Let's Pray in the New Year Together

I trust that each of you have had a wonderful and Christ filled CHRISTmas! My family and I have had a very blessed Christmas, it has been really nice just being at home and together. Santa was very good to everyone in our house, much better than we deserve. To each of you who visit the Prayer/Chat room, I know I have not been in very much the past few weeks, I miss talking with you and I will be back as things are beginning to slow down. We went right from all of the planning and prep work for the marathon right into the holidays and I have been playing catch up for a few weeks now. It's all been good, just very busy as I am sure you all have been too. I would like to invite each of you to a Prayer Night to Pray In The New Year. I would like to have a special prayer night next Wednesday night beginning at 9:00 pm (Memphis time) to pray a prayer of thanksgiving for all of the blessing in our lives in 2009 and also pray for the things we feel in our hearts we need to ask God for his wisdom, strength and guidance for in 2010. I feel a strong need to pray for the children still fighting the beast and to pray for a cure for cancer in 2010. I think prayers for our country and the leaders making decisions effecting our lives would be appropriate also. I am asking you to mark next Wednesday evening (I know some of us attend Wednesday evening services but I think everyone is usually home by 9) on your calendars to sign in and join us for a evening of prayer to bring in our new year. Several of you have made comments regarding getting back to a more regular prayer schedule and I agree. We can discuss this more in our prayer evening next Wednesday. For any newcomers to this site, you are welcome to join in, just go to the bottom of this post, all the way down, and you will find a chat box. Just sign in and join us.

I did want to give you a little update from the marathon and Team Believe.... I just went to check out our total and Team Believe has now raised .......drum roll...............$21,420.00!!!!!! This is just amazing!!! Six team members raised over 1,000.00 with several more almost, just so close to the 1,000.00 mark and several of the ones who have over 1,000.00 are very close to the 2,000.00 mark. I do not want to take away from anyone who has raised $1.00... every dollar counts and each one of these team members is to be commended for doing a great job. Even ones that did not get to come to Memphis still raised money and helped the team with our efforts to reach $25,000.00. There may be some more posted, but I do think we are pretty much at the end and do not expect there to be much more if any posted. $21,420.00 is a GREAT accomplishment!!!!!! Thank you, I feel that God has richly blessed our efforts. I look forward to next year!!! I feel we can make that $25,000.00 goal next year.

I want to share a few prayer request with you. First, please continue to pray for all of the families who are going through the holidays facing Christmas and New Years without their child. This is such a tough reality to face. Several families have taken trips during this time and have had a wonderful time, but the emptiness and pain from missing their child is ALWAYS there. Please pray specifically for God to give them peace and comfort their pain. Pray for safe travel as they return to their homes over the next few days.

Please keep James in your prayers as he is home, without anymore options. He is doing well at this point, but the family can use all of the prayers for his miracle they can get.

Little Jack Bruce has been in and out of the hospital over the holidays. Please pray for his new treatment to be successful and for him to be able to stay outpatient. It's no fun to be stuck in the hospital during holiday times. Santa was very good to Jack, I am thinking he must have been a REALLY good boy this year!!! Pray for Jack to recover from his round of chemo he just finished and feel well until time for the next round.

For those of you who follow big Trevor, you know Pam has been telling us about Mikey. I had the pleasure of meeting Mikey and Dina on Christmas Eve. They are just the sweetest people. I want to ask you to please be praying for Mikey and PLEASE go to his CB site and leave him some encouraging messages. Mikey is an older "kid". I do not know how to explain his situation, but he is older than your normal St Jude kids but for some reason, ( I don't want to tell anything wrong, so I am gonna leave it at St Jude has it's reasons) St Jude accepted him into their treatment protocol. He lives in the Memphis area, and comes back and forth for his treatments. He can really use our prayers and our encouragement. He has a caringbridge site... it is Caringbridge.org/visit/michaelranderson I will post his link under the "Our Friends" section.

Also, Dax continues to get weaker everyday, but is still fighting to hang on. Please be in constant prayer for his family as the end nears it is getting more difficult to face each moment. All they need at this point outside of a miracle, are our prayers for their strength to face each moment. Lord, we come before you now and ask for your arms to be wrapped around Julie, Austin and each one of the family members and friends who are sitting vigil with Dax right now. Be with them Lord, You are their only comfort in this storm. We ask that Dax be at peace and in no pain. Father, we thank you for Julie and Austin and the love they have shared with each one of us by sharing Dax's story and life with us. We pray that many lives will be touched by this little guy and each life touched will live a better life because of him. Thank You Father for the privilege of coming to You in prayer to pray our hearts desires. Father, we pray our desires, but we accept your will. In Christ Name, Amen.

Take the opportunity to attend the church of your choice tomorrow and worship the great and awesome God that has given us our every breath. Don't forget to mark your calendars for our Prayer Evening next Wednesday evening beginning at 9:00.

BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS~