Prayer Request

We have two sweet kids (& two sets of families) at PUMP who need your prayers. Caitlin, a four-year-old sweetie, was diagnosed with leukemia two weeks ago. We praise God that she is responding well to treatment so far; we know this is a long road ahead though. Today she is at the hospital getting another round of tests and chemo.

Zion, PUMP's newest little one, is a six-month old who is having a traumatic surgery on his skull as I write this. After his three hour surgery, he'll be in ICU for 24 hours and in the hospital for another four days - if all goes according to plan. I'm hopeful that he will surprise all with his rapid and complete recovery.

Please join the PUMP family in prayer for these two precious families. Although trusting in the Lord's care and love, the anxiety and heartache is understandably overwhelming at times for them.

From Psalm 71:
I have come to you for protection;
don’t let me be disgraced.
Save me and rescue me,
for you do what is right.
Turn your ear to listen to me,
and set me free.
Be my rock of safety
where I can always hide.
Give the order to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O Lord, you alone are my hope.
I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.
Yes, you have been with me from birth;
from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.
No wonder I am always praising you!
My life is an example to many,
because you have been my strength and protection.
That is why I can never stop praising you;
I declare your glory all day long.

A Note to My Father

Wow, Lord, this has been a doozy of a week so far, and it's only Wednesday morning. I have started a number of second sentences to this note to You, but the words of our language keep falling short of expressing what I want to say. So, I'll start with what I know. I know you are perfect. I know you are strong and majestic and full of mercy and grace. I know you love - you are love. There is no end to your care and love for us. Thank you. Thank you for knowing us. Thank you for drawing us near, even when we arch our backs & pull away like a toddler trying to get away from the protective arms of a parent or when we hide away and pretend that we are alone. I praise you today for your goodness, for your grace, for your patience. I praise you. All that I know to be true.

My heart literally hurts today, Lord. With each beat there is an accompanying ache. I notice my breathing today, almost like I need to remind myself to take in the vital air. As I do, I breathe in your Spirit. I fill my chest and my heart and my soul with your Spirit, whose very job description is to guide and bring peace. That is what I so need today. I need guidance. I need peace. Where should my steps take me? Show me. Move my feet for me. How should my hands minister? Guide me. Allow me to touch, to call, to love with you as my puppet master, reaching out as you see best. How should I implore to you? Use the Spirit to hear the cries of my heart and those of my dear friends who are hurting so profoundly today. Fill in the words that do not come.

There is a lot of confusion around us right now; there is so much we don't know. Once again, as I get caught up in just thinking about those questions, I have to remind myself to breathe. To breathe in your Spirit and your peace. You are the constant. You are the one that will never change. When all else is chaos, you are the peace. So I rest in your peace today and I hand over my pain. Through loss, heartache, and pain, your strength will be made evident. Be glorified, Lord. We love you and want to honor you today with our heartache.

Your humble daughter

Represent

Portland's own Donald Miller led the closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention last night. When asked by Christianity Today why he agreed to participate, Donald replied, "Somebody calls you and asks you to pray, you do."

Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Hep us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen.

Courage & Humility

In the midst of a prayer I heard recently, a portion struck a deep chord and has been resounding in my ears ever since. I think it's absolutely beautiful.

Give us courage when you ask us to face a giant.
Give us humility when you ask us to fetch a donkey.

We the Church

There's a lot online that is trivial. There's a whole lot online that is downright terrible. Every once in a while one can come across something online that is truly good. Simple, effective, community building, and glorifying to God. I found one of those sites a while back; tonight as I was glancing through it's posts I saw this : "God bless the school in Uganda where Chris and Kami are teaching." That made me smile. Someone else, someone I presumably know, found this good tool, too.

WeTheChurch.org

WtC.org was created to unite the church in prayer.

Need prayer in your ministry?
Submit a prayer

Thankful for something?
Submit a praise.

And while you're here why not pray for a few things on the prayer list?

It's that simple.
Just us, the church,
praying for each other.

Prayer Cloud

Allan introduced us to Wordle, a site that allows one to create beautiful word clouds. It is cool how random words can be used to make an artistic and interesting creation. These were some of the topics that I took to God in prayer this week.

Sad News

Terrible, tragic news from the home of Steven Curtis Chapman, one of the most recognized Christian artists and an amazing advocate for international adoption. His oldest son accidently ran over & killed their youngest daughter (pictured seated on SCC's lap) today.