As we build this community prayer platform, we ask the Lord to listen to our petitions with full confidence they not only are heard but acted upon by God according to His holy will. These requests are on my prayer list and I hope you consider putting them on yours as you place your petitions before the Lord Sunday.
Let’s remember to approach the throne room and respond with faith and not fear, knowing the promises of God and His mighty hand will hold us through any situation! Sometimes, all it takes is just one prayer to change everything. Something extraordinary happens when two or more agree together in prayer.
What is one of the most important things we should do as Christians? Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
We’ll open with some praise. Thank You Lord as we get ready to celebrate the greatest Birth ever, may you all have a Blessed, Merry Christmas and a Holy, Happy New Year.
Isaac needs continued prayer as he rehabilitates.
Leah asks for prayers for wisdom regarding discernment so she can move forward into the life of service she prepared for, disregard a lot of the noise surrounding her, and also to stop making excuses for all those bad behaviors she struggles with. She needs to acknowledge some settings aren’t healthy, even if aspects of them attract her.
Jennifer’s temperature is fluctuating between 96°F and 99°F.
Tony is dealing with grief, depression, anxiety, tears.
Amy’s adult autistic son was denied SSI. Her anxiety is in full blown panic mode since it means we’ll have to fight for it for him. Prayers please for us to get through this process and for a quick outcome.
Bethany asks prayers for discernment in next steps.
Lauriel asks for prayers for a speedy recovery from knee scope.
There were a host of unspoken prayer requests and we heard of a number of deaths this week. Prayers for their families as they go through this earthly trial. We grieve … heaven rejoices.
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week — some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news amid the bad news. We know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. Through Christ all things are possible. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Isaac, Leah, Jennifer, Tony, Amy, Bethany, Lauriel, and all those needing Your healing touch. We pray for the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Keep your joys and concerns coming. They have been and will be included during my prayer time and I trust they will be on your lips as well as you approach the altar. All it takes is a couple of keystrokes under the “Contact Me” button on the top bar {or to the right if you’re not a follower yet}. I hope it becomes your best friend as you navigate around the site so we can all be viable prayer warriors. You can also comment or reach me at wisdomfromafather@gmail.com.
I wish all a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Holy and Happy New Year! Keep praying!
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Prayer is the bridge between panic and peace.
To entice you to check us out, I’ve also been sharing some of the experiences my fellow writers have shared as chronicled in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat. This week, I’ll include the words contributed by Martell. I hope her words inspire you to join our writing club.
When I saw the prompt, I was reminded to the birth of my five children. I actually witnessed the moment my sons and daughters left the familiar womb for the world — well, four of the five. I was relegated to the waiting room for the birth of No. 1 son, which was standard procedure back in the dark ages.
CenturyLinkQuote, which is an authorized online CenturyLink reseller, said the “perfect candidate” will be at least 18 years old and love, Love, LOVE Christmas. You also have to be active on social media and be willing to share your movie marathon with your followers.
The rejection won’t deter me from watching Hallmark this Christmas season. I’ll still do my share of binge watching — or more appropriately alternate binge watching and binge dozing. After all, even when you give the eyes a rest, you pretty much know where the story line is going. In all my years of watch n snore, only once was I completely lost after the snore.
Uhhh…
That being said, they came up with about 90 potential blog spots for the one week promotion, and the blitz promo was featured on 39. As best as I can ascertain, that meant the potential of 108,827 eyes — give or take some — scrolled past the promotion on blogs, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
I would like to thank those sites that did promote My Name Is Sam. They included 
First, there is no shortcut to building trust. Rebuilding it on the rubble of lost credibility is much harder. The antidote is nothing less than scrupulous and consistent honesty — especially when the truth is costly.
Finally, don’t be seduced by the “I’m just fighting fire with fire” excuse or all you’ll end up with is the ashes of your integrity. Self-justifications aside, you can’t lie to a liar or cheat a cheater without becoming a liar or a cheater.
As Ruth had shown kindness to Naomi her mother-in-law, (Ruth 1:16-17), so Boaz, a close relative of Naomi, showed kindness to Ruth. Boaz’s kindness is not only personal but also flows from the kindness of God as He acts to provide Ruth and Naomi a home because they are His relatives (Ruth 2:20). Boaz acts as the guardian-redeemer for Ruth and Naomi, and the people of Bethlehem bless Boaz by saying, “May you … be famous in Bethlehem.”
Father, you honored Ruth and Naomi, showing kindness to them through Boaz as their guardian-redeemer. And today, through their descendant and Your Son, Jesus, You honor us by redeeming us from sin! In His name, Amen.
What is one of the most important things we should do as Christians? Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
I have to admit, this prompt caught me off guard. “Darkness my old friend …” was my first reaction.
The Kentucky segment has, by far, been the quietest and least hectic. No children, just a rambunctious pup (Puck) who appeared to enjoy his time with Angelina (and vice versa). They spent hours each day running and chasing each other and willingly called it a night at bedtime.
Most of the visit was pretty pedestrian. Relaxation and food were paramount.
What to do on a dreary day in Kentucky? 
Other highlights include winning (for me) football with a bowl of homemade chili and dinner at B-Dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) with Joe (bachelors … cook?)
Joe and I had dinner at Mariah’s in downtown Bowling Green. He behaved with a Chicken Tender Cobb Salad. I, on the other hand, chose the Haystack Burger — fresh ground beef patty topped with sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, a fried onion ring, lettuce, vine-ripe tomatoes and pickles, served on a brioche bun. I have a big mouth but couldn’t get my jaws around it! We followed dinner with a delightful local community theater production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Funny. Poignant. Refreshing.
Midway through the trip, Joe and I made a 500 mile round trip to participate in the Higher Grounds Authors, Artists & Artisans Show at Wittenberg University. Selling a few books … Good. Interacting with fellow authors and prospective customers … Better. Sharing the experience and drive with my son … Priceless.
Sarah and her daughters — Maggie, Nora, and Amelia — checked in on the dogs while we were at Wittenberg, so as a thank you, I cooked them dinner
Although we planned to visit Nashville (only about an hour and a half away), we bypassed it for this trip.
The Light 