My Dreams of Disney

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Prayers for the Week – The Great Commission

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The Great Commission
Image ©sharefaith.com

The Great Commission

16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)

Good morning everyone, and Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there this morning! Welcome to the return of our weekly Prayers for the Week posts here on My Dreams of Disney! Our last post in this series was November 5, 2017, but I’ve been feeling a call from God lately to bring back these posts and lift up prayer around the world. Each week, we are going to focus on what you need us to pray for. Know that in your requests, we will lift you up for God’s Peace, Strength, Comfort, and Love to surround you all, that His Will would be done, and that His Healing Touch would descend upon you.

In Matthew 28, the last verses of the book of Matthew are where Jesus gives us the commandment that is known as the Great Commission. Believers are instructed to make disciples of all nations, and teaching them from the Bible. In addition to that, Jesus reminds us that He is with us always, until the end of the age. How reassuring are those words!

It is because of this command that I have started back up our prayers for the week posts. How can we pray for you? Leave us comments below and let us know, and we will highlight them in next week’s prayer post. In the meantime, please pray for these requests and lift up our praises to God.

Prayer Requests & Praises

  • Mikel asks for prayers for her friend. Here is what she wrote: A friend’s father is very ill and I am asking for prayers for God’s will and comfort and strength for Katherine and her family
  • Deb asks for prayers for her son Steve, who is going through cancer treatments; in addition, he is facing difficulties at work. Please lift them all up in prayer.
  • Pray for all of the graduates that are celebrating this month, for God to guide their steps and keep them safe. Also, please pray for all of the parents that are going through emotional memories at this time as well.
  • Please pray for all of the students that are going through or are about to go through their final exams. Pray that their knowledge would see them through the tests.
  • Pray for everyone that is looking for employment please; whether they be a father looking to feed their family, a single person trying to make it on their own, a student looking for summer employment, or anyone else. Thank you.
  • Give praise to God today, for giving you life for another day; for putting the people in your life that love you and that you love; for giving you health, or if you are struggling with your health, for giving you the opportunity to improve it; and for helping us turn our focus to Him instead of to all of the evil in this world. For these and a million other reasons, give thanks to God today.
  • Give Praise and thanks to God for your Mom; thank Him for giving her to be your Mom, and tell her you love her. Call her or visit if she is still with you, but think of her anyway even if she is already in Heaven. She’s still watching you, regardless of where she is.

The Lord’s Prayer

Please join us as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed be 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 in temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and Power, and Glory
Forever and ever.
Amen.

Thank you for joining us today in prayer. We’ll see you next week, please add your prayers below so we can pray for you and your family and friends!

Prayers for the Week: Unconditional Love

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Unconditional Love

Today is Mother’s Day, and across country, perhaps even across the world, people are waking up and celebrating their mother wherever they are.  Near or far, here on earth or in Heaven, our mothers are to be celebrated.  Today is their day, but truly, every day we should celebrate our mother.  Our verse is the last verse from the book of Proverbs, chapter 31, verse 31:

31Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. ~ Proverbs 31:31 (NIV)

My friends, my brothers, my sisters, when I look at my Mother, and when I look at my Wife, what I see is a living example of what Unconditional Love is. Looking back on my raising, my family wasn’t wealthy, we weren’t born with a silver spoon in our mouths like we hear about sometimes.  My dad struggled with his business financially but not in the work he did.  My Mom often worked a full time and a part time job. Yet, despite all of that, I don’t remember ever going to bed hungry, I don’t remember ever going to bed feeling sorry for myself, I don’t remember ever wondering if we might have to leave our house.  It is because of the sacrifice of my Dad and my Mom that my sister and I didn’t have those fears.  It was the unconditional love that they had for us that sustained my sister and I, and taught us going forward exactly what was important.

Now, my wife and I have a soon to be sixteen year old daughter.  I am running my own business; my wife is working stressful hours at her place of employment; but despite all of that, our daughter is getting an education that will last her a lifetime on what really matters in this world.  My daughter has seen me lose my job; she sees daily the struggles that my wife puts up with; yet, throughout it all, Sophie also hears constant “I love you” coming from me to Cindy, or Cindy to me, or each of us to Sophie, or Sophie to us.  Sophie sees daily what unconditional love is, and she is learning life lessons that will serve her well.  She knows what unconditional love is, and she is sharing that unconditional love with her classmates and friends, her family, and those at church.

The greatest example of unconditional love, of course, is that between God and Jesus and all of us.  Remember what was written in the book of John:

16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ~ John 3:16-18 (NIV)

God sent Jesus into this world to save all who would believe in Him.  He sent Jesus into this world despite knowing that Jesus would die, and He did it so that all of us would have another chance to be saved and to go to Heaven ourselves.  God did that because He loves us.  That is Unconditional Love.  Jesus died for us because He loves us.  That is Unconditional Love.  Our mothers would do anything for their children.  That is Unconditional Love.

Learn these examples, God, Jesus, and our Mother’s example, and apply them in your life now and moving forward, and together we can make this world a little better.  Now, please pray with us our prayer requests and praises.  Thank you.

Prayer Requests & Praises

  • We start off this week with a prayer request for Pam and her husband Ronnie: Say a prayer for Ronnie. Have spent the night at UNC ED with a bad allergic reaction. You know you’ve been around a long time when you see folks you know who work here and they recognize you.
  • Barb has a prayer request and an update: Please say a prayer for my daughter-in-law’s father. He’s having surgery tomorrow for permanent placement of a pacemaker. He’s very nervous about the surgery. He’s also had a few unexplained seizures in the last 2 days. Hopefully, the MRI results will shed some light on why he’s having them.
    • The pacemaker procedure went well, still no word though on what’s causing the seizures.
  • Ivon has a prayer request: Please say a prayer for the Gooding/Bostic Family as they mourn the loss of one of their own to a fatal car accident in Key Largo Florida. She is my best friends sister in-law. She leaves behind 2 daughters, a son and 2 grandkids.. Also keep a prayer for the passenger that was in the car with her that was airlifted to the hospital and there have been no updates on her condition. Thank you.
  • Prayers for my Brother-in-Christ Paul: My dear sweet mother went to be with the Lord late last night. Arrangements will be made later. She was such a wonderful Mom! Happy Mother’s Day in heaven!
  • Stephanie had a prayer request for her daughter Ava: This is very minor in comparison to most, but my little Ava (6 years old) is scheduled for dental surgery this Friday. The insurance authorization keeps getting denied because of a glitch in the insurance company’s system. Please pray that this issue is resolved in time and for Ava to get through her procedure with no issues. Thank you!!
    • Update 1: We finally got insurance approval for Ava’s dental surgery tomorrow! Please pray for no complications and for her to tolerate the anesthesia well.
    • Update 2: Ava just came out of surgery and is in recovery. The doctor said everything went very well! Praise God!!
  • Please reopen the prayers for my brother in law Jerry. He’s had to go back to the hospital with fluid buildup and such, he’s not feeling good. Thanks everyone!
    • Update: the tests he has had are looking good, and he is feeling better, but not completely fixed yet, please keep praying for him!
  • Praise and the power of prayer, this was Jodi’s prayer request: My husband is a Disney bus driver and has to bid for new shift times first thing in the morning. He already has severe anxiety disorder and is totally stressing over this (does every time they have a bid) that he’s going to end up with one that goes to the wee hours of the morning. Please keep him in prayer that the Lord will provide one that will work well for him and would be earlier in the day. Lately he’s been having insomnia, with not getting home till 1 or so in the morning, and not being able to settle down. If he sleeps, it’s not till about 4AM, and then it’s intermittent till about 8. Please pray he can find peace! Thank you!
    • **UPDATE: Richard was able to get a good shift! Thank you so much for the prayers! He did not sleep at all, of course, but thankfully, he will have a decent schedule.**

Now, please join us in praying the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be 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 that trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and Power, and Glory
Forever and ever. Amen.

Magic Kingdom Mother’s Day Weekend Getaway

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Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Peach Loop. Today we are sharing ideas for Mother’s Day Weekend Getaways.

Mother's Day

Welcome to this month’s Magical Blogorail Peach loop.  Today we are taking a look at Mother’s Day Weekend Getaways, and I’m focusing my attention on the Magic Kingdom!  Come join us and imagine a time when you can take your mother (or you can help your child take their mother) to the Magic Kingdom to celebrate their special day!

Mother’s Day is a special time, a time when all children should remember their mothers and celebrate all that they do for us. What better way to celebrate that than a special Mother’s Day Weekend Getaway to the Magic Kingdom!

In full disclosure, I have never been able to take my mother — and Sophie has never taken her mother — to the Magic Kingdom on Mother’s Day.  School schedule just never seem to cooperate with us in this regard, especially since we live in North Carolina.  However, our mothers do a lot for their children, day in and day out, and it seems good to me that we should celebrate our mothers each and every day.  If the day should come that we were to move to Florida, I think then we would make a special arrangement to visit the Magic Kingdom on Mother’s Day, but until then, we’ll spend our time remembering special trips Sophie and I have made with our mothers.

Taking Mom to the Magic Kingdom, August 2006

In 2006 when we were visiting my grandparents in Florida, Cindy and I decided we would take Sophie and my Mom Ellen to the Magic Kingdom for the day.  It was a fun trip, and was the first time that Mom had been there since my very first trip way back in the summer of 1979, twenty-seven years before.  It was a great day to be there, in essence, it was me taking my favorite 3 girls to the one place I like to visit more than any other place.

Mother's Day

In this photo, you see Sophie and Cindy enjoying a fun ride on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups.  I love this picture for the pure joy you see on their faces.  Although now, if Sophie rides it, she rides in a different one than Cindy and I do because we don’t like to spin really fast anymore and Sophie is all about that!

Mother's Day

In this photo, Sophie and my Mom Ellen are relaxing for a picture on Minnie’s couch back in the old Mickey’s Toontown Fair.  That land is sadly no more, but treasures like this one remind us of when we were there, and the land lives on in us through these photos.  I don’t know what ever became of Mickey’s and Minnie’s country homes or their furniture — I’d love to see them put back on display somewhere, wouldn’t you?

Mother's Day

Lastly, in this photo we see a picture of Mom, Sophie, and Cindy riding The Magic Carpets of Aladdin over in Adventureland.  I sat out this attraction and took my pictures from ground level.  Just three girls out enjoying a relaxing ride!

I guess the point I’m trying to make in this post is to remind each and every one of us — starting with myself — that life is precious, and we should celebrate our Mom each and every day.  Whether you celebrate her in your day to day excursions, or you celebrate her at special places like the Magic Kingdom, the point is to celebrate her, and surround her with the love that she deserves, day in and day out.

Have you ever taken your Mom to the Magic Kingdom for Mother’s Day? What did you enjoy most about that?  Let us know in the comments, please, and thanks for stopping by today!

For more Mother’s Day getaway ideas,
check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!

Here is the map of our Blogorail Peach | Mother’s Day Weekend Getaway’s

Prayers for the Week: Happy Mother’s Day

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mothers-day

28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.” ~ Proverbs 31:28-29 (ESV)

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Moms out there!  Officially on the calendar, today is Mother’s Day — but in reality, every day should be Mother’s Day!  Today we give Praise and thanks to God for Mothers across the world, spanning this day and age and throughout eternity.

The Bible is filled with incredible Mothers — starting with Eve, continuing through Sarah, then Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, and on and on.  In all of my studies, the one thing I’ve learned is that none of us are perfect, the only perfect one is Jesus, of course, and Mother’s are no exception.  But one thing that is important to remember is that, despite the flaws, despite the frustrations of husbands, children, and life in general, despite all of that, Mother’s across the world still put their families first, and that continues on to this day.

On this Mother’s Day, I wish to leave you with a poem I read yesterday that I think you all will enjoy:

If life were without water, where would we be?
If life were without mothers,
There would be no you or me.
We all need to take hold, of how precious life really is,
and not take for granted the gift of love and the ability to give.
Thank you to God for creating us all
For giving us our mothers
So we can stand proud and tall.
Humans are no accident, no mistake or error
We sometimes live our lives in fear of this,
Even to the point of terror.
But when the truth is told, and recognised by all,
God does not create rubbish. He knew what he was doing when he created
me and you, but the best gift of all, is giving us loving, caring
Mothers who love us unconditionally through and through.
None of us are perfect, that includes ourselves and family.
Hold onto how precious we are and thank God for our mothers.
Amen

Now, please join me in praying the prayer that Jesus taught His Disciples to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be 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. Amen.

Prayers for the Week – Happy Mother’s Day!

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Sophie-Mom-Minnie's-Country-House

Hello everyone, and welcome to our special Mother’s Day edition of our Prayers for the Week post!  Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms that are reading this post today!  This is a wonderful day for all of the mother’s that are out in our world, and what greater way to honor them then to give thanks to God for allowing us to have Mom’s to look after us, teaching us right from wrong, and moulding us into the strong men and women that we are because of their nurturing touch!  We’ve got a lot of needed prayers, but we’ve also got some huge praises for this week, so let’s start with them first!

Praises!

Our Lord is great, and what better way to show His love for us then through our Mom’s?  My biggest praise today is for my Mom, Ellen, who means so much to me, even though I don’t show it as much as I ought to.  Mother’s Day is a wonderful day to remember our Moms, but we shouldn’t use the single day to do so — so I’m going to strive to be better at doing that throughout the year!  However, Mom, if you read this, know that I love you, and thank you for everything you did to make me the man I am today!

In addition to all of the Moms out there, we’ve got these praises as well:

  • To me, the biggest praise of all is the escape of the women and child from the house in Cleveland.  What a scary, scary story that was, and to me, the biggest thing I can say is that, as traumatic as that was for all of them, they now have the ability to work through all of that, put it behind them as best they can, and live the rest of their life!  Praise God for second chances, and for saving them just as He saved Peter from prison in Acts 12:1-19. However, prayers are still needed for them, so lift them and others like them up in your prayers. Please pray for the unknown victims of violent acts; that God would protect them and keep them safe. Thanks!
  • My sister Robin has some praises for this week, plus a couple of prayer requests sprinkled in, here is what she had to say:
    Well, almost one week down for Stephanie and Shane so that is a praise. I also have a friend who is coming home from Afghanistan and will see his daughter for the first time! Of course there have been Skypes and pictures, etc. but Corey and Lauren will be together with baby Cadence this week.
    We do have an appointment tomorrow with the judge in Jim’s disability case, so prayers for peace will be greatly appreciated.
    I officially graduated even though I still have one class to finish and another to take, but praying for God to open doors as He sees fit and bless me with my own classroom if that is what I am able to do.
    Love to all of you!

Prayer Requests

  • Please pray for my cousin Barb’s husband Tim, who has been diagnosed with cancer. He is undergoing treatment right now, please pray for his health, of course, but also pray for peace, his comfort, and the strength to get through this. Also pray for Barb and their son Jason, who is about to graduate from high school and very likely is going through some stresses because of this double whammy of school and the health of his Dad. Please pray for God’s Peace to descend upon all of them so that they can see the joy that will be created when Tim is recovered from this illness!Thanks everyone!
  • Please pray for my friend Leigh Ann’s sister-in-law Tina.  She has had surgery, and needs  prayers for healing, for God’s Peace to descend upon her and her family, for comfort during this time, and also for strength for the family. Thanks!
  • I also want to lift up my friend Kris, who is a reader on the site! Kris is raising money for March of Dimes for their walk. During the fundraising period, Kris had to have some surgery, so she hasn’t made her goal yet, but she is still going to do the walk, even if she is in a wheelchair! The deadline for raising funds is tomorrow, but more then raising funds, please pray for Kris’ recovery from her surgery, as well as lifting praise to God for this wonderful cause that she is participating in. If you want to donate, you can still do so at this link:http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=4826529&ct=4&w=6121184&u=AmunetThanks! God Bless You, Kris!
  • Please pray for my wife’s co-worker Virginia. Virginia’s mom was just diagnosed with lung cancer, and they don’t know how extensive it is. Virginia also recently lost her mother-in-law, so please lift up her mom with healing prayers, and pray for the whole family to experience God’s Peace and comfort in their lives so they will have the strength to fight this disease. Also pray for their salvation, that they know Jesus if they don’t know Him already.Thanks everyone!
  • Lottie, the creator of the Crunchy Disney Ma blog, is asking for some very special prayer requests! Here is what she wrote:Prayer requests?!?! AWESOME! Add me. Prayers for a happy, healthy pregnancy and smooth delivery of an adorable baby are always welcome.Congratulations, Lottie, on your pregnancy and the upcoming birth of your baby! We’ll be praying for your and your baby’s health, as well as your comfort during the pregnancy, and that, if anything worries you, you would let God’s Peace descend upon you to put you at ease! Keep us posted, please, so we can celebrate with you!

As always, thank you for taking the time to read and pray for these requests, and for giving thanks to God for our praises!  The more we pray, the better the result, and minute by minute, day by day, week by week, we will make a difference in these lives — and you’ll find that you are making a difference in your own life also!  Thanks everyone!

Disclaimer

My Dreams of Disney is a Disney Fan Blog, and is not in any way affiliated with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney, or the Walt Disney Company. In it's purest form, My Dreams of Disney is a site showcasing the love I and my family have for Walt Disney's creative genius and the legacy he has left behind. If it weren't for Walt Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, the other Disney parks spread across the world, and this site would not exist. Click to view our Privacy Policy.

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