Prayer Spotlight Sept 27-October 3, 2009: Bethel Evangelical Free Church

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word." ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Dear saints,

Thanks to God for loving us and giving us eternal comfort and good hope by grace. As we remember each other before Him in prayer, God is building momentum here. He is making more and more connections, knitting the Church together into the integrated, healthy, loving and functional Body that our Savior Jesus prayed (prays) we would be. May we become all that He deserves, by the power of His Holy Spirit in us.

Notable addition to our shared Church Community calendar: Northwest Christ Convocation on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 9:30am-3:30pm at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue. A time to gather with dozens of fellow-servants from all streams of the Church, to come together before the Lord Jesus, lift Him up and seek His heart and His strategies for His harvest here. (Check in and refreshments will begin at 9:00am) More about this exciting gathering on my next blog post.

Please also check this blog for our ongoing prayer requests for our extended Church family.

Our Prayer Spotlight for September 27-October 3, 2009, is Bethel Evangelical Free Church, Pastor Darren Twa.
http://www.bethel-kenmore.org/


I have pulled a prayer from our first month together, January 2007, except it was LONGER then! Please join in prayer as the Spirit of God leads you:



"Father in heaven, we rejoice to come before you, for Your love for us is everlasting. Thank You that the Lord Jesus Christ is building His Church; we ask to be faithful co-laborers. Cleanse us of all sin, selfishness, and strife, so we can be agreeable to You, a sweet savor in Your presence. We lay aside temporal ambitions and earth-bound desires; Your plans for us are infinitely better than ours...

"Lord God, we are not dismayed by opposition in this world, by troubles, or even by our own failures and weaknesses, for You lead us in triumph in Christ Jesus, even through the valley of shadow of death. Oh, Lord, You are the One who turns the shadow of death in a glorious new morning, full of new mercy and hope. Grant us to walk in Your light; Your nearness is our good. Grant us to walk in Your joy; You are our strength in this adventure of faith. Grant us to walk with the mind of Christ, to say what we hear You saying, to do what we see You doing, even as our Lord did when He walked the earth...

"Lord God, we join together to speak blessing over our brothers and sisters at Bethel Evangelical Church.Oh, Lord, pour out Your anointing of love and truth upon them. You are their glory and the One who lifts their heads. Draw their hearts into closer fellowship with You and with each other in the things of the Kingdom. Grant them to be found faithful, trusting in You with all their hearts, clothed in all the glory and humility of Jesus Christ. Fulfill all their desires to serve the gospel of Your Kingdom in righteousness, peace, and joy...


"Thank You, Father God, for placing us in the Body of Christ, together with all the saints throughout time and space. Thank You for placing us in Kenmore, where You have ordained that we live, shine, and serve in Jesus’ Name, to be a blessing in the entire earth. Our weaknesses and failings are so obvious, but thank You for the blood of Jesus that separates us from sin; thank You for the grace that is all-sufficient for us. Bless us in all our comings and goings this week. Bless the work of our heads, hands, and hearts, that the nations might know that You are God."

Please add the "Amen" if you agree with this prayer.

Kenmore Prayer Circle: urgent prayer requests Sept 18

Dear praying family,

Let's join hearts with those praying for loved ones facing serious trials. May the Lord stand with them, keeping His hand of love upon them, and guide them all to safe harbor, in Jesus' Name.

1) A neighbor, Jackie, whose 45-year-old son is in Spokane hospital with life-threatening necrotizing bacterial infection. He has a wife and 2 children. We stand with them in Jesus' name to ward off any spirit of fear that would try to steal, kill, and destroy; we welcome Jesus' Spirit, who bring life, and life abundantly.

2) A family, details below, Lora and Wayne, with little newborns, Elizabeth & Veronica, in need of Jesus' healing touch.

3) All the needs, in body, soul and spirit, that we carry in ourselves and for our loved ones. May the Lord pour out His mercies through the Body of Christ, in Jesus' Name. May the great exchange that Jesus purchased on the Cross--our sin, our sickness, and our sorrow in exchange for His great salvation--be accomplished in our lives today, for His joy, the joy set before Him that sustained Him on the Cross.

Blessings to you in the Name of the Lord,

Katie Rhodes
Kenmore Prayer Circle

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <RevMJonasen@aol.com>
Date: Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 4:59 PM
Subject: Urgent Prayer Request

Katie,

The following is a prayer request that came to me through a very dear friend of mine for two little girls who were born pre-mature, and who are both experiencing some very serious complications.  The little girls are Elizabeth (Betti) and Veronica.  The parents are Wayne & Lora.  A note from the parents is re-printed below.

Thanks,

Pastor Marvin 

Rev. Marvin R. Jonasen
Northlake Lutheran Church
6620 NE 185th Street
P.O. Box 82603
Kenmore, WA 98028
www.northlakelutheran.org

______________________________________________________

Hello everyone,

On Thursday the 17th, we nearly lost our little Elizabeth.  She's still not out of the woods yet, but she's stable and fighting it now.  Early in the morning she came down with something called Necrotizing Entercolitis (NEC for short).  It is an extremely dangerous condition and is potentially fatal.  Her case is rare in many ways—at nearly 4 pounds, she's one of the "bigger" babies to have it.  She's also one of the older babies to get it (normally it's only up until 34 weeks- she's 34 weeks exactly).  And it normally happens in the first two weeks of life (she's 7 1/2 weeks old).  NEC is basically when there is an infection and inflammation in the bowels, it has a potential to kill all or a part of the intestines.

Betti was transferred to the Hospital here in Colorado Springs (the same place that she had her PDA ligation surgery) because if surgery is need then she needs to be there.  Plus, from the hospital, she has a surgeon who is watching her closely, helping the doctors decide when or even if surgery is necessary.  Thus far her bowel hasn't perforated and she has stabilized and begun to get a little better.  So that means that so far, no surgery is needed.  They're still watching her, and will do it if necessary.  We strongly believe that God has already begun healing her and that she won't need the surgery.

They also found earlier tonight that she had a secondary infection that was sepsis, but because the treatment for NEC is antibiotics, they're already treating the infection.  They will be able to identify it today and make sure they're treating it with the exactly right antibiotics.  The secondary infection could be what allowed the NEC to happen this late in the game, and it could also be what caused it to escalate so quickly. (The night before she was totally normal.  At 3am she started showing some signs, but it wasn't full blown until 5.  By 8am we were close to losing her.)

It's hard to watch our little baby girl laying there stuck full of IV's, but at the same time we're thankful she's still alive.

So we're asking everyone to pray:

-For total and complete healing.

-Pray that her intestines wouldn't perforate.  That she wouldn't need surgery.

-For her blood pressure to stay up so that she will still pee (peeking will keep her kidneys functioning properly).

-For wisdom and guidance for the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and surgeons.

-No long term effects!  Antibiotics and NEC both could have long term side effects, but we fully believe that she won't have any. I had HIB meningitis as a little baby and they told my parents that I would definitely have long term side effects and I have none!  We're praying the same thing for Betti (and Veronica too, preemies in general have a lot of possible side-effects, we are trusting Him that they will have none.)

-That her oxygen saturation in her blood would go up.  Her monitors all say it's high, but when they test her blood it's not nearly as high as the monitors show.

-For I as we travel back and forth between the two hospitals.  We chose not to transfer Veronica because the hospital she is at is what is best for her (she's in an isolation room, so it's really really quiet.  Veronica needs the quiet atmosphere.)  Once Betti has recovered from NEC, we hope to have her transferred back to the hospital that Veronica is at.

-Thank God that she's still here, and that she's responding to treatment.  

-Prayers of thanksgiving for all of the wonderful doctors and nurses.  Her Hospital nurses and doctor were so scared for her, but as they were stabilizing her for transport they were praying out loud and also coming to pray with and for Wayne and I.  It was awesome to see these women band together in prayer around our little one, even when they were scared themselves.

-Pray for Veronica, that she would continue to grow and be healthy.  That her lungs would continue to develop (she's still on CPAP.)

Thank you for your prayers!  Already the prayers have been being felt here and in her life.   Feel free to pass this on to friends, family, churches, small groups, etc..

-Lora, Wayne, Elizabeth, & Veronica

KPC calendar update: Prayer Vigil at Kenmore Planned Parenthood clinic Oct. 2, 9:45 a.m.

If you cannot come, please join in prayer. We know God is growing us up in Christ so the Church is becoming "the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

This peaceful and powerful once-a-month prayer vigil takes place every first Friday at 9:45 a.m. right after and just down the sidewalk from Kenmore Prayer Circle's targeted hour of prayer for the city in The Living Room on Friday mornings from 8:30a.m. to 9:30 a.m. You can do both :^)

Call if you need directions.

ALSO: please pray for God's peace and provision to continue to pour out on Life Choices Pregnancy Clinic as they go through administrative joining with CareNet of Pierce County. Changes can be hard, even if they are positive changes. May God's peace and joy lift every heart with hope and courage. May the liar be silenced, in Jesus' Name. May the ministry of the Kingdom go forward with renewed power. May we all honor each other deeply from the heart; with all our flaws, we bear the image of God and are temples of the Holy Spirit.

May His Kingdom come here and may His will be done here as in heaven.

Love to you in Christ,

Katie
KPC

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Suzanne H
Date: Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:30 PM
Subject: Prayer Vigil at Kenmore Planned Parenthood clinic Oct. 2

The monthly Prayer Vigil at the Kenmore Planned Parenthood clinic will occur again on Oct. 2 at about 9:45 on the sidewalk in front of the strip mall, one block off Bothell Way at 68th. Please bring positive signs.  Last month a woman berated us as we prayed because her 11 year old daughter was impregnated during a rape; she could not believe that we would object to aborting the baby, and accused us of stupidity and a lack of compassion.  Our hearts bled for her as we immediately began praying for her, her daughter, and her grandchild. Join us in prayer if you cannot join us physically as we offer up to the Lord's compassion everyone affected by the abortions performed in the Kenmore clinic, the babies, the mothers and fathers, the clinic personnel. Questions?  We will meet as usual immediately after First Friday Mass in the narthex to car-pool over to Kenmore to join pray-ers from St. Marks and other local churches.

---

Calendar and Prayer Spotlight for September 20-26, 2009: Bethany Bible Church

"And He will arise and shepherd in the strength of the LORD, 
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. 
And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. 
This One will be our Peace." ~ Micah 5.2-3

Dear saints,

Praise God, Jesus our Anointed Lord and King has arisen to shepherd us in His strength, in the majesty of His Father's Name. He is great to the ends of the earth, hallelujah. As Ephesians 2:14 declares, Jesus is the fulfillment of Micah 5.2-3: "He Himself is our Peace."

It is so encouraging each Sunday to consider as we worship in our congregations that we are part of simultaneous worship rising to our God from all over this city, all over this region, throughout this time zone, and throughout the earth: "passing it along as the world turns 'round, we're giving Him praise." God truly is knitting us together heart-to-heart to form a net. Kenmore shall be a city of life, to the glory of God.

I was thinking the other day that when we turn our hearts to prayer, to praise and worship, either corporately, or in the secret places of the heart while we go about our day, we are walking into an ongoing stream of reciprocal love that nourishes and buoys up all of God's children in every place and time. "Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb".

Praise God for pouring out the blessings of His presence in the services dedicating the First Romanian Pentecostal Church's new sanctuary last Sunday. I heard such a wonderful report of His favor upon the praying people of that devoted congregation. We are eager to see how the Lord will continue to bless and use them as they serve Him, always seeking first His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' Name.

We're well into the new school year. Are you ready to reboot the weekly prayer focus for each local congregation and ministry in turn? It is such a wonder, all that God is doing in our midst!


Prayer Spotlight for the week of Sunday, September 20-26, 2009: Bethany Bible Church, Pastor Scott Ritter:

"Father in heaven, thank You for calling Your people at Bethany Bible Church to "walk before You and be blameless." Thank You for choosing them in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they would be holy and blameless before You...

"Grant that their love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, that they may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. Grant their speech to be filled with faithful contentment and gracious peace, so that they will prove themselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom they appear as lights in the world...

"We praise You that Your children at Bethany experience You as kind and blameless because with the the kind You show Yourself kind, with the blameless You show Yourself blameless". Now to You who are able to keep them from stumbling, and to make them stand in the presence of Your glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Thank you for praying with Kenmore Prayer Circle.


Kenmore Calendar
Click http://wwwtinyurl.com/kenmore-calendar to see more of what's going on in the local Body of Christ.

Local churches can post directly. Items can also be sent to me for posting to the calendar. Seminars, concerts, car-washes, yard sales (for congregation or personal), etc.

Free Seminar on Healthy Relationships, "Improving Relationships with God's Value System",  led by Pastor Darren Twa at Bethel Evangelical Free Church, 19814 55th Ave NE Kenmore, WA, 425-483-2222. Click on thumbnail image to enlarge.

Step-of-Faith in concert Sunday, Sept 20 at 10 a.m. at The Lighthouse Foursquare. Sample their music via links on The Living Room blog of Sept 4, 2009

Parenting Seminar 9/26/09 with Dr. Ray Guarendi: share this flier with parents you think might enjoy some encouragement in their God-given assignment. The seminar is lead by Dr. Ray Guarendi. He's a clinical psychologist, father of ten. There will also be booths sponsored by homeschooling groups with books and educational material. The seminar is hosted by Veritas Academy, located in Northlake Lutheran Church in Kenmore.

A great event for seniors at Kenmore Community Church, with special speaker Leona Bergsman, hosted by Mary Beth Rogers. Weds, Sept 30 at 11:30 a.m. Bring a sack lunch.

May our God arise--in us--and not keep silent.

Love, grace, and peace to you in Christ,
Katie Rhodes
Kenmore Prayer Circle

Fewer posts recently, but we're still praying!

We've been pouring a lot of time, energy, and prayer into a new marketplace ministry, The Living Room. Still receiving and sharing prayer requests for Kenmore Prayer Circle. Hope to return to posting updates as the Lord guides and provides!

Kenmore Community Church "Sing-A-Long"

Wow, this is the place to be on July 19 at 2 pm, enjoying the good things God has given us together :^)

As Mary Beth mentions in her invite, young folks will enjoy this, too!

("Father in heaven, please use this good-hearted event to draw our community together around Your kindness, in Jesus' Name.")

Katie Rhodes

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Rogers
Date: Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 8:51 PM
Subject: Re: Kenmore Community Church "Sing-A-Long"

For those of you who might not know me, I am Mary Beth Rogers, wife of Mark Rogers, pastor of Kenmore Community Church. I want to invite the older people of your church to an event we are having at our church.

My sister and I put together a program for the retirement home that our father was living in the last year of his life. It was a sing-a-long to the "oldies" and it seemed to be quite a hit with the older people. I told my sister if she was ever up in my area that I would like to do it at my church.

So, on Sunday, July 19th at 2:00 p.m. at Kenmore Community Church, we are going to repeat the program. It consists of 4 sections of music. The first two sections are singing the oldies. The third section is religious, and the fourth section and last is patriotic. We have lots of props which adds to the enjoyment of the program. My sister even tap dances to one of the songs. In between the sets of music, my sister and I sing a duet. I have printed the words to the songs in LARGE PRINT so it is a true sing-a-long!

We do not have a large amount of elderly people in our congregation, so I thought I would extend the invitation to some of our friends. It would be nice to fill up the church. Actually, anyone can come, but it was originally put together for the older people.

I would like to know in advance if any from your church are coming. It would be fun to have a social afterwards of maybe ice cream and cookies, or something like that??? I would need to plan for that and maybe we could all bring a little something?

If you would be so kind as to email me telling me you received my email, and with a response of whether your church would be interested or not in this event. As the date draws closer, I can call and talk with you personally.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or call.

Blessings,
MBR