Monday, December 07, 2009

Concerns or joys?

Every Sunday, our pastor or associate pastors asks congregants to share their prayers of concern. We raise our hand and they wander the aisle. Mom is having hip surgery this week. The teen group is traveling to camp and we ask for a safe trip. Cousin was diagnosed with cancer.

Prayers of joy come next. Our son's birthday is Tuesday. Aunt is home from the hospital. Local football team won the game. (This is Louisiana, people.)

For those too shy or private to publicly state their prayer requests, prayer cards are available. Fill them out and the Monday morning prayer group reads them and prays for the concern. They don't need to know the names because God does.

After church service ends, we file out to be greeted by the pastor or associate pastor. Today, I chitchatted with folks while waiting for the the woman in front of me to finish talking with the Rev. The line is not the place to initiate conversations, just say hello or good sermon or have a good week. That's not what I heard.

"Please keep them in your prayers. They need all they can get. Right now they are living on the beach in a tent. They've been there all week. We're trying to get them with us. The family moved here for a job situation and things haven't worked out like they wanted."

(Living in a tent? On the beach? This was the coldest weekend we'll probably have this year! It snowed on Friday!)

Prayers of joy, find that tent soon.

5 comments:

me said...

eeeeyyooowww........

Kimberly said...

Um, why the beach?

SkitzoLeezra said...

Kim - coastal Louisiana on Gulf of Mexico has lots of public land. As for homeless, why parks? Why downtown?

Kittie Howard said...

It's one of my Hot Buttons that in the United States of America we have such a homeless problem...now, I know that idealism and reality aren't the same, that there will always be a certain number of homeless everywhere (even see a few in Switzerland) but the problem in the U.S. is too much, too much...I talked to my cousin in Belle River (near Morgan City) the other day...she said Shell had completely pulled out of their area, that exploration had come to a halt...and so on...her kids are spread between Texas and Alabama...not like it used to be, with family nearby...all had looked for work that paid more (and found it)...anyway, Cheryl said on Monday that they were waiting for SNOW...and got it, before we got snow here in Northern Virginia...she said the 'gators were having problems with the colder temps...now I'm no fan of those nasties, but they are essential to the eco system...just like a decent standard of living is essential to humans...I HOPE the people on the beach found better accommodations...my heart goes out to them...you said it best when you commented about not liking Ugly...

Gail Dixon said...

Reading things like this sets my self-pity needle back on track. That is so sad. Hope the family finds suitable accommodations soon!

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