prayer

  • First Friday Prayers: 3 John 4

    ByLauren Bible reading, Christian, faithfulness, Grace & Truth Link Up, joy, parenting, prayer
    10 Comments

    My “joy” verse for June is 3 John 4:  “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.”  NIV  John wrote this about his spiritual children – those in the church that he discipled.  But as my daughter finished one phase of her life and launched out into ministry this summer, I find myself referencing this verse over and over when praying for her.

     

    I also know the pain and struggle of praying for a child who is not walking in truth.  So this scripture serves as a reminder for me to pray for those far from God’s path.  With these words top of mind, I offer two prayers on this First Friday:

     

     

     

    Insert the names and replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you need to pray for.  And if I can pray alongside you for someone in your life, I would love to do so.  Drop a comment below without mentioning their name or send me a private email to [email protected] if I can pray for them by name. I’m praying for you in this.  Don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

    Lauren

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    Michele Morin handed me a little dose of conviction and a huge helping of encouragement with Celebrate the Glorious Partnership of Willpower and God’s Power.  I think you’ll be blessed.

     

    The Link Up

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

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    Click here to enter

  • First Friday Prayers: Words for the Graduates

    ByLauren Christian, Grace & Truth Link Up, prayer
    4 Comments

    Words for the graduatesHere we are in May.  Graduations for high school seniors, college students, pre-schoolers and kindergartners lurk just around the corner.  I volunteered to help plan the baccalaureate service for my daughter’s class.  If you aren’t familiar with the baccalaureate tradition, it is a religious service – often interfaith – held before commencement with a sermon featuring farewell words for the graduates.  In our case, it is student and parent led and held off campus.

     

    Wanting to make sure my girl got to experience this sweet custom, I met with a group of other moms and discussed speakers, worship songs and scripture readings.  Colossians 1:9-12 was bandied about as a great passage for these kids entering a new phase of life.  And now I can’t stop praying it for my girl.

     

    For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the [a]knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [b]to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and [c]increasing in the [d]knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to [e]His glorious might, [f]for the attaining of all perseverance and [g]patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us [h]to share in the inheritance of the [i]saints in light. NASB

     

    I also prayed this passage repeatedly for my now grown bonus son during his teenaged years.  There is so much here.  We could pray a different piece of this passage every day of the week for our loved ones.  But for our First Friday Prayer purposes, I’ll condense my prayer to these words for the graduates:

    Replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.  Non-graduates included.  This passage is great to pray year-round.  And I’m praying for you in this.  Don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

    Lauren

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

    I enjoyed reading Beth Willis Miller’s thoughts on Psalm 23.  The passage is so familiar but her post proves how living and active God’s Word is.  Always learning something new.

     

    The Link Up

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter