Dear God,

Every person is so different. Every person is unique. I think that when we are young we think like a child and think that the way we know and understand things is the best way. Thats what it was like for me. I thought that I was really cool, really unique, and had very high self-esteem. Other people either did the same things that I did and thought the same way that I thought or else they were considered weird. There were a lot of weird people around me as I grew up. Its funny that the thought that I was weird never even entered my head.

Now I am at a stage in my life where I realize just how unique everyone is to the best of their abilities. No one tries to be weird on purpose; everyone tries being the very best person that they can be. It might be weird for others but every person is special unto themselves. I see this a lot with preachers. I don’t think any preacher just tries to be boring and unexciting. However a lot of sermons are boring and unexciting. The preacher is doing the best that he/she can but it just comes across very weird to me; to us.

However, this childish way of thinking does not stay too long and I really thank You for that. You help me see things differently. You help me see past the surface. I am starting to see the earnest and honest side of people. Help me see more God. Help me really look deep and understand that my way is not the best way and if someone else is doing something differently its okay. They might even do a better job than me. If they aren’t doing a better job I can just pray for them to get a better vision. They are probably trying to do the best that they can and if You would just enlarge their capabilities then everything will be alright.

I want to pray for my churches that I attend. For MGC. Please help my church become a church of love. I want all the pastors and deacons to love each other very much and to get along as much as they can. I want them to make wise decisions about the future of our church. I want them to be unified and strong and to keep the church going at any cost. Please bless the leadership of our church. Bless the pastors and their sermons. Give the leaders a strong vision and a goal. Let them work very effectively with the people in the church and help them in their spiritual lives. Everyone needs help. That is why You established the church. We are one body, and we have the same spirit. Your church is always strong.

I pray for the Youth leaders in my church. A lot of us are young and highly inexperienced. A lot of us are terrible preachers (this might be just my incorrect opinion). The Youth leaders need Your help. We need Your guidance. How do we work with such a large and diverse group of Youth. How to we keep the Youth in the church and help them overcome sin and temptation. How to we inspire them to go into ministry and suffer for Your kingdom. How do we arm the youth to fight against the devil. How do we teach them to pray, how to read and study the bible, how to walk with You. We have been given a difficult task by the Church Council. A task that is much too hard for us. However, I believe we were given the task because You wanted it to be that way. You chose us personally to be leaders and You promised to help us. There are people praying for us. They are praying for Your to provide us with wisdom and understanding. Please help us God. Help us become betters leaders. Help us lead by example. Help us become better speakers and preachers. Let us connect with the audience. Help us befriend the Youth. Teach us where the Youth is coming from, what they want, what they are afraid of, and how to help them. How to help. Teach us to help them. To guide them. Most important, give our hearts a burning passion for the Youth. May we fall in love with every single person and give and give and give more to them. Let us plant seeds of life into them, which will You will grow in proper time.

Every day I realize more and more things. I realize things that I could do better. I realize things that I don’t do so well. I realize things that need to be done. I realize that I don’t always do the things that I should and sometimes do things that I shouldn’t.

Bless my wonderful wife Anastasia. Please protect her. Be with her. Hold her close to You. She is such a wonderful person to be around. I can see her changing and learning and becoming even more wonderful. Why are you blessing me so? I don’t deserve it at all. Help me change and become a better husband. I have bad habits that my wife insists that I change. Her advise is good. Help me work harder at it. Help me work really hard to do what she says. She is my helper and You made her that way and You chose Nastia to be the person who can help me the most. Please let me allow her to help me. I don’t want to be stubborn or proud. I want to be accepting. I want to listen to good advise and follow it. Please continue to guide Nastia and to give her wisdom. You have put a lot of respect for my wife within my heart and for that I thank You. I want to respect her. I want to love her. I want to cherish her. Please help me continue along that path.

I give everything up into Your hand God. I give You everything. My worries are Yours. I don’t know what I will do about money in the near future, but I am giving You all my worries. I am giving You all my concerns about raising my children. I know a lot of good things about raising children, and there’s much more that I don’t know yet. If You teach me everything will be okay and You promised to teach me. I won’t worry about it. I won’t worry about my health and Nastia’s health. Yes we should live healthy lives, but there are so many exceptions, so many different diseases that no matter what we do, we will always need Your mercy. Therefore, why should I worry about things that I can’t control. Help me and Nastia to be healthy and live good long healthy lives. If You have others plans for us in mind, so be it. We belong to You and You have power to do whatever You want with us.

Sometimes I ask this question to myself. What if God told me to stop doing something I like and never to do it again as long as I live. Would I do it? For example what if You told me to stop working on my website and never touch it again as long as I live. I honestly don’t know what I would do. However hard it may be, I would want to follow You. Please help me God, when the time comes and You ask for my sacrifice, please help me obey You.

I am all Yours,
In Your name I pray,
Amen.