Shirlee Abbott

Good Work

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Labor Day–a Monday holiday here in the USA–marks the end of summer and honors honest work. Vacation is over, we’re on the job.

Bless the work of our hands, Lord God.
May we do good work, in Jesus’ name.

Posted in other | Tagged Labor Day, Work | 3 Comments

Constructive Prayer

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

As I post this, a Category 5 hurricane is blowing across the Bahamas. Prayer is my only thought:

“O Savior, whose almighty word
The winds and waves submissive heard,
Who walked upon the foaming deep,
And calm amid the rage did sleep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.”
William Whiting, 1860

Posted in other | Tagged Hurricane Dorian, William Whiting | Comments Off

Safe Secrecy for Afghan Christians

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Officially, there are no Christians in Afghanistan. Unofficially, Afghan Christians are either hidden or persecuted. According to Open Doors:

“Anyone leaving Islam is seen as betraying their tribal community. In most cases, conversion brings shame for the family; family members will do all in their power to bring the convert back to Islam or to atone for the shame . . . Very often, there is only one possible outcome for exposed and caught Christians: They will be killed.”

God alone knows the true number of Afghan Christians.

Lord, watch over those hidden souls. Shelter them, encourage them, provide opportunities for growth and fellowship. Enlarge their circle, in Jesus’ name.

Posted in other | Tagged Afghan Christians, Open Doors, Safe Shelter | Comments Off

An Anciet Purpose for Modern Education

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

“The Scriptures principally teach
what man is to believe concerning God,
and what duty God requires of man.”
The Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1648

Some things never change.

Lord God, may we all–old and young–apply our educations to this good purpose, in Jesus’s name.

Posted in other | Tagged education, Westminster Shorter Catechism | 3 Comments

God Can Help with That

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Romans 8:26 (NIV)
The Spirit helps us in our weakness.

Be specific, God can help:

Help this child learn to read.
Help math make sense.
Help him pay attention in class.
Help her make friends.
Help them get their homework done.

Posted in other | Tagged K.I.S.S., prayer, Romans 8:26, school, short and simple | 2 Comments

Call Ahead

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Psalm 34:7 (ERV)
The Lord’s angel builds a camp
around his followers,
and he protects them.

As you pray for the schools God puts on your heart, picture an angel army setting up camp around the building. Put in the call for help before it’s needed.

Posted in other | Tagged prayer, Psalm 34:7, school | 3 Comments

Easy-Peasy. Pray It Isn’t So.

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

It’s tempting to pray that my child has an easy year. But is that God’s way?

James 1:2-4 (NIV)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

“Mature and complete,” that’s the goal.

Bring on the challenges, Lord!

Posted in other | Tagged James 1:2-4, school | 3 Comments

Back to School

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

How do (or did) you prepare for the startup of school after the summer break?

Shop for clothes
Enforce bedtime
Stock up on school supplies
Pray

Pray? It’s an act of preparation, not a last resort.

Mom’s In Prayer International‘s vision is “is that every school in the world would be covered with prayer.” They also say, “the best thing you can do for your child is pray.”

Let’s pray–for our own children and grandchildren, for the kids in our neighborhood, for schools down the road and across the ocean.

What should we pray? Stay tuned. That’s the topic of my next four posts.

Posted in other | Tagged Moms in Prayer International, prayer, school | 3 Comments

Shelter My Neighbor

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Here in the U.S., tensions rise up between neighbors. Political differences become calls to battle. Neighbors call neighbors derogatory names. Occasionally, Bible verses are tuned into weapons to justify one’s position and prove how wrong the other one is.

Here’s a Bible verse to remember:

Love your neighbor as yourself.
(These important words are found in Leviticus, Matthew, Mark, Luke and James; God didn’t want us to miss them.)

Jesus used a parable about a Samaritan and a Jew to explain. Their differences were ancient, ethnic, geographic and religious–as bitter as our red/blue divide.

Lord Jesus, you call me to love the neighbors with the other candidate’s sign in their yard, the neighbors who post insults to my party on social media. You call me to show mercy and bless these neighbors–in prayer, word and deed. Give me the strength and wisdom to answer Your call. Teach me to shelter my neighbors with Your love.

Posted in other | Tagged Good Samaritan, love your neighbor, red/blue divide, Safe Shelter | Comments Off

My Way or the Highway

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

“OK God,” you say, “if You won’t give me what I want, I’ll just leave.”

Where you gonna go?

Psalm 139:7-10 (NLT)
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me.

Posted in other | Tagged God's will, Psalm 139:7-10 | 2 Comments