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A new Christian prayer thread for Autumn and Advent... All welcome!

589 replies

Tuo · 06/11/2013 00:03

Starting a new thread as we head from Autumn into Winter... This is a safe and supportive place of prayer, where regulars, occasional visitors and lurkers, committed Christians and those just dipping a toe into the water are all equally welcome. Come and leave a prayer, tell us what’s going on in your life, bring your worries, hopes, fears and joys to God, and know that you will be prayed for.

We pray, in particular, for...

... amberlight, for her work raising awareness of autism in churches, and for her to know love and acceptance wherever she goes;

... Badvoc and her family, as they grieve the loss of her dad; we pray too for her aunt, who’s very ill, and for all those affected by the death of Badvoc’s uncle who was estranged from the rest of the family;

... 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 and for BES to know how best to help and support her, for strength to deal with her DS’s meltdowns, and for both her DC to receive the support that they need at school;

... Bluetinkerbell, in her new job and as she explores her vocation;

... bountyicecream, who is in a very difficult relationship situation and needs our prayers – may she find strength and support and self-belief;

... CharlotteCollinsisinherownplace, giving thanks that she has had the strength to get out of an emotionally abusive relationship, and praying for a happy future for her and for her DC;

... cloutiedumpling, thanking God that her DS doesn’t need surgery, and praying for his continued good health;

... Don'tsteponthemomeraths, for her niece, little Grace, born prematurely – may she continue to grow in strength; also for Mome’s health, and in particular her persistent headaches – may they turn out to be easily treatable; and for Mome’s DS to receive the support he needs at school;

... DutchOma and Bob, for health for Bob and for good support (moral and practical) for Oma as she cares for him day by day; for Oma’s eyes – giving thanks for good sight in the one already treated, and praying for the one still to be done;

... EasyCompadre, for a healthy pregnancy, and for the strength to do what she needs to do for her business while waiting to meet her baby;

... fluffyduckie, that her terminally ill relative is well looked-after and as well as is possible in the circumstances, without too much pain; and that fluffy find a church where she feels comfortable and where she finds a supportive community to sustain her faith;

... FriendOfDorothy, grieving for the loss of her mum – may she know love and support at this difficult time;

... Gingercurl, for the successful completion and examination of her thesis; for strength and discernment for A; for Ginger’s nephew, who has health concerns and is suffering bullying – may he know health and strength and love; and for Ginger’s MIL who has been diagnosed with cancer;

... HadALittleFaith, for her to feel happier now that she has been prescribed anti-depressants; for rest and peace of mind; and for her to find a church where she feels comfortable and welcomed;

... JugglingFromHereToThere, for a job which interests and fulfils her, and for peace and love in her immediate and broader family;

... Kaykat, as she continues to deal with the breakdown of her marriage, giving thanks for the support she has already received and the strength which she has found, and praying that she is soon settled in her own home with her DS;

... LollipopViolet, as she mourns her grandad, and as she explores her faith;

... MadHairDay, for health as she lives with chronic illness - may she be well enough to spend this Christmas at home with her family and not in hospital; praying too for health and love and friendship for MHD’s DD;

... MaryBS, for her work as a Reader, for her DS, and for her friend who was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer;

... niminypiminy, as she begins ordination training; and praying also for her mum’s health, following a recent fall;

... PositiveAttitude and her family; in particular for her parents’ health and for PA and her sister as they take care of them; for her DD1, thanking God that her depression has lifted and that she is enjoying university, and praying for a job for her; for her DD3 who is pregnant, due in February – may she have a trouble-free pregnancy and birth and may she know the joy of being a mother; praying also for PA as her DD3’s pregnancy brings to her mind her DD, Emma, sadly born too soon; and for her DS who is struggling with settling back in the UK, for his studies and for a job for him; and finally praying for PA’s DH and DD4 in Cambodia – may they stay safe and well;

... RoomForALittleOne, for the whole family as her DH embarks on an exciting new curacy placement;

... tunnocksteacake and family, as they cope with Mr Tunnocks’ illness; and

... youretoastmildred, for her friend, R, for a swift recovery from her operation.

We pray also for more occasional visitors and those we haven’t seen for a while: for BoxOfDelights, for thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts, for JakeBullet, for jan and her DD, for notquiteagrownup, for SES, for Soozi, and for weegiemum. And we pray for those who read and pray but don’t post, for those who need our prayers but are afraid or too uncertain to post them, and for all those known to us in our own lives who need God’s love.

Calm us, O Lord, as You stilled the storm.
Still us, O Lord, keep us from harm.
Let all the tumult within us cease.
Enfold us, Lord, in Your peace. Amen

OP posts:
amberlight · 06/12/2013 20:15

Praying through...

PositiveAttitude · 06/12/2013 20:53

Thank you for your response Juggling no, not for a specific service. I am happy to share my very strong views on here, but would prefer to get other's thoughts first so that it doesn't look as if I am being argumentative. I am asking because of a situation in our church and I dont know whether I should stand up and be counted or sit down and be quiet, iyswim.

SunshineMMum · 06/12/2013 21:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CharlotteCollinsinherownplace · 06/12/2013 21:22

PA, I've not come across that song before. I've just watched it on your link and I didn't like it. It's rather second-rate in terms of tune and words - and the words just seemed too "me-centric", iyswim. The look of all the members of the audience, too, was rather "I love Jesus because of the great experience he gives me." So for me there'd be no question of wanting to use it, then knowing too the background to its writing!

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 06/12/2013 21:52

No we don't use that song at my big church PA. I didn't have peace about it when I listened to it tbh.

I'll pray for wisdom for you though x

BananasForTed · 06/12/2013 22:22

paListening to the song and its lyrics do you think he made up the story because he was so ashamed and disgusted with what he actually was.....he has something wrong with him but its not something that people can see. Maybe the song has the same meaning as originally thought because he is asking to be healed from his addiction.
I don't agree with lying but sometimes we all make stupid mistakes which can spiral out of control. I guess it all depends on the motives behind the lie. If it was to get money from people then that is awful, but if he was covering his shame I then I think he deserve forgiveness and a chance to explain himself.

BlackeyedSusan · 06/12/2013 22:23

I can't manage coherant thought. trying to think hurts so I will wish you well and let others give their opinion. I need to put washing up and go to bed.

cloutiedumpling · 07/12/2013 09:06

I'd not heard the song before. Has he repented for what he did?

BlackeyedSusan · 07/12/2013 10:09

dd is going to a school thing in town and is really excited. ds has to come and I have to entertain him for to and a half hours.

SunshineMMum · 07/12/2013 10:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SunshineMMum · 07/12/2013 10:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PositiveAttitude · 07/12/2013 12:30

Thank you all for your thoughts and comments. Mome I understand that your church was quite involved at the time, if I remember rightly.
Sunshine yes, there does seem to have been repentance and acceptance that what he did was wrong.
I do not really want to go into the wrongness of what he did - yes it was wrong, yes we have a God of forgiveness and a God who loves him.
It is more about the song. Since this all became public, a few years ago now, I have really not been comfortable with the song because of the background to it, the fact that it was written by Mike and proclaimed to be about his battle with cancer etc. To me it was written and preformed in deceit and I feel that something with its roots in deceit must be used with lots of caution. I do understand that the words are very meaningful to some. Yes, it can be sung about physical illness as well as mental illness and yes, God heals both.

Our "old" worship leader would not have sung it. He has now moved away from here and we have a young worship leader. About a month ago we sung this song in church. I was not comfortable with this and I went and spoke with the person who had been leading worship that morning (not the young worship leader) he was totally unaware of any controversy. He then spoke with the worship leader who has replied saying that he is happy to sing it because he feels that Mike was let down by the church not being the sort of place where he could say what his problem really was...... Hmm And he will continue to sing it in the church.

So, my thoughts now are: I am unhappy that he has decided to go ahead and sing this without letting his worship team know that there was any controversy about it and perhaps decide as a team whether to use it or not.
I do not think his argument is very strong - yes as a church we should be supportive and accountable and be a place where we can say whatever we are struggling with, but us singing that song is not going to make that happen, is it????
I feel strongly that this is too tangled with deceit and there are other songs about healing that can be used.

I don't know if I need to go and speak with the worship leader myself and say what I think, or just keep quiet. I WILL NOT sing it, ever.

A reason why I feel so strongly is because we had a time years ago when DH and I had someone living with us for 10 months while they were "dying" of cancer and I was caring for her 24/7 but it turned out she was lying to us! It nearly broke us and was a terrible, terrible time. So, maybe you can understand why I have deep feelings, I just wanted to get a more balanced view before I go off the deep end and realise that I am being totally OTT because of my own history.

Many thanks, everyone.

cloutiedumpling · 07/12/2013 12:33

I'm a bit cynical. I think there is a difference between confessing because his actions had been uncovered, and truly repenting. I wouldn't want to use the song unless he had repented.

cloutiedumpling · 07/12/2013 12:36

Sorry. Cross post. I agree that I'd probably use other songs about healing and avoid the controversy.

JugglingUnwiselyWithBaubles · 07/12/2013 12:42

I'm sorry about your personal experiences around this PA - sounds awful
I don't think they are overly affecting how you feel about the situation/song (good you realise that they might)
I think I'd speak to the worship leader about your thoughts and feelings on this absolutely. Why not?

OComeAllYeFaithFul · 07/12/2013 13:06

Gosh PA, what an awful deception. No I don't think that song should be sung in church because I couldn't believe it was written from the heart. To me it would all be part of the lie, I couldn't whole heatedly sing it. If the worship leader won't listen, I'd take it to church leaders.

bellsringingoutforMadHairDay · 07/12/2013 13:18

That sounds an awful experience PA :(

I have this song on one of my hillsong cds and always skip it because it makes me feel very, very uncomfortable, knowing the background, it always makes me feel slightly sick tbh. I believe in grace and forgiveness but still feel it's wrong at a deep level, this song. Partly because I have unhealed physical illness I suppose, the song is triumphalistic and possibly downplays the pain of unhealed illness, but mostly because of the terrible deceit underlying it.

I wouldn't sing it in church.

But there is another part of me that says there must be other songs out there written by people with wrong motives and who are in some sin themselves, yet we sing happily without that knowledge - I guess it is to do with the words we sing and whether we personally mean them. I just think this song is tarnished really and a bit crap

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 07/12/2013 13:53

Yes PA. I remember him talking up the front about it and how upsetting it all was.

I gave you my short and sweet answer Wink

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 07/12/2013 14:00

What OComeAllYeFaithful said as well PA.

I hate confrontation but I think it is worth having a discussion in this situation, but can you do it at a quiet time, in a neutral way with perhaps someone else present from the leadership team?

Hard to know how to handle it without knowing how your Church works as a whole. My Church maybe big but I know key people I could talk to first and trust them to discuss it sensitively with them. It would be dealt with, without me having to do it. I'm such a wimp.

OComeAllYeFaithFul · 07/12/2013 14:26

(Oh it's Faith btw).

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 07/12/2013 15:20

I knew it was you lovely Wink

OComeAllYeFaithFul · 07/12/2013 16:04

Xmas Grin just checking!

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 07/12/2013 16:41
Grin

Liked your Christmas name so much I typed the whole thing.

How can I make my name more Christmassy?

bellsringingoutforMadHairDay · 07/12/2013 16:44

Dontsteponthebaubles?

BlackeyedSusan · 07/12/2013 17:32

I am wondering about something more adventurous than blackeyed santa

I lkie don't step on the baubles. thaat cry sounds painfully familiar.