praying for you

one of my goals this year is to become better at praying. it seems that i don't take enough time to pray and when i do it is so rehearsed sounding that i think God doesn't want to hear that kind of prayer. so to help jumpstart my "prayer life" as we say, i am praying for those i know. i decided to start with people at church. i have been praying for the families and people in the church directory. it is a little old now, but i think a lot of people are in there and i will try to remember those who are not. so far (it is jan. 5 already) i have prayed from a - g. so if your last name starts with any of those letters then i have prayed for you. i really like it so far and i have been writing my prayers in a journal so my thoughts don't wander too much.

a Bible passage that is going to help me this year is philippians 4.4-9: taken from the message-
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Blessings on your day

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