Saw this post on Francis Chan's video blog yesterday and it really challenged me.



I don't know if I'm totally sold on the logic as a mandate (Chan himself does not save for emergencies or retirement), but I am totally sold on the spirit behind it.

I'm dying inside, it feels like. Despair over a situation, over a slow-motion heartbreak, is taking over right now and I'm having trouble hanging on to hope.

Your prayers would be wonderful.

In a short while I'll feel better, and I'll post normal stuff and it will be like nothing is wrong. Who knows, I might even delete this post.

But I could sure use prayer right now.

Thanks.

Fox News Nashville reports:

According to state troopers one of [Steven Curtis] Chapman's teenage sons was pulling into their Williamson county home tonight when he hit his five year old sister.

The little girl was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Update:
The Tennessean has more.

From Michelle Malkin

Put aside your political differences and join me in keeping Sen. Ted Kennedy and his family in your prayers as they grapple with the news of his malignant brain tumor diagnosis.

Someone recently asked me, "If God isn’t going to answer all of my prayers, does that mean that some of my prayers are wasted?"

It’s a legitimate question. Especially in light of James 4:3:

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

The Bible makes it clear that when we pray, that we should pray for God’s will. But at the same time, we are commanded to pray for everything. “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). “Everything” is a pretty broad category. This tells me that no prayer is wasted. God wants us to ask for everything. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). Prayer does make a difference.

Jesus said,

"Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed…’ yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:5-13).

Although we don’t always get what we want, we are promised to get what we need. Of course, the Christian also has something else. We have the real hope of the resurrection. Jesus actually died, and actually rose again and promises that we will too, and not just in a spiritual sense. Even if we “lose” in this life, we win in Christ. “Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?” (I Corinthians 15:55).

When we cry out to Jesus as believers, God hears us as his children, and the Holy Spirit presents those prayers on our behalf, submitting them to God’s will. (Romans 8:26-27). Jesus himself earnestly prayed, “Take this cup from me.” Was that wasting his prayer, since it was God’s will that he die on the cross? I don’t think so. Part of relationship is honest communication. Prayer changes things. Perhaps most importantly, it changes us.

Please pray for my family, especially for my mother. My grandmother passed away last night.
Thanks.

Please say a prayer for my family this weekend, if you would. We really need it.

Thanks so much.

The following is from chapter 15 of Philip Yancey's Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?. I read this last night and wanted to share it with you. I apologize for the length of the quote.

I know a woman who did not pray for more than a year, benumbed by the fear that she must have committed the unpardonable sin. Thomas Green, a wise spiritual director, dispels that fear. We judge as immature, he says, a friend who pulls away wounded but refuses to reveal what we might have done to hurt him or her. Surely the God of love as revealed in Jesus does not act in such a childish way. Green recommends the following prayer:

Lord, you care for me more than I care for myself. I cannot believe that you are playing guessing games with me. If the dryness I experience is due to some failing of mine, you make it clear to me and I will try to remedy it. But I will not entertain vague doubts; unless and until you make my failing clear to me, I will assume that is not the reason for the dryness

I take some comfort in the fact that virtually all the masters of spirituality recount a dark night of the soul. Sometimes it passes quickly and sometimes it persists for months, even years. I have yet to find a single witness, though, who does not tell of going through a dry period. Teresa of Avila spent twenty years in a nearly prayerless state before breaking through to emerge as a master of prayer. William Cowper had prayer times in which he thought he would die from excess of joy; but later he described himself as "banished to a remoteness from God's presence, in comparison with which the distance from the East to the West is vicinity."

. . .

Religious radio and television, as well as certain books and magazines, say little of God's silence. By their accounts God seems to speak volubly, commanding this minister to build a new sanctuary and that housewife to launch a new Web-based company. God represents success, good feelings, a sense of peace, a warm glow. To an audience regaled by such inspiring stories, an encounter with the silence of God hits like a shocking exception, and stirs up feelings of inadequacy.

The exception, in fact, is the cheery optimism of modern consumer-oriented faith. For centuries Christians learned what to expect on the spiritual journey from the bumbling pilgrim in Pilgrim's Progress, from John of the Cross's Dark Night of the Soul, from Thomas a Kempis's challenging Imitation of Christ.

. . .

If I suffer a time of spiritual aridity, of darkness and blankness, should I stop praying until new life enters my prayer? Every one of the spiritual masters insists, No. If I stop praying, how will I know when prayer does become alive again? And, as many Christians have discovered, the habit of not praying is far more difficult to break than the habit of praying.

His son and daughter in law, who were expecting their next child any day now, lost their baby.

In the hopes that you will pray for us, I’ll give you the news about Abraham’s daughter. Abraham is my son who serves as the Web Content Manager for Desiring God. He and Molly were expecting their second child on Sunday, September 23. Molly was big and healthy. Everyone was happy and excited about Orison’s little sister.

There had been no movement since Thursday. Molly had read this was nothing unusual, but the doctor said she could come for a check-up if she wished. Saturday morning (September 22) they went to Hennepin County Medical Center. No heart beat. Ultrasound confirms: the baby is dead.

The phone call came to me first. It was Abraham through sobs, “We lost the baby.”

[HT: the BHT]

O Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Written by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val.

[Hat Tip: Kingdom People]

If you can, please pray for Steve (at Reformissionary) and his lovely wife Molly. She has been diagnosed with Chiari I Malformation, which is a neurological disorder:

Quick update on Molly, upcoming surgery, and the rest.

Molly's health: Please continue to pray for her. She is now experiencing nausea at times and is having some issues with her vision. I believe neither are too surprising with Chiari, but as the symptoms mount so does her pain, discomfort, frustrations, and tears. She is really struggling emotionally with all this. Just in case, Molly will talk to the Neurologist on Monday to keep him up to date on her new symptoms. That way if he notices anything odd we can deal with it right away.

Story: Jack, our 8 year old autistic son, is one of those kids who just never seems to notice the problems of others. He lives in his little world and is rare to have compassion. Tonight, completely on his own initiative, Jack was helping Molly walk around, hand around her waist, looking at her face to see if she was in pain, asking if she was doing ok, etc. It really touched Molly. What a great kid, and what a wonderful experience for us during a difficult time.

Spirituality: Now is one of those times that John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Cancer" takes on a special meaning. I mean, I thought it was "special" enough to have my Mom die of cancer in April and learn my lessons there. But God is continuing to use pain and difficulty and fear to teach us about His goodness and mercy, so we read on and continue to trust Him. I'm thinking of writing a "Don't Waste Your Chiari" article, but who knows???

To top it all off, Steve is experiencing back problems:

On the day we went to Sam's I started to experience numbness in my left arm. I made it to the doctor again yesterday and he thinks I have a pinched nerve. Unbelievable. When it rains it pours. Neither of us have a history of any major medical issues, and now we are getting it all at once. I have really battled the idea of telling anyone about my stuff because I can deal with the pain in order to help my wife. But I thought it was stupid of me to be quiet about it when some could be praying for me.

Read the rest of his post, and other related posts as you find time.

Please pray as you find time. Thanks!

If anyone reads this before 6:30 p.m. Central Time today, please feel free to say a prayer for Jared. He's teaching his church's new college/young adult service tonight. You can check it out here.

Please keep our friend Michael Spencer (the Internet Monk) and his family in your prayers. Michael's mother passed away early this morning.

I received this email from one of the members of our Sunday morning bible study who is currently working overseas, in Nigeria:

Hello GAP and HNW,

I don't know what the news has been reporting in the US but we had a serious incident over here and had to evacuate our vessels offshore. Nine people from my company were kidnapped on Saturday morning our time and have yet to return. This came after quite a gun fight with local militants.

Please be praying for their safety and safe return. I am not allowed to give any more details but please continue praying.

Jason
Nigeria, Africa

He is referring to this incident:

LAGOS (AFX) - Guerrilla fighters launched multiple attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta on Saturday, kidnapping nine foreign workers and forcing Shell to suspend exports from a major terminal.

Heavily-armed rebels stormed a pipeline laying barge working off the energy giant's 380,000-barrel-per-day Forcados terminal, abducted expatriate staff and set fire to an offshore platform used to load crude onto tankers.

The firm said that it had been forced to suspend exports from Forcados, which could cut Nigeria's supply of crude to the world market by 15 pct, and confirmed that one of its pipelines had also been blown up.

Captain Obiara Medani, spokesman for the Nigerian navy, said there was an exchange of fire between government security forces and the militants.

In a statement, Shell said: 'A barge belonging to an SPDC contractor in the Forcados Estuary was attacked this morning. We understand that nine expatriates have been taken hostage but are unable to make further comments.'

US oil services contractor Willbros Group confirmed that nine employees, including three Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais and one Filipino, were kidnapped.

Please pray. Thanks!