This is my Prayer...

Last night I attended prayer study at MCAC and I am encouraged by a brother in Christ about keeping a prayer journal/blog, thanks JC. Emphasis of prayer has hit me a lot lately whether I'm at MCAC, OHC....I have the passion to just pray all the time, anytime or anywhere, whether it be over msn, on the phone at 1 or 2am in the morning, through email, lately, the Lord has pressed the importance of prayer in my life. The time is NOW...in such a time like this. This is how we should pray:

"Our Father, in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdome come, your will be done

on earth as it is done in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one."

Matthew 6:9:13

Lord, often times I seem to always prayer for wants/desires for myself or for others but I tend to forget at times when you have answered the prayers, to say "Thank you" or remember. Taking the time to count my blessings, is what I have been doing lately. Lord, this new year, you have placed an enormous emphasis on prayer...everything begins with prayer. For me, prayer was always at certain times through the day or spontaneous if by myself, a quick prayer...but I realized that I now will pray for or with a friend anytime, whether its over a cup of tea at 2am or in the car, mall, dinner, anywhere.

Answered prayers:
1. Thank you Jesus, for helping my friend BT finding a job...a lot of us have been praying for months, and I praise you for this.
2. Thank you Jesus, for bringing me and my mom closer together, for a long time I have grown apart but thank you for bringing us back together.
3. Thank you, for hitting me w/ a 2X4 on the emphasis of prayer, for giving me the gift of counsellin, encouraging others, just being there for them and praying for them.

Prayer requests:
1. I pray for Pastor Nelson and Jeff who are going to KW, to the U of Waterloo to talk to a Christian Fellowship and teaching them. I pray that you keep them both safe and speak to the students through your servant to help them get to know you better.
2. I pray for the EMC, as we look into ministering to the homeless in TO.
3. I pray for those who are sick, whether it be physical or emotional pain..Lord, have mercy on them and heal them.
4. I pray for the Xara kids, that they all have the passion to get to know you Lord, it is hard after all, being a teenager. Bless the Counsellors, oh Lord, and give them patience and wisdom.
5. I pray for the continual healing of our group...I pray that the friendships that have drifted apart will come together. As this takes time, healing is a slow process...I just pray that you give us all humble hearts and love each other as you have taught us to.
6. I pray that You teach me oh Lord, balancing school, career, Fellowship, Church and friends...I've only started but I still do not know how to balance all these activities. I knew I had to make sacrifices, but is it too much?
7. I pray for EC, it has been awhile since I have heard and I pray that you take care of your child, who continues to learn about You. I pray that you continue to shine your light upon him, surround him with the positive influences he need to grow in you Lord. For knowlege is not enough, you need to believe...with your heart...have a little faith, that's all you need...faith like a child.
8. I pray that my relationship with You, oh Lord, will continue to blossom and grow. At the same time, I pray that our council will also grow to know each other better, depend on each other and continue to work together.

All this I pray in Jesus name, AMEN.

Spirit Led~Are we ready to take a stand? The time is now...Taking a stand in an unpopular time,

That is the theme for OHC (Oakville Harvest Chapel). Yesterday I went to my friend's Church here in Oakville and I was very moved by Pastor Robbie's sermon. "The Time is Now...to Pray!" Taking a stand in an unpopular time...This is the Church's theme for the next nine weeks. The passage was taken from Nehemiah 1:1-11. Key points:

1. Serious Prayer NECESSITATES a heart that CARES (v.1-4)
Ask yourself this? Do you secretly rejoice in people's bad times? If you're answer is yes, we must pray and ask that God cleanse and change our heart. Teaching us to care for everyone.

2. Serious Prayer BEGINS with ADORATION (v.5-6a)
How should one pray? "Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name..."How amazing He is.

3. Serious Prayer demonstrates a FOUNDATION of CONFESSION (v.6b-7)
No Christian will see progress w/ their relationship w/ God until the he/she has a deeper showdown w/ sin. Sin will alsways spread, the fact that sin will not impact or affect anyone else is zero. True humility is to look at your own plank.

4. Serious Prayer RECALLS the FAITHFULNESS of God (v.8-10)
5. Serious Prayer understands the PLACE for SUPPLICATION (v.11)

Response:
Serious Prayer requires PERSEVERENCE (2:1)
Application: Pray for a broken heart 1. understand the need is now to pray...2. Be committed to perservence.

When you pray...take a deep breath, and thank you(Jesus) for the cross, salvation, and count all the blessings He has showered upon you.

The power of prayer...Thank you for the opportunity to pray. It's amazing how you can focus on nothing but prayer even in a coffee shop. When you are in prayer, nothing around you matters, you hear no distractions, just the words of a heartfelt prayer. AMEN.

Reflections~What does the New Year Bring?

The transition from 2006 to 2007...Another year has gone =(
It gave me time to reflect on what has gone on in 2006 in my life and it has been a rollercoaster ride. The feelings that I felt are just endless...there has been both sadness and joy, weddings and funerals. There will always be people who hurt you and those that comfort you during those difficult times. How unfortunate, I am a person who can talk to anyone about anything and not be shy except for how I feel. How ironic!! I do thank you those to my special friends that have sat through my stories, been up til 2am to comfort me to tell me everything is ok, or prayed with me when I've been down. No matter what mask I put on, you saw right through me. You saw the pain behind the mask and you cared enough to help me get through those times...I can be stubborn but you tell me the truth, you don't sugarcoat anything and you give me the advice and scripture that I seek. You people know who you are when you read this blog entry.

A close friend of mine recently shared with me that I am always "cheery", is that true? I always have a big smile and turn any situation no matter how doom and gloom around into something positive. I'm thankful for this encouragement. Often, I am reminded that life is short, what's happened is in the past, you can't change it...you can't worry about the future because you can't see it...only live today to its fullest. At times, I think it's the people you're surrounded by that brings out the my best characteristics/best features. The people you hang around with are the ones that will help you develop/mold/shape your character.

I hope this year brings much more happiness, the passion to outreach to my friends, grow closer to God, grow closer to those that I care about.

More to come but time to sleep...3am.