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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Never underestimate having the peace of God in your heart, especially if you’re a raging Type A personality like me – we need everything planned out and executed specifically as planned. We can get completely stressed out over lots of little things. And it gets real bad when you have a major part in numerous events across all the organizations you’re involved with, and those events take place rapid-fire over the course of one week. A tsunami of stress – that’s been me over the past week.
One place I can always let go is prayer time in the prison. Banking on the Holy Spirit to show up and provide the words is both freeing and faith-strengthening. I need to learn to “let go and let God” in other areas – every area – of my life as well. I really need to live under the manta “God’s got this” – how about you?
I don’t believe God wants us stressed out, especially in ministry. It’s not very attractive to others, and is more an example of self-reliance than faith. Oh Lord, help me to rely more on you, and less on me. Another source of peace for me and the inmates is knowing how all you prayer warriors take this weekly email to heart, how you pray for us, and pray through the requests published each week. What a blessing you are! Thank you for all you do, and may God bless you in a special way today.
Grace and Peace,
Rick
Prayer Requests from Medium Security (7:00pm Monday service):
- Rick C– for volunteer Jose and his family in the midst of a family emergency, praying for peace, guidance, protection, and wholeness. And thanks for brother Andy’s flexibility to cover the music.
- John– God return us to our families. Also want to pray for the guy who put me in here, he’s only 30 and suffering with liver failure and needs a transplant – pray for his family.
- Morgan– for my family, for all of us here, that we can pray for each other and help one another while we’re here.
- Deron– for my Mom, that everything goes well with her, my probation, and for more faith, healing, and redemption.
- Jon– for my family, children, all our kids, and all those who don’t know the Lord. Also pray for reconsideration of sentence, may the judge have a softened heart and give me another chance, I’ll find out May 14. Also pray for strong faith, to not lose faith, and for protection with the full armor of God. Thanks to all the volunteers coming in each week, pray for their safe travels.
- Khalil– I have court on Thursday, pray no more charges get added – I’ll own up to what I’ve been charged with but don’t want them to pile it on. Pray for mercy and compassion in court.
- Phil T– for a lady in my office (Stephanie) having a baby, and for my daughter’s employer (Dzuzhanna) who is separated from her husband due to an abusive situation.
- Dan T– for my brother-in-law with rapid mental decline – he didn’t remember my name. Pray for opportunity to witness and that he can understand enough to accept Christ.
- Nicholas– for new beginnings.
Prayer Requests from Minimum Security (8:30pm Monday service)
- Donny– my daughter, my granddaughter, my family, and my Aunt Janice with stage 4 lung cancer, she’s not doing well. Also want to lift up our brother Jeremiah who got a really heavy sentence and may already be up state.
- Mark– pray for some good news on Thursday.
- Vince– for my son (Parker) and my fiancé – that they are happy and doing well. Pray especially for my son, I know it will be a long time before I can see him again. Pray for my father (Joe) who is very stressed and having a hard time with the whole situation. It’s going to be a hard year for everyone.
- Matt– for everyone in the room.
- Chris– willingness and strength to stay on the right path, and keep open mind.
- Will– for everyone in the prison, to get a court date by the end of this week, and to get my tooth pulled by next week – I’m in extreme pain.
- Ryan S– dealing with a couple of resentments- asking the Lord to soften my thinking.
- Andy D– for restoration of my friendship with Matt. I was the one to blow things up.
Prayer Requests from Onesimus Ministries
- For all the last minute details to work out with our first Prison Ministry Benefit Concert on May 16 at Grace Covenant Church in Exton.
- Blessings upon our prison Chaplains – Rhonda, Heinrich, Jack – and their families.
- For the many volunteers serving inside the prison and behind the scenes.
- Prison staff and their leadership to work out staffing issues, and all their families to be blessed.
- All the inmate’s families, who are also “doing time”.
- Grant the Aftercare ministries and post-prison support organizations across Chester county all they need to continue ministering to inmates released from CCP. Bless the volunteers and all the clients integrating back into society.
If you’d like to find out more about mentoring and discipling a man or woman coming out of prison, drop us a note at outreach@onesimusministries.org.
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