 
November 2007
Dear Precious Parent: This is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a day for family and friends to come together and count their many blessings and be thankful. I trust you have a great Thanksgiving! Gary and I are so very thankful to our God. He has blessed us beyond what we could ever have imagined. The greatest blessing is to see our children walking with God. What is better than that? THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS! This month on the Precious Prayer Calendar (scroll down) there are many inspiring Scriptures regarding PRAISE and THANKSGIVING. What a joy to pray these Scripture prayers over our children (whether infants, toddlers, adolescents, teens or adults) let us pray and believe that God will answer our prayers. May our children (and grandchildren) become individuals who fix their eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith, and as they do so--may their hearts overflow with praise and thanksgiving to their Lord and Savior and may the result show in a life well lived to the glory of God. Precious parent, let us come boldly to the throne of our loving God knowing He answers prayer, James 5:15b, "The prayer of a righteous person (Mom and Dad) is powerful and effective." By the way, in the picture of me, I am sitting on the front porch of our new ministry center, Shalom Lighthouse Cove, having my quiet time with the Lord. God is so wonderful to lead us to this new beautiful place. Be sure to read Gary's letter for more information (click here Letter from President Gary Barrett ) I shared this last month, but I believe it is worth repeating: Recently I was listening to a Christian radio program and heard Charles Swindoll say, "One of the most convicting verses in all of Scripture is found in James Chapter 2, 'You do not have because you do not ask.'" WOW, nine words that truly say a lot. Pause and think about that truth for a few seconds or even a few minutes . . . and then make that commitment to pray DAILY. It will change your life and the lives of the people you pray for.
I close with this prayer from Jude 1:24-25, "To Him who is able to keep you (and me, as well as our precious families) from falling and to present you (us) before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Love Rhonda PS: Scroll down to view the Parents' Scripture Prayer Calendar this month. As always, feel free to print out and use the Scripture Prayer Calendar to pray for your children and grandchildren. I print out the calendar and put it with my Bible so that I can write on the calendar specific prayer requests--depending on what is going on in my family's lives. And I see God answer prayers, WOW, Truly He is FAITHFUL! PSS: Gary and I became Christians in 1978. In the last 29 years, we have shared our salvation testimony, perhaps a dozen times. Our past is not something we are proud of. For the first time online:
31 Powerful Ways to PRAY for Your Children* 1. Salvation. "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they receive the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10). 2. Grow in Grace. "I pray my children grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). 3. Love. "Lord, may my children learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit living in them" (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2). 4. Honesty and Integrity. "May integrity and honesty be my children's virtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21). 5. Self-control. "Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do" (I Thess. 5:6). 6. Love God's Word. "May my children find Your Word more precious than gold and sweeter than honey" (Ps.19:10). 7. Justice. "God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do" (Ps. 11:7, Mic. 6:8). 8. Mercy. "May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful" (Lu. 6:36). 9. Respect (for self, others, authority). "Father, grant that my children show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands" (1 Pet. 2:17). 10. Biblical self-esteem. "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the truth that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10). 11. Faithfulness. "Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, may they wear them like a necklace, write love and faithfulness deep within their hearts" (Prov. 3:3). 12. Courage. "May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions" (Dt. 31:6). 13. Purity. "Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Ps. 51:10). 14. Kindness. "Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else" (I Thess. 6:18-19). 15. Generosity. "Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age" (1 Tim. 6:18-19). 16. Peace-loving. "Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace" (Rom. 14:19). 17. Joy. "May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6). 18. Perseverance (not give up). "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them" (Heb 12:1). 19. Humility. "God, please develop in my children gentleness and true humility toward all people" (Titus 3:2). 20. Compassion. "Lord, please clothe my children with compassion, may they truly care for people" (Col. 3:12). 21. Responsible. "God, help my children be responsible, may they learn what they should do and do it" (Gal 6:5). 22. Contentment. "Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Jesus who gives them strength" (Phil. 4:12-13). 23. Faith. "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that they live a life of faith, so they please their Father" (Lk. 17:5-6, Heb. 11:1-40). 24. Servant's Heart. "God, please help my children develop servants' hearts, that they serve with their whole heart, as they serve the Lord and not men" (Eph. 6:7). 25. Hope. "May the God of hope grant that my children overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit's power" (Rom. 15:13). 26. Willingness and Ability to Work. "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard and cheerfully, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23). 27. Passion for God. "Lord, please give my children a soul that follows You close ('follows hard after You'--KJV), a heart that clings passionately to you" (Ps. 63:8). 28. Self-discipline. "Father, I pray my children be disciplined and do what is right and just and fair" (Prov. 1:3). 29. Pray. "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives be consistent in prayer, that they learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph 6:18). 30. Thankful. "Help my children live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20, Col. 2:7). 31. Heart for Missions. "Lord, please help my children develop a desire to see Your glory, Your Name, Your marvelous deeds declared among the nations, (especially the Deaf Nation all over the world" (Ps. 96:3).
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Many years ago, I started this web page
letter to encourage parents (that is, you and me) as we
pray for our children to DO IT--to truly be parents who
pray. The Scripture Prayer Calendar below helps me, and I
trust it helps you too as you pray for your loved ones.
I am challenged
by the words of the prophet Samuel, "Far be it from me that I
should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for
you"(my
precious family!).
