Jesus:  If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
(Luke 9:23)

We often sat directly in front of Steve at our church in Detroit. Steve worked as a prison guard and was missing half of one of his fingers. I always wondered why. The thing I remember most about Steve, though, is the way he sang out in his flat monotone, incapable of carrying a tune to save his life. I’m sure Steve knew he didn’t have a wonderful singing voice; he wasn’t motivated by vainglory. Rather, as he worshipped his Lord, he laid aside self-consciousness. In worship, he was God-conscious, not self-conscious.
 
       Self-conscious is one of dozens of words in my dictionary that start with self-. An excellent prayer exercise might be to sit in the Lord’s presence and read through the list of self- words. Which ones hit close to home? Perhaps you, like me, tend to be self-reliant, confident you can solve your own problems. Confess your failings; tell the Lord you want to deny, or lay aside, the quality that self- word describes and replace self- with God-. Oh, to be more concerned with God-esteem than self-esteem, to be God-centered, not self-centered!
 
Here are more ingredients for prayer this week:
 
1.  There is rejoicing in heaven because Greg Hodgson completed his race and met his Savior face-to-face last Tuesday. But there is grieving on earth by his family and friends left behind.  Be praying for them as they mourn and adjust to Greg’s absence.
 
2.  Cover in prayer the women’s conferencecoming up this Friday and Saturday. Ask the Lord to knock down barriers that might keep women away and to prepare the hearts of attendees to hear from Him in a fresh and powerful way. Pray for authentic and warm fellowship.
 
3.  Pray for Lorraine Kratt as she undergoes surgery on Friday for bladder cancer. From talking to Lorraine, I know that she shares Paul’s attitude in Philippians 1:20-21:  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Lorraine’s prayer is that the surgery will go just as God has planned; her hope is for a speedy recovery.
 
4.  Ramon Reyes has been diagnosed with liver cancer too advanced for standard radiation or chemo treatments. Doctors have given him a year at most to live. Ramon’s wife, Janet, reports that they are both at peace with the diagnosis. Pray that Ramon and Janet will receive the practical support and help they need, that the Lord will help them navigate the ups and downs as they live one day at a time, and that He will use whatever time Ramon has left to deepen his faith.
 
5.  Most of our small groups are starting this week. Pray that people new to Calvary and small groups will feel warmly welcomed. Pray that relationships of trust and mutual caring will be quickly established in each group. 
 
6.  Did you enjoy a breakfast burrito yesterday, served by the men of TLC? What an excellent reminder to be praying for them as they seek, with the Lord’s help, to rebuild their lives.

7.  Be faithful in praying for Jim and Lynette Hatcher in Vienna. Here are two recent, specific requests from the Hatchers:  Pray for Lynette’s English teaching outreach, which started up again this month. She has four eager adult students. Pray for open doors for spiritual conversation. Also pray for Jim’s first retreat with his regional leadership team coming up in 3 weeks. Field and area leaders from Germany, Romania, and the Czech Republic will be coming to Austria for 48 hours of meetings. Pray as we encourage them and provide leadership for them in the challenges they face. Read Jim’s full prayer letter here.
 

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Prayer Chair
Calvary Community Church of Brea