Archive for November, 2009
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Monday, November 30th, 2009
Prayer Participant’s Guide: Six Sessions on Our Relationship with God (Groupware Small Group Edition)By Philip Yancey
Price: $9.99
Description:
In this six-session ZondervanGroupware™ video curriculum, award-winning author Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat—the most fundamental, challenging, perplexing, and deeply rewarding aspect—of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? How does it work? And more importantly, does it work?
Customer Review
Excellent Study
I led this DVD study after completing ’3:16 the Numbers of Hope’. There was no comparison. This study was so much deeper and better done. I highly recommend this study for a church or small group. Yancey has put time into this participant’s guide/study to make it an excellent resource for learning to pray better.
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The President's Schedule
Monday, November 30th, 2009
In the morning, President Obama will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing. He will then meet with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia in the Oval Office to discuss a range of issues including Afghanistan and climate change in the run-up to Copenhagen.In the afternoon, the president will receive (more…)
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Prayer Updates
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Rough Start for Christmas Shopping SeasonU.S. consumers spent significantly less per person at the start of the holiday season this weekend, dimming hopes for a retail comeback that would help propel the economy early in 2010. The lackluster spending could pressure retail stocks on Monday as some investors were looking for a stronger showing compared with a year earlier, when consumers were being hammered by the recession and credit crunch
Pray for families struggling with the weak American economy. Pray for those unemployed during this Christmas season.
American Officials Monitor Dubai Meltdown
Dubai officials announced Wednesday it needed at least a six-month reprieve from paying its roughly $60 billion debt. The news sent global markets tumbling. Mideast markets were unaffected because of an extended Islamic holiday, but they reopen Monday. The United Arab Emirates has pledged to stand behind foreign and domestic banks in the country, offering additional money while extolling the strength of the Gulf nation’s financial sector as world markets brace for a potential day of reckoning Monday over Dubai’s crushing debt. The UAE’s immediate priority was arguably to avert any run, however unlikely, on banks by panicked depositors. But the promise of cheap funds also signaled to global investors that the country’s federal government — backed by oil money — will do what it can to limit the fallout from its indebted emirate’s woes. “Depositors could very well panic … and they could decide to take their money out of the banking system,” he added. “There is concern,” said the chief economist at the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Banque Saudi Fransi-Credit Agricole Group. “They’re trying to take preventive measures in order to lower the risk of a run on the local banks.” Real estate prices in the emirate have fallen by 50 percent over the past year. Many of the multi-billion dollar projects for which Dubai became famous were either scrapped or delayed, and people started losing their jobs.
Pray for wisdom and leadership for our national economic officials and policymakers who are now dealing with the potential distastrous economic situation in Dubai that could further weaken our own economy.
Iran Announces Additional Nuclear Construction
The Iranian government approved a plan yesterday to build 10 industrial-scale uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment. The decision comes only days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency censured Iran over its program and demanded it halt the construction of a newly-revealed enrichment facility.
Pray for peace in the Middle East and for wisdom for American diplomats dealing with Iran.
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Today's Devotional
Monday, November 30th, 2009
By Charles Spurgeon“So walk ye in him.”
Colossians 2:6
If we have received Christ himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will manifest its intimate acquaintance with him by a walk of faith in him. Walking implies action. Our religion is not to be confined to our closet; we must carry out into practical effect that which we believe. If a man walks in Christ, then he so acts as Christ would act; for Christ being in him, his hope, his love, his joy, his life, he is the reflex of the image of Jesus; and men say of that man, “He is like his Master; he lives like Jesus Christ.” Walking signifies progress. “So walk ye in him”; proceed from grace to grace, run forward until you reach the uttermost degree of knowledge that a man can attain concerning our Beloved. Walking implies continuance. There must be a perpetual abiding in Christ. How many Christians think that in the morning and evening they ought to come into the company of Jesus, and may then give their hearts to the world all the day: but this is poor living; we should always be with him, treading in his steps and doing his will. Walking also implies habit. When we speak of a man’s walk and conversation, we mean his habits, the constant tenor of his life. Now, if we sometimes enjoy Christ, and then forget him; sometimes call him ours, and anon lose our hold, that is not a habit; we do not walk in him. We must keep to him, cling to him, never let him go, but live and have our being in him. “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him”; persevere in the same way in which ye have begun, and, as at the first Christ Jesus was the trust of your faith, the source of your life, the principle of your action, and the joy of your spirit, so let him be the same till life’s end; the same when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and enter into the joy and the rest which remain for the people of God. O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey this heavenly precept.
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Today's Devotional
Friday, November 27th, 2009
By Charles Spurgeon“The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?”
Mark 14:14
Jerusalem at the time of the passover was one great inn; each householder had invited his own friends, but no one had invited the Saviour, and he had no dwelling of his own. It was by his own supernatural power that he found himself an upper room in which to keep the feast. It is so even to this day-Jesus is not received among the sons of men save only where by his supernatural power and grace he makes the heart anew. All doors are open enough to the prince of darkness, but Jesus must clear a way for himself or lodge in the streets. It was through the mysterious power exerted by our Lord that the householder raised no question, but at once cheerfully and joyfully opened his guestchamber. Who he was, and what he was, we do not know, but he readily accepted the honour which the Redeemer proposed to confer upon him. In like manner it is still discovered who are the Lord’s chosen, and who are not; for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have it, but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto eternal life. Are you willing, dear reader, to receive Christ? then there is no difficulty in the way; Christ will be your guest; his own power is working with you, making you willing. What an honour to entertain the Son of God! The heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and yet he condescends to find a house within our hearts! We are not worthy that he should come under our roof, but what an unutterable privilege when he condescends to enter! for then he makes a feast, and causes us to feast with him upon royal dainties, we sit at a banquet where the viands are immortal, and give immortality to those who feed thereon. Blessed among the sons of Adam is he who entertains the angels’ Lord.
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A Proclomation By The President
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day’s roots are intertwined with those of our Nation, and its history traces the American narrative. Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed “by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God,” and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our Nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Thanksgiving. As Americans, we hail from every part of the world. While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of us thankful for our common blessings. As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand. This is a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our Nation throughout the year. In doing so, we pay tribute to our country’s men and women in uniform who set an example of service that inspires us all. Let us be guided by the legacy of those who have fought for the freedoms for which we give thanks, and be worthy heirs to the noble tradition of goodwill shown on this day. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 2009, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to come together, whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place where family, friends and neighbors may gather, with gratitude for all we have received in the past year; to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.Today’s Prayer – Happy Thanksgiving:
Dear Lord, Your gifts are greater than I can imagine. May I live each day with thanksgiving in my heart and praise on my lips.
Thank you for the gift of Your Son and for the promise of eternal life. Let me share the joyous news of Jesus Christ, and let my life be a testimony to His love and to His grace.
Amen
Posted in prayerupdates |
The President's Schedule
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
The first family is spending the long holiday weekend in Washington.President Barack Obama has no scheduled events.
On Friday, first lady Michelle Obama will (more…)
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Today's Devotional
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
By Charles Spurgeon“As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord.”
Colossians 2:6
The life of faith is represented as receiving-an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night accepts light from the stars, so we, giving nothing, partake freely of the grace of God. The saints are not, by nature, wells, or streams, they are but cisterns into which the living water flows; they are empty vessels into which God pours his salvation. The idea of receiving implies a sense of realization, making the matter a reality. One cannot very well receive a shadow; we receive that which is substantial: so is it in the life of faith, Christ becomes real to us. While we are without faith, Jesus is a mere name to us-a person who lived a long while ago, so long ago that his life is only a history to us now! By an act of faith Jesus becomes a real person in the consciousness of our heart. But receiving also means grasping or getting possession of. The thing which I receive becomes my own: I appropriate to myself that which is given. When I receive Jesus, he becomes my Saviour, so mine that neither life nor death shall be able to rob me of him. All this is to receive Christ-to take him as God’s free gift; to realize him in my heart, and to appropriate him as mine.
Salvation may be described as the blind receiving sight, the deaf receiving hearing, the dead receiving life; but we have not only received these blessings, we have received CHRIST JESUS himself. It is true that he gave us life from the dead. He gave us pardon of sin; he gave us imputed righteousness. These are all precious things, but we are not content with them; we have received Christ himself. The Son of God has been poured into us, and we have received him, and appropriated him. What a heartful Jesus must be, for heaven itself cannot contain him!
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The President's Schedule
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
In the morning, President Obama will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. Later, he will participate in the (more…)Posted in schedule |
Prayer Updates
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
Athiest Campaign Unveiled for ThanksgivingThe first of five U.S. cities will be hit by a new atheist holiday ad campaign this Thanksgiving weekend. Residents of Washington, DC can expect to see ads proclaiming, “No God?…No Problem!” inside buses, rail cars and on the side or tail of buses by week’s end. The campaign, sponsored by the American Humanist Association, will then target the transit systems of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Pray that America turns to God for forgiveness, for thanksgiving, and for wisdom as more try to pry our country away from its Christian roots and heritage
President’s National Speech on Afghanistan
President Obama said he would announce after Thanksgiving his decision on additional troops, and the occasion would be a Tuesday night televised speech laying out his plans for expanding the Afghan conflict – and then ultimately ending America’s military role. Neither he nor his advisers has detailed an exit plan, but the strategy he is expected to describe next week would include specific dates that deployments could be slowed or stopped if necessary, according to a senior military official said. The President said yesterday while at a White House news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, “I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we’re doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive.” He added, “I can tell you, as I’ve said before, that it is in our strategic interest, in our national security interest to make sure that al Qaeda and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively … We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks. And Afghanistan’s stability is important to that process.”
Pray for wisdom and leadership for the president and his leaders as they prepare their plan to support our soldiers in Afghanistan. Pray for our troops protecting our liberty.
Space Shuttle is Headed Back to Earth Today
Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station early this morning and is headed home with one astronaut eager to hold his newborn daughter for the first time. The shuttle departed as the spacecraft soared nearly 220 miles above the Pacific, just northeast of New Guinea. Over the past week, the astronauts stockpiled the outpost and performed maintenance that should keep it running for another five to 10 years. Astronaut Nicole Stott, on her way home after three months in orbit, said goodbye to the five colleagues she left behind on the space station.
Pray for the safe return of our astronauts coming back today from the Shuttle Atlantis.
Posted in prayerupdates |
