Southern California Fires

 

 

I'm sure you are aware of the fires here in Southern California.  The devastation is widespread and heart breaking.  We are not in danger at this time, but still under a wind and fire advisory through tomorrow.  Les took these pictures while on a bike ride this morning.  The Palisades Fire is about 25 miles from us as the crow flies

 

We were at the church Tuesday night for prayer and there were multiple trees down in our parking lot.  At least one car was damaged.  Driving home that night was probably one of the scariest ever, the wind was rocking us.

 

If you're looking for a way to help, a local LA restaurant, Calico Fish House, is about 30 miles south of the Palisades Fire.  They are allowing people to park/camp in their parking lot, providing free meals and collecting supplies. They are taking shipments directly from Amazon, Walmart, etc.  16600 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92649.  There is also a local veterinarian who has taken in over 40 animals and Calico Fish House is sending supplies to her as well.

Please help us pray for rain and calm!

After This Manner, Pray

 

We are currently in our annual week of prayer and fasting at Victory Tabernacle.  It's the best way to start a new year!  Our first prayer meeting was last Friday night and I have been starting each prayer time with Matthew 6, verses 9-10:

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

 

This is well known as the Lord's prayer.  I am not quoting these verses, but following the pattern.  "This prayer is not a strict form, but a pattern of prayer, and a directory to it, both as to brevity, order, and matter." (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible)  I timed myself reading these five verses very slowly and it took less than 30 seconds, so that is not at all what I'm suggesting. I use it as a pattern to direct my mind when I first start praying.  So if you're having trouble getting started in prayer here is my manner of praying:

Our Father which art in heaven, 

Before I start asking for things, the first thing I do is approach God, I acknowledging His authority in my life.  I thank Him for being a great Father to me.

 

Hallowed be thy name. 

I love the name that is above all names - Jesus!  I spend time praising and magnifying His great name.

 

Thy kingdom come, 

I want God's kingdom to increase.  I want our church collectively, and me personally, to have an impact on the lives around us.

 

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

It is here that I start praying for my needs and the needs of others.  Situations that need God's direction.  I want to follow His plan in every area of my life.

Give us this day our daily bread. 

We are so often consumed with the future, that we forget that God has enough for every day.  If I have my daily bread TODAY, I can trust that God will provide for tomorrow and for all my tomorrows.
 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

I examine my heart for sins and faults.  I also examine my heart towards others. Has someone hurt me?  Have I forgiven them?  I can't expect God to forgive me if I don't do the same.

 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: 

It is interesting that Jesus said after we pray for forgiveness to pray for deliverance from evil.  We're always going to face temptation, but we can trust that He will deliver us.

 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. 

This is a mouthful!  This is a declaration, a belief in God's kingdom and power and glory.

 

Amen.

So be it.  "The word itself implies a confident resting of the soul in God, with the fullest assurance that all these petitions shall be fulfilled to every one who prays according to the directions given before by our blessed Lord."  (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible)

Each of these steps take a different amount of time each time I pray.  Some days there are more needs to pray for than others.  Other times, needs come to mind later in my prayer so I redirect my thoughts that way.  I guess I should have called this a recipe, because just like my recipe for spaghetti sauce is never the same, my recipe for prayer is never the same.  But I keep doing!

2025

 

It's the second day of a new year.  I meant to post something yesterday, but spent the day taking Christmas down instead!  It's a lot of work, both putting it up and taking it down, but I love how my house looks for the holidays.  I also love how clean it seems after everything is put away.

Goals?  Resolutions?  Plans for 2025?  

I'm a bit blank on these right now:

I finished reading my Bible for the year on Tuesday and started a new plan on Wednesday.  I got behind a couple of times last year - both times when we were out of the country.  I was able to catch up within a week and now I'm back in Genesis!  It never gets old.

I've got to drop some weight - pounds that have slowly snuck back on in the past two years.  I know what to do - track, track, track what I eat!  Too much sugar and not enough water need to change. I won't eliminate sugar completely, I just need to cut back a lot.

 

OUCH!

I've started the year with a run many times, but this year I kicked my year off with a bike ride!  It was a chilly one - about 43 degrees the entire time.  It was a gorgeous first day of the year and hit about 70 mid afternoon.  I'm looking at blue skies as I work on this post.

I looked back and realized that I never wrote about our vehicle change in 2024.  We started the year with three cars - our faithful 1992 Saturn and our 2006 Porsche Cayenne here in California.  We also had a 2008 Saturn Aura in Hawaii.  When we went to Hawaii in March, we cleared out everything and gave our car away.  Over the summer, our other Saturn started giving us trouble.  It died while at a stop light when Les was driving it a couple of times.  The second time, it wouldn't start at all so we had it towed to our mechanic.  The cost for repairs along with money we have spent the last two years, finally pushed us over the edge and we chose to donate it to charity instead.  It served us so well for over 32 years, but it was time to let it go.

 

Now we only have one car!  It's been four months and we've made it work.  Since Les works from home, it's hasn't been too challenging.  I've been forced to think ahead if I need anything on Saturday because that's usually when Les will take the car to meet friends for a bike ride.  Other than that, we're content to just have one car for now.

I'm very thankful that we were both healthy in 2024, minor colds/flu were all we dealt with.  Les continues to enjoy his job. We're anxiously awaiting the day when we can break ground on our new church property!  We're believing 2025 will be the year when things really change for Victory Tabernacle.  We are bursting at the seams and are so excited for this next stage.

Happy New Year and may this be your best year yet!