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Prayer Requests 4-5-17

It’s Wednesday, so don’t forget to pray for The Gambia, and for Ajisuun as well. 

Anyone else?

Psalm 32

1 Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

22 thoughts on “Prayer Requests 4-5-17”

  1. Kare, I was sorry to read of Kaitlyn’s decline. May she find peace and may God grant her mercy in what is to come.
    Prayer for the Dying–Book of Common Prayer

    Almighty God, look on this your servant, lying in great
    weakness, and comfort Kaitlyn with the promise of life
    everlasting, given in the resurrection of your Son Jesus
    Christ our Lord. Amen.

    Liked by 5 people

  3. My cousin Bill’s doctor appt went well, they took the brace off and the stitches out so now there are only bandages. But he still can put no weight on the leg for 4 more weeks. Today someone comes to set up some home assistance for him as I think his twin brother is due to return to Arizona soon.

    Liked by 4 people

  4. I’m in need of patience and grace for Carol, I’ve found myself feeling short with her lately (partly due to the driveway and general house stress that seems to be peaking in me again). Last night she said she was being “gaslighted” at her residence (and she’s completely serious about this). Meanwhile, she’s planning a Greyhound trip to Waco for some reason and also is plotting yet another move to a new facility.

    For the record, there is no ‘abuse’ going on at her current residence. From what I’ve been able to tell, it’s no different from her previous places — not exactly first class living, but seems to me to be sufficiently run, with the basics provided for; but Carol sometimes goes into these periods where she’s convinced everyone is out to get her.

    Gaslight (from Wikipedia): Gaslighting is a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or members of a group, hoping to make targets question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, it attempts to destabilize the target and delegitimize the target’s belief.[1][2]

    Instances may range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim. The term owes its origin to Gas Light, a 1938 play and 1944 film. It has been used in clinical and research literature.[3][4]

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Praying for your cousin and for Carol….you have exhibited the patience of a saint Donna…do not be too hard on yourself concerning this one please! Has Carol been watching HGTV? Perhaps she wants to visit Magnolia Farms in Waco! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  6. Had no idea about the fix-it up couple being there (I probably should watch HGTV considering my house woes, but don’t). I’ll tell her to put it on her list if she ever goes. She says the roundtrip Greyhound bus fare is $109 so she thinks she can swing it, although she apparently hasn’t factored in eating and sleeping (w/shelter) and other expenses once she gets there. 🙂 So it could be a very quick trip.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. I have bit my tongue more than once but you are under enough stress with all you have going on. Friendship is a two way street and you seem to be on a one way street. You give and give and give again to Carol which is admirable, but what does she give to you? I worry that she is taking advantage of you. Does she ever tell you she appreciates all you do for her? Does she just assume that she will ask and you will deliver?
    Sometimes we have to take a breather and take care of ourselves.

    Liked by 3 people

  8. DJ – Will she listen to you if you try to tell her that her situation is a good one, that there is no abuse going on, or is her delusion too strong? Nightingale says that some in the nursing home can be calmed down when they start getting scared &/or paranoid, but others can’t be.

    Maybe you need to tell her that she can do what she wants, but that you do not have the time nor energy to help her if she decides to move.

    I have come to believe that losing our patience with a person is a sign of one of two things. Either we are just letting our selfishness rear its head, or. . .(& I think this may apply to you with Carol). . . it is a sign that it is time to take a stronger stand with the other person. (Of course, I would have a hard time doing that, & I’m sure you would, too. But it might be the best thing for both of you.)

    Liked by 2 people

  9. It’s not a traditional friendship and there’s a ‘missional’ aspect of it on my end (she is a believer but struggles as we all do with living that out). Her mental illness has affected her abilities to think and act rationally. Her mother (who would get her up in the middle of the night to wander the streets of NY) was eventually institutionalized and her younger brother died some years ago after also being institutionalized for many years. The church was her refuge as a child, her parents seemed to not be believers and were not affiliated with the church.

    Her other brother, in NJ, is the only one of the 3 kids who seemed to escape the ravages of mental illness. He married (now divorced), had kids and has held down good, steady jobs in the computer field throughout.

    And yes, she always expresses appreciation and says thank you (sometimes too lavishly, as in “you’re the best example of a Christian,” and then I know she’s BS-ing me big time 🙂 ).

    I haven’t been up to see her in a couple months now, but I did say we’d get together on Good Friday which I’m taking off.

    But I’ve caught myself going into “lecture” mode with her a couple times on the phone recently which really doesn’t help her (nor is it a very thoughtful way for me to react and I always regret it when she gets real quiet and says, “I know, you don’t have to remind me.”) Ugh.

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  11. And I will try to talk to her about staying put where she is, although she tends to do what she wants to do, she is headstrong. She also spiritualizes what she really wants to do, saying it *must* be God’s will for her.

    The staffs at the new places handle all the moving for new residents so I’ve never been involved in any of that. I just ask what her new address is.

    If she does move again, it sounds like it would be closer to me which has its advantages and disadvantages, of course.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I have resolved this year not to ever pay another phone bill for her (which I did 2 times when she was hospitalized and didn’t have a way to pay it remotely, but once when she was expecting calls that were important and just didn’t have the money to pay her phone bill — her fault, obviously) — so no more of that. No phone if she can’t handle that on her own every month (and now she does have an account so she can pay her bill by phone).

    And the birthday/Christmas gifts will get more modest (as I hear the jackhammer going in my driveway). Meals out, when we do that, will always probably be on me, I’ve come to accept that reality (though I have sometimes told her we’re just skipping the meal out after taking her out for a day; if our outings cause her to miss a meal at her facility, I’ll sometimes just buy her a burger in the drive-through that she can take home with her; otherwise, no).

    Remember, too, I’m single and I don’t have the day-to-day burdens the rest of you all have with spouses and children. In that sense, I do have more practical freedom in the Lord for others.

    Liked by 3 people

  14. A praise & a prayer request:

    Praise: A little over a year ago, I think, I had asked you to pray for my audiologist, Brian, who was going through a tough time. During my appointment with him today (I go in every few months to have my hearing aids cleaned & checked – for free!), he casually mentioned something about hugging a friend from church goodbye, that they are a huggy church. (The story was about how his dog tried to get between the two men. 🙂 )

    I told him that my church is huggy, too. He asked me if it is a Bible-based church, as his is, & I said yes. He then told me a little more, & it seems that this church, (& coming to Christ, of course) has been really good for him. (He is divorced, & lives alone with his dog.) He seemed happy to hear that I am a believer, too. (He must have forgotten that I mentioned it in the past.)

    Thank you for having joined me in prayer for him back then.

    Prayer request: Nightingale mentioned that, like me, she takes a long while to fall asleep at night. Please pray that in that time of night, when all is quiet, that the Holy Spirit would minister to her in a deep, personal way. Thank you.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Paul is going to visit his friend Jon right now…if anyone feels so inclined I would appreciate prayer for him…Jon is in the last stage of his life…he is no longer eating nor drinking and is very weak….he is a fellow ultra runner and good friend to my husband…yet he is lost…he is more agnostic/universalist leaning…his mother is a believer however…she lives in NH. Jon is 55 and is such a friendly, sweet man…but oh so lost. Paul and I have continued to pray the Lord to reach him and soon. Jon is on Hospice care and has allowed the Chaplin to come visit, much to his daughter’s dismay….I am asking the Lord to move as Paul meets with Jon today…it will be just the two of them at Jon’s home…believe and trusting our Lord with Jon’s life…eternally….

    Liked by 4 people

  22. Trusting the Lord in all things. Jon was in extreme pain…and it was difficult for him to keep his train of thought much of the time…he fell asleep several times during the visit. Paul did have a chance to ask him what he believes…he said he was raised “Protestant” and his Mom is very religious….he told Paul he has no belief…(someone brought Buddhist prayer flags to his house and set them up on the back porch …. we believe his wife is more devout Buddhist). The hospice Chaplin continues to visit and Jon is too kind of a man to turn such a visit away…meds were delivered by hospice while Paul was there…heavy duty drugs. A few other friends dropped in today during the visit. He did drink a bit of water but he told Paul he was tired of fighting the cancer….thank you for praying…we will continue to do so until he draws his last breath here on earth….and trust….in Him….

    Liked by 2 people

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