1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. ~ 1 Corinthians 13 (ESV)
Hello everyone, and thank you for stopping by today for this week’s Prayers for the Week post. This has been a busy week, and during the week we have had a lot of prayer requests, so please take a moment, read through our requests, and pray with us. What better way to start off our prayers than by remembering that Jesus loves us! Now, please read and pray for our requests and praises!
Prayer Requests and Praises…
- My friend Maureen left us a comment from last week’s prayer post. Here is what she wrote:I love this post Mike! Thank you – it is so easy to get carried away in life’s worries – focusing on Jesus is the best thing we can do. Thank you for continuing these Sunday posts and prayers.. they are extremely encouraging and fill us with hope :)
- My friend Shannon has a prayer request that she has learned of. Here is what she wrote:I’ve tagged as many Disney pals as I could. Please add others if you think they can help. There is a 15 year old girl here named Beth and her stage IV cancer has returned and all the doctors are doing now is preventative comfort measures. She’s in the hospital right now with low counts and a fever. She loves Disney. I’m going to do a post today asking all of our fans to send her Disney themed Valentines cards, or anything Disney. Thanks so much, Disney friends are the best friends. Prayers and pixie dust for Beth!
Please pray for this young lady as she struggles to come to grips with this disease, and works through her anxiety and fear. Please pray that God’s Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love would descend upon her, her family and friends, and that God would guide the hands of her medical team. If it is God’s Will, may she be saved from this disease. It’s in Jesus’ name that I pray. Amen!
- Please pray for the family of Sabrina Smith-Epley. Here is what my sister-in-law Nancy wrote:Anna Jane and Sabrina Smith-Epley… her teacher last year…Anna Jane was her “mini me”. Sabrina passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last week. This lady motivated and encouraged our girl to be the “scary good” student that she has become. Her influence is her legacy.
Please pray with me: Heavenly Father, those of us that knew Sabrina are mourning her passing today. Her family, her friends, her co-workers, her students — all of them are hurting at some level these days. We know that Your ways are mysterious to us, and we know that we can not understand right now why You called Sabrina home, but we miss her. Lord, please grant Your Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love to descend upon all of us, and please know that we praise You for the time that you placed Sabrina into our lives. It is in the name of Your Son Jesus that we pray with Thanksgiving today, and every day. Amen.
- My friend Kristin has a prayer request. Here is what she wrote:Please pray for the family of Billy Harrison. He is my cousin in West Virginia. He was shot and killed last night. He has a wife and three children. Please pray!
Please pray for their grief, that God would hold them in His arms, and that they would have Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love during their time of grief. Thank you everyone for praying!
- My friend Rebecca has a prayer request — this is what she wrote on Facebook:My dad was just rushed to the hospital. My brothers & I only know that so far. I know I ask this a lot, please pray for him. Thank you.
Please pray for his healing, for the medical team, for their skill in treating him, and for his and his family’s Peace, Comfort, and Strength! Thank you!
- Locally here in the Raleigh-Durham area, please pray for Larry Stogner and his family. Larry is the anchor of the local ABC news telecast. Larry is stepping down, having been diagnosed with ALS. Here is a link to the story about him:Larry Stogner Retirement
- Also, please pray for two teenage boys, both Sophomores from Smithfield-Selma High School. They were killed when they were hit by an Amtrak train. According to reports, one was trying to get the other off of the tracks when they were both hit. Their names are Robert Naughton and Alan Peedin. Please pray for their families, friends, and everyone that is suffering with their loss.
- Lastly, please pray for my friend Mike. Here is what he wrote:So I need prayers for Thursday, but I’m afraid to say why. I have a meeting at 6 that may change all that is important to me. Time with family, the people I help, and so much more. If I think about it I am scared and overwhelmed. But if I leave it in God’s hands where it belongs, I have the peace to know that whatever happens is for the best.
Please pray for the anxiety, nervousness, and fear that Mike has would dissipate. Please pray that God’s Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love would descend upon him and for Mike to know the path that God would have him walk.
Now, please pray with us the prayer that Jesus taught his Disciples to pray:
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever and ever.
Big Praises from my friend Amanda regarding her husband Daniel. Here is what she wrote:
I guess it’s a good thing these updates are becoming more or less monthly! We hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and are braving the winter! We have lots of good news this update.
First, Daniel had a PET scan on Christmas Eve and it came back “unremarkable” meaning no cancer was detected. That was obstacle #1. Because of the chemo he is one, the PET scans don’t always get a good read on the intestines so he is going in for an EGD and Colonoscopy on February 4th to check everything out. At that time he will also have a polyp removed from his duodenum that they couldn’t get before we started all this treatment. With those results they can give us the all clean or the more treatment needed decision. Obstacle #2.
Second, because his PET came back unremarkable, he was able to have his last round of chemo on January 12th. YAYYYYY!!! His hair is growing back already and his energy levels are rising. He is still having a lot of side effects from the chemo but it takes 5-8 weeks to start to leave your body so we expect those to last a little longer. Obstacle #3.
Third, his osteonecrosis in his mouth seems to have healed. The oral surgeon is watching it but the bone is no longer exposed. We are just making sure it doesn’t get reaggravated before it heals completely. Obstacle #4.
Next steps: After the EGD/Colonoscopy, we meet with the surgeon to schedule and plan the hernia repair. That appointment is scheduled for mid-February so we should know if we have the all clear to proceed by then. We are hoping the surgery can be scheduled the end of February/beginning of March but that will depend on the surgeon. It would be wonderful for Daniel to start spring on the mend to a “normal” (whatever that is!) life! The oncologist will follow up monthly with a PET scan every 3 months for the first year or so to be proactive in catching any recurrence since it came back so quickly last time. So, with any luck, he may be able to be back to work and active living in the next few months!
Praise be to God and all our prayer warriors! We thank you all for traveling on this journey with us and offering prayers on our behalf. It definitely appears they are working!!! If we can ask for a few more, please pray that the EGD/Colonoscopy is clean and the polyp removal and hernia repair go smoothly with speedy and easy recovery. Also pray that his osteonecrosis fully heals and that God provides him the right job as he begins the job hunt again. And last but not least, please pray for the clinicians and staff that worked to get us here. I have never met so many wonderful strangers willing to fight for someone’s life (except maybe any time I’m around our armed forces or police officers).
We pray for you all every day! You have made this journey so much easier and caused more than a few miracles to this point! It’s not over yet but we are through the biggest obstacles! If you ever need specific prayers (or extra) please don’t hesitate to ask! We would love to return the favor!
Please continue to pray for them, and give God the glory for all that he has done for them so far. Thank you everyone!
Prayers go out to the family of my friend Thomas, who lost his father last night. Here is what he wrote:
Thanks you all for your thoughts and prayers. My dad had a massive hemorrhagic stroke last night and passed away around 1am this morning. Ironically this had nothing to do with his triple bypass heart surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Blessings to you all. I will post arrangements later today.
Please pray for God’s Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love to envelope Thomas and his family in their time of sorrow.
My friend Kelly has a prayer request. Here is what she wrote:
Our little family is going through a tough trial right now. We know we need to have more faith in who our God is than who the enemy is not. We are asking for prayer. Asking that God provides. That He covers us with safety and protection. But most of all that we, especially the girls, can find comfort and peace.
Please pray for them, and remember, God’s Peace and Comfort is a wonderful thing.
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