Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Prayers for the Week post!  Since this is the last Sunday before Christmas, let me stop and say Merry Christmas to all of you!  The Christmas season is my favorite time of the year — it feels like the world is full of promise, of hope, and it’s all because of the birth of one little child…

Our Scripture verse this week comes from the book of Isaiah, Chapter 9, verse 6:

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~ Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

Christmas is a time of hope, a time of joy, a time for looking at all that we have been given.  For most of us, our blessings far outweigh our deficiencies, and I hope this is the case for you as well.  I don’t have much to write this week, mainly just a plea for you to take a moment, consider your life, and realize all of the things you have been given — all of the blessings you have received.  Now, please pray with me these prayer requests and praises, and once again, Merry Christmas!

Prayer Requests and Praises…

• My friend Amanda has an update on her husband Daniel. Here is what she wrote:Merry Christmas! We had a lot of things happen in the past few weeks and needed to get an idea of direction before we could send an update. First, it looks like we are staying off the CPT-11 (irinotecan) indefinitely. Daniel’s liver enzymes came back into normal range after a few weeks off the CPT-11. His Alkaline Phosphatase is still high but is lower than it has been since it went up shortly after surgery. His platelets are still struggling to stay above the level to get chemo so we have had a delay and started round 6 last Wednesday. This round should have started last Monday but he has developed a spot of osteonecrosis of the jaw in his mouth. This is basically an area of trauma that has developed an infection and eaten at the gum so the bone is exposed. As horrible as that sounds, after a consult with an oral surgeon, they determined the infection hadn’t spread to the bone and we are treating with 2 types of antibiotics a total of 5 times a day for 30 days. We go back in a few weeks so they can check progress and determine if the antibiotics are working. We really need the antibiotics to work because as it spreads, the outcomes get worse.
  Because of the osteonecrosis, they have also taken him off of Avastin indefinitely. This means that he is only receiving the 5FU chemo drug. Because we are down to only 1 drug, they are thinking he will need to extend his chemotherapy through February. Not what we were hoping for but we can find the silver lining! Because he is off the Avastin, we can look at getting the hernia repair done as early and mid-January. We meet with the surgeon to discuss the fluctuation in liver enzymes and hernia repair on Wednesday. He should also get a PET Scan sometime the next few weeks to make sure there are no new areas of cancer developing.
  Specific prayers for the next few weeks are for the osteonecrosis to heal as or better than expected, any scans we have to come back with no issues or cancer, a clear plan for the hernia repair and for mental, physical and emotional strength to Daniel to help him weather this additional treatment.
  Thank you all so much for walking on this journey with us! May you all have a blessed and happy Christmas and a safe holiday season!Please continue to pray boldly for Daniel, Amanda, and all of their family. Thank you!
• Please pray for the family of my friend Dee — we’ve been praying for Jim, her father-in-law.  Sadly, Jim was called home.  Please pray for them all, for their strength, courage, Peace, and comfort, and please also give Praise to God for Jim’s life.  The service is today, so particularly be prayerful for them this day.
• Please also pray for the family of my friend Carey.  Carey’s Dad passed away last week.  Please be with them during their time of sorrow, but also give praise to God for his life as well.
• One of my ministers at Edenton Street left this on Facebook.  Please pray for all involved in this:
  52 years old, alone and homeless, he started weeping there on the sidewalk when I asked if there’s anything I could pray for him this Christmas. He said, “I’d like to find my son and tell him I love him.” He spent years trying, to no avail. He was leaving town that day so after 50 minutes of talking I had him record what may be the most heartfelt 50 second message I’ve ever heard and told him I would try and get it to his son. I located his son today and ask for your prayers that I would be led by God in sharing this. His name is Michael.

Now, please pray the prayer that Jesus taught us 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.