Prayer Requests for May 30th

Our lesson this week is about the Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism. For those of you who may have mixed feelings about John Piper, this is our last Sunday with him. Yeah! Our passage this week is found in 1 Corinthians 15:19 and 4:10-13 and 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. We learn that Paul concerned himself with knowing Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He did not worry about having righteousness of his own but his relationship with the Lord. There are 3 reasons why Paul focused on God. First was obedience. Scripture for obedience is Acts 19:6, Acts 14:22 and Luke 9:23-24. The second was Breaking of Self Reliance. Scripture for that is 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. The third was to Magnify the Glory of Christ. The fourth was to Endure For the Sake of the Gospel. The scripture for this is Galatians 1:24 and Hebrews 10:14. Piper went on to say that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice and the only thing lacking is the physical presence spreading the gospel. In other words for it to truly be the perfect sacrifice, the people need to learn about it. The only way they will learn is for God's people to go spread the Word. As you go this week, think about your role in the perfect sacrifice. As a Christian, are you spreading the gospel? Are you telling other about the perfect sacrifice? Allow God to work in your life this week and as he does, be sure to share that He is the one in control not you. You never know, it may start a conversation that ends with the perfect sacrifice.

Happy Anniversary:

Josh and Melanie - May 20 (Belated since I did not post last week)
Kim and John - May 21 (Belated since I did not post last week)
Andrew and Rachel - May 31

Prayer Requests:

Remember the McMillan family whose son drown this weekend while on vacation. He was 4 years old.

Also remember all of the families who are traveling for the holiday and pray for safe return.

VBS is a week from today! Start praying for all of the workers, teachers and especially the many children who will be touched by God that week. For those of you working, do not forget our meeting next Sunday at 12pm. Lunch will be provided.

Kim and John - Jed and Sally are both sick. Pray they will get well soon.

Joey and Kelly - The El Salvador group was coming home today. Pray for their safe arrival. Jonathan was included with that group.

Greg and Jennifer - They are still trying to sell their home in Vernon. Pray it will sell. Jack is going to have to repeat kindergarten next year. Pray that he will adjust well and other siblings will not make a big deal of it. All 4 kids are home for the summer with Jennifer and she wants to be able to use the time to learn and teach as well as have fun together. Pray she will be able to accomplish all of these tasks.

Rachel and Andrew - PRAISE! Rachel's dad has accepted a job. He will be selling the products he use to work with. Today is their anniversary! Happy 7 Year Anniversary!!! Rachel's brother has a job but would like one in his field. He may have to leave AL to get one. Pray he can find something in his field.

John and Susie - John's mom had shoulder surgery Tuesday and is doing well. She is in alot of pain and going through therapy right now. Pray she will heal quickly and have minimal pain. Johnny Gill, who works with John, also had hip replacement surgery. Pray he too will recover quickly.

Tyler and Heather - Heather's grandmother was hospitalized for a severe kidney infection. She is home and trying to recover. Tyler's grandfather is having to move to an assisted living facility. Pray for this transition. Tyler's cousin and her mother are going to Nigeria for 6 weeks to help work in orphanages. Pray for safe travels. Tyler is starting to look for jobs for when he graduates in 11 months. They would like to stay here but realize they may have to move. Please pray that God will lead them where they need to go.

Rebecca and Jason - Bailey is trying to start crawling. Parents are excited but we assured them that movement is not always the best thing. Good Luck!

Scotty and Lesley - Continue to pray for Scotty's family as the reality of his mom's death starts to sink in. His sister is having a hard time dealing with her loss. They are also concerned about his dad because he has no family in Pensacola. Pray that God will give them peace and help them know they are not alone.

Doug and Christy - PRAISE! School is out for summer! They will be traveling this next weekend to the beach. Pray for safe travels and no oil! They will be going this week to meet the new nephew.

Jon and Amber - Pray for my mom as she travels this Wednesday to be with my grandparents. My grandfather goes Thursday to the oncologist to follow up from his visit in January where they were told the cancer was back. Pray for grandmother who is having a very hard time dealing with this and is nervous about the news they will receive this week. Also, continue to pray for Chad and Courtney. They are in route from Houston, TX to Oakland , CA. They are going very slowly and it will end up taking them 4 days to get there. Today is day 3. Pray for safe travels for them and that they will have an apartment once in Oakland. Most of you know that Jon and I have been trying for 2 and a half years to have another baby. We went through infertility but stopped once we found out that insurance would not cover it. We have decided to pray hard about where to go next. We will either go forward with the infertility and pay out of pocket or decide to have a complete family with the three of us. Please pray for us and with us as we try and make this difficult decision.

Loyd and Lisa - Thank you for the words of encouragement Loyd about infertility. We truly appreciate that! Loyd spoke in front of a group of people this week for work. He said it went great! Unspoken.

Have a great week and we will see you Sunday!!!!

Amber

Prayer Requests for May 23rd

Our lesson this morning is about Marriage and Missions. Our scripture is from Ephesians 5:25 - 30. The scripture tells husbands to love their wife as Christ loved the church. He gave Himself up completely for the church. The scripture also says love your wife as you do your own body. He who loves his wife loves himself. Man shall then leave his mother and father and hold fast to his wife. God does not focus all of the attention on the husbands. He goes on to tell the wives to respect their husbands. The important thing to remember is for the relationship with husband and wife to work, they must both be right in their walk with God. Even in the strongest relationships, the devil can sneak in. Be aware and keep your relationships strong by modeling Ephesians 5:25 - 30. As you go this week, think of your relationship with your spouse. Are you modeling this scripture? If not, what can you do to change that. God has given each of us a person to travel the journey of life with. Make sure you are putting the most into the relationship God has blessed you with.

Prayer Requests:

Pray for the group from the church who is leaving this week for El Salvador. Pray they will be effective but most importantly safe.

Continue to pray for Scotty, Lesley and their family as they deal with the loss of his mother.

It was nice to have Chuck Burgin's class visiting with us this past Sunday morning.

Hugh and Kerri - Continue to pray for Kerri's dad as he is dealing with disability.

Anna and Chris - They will be traveling this week to Atlanta for a tournament for Riley. Pray for safe travels.

Brad and Ashley - Praise! Brad has a job offer and another interview this week on Monday. Congrats!

Kim and Chris - PRAISE! Chris found an office and will be moving in on June 1. Kim's mom is having some health issues with headaches and has been put on blood pressure medicine. Pray this will work and she can get some relief.

Jaime and Veronica - Veronica is back to Birmingham for good! She will begin rotations with pharmacies this week. Only nine weeks left til baby comes.

Katy and Colt - Matt and Brittany had triplets taken early because mom has Hodgkin's lymphoma and started chemo this week. Babies are doing well. Pray that God will heal her so she can be with her babies.

Jon and Amber - Continue to pray for Chad and Courtney. She graduated med school on Tuesday and they are headed to CA from TX tomorrow. My mom will be traveling next week to AR to be with my grandfather. Pray for safe travels.

Rachel and Andrew - Andrew's grandfather had surgery to repair his pacemaker and is still in hospital recovering. Pray for quick recovery.

Craig and Leslie - They will be traveling with whole family this Sunday through next week. Pray for safe travels.

Loyd and Lisa - Unspoken

Joey and Kelly - Jonathan is going to El Salvador. Pray for safety. He led worship on Sunday at a small church in Calera.

Doug and Christi - PRAISE! Last week of school before summer. Christi's brother had their baby and is doing well.

Kim and John - Both kids are sick. Pray they will get well soon. John will be traveling this week. Pray for safe travels.

Thanks and have a great week!
Amber

Prayer Requests for May 9th

This week our lesson was about Prayer as the Pursuit of Our Joy. We started out with John 14:13. Joey posed the question how do our prayers bring glory to God? By speaking to Him, Thanking Him, Bringing glory to God through answered prayers and examples of how He is working in our lives and He likes for us to acknowledge our need for Him, were a few of the answers from the class. John Piper tells us that Prayer is significant to glorify God (Psalms 50:15). John 16:24 says ask and you will receive so your joy will be full. Prayers bring joy in our lives. But what if our prayers are not answered in our eyes? Does that mean we do not receive joy? If we are praying according to scripture, we will receive joy through God's will in our lives. Notice that said God's will and not what we want or expect for our lives. He will give us the desires of our heart which according to scripture should be God centered and not "me" centered. As you go this week, think about the prayers you have had lately with God. Have they brought you joy? Were they answered the way you planned or the way God intended? God has a plan for each one of us and though we may not see it now, our faith tells us that it is the best plan for our lives. Thank God for the plan he has for you even in the peaks and the valleys.


Prayer Requests:

Joey and Kelly - Jordan is home for the summer from Auburn. Jonathan has started a new job at the church with Blake.

Tyler and Heather - PRAISE! Kevin, Tyler's brother, and his wife welcomed their second child on Tuesday. It was a healthy baby girl. The Hill family is close friends with Tyler's family and their daughter Katie was suppose to be in Maleah's wedding in August. Unfortunately she was killed in a car accident on Saturday. Please pray for this family as they cope with the loss of their 22 year old daughter.

Josh and Melanie - Josh's brother's wife is due any minute and he is having to travel back and forth between work and home. Pray for a healthy baby and safe delivery with dad there. Brother's name is David.

Jason and Rebecca - PRAISE! Rebecca's dad got a job.

Katy and Colt - Counting down the days til little man arrives. Continue to pray for the pregnancy and a safe delivery with a healthy baby.

Rachel and Andrew - Continue to pray for their pregnancy. Rachel's parents are trying to figure out their job situation after both lost their jobs. Continue to pray for them. Rachel and Andrew and family will be traveling this week for mini family vacation. Pray for safe travels.

Chris and Kim - Chris' dad is still looking for work. His mom is also looking for work. PRAISE! Kim was part of the fund raising crop this weekend and they raised $800 for Save a Life and TEAM. Kim has been having headaches during pregnancy. Pray they will ease up so she will feel better.

Greg and Jennifer - Congrats to Greg who graduated with PhD this week. Jennifer's dad had his wallet stolen at graduation and was unable to fly home without license. Hopefully they got that situation figured out.

Craig and Leslie - The new puppy is doing well. Please pray for Leslie's sister who lost her baby this week at 8 weeks. She will be having a DNC this week.

Hugh and Kerri - Kerri's dad filed for disability this week and is struggling with that decision. Pray for him and Kerri's mom because they are going through a little depression right now.

Chris and Anna - They will be traveling this week to MS. Katie is saying the 23rd Psalm in front of Anna's mom's church. A student of Anna's lost his brother Zack in a car accident this week. Pray for that family.

Kim and John - PRAISE! Kim's grandfather is doing well. He is getting motivated to do more and his blood levels are up.

Jon and Amber - PRAISE! The hardwoods are in and fixed and Jon and I did not kill each other! My grandfather goes to the oncologist the first of June for follow up. Continue to pray for Chad and Courtney as they farm their way through New Zealand. PRAISE! I am finally feeling better!

Brad and Ashley - Brad had a round two interview this past week and hopes to hear something this week. Brad and Ashley started a diet this week and Ashley has already lost 7 lbs. It was good to have Brad's parents visiting with us. They asked that we pray for Brad's half sister who lost her mom this week.

Have a great week and we will see you in two weeks!!!

Amber

Prayer Requests for May 2, 2010

Sorry I missed you guys this week. Thank you all for your prayers. I am feeling better. Still not 100% but hope to be there soon. Since I was not there I do not have a recap on the lesson but stay tuned for this week's recap.

Prayer Requests:

Jon - Amber home recovering from strep and severe sinus infection. Continue to pray for Chad and Courtney as they are still on their honeymoon in New Zealand. Amber's mom had a kidney stone this week and is trying to recover. Pray for her to feel better.

Rachel and Andrew - Rachel's father will not have a job after August. Both her mom and dad will be looking for jobs. They have some possibilities but are waiting to hear back.

Chanel and James - Chanel's sister is moving to Florida in two weeks. Pray that Chanel will be supportive of her sisters move.

Katy and Colt - They are doing well. Continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy.

Kim and Chris - Chris' dad is still looking for work. Pray for a healthy pregnancy. Lindsey, a five year old girl, is being treated for brain tumor and her prognosis is one and a half years. Pray for a miracle.

Scotty and Lesley - Continue to pray for Scotty's mom and she is working with Hospice now. Reese has become mobile and mom and dad are trying to adjust.

Brad and Ashley - Brad still looking for a job. Welcome to Ashley's parents who were visiting with us today.

Chris and Anna - The 2 year old who was run over in her driveway and killed a few weeks ago was a childhood friend of Chris' daughter. Pray for this family as they are having a really hard time. Anna was traveling again to MS to pick up the girls. PRAISE! Chris got a job at Moody High School which is only minutes from his home. Pray he is able to build good relationships at the new school.

Doug and Christy - Ross, a fifth grader at Auburn, was hit with a line drive in the chest that caused him to go into cardiac arrest. He is at Children's hospital. Pray he will be able to recover quickly.

Susie and John - John's mom is waiting on results from MRI on her shoulder. There is a possibility that she may have to have surgery. Pray for good results.

Brian and Keri - Baby makes four tomorrow! Keri will be induced in the morning. Pray for good delivery and healthy baby.

Craig and Leslie - family was traveling today to get new puppy. Pray for a healthy dog and adjustment it will bring to family.

Continue to pray for expectant moms - Keri, Katy, Kim , Veronica and Rachel.

Also, Mary Charles, Amanda and Brandon's daughter has been sick with cold and then bronchitis. Pray she will get better soon.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!

Amber