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)

Stand Firm, Part 1

It was shaping up to be the joust of the century. There were two knights, one on each side of the tiltyard, each dressed in his own special suit of shining armor.

To the left of the grandstand there was Arthur, seated on his majestic white stallion. He looked around nervously, scanning the crowd. Suddenly he caught sight of his father, the king. His father gave him a nod of approval, calming his frayed nerves.

On the opposing side there was Henry. Seated on his strong black stallion, he surveyed his opponent. Ha! He thought. How does he expect to win dressed in armor like that! Only the most necessary pieces. Ha! And it was true. Henry was arrayed in a fine, full suit of armor. Every inch of his body was covered by either chain mail or the sturdiest of metals.

Arthur had a suit of armor that seemed much less protecting, but it seemed to glow from within. It was composed of a simple belt, breastplate, and shoes, along with his helmet. He carried a very simple but light shield and held his lance in hand.

Arthur looked at his opponent, sizing up the match. He knew that Henry would do anything to win this joust. After all, Henry wasn’t on their side. He was on the side of his father, Brandon, who was trying to rob the king of some of his kingdom. Well, Arthur thought. Today my father’s kingdom will be rid of one more threat. Or at least so he hopped.

The flag was dropped, signaling the beginning of the first match. As Arthur dug his heels into his horse, he almost turned back. But no, he couldn’t do that to his father once again. Besides, his father had given him a promise along with the suit of armor. “My son,” He had said. “Know that I will be with you always, through every battle.” And with those words ringing in his ears, he straightened his course to ride strait towards Henry.

Henry was certain that he could easily un-horse his opponent on the first pass. As he glanced up to survey Arthur’s position, he noticed that Arthur was making a straight course right for him! Henry veered slightly to the right to avoid contact. Both riders swung their horses around for another pass.

Some Fun Valentine's Day Facts

While looking for something to post about on Valentine's Day, I found a good article on the subject at www.history.com. I took the liberty to “pick and choose” paragraphs, to create an abridged version. (I asked my mom, and she said it wasn’t plagiarism). Please enjoy!

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailer's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Tori

Carpet

If you haven't read Tori's post 'Putting Down Wood Floors,' please read that before continuing. Last night we had what you might call a small flood in our home. A pipe burst, and water was all in the hallway, in the living room where the piano used to be, and into our TV room. It took some time to clean up, but this story isn't the exact point.

Our TV room is carpeted, and the carpet had been down for years (like 20 or 30). Underneath the carpet we have beautiful brick floors. We had been thinking about pulling the carpet up, and when this happened we had to. It was dripping wet. We got it out onto the driveway, then started pulling up some of the foam stuff.

I began thinking about what Tori had said about the different carpet parts and how they parallel to your life. Sometimes when you have an emergency or tragedy, people find out more about who you are, and get to see more parts of your life. When we got down to the brick some of it was beautiful, but some of it was very dirty. When hard things hit your life and people see more of your character, what are they going to see? Are they going to see the life that God has cleaned up and made new, or are they going to see spots where you have delayed giving things to God and cleaning them up?

If you haven't asked God to help you get rid of these things, do it now. Many people say that character is built under pressure, however, in all truth, character is revealed under pressure. What will tragedy reveal about your life when it hits?