Week of Prayer

First, this...
Chris' surgery went well today. My wife and I were the only ones with him; his sister (& legal guardian) didn't visit and hasn't yet called to see how he's doing. But Chris is good --- in a bit of pain --- but after a few days rest should be back to normal. Thanks for the prayers.

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And now for a rare glimpse into the cynical side of a normally mild-mannered pastor....

Once upon a time, a group of Christians, figuring that they could speak for all Christians, took the 52 weeks of the year and divided them up among the 58 counties in California, so that each county would have a week of prayer creating an unbroken chain of prayer traversing the Golden State. This week is Sutter County's turn, the county in which I live.

Publicity has gone out, along with suggestions for prayer. Some of those suggestions I've listed below....

Pray that a spirit of brotherly love will erupt among the pastors of this area...

I guess God doesn't care about the sisters...

Decrease of crime: Murder, Teen Pregnancy, Abortion, Domestic Violence. Youth/Gangs. We thank God that there are no abortionists operating in the county where there were once Six in the Yuba-Sutter Counties. An effective pro-life movement eliminated the abortionists, and started the Pregnancy Center and the “Life Chain.”

OK, we can pray that God kick out the "abortionists" (who invented that term?), but what are we doing to help poor mothers of all ages raise their children? Latin American countries, where abortion is outlawed, have high abortion rates because they also provide few services like health care or children's day care. On the other hand, some Scandinavian countries, where abortion is legal, have the world's lowest abortion rates, because they do provide health care, day care, and other forms of support for new families. But all we need to pray for is getting rid of the abortionists.

Pray for Christian marriages to be a witness of life in Christ. There has been a GREAT spiritual attack against marriages. Pray for marriage to be affirmed and protected in this County. Prayer concerning the rise of pornography in our area. Pray the pastors will begin to collaborate together in an effort to strengthen marriage.

Funny, I haven't noticed any marriages being attacked. Exactly how is that happening? Or is it that certain people who are insecure about their own marriages are looking for a scapegoat? (Man, I could go on and on here...)

Pray for the influx of Eastern Religious Adherents to be open to the Gospel of Christ. There are about 16,000 East Indians (mostly Sikh with two Sikh temples, and one Hindu Temple). There are some Pakistanis (Most are Muslim and they have a Mosque). There are 5000-6000 Hmong in Yuba – Sutter, some are Christians, the rest animists. Pray for dreams and visitations from God will open the door to eastern religions in this area as promised in Joel 2:28-32.

I guess we're insecure about our faith as well, and feel the need to defend it against the infidels.

Pray God will reclaim the high places in the Sutter Buttes. Local Indians who inhabited this area once practiced animal sacrifices and human sacrifices. The Sutter Buttes were considered a spiritual high place where demonic powers could be solicited. Our Church had a confrontation with Anton La Vey prior to his death. There has been an aggressive witchcraft / Satanist movement here. Our church has received death threats from people of the dark side including those in the La Vey family. Witches have come into our meetings to curse us. The Sutter Buttes would be considered a vortex or power zone for those on the dark side. Pray that God will establish through His people a Tabernacle of David on the High Places of California. Pray that God will break the power of witchcraft through a demonstration of His love to those caught up in witchcraft.

Pray that God will send in the cavalry and get rid of those injuns once and fer all!

But wait, where are the prayers that God will bring an end to the region's poverty, and the children who go to bed hungry at night? Where are the prayers for people like Chris, who comes from a broken home and has nowhere to go? Where are the prayers for the GLBT teenagers in our community who are crying themselves to sleep at night because they live in county that is hostile toward them, and even accuses them of "attacking" marriage?

Here's my own prayer:

Man, God, this Christian unity thing is hard. How can I work on unity with people who think like that? Help me not to hate them too much, because they are my brothers (and sisters) too. Amen.