Happy New Year

I've decided to change the background of this prayer journal/blog to reflect breast cancer awareness and the very real need for prayer on behalf of the women and families dealing with this disease.
I have been praying for my sweet friend Heather who is now in treatment for breast cancer discovered in November. Today I found out that another woman (Tara), who has been post breast cancer and treatment for a few years, is now dealing with what appears to be lung cancer. Physicians believe this is not a recurrence but the original cancer which was not eradicated. Tara is in her late thirties & married with four children, the youngest of whom is four years old.
As I consider the new year, my heart breaks for these women and their husbands as they face uncertainty and fear in 2012.

Father, I bring Heather & Tara before your throne as they are dealing with this disease. I first bring their minds and spirits to you and pray peace over them. I pray for wisdom as they face decisions and ask you to touch their medical teams with anointing and insight. I pray for their husbands as they stand with their precious wives, comfort and strengthen them. Let this painful time in their lives reveal a depth of love and compassion that they have not known before. Strengthen their loved ones and create a circle of prayer and support around them. Thank you for this opportunity to intercede and to stand against this attack. I speak life in the name of your Son. Amen.

Heavenly Father, I praise you and magnify you above all of the stresses and concerns that so preoccupy me. I thank you for meeting my needs this weekend, for a calm heart and attitude. I thank you for the tangible answer to my need for staff to work this weekend. I thank you for your hedge around my life and your faithfulness to me. Thank you for the unspeakable gift of your son that has saved me.
Please be with Heather as she continues her cancer treatment. Give her strength as she endures this trial and give her complete deliverance from this cancer. Relieve the worry in her home and in those who love her so much. I thank you for this friend you have brought into my life, for her sweet spirit and her openness to your love and favor.
Touch the family of Amy Ahonen who endured this holiday season without her. Bring the answers to her disappearance forward and allow the proper closure of this horrible situation. Her loved ones live in daily torment and even the answer they dread will be at least a truth from which to go forward.
Touch my mom and continue to give her relief from her knee pain. Go with her as she has her tests tomorrow and alleviate any anxiety she is experiencing.
Thank you God, for being more than my mind can comprehend. Thank you for your love which I cannot describe. Amen.

Dear Lord, I need to bring myself to you today. My pride struggles against my need for your touch. I need you to calm the anxiety I am experiencing about working this weekend. I confess that I feel resentful and that I have been giving in to fear that there will not be adequate staff. I confess that I have been angry and focusing on other people's errors. I repent of this attitude Father because I know that without my own repentance, you cannot change my heart.
I ask you for faithfulness of the staff to work as they are scheduled to work and not to leave their co-workers short staffed. I ask you to be with the patients and potential patients who need our help and to give a spirit of peace so that even within the wall of the hospital we experience the miracle of this time. I ask you to change my perspective and to remind me that I will be working not because of other people but because you, who holds my life, has so ordained this. I thank you for the quietness that has begun to settle within me even now as I am praying. I ask you to guard my mind and my heart that I would no longer be subject to this feeling of stress and unhappiness because I give it to you and I bind the attack of the enemy against me.
I know that it is a privilege to be the one entrusted with this time at the hospital. My mind does not accept this thought but my spirit knows the truth. I ask for wisdom and self-discipline to bring your joy and love into the hospital this weekend. I thank you for my own health and the health of my family. For all of those sitting at the bedside of loved ones in hospitals, I ask your touch. And again, I repent of my anger that I will be working for it is by your grace and mercy that I am not one of those sitting at bedside.
I praise you and I purposefully give you this time with thankfulness and worship. I know that this is the time we remember that you sent your Son, Messiah Emanuel to redeem us. To truly honor this my place is not in comfort and relaxation but to be among those whom you came to save and to be a small reflection of your love.
Touch me God, change me and continue to uphold me as I face this challenge. Help me to bring glory to you. Make yourself known in large and small ways in the hospital. Replace every negative aspect with love. I know you are good, you are my God.

Lord, forgive me for breezing over my time with you the last few days. Certainly the tiredness in my body and mind is for want of enough time in your presence. I thank you for your grace that covers over me and your mercy that goes before me. You truly are all that I need and the only answer needed for every question we ask.
Touch my friend Heather. I feel a deep need to bring her to you, I ask you to relieve her of pain as she continues her treatment. Strengthen her body, give her a particular sensitivity to the peace and love in her home and let her be bathed in your spirit. Give her restful and deep sleep. Give her distraction to keep her mind and heart joyful and hopeful when she is feeling discouraged. Give her laughter. Be with Heather's mom, Jerry, Chelaine and those who are close by her during this time. Afford them extra strength and faith and give them an anointed insight to care for Heather in the smallest details. Let your throne of grace stand over their home and post angels at the corners and at the doors standing guard over her heart, mind and body. Let the medical team caring for Heather feel the powerful move of your hand and may it be so great that they know it is Almighty God in their presence. Right now Lord, in the name of Jesus I bind thoughts, words and actions that express fear and pain. I speak life, healing, laughter, joy and restoration to every cell of Heather's body. I thank you for the Holy Spirit that brings Heather to our minds and for your great love for her. Surround her right now. I thank you and I worship and praise you for your daughter and her friendship and for her future...with promise and purpose and all things for the good and to your glory. You are so good. Amen.

Baby Rowan came through her surgery great, going home in a few weeks.
Emily Taylor is home from the hospital and starting her recovery.
My mom is experiencing no pain in her knees.
My friend Heather is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.


Thank you, Heavenly Father, for doing miracle after miracle these last few weeks. Words are not enough to capture the worship you deserve. Thank you for your gracious touch on Baby Rowan, Emily and my mom. Thank you for the strength you are giving right now to Heather. Continue the good work you have started. Continue to be strength in the weakness of our bodies and spirits.
Be with my friend Louise and give her strength and health in her body. Give her relief from medical concerns. Touch my friend Deborah and give her wisdom as she deals with her illness as well as restored joy and peace. Close the mouth of the enemy when he whispers discouragement. If it is your will, provide a miraculous healing in her body.
We thank you for your grace and mercy. We praise you and lift you on high. There is no illness, no sadness and no situation above you. You are good, you are God.

Today my heart is still on Baby R. God, she has another day before her surgery and she needs your touch. I thank you for the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be thinking of this child and I praise you that your eyes are on her. Be with her mom and dad today as they sign consents and spend their last hours with her before they turn their precious daughter over to surgeons and nurses. Protect her tiny body from any harm, give her strength to sustain anethesia and the work they will do on her heart. Give the doctors complete and miraclous success and give Baby R a quick recovery in the arms of her family. Let a spirit of peace fall over the entire family and friends who stand in prayer for Baby R. Touch deeply in the hearts of her mom and dad, give them rest and strength to face the days ahead and turn any sadness and fear into joy and faith. You are good. You are God. Amen.

Meet Rosie. Isn't she beautiful? Rosie is the brand new granddaughter of my friend Mrs. Mac and she was born on Monday morning. Rowan has a congenital heart defect and will be having surgery on December 16. Won't you pray with me?

Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful precious little one. Her very life is such a miracle we can scarcely imagine it and yet, you allow us to know her. Touch her little body. Of course Father, we ask you to give her a complete and miraculous healing, we ask that the doctors will be baffled when they examine her, finding her heart whole healthy and perfect. But if, God, you so ordain that she will have this surgery, we pray for no only this sweet baby, we pray for her surgeons and nurses and every person who will work with her. We ask for supernatural wisdom and skill and even joy as they take care of her. Touch their minds and still any struggles happening in their lives that they will have no distraction from their duties. Bless the halls and rooms of the hospital. Speak faith and courage into the spirits of her mama and daddy and family. Thank you God, for this sweet sweet child. Be glorified in her. Amen.

Heather-my friend who is in post surgery treatment for breast cancer.

Diane-my friend who is dealing with some health issues and feels "fluish."

Kelly's family-coughing and feeling crummy.

Lord, you see the small and the large cares in homes and in families. I continue to bring my sweet friend Heather before your throne as we claim complete health for her. We also ask for you to give her strength and make these weeks of treatment ahead of her as easy as possible. Provide a supernatural peace to her heart and sustain her joy and trust in you. Be also with Diane who is such an encourager to all of us who know her. Relieve her of these symptoms she is experiencing today as you continue to provide complete restoration to her body. Satan is a liar who wants to steal her peace and health but we come against him and bind him by the blood of your son. Touch the Turpin house as they are dealing with feeling sick. Protect Maddy and Elek from catching whatever this is and give quick relief to Kelly, Michael and Ian.
Be in homes that need you to strengthen their relationships. Let us all be humble in love with one another and constant in expressing love and encouragement to each other. Teach us to be sensitive and to learn how to best show those around us that they are treasured and important to us. Fill our homes with your light and drive away the darkness that clouds our minds and emotions. Thank you. You are good. You are God.

My mom-awaiting knee replacement in January and in a lot of pain.
My friend Heather-post surgery for breast cancer and undergoing treatment.
Ricky-young man battling a severe infection from Crohn's disease.
Kingswood Hospital

Lord I thank you for another day and as I see the temperature this morning is 15F, I am overwhelmed with this life you have chosen for me. My family is waking up inside of warm walls with food in the pantry. We all have jobs. We are all healthy.
Please continue to be with my mom and give her relief from the pain in her knee. Protect her from injury and falls and give her a feeling of energy and peace through the holidays. Touch my sweet friend Heather. As she deals with treatment for this disease, be her guard and her strong tower. As the treatment fulfills the work of her complete healing, give her also energy and minimal side effects. May she find deep peace in your and a deep sense of sureness. Calm anxiety in her mind and those of us who love her. Bring compassionate and believing people into her path to lift her up. We have already received and thanked you for her complete and total healing. Give her strength for this step so that this time can change from battle into testimony. Thank you that you are continuing to be with Ricky and I ask you to complete his healing, deliver him from this infection and restore him to health and strength.
God I come to you as well with Kingswood Hospital. You see how the enemy can use my job to cause me anxiety and stress. I give you this job and the hospital. I ask for peace and for a sweet spirit in that place. I ask you to give strength to the staff and wisdom to the leadership. You are good. You are God. Amen.

Prema-Co-worker fell and broke her elbow.

Emily-Still recovering but doing well.

Pat-my mom and her knee pain.

Devon-son of my friend Becky, getting wisdom teeth removed today.

Lord, I thank you for another day and another opportunity to talk to you. You have blessed me and my family so far beyond what we could ask and you continue to go before us to provide the things we don't know we need. Thank you for you hand on Emily, continue to be with her and most of all please touch her heart and give her a deep knowledge of your presence in her life that will remain with her for all of her days. Give Prema comfort from her pain as this injury heals and help her to somehow enjoy her time off at home. Day by day, give my mom relief from the pain in her knee and protect her from further falls or injury. Go before her and give her a miraculous recovery from her surgery next month and ease any anxiety she is experiencing. As Devon goes for his wisdom teeth removal, give him a quiet heart and a successful and quick surgery. Let him be comfortable as he recovers and let his recovery be quick.
Finally this morning, God, I pray for Kingswood Hospital. I ask you for a refreshing of the staff. This can be such a hard time for staff who deal with patients who do not have warm homes or loving families. Let your sweet spirit descend on the hospital and give all of us there an extra measure of patience and compassion. I know it is a privilege to be given charge over this place and I am sorry for the moments that my attitude is not one of gratitude and joy. Touch hearts, including mine. You are good. You are God. Amen.

Emily Taylor-All tubes and IVs out and sitting up in a chair, tiring easily but on track to come home next week. Hallelujah!

Family of co-worker-going through multiple issues including depression & kids are having various problems.

Good friend of mine has some difficult decisions to make, needs both wisdom and courage.

Lord, thank you for the miracle you have performed in the life of Emily. Thank you for the joy her family is experiencing and the testimony that is coming from this potential tragedy. Please continue to be with her, strengthen her and give her total healing. Father, there seem to be so many people suffering from emotional and spiritual attacks of the enemy. I speak against the spirit of depression, rebellion and deception that is creeping into homes and families. I pray against the attacks being sustained by your children that are bringing discouragement and shaking their trust in you and in others. I ask you to make yourself known in every situation. I invite you into my life more deeply and to use me for your glory. I submit myself as a vessel of healing and restoration where you would find fit to use me.
Jesus I thank you for the gift you have brought into our broken lives to redeem us and restore us. I worship you, you are God and you are holy. You are above all of the attacks of the enemy and you are mighty to save. I glorify your name in the earth and declare victory by the blood you shed. I love and worship you.
Thank you Father for your ever-present hand to rescue and heal us. Thank you for peace and joy. Depart wisdom and where it is needed, bring conviction into hearts so that we may repent and be made whole. You are good. You are God. Amen.

Kevin Kinsel-Co-worker, his dad died just before Thanksgiving. Kevin is sick this week and has to leave on Monday for a 2 week out of state training.

Emily Taylor-Continues to improve, hoping for transfer to a rehab floor today.

Anna-Coworker, finished treatment for breast cancer but is now experiencing side effects of radiation.

Mike-Coworker, experienced a sudden detached retina a few weeks ago. Still experiencing pain and increased pressure in that eye.

Lord, please be with Kevin as he tries to care for his mom and prepare to go out of town. Give him strength in his health and in his emotions. Be with his mom as well and give her strength so that when Kevin leaves on Monday he can feel assured that she'll be ok. Thank you Father for Emily's recovery! Continue to be with her and provide strength and her desire to come home before Christmas. Thank you that this has become a topic to talk about your goodness. Touch Anna and give her complete healing from this attack on her health that is entering its second year. Help her not to become discouraged and touch the finances of her family as they deal with her illness. Continue to heal Mike's eye, thank you for the good report that his pressure is down and I ask you to complete the work you have begun in him.
God be with all of us at Kingswood Hospital. Give us patience and wisdom with one another and with the work we do. Allow us a spirit of joy in what can be such a dark place. I ask for supernatural peace in the halls of Kingswood. I give you this day, lead me to thoughts and actions that bring you glory. You are good. You are God. Amen.

Amy Ahonen-Sister of one of our former youth kids, Annette. Amy went missing on July 3 in Colorado. Her jeep with her purse, keys and phone were found parked on the side of a freeway. There has been no sign of Amy since.





Emily Taylor-Continuing in prayer as she daily grows stronger and recovers.





Davis Family-18 year old Demia Davis was found dead in her dorm room two weeks ago, apparent seizure.





Bianca Jones-2 year old girl who went missing in Detroit this weekend. Dad claims a car jacking but car was found almost immediately and he has failed a polygraph.





Lord, thank you for this beautiful cold winter morning. Thank you that my family all slept in warm beds last night. Be with those who will be driving this morning and give us safe travel. Guard my heart and my mind today, let my spirit be soft and teach me to be an encourager to those I work with. Continue to have your hand on Emily as she recovers from her injuries. I pray for her future, that she will not suffer any long term effects from this accident and that she will quickly be home to enjoy Christmas with her mom and dad. Father, only you know where Amy is. You know if she is alive or has passed. And you know the anguish of her loved ones. If she is alive, bring her home by some means so that she can be restored to her family. Even if she has not survived, bring answers and closure to her family. Ease their hearts as they must be suffering terribly during this time of year, longing to have her home. Somewhere, someone may have information. Touch them Lord and compel them to make this right. Dear God, there is so much fear for little Bianca. Help the police find her. If her dad has some information, bring conviction to his heart. If she is alive, protect her until she can be returned to her mom. As for her mom and family, be with them now. This is a nightmare all parents dread, only you can be her strength. Also be with the mom of Demia, this mom who worked so hard alone to raise her daughter and has lost her too soon. Draw close to her now and provide comfort in these dark days. Bring to mind the beauty and sweetness of this daughter she raised so well and give her a vision of Demia now with you. Thank you God for your goodness and mercy. This day is yours, help me to please you in it. You are good. You are God. Amen.

Emily Taylor-16 years old, daughter of my boss from Wyandotte, MI. In a serious car accident over the weekend. Was on a vent over night and taken off on Sunday morning. Fractured vertebrate, ribs and 4 fractures of her pelvis, head injury and collapsed lung. Update today: awake and moving all four extremities. Physical therapy will see her today but they are optimistic that they will be able to avoid surgery and recover with PT. Her family is hoping for the chest tube to come out today if her lung can remain inflated. Neurology is very pleased with her responses.

The Clifton Family-Parents caring for their two adult children who were injured in a car accident several years ago. Their kids are both wheel-chair bound and minimally responsive.

Hazel Baily-Mom of my friend Yvonne Davis. In Wyandotte Hospital with pneumonia. Additional tests pending today for lung function.

Pat Trent-My mom, awaiting knee replacement and in a lot of pain.

Lord, thank you for this new day and the opportunity to find a new way to commit myself to intercession. First I thank you for the many blessings you have given my family. I thank you for my two healthy children and my husband, that we are all able to get up each morning and go to work. I thank you for the provision of a home and for the generational protection you have given us. I thank you for your son, by whom we are secure and redeemed.
Please continue to be with Emily today, as we thank you for the miracles you have already done in her life. Give her mom and dad strength and peace as they care for her. Give the medical team compassion and wisdom. Allow her a quick recovery without surgery if it is your will. Touch her lung and restore it completely. Knit the fractures of her bones together without lingering pain or weakness at the injury points. Let her sleep be restful and restorative and give her family rest as well. Let this terrible moment in time be life-changing for everyone involved as they see what a loving and powerful God you are in Emily's life.
Continue to reach into the Clifton home with peace, power and joy. Through impossible circumstances, give these parents a supernatural ability to take a step toward a new definition of their lives that welcomes a spirit of deep peace against all odds. Through their pain and exhaustion, make your presence known and felt. Touch their sweet children God and be with them within their spirits and remind us all that you are in communication with them even when they seem locked within themselves. Give them peace and joy. If they are experiencing any pain or discomfort of fear, in Jesus name I speak against that and say today that their battle is over and the time of restoration is here. Give those who love them most and grieve for the loss of their healthy children complete relief in their spirits.
Be with Hazel as you have been for her entire life. Give her deep peace, give her doctors wisdom and give her family peace as well. Take any anxiety away that they are experiencing. Touch her lungs and her body and give her strength and wellness.
Touch my mom today Lord, put your hand upon her and give her relief from the pain in her knees. Give her added strength and energy to deal with this time in her life. Protect her from falls and injury and finally, give wisdom and skill to her doctors.
There are so many more needs. There are individual needs, health, emotional, spiritual, financial. There are needs in our towns and country and in the world. I know there is no answer but you, I ask you to touch your people and ignite a love and compassion within us that will compel us to reach out and make a difference in this broken world. Soften us individually and forgive us for our hardness and intolerance. You are good. You are God. Thank you for sending your Son to redeem us even when we act like spoiled children who keep pulling our hands out of yours. Meet these needs in Jesus name.
Amen.

Why?

Heaven knows I have not the time nor the creativity to keep up with two blogs. This really is not intended to be a blog so much as a prayer journal. This was inspired by the story of this family, shared by my friend Diane.
I came home from work one day and read the story and realized something. There are better things to do than to think about how much I dislike my job. Or to be petty or selfish or pity myself over the minor inconveniences in life. As I started to pray for this family, I found myself saying, "Lord, what shall I pray for? Will you heal them? Will you strengthen them? What Lord?"
And the Lord then pressed farther in and led me to make contact with them through Diane. Again, why Lord? What could I possibly say? The answer came, "Tell them you know they are there. Through this, they will know I am there."
Ahh, a better thing to do.
So here I will try to make a place to focus and to pray and to make the statement to whomever should stumble across it, God knows you are there.
When I am permitted, I will pray here by name. Otherwise, you may find that the details are fuzzy. Regardless, there is no bottom to the need for prayer. Should you care to join me, you are of course welcome and appreciated. Comments are lovely but not expected.
This is for the people who feel that they have been too long in the wilderness and that their pain has become invisible. Those whose suffering has become so commonplace to others that perhaps they are almost forgotten.
From my heart and from the heart of God,
I know you are there.
Dear God. Oh my God. As I started to read about this family, I confess that I wanted to be a coward. I wanted to stop reading because it was too awful. Perhaps the most awful thing, short of death, that I've ever heard of a family to endure. God, I fear this mom and dad feel forgotten by you. Who would feel much differently in such circumstances? Lord, I want to crawl inside myself and cry just reading this. Please Lord, touch them. Touch them deep in their souls where the deepest wounds refuse to heal. It would be a miracle if these children were restored but God it is no less a miracle if these parents' spirits are not destroyed. God of miracles and mercy, be known within the walls of this house. Bring the miracle of peace and joy across its thresh holds. Let wisdom be seated deep within their minds and peace that they act with favor from you in every step they take. In Jesus name, I bring them to you.