Invitation to Prayer: Wednesday

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Fearless Conversation with God

“To pray unceasingly, as St. Paul asks us to do, would be completely impossible if it meant to think constantly about God….To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather, it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as we begin to divide our thoughts into thoughts about God and thoughts about people and events, we remove God from our daily life to a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and experience pious feelings.

Although it is important and even indispensable for the spiritual life to set apart time for God and God alone, prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts—beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful—can be thought in the presence of God. Thus, converting our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer moves us from a self-centered monologue to a God-centered dialogue ...

To pray unceasingly is to lead all our thoughts out of their fearful isolation into a fearless conversation with God. Jesus’ life was a life lived in the presence of God.Jesus kept nothing, absolutely nothing, hidden from God’s face. Jesus’ joys, his fears, his hopes, and his despairs were always shared with God”

Clowning in Rome by Henri J. M. Nouwen

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Intercessor,

The Midland Faces of Children prayer group will meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. in our new regular spot, the Family Life Center conference room off of the gym (the old weight room) at First Presbyterian Church-Midland. Lunch ($5) and fellowship will follow our time of prayer.

If you have prayer concerns or celebrations about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris