayers...I was touched. For that, I thank you.



Necessary Ingredients

Have you ever totally messed up a recipe you believed to be tried and true? I have.

As a young adult, I taught a five-year-olds' Bible class. One Sunday's lesson was "God's Word is a recipe book for our lives, and following God's recipe keeps us going in the right direction." I illustrated the lesson by making play-dough, using a simple recipe that included one optional ingredient...cream of tartar. Not knowing what cream of tartar was, or did; I opted to leave it out.

Unfortunately, I did not test the recipe first. As eager eyes watched, I dumped flour, water, salt, oil, and food coloring into the bowl. Much to my surprise, the unusable, messy mixture lacked cohesion! I discovered cream of tartar was a necessary stabilizing ingredient.

The following week,  repeated the process. With cream of tartar in hand, I explained that when you leave out part of God's ingredients, life gets messed up, just like useless play-dough.

Colossians 4: 6 gives us a three-ingredient speech recipe: "Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone." (Good News Translation.) Pleasant, interesting, and right are all necessary ingredients.

The first essential ingredient, "pleasant", translates "grace" in the King James Version, and means "gracious", "kind", "sweet". Every day drop generous amounts of pleasant, sweet words into your conversation bowl.

The next significant ingredient, "interesting", translates "seasoned with salt" in the KJV. Salt is used as a preservative, and adds flavor to food. Add flavor with life-preserving words that build up and encourage others, rather than tear down.

The third vital ingredient is "right". Speak words that are right, proper, and true according to the Word of God. Words of truth instruct and give wisdom. Right words yield hope, strength, and comfort (Psalm 119).

The psalmist David wrote, "I will be careful about what I do and will not let my tongue make me sin..." (Psalm 39:1). Begin each day by giving the Lord control of your tongue. Then combine the necessary ingredients to your conversation- words that are gracious, words that build up, and words that are true.

Cream of tartar is a necessary play-dough ingredient. God has given us a recipe for our speech. Making substitutions or omitting one of the pleasant, interesting, and right ingredients will not produce beneficial conversation.

Our Father God in Heaven, daily may we surrender our tongues to You. Please remind us to speak words that encourage and build up others. Use us to speak words that are kind, true, and give hope to those who are weary and discouraged. In the sweet Name of Jesus, the hope of the world...amen.