This short E-votion has been going out since 1997. Today there are over 1200 worldwide receiving. I don't add frequently, just at simple junctures where I connect with people. It all started when serving as a church administrative pastor. In the rush of ministry, the staff were not receiving any. So I started a little word of encouragment once a week via email as a lifter. Most people did not have email back then, but our staff did. Then a missionary visiting would see one printed out and ask to be added, and oh well, the list got longer. Missionaries in the field receive. Pastors, bishops, and educators receive. Men and women in business and community and at home receive. Lots of men and men who are dads receive. Baptist, Presbyterian, Assembly, Pentecostal, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Faith, independent, interdenominational, Islam, Jew, and no declared faith receive. Trust me, everyone doesn't agree on every one of these. Most tell me that every once in a while a simple truth hits home and encourages. For that one that touches every once in a while, I send them out.
If memory serves me, I believe there are at least 500 more in this series on Matthew's gospel. At my present rate, it will be about five years before we complete this gospel a snippet of thought at a time. There are other full books on subjects regarding Prayer in Times of Trouble, Approaching God in Prayer, Praying For Other Christians, Winning Attitudes in the Workplace, Psalm 84 - A Heart for People, Unity Among Christians, Patching the Breach - Avoiding and Curing the Plague of Gossip, The Tower of Spiritual Fathering... all of these have been tested across Christian faiths and world cultures.
Be Blessed a little. Don't worry if you only read one a year or a month or a week. I won't. Don't be afraid to pass on to a friend in need of a lift. Just be straightforward about it. Every once in a while I get an opt out from some one who is not in. They don't realize from whom they are getting them.
Yes, there is a real person behind PrayerMetro. I just updated the website with a few of our recent connections. Maybe I'll get some time to post the Father/Daughter Summit pics. It was such a blessing.
Most of all, I love to pray for you. Every morning I take my morning coffee in prayer. It has been my ritual for over a decade. In the evening, I take a few more minutes of prayer and writing. During the day, I try to not leave the attitude of prayer. Sometimes, my wife will throw me out of bed because I am praying out loud in my sleep. Don't be hesitant to let me know how to pray with knowledge for you and your family and business. There is plenty of room in my schedule to get it done.
Many of these E-votions are archived from prior years at Psalms.ws, a website of a friend. Recently, I've tried to keep prayermetrodevotions.blogspot.com updated as an archive, also.
Enough rambling. Be blessed. Be full of hope. Be happy. God is in control. God is always awake. God is always on your side
Matthew 5: 13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
City of God
What does it mean to be the light of the world? Connection to Jesus means we become the light of the world. Connection to Jesus means we are a part of a city on a hill that cannot be hid. It is not us individually to whom He speaks. It is us, the City of God, the people of God, to whom He speaks. Together in Him, we are the light of the world.
Light For All
Our world is dark. Our world is pained. Our world is putrid. Get it straight. This world is full of shadows. It is wrong because it is disconnected from the light. Jesus came and spoke to the world to change to a different way of thinking. He spoke for this world to think light not dark. When we connect with Him we connect with a message of light.
Connected Light
Together, the body of Christ, is meant to shine a light on problems. It is meant to shine solutions for our metro. This city to which we are attached is full of solutions for others to see and grasp and join.
Dad’s Example
When I was a child, we visited restaurants infrequently. It was a rare treat to eat out. Every time we ate out, my dad insisted we make the traditional prayer signature to start, bow, and sign out physically. Everyone could see the sign of the cross. In many churches the letters IHS (In Hoc Signa) in this sign are inscripted. In the sign of the cross, we would start and end prayer. People would get quiet in the room. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. It was right.
For my children, it is common for me to call on one of them to pray aloud in a restaurant. It is our tradition. It is something my dad taught me. Don’t be ashamed of who you are or who your God is. When eating out with business acquaintances, it is still my honor to bow and silently pray. Every once in a while someone will ask me to pray aloud in a restaurant. It is not right to impose my faith, but it is my honor to acknowledge my Creator. The doors open when you do.
ACT! Shine a light. It is so easy to not be like Christ. It is so easy to skip praying over a meal in public. It is so easy to just not mention your friends and relationships in Christ. When conversation at lunch turns to others talking about movies and shows and new homes and kids in school, how do you talk? Are you free to mention your friends in Christ? Are you open to talk about a great sermon you heard or a meaningful worship service that stirred your soul? Are you willing to be seen connected to the city on the hill?
PRAY! Padre Precioso, Precious Father, I am committed to join the city and be known as joined to the city. It s risky. It is risky to be known. Even according to Your word, it can bring persecution. It can bring misunderstanding. It can bring dissension. But, Father, I am committed to be known by Your name. Let me not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ that calls us to live as light in a dark world. Let me not be ashamed of the name of Jesus. Let me not be ashamed. Let not my enemies of my world, my flesh, and the devil triumph over me.
If we can pray for you regarding anything in your life, please let us know. Our greatest blessing is to bless others in prayer. . www.prayermetro.com Phil@prayermetro.com
Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099 405-388-8037
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear from you my friend. I want you to know that I received your gift a few months ago. Thank You for thinking of me, it is an honor to have gotten that from you. Thank You.