Greetings from yesterday. I posted this yesterday in the expectation that Patty and I would be at the doctor’s this morning. Please pray for us! It may be there’s a treatment that can help her.
Meanwhile, Nearer My God to Thee, sung by the Sharon Mennonite Singers–and I pray that for us, today, “nearer” means in the spiritual sense.
We’ve just heard that our brother Elijah’s mother, Heather, is seriously ill with cancer. Please, let’s join together in prayer for her.
O Father in Heaven, be merciful to your servant, Heather, and deliver her from this evil disease: heal her, O God, and make her whole: let her live to see her son a man, doing a man’s work, with children of his own. We believe in you, O God: you can do all things. Please, Lord, hear our prayer: in Jesus’ name, Amen.
I hadn’t seen my friend, Pastor Mark McCreary, for several weeks, wondered if he was on vacation or leave of absence. But today, as I stopped at the Second Baptist Church to ask about him, I was told he’d had a stroke. I was also told he’s on the mend, but isn’t expected to return.
Mark and I have prayed together, have shared many hours on the basketball court, and undertaken a few charitable works together. Please join me in prayer for him.
O Lord our God, the fields are white with harvest and yet the laborers are few! Please, Father, have mercy on your servant, Pastor Mark, please heal him and make him whole. Please, Lord, reward your servant and bless the prayers of his family, his congregation, and his friends. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Think how many times Doc Watson must have sung this hymn in public; and yet he’s still so moved by it, his voice almost breaks. What a Friend We Have in Jesus–and what a friend we need.
I’ve been taking it to him in prayer a lot, these last two days: my wife is having a very hard time with her breathing. Please unite your prayers to ours: O Jesus, thou Son of David–have mercy on us, and heal my wife. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Please join with our friend Allison (“Weavingword”) in prayer for all the people in the path of Hurricane Michael. Allison’s family have evacuated safely, but there are still plenty who haven’t.
O Lord our God, your Son Jesus Christ stilled the wind and waves by His command; and today there are many of us who need His protection. Please, Father in Heaven, protect them from the fury of the storm. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
We didn’t make it to the doctor today, but please keep praying for us.
Meanwhile, I’m racing the calendar to get His Mercy Endureth Forever written before it gets too cold outside to write.
I have this weird sense of being powerfully pulled toward the story’s climax without knowing what that climax is. I rely on the Lord to give me the story, and sometimes He doesn’t let me know what I’m going to write until I write it. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say that hellzapoppin in Obann and I have no idea at all, how it’s going to turn out. That makes it somewhat stressful.
I didn’t know how The Fugitive Prince would end until one evening, while walking just a few blocks to get our Chinese food for supper, He gave me the whole thing, all at once–wham! Writing The Thunder King, I had the climax first, before the beginning of the story. And I received the climax of The Last Banquet, all at once, as I walked upstairs to the bedroom. So I never know what to expect or when to expect it.
And so, today, a little more blog, a bite to eat, and back to work. Please, Lord–help me bring the story to my readers; for I write these in your service. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Some years ago, Patty had a bout of pneumonia. It left her with COPD, and lately it’s been getting out of hand. She has trouble breathing, trouble sleeping, lots of fatigue. I’ve been wanting to make this prayer request for her, and I finally have permission.
Yes, I know we have to get her to a doctor. She hasn’t had the energy to prepare herself for it. This has been kind of weighing on my mind, to put it as mildly as I can.
Please join me in prayer for her.
O Lord our God, have mercy on my wife, and heal her–give her back her breath, and make her whole. I have asked you, again and again, in Jesus’ name, to help us. Please, Father: I believe in you, I trust in your word, and I believe that you can heal her. I ask you for this blessing in Jesus’ name, Amen.
On behalf of all our little blog community, welcome back, Linda!
We know you’re a long way from being out of the woods, medically–so keep those prayers coming, everybody. We need each other’s prayers. We all do.
Something seems to be happening here, something good, that I never thought of when I started this blog: just some guy in New Jersey trying to advertise his books. But now we have much more than that–and give God the glory for it, because He’s the one who’s doing it.
I’ve just heard from our dear friend Linda. She was discharged from the hospital yesterday, and now has to get through a long series of doctors’ appointments. She feels very weak and has difficulty with her breathing. But at least she’s still here! And still in need of our prayers: she’s a long way from being out of the woods, so keep those prayers coming.
Dear Lord our God, in Jesus’ name, please stay with Linda every step of the way and lead her out of danger, restore her health, and heal her: for we know you are able to do this. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
We need to keep praying for our friend Linda Sorci, still gravely ill, still undergoing treatment that takes a lot out of her, making it hard for her to communicate. She did enjoy reading The Silver Trumpet, though: wish I had another book out there for her. Anyway, it’s hard for her to generate an email. The last one I had was a week ago.
Dear Lord Our God, we pray in the mighty name of Jesus: Have mercy on our sister, Linda; deliver her from danger of death, and restore her to our fellowship. Please, Father, save her: in Jesus’ name, Amen.
