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Arlecia Simmons helps people dig for their treasure through her preaching. Here's what she shared recently: I should be asleep, but I just uploaded some recent #sermons to my #website . Maybe something said will #encourage someone. Is your #faith in limbo? Take a listen to "I've Got #Love On My Mind! Oh, and the sermon referenced in the graphic isn't all about death. It's more about #discipleship and #ministry. Visit www.looknlive.com

Pray Today for Church Leadership

Pray today for Christian leaders. Those who are on the court as pastors or In episcopal leadership, and those of us who serve on the sidelines.

During the final minutes of Game 3 of the NBA finals, I heard the commentator discuss the relationship between coach and players. "You have to know how to coach your best player," he said, citing how best player/coach interaction impacts the rest of the team.

I heard that midnight word in my spirit: It's not that God doesn't know how to coach, but many on Kingdom team are becoming focused on their own press. They are distracted by the cheers of the crowd and are not receiving their plays from the Coach. There is little interaction while on the sidelines as many only wait for the words: Get back in the game!

Lord, have mercy upon us and hear our prayers today. AMEN.

Weekly Prayer Call and Reflection - Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. EST

A Kwanzaa Prayer for Christian Services

Habari Gani? (which is Swahili for "What's the News?" )

Well, the news is it's the first day of Kwanzaa. While Christians will continue our journey through Christmastide, or the 12 days of Christmas, some of us will also celebrate Kwanzaa.

 I recently participated in a pre-Kwanzaa program where I wrote this prayer that followed a brief discussion about the Gullah-Geecchee culture. I'll likely pray this prayer differently in the future, but this is what God gave me for our gathering a few weeks ag0. 

 Feel free to use it as written, edit for your setting, or read it to inspire your own offering to God. Although Kwanzaa is a secular celebration, for African-American churches it can be beautifully incorporated into our settings. 

 "Faith" is the final principle celebrated on Jan. 1. May you keep the faith this season and continue to Look, Learn and LIVE!

  A Kwanzaa Prayer for Christian Services 

©2013 Arlecia D. Simmons  

Oh holy God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...

God of Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel...

The God who heard Hagar's cries as she sat with Ishmael in the wilderness...

Our God who heard our ancestors’ cries as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean in slave ships; heard their cries as they picked cotton and tobacco; heard their cries through the shouts of Lynch mobs. Our God.

We come (today, tonight) asking you to be in our midst as you have been from generation to generation. Come now, Holy Spirit

Lord, we thank you for allowing us to gather to worship you, and to celebrate the heritage passed down to us.

Even while experiencing the injustices of this life, our big mamas and papas proclaimed you as a just God. Calling on the name of Jesus, who was also a suffering servant.
Lord, we thank you for every prayer our ancestors ever prayed and how you answered them. We thank you for being the lifter of our heads when oppression, racism, segregation sought to keep them bowed down.

May we not be a forgetful people; forgetting our ancestors and forgetting your benefits. May we forever remember that if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, where would be.

Touch now your people as we give back to you the gifts that you have given to us. 

Bless your children and those whose hands you have placed them in (Optional verse to be used when children are included during celebration). 

We offer this prayer, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, Your will. Amen.

Scriptural Meditation:1 Samuel 16

"Lord, Your will. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Amen." -- Pastor Jamal Bryant

I was listening to Pastor Jamal Bryant and he uttered the above statement as he prayed with his congregation. "Wow," I thought. "That's one powerful prayer." Actually, it is a prayer we should consider as we approach Tuesday's election.

Yes, we live in the United States and we value our democracy that allows us to choose our leaders. However, as people of faith, we know that when it comes to who will preside/rule over God's people, man's choice has not always corresponded with God's will.

When Samuel came to Jesse's house, Jesse presented his strongest sons. One by one, Samuel examined them but the oil would not flow.

"Neither has the LORD chosen this one," said Samuel as Jesse's seventh son appeared before him. It was David, the "ruddy" one, who was God's choice.

Yes, I want my candidate to win, but most importantly, I want God's will to be done in the earth.

I am a newshound, so in analyzing the news coverage I have heard both candidates and their representatives "misrepresent the truth" from time to time. Yet, when I think about my God, my mind retreats to Numbers 23:19 (NLT): God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?"

Do not consider this a word of discouragement. I encourage you to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4. (YOU CANNOT VOTE ON NOV. 5) I have already voted and I will be at the precinct at 5:30 a.m. to begin my duties as a precinct official. This week, I write to encourage you. I drafted a number of thoughts to post on my blog, but the thoughts written at 1:46 a.m. (CST) is what thus saith the Lord.

This week, pray with me as our nation prepares to vote and wait for the revelation of God's WILL.

Let us pray for each of the candidates, their families, their campaign staffs, and those who protect them. We pray not only for the presidential candidates but also for those running for state and local offices.

We pray for our neighbors and fellow citizens who are still undecided about how they will vote. Let them hear You through all of the advertisements and the media spin.

We pray for those who will work the polls, peace officers, poll watchers, and anyone directly involved in the election process. Strengthen them during the 15-hour workday, in some cases, and remind them to treat your people with dignity and love. We bind the spirit of mischief and wrongdoing and we loose the spirit of fairness and justice.

Lord, let your people know that they are somebody not because they have the right to vote, but because they belong to you.

Lord, we thank you for those who have gone before us - the martyrs of our time who worked to secure our right to vote. We do not take this opportunity for granted, but we thank you for our due season and for their sacrifices.

Lord, we thank you for protecting our soldiers and those of every nation who are fighting to protect the civil rights of your people. We plead the blood of Jesus over our family members who are fighting a war we do not understand.

Lord, we know that no matter who assumes political office in the earth, You are in control. Proverbs 21:1(KJV) reminds us, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."

We trust that you can also turn our economy and nation around.

We thank you, praise you, lift your name up and know that you are the Ultimate One. We trust you to provide us earthly leaders who are men and women after your heart.

We declare and decree this petition, and commit to accept your will in our lives and in this upcoming election. In Jesus' name we pray, and it is so, AMEN.!

As always, stay encouraged, walk in your blessings, and do not forget to cast your ballot. Whether we celebrate or lament on Tuesday night, know it is "His will. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Amen!"

A.D. Simmons

When the People Pray

Scriptural meditation: Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 18:1; 1 Timothy 2:8


Like David, I had to encourage myself this week as bad news kept coming. One of my grandmothers was hospitalized, a friend announced the illness of her spouse, and another friend is standing in the gap for a mother whose heart is challenged Add those concerns to the daily challenges of life and you have a supersized bout of anxiety. In this life, we will have trials and the trying of our faith worketh patience (James 1:3).

This week, let us remember to pray for our family and friends. Pray for those who are sick as well as for those who care for them. Pray that the doctors and nurses will leave peaceful homes so they can focus on health and wellness while at work.

While you may not have children, pray for students and educators at all levels. For the students, pray for focus and that their minds will be open to new experiences, people and knowledge. Pray for the teachers, especially those who are already approaching this year with defeat and discouragement. Ask God to strengthen their minds and stir up the passion they once had for their profession and students. Pray for the bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the administrators, and even the people who clean the buildings. Most importantly, pray for parents and their resources. Ask God to give them more. More time to prepare breakfast, more time to assist with homework, and more patience to nurture their children. If they cannot afford new clothes or school supplies, pray that God’s hands in the earth will bless them.

Pray for college-aged children who are leaving home for the first time. Ask God’s protection over those who will travel alone on the highways.

As summer ends, remember your friends and loved ones who are wrapping up vacations. Bus, car and plane crashes abound, but pray that no harm should come nigh their dwelling.

Pray for people who need a vacation (put my name at the top of that list). Prayerfully, we’ll keep it together.

This week, I pray God’s protection over your life. May He keep you in perfect peace!

A—

P.S. The photo here was taken a few days after the Iowa floods. Only a few feet away from this bush, businesses were destroyed and mud covered the ground. When I saw these little flowers, I was reminded that God can still give us beauty in a messed up situation.