"Prayer that works is prayer that makes a difference, contemplation that turns into action, on behalf of peace and justice in a troubled and unjust world system. Prayer is energy, the energy of love and transformative power. It is given to us to use for the good of all creation. In prayer God gives us the fuel of life, and asks us to live it."

- Margaret Silf,
Ignatian author

Help me, Lord

"Please help me," I prayed. "Please change me. I know You can do it because I've seen You make drunkards sober and turn thieves into honest men. Please take away these inferiority feelings that are holding me back. Take away this awful shyness and self-consciousness. Let me see myself, not as a scared rabbit, but as someone who can do great things in my life because You are with me, giving me the strength and confidence I need."

~Rev.Norman Vincent Peale,
'Positive Imaging' ©1982

Nobody finds time for prayer. You either take time for it or you don't get it.

- Joan Chittister

Voltaire's Prayer

I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one:
'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.'
And God granted it.

~Voltaire

Join us

Prayer Time:

Someone has said that, if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.

In W.W.II there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace.

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Central) (6:00 pm Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and peace. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful assets we have. Together, we can make a difference!

the fury in the pheasant's wings

"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
- Albert Einstein


Jeremiah 10:11-15

11-15"Tell them this, 'The stick gods
who made nothing, neither sky nor earth,
Will come to nothing
on the earth and under the sky.'"
But it is God whose power made the earth,
whose wisdom gave shape to the world,
who crafted the cosmos.
He thunders, and rain pours down.
He sends the clouds soaring.
He embellishes the storm with lightnings,
launches wind from his warehouse.
Stick-god worshipers looking mighty foolish,
god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods!
Their gods are frauds—dead sticks,
deadwood gods, tasteless jokes.
When the fires of judgment come, they'll be ashes.

Calling Out Your Name - Rich Mullins

Well the moon moved past Nebraska
And spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills
And angels danced on Jacob's stairs
Yeah they danced on Jacob's stairs
There is this silence in the Badlands
And over Kansas the whole universe was stilled
By the whisper of a prayer
The whisper of a prayer

And the single hawk bursts into flight
And in the east the whole horizon is in flames
I feel thunder in the sky
I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out Your name

I can feel the earth tremble
Beneath the rumbling of the buffalo hooves
And the fury in the pheasant's wings
And there's fury in a pheasant's wings
It tells me the Lord is in His temple
And there is still a faith that can make the mountains move
And a love that can make the heavens ring
And I've seen love make heaven ring

Where the sacred rivers meet
Beneath the shadow of the Keeper of the plains
I feel thunder in the sky
I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out Your name

From the place where morning gathers
You can look sometimes forever 'til you see
What time may never know
What time may never know
How the Lord takes by its corners this old world
And shakes us forward and shakes us free
To run wild with the hope
To run wild with the hope

The hope that this thirst will not last long
That it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain
And I feel thunder in the sky
I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out Your name

And I know this thirst will not last long
That it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain
I feel thunder in the sky
I see the sky about to rain
And with the prairies I am calling out Your name

Web Prayer

May the Lord open up
the windows of heaven
and pour you a blessing
that you will not have room
enough to receive it all.

May the Lord bless
you exceedingly and abundantly,
above all you could ever hope for.

May the Lord bless you
that you may walk in a
financial overflow.

May you fall in love with Him
for the rest of your days
in the Name of Jesus.
Amen!

Praying without ceasing

Praying without ceasing

*Main Scripture*
"Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing fi rm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fi ery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere." (Ephesians 6:13-18, NLT)

*Other Scriptures*
Luke 18:1-7; Romans 8:26-27; Galatians 4:6; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Jude 20

*What Jesus Might Say To You*
Despite the intensity of a spiritual battle or how strong or weak you feel at any given moment, I have given you everything you need to live a godly life and to stand your ground against any attack from your Enemy, Satan.

With every piece of spiritual armor you put on, you clothe yourself with me. I am your helmet of salvation, your breastplate of righteousness, your belt of truth, your shoes of the good news of peace, your sword of the Spirit.

But wearing your spiritual armor still isn't enough. If you run into battle fully equipped but aren't in communication with your command center, you will lose. You need my guidance, my wisdom, my encouragement, and my strength. That's why it's important that you pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Praying at all times means staying in constant communication with me: When you wake up, in between classes, during a test at school, while you're hanging out with your friends, when you go to bed. Prayer is more of an attitude than an activity. Satan loves to ambush my unsuspecting followers. Without prayer he will catch you off guard every time.

As you pray, avoid doing all the talking. I know you have a lot on your heart, but make room for the Holy Spirit to guide you in prayer. Spend time in silence so I can respond to you. But also remember that you're in the middle of a war, not just a fi ght. Other people face the same attacks as you. They need you to pray for them as much as you need them to pray for you.

But there's one more reason why we need to stay connected: I just like to spend time with you!

Your Source for everything,
Jesus

*Summary Challenge*
Staying connected to Jesus is more of an attitude than an activity.

*Spend Some Time Journaling*

Taken from "Conversations with Jesus" by Youth for Christ, copyright 2006, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here: http://www.youthspecialties.com/product/273463

2. SURF REPORT

~ International High IQ Society Puzzles
http://www.highiqsociety.org/puzzles/

~ Cool Optical Illusions
http://www.coolopticalillusions.com/

3. FORGETTABLE FACT

Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan's inauguration

4. POTENT QUOTABLES

"Pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan"
- John Bunyan

"Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life"
- Jonathan Edwards

5. PARTING SHOT

The easiest way to refold a road map is differently.

*All "surf report" internet links and "potent quotables" are provided for informational purposes, and do not imply endorsement by Youth Specialties.

copyright 2006 :: Youth Specialties

The Body of Christ in Lebanon - SojoMail 07.27.06

"Seven hundred thousand out of a total Lebanese population of 3.5 million, 20 percent of the population, mostly Shiites, are now being cared for and given refuge by mostly Christian schools, churches, and other humanitarian organizations. This is the story of the Good Samaritan at a mega scale! And to think that this is the outcome of a strategy that meant to rouse anti-Hezbollah feelings among the Lebanese population and government. Talk about a failed strategy! Of course, this has happened so many times before that any thoughtful tactician would have learned the lesson by now, but military muscle is always too hedonistic and narcissistic to listen to the voice of reason and history."

- Dr. Martin Accad, academic dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary of Lebanon.

Refining and purifying silver

Refining and purifying silver

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"  He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

 This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write.

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"The gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." ~Garrison Keillor

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St. Theresa's Prayer:

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.... May you be content knowing you are a child of God.... Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.