Prayer Letter - 22 November 2005

To: Prayer Partners
From: Pastor Lucenay

One of the lessons of maturity comes with the ability to express gratitude for God's gifts in life. I have discovered "gratitude is an attitude." From my earliest years we celebrated Thanksgiving this week in November. One of the things we were taught to do is express our gratitude for the things for which we were thankful. One of the verses of Scripture I was taught as a preschool child is Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalm 100:4). Paul exhorted the early Christians to be thankful (Colossians 3:15).

Let's take a few minutes and express our gratitude to God. As we pray, let's remember to thank God for His many blessings. "Father God, thank You for":

• the salvation we have in Jesus Christ
• the person(s) who shared the story of Jesus with us
• the freedom we have to worship You without restriction
• the Bible we have and the ability to read it
• the church family we enjoy
• the Christian friends You have placed in our lives
• the lessons You have taught us (think of three specific lessons and thank God for them)
• the difficulties You have carried us through (think of at least two and thank God for His sustaining power)
• the joys we have celebrated because You have smiled on us (think of two specific joys and thank God for them)
• answered prayers (think of several and tell God why you are grateful He handled your requests the way He did)
• the gift of life
• the lessons we have learned about life in the country we call home
• the gift of family
• the encouragement we receive from Your people
• the teachers who have taught us
• the people who have helped us become the people we are
• the comfort You gives through Your Spirit
• the hope we find in Christ Jesus
• Your peace
• the privilege of experiencing Your love in our lives as we share life with You
• Your forgiveness
• the forgiveness of others
• the many "second chances" You have provided for us
• the little things in life (when was the last time you thanked God for things such as shoes, phones, electricity, your clothes, your bedding? What little things would you add to the list?)
• the big things in life(Consider your health, your education, your work, if married, your spouse, if with children, your children. What would you add to that list?)
• eyes to see, ears to hear, a body that feels, a nose that detects odor, a tongue that brings a world of taste to us
• listening to our prayers." Let's invite God to open our hearts to a spirit of gratitude and let's try to find as many way to express gratitude as we can this week…and if this week, how about other weeks as well?

You may want to make a list of the things for which you are grateful so you can review that list when you are down. You may want to drop a note of gratitude to thank the people who have touched your life. One never knows the power of such a note in another's life as we are seldom aware of what is going on in the lives of those who have played or are playing a significant role in our lives.

Let me share with you some of the prayer concerns of our people:

• W and D have a new baby girl.
• M and N have a new baby girl.
• A is recovering from an operation and does not know the Lord.
• C is suffering with cancer and is a pre-believer.
• AT and family in the loss of his father.
• Our children's music ministry in the preparation of the 4 Dec music program. Pray for the many parents who do not know the Lord.
• Our worship choir as they prepare for the Christmas Cantata and for the outreach of that event.
• Many people have family members who do not know the Lord.
• Pre-believers M, G, K, Q.
• S is ill at home
• J is ill at home and was hospitalized recently.
• N, M, N have tuberculosis.
• V's frustration at work is affecting her faith. I suspect there are several people in this situation.
• C is having eye problems and will soon have surgery. She is not a believer.
• Several are traveling and seeking protection and guidance in their lives.
• Our World Mission Offering and the gifts to reach our goal.
• We are seeking a Kindergarten Principal and a teacher.
• We are seeking someone to run the computer for video-taping the service and then for editing the video for the webpage.
• We need more assistance with the sound system.
• Kenneth and Mary Jo as they prepare to leave for the US.
• Angie as she works with all the Christmas music.
• Kitty and Mary as they handle the many requests that come to the church office.
• Cheryl and the children's workers as they work on 4 Dec.
• Last week S and W were married. This is their first week as a married couple. Pray for God's work in their hearts and in their marriage.
• D and C will have a blessing service on Sat as they prepare to leave HK and be married in the US. Pray for God's guidance as they work their way through the process of getting C relocated to the US.
• The Finance Committee, Personnel Committee and others in preparation for the upcoming budget preparation.
• The candidates and church in the deacon nomination process.
• The pastor in preaching and oversight of the church ministries.
• The movement of the Holy Spirit in our services.

One of the joys in our church is the knowledge that God's people are praying for God's work in this place. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your good spirit. May the spirit of gratitude guide our attitude as we enter the holiday season. God bless you.

Be thankful.