Archive for the ‘Prayer’ Category

Praying for Joplin

Siestas, this is Amanda checking in with a broken heart. You may know that I married into a wonderful, godly family from Southwest Missouri. I can’t count how many times I’ve sat shotgun next to Curtis as we’ve made our journey down the highway from Springfield to Houston. It has always been our tradition to stop in Joplin for something to eat on the way home. My heart aches every time I see another headline about the tornado that ripped through the city on Sunday – the latest calling this the deadliest single U.S. tornado since they began keeping records 60 years ago.

I can’t fathom the death, destruction and fear that has gripped that city. I pray God is showering down strength and the hope of the Gospel onto those people. There are some incredibly faithful, hard-working, Jesus-loving folks in the state of Missouri and I pray that God is equipping them to minister to these survivors with incredible compassion and effectiveness. I pray that the ones who have lost everything will find Jesus to be so very near. I pray they will see restoration. For the ones who have lost friends and family members, I pray for comfort and peace. If anyone reading this has been directly affected, I want to tell you that I’m so very sorry for what you are going through.

I am praying for God to be merciful as another round of storms is due to hit the region. Curt’s sister, Lindsay, is due to have our first little niece this week. Of course I’ve been obsessing over her like any good sister-in-law, and even more so now. We are going up there next week to meet the baby. All that to say, Missouri, you are on my heart every minute. And we are all praying for you.

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Maryam and Marzieh’s Court Hearing

UPDATE: Ladies, our contact at Elam had this information to share today (4/14).

We are very thankful for the many prayers on behalf of Maryam and Marzieh.
They were not detained but we have been told that their court process will take a few more days. Once we learn of the outcome we will share it with you. Meanwhile we ask for your continued prayers.
Thank you for standing in prayer with us for them.
The Elam team

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Last October we joined together in prayer for two of our Iranian Christian sisters, Maryam and Marzieh, who were suffering in prison for their faith. About a month later we got to celebrate as they were released from prison to await their court hearing. We recently found out that the court hearing is tomorrow, April 13, 2010.  Siestas, please be in prayer for these women. Here’s the message from Elam Ministries:

Maryam and Marzieh need our prayer.

They spent 259 days in prison for their Christian faith. After their conditional release on 18th November 2009 from Iran’s Evin Prison, they have been convalescing and receiving medical treatment for the past five months.

Both of them still remain unwell, weak and suffering from various illnesses. However, despite their frailties they are determined to be faithful to the Lord and speak the truth in court whatever the consequence or personal cost.

Maryam and Marzieh’s court hearing has been set for 13th April 2010.

Therefore, on their behalf, during the next five days leading up to their court hearing we request your prayers.

Pray that:

The peace of God will protect their hearts and minds and keep them safe.
They will completely recover from their illnesses and be strong physically, mentally and spiritually.
They will know the presence of God in the midst of their trial.
They will be set free.

Maryam & Marzieh would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for your prayers that have sustained them throughout their hardship.

Thank you for praying.

The Elam team

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Power Outage

UPDATE: The power is back on! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers!
Prayer Warriors, there’s been a power outage in the sanctuary at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. It happened in the beginning of the filming of Session 9. They’ve sent everyone away for an hour. Please pray! Thanks!

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Message Preparation

Hi friends. Mom and I have been sending text messages back and forth for the last few minutes. She’s having to prepare four messages today to get ready for tonight’s and tomorrow morning’s sessions. I don’t know how she does it! Only the Lord! If you wouldn’t mind, would you lift up this preparation time to the Lord?

After these sessions, she will stay in New Orleans and film intros and outros until Monday. Looking at it that way, she is about halfway through. I’m sure she could really use a big gust of the Spirit’s wind to carry her on. Thanks for investing in this taping with your prayers, sisters!
We love you,
Amanda

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New Orleans Update

I just got to talk to my mom and wanted to give everyone an update. It sounds like things are going very well so far at the Breaking Free re-taping. Mom said it was a true miracle of God, possibly even a sign of the return of our Lord, that she has stayed within her 60 minute time limit for all three sessions. (Kidding. Let’s not get a letter circulating!) That has never happened even one time in all of her tapings! When she goes over her allotted time, it always makes things harder on the editors and on Beth herself because they have to hack away at the lesson. So praise God with us for this miracle and let’s ask Him to keep it up!

One prayer request for today is for plenty of energy and rest. Mom slept very little last night. She went to bed around 11 p.m. and woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. She really struggles with sleep after she teaches at night, whether at a Living Proof Live event, a taping, or even Tuesday night Bible study. She gets really wired and her mind can’t stop teaching. She is teaching two sessions each evening for this taping, so it’s twice as challenging. Even though she’s tired, she is in very good spirits and is believing God to give her everything she needs for tonight.

Please ask God to keep her in good health. Also pray that all 11 sessions will have the full energy of the Holy Spirit. Pray that not one of them will drop, in Jesus’ name!

Several of our siestas are attending the taping, including JennyHope, who keeps everyone in stitches. I’ve even heard a rumor that she may have bequeathed a jumbo pencil and back scratcher to Beth. (Maybe she will enlighten everyone who wasn’t at the Siesta Fiesta as to the significance of this gift.) If any of our other siestas attending the taping are online today, let us know you’re there. Mom wants a list of names!

Y’all should know that my husband Curtis is normally the first person to complete my mom’s Bible studies (that we know of), but we think JennyHope is going to have him beat on Esther. Jenny has confessed to having stalked her LifeWay store until she got her copy. I’m not sure Curtis is going to do Esther: It’s tough being a woman. But if he does, he can write “It’s tough being married to a woman” on the cover.

Thanks for your prayers, ladies! They really do make a huge difference. We love y’all!

PS – We should be hearing from Melissa soon!

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Taping at Life Today

You girls know we are absolutely shameless in asking for prayer, so here I come again with another request! Mom is in the Dallas area, my old stomping grounds, this weekend. Between tonight and tomorrow afternoon she will tape five teaching sessions for “Wednesdays with Beth” on “Life Today with James and Betty Robison.” (She’ll teach two sessions tonight and three on Saturday.) She does several of these tapings each year. These weekends are incredibly intense. Imagine a Living Proof Live event with two extra sessions. Each time she is completely dependent on God for a sustained anointing, perfect health, full energy, restorative sleep, concentrated preparation time, focus, and a great connection with the audience – in other words, a demonstration of the Spirit’s power! It is a good and desperate place to be.

My dad is usually with her on these weekends because they feel that she benefits from the covering of his presence and his prayers. He is not able to be at this particular taping, so we would like to ask our sweet siestas to help us with some extra prayer coverage for Beth. These episodes reach what is to me a mind-boggling amount of people. Please pray that Jesus will completely overtake my mom and use her to teach the Word boldly and accurately to the studio audience and viewers at home. Pray that His name will be glorified through all of this. Thank you so much, friends! It is all about Him!

We love you bunches and we are so thankful for you.
Love,
Amanda

PS – You can watch all the previous episodes online here.

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Prayer Request for Bible Study

Hi ladies! I wanted to let you all know what a big night this is for your LPM siestas so you can be praying. We are kicking off “LIT,” which is our fall Bible study series. (Registration is closed.) My mom and Melissa are co-teaching a class of about 150 18-25-year-old ladies and it will begin tonight. Next Tuesday Curtis will kick off his ungraded class for men and women. We are so excited! Please pray for Beth and Melissa as they begin their class tonight. Please also pray for the young ladies who will join us this fall. Our Bible study coordinator is Jennifer Hamm, in case you want to lift her up by name. She is awesome and works so hard! Okay, gotta run. I have to leave the house in 15 minutes and I’m not even close to being ready! Story of my life. Thanks, sisters!

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For the Chapman Family

Dearest Siestas,

The Living Proof Ministries blog will go dark for three days as a representation of silent mourners sitting beside our friends and co-laborers in the Gospel, Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and their children. We pray that this small effort will serve as a reminder to all who visit here to go face down and intercede for this dear and loving family at this terrible time of loss. We have chosen three days as a symbol of resurrection as we plead with God to comfort them, tend deeply to each one of them, and raise them in the months and years to come from this place of unimaginable grief.

Faithful family of God, our deepest thoughts, love, and prayers are with you and will remain with you for many months to come.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'” Revelation 21:1-4

Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

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Last Day of Taping

*UPDATE*
Here’s the latest text message my mom sent me:
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! God heard the prayers of the saints! It was cold and at times sprinkling the least bit but mission was accomplished to the great glory of God! 4:28 p.m.

Hey Siestas! I would like to ask for your prayers for the taping today. Beth and the crew were not able to film this morning because of bad weather. They are getting ready to try again right now. Please pray for God to clear out the rain and grant them favor to get everything done this afternoon. He is so gracious! Thanks, y’all!

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Two Texts From Mom

1:41 p.m.
God has held back rain because of the prayers of the saints! 70% chance all day! I love you!

5:51 p.m.
God was glorious and graceful! We met today’s goals! Only Jesus!

Thanks for praying for the taping. One day down, two to go.

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