The Road to True Success

I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.
Mary Gardner Brainard

On February 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln left his home in Springfield to begin his rail journey to Washington, where he was to be inaugurated a month later. Lincoln had a premonition this would be the last time he would see Springfield. Standing on the rear platform of his railroad car, he bid the townspeople farewell. He closed his remarks with these words: "Today I leave you. I go to assume a task more difficult than that which devolved upon General Washington. The great God which guided him must help me. Without that assistance, we cannot succeed. We may get the dishes washed, the laundry folded, and the beds made. We may get our work done without accident or incident. We may find what we need at the market and manage to keep a schedule. But without God's help, our lives would be a confused mess.

Does God care about what happens in our day? Absolutely! When we become overwhelmed, making the smallest of tasks into mountains, He helps us to gather ourselves. Step-by-step, He shows us the way, and our strength is renewed to go on.

Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way.
Psalm 23:4

The purest form of love is given with no expectation of return. Measured by this standard, earnest prayer for others is a magnificent act of love.
-David Hubbard


Teach me, O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin.

Let me use disappointment as material for patience.
Let me use success as material for thankfulness.
Let me use trouble as material for perseverance.
Let me use danger as material for courage.
Let me use reproach as material for long suffering.
Let me use praise as material for humility.
Let me use pleasures as material for temperance.
Let me use pain as material for endurance.

-John Baillie


We have over the past few weeks within our church family had many prayer concerns-health issues, employment issues and family/marriage issues. Many of our prayers have been answered in wonderful ways and some are still waiting to be answered. We as humans want our prayers answered the way we think is best and immediately. We rarely receive everything we want. We imagine the same holds true for God. I have to remind myself of the scripture, 1 Peter 5:6-7, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all of your anxiety on him because He cares for you". Let us continue to speak our hurts, needs and praises to God because He is always there for us.
God bless,
Libby

September 19, 2008

The greatest tradegy in life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.
F.B. Meyer


A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen


Father God,

In the midst of turmoil going on around us, let us not be focused outward but inward to you for our help in times of trouble. Help us to be calm, not lose perspective and offer others a helping hand. I pray for those suffering today and ask you to comfort them and fill them with your love.

Thank you merciful Father for loving me,

Amen

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:4-7


I give you my hands, to do your work.
I give you my feet, to go your way.
I give you my eyes, to see as you do.
I give you my tongue, to speak your words.
I give you my mind, that you may think in me.
I give you my spirit, that you may pray in me.
Above all, I give you my heart, that you may love in me your Father and all mankind.
I give you my whole self, that you may grow in me.
So that it is you, Lord Jesus, who lives and works and prays in me.

The Grail Society



Father God,
Thank you for the opportunity you give us each day to live our lives in you. Use us as your vessels on this earth to do your will. Keep our eyes, ears and minds open to your word.
In Jesus Name we ask this prayer,
Amen

I call on the Lord in my distress and he answers me.
Psalm 120:1

Thomas Merton, an American Trappist monk and poet, has offered inspiration and strength to millions through his writings and the witness of his life. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, appears on lists of the 100 most important books of the century. Reflect on this famous prayer by Merton:

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore, will I trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.




Lord,

We don't know what is ahead for us but we trust you Father to take care of us and our every need. We pray for everyone who doesn't know you today that they may hear words or a voice that would turn them to you. We thank you for your grace and mercy. May we be merciful in all things.

In Jesus Name we ask this prayer,
Amen

He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
-Psalm 121:3


O Gracious and Holy Father
(Benedict of Nursia)

O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive Thee,
intelligence to understand Thee,
diligence to seek Thee,
patience to wait for Thee,
eyes to behold Thee,
a heart to meditate upon Thee,
and a life to proclaim Thee;
through the power of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ our Lord.


Lord, hear our prayers for the sick, broken, weak and suffering near and far from us. Give us hearts for you Lord in all things. Bless the Well and our ministries as we strive to know and do your will. Amen

Prayer for Chalie Pierson's father Jim

I got an email from Charlie saying his dad had taken a turn for the worst over the weekend and it looks like he only has a short time to live. They are staying with him in Ocala, Florida and he wasn't sure how long they would be gone.

Please be praying for the Pierson's and Charlie's dad Jim this week.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Good Morning!

It is good...to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. -Psalm 92:1-2

A prayer from British preacher and writer John Stott-

"Good morning, heavenly Father. Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Holy Spirit." "Father, I pray that I may live this day in Your presence and please You more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow You. Holy Spirit, I pray this day You will fill me with Yourself and cause Your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three Persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen."

Many times I use this prayer as a pattern for my prayer life. It is a wonderful way to begin a conversation with God.

As we all pray today, let us praise God for Karen Newcomer's good report from the doctor, our ministry leaders @The Well, Brent and his family, our mission field and those empty chairs at church we are praying to be filled.

God bless,
Libby

Prayers for this weekend...

Father,

I pray for the service this Sunday that you would receive glory in everything we say and do. I pray for all who attend to sense Your presence among us, and I pray you would draw each of us closer to You. I pray for all of us to have open hearts to receive whatever it is that we need to take another step towards You.

Please be with Casey, the musicians, the children's volunteers, the sound/media team, our greeters, and the message being presented. I pray on this Father's day weekend, we'd be reminded or maybe discover for the first time what an amazing Heavenly Father we have. We love you and pray for your will to be done in our lives and church. In Jesus' name, Amen.

From Libby Pryor...

I am a true believer in the power of prayer. It is a very important part of my daily routine, from beginning, in the middle and the end. It is encouraging to me in every situation that I can talk to God and know He is listening.

Please pray for Brent & The Well, Our Troops and Our Country this week.

God bless,
Libby

Plan and Purpose for this site...

We are going to begin to use this partnersofthewell.com website as a launching point for prayer at The Well. This site will be a place to encourage others to pray, list prayer requests, and post answers to prayer. I hope this site may be an avenue to allow more prayer to take place in our individual lives, as well as, within the church community at The Well.

Karen Newcomer is going to be heading up the church prayer chain and looking to gather more individuals with a heart for prayer together in order to more effectively lift up the needs of our church family to God. If you have any suggestions or would like to get a prayer request posted you can email Karen at gr8lifeinbhm@yahoo.com or just post in the comments section below posts. You can also send in your praise reports or stories of answered prayer to Karen to be posted to this site. I want to thank Karen for taking this task on, and I'm excited to see what God will do through this important ministry.

I pray God would bless our lives and our church as we make prayer a larger priority in everything we do.

-Brent

Jim Cymbala on the importance of prayer....