New beginnings: a Christian prayer thread for summer

[Tuo]

I have called this thread 'new beginnings', as it felt appropriate to lots of us at the moment, in a whole series of ways.

Since I started our last thread, back in April, we have welcomed Abigail Faith, daughter of HadALittleFaithBaby, and Hannah Faith, daughter of RoomForALittleOne. We thank God for their safe arrival and pray that He will watch over them and surround them with His love as they grow.

We pray for Kaykat and for CharlotteCollinsismovingon as they deal with the breakdown of their marriages. We pray not only for Kay, but also for her friend who has been providing her with excellent support and legal advice, for a clear way forward and a swift resolution. We pray for a clear and positive way forward also for Charlotte, and for her children to cope with this change in their lives with understanding and resilience.

We pray for PositiveAttitude as she settles back into life in the UK, and prepares for a period away from her DH and DD4. We pray, in particular, for her DD1, that she find a job in which she will feel supported and which will help her to feel happier and better able to cope with life. We also pray for happiness for PA's DD3, who has just got married, and for her DS in his new job. Finally we pray for the work of her DH in Cambodia, praying that the separation is bearable and that he continues to be able to make a real difference to people's lives over there.

We pray for BlueTinkerbell as she moves to a new home, looks for work, and continues to explore her vocation. May this move be a really positive new beginning for Blue and her family.

Likewise, we pray for niminypiminy who will begin ordination training in September.

And we pray for my church and diocese in the aftermath of some major structural changes. This is a new beginning that was imposed rather than chosen, but may it bring positive developments nonetheless.

We pray also for:

... amberlight, for her work raising awareness of autism in churches, and for this work to be welcomed and valued, rather than greeted with incomprehension, far less hostility;

... BlackEyedSusan, for all the many things which she has to juggle in her life as a single parent; in particular, we pray for her mum's health, for peaceful and restorative holidays, for order in her flat and with her paperwork, and for her DC; we pray especially that they both receive the support that they need from their school;

... BoxOfDelights, for her to receive a clear diagnosis and suitable treatment for her eye problem very soon;

... Don'tsteponthemomeraths, that her DS is able to access the support he needs and is valued and nurtured at school; for better support also for her DD; for better relationships at work; and for her nephew, who has suffered a burst appendix;

... DutchOma and Bob, for health for Bob and for good support (moral and practical) for Oma as she cares for him day by day; and for the ability to rest and breathe easily in this heat;

...JakeBullet as she deals with her uncle's ill-health and decision to move back to his native Switzerland. May he be well cared-for and peaceful there, and may Jake not miss him too much;

... MadHairDay, for health as she lives with chronic illness, and for strength as she mourns the death of a friend; we remember also MHD's friend and all who knew and loved her at this time;

We also pray for friends who haven't been around for a while... for Badvoc, for Gingercurl and her thesis, for Jan and her DD, for MaryBS, and for all those who lurk, for occasional visitors, and for those known to us who are in need of prayer, whether mentioned here or not.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Praying for all, but remembering particularly Kay today. I hope it went well, Kay.

Praying for niminy's mum and for the medical team caring for her; for niminy's sisters too; and that niminy and family are able to have a peaceful family holiday, despite the circumstances.

Thanking God for a good result for amber's DH and continuing to hold amber in prayer.

Praying for a good outcome for PA from the job interview. I've been thinking about MrPA and DD4... how are they getting on? Are you able to talk via Skype?

Praying for Room (and MrRoom and the LittleOnes) for a solution to the curacy situation. Talking to the vicar face-to-face is definitely a good idea - keep your options open, especially if the church is as amazing as you say.

Fiona - welcome. Anniversaries are hard, but I pray that you can remember your dad with happiness as well. Also praying for your sons in their different situations. I pray that your eldest son finds health and happiness and finds his way back to you. I pray for your younger son as he awaits his results and for you as you wait for your hospital appointment. I pray that this stressful time passes and that you find peace and calm on the other side.

BES - continuing to pray for a magic self-tidying flat (What? Isn't it working? ) or - failing that - for energy to see it through.

Mome - praying the SALT appointment went well.

And Oma continuing to pray for a solution to the respite situation.

Thank you for your prayers it means a lot to me. It went well better than I expected. He was calm and mostly reasonable and some positive things were agreed. I was composed and very clear thinking only got a bit upset once when he described his cheating as a technicality but quickly regained composure.

He lied a few times but I was able to disprove some of the lies with my evidence and I now realise how obvious it is when someone lies, not just to me but to outsiders as well.

Well done Kay, so glad you could disprove the lies. And glad of the positives.

I went to see the room in Raunds, I think it is about 18 miles away, but Wellingborough is in the middle between N'pton and Raunds so convenient for ds and his parents-in-law. The first room I saw, on the ground floor was ok, fairly small, but stank of pee. The second one on the first floor smelled a lot better and I said so. The manager then assured me that the downstairs room would be deep cleaned beforehand so I went for that. He wanted me to 'think about it' but I declined as I feel we just don't have any choice.
Another thing happened: one of the doctors from the hospice called on us, I think in his free time and out of the kindness of his heart. Bob had met him, I had not and he was such a positive influence. Of course nothing changes the situation and Bob has every reason to be quite depressed and he agreed with that. He thought anti depressants could make a difference, but only marginally. We shall see.

Praying for you, DO.

Hello everyone. I haven't been able to load this thread on my phone while I was at NW but you were all very much in my prayers.

Amber, dear, lovely Amber. It makes me so very sad to hear of the abuse and persecution you have suffered from so called 'christians'. You are always an inspiration to me, an example of a follower of Christ who always makes me want to be that bit better at it myself. I hope that more churches all the time are getting themselves sorted and being welcoming and inclusive. You're such an important part of this thread here, our family in mumsnet.

Lovely to see Mary! :)

Room, I have to say that raises this great huge red flag for me, because I have friends who have had the same type of TI - and have been worked into the ground, and never see thier family. Our TI was amazing - he said from the start he believed dh and I were in this together, and that dh should work two sessions a day and should always be in at least around tea time as family life is so very important. With you having such young children it is even more important you find someone supportive like this, and someone who thinks the spouse is as integral as the curate. I will pray for a good meeting and for wisdom for you all.

Thanks so much for all your prayers for the seminar at NW. It went really well, I think...well, everyone said...and lots of people came for prayer and said it was what they needed. A couple of MNers were there, was lovely to meet up. Had a wonderful, amazing week, full of God encounters and incredible worship and teaching....loved loved loved it.

That is so good to hear MHD

Room many years ago when I was studying theology we had a lecturer who said that too many priests and pastors do not prioritise properly in their life. (I remember this very clearly because I thought it was something that most people, clergy and lay people alike, should hear.) Basically, he said, God should come first. Then your spouse, followed by your children and any other dependents. Then, in 4th place comes the church and work... I think he was right.
Lurking and praying at the moment.

Love all this talk of godly priorities. I have struggled over the years with being less important than H's work, but I think I believed it was right and I was just being arrogant to want more.

MHD, thanks. V glad to hear of your good week.
Still praying for all.
Next up on the prayer list here, working through dismay that a Christian church group were prepared to pay a fee for autism training to a non-autistic man (he copied me into the email they sent him), but wrote to me to tell me I could do the training but there was no fee available. And I have to work with this group in September and really really don't want to. I don't feel safe with a group that tells me lies and expects autistic people to work for nothing because we're not worth what normal people are. I thought we stopped treating people like that when we got rid of Black slavery. Prayers please for what on earth to do about this.

phew, shattered. been into town for a local event and had small bony bummed wriggly boy on shoulders, and later slightly larger girl on hips dancing. I now have an achy neck and shoulders and legs. but think of all those calories! must not eat chocolate

amber that is terrible. good job you have told us which church... they may have been having to hold the phone receiver about 3 feet away from their ears while they got screeched at in crossness. i may be slightly (understatement) upset on your behalf.

Welcome back, MHD. I'm so glad that it went well and that you had such a lovely time.

amber - echoing what BES says... I'm angry on your behalf. I really think you should challenge this church, and ensure that they know that you've been made aware of the discrepancy in how they are treating you compared to the other contributor. If you've already agreed to do the training for nothing and don't feel you can go back on that, then ask them to make a donation, equal in value to what they are paying this other chap, to the charity of your choice. Praying for you as you decide what to do about this.

Gingercurl - great to see you! Have you submitted? Prayers for you, whether you're still finishing or waiting for your viva... And thank you for those words and that reminder. I am working very hard on a realignment of priorities along these lines, but it's very hard to break of out of ingrained patterns of behaviour and away from what has become 'normal' for me/us. Praying for myself that I keep in mind always what is most important and manage my time and energies accordingly. Charlotte - I'm so sorry that you suffered so much because of this kind of selfish behaviour, and I pray you find self-belief and happiness as you break away from it.

Oma - praying that the respite care will work out well in the end and that the manager is as good as his word as far as the cleaning is concerned. And thanking God for that good doctor who came to see Bob... praying that he can help in some way.

Kay - thanking God that yesterday went as well as it could have done: you have been so strong. Praying that you reach a positive resolution of some of your practical issues soon, especially as far as the house is concerned.

And BES - praying that you're not aching too much tomorrow!

Please pray for DS as he begins to resume contact with his dad. I hope that he has developed enough independent thinking these past few months not to be taken in by any lies or skewed values and beliefs. It bothers me to see him so grateful to his dad for beginning to resolve problem which he should never have created in the first place. He's happy though and that's what matters. I may never get home but I may end up with a little house all of my own and I like that idea. I have wanted to move back to a country cottage for a long time and there are some lovely rural areas near the school where DS could fill the place with friends. This will be decided in more detail in the next couple of months.

So sorry to hear of more discrimination Amber.

Room that sounds awful i don't know how it works but can you ask for an alternative if it comes to it?

BES you make me laugh.

Oma I hope the room works out ok I hate it when you get that smell of wee in a care home there's no excuse for it you don't get that in a hospital.

MHD well done you are brave and amazing.

Praying for you all x

i made church. I had a lovely converstion with someone who started at a similar time. we managed whole sermon, though i missed some as ds was talking.

I ran away from church which isn't the finest moment of my life

Hope the church are ashamed of themselves for making you.

They didn't make me. Just can't handle coping right now

Amber - praying for you that you won't have to continually face discrimination and feel like you have to cope. Also that this progresses to you being supported and valued for who you are.

Kaykat - prayers for you and for DS. Praying for continued strength for you and for wisdom for DS.

MHD - New Wine sounds like it was amazing. Prayers for everyone who attended to feel continually inspired.

DO - continued prayers for the right respite care to become available

Praying for all for strength, love and God's blessings.

I've had a lovely weekend. Nothing special and very busy but great just the same. Just hoping for DD to sleep well tonight as last night she reverted to waking up 3 times again

I also have a difficult conversation to have at work tomorrow so would appreciate your prayers for that. Whilst I was on Mat leave, everyone had their laptops upgraded and when I came back I asked to get mine done. They've upgraded my email account but I don't have WiFi access in the stores whereas those upgraded do. This would really help! I phoned our Regional Admin guy on Friday to arrange this upgrade and he asked why I thought I should have it. I explained that WiFi would help and that everyone else had had the upgrade but his response was "You've not sold it to me. I don't think I can arrange that." I explained that had I not been on mat leave, it would just have happened and he still didn't seem to think I needed it. Now I know this is nothing major but he made me really angry and I even suggested he was discriminating against me to which he just laughed. I phoned my HR Partner and she was livid and advised me to phone him tomorrow and tell him that I wasn't asking his permission, I was asking him to arrange it and that if he needs authorisation from my boss, then fine I can arrange that. She also suggested I complained to his line manager. I need to have both of those conversations tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it!

Evening all!

SES that's pretty unreasonable! Praying you can make them see sense.

amber it's awful that you felt in such discomfort that you had to leave church :( praying about the course funding and how people at church are with you.

DO praying for the right respite for Bob and for strength for you.

kay praying for you and your DS. You're doing a fantastic job :)

MHD I'm delighted that New Wine was so good. Praying for lasting impact. Also praying for your health.

Room praying for sleep!

On that note, things seem to be getting a bit easier here. Faithlet was still cluster feeding every night. No matter what she was feeding until 9-10pm most nights and it was grinding me down. She'd take a bottle but still dependent on me to settle. However something appears to have shifted and the last two nights we've tried a bit of formula and a massage after her bath. Not sure whether its those or just her age but she's gone to sleep by 8pm! Suddenly I can imagine that we might be able to go out for dinner and leave her with a babysitter in the near future! Hallelujah!

Faith - thank you.
Great news about Faithlet settling better. I think DD was about 10 mo before we got her into a routine of going to bed for about 8pm! Praying that she continues to settle well and you get that evening out before long.

Not sleeping too well right now so praying through the concerns here.

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Bob woke me up with a terrible tummy ache at 2am. He had not slept since 10pm. In the end we decided to go to A&E where they checked him out for constipation for 3 days and diarrhoea (sorry if tmi) after that. They checked him over and could not find any cause for the trouble so we were home at 8am. The whole escapade has taken it out of him, I have having second wind

Is he still in pain, DO ? Prayers for you both today and praying that you can both catch up with sleep today.

I am just going off for my first day at a new job......eeeek!! Excited actually, but nervous too.

Please pray for the county where DH is....trouble brewing. Dont want to say too much as internet/facebook is being shut down by government and we need to be careful. Please pray that he is safe and for peace there. Tanks on streets, armed forces and violence. Big day on Thursday which could be explosive.

No he is not in pain at the moment, but very weak and anxious. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was not precipitated by anxiety about my cataract operation and him having to go into care so far from home. He just woke up and had something to eat, now he has gone back to bed and I think I am too and see if I can get some rest.

Oh DO, praying for Bob, and for you, that today will be restful and that Bob will feel more peaceful.

Amber, I'm so sorry that church became too difficult. Have been praying for you as I've been reading your FB status. [*]

SES that is horrible, the manager bloke sounds awful, praying for a good resolution and for conversations to go ok.

Praying, PA, for your new job and also for dh, praying for protection, safety and peace for him and peace about it all for you.

Faith, praying Faithlet continues to sleep better for you. :)

Happy birthday to Mary!

Not feeling well today, maybe it's everything catching up, but v short of breath and in pain. However we're on the sofa having a PJ/Harry Potter marathon day, so that's a good thing, and hopefully will be able to not go downhill more, as we are off to Germany at the weekend.