The Prayer of Saint Francis

I take a pointe class from our local Christian dance studio here in Orlando. Our big recital is coming up in a couple of months, and we just completed the choreography for the dance. It's to "The Prayer of Saint Francis" by Sarah McLachlan. She uses her voice well in the song, and the lyrics are, obviously, the Saint Francis' prayer put to music. Here are the words, for you to ponder:

Lord make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And where there is sadness, joy.

O divine master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive-
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Tori
P.S. please note that this is only one of several versions of The Prayer of Saint Francis. Also, as I have not heard any of Sarah McLachlan's music besides this one song, I'm not sure whether it is recommendable it or not.

Prayer Team

I know, we mentioned it in the last post. But, here it is again. This time, I want to go into more detail. We need your support. Last Friday I was at a service at my church and the preacher spoke on Acts 4. When the Sanhedrin released Peter and John, they went to the body of believers, and they prayed together. Two of his points were, Dependence on each other, and a humble dependence on God in prayer.

We are depending on you. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." Please, if you find any ways to encourage us, know that it will be greatly appreciated!

We are also humbly depending on God in prayer. We are asking that you would do the same for us, so that we can have all of the strength and resources that we need to run our ministry. We are a people called to prayer. It needs to be the core of all that we do. If you would are praying for us, thank you. If you would like to start praying for us or want to receive email prayer requests, please email us at armsofloveministries@gmail.com. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!

Our First (really second, though) Meeting

Now that I have your attention, and curiosity, maybe I'll explain the title. Maybe.

Now, I'll talk about our meeting. We decided that we would devote the next six months to research. Deciding that our next step would be to meet with Bethany's children's minister, we scheduled a time to discuss the ministry with her.

Here's what we thought the most interesting information was. Tori: We learned that 20-25% of the children who go through Bethany's church are in single parent situations. I was expecting it to be 4% or something. But 20% is a good number- a good number for ministering to, not good that there are so many! Also, in her experiences, one emotion that was prevalent in the kids was rejection.

Bethany: I found it interesting that even if charity and kindness look like the same thing, your attitude and how you present it can make a big difference. If you give dinner to someone so that they can spend more time with their parent, it is kindness, where as if it is because they are poor, that is more like charity. Also, it will make a big difference in many of their lives if we are just there to listen. Sometimes, in that situation, no one has the time to listen to them, so they need someone to lend an ear!

One other tip that we got was to have a dedicated prayer team. We need people to pray for us at all times, and especially during meetings. To become part of our prayer team, email us at armsofloveministries@gmail.com. We will email you prayer requests as they come in. Thank you, all of you, so very much for your prayers and partnership.


Tori and Bethany:)
Happy Birthday, Bethany! Hope you have a great year!- Tori

P.S. Now for my explanation. In January, we had a board meeting with our parents. (During that meeting, we changed their title to "the leadership team" when we found out a board of directors could made decisions for us (not that we will ignore their direction)) So, that was our first meeting. This is our second meeting. However, it is our first "buisness meeting." I know you probably are confused... But if you read it again, maybe you'll undersand. Then again, maybe not:)

Stand Firm, Part 2

Suddenly fear gripped Arthur. But he held his course. He glimpsed out of the corner of his eye his father cheering him on. As Henry approached, Arthur thrust his lance forward, carefully guiding it to the most vulnerable part of Henry’s armor. As Arthur’s lance struck, Henry fell to the ground, having received a fatal wound.

Arthur had done it! He had won the joust, and now his father’s kingdom was safe for a little longer. He looked up to see his father coming towards him. Suddenly, though he was so happy, he became terribly ashamed. “Wonderful job, my son!” The king said.

“But father, how can you be proud of me? I was afraid the entire time!” Arthur said, scarcely daring to lift his eyes from the ground.

“My son, you did it. You won. You overcame your fears. You are now victorious. Thought there are many battles left for you to fight, I will always be with you. And you can trust this armor in any battle.” And with that the king and Arthur went off to join the victory party.

The just, loving king represents our Father and our Lord, the one who we have given our lives to serve. Arthur is you and I, the ones who he has called to live for him and fight in his army. Henry represents those things that we fight against every day. The things that try to weaken our faith. But we can know that we will always overcome through the power of our father and the strength of the armor he has given us.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)