Prayer & Praise
Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Genesis 22:1-14
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
 Psalm 16
 Preserve me, O God, * for in you have I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said unto the Lord, * “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
All my delight is upon the saints who are on the earth, * and upon those who excel in virtue.
But those who run after another god * shall have great trouble.
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, * neither make mention of their names with my lips.
The Lord himself is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; * you shall maintain my lot.
The boundaries have fallen for me in pleasant places; * indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
I will thank the Lord for giving me counsel; * my heart also chastens me in the night season.
I have set the Lord always before me; * he is at my right hand, therefore I shall not fall.
Therefore, my heart is glad and my soul rejoices. * My flesh also shall rest in hope.
 For you shall not leave my soul in the grave, * neither shall you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
You shall show me the path of life; in your presence is the fullness of joy, * and at your right hand there is pleasure for evermore.
 Romans 8:31-39
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
   we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Mark 8:27-38
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Bringing praises to God this morning, and deep, heartfelt thanks to Michael and the community here for your prayers — I had my surgery on Feb 19; I thought I’d be in the hospital by myself the whole time (no spouse), but the hospital abruptly changed its covid policy: on my surgery day it was in flux enough that they let my husband inside and he was not only able to wait in the surgery waiting room, but they brought him up to the room afterwards, and the following day the new visitor policy was official, and my husband was able to come visit every day of my 4-day stay (even though the policy said 1 visitor per patient for only a 3 hour time, nobody on my floor chased him out and he was there pretty much all day). I made it through my surgery OK, and am finally home (stayed with relatives for several days after being discharged). Again, I cherish you all and thank you so much for your prayers. Now comes the weeks of recovery, and I continue to pray for each person here, especially the Phoenix Preacher himself, as they navigate through the current uncertainties and the struggles of church, theology, politics, and what living in a Christ-honoring way in these times looks like now. May God continually bless you all and provide constant comfort & solace for all of your concerns.
Sarah,
That is a wonderful report…I was hoping to hear good news from you today!
Thank you for letting us pray for you and your complete recovery…
please remember in prayer
Everstudy – Update on my request…The daughter has been located, but told the police that she is not a missing person and does not want to be looked for. Because she is 18, the missing person case is closed. Understandably, the family is heartbroken, so prayers for all appreciated
sarahmorgan – recovering from surgery ,,,,awaiting test results…
Michael – My heart is acting up
Em – So me, big decisions loom calling for wisdom beyond my ken – if you think of it prayer for God’s guidance would be gratefully accepted
Linnea – I woke up with every joint in my body in pain. It continued to get worse and initial blood tests show I may have an autoimmune disorder. I can’t get in to see a rheumatologist until the end of March and the pain has almost rendered me non-functional. Will you pray God relieves the pain? Thank you…
Bob Sweat – Many of you know of the journey that I have been on these past years regarding my returning to pastoral ministry. There has been supporting, as well as opinions of disapproval. I have posted before that my heart’s desire would be to find a small church that wants an older pastor to come and faithfully teach the Word of God and love His people.
While I was hoping that a small church would be in the Pacific Northwest, a church in Iowa has contacted me about a pastoral position. They have watched me teach via a Zoom session where I told them that the basis for me to accept a call to pastor them would not only be based on God’s direction but also the opportunity for my wife and me to meet the people. Their committee met and have unanimously agreed to fly us to Iowa.
If I accept the position, I would be returning to my roots, which is the Friends Church. I spent 30 years of my life pastoring 5 different Friends Churches in 5 different states. I can honestly say, that Iowa was never on my radar! I pastored a church in Kansas back in the 80’s, and it was the finest group of people that I ever had the opportunity to pastor.
This is not a done deal. We would be leaving our family to move 1600 miles away. I am feeling both blessed and scared. I am posting this on PP because many of you have faithfully prayed and encouraged me over the years. Please pray that my passion to serve the Lord in this capacity would not cloud my judgement.
Em – Need prayer cover up here in the mountains – my daughter (nurse) went out to go to work and noticed what looked like oil on the ground. Someone had drained all the oil out of her car AND her truck She going to work in my car which just had a new engine installed – hoping they didn’t empty it also. We’ve got people moving up here now that aren’t good folk, to put it mildly… and we do need prayer for protection now
Captain Kevin -appointment with a gastroenterologist. Was able to get on a sliding scale plan with county hospital. Not cheap, but definitely helpful.
No doubt I’ll need labs and radiology tests, but I’m thanking the Lord for this opportunity and hoping to finally get some answers and treatments for whatever is going on with my digestive system.
Dan from Georgia -My father-in-law passed away due to COVID-19. He was 77. Prayers appreciated for wife and I and my sister-in-law and her daughter.
Mike E. – my daughter and her young family,There are four of them. They all have Covid. My grandsons, a13-year-old and a one-year-old have Covid, as do both her mother and father.
Duane Arnold – my mother is in assisted living.
Martin Luther’s Disciple – my 96 yr old mother in law is in a similar situation in SoCal.
Jlo – my niece’s husband Aaron is having a tougher time of it. Has a persistent cough and fever. He has new meds today so hopefully he has a breakthrough.
Michael – Ray Garza is in the hospital with Covid 19
Michael – Tom Stipe is in the hospital with kidney failure from sepsis
Captain Kevin – job related difficulties, housing situation, pain everywhere, depression, my GI issues are getting worse. Not sure if the symptoms are related, but I’m also having low back and pelvic floor pain. I’ve lost 26 lbs in the last 5 months, and not because I’m trying. I had been wanting to lose weight, but not this way. Honestly, I’m afraid.
Em – Victoria, homeless with a cat, shelters won’t allow the cat in and the cat is all she has.
Erunner – Our brother in law who is in his early 50’s has learned that his carotid artery is 70% blocked. It appears he will be undergoing surgery. They have also found an issue with his heart. He’s a believer with a gentle and wise spirit.
Please pray for him, his wife, and their three grown children.
London – My brother, a healthcare provider, and SIL tested positive for covid
Raina R. – my sister-in-law. having horrible headaches and recovering from surgery
jtk – for our outreach to the university.many have considered suicide. This is so urgent in my heart and spirit.
Em – my daughter on city council would br appreciated, received 24 plus threatening Emails demanding that they disband their police department
Our Phoenix Preacher family , health, healing, joy, peace
Kelly -I have a real need to continue to see my counselor. In addition to the other reasons I see him for I have been having day long panic attacks, on top of the depression and PTSD-C symptoms.
Alissa -My sweet husband has Autism and was let go from his job.
Patrik -Pray for me, an ER nurse in Indianapolis.
Dan form Georgia – I work in aviation/transportation. We are getting hit HARD as many of you know. I am not even confident when I go into work everyday that it will be my last day (layoff or termination). Also struggling a lot with anxiety.
Chris -My wife started her second career as a nurse on the hospital floor that they treat the Covid patients.
Linneia – joint and muscle aches
Nancy – discernment of an unexpected opportunity to become a more public advocate for the homeless,
Em – daughter is healing from fracture spine
Linnea – for Greg, treated for an aggressive brain cancer and thought he was clear, but it has roared back. healing and that he and his wife come to know the Lord.
Paige – a family issue and the silencing of a lying gossip who is spreading slander about me to family members and others. It’s an on going issue that is quite perplexing, and apparently demonic. Twisted, delusional and strange.
cash – depression , PTSD
David H – Bell’s Palsy . Right side of my face is paralyzed. Prednisone and an antiviral.
Michael – heart aneurysm and a bad valve, bad back and neck issues.
JD – Marshal whose mother told him that she doesn’t love him
Linnea – Jon and Sarah. Please pray that they would know God’s love and would follow Him out of horrible lifestyles to freedom.
Michael, Rick, Joel, Dan, capt. Kevin, Owen – wand to hear from God in their prayer life
JTK – ongoing back issue.
David H – Aunt Ramona has Adenocarcinoma primary lung cancer.
Victor – chronic back pain
Linnea – sister salvation
Paige – 4 boys to be pleasing to God
Had a colonoscopy a few days ago. Dr. found and removed 9 polyps. Follow-up with dr this coming Thursday to find out the pathology.
Sarah, good news! Continuing to pray for you.
Great news, Sarah!
In the ER with heart issues again. Prayers appreciated
Prayers are ascending.
@10:30 pm
Praying 4 u.
I’m home…thank you for your prayers…
couldn’t sleep, so up on computer….
praying Michael…
Continuing prayer, Michael.