A Bible memory verse that all of us can handle is I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing”. This is an easy verse to memorize, but a hard one to put into practice. Many of you who know me well are aware that prayer is very central to my life with Christ. I delight in praying with others as the Holy Spirit guides and leads me. My life has been transformed by the power of prayer. Every day I pray Romans 12:1-2 to begin my spiritual journey. Our small group is going to study Romans 12 next Sunday and we have a lot to learn from Paul. From verse 1, I have learned to present my body as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God.

Few of you have met my son Noah, although some of you have heard the stories
how we adopted Noah and Chloe. It took us seven years to adopt him! Words really
cannot describe how I felt when holding that baby for the very first time – 11/11/96.
Noah went on to become a Marine when graduating from high school. After two years of service, Noah was hit by a drunk driver while in a taxi cab in Palm Springs. His head went through the window; causing Noah to sustain a severe head trauma. Once out of the
Marines, he continued to have headaches on a daily basis. Cindy and I have prayed for
Noah to return to his first love – Jesus Christ.

Yet it was not until recently that Noah and Peyton, his girlfriend, finally attended a Bible study on the gospel of Mark with me. We continue to pray that his hunger to know Christ will increase daily. I share this to remind all of us to keep praying for those we love (like the Prodigal Son). God expects no less from any of us!

Fred Daniels