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Comment by Joe Ryan on July 17, 2009 at 8:50am

Hey Sue,
I posted your email on our parish prayer group (plus a few more folks).
Prayers are on the way from The Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Apex, NC. One of our main ministries here is healing prayer (It works!).
Blessings,
<>br /> Joe

Comment by Sue Okenyi on July 16, 2009 at 11:56pm

Hey All,

I hope everyone is staying cool! We're not here in Fresno. Two weeks of triple digits. I received a call from my sister-in-law Debbie in Wisconsin. She told me to request prayer everywhere I can for a little boy and his family. The little boy's name is Branden and he is 3 years old. Debbie takes care of him in her daycare. The other day Branden's Daddy was mowing the lawn with the riding mower. He had a garden trailer on the back. He was allowing Branden and other kids to ride in the trailer. Big mistake. He backed up with the mower. Branden fell out and was run over. Debbie told me little Branden basically stopped the mower with his face. He lost an eye that was sown back in, he lost an ear, his jaw was broken and he has cuts down his arms and abdomin. He was rushed to a hospital in Milwaukee 2 1/2 hours from where they live. When the incident happened the daddy froze unable to move. It was the seven year old sister that had the presence of mind to pull Branden out from under the mower. Pray for Branden for a miraculous recovery, for this family and the kids that witnessed this. And of course for the emergency crew that responded.

Thank you and Blessings to everyone,

Sue

Comment by russ allen on July 15, 2009 at 7:06am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Have you ever sat and thought about our savior? Have you really dwelt on what he sacrificed for you? Have you pulled to yourself the grace that Jesus has for us and applied it to everything? We all have sins and it matters not what that sin is because they have all been covered by his blood. The true love that Jesus has for us is so huge and perfect that we can't even begin to love like him all the time. Do you have compassion for that jerk that cut you off? Do you see the lack of peace in someones eyes? Do you want to gather up the suffering and hold them and protect them? If not, why not? Does your compassion see beyond the physical and right into the heart? It's about time we Christians stop looking the other way when we see obvious needs in fellow humans. If you are able to help physically, do it without a second thought. If you are able to just hug and listen, do it. If you are having trouble getting past that filthy outer man in front of you, remember Jesus and how filthy you were before you found Jesus and he gathered you and forgave you. When we look past the outer crust on people we start to see what Jesus sees and that is the heart. Many things contribute to that crust but the inner man is the same. We all need the peace of Jesus. We all need the love he has for us. We all need forgiveness so what the struggle is, has no bearing whether we reach out or not. You help or point them in the right direction. I can't help woman's needs at times but my wife can. I can't pay someones light bill so they can be warm but within a couple phone calls, it gets done. I don't have the words sometimes but I can hug and transport while holding their hand so to speak. I can support when no one else does. Do you see the compassion Jesus taught? That's where we as Christians are lacking. Step up people and lets show his light!

Phil 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. NIV


Eph 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
NIV

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your grace and love for us. Lord, help us understand how we are to respond to others needs. Lord, lift our eyes to you and remove the blinders that block truth from our eyes. Lord we want to do what you want us to do but haven't the courage. Grant us a courage that we stand against all the things that fly at us. Put out the fiery darts the enemy throws. Let us be so strong that we shine with your light an people in need are drawn to that light and find you. Lord bless our lives so they can bless you. Saddle our tongues so they stay in control, in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:41 AM

Comment by russ allen on July 14, 2009 at 7:25am

Good morning! Tis wonderful to be here today! I don't know if you all realize what being "children of God" really means. Lets start with the base that we who who believe are in fact children of god. With that line of thinking we can assume that as children of God and God as our father that we have the rights and privileges as sons and daughters do. I for one would do anything for my sons and daughters because I love them more than anything else. They are with me all the time and I am with them. Never a day goes by that they are not on my mind. These thoughts are in fleshly terms as we are not as God is and able to be present with our kids all the time. He is able to be with all of us who believe constantly. Now as "children of God' we can call upon him and he is not confined to physical distance like we are. We fail our kids sometimes, he never does. We teach and admonish our kids because we want them to do what is right and to not go through the anguish we have. God teaches and loves us even more than that. He supplies all our needs in ways we lots of times don't even recognise. We have to recognise that God created us therefore anything we accomplish is due to his imparting the smarts, physical abilities, courage to accomplish those things. Yes we train and study and learn but without that brain, those muscles, our spirit, we would be incapable of anything. As "children of God" we are heirs to the greatest wisdom there is; Gods.

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
NIV

Gal 3:26-29
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
NIV

Gal 4:4-7
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
NIV

As we go through our days and confront many many things, we need to remember to call upon our father, rest in his arms knowing that he loves us no matter how we fail, no matter how we succeed, it remains constant. Where we as parents drop the ball, he does not. Tell your kids how much you love and cherish them. Tell them God loves them even more. When my daughter gave me grand kids, I told her that how she loves her kids is how I love her...she got it and God loves her and us way more than even that!
Remember Jolene Scovil family...Mark-has a mass in his chest...the troops-weather in the sand box is hot,110-125 hot...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving us so much we can't even fathom how far, how wide, how deep. Lord we praise you and thank you for all you do. Lord, help us remember to seek you in all things. Lord, help us remember that even in bad circumstances, you are with us. We ask for blessings and assurance when we face our days. Grant us courage and wisdom in all situations. Lord, we lift the Scovil family to you, let the outcome be favorable. We lift our troops, grant them strength and mercy. Lord, let a miracle be seen by the doctors, in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:47 AM

Comment by russ allen on July 13, 2009 at 7:24am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Vacation. I need one to rest from one. Busy busy but that's cool cause things got done. I want to talk about some things we all deal with. We all have things that devastate us from time to time. Could be a death, an accident, victim of a crime or just a harsh word from a loved one. Matters of the heart seem to hurt longer than physical hurts. Get a punch in the nose and it heals and goes away. Get a report that stabs the heart and it can takes years to heal. Some never do get over things that happen emotionally. The apostle Paul was beat, imprisoned etc and yet his perspective stayed true to God. He didn't complain or dwell on the circumstance, he praised God for it all because he trusted that a lesson and good would come of it. He didn't know when and didn't care, he just trusted. I'm sure at the onset of calamity he said,"crap...not again" but immediately prayed and focused on God. Was his faith necessarily weak? No, just the flesh not wanting any more. We do the same but alot of times we continue that thinking beyond reaction into despair. That is where we get into trouble. How do we not do that? By praying just as soon as we realize calamity has befallen us. It's ok to be frightened. It's ok to cry but we must also be ready and seasoned to seek Jesus immediately. How? The Word, prayer, solid christian council are all tools to create in us courage and wisdom. Whatever has got you, it's time to release it to God and to grow from it. Whatever you are dealing with, you will get passed and be ready to help others who go through the same. I can look back on things that at the time were so bad I thought there was no way out. Now I know better and am able through Christ to get through anything knowing he will bless me and teach a lesson for future growth. Do I recognise it right off? Not always. Flesh gets in the way alot, fear impedes the process but I know that Jesus will overcome therefore I overcome.

Rom 8:28-30
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
NIV


This is Paul, look at his focus even in chain in prison,

Phil 1:12-14
Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
NIV

even during crap there is opportunity for yourself and others to see God in you,

Eph 5:15-17
Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
NIV

Think on these things. Seek God's wisdom in whatever you are facing because he has already overcome everything in the world. Read the book, he wins.

Remember Donna S...Jenny...Sam and Kellynn and Ty


Heavenly Father,
Thank you for rest in your arms that builds strength to endure and overcome anything we face. Lord, bring your word to mind immediately so we can relay on you and not wallow in despair. Lord help us see truth in all situations, Protect our kids and lead us where we need to go, in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:48 AM

Comment by brenda chelton on July 12, 2009 at 2:32am

Pastor Brain, Please pray for my boss Mark....He was just diagnosed with a mass in his chest that has paralyzed his left side of the diaphragm....He is to have a biopsy on Friday the 17th

Comment by russ allen on July 9, 2009 at 8:13am

Good morning! How are we faithing on this beautiful day? As I go through days that seem to be full of junk that knocks me down I remember that God has sustained me before and there is no reason to think he will not again. In fact, he promises that he will. Are you in a pile of crap thinking you're sinking? Are you in so much anguish you can't see beyond the here and now? Welcome to the club. We all have times when all seems futile and insurmountable but we have the Word to remind us that nothing is to big, nothing is to overloading that God will not reach down and give us a hand up. All those rules and laws in the old testament days are still good rules to follow, we are not judged by them since grace by Jesus came. If you were a non believer and chose to follow those rules, you would have a better life simply because they work. You would work honestly, eat healthy, rest when you needed to, give to help others and live an honorable lifetime. The only draw back would be that you still would miss eternity in heaven. We can't earn it by doing good. We can't hope the good outweighs the bad. Only by a free bee like the gift of salvation can we ever hope to attain that freedom from sin. Hum...something so simple made so complicated by the world. So when we get in a place where we are so overloaded or so much pain inside lives we must seek the wisdom of God in the word. The world doesn't have the answers, look around. Something to ponder, if some one was told you were a christian, would they be surprised or not. Not that we do things or seek God for appearance sake but that our life reveals Jesus and his teachings and his goodness shines through. Think about that as you read theses;

Rom 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
NIV

I love these;
Isa 40:28-31
Do you not know?Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
NIV


Isa 60:1-5
"Arise, shine, for your light has come,and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.
NIV

Matt 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
NIV

remember Donna S....remember our kids...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being so bright in this world of darkness. Lord we lift holy hands to you in praise and reverence. Lord we ask for traveling mercies for all on the road this week, grant them safe passage with no equipment failures. Lord, bless our kids of all ages, grant them the peace that only you can give. Reveal to us your will and path for our lives, in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 7:15 AM

Comment by russ allen on July 8, 2009 at 6:55am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Life is full of wonderment and woes. Life is adventurous and boring sometimes. Life is wrought with pain and pleasure just like like birth. Child birth is an example of all of these. The wonderment of God's creation in those little hands, those little feet, that beautiful first smile. The pain of childbirth, of course I don't know what it's like but I've seen it. The adventures we see kids as they take that first step, learn to ride a bike, play with a puppy and the woes of a scraped knee, a dieing dog, the loss of a friend. These are the things we grow in our faith with that at the time seem like just new things to experience. Have you ever thought about how the lessons learned from kids are important to forming our trust in God? Think about it. We may have forgotten the absolute trust we had or have in our parents, the childlike assurance that Mom and Dad love us no matter what, care for us and teach us things we need to survive. These lessons are the same in our relationship with Jesus. We grow from milk to solid food to live like Jesus did. Of course we stumble, fall, fail, but we also have wins, able to stand when facing horrific things and find total rest in our savior. Our daily walk on this ol orb can be daunting and racked with turmoil but we can find rest in any situation with a relationship with Jesus. Relationship, two way communication, as we read, listen and wait on God we can be assured that in his time he will make known answers. We have to be diligent to hear and see them. We have to recognise that voice and not be deceived by all the other voices out there. The only way to cultivate this is with heart felt sincerity, honesty and inquisitiveness when in the Word. Look at these as encouragement for you to keep seeking and learning;

2Cor 4:16-18
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
NIV

1 John 4:13-16
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
NIV

Rom 8:18-21
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
NIV

Ps 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,and in his word I put my hope.
NIV

Ps 62:1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone;my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation;he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
NIV

Gen 49:18
"I look for your deliverance, O LORD.
NIV

Remember Jonna as she travels home...remember Alan...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being steadfast in your love and patience when we are not. Lord, help us see lessons quickly so our anguish is short lived. Lord we ask for wisdom and discernment in all situations that you may be glorified. We praise you for all you have done for us. Lord we pray for safe passage for Jonna and wisdom for Alan, in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:15 AM

Comment by russ allen on July 7, 2009 at 7:30am

Great morning! How are we faithing? Elementary teachings of Christ are like milk and we mature with solid food, the meat of the Word, to walking Christlike. The Word uses this reference many times. So as we talk about fundamentals so we can gather more to the revelation of Jesus' grace we also grow in our need for more knowledge of Christ so we can mature. Fundamental teachings must be set in our hearts as absolute truths or we never will mature any farther. An example of this is a person I talked to lately who has some decisions to make, feels like more is in store but wont act on it until Godly prompting. This is wise, frustrating at times but never the less wise. Moving in God's timing is always correct and jumping the gun is not. And how does one wait for God to move? With prayer and honesty. When you pray, be honest. He knows already and has a plan in store. The Word says he knew you before the earth was formed. I don't begin to fathom that but since he said it, it is fact. So where and how do we accomplish things and how do we learn to glean meanings and wisdom from this walk? Look at these and think:

Heb 6:1-3
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.
NIV

Those things are important and are relayed to nonbelievers so they can come to faith in God. We that have already found this truth must press on to see more of the character of Jesus so we can grow.

James 1:4-5
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
NIV

That is the patience and the steadfastness we need to learn. Who knows the mind of God? What he has planned is bigger than what we do.

Prov 4:18-19
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;they do not know what makes them stumble.
NIV

And what a path!

Phil 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
NIV

Now there is wisdom and an example for us. Pressing on looking forward to the day when we are perfected in heaven. We seek God's will and wisdom all the time for obvious benefits. No way is this always easy but to stand firm on basic principles and trust that when the time is right seeking solid food for growth in our faith, we will understand and see God's will and plan for us. This is a remarkable journey and so full of wonderful things, also some anguish at times, but we know God is perfect in all he does. You think on these things and open the Word and seek his will for your life, every day!

Remember Alan B....remember Cayman Ivey and his family...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for growing us so we can see you more clearly. Lord, we ask for healings to those who read this. Heal minds, bodies and souls. Take the grief of the wounds away. Show your love and grace in a way we cannot deny it's power and presence in our lives. We ask for such revelation we become awed by your presence every day. Lay your hands on Linda, In Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:38 AM

Comment by russ allen on July 6, 2009 at 7:52am

Good morning! How are we faithing this fine Monday morning? Long weekend that flew by! Not really sure where this will go this morning because alot is on this old mind. I've been watching and paying close attention to how people around and involved in my life act and react to things. I've discovered that things that bother me, even to the point of getting upset when people close to me are talked about, can be misguided anger. I watched closely at interactions between some and discovered that they don't really have a problem with each other, I do. I am the one who hurts. I am the one offended. Sure it may be noble or just protectionism but is it misguided? Is it necessary? Do I need to be in protection mode that leads to anger and resentment? No I do not. Just because I am offended does not mean the other party is. We need to be careful when we get up in arms over something that isn't even our concern. The wisdom and discernment is the prayer we need to make to our Lord and savior. Parental protectionism is a different matter. I get very uptight and am ready to box sometimes over what I perceive as an assault on a loved ones character or well being. Guess what? Sometimes they don't care about that assault or don't even take it that way. So what do we do? Seek wisdom from the Word. Pray without ceasing. Look at these and relate them to this discussion;

1 Tim 1:3-11
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work-which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers-and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
NIV

1 Tim 1:12-14
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
NIV

Some things in this life deserve action and some a reaction. We must be careful to separate the two because an action at the wrong time can prove wrong and a reaction to something can be counterproductive. You think about this...

Remember Jennifer...remember the lost...remember our kids...remember those on the road...


Heavenly Father,
Lord, thank you for humbling us so we can see you and your work. We do not wish to act inappropriately when things go down. Lord, grant us the wisdom to know when to act and how. Lord let are reactions to things be of the correct quickness and type so you are honored. Lord we thank you for all we have and ask for your blessings on all we do. Keep our mind uncluttered from the enemy and his snares,protect our kids! in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 7:01 AM

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