Prayers and Praises

If I am going to be posting entries regularly, I want to do something different with Sundays. I am unsure at this point exactly how this will play out, but this week, we will go with things for which I am thankful and the prayer concerns at the top of my list these days.

First – the things I am praising God for:

• This time of year. Even though there are those who celebrate in a completely secular fashion, and even though there is a lot of moaning about how commercial it has all become, we are still remembering the birth of my Savior. So, even if you don’t believe in God at all, you would not have that giant lighted Grinch in your yard if Jesus had never been born.
• Despite all the complaining that is de rigueur at Christmas, for the most part everyone is nicer to other people this time of year. Anything that makes that happen is ok by me.
• That we will all be together this year. We will very likely not be next year, the reasons for which we’ll talk about at some other time, but this year we get a whole week with both of the girls, their husbands and the grandkids.

And my prayer concerns this week:

• For my friend Kathy who begins treatment for breast cancer this week with surgery. God is holding her in His hand and He will bring her through.
• For my friend Janis who, due to a paperwork snafu, has to wait until after Christmas for further tests. I pray she can leave it in God’s hands and enjoy Christmas with her daughter and family.
• For my Mom, that her knee heals up well with no further pain.
• For this little girl.
• For our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other places away from their families this Christmas.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8