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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’m convinced God has a plan for each day of our lives, even if we don’t see it. I woke up last Saturday morning in a very strange situation – I had nothing planned to do the entire day. That literally hasn’t happened in decades! Oh, there are plenty of projects around the house that need my attention, but I had nothing on my schedule. It was a bit unsettling, and made me wonder why I should even get out of bed. I meandered downstairs anyway, and soon after my wife pointed to the kitchen ceiling and asked “is that a wet spot?” It sure was, and I got busy tearing into the ceiling to discover a leaking joint in the plumbing. Not wanting to witness the destruction, she left for the grocery store, only to return a minute later with the news she had a flat tire.
So much for having nothing to do. But then I realized – God already knew all this was going to happen, and I praised Him for opening my day to address these issues without having to postpone or reschedule anything else. What a gracious God! He gave me the skills and the time it took to fix both issues and still be able to sit back and watch Penn State finally win a football game (after 6 straight losses).
It’s interesting the different ways we can approach each day. We can trudge through life, going through the motions, wondering where is the joy (my normal mode), or we can look for the possibilities God may bring our way each new day (the outlook I wish I had). Often it takes someone else to shake us out of our routine and remind us how blessed we are – why not do that for someone in your life today? And why not pray that for the inmates in prison as well? Thank you so much for your diligence in praying for the men, women, chaplains, and volunteers at the prison. Your prayer support is essential to the ministry. Keep up the good work!
Grace and Peace,
Rick
Prayer Requests from last Thursday (12:00 Chapel Service):
- Nicholas– for the American government.
- Brandon– for our families, keep them safe.
- Mark– for the 4 officers who beat me to pay for what they did.
[Note: I prayed for accountability and that God might soften Mark’s heart to forgive them.]
- Manuel– daughter Sophia and wife Adriana, family, and my friend Javier now back in Mexico.
- Edgar– for my Mom.
- Patrick– my Dad’s lymphoma was determined to be stage 3 cancer, he’s starting chemo. Pray for me, I leave tomorrow. Pray to keep the faith and stay on the path, that my situation goes well, and for all the guys in here when it’s their turn.
- John– for my ol’ lady to get back on track with communication – she abandoned me.
- Salcido– for all of us in jail.
- Andy– greater wisdom and compassion in sharing the Gospel.
- Roland– with holidays coming up, for the families of all the men, and for the men to have the blessing of peace and love of Christ in their heart.
- Eugene– for the homeless.
Prayer Requests from Medium Security (7:00pm Monday service):
- Brandon– for family, and for fairness.
- Tyreek– for my girl and our baby son due on Dec 19th- I want to be there. Also for our government.
- Dan T– for our brother Jose, still recovering from a bad fall and anxious to get back with the ministry, for brother Jim recovering from knee surgery also anxious to get back in here, for Erwin’s recovery from bad cold, and his Sister with cancer, and for my Brother-in-law to be ready to accept Christ.
- Phil T– for Dan’s recovery from cancer, though incurable we’re thankful for the effectiveness of treatment. Also for Joy and Andrew’s baby Josephine, just days old with cardiac issues and one surgery already done – Lord please look with favor upon that little baby and may your mercy and healing be fully upon her to grow strong physically and in You. Bless that entire family for their faithfulness and testimony to many of your gracious and extravagant love.
- Deron– to get home next week.
- Rick C– for all the inmates and their families as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas when families usually get together – it’s a tough time for all, may they all sense the comforting presence of Jesus through the holidays.
Prayer Requests from Minimum Security (8:30pm Monday service)
- JC– Dad with Stage 4 cancer.
- Eddie– Aunt with Stage 4 cancer-for good labs, his kids, for men recently released, for the volunteers.
- Matt– his friend Mary Ann’s son Nick in Seattle battling addiction; not working.
- Andy– salvation of family members.
- Armond– for abundance for his family; that his evaluation goes well; for the volunteers.
- Cyrus– For his daughter facing first Christmas without him; healing for his brother’s ankle; for himself and all the men.
- Jason– for all facing issues.
- Steve– safety for his wife Robin and his family.
- Brandon– for his family and all in the room.
- Troy– healing for his 2 granddaughters.
- David– that his sentencing would go well.
Prayer Requests from Onesimus Ministries
- Chaplain Heinrich and all the male inmates and staff within his mission field.
- Chaplain Rhonda and all the female inmates and staff within her mission field.
- Chaplain Jack Crans and the entire chaplaincy program, and the prison leadership within his mission field. Also for strength and healing as he contends with late stage cancer.
- For the Onesimus Ministries board of directors, and the future of the board.
- All the volunteers ministering to the male and female inmates at Chester County Prison.
- The families supporting each inmate, staff member, chaplain, and volunteer.
- Aftercare ministries and post-prison support organizations throughout Chester County ministering to recently released men and women.
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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