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Prayerful Pondering

~ by Pat Luffman Rowland

Prayerful Pondering

Monthly Archives: November 2014

A Father and Daughter’s Communion

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in communion with God

≈ 3 Comments

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communion with God, faithfulness, observation, relationship, remembrance, study scripture, wisdom

As they slowly walked the aisle to the place where they would kneel to receive communion, the father would bend down from time to time and whisper to his little girl. She would nod understandingly, holding close to his side. Then when a place was made available for them to kneel, they went forward and did so, the father again speaking quietly with his child.

The pastor moved to them with a loaf of bread and cup of wine (grape juice) and for what was probably her first time, she took the sacraments and received the grace of our Lord. As Jesus instructed that we do (Luke 22:19), this sweet child took part in remembering Jesus and the sacrifice of His blood that redeems us.  Father and daughter lingered for a moment with heads bowed, then slowly rose and made their way back to where their journey had begun.

It has been ten or more years, but I remember those tender moments as if they happened only yesterday. Watching that young father point the way for his daughter to a relationship with our Lord was a memory worth holding onto. And if it held fast in my memory, how even more it would have held in that small child’s. She would remember that her dad lived out Proverbs 22:6 which says “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (NIV). I witnessed the Word of God in action.

While Waiting in Line

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Bible study, Christian service, faith, Preachers

≈ 2 Comments

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Belief

There was a problem at the store’s point of check out. The line of waiting customers stalled and those nearest her were subjected to a loud woman intent on drawing a customer right behind her into conversation. At first I was annoyed by her rudeness and grateful we had this one person between us. But without any way not to hear, I soon became interested in what she was saying—and even more interested in how the beleaguered customer, held captive by her position in line, was reacting.

The loud lady, it seemed, had just moved back to Memphis from New York City. She had discovered that in New York people were much more open to various religious beliefs. She found Memphians were very behind the times, not open at all. She stated emphatically that it really didn’t matter what you believed just as long as you believed in something–a higher power of some kind. I watched as the woman sandwiched between us chose not to respond. The silence provoked the loud lady to try harder.

“I was brought up in a faith where you were encouraged not to read the Bible for yourself and when I finally tried it, I didn’t like the Old Testament so I only read the New Testament– if I read the Bible at all. The Old Testament is filled with things I don’t like to hear. It’s awful.” Finally a response: “It is all the same story and you need to read it all.” The loud lady began again, “I don’t attend church, there’s no need to when there are so many preachers on television. The one I really like is (a well-known pastor) because he talks only about good things; he’s the one who has it right.” The captive lady shook her head. The loud lady said, “What’s wrong with him?” “You are being conned; life doesn’t work that way. He isn’t preaching the whole truth” said the captive. That response provoked the loud lady to defend the “everything is wonderful” pastor, by saying with a quick nod of her head, “I believe he is right and that’s what I’m choosing to believe.” The captive lady softly responded just this once more but she preached a sermon: “And someday life will be over for all of us and some will be surprised to learn that it isn’t okay to believe whatever you choose.”

Thankfully, the register began working again and the loud lady was soon checked out. She turned to the lady behind her and said “Nice talking to you” and received a kind smile.

To hear the testimony from the lady in front of me was worth the wait and the aggravation of a too loud and determined to be heard customer. In a very few words, the lady who was somewhat ambushed had responded kindly and well. She chose her words and times to speak very carefully and there was never an argumentative tone. I want to think that this unhappy-to-be-back-in-Memphis lady is as open as she believes herself to be and will think about what she heard. I hope she will decide to read the Bible searchingly and choose for herself what is truth. It is far too important a decision to allow others to make for you.

Tuesday Morning Prayer

12 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in prayer, unity

≈ 2 Comments

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faith, family, God's presence, Heavy Heart, Holy Spirit, love, prayer, strength, Unity

The words of my morning devotional stood bold before me: “Unity doesn’t depend on outward conformity, but understanding hearts.” It was an apt description of my Tuesday morning prayer group.  Outwardly, we are quite different: different personalities, different backgrounds, different in many ways. But there is commonality that unifies us, and that is love for the Lord and belief in the power of prayer.

This is a ladies intercessory prayer group, about 24 strong most Tuesdays. Room 144 of my church is the designated prayer room.  This sanctuary for devoted prayer is a place saturated with worship and faith and there we find the sure presence of the Holy Spirit. We pray for one another, but our primary reason for gathering is to pray for others. As we feel prompted to pray, we approach the throne of grace with that petition. We try never to forget to pray for our nation and its healing. We anoint with oil and lay hands on any who comes to us struggling with a heavy load. If there is a special need from one who cannot be there, one of us will stand in for that person while the group forms a circle round about.

The uniqueness of our group is that most of us share no quantity of time outside the prayer room and some never see another member outside Tuesday morning. Yet, when we meet in Room 144, we are family. We care about one another and the need for concentrated prayer. As my morning devotional said, we join together with understanding hearts. It is this that makes us a solid unit.

 “Have fervent love for one another.” 1 Peter 4:8 NKJV

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The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

God has not given us a spirt of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

© Pat Rowland and Prayerful Pondering, 2010 - 2013.
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Hope must be in the future tense. Faith, to be faith, must be in the present tense. Catherine Marshall
Everything over your head is under his feet. Dr. Tom Lindberg
What an excellent ground of hope and confidence we have when we reflect upon these three things in prayer--the Father's love, the son's merit and the Spirit's power! Thomas Manton
Our Christian hope is that we're going to live with Christ in a new earth, where is not only no more death, but where life is what it was always meant to be. Timothy Keller

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