Life as a Christian Woman

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17

Do you ever wonder what Heaven will be like? Dumb question, of course you do! All Christians think about it at one time or another. We’ve heard of the Pearly Gates and Streets of Gold.

And of course, we all joke about what we expect out of Heaven. My little girl thinks Heaven will be one big American Girl Doll store (if so, I hope they hand out lots of Heavenly Dollars at the Pearly Gates!).  Golfers insist that Heaven will have the best golf course, and some of us dream of a Heaven with calorie-free chocolate.

And we also make comments when someone has died, such as “I’m sure she is looking down on us right now.”

Once, when I was younger, I told my dad that whenever he died I was going to have to be extra good, because he would be able to see everything I did. My dad said that he was going to be busy… he figured once he was actually face-to-face with God, he wasn’t going to care too much about what was going on down here.

Scripture backs him up on that.

There is nothing but joy in Heaven, everlasting praise of our God:

⁶Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

Revelation 19: 6-7

People of all races and nations will be there:

⁹After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Revelation 7: 9

And there will be no sadness:

⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21: 4

We are in this world, but we are not of this world. We were created to be in communion with God. We will suffer indignities and pain while we are here, because Satan is in control of so much of this earth. But this is only temporary. This is just a brief speck of time in what will be a glorious eternity!

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25: 31-40

Over 1.5 billion pairs of shoes lay idle in American closets.

Over 300 million children around the world are without shoes.

Those numbers are mind boggling. We have enough shoes sitting in our closets to put shoes on needy children five times over.

How many times have we thrown out shoes that we didn’t like any more? Or tossed shoes that our children had outgrown?

There is an organization that will take those old shoes, refurbish them, and then give them away to those who need them most. The organization, Soles4Souls, takes donations from shoe companies and retailers, as well individuals. They take new shoes and used shoes.

And every 19 seconds, Soles4Souls gives away a pair. And they aren’t picky. They take every size, every style, no matter the condition, repair and prepare them for new owners.

Jesus has told us in Matthew 25 that we are to care for those in need, “least of our brothers,” and in doing so, we are doing it for Him.

Its easy to do. Just box up your old shoes and send them to this address:

World Distribution Center
315 Airport Road
Roanoke, Alabama   36274-8011

They do the rest.

But you can even do more. Make it a service project for your small group or club. You can ship one pair or 100 pairs, knowing that each and every one will end up on the feet of someone in need.

For more information, visit www.givesshoes.org, or write Soles4Souls at their headquarters:

2900 Lebanon Road
Suite 210
Nashville, TN   37214

I have a new mantra: If you don’t want to hear the answer, don’t ask the question.

All of us have asked those innocent little questions, like “Do these pants make me look fat?” or “Is she prettier than I am?” We ask them because we know that, no matter what the truth is, we will get an answer along the lines of “No, you look great in those pants!” or “She’s got nothing on you!”

But sometimes the questions are a little bit thornier. And while the truth may not be what you want to hear, it may be what needs to be said.

What if a friend told you she was doing something wrong… very wrong. Perhaps having an affair? She comes to you as a friend, confused yet excited. What do you tell her? Do you join in her excitement and keep her secret, or let her know its wrong?

This sounds easy on the surface, but it isn’t. Human nature leads us to want to be liked by those around us. And often to get that acceptance, keep that friendship, we are willing to drop our guard a bit, make an excuse.

But we are Christians. And as such, we are challenged by God to hold each other accountable in His sight. So we need to be straightforward, yet speak with love and understanding. James 1: 19 says:

“… everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

I use this verse to remind me to not just THINK before I speak, but to PRAY as well. And when we pray, we need to pray for the right words, but also the courage of our convictions.

When holding someone accountable, we must be willing to open yourself to criticism. But we also need to share of ourselves. If we open ourselves us, we can open the door for our friend to be more, well, open!

Recently a friend shared with me some news from her life that broke my heart. My initial reaction was to support her… but God’s initial reaction was to hole ME accountable to speak to her as a sister in Christ. And I did. I stuttered and stammered, and frankly felt as inept as a human can be. And while she heard my words, the epiphany I hoped for didn’t come. But others are speaking up, too, all of us nudged by God (ok, some of us… me… are more stubborn and needed a strong push from God!). And then we all fall back and pray. The situation may not change.

But whether the situation changes or not, we all need to speak the words, walk the walk, and hold each other to God’s standards.

Remember the old Mary Tyler Moore Show from the 1970’s? The theme music started with the words:

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

And then we were treated to Mary spinning in a circle and throwing her hat in the air, carefree and full of joy. (I’ve always wondered about the woman in the background wearing the head scarf. What was she thinking?)

Reality is that people respond to those who bring joy into their lives, not those that find fault or negativity in everything around them. God wants our lives to be full of joy, not full of grumpiness. The Bible is full of scripture that speaks of the joy God wants for our hearts:

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.  1 Chronicles 16:10

Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  Psalm 5:11

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.  Psalm 9:2

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  Luke 10:20

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  Luke 15:11

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

God wants us to be happy and rejoice, and to spread that happiness to those around us. He understands that we have sorrows, and He also understands we all have a bad day or two now and then… ok, maybe even three or four.

But we can’t spread the joy of the Lord to others and be Ms. Grumpy Pants at the same time!

Be sad when you need to be sad, mourn when you need to mourn… but don’t look for reasons to be angry or grumpy. Look to Heaven and share the joy!

The word church is from the Greek word ekklesia. Ekklesia is not a religious word as originally used among the Greeks. Ekklesia is a compound word meaning “ek” out of, and “klesis” a calling. The word is used in its basic, secular sense in Acts 19: 32, 39 - an assembly and, then, a lawful assembly.

From BibleQuestions.org

Some folks at my church are in a tizzy. Our preacher is away on sabbatical for six weeks. This is a part of our church’s “rules,” asking each staff minister to take a sabbatical every so often. Well, the last time we had a preacher who took a sabbatical, when he came back he resigned to take a job at another church.

So now, some folks are worried. But they’ve got it wrong. They have put too much stock in a man as leader of the church.

Now I like our preacher. He’s funny. I feel I learn something from his sermons. But he isn’t the church.

We are. The people.

A preacher is integral to the success of the church, no doubt. He is a teacher, but he is not the church. It is obviously important to be fed spiritually on the Sabbath, and that generally comes from the pulpit.

But we aren’t there to follow the man in the pulpit, we are there to follow The Man that the man in the pulpit is teaching us about (that’s tough to follow, huh?).

If the preacher comes back from Sabbatical and says, “I feel the call to go to (fill in the blank) church” we, as the church, should feel excited. First, the preacher is answering God’s call. It’s always easier to stay than to leave.

And second, that mean’s that God has someone new in store for the church, a new leader that He has been cultivating just for that body of Christ.

We have to be careful that we don’t get so wrapped up in our leadership that we lose sight of The One we are there to worship, to learn about.

If we elevate our preachers and other church leaders too high, we are nothing more than a cult of personality.

³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

Proverbs 3: 3-7

How many of us have said it: I need to find a balance between work and family.

It’s something we all battle with each day. Work always seems to take precedent over other things in our lives, and with pretty good reason. Face it… work pays the bills. That paycheck makes it possible to have a place to live, something to eat, clothes to wear.

In other words, work isn’t an option for most of us.

But family? Where does that fit in the mix?  We all like to think we put family first, but it’s so easy to push it back. After all, work has deadlines, family will still be there, right?

But here is ther reality: Work may be necessary, but family is a gift directly from God. So really, we don’t need to search for a balance, we need to skew the scales in favor of family.

I’m not advocating everyone run out and quit their jobs. But you can’t let work overwhelm you to the point your family suffers.

I have a friend who’s husband is worried about work. More layoffs, more pay cuts. A lot to worry about, granted. But it started overwhelming their family life. To quote my friend, even when her husband was home, he wasn’t home. So they had a heart to heart about what was really important. God, family, friends.

Work was down the list.

They reminded each other that, no matter what, God is with them, they are a family, and they will survive. But no job was worth pulling apart a family.

We’ll all get through this recession/depression or whatever the economists are calling it today. But when trying to balance work and family, put God in front.

Then the rest will fall into place.

There is an old saying in certain parts of the country: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. It will change.

The first time I heard those words were visiting my grandmother in Florida. It was hot and sunny, yet minutes later a downpour of Biblical proportions drenched us. But five minutes later? Sunny and steamy hot again.

I’ve been reminded of those words this week as I have been reading about Michael Jackson’s death. Suddenly Jackson, who had twice been accused of child molestation, famously changed his looks over the years, and lived what can only be described as a bizarre life, is being hailed as a civil rights pioneer, thrilling showman and brilliant businessman (please explain how someone more than $400 million in debt is a brilliant businessman).

In the course of one day, the world’s opinion of him changed… dramatically.

Historians call it revisionism… when enough time passes, or a major event occurs, that cause us to view things differently. Sometimes that’s good, other times history gets a major (incorrect) rewrite. When a president leaves office, we are told that only time will tell us what the legacy will be.

In Mr. Jackson’s case, in just the matter of a few hours, he went from being called “Wacko Jacko” to being revered… often by the same people!

I don’t really have any thoughts regarding Michael Jackson. He isn’t the point. The point is that humans rewrite history all the time. People change. People’s perceptions change, often with no basis.

Only Jesus doesn’t change.

In Hebrews 13:8, we read:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We can’t rewrite Him, and we don’t need to. He was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. He was crucified for our sins, and rose on the third day, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. He lives in Heaven at the right hand of his Father, our Father. His blood has washed us clean, and that forgiveness is ours for the asking.

No rewriting of history needed.

I don’t know how many times just this week that I have gotten one of those chain letter-type emails with the above phrase in it. You know the kind… the one’s that end with a phrase along the lines of “if you don’t forward this, you are ashamed of Jesus.” Or sometimes they quote scripture and say “If you deny me, I will deny you before the Father. (Matthew 10:33).”  And my personal favorite: “If you forward this to 10 of your friends, you will receive a blessing from God.”

Now, I’m not a big fan of chain letters/emails. I don’t think that I have to forward one on to my friends to be blessed, and I if I don’t forward one I don’t believe that I am ashamed of Jesus.

I’m sure many of you have gotten these emails, and half wondered what to do. But not forwarding one to your friends is not denying Christ. Denying Christ’s existence, his death and resurrection, that’s denying Christ.

God doesn’t base His love for us on whether we respond to emails or chain letters. He looks into our hearts. He knows our hearts, our desires, our true feelings. He knows our beliefs, and He doesn’t need us to send out a mass email to our friends to confirm our love for Him.

So the next time one of these emails crosses your computer screen, forward it if you like, delete it if you choose to. But rest assured, you pathway to heaven isn’t dependent on your response to it!

I’ve been down in the dumps lately. Nothing spectacular, just what we all go through from time to time. When I’m mired in one of those “Woe is me!” periods of life, it just seems like everything is wrong.

But after reading the wise words of a friend, I realize that when I’m in these doldrums, I’m focused on what is wrong in my life and the world, not what is right. She calls it a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” because we are so plugged into the negative that we only see the negative and end up seeking the negative.

That’s a lot of negative!

My friend went through the eye of the storm a year ago. She was pregnant with three kids under four at home, and was justifiably at her wit’s end. So, she decided it was all her husband’s fault. All of it. Kids, mess, backaches, war, pestilence and famine. Everything he did was wrong. She saw every fault magnified one thousand times over.

And she decided she wanted a divorce. Met with an attorney. Was ready to chuck it all.

A friend told her to wait a week, pray about it, and focus on the good in her life. And every time she saw something good, she had to say “God is Good.”

Then God held an intervention in her heart. He opened her eyes to what had been right in front of her all along. She started noticing that her husband was a pretty good guy, life was pretty swell… even if hectic and demanding. She noticed more of the good and the bad faded. And she said quite a lot of “God is Good’s.”

An amazing thing happened. By the end of the week, she was so focused on finding good, she forgot to look for bad. Today she looks back in horror at what “could have been” if she had gone through with the divorce. Her marriage isn’t just strong, it’s happy and fulfilling.

So I thought maybe, during these dog days of summer, we might want to do our own “God is Good” list. Instead of hearing the negatives around us, thinking about the heat, work, whatever, name something good in your life. Be specific. Try to name one “God is Good” for each finger on one hand. If you feel brave, go for the second hand.

I’ll start. I hate hot weather, despise it. So for me, #1 on my “God is Good” list is that for every degree over 90 this summer, this winter I will be blessed with an equal number of days of cool weather… maybe even cold. I even went so far as to put a picture of snow on my computer. Cheers me right up.

Now this little list won’t save the world, cure all your ills, turn you into instant Sally Sunshine.

But it just might make the day a little easier to bear.

Millions watched tonight as a marriage ended.

Oh, there was no surprise when Jon and Kate Gosselin announced they were separating, followed by the announcement that on Monday the two had filed for divorce.

As I watched, I was saddened by the statements coming from them. Jon, in particular, said he was both sad and “excited” about the new chapter of his life.

Really? Excited? He reiterated that he is only 32, and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Kate, for her part, kept repeating how she would always put the kids first (Jon said the same thing). Then, each talked about the new “schedule” that they would have with the kids.

Both said that this would have happened even if they had never done a reality show.

And then it was over. Really over.

Many people are going to have strong opinions about who is at fault, what the two of them should have done, etc. But finger pointing does no good, and none of us are in the marriage to know what “really” happened, reality show or not. We don’t know them, no matter how many episodes we have watched. We know what they want us to know, and what editors think will make better TV (and really, the happiest people on earth must be the folks at TLC, the network that televises Jon and Kate plus 8, talk about a ratings winner).

But what this should re-emphasize to all of us is that marriage is a fragile thing. It is hard work, and when you let anyone enter into the marriage with the husband and wife, you are inviting trouble. It doesn’t have to be a reality show, it can be in-laws, friends, anyone who can in any way turn the focus away from the union itself.

A marriage is between two, a man and a woman. No one else has the right to tamper with that union. Vows taken before God between two Christians are meant to last a lifetime, not until one party or the other wants to move on.

It’s easy to want out. Sometimes it’s harder to stay. I’m going to write more this week about marriage. We’ll look at what scripture says vs. what popular culture says.

A Godly marriage may be hard work, but it is worth every minute… even the tough ones!

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.
When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
~ Jack Welch

The above quote, by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, doesn’t just apply in the business world. Switch a word here and there, and you have a phrase applicable to Christians:

Before you are a Christian, success is all about growing yourself.
When you become a Christian, success is all about growing others.

Once we become Christians, we can’t focus solely on ourselves anymore. Time is too precious. We live in a lost world. While it would be wonderful to immerse ourselves in our relationship with God and commune with Him alone, that’s not possible. With so many around us that have no relationship with God, we must grow others, while continuing to grow ourselves.

It’s kind of a pleasant version of a double-edged sword. We can’t stop growing in our faith. If we do, we will wither an die on the vine. But in the midst of our own Christian growth, we have to reach out to others, to lead them on the path to Christ.

I remember when I was a child at church, the analogy my Sunday School teacher used was that of a sword. It has to be tempered in the fire to become stronger.

But once it is sharpened and ready to go, if it is left in its sheath, it does no good. Oh, it’s there, ready to go. But if it isn’t put into action, you might as well have a rotten banana in there!

I have never wanted to use this blog as a personal forum, and I don’t intend to start now. But God has placed a mighty conviction in my heart, and I need to use every outlet available to me. You, dear readers, are my first and best stop!

I am asking for prayers tonight.

I cannot be more specific, and for that I am sorry. These are not prayers for me, but for a family in turmoil. Please lift them up to God. While you will not know them, He does. This family needs a miracle, and while our abilities are small, God’s are not limited.

Please pray for the Holy Spirit to descend on this family, for God to work a miracle in their lives.

Thank you all!

A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and
said, ‘ God, I would like to know what Heaven & Hell are like.’

God led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table.
In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly.
They appeared to be famished.

They were holding spoons with very long handles, that were
strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach
into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they
couldn’t get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and
suffering. God said, ‘You have seen Hell.’

They went to the next room and opened the door.
It was exactly the same as the first one.

There was the large round table with the large pot of stew
which made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled
spoons, but here the people were well nourished and
plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.. ‘

It is simple,’ said God .
It requires but one skill. You see they have
learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.’

I have been thinking a lot about greed lately. You see, there are all kinds of greed. Obviously there is the type of greed involving possessions and money. That’s the most obvious type.

But there are so many other ways to be greedy. Often we are greedy with our time. It’s so much easier to write a check than it is to actually enter someone’s life and help them.

Remember that old saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”? We live in a society that would rather hand out a fish than take the time to actually teach.

That’s greed. And selfishness. It’s all tied in there together.

We get comfortable in our world. We look out and see need, think how awful it is, say a prayer and think we are done.  But when we can, we have to do more.

Tonight, in many cities, people are camped out. No, there aren’t homeless. They are camping out for the newest version of the iPhone, which goes on sale in the morning.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in the morning people were lined up at a soup kitchen… to help feed the poor? Or lined up at food banks… with bags of food to donate?

We point to Christ as our example. Yet Jesus never once stroked a check and moved on. He never said “go” unless he was going, too. He never once asked the disciples, or us, to do anything that he hadn’t already done first.

But we always seem to think it is someone else’s job to help those who need it.

The next time you are giving money, write the check… then get in your car,take it to the site, hand it over, then volunteer.

That’s what Jesus would do.

¹I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2: 1-4

I was on Facebook the other day (yeah, I know… but I like keeping up with friends back home). Anyway, I saw the page of a girl of about 10 who attends a Christian school in the area, who is the daughter of a friend of mine. I clicked to look at her page, expecting to see the usual pictures of dance classes, band and school friends.

But right there, next to Political Views, she had typed: I hate Obama.

I stared at it for a minute, then started checking other friends’ pages, friends who are outspoken conservative Christians.

And I saw more of the same.

Phrases such as “Obama hater,” “Obama must go away,” and my personal favorite, “I hope Obama and Oprah like to spend time together, because they will be in Hell together for eternity.”

Seriously?

I mean, really? What part of any of that screams, “I am a Christian, a follower of the risen Lord who died for my crummy sins?”

Now, lest you think I am some “left wing, radical, liberal nut” (I hate labels), I am a conservative Christian who voted for the other guy. I have grave concerns, worries, about the direction of our nation.

But when I read scripture, I’m missing the part where it says to hate, to wish Hell on someone. I mean, isn’t that the opposite of what we are called to do? Aren’t we supposed to base our faith on love? To hate the sin, but love the sinner?

We are told to pray for our leaders, to lift them up to God. How, exactly, do you lift someone up that you profess to “hate” or that you hope to condemn to Hell for eternity?

And worse yet, are parents imparting this to their children?

Agree or disagree with the President, Senate, House, state officials, etc., we are told… COMMANDED!… to pray for them. According to scripture, they have been placed in power by God:

¹Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ²Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Romans 13: 1-2

Later in Romans 13 we read:

⁸Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13: 8-10

Explain to me how you can fulfill our command to love one another, yet hate? Sorry, those two things are diametrically opposed to each other.

Should we take whatever our leaders say and follow like sheep? No. However, we must pray for them, pray for their spiritual life, pray for their ability to seek and discern the will of God in the mountainous decisions that they must make.

To do anything less, to hate or cause others to hate, to disparage our leaders, is sin.

My daughter brought home an outline of her hand the other day, with instructions on a simple way for her to pray. I thought it was pretty neat, and wanted to pass it on to others, so here goes!

1. The Thumb is nearest you, so begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.. They are the easiest to remember. As C. S. Lewis once said, praying for loved ones is a “sweet duty.”

2. The pointing finger in next. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The middle finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance. We are charged in 1 Timothy 1:1-2:

¹I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

4. The ring finger is next. This is our weakest finger. Let it remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. Finally, our little finger, the smallest finger of all. The Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest among you.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.