West Texas Missioner: Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Wednesday

Monday, December 17, 2018

Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Wednesday

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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).

Invitation to Prayer ... Tmorrow

Hi Friends,

One week until Christmas Eve ... can you believe it's already that time of year? Our local intercessors will be meeting at 11:00 this Wednesday, December 19, for prayer. We are now meeting in the prayer closet at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. And we can discuss at that time whether or not we want to meet on 12/26 or 1/2.

For our out-of-town intercessors... we continue to be so grateful you join us in praying for the children of the world, wherever you may be!

Please join us in lifting up the needs of vulnerable children around the world. Faces Of Children will be meeting at 11:00 this Wednesday, December 19, for prayer. We are now meeting in the prayer closet at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. I hope you can join them to pray together for children in our community and around the world!

Blessings,

Carrie

Dear Intercessors,

JOY! What a beautiful theme to celebrate this week.

I loved this devotional from Sarah Bessey on the theme of joy this week... given the work of our prayer groups as we turn head-on towards hard places and spaces, injustice and brokenness, it rings especially true.

"Joy isn't emotionally or spiritually or intellectually dishonest. Christian joy doesn't mean that we are sticking our heads in the sand and saying, "it's fine, we're fine, everything's fine" while running past the gutter of broken dreams, eyes averted. Joy isn't denial of grief or pretending happiness.

Now, now I know this: joy is the affirmation of the truest thing in this life.

Joy is born, not from pretending everything is fine, but from holding both hope and truth together. The Christian can stand in that liminal space, the place of grief, even there with joy. Why? Because joy is the affirmation of the thing that is truer than any trouble, any affliction: the affirmation that Love wins. Jesus is as good as we hope, it's all worth it, and all will be redeemed."

• Keep reading the rest of this devotional on joy ...

Even as we pray for vulnerable children in hard situations and sometimes wrestle with the feeling that hope and joy is a long way off... the very fact that we're praying for children means joy is never far away. So this week, I thought we'd pay attention to the old adage that says a picture is worth 1,000 words. And I went out to look for images of joy in the most unlikely places. As you pray this week, I pray you see the JOY of God in the faces of children.

Warmly,

Carrie