A Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Women in My Life

I am so grateful for the women of our community of Global Service.  I am honored by your presence and your willingness to be in a mutual relationship with the men of Global Service. Together we are servant leaders and ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior.  I encourage you to continue “speaking the truth in love, that together we may grow up in all things in Him who is the First Born of Creation and who is the Source ("Head") of the Church.  Jesus Christ the Lord of Heaven and Earth.” (Ephesians 4:11-16 and 5:15-21)

This is my prayer on the morning of September 26th 2018 beside the Crystal River near Redstone, Colorado:

"Thank-you Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit three in One for opening my eyes to see the wonder of the virgin Mary the mother of the body of Jesus. Mary, you gave life to the Savior and Redeemer of the heavens and earth. Mary, thank-you that you as a young woman in spite of the cultural norms of your day choose to receive by grace through faith the gift of God in your womb to conceive the body of Jesus who was born in Bethlehem on that first Christmas Day. Mary, you are the giver of the life of God, and therefore, of love, of beauty, of joy, of grace, of reconciliation, of nurture, of learning, of language. Because of your surrender to the will of God I can now experience the presence of God. May the heavens and earth be filled with the Glory of God forever and ever." Amen

For all the women of Global Service who I love (“phileo”) as a brother, I pray for you to enjoy all the gifts of creation today. I pray for healing from the wounds of angry sinful men who covet the power of life that you possess. I pray for you to have wholeness of life, for abundance, for provision of food and clothing, protection and shelter. I pray that you may have freedom of movement and expression in your home, in your workplace, in the marketplace, in your neighborhood, in your church, and in society. I pray that you will experience the love of God and be energized by the life (“eros”) of God so that your mind will be renewed, your body will be strengthened, your voice will sing of the truth of God and your soul will be refreshed by the unconditional love (“agape”) of God.

Today I pray that you will see the beauty of creation, that you will smell the fresh air of the Spirit of God, that you will taste the goodness of God, and that you will hear the voice of God’s assurance, and feel the gentle touch and comfort of the heart of God. May all creation be filled with the voices of women today to drown out the voices of self-serving and self-centered men who have joined in the rebellion of the ages against God.

I pray Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit three in one that you hear my voice, a man broken by my own sin and the sins of men who are held captive by the angel of Death (“Azreal” in Hebrew and “Thanatos” in Greek).

By His Grace and For His Glory! Amen

Originally, I wrote this pray for my wife of 41 years, Brenda, my daughter of 37 years, Kelly, and my granddaughter Ruby who is 4 years old. I later decided to share this prayer with the women of our mission.