Sunday, November 24, 2013

November 25, 2013

Let's fill the comments, our speech, our prayers, the air on Fort Drum with praises this week! Let's join with David from I Chronicles 16:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.

Lord, we say to eachother "Praise the Lord" and talk about the wonderful things You have accomplished. Help us this week to make known Your deeds and Your praise on the streets of Fort Drum, through the internet circles, and wherever You have given us a circle of influence. For You have done so many good things for us.

Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Yes, Lord, this week even more than others, we take time to thank You. How hollow it is to 'be thankful' without anyone to thank. We praise You! We glory in You!

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, his miracles, and the judgements He pronounced.

Thank You Lord for all our soldiers who returned safely this year. Thank You for all those who continue to serve honorably. May those who are poor in spirit be comforted by You. Only You can heal hearts, and we ask for You to do that.

Sing to the Lord all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Father, You have given us a sphere of influence. By moving us Army wives around, You have made us missionaries to many communities; and our soldiers can spread Your love around the world! Help us to use that network, Lord. Help us to reach out to Fort Drum, to Watertown, to the world. Help us to forget ourselves this week, and show someone the love of Jesus.

...Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name...Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness....Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad...Let the sea resound and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord...

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever!

God we thank You for:

Sunday, November 17, 2013

November 18, 2013

Let's pray IPeter 4:7-11 today:

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

Lord teach us to number our days. Help us to understand the times enough to hate our complacency in working for You. Open our eyes to the masses, the lost sheep, the little ones You love.
And Father God may we pray. Remind us that it is The most important work. May we say what Luther did, "I have such a busy day, I must pray longer." Don't let us be distracted, but focused in mind, bonded in unity, fighting the spiritual battle. Thank You for these sisters to pray with. What an encouragement to know we are not the only ones.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Yes, Abba, help us to love as You love. May our first response to our husbands not be 'what's in it for me', but 'how can I serve you?' May our first response to our children not be impatience but unfailing endurance. May our first response to our neighbor not be artificial, but deeply caring. May our first response to the stranger not be judging, but loving. Lord, what would Fort Drum look like with an epidemic of love? How can we start that contagion today?

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

As the old hymn says, "Lord make me a servant today." God give strength to our soldiers, who are serving our country and us. Thank You for our gifts Lord. Don't let us hide them under the basket of distraction. Or fear of failure. Or low self-confidence. Multiply our efforts, Father, and may we see the blessing of the work of our hands. May we serve our families, our Fort Drum, our Watertown, our world. Show us how.

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

God we pray for our chaplains. What a terrifying responsibility--to speak the words of God. Don't let them speak any other. We pray for the other workers to rise up, step forward. We pray for the youth workers on Fort Drum. May all these leaders be ever mindful of integrity.

And may we all be filled with Your strength so we can serve. Not by our own might. Not out of our own ability in any way. 'To bring You the glory. May we give and give and give...

To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Climb to glory, Lord! You are our glory! We long to be with You. Near You is no weakness. No sickness. No hatred. No selfishness. No hopelessness. Near You is all beauty. All goodness. All strength. All hope. All love. Forgive us for all we do that takes us away from Your glory. Thank You for loving us enough to give us a way to be with You.
So that God may be praised. God the Father of light. God the maker of the stars and the sunrise. God, the source of all love. God the all-powerful. God the creator of all creatures. We praise You.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

November 11, 2013

They say if you want to know how popular the pastor is, go to Sunday morning service. If you want to know how popular the youth pastor is, go to the youth group. But if you want to know how popular Jesus is, go to the prayer service. I am so humbled-amazed-blessed to know you all are praying together for Ft. Drum and our world--standing in the gap for many. Sister warriors fighting on their knees. The Lord bless you as you seek His face.

If you just joined us: you can add prayers/amens in the comments. But do not use names unless you have their full permission. I cannot emphasize enough this is a PUBLIC site.

Abba, Daddy, we cry out to You for the Philippine people! God who loves, God who saves, God who cares, may You move freely across those islands and gather those people into Your arms. May help arrive quickly. May miracles abound. May the hardest of hearts turn to You. May Your people, including our Catholic brothers and sisters, be shining lights for their neighbors. May the rescue workers be safe and efficient. Multiply the efforts of Samaritan's Purse, our Pacific military, and others. May the witness of the Filipinos, telling of Your saving goodness, reach the world.

In You, Lord I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

Lord, our America was founded on Your name. Since the beginning, we have been a people who called on You, and You have been our refuge and our fortress. It was bought with sacrifice. And has been defended over and over again by our soldiers with Your hand. We thank You Father God for our sweet land. We thank You for our brave men and women who have delivered this country to us. Thank You for giving them the strength and the courage, the skill and the might. Thank You for the dominating force we have now. Who else conquers, only to relinquish the spoils and return the power? Who else has the valor and the honor of character? It is only because of You. Let us never forget.

For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth....I will ever praise You. I have become a sign to many; You are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, 'God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him...'

Yes Lord, since the beginning of this nation You have been our hope and this country bears Your name. Please forgive us for the many times we stray. Forgive me not only for doing wrong, but for sitting by silently instead of doing the right thing. Help us to be a sign, our mouth filled with Your praise.

Many are the enemies of our country, of our soldiers, God. Many times they are the enemy of You, waiting anxiously for our downfall. For Your name sake, Lord, please protect our warriors.
Protect their bodies...in the desert camps, flying through the air, in the vast oceans, in the jungles, in the mountains, by the thousands in brigades and the individual scout walking alone... Thank You for the amazing things we can do for the wounded. But truly only You can heal the wounds. Be with them.

Protect their minds...from the baby face private's first time away from home as he begins his training, to the hardened old general: You are the source of their training and skill.
Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your mighty acts to all who are to come.

God, protect their hearts...We were not made to fight. Not created to see war. Father God help the soldier's heart...God of the heavenly armies, please fight against despair.
Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again, from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.
Hope Lord! The private to the wizened veteran has to have hope. You are the only source. Use us as instruments to spread an epidemic of hope!

We will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, my God;
We will sing praises to You with the lyre,
The Holy One of Israel.
Our lips will shout for joy
when we sing praise to You
We whom You have delivered.
Our tongues will tell of Your righteous acts all day long,
for those who wanted to harm us have been put to shame and confusion.*

Thank You for our new babies on Fort Drum, Lord!
Thank You for our bustling ministries, and we pray for workers for the vast harvest.
Thank You Lord for sisters who pray.
Thank You for hearing us.

Amen.

*The italicized verses today are paraphrased from Psalm 71.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

November 4, 2013


Couple of housekeeping notes Friends: Thanks so much for standing in the gap for Fort Drum! Please feel free to share this link with other praying sister-warriors. The idea is to come together as we can on Monday morning, knowing God honors our unity without time constraints. Use the comments to share prayer requests and add in your 'Amens!'  That said, I have no idea who is looking at this. Do not put people's names on here unless you have their permission. Be sure you are comfortable putting anything in the comments 'out there'--able to be seen by anyone. Blessings on your busy, varied week. 

The Stand by Joel Houston
You stood before creation
Eternity in Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

For the glory of a hundred shimmering colors in a sunset to the painting of a million leaves with frost, we stand in awe of You. For the simple pleasure of a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate to the overwhelming flood of Your love for us, we thank You. To feel the strength of a horse, see the depth of the heavens, smell a newborn... Your love, Your glory surrounds.

You stood before my failure
And carried the cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

Willfully turning our back on You. Not trusting You over and over again. Ignoring Your wishes. Picking at each other even to death. What horrible children we are. Yet knowing all of that, and all the sin that is to come, You still said we were worth it.

(Chorus)
So what can I say
And what can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll stand, with arms high
and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
My life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

Ah Lord God,
what a blessing to come to You.
In this month when they say depression spikes
and demons of despair can strangle and physically kill--
we have a lap we can crawl up on to, arms that encircle us, a hand that lifts our chin, and we can see hope in Your eyes.
Lord God, we pray that hope for all those in our 'Jerusalem' of Fort Drum. Lord please do spiritual battle for us. You are all-powerful and You can protect our soldiers from suicide. Use us Lord. Send us out as lights. May Fort Drum be the place where people find Christ.

Here we stand Lord, as mothers. Mothers who desperately need You. The greatest blessing of our lives is also the greatest trial. We thank You for our little ones. From the sleepless nights of rocking babies, to the long nights of praying for those no longer in our home, help us Lord. Strengthen us. Give us Your wisdom beyond our understanding.

When our sympathy runs out, give us Your eyes. When our patience runs thin, fill us with Your unfailing love. May we understand Your love for us better through our (limited) love for our children. Show us how to give ourselves grace. Help us to distinguish between our job, and Yours, and trust You to handle Yours. This parenthood trip can be the biggest guilt trip in the world. Help us to give it to You. Lord God, may we this week show our children that being their mother is a job we love.

Colossians 1:11, Lord! May we ..."be STRENGTHENED with His glorious POWER so that you will have all PATIENCE and ENDURANCE you need. May you be filled with JOY, always THANKING the Father..."

And when all else, and everyone else fails, we will stand before You.

"Since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."--II Cor. 4:1

Amen!

http://worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1795431

Sunday, October 27, 2013

October 28, 2013



From Daniel's prayer in chapter 9:

Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

Stars. Millions and millions of them, and we can't even get close to our own star. With utmost precision you set our little earth spinning and gave us a view of the heavens to remind us of how awesome You are; and how tiny we are. How is it possible for us to forget You? How in the world do we spin our own little worlds so tightly that we can't even see You? What a laughable squeak we make when we shake our fists at You.

Yet You remain. You remain the source of all love. You remain faithful. You keep your covenant though we are as unfaithful as Hosea's Gomer.

Oh the long list of things we long for instead of You: entertainment, security, wealth, pursuit of happiness, control, power, prestige... Many are the idols we bow down to every waking moment in America. We have sinned and done wrong...we have been wicked...we have turned away...we have not listened...

Lord we pray for our spiritual leaders. Protect them from the demons of fame and self-righteousness. Give them Your words and don't let them say anything else. For Billy Graham and his program coming this Christmas, for Franklin Graham and the Christmas child shoeboxes, for Ravi Zacharias, Chuck Swindoll, James Dobson, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyers, Beth Moore, Anne Graham Lotz, Philip Yancey, and so many many more.... Thank you for the blessings of so many spiritual leaders. Thank you for the technology that has given them such an audience. Thank you for the freedom they have to speak. And Lord, help us listen.

For our Fort Drum spiritual leaders we also thank You and pray: Chaplain Moore and Chaplain Petros, the chapel leaders, the chaplains who are preparing their message this week, the chaplains who every day are working out their witness among the soldiers, the PWOC leaders Muriel and Priscilla, the women speaking and loving PWOC attendants, the youth ministry leaders...

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him... 
Yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 

Lord may we pay extra attention to your truth this week. In this highly distracted world, help us to focus; and then like a prism to focus Your light to our neighbors. Especially in a week like this that can be so dark.

Beyond our spiritual leaders, we pray for our political leaders. Lord, give President Obama wisdom that could have only come from You. Surround him with advisors who have your insight. May our military leaders be that blend of toughness and mercy and wisdom.

Please be with our soldiers, everywhere. Hold them in the palm of Your hand. Please give extra grace to the families who shipped out their warriors this week.

Maker of the stars, Lover of my soul. Thank You for forgiving us.

We do not make request of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your Name.

Monday, October 21, 2013

October 21, 2013

Good Monday! Thanks for praying with me today:

Our Father
Our--all of us. Billions of people You can intimately know and care for. The omnipotence that takes we can never understand. And You are the perfect father--protecting, providing, loving, believing in us, encouraging. Thank You that we can boldly approach You today.

Who Art in Heaven
Heaven. We can't even fathom what to hope for in heaven. Instead we stew in our own little ideas of a nice mansion and life of ease. Yet real heaven is time with You. We ask for a taste of that today, Lord.

Hallowed be Thy Name
As Moses asked to see You, so do we. Fill us with a sense of Your holiness. May all of Fort Drum become aware of You.
And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;..." Exodus 34:6-7

Thy kingdom come
How badly we want 'my kingdom come.' How much time we spend making my kingdom come. How many tears we shed when we can't have my kingdom come. Forgive us Lord.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Open our eyes to the greater plan. May we advance Your kingdom in at least one little way today.
Our world is hurting so badly. We pray against the forces that are persecuting Your children. Please hold Your little ones close to You in places like Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, China. Move the hearts of the powerful men; change the outcome of the wars to Your will. Bring all things together for good. Show us how to help our sisters and brothers around the world.

Give us this day our daily bread
It doesn't take much of a squeeze, a disruption in cash flow, for us to panic about our needs. Teach us to trust You. Again, remind us of hurting people around the world and show us how to help. Open our eyes to needs right here on Fort Drum too.

And forgive us our debts
It doesn't take long in a list like Gal. 5:20 to be convicted Lord: idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy...
Thank You for Jesus, Lord. Daily, desperately, we need grace.

As we forgive those who sin against us
Father we need forgiveness for when we don't forgive! Ugg. Give us a love for people like Your love. Show us again and again how much we have been forgiven. Convict us of every judgmental spirit.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Lord God we thank You for our soldiers--men and women going above and beyond for the sake of others. We pray for those deployed. Protect them in their missions this week. Give them clarity of mind and purpose. May they feel Your loving arms. We pray for those in training. Teach them their skills so they can do their jobs. For those who have just returned, steady their hearts Lord.
We pray against the spirit of despair on Fort Drum Lord, in Your name. May our soldiers always hold to hope--which is You. Shine Your light through us Lord. Please do not let suicide have a hold here.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever!
We are but a breath. You are forever.
We love You Lord Jesus!
Amen and amen!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Oct. 14, 2013

Got this song in my head, so will you join me in praying through it?

Lord I Need You

Lord I come I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
And without You I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart

Father God in a world that can only offer more busy-ness and distraction for comfort, we thank You for peace that passes all understanding. Yes, Lord, guide our hearts. Rule over us. Break us to Your will; for that is the only way we can be whole. Settle us down.


Lord I need You, oh I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God how I need You

We spend a lot of time on defenses around here God. From physical defenses our husbands build, to layers and layers of walls around our hearts. How much better to trust in You. Lord, help us show others how to live on the Rock.

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found, is where You are
And where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Where You are Lord I am free
holiness is Christ in me

Lord, we confess that Fort Drum holds many sins. We are at heart so deeply selfish. We trust in Your grace. Please honor our prayers as we stand in the gap. Forgive the many lost souls, and hold the just punishment as long as possible. Convict Lord. And may we be instruments to help turn hearts.

So teach my song to rise to You
when temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay

Yes God, teach our song to rise to You
in temptation
in glory
in pain
in joy
in all things
Thank You that we can rest in You.
our hope
our stay.

Thank You for our chapels.
What an opportunity. And a blessing.
We pray for them:
--for the safety of the buildings. 
--for the new one being built.
--for the chaplains as they prepare their messages: May they have special times with You. May their time in the Word be alive. May they communicate only what You would have them say.
--for the worship leaders: More of You, less of them. May people not be distracted by the details. May there be excellence for Your glory.
--for the chaplains and other leaders: May they be accountable to a life of integrity.
--for the children's ministry: Spark a love in those little hearts, please God.
--for the children You love: May they be drawn to come every week. May they grow together and closer to You. May they be going out to share You with others.

May our chapels be the shining lights on hills!

Thank You God, Thank You.
Blessings innumerable.

Thanks sisters! Check this out if you have time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eX5BeXkNZU&noredirect=1