Prayer for Students – Why is it important?
Prayer for students is vitally important in culture today. School campuses are full of temptation and negative influences targeting students. Prayer is a way to influence students to make wise choices and excel in their studies.
There are many topics in the curriculum that will impact their decision making for years to come. Our youth and young adults approach a time of their lives where they will make significant decision about careers, marriage, children, and other life choices.
Can we live without prayer? No. We need communication with God. He can do anything without man, but He will not because He created us to love Him and love others. He establishes His kingdom through us by prayer. Prayer is one way to build our faith and expectations of His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Prayer can greatly impact students' lives, faith, and outlook on their future.
Prayer for Students – What do I pray?
In my prayer for students, what do I pray for? Get to know students who are in your family, neighborhood, and church. As you interact with them, you will realize the problems and situations that they face. Here are some suggestions for how to pray for them:
* Many struggle with classes or courses. Pray for wisdom as they listen to lectures and complete homework. Pray for good recall during testing.
* Pray for students as they encounter philosophies or theories that are contrary to their beliefs.
* Pray that their parents will provide good guidance and help them make wise decisions.
* The financial burden of tuition and books is costly. Ask God to provide for their needs.
* Pray for those who struggle with balancing a job and class attendance.
* Pray for students to have accountability and encouragement from a group of Christians.
* Pray that God lead them into a relationship with Him and strengthen their faith.
* Follow the guidance given in the Bible. These verses can be prayed for students.
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing" (Philippians 2:14-16).
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Prayer for Students - How do I pray?
How can I implement prayer for students on a regular basis? Here are some practical suggestions.
* Prayer walk on campus - Consider having a prayer walk around the school or university in your community. These campuses usually have parking areas and streets near them. That’s a great place to start. Walk around the area while praying for the students who attend. Pray for success in their studies, for them to make good choices, and to say no to temptation. Pray also for the professors, teachers, and administration.
* Prayer Team - Other Christians may be interested in praying for students in your local area. Think about starting a weekly prayer team for your school.
* Influence specific students - Email short prayers to students you already know. Encourage them in their studies and ask them for ways you can pray for them.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Praying For School Teachers
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION - PRAY!
Andrew Murray, in his "Helps to Intercession",says:
*For their protection:
-That God would protect our teachers from danger such as accidents and illness (Philippians 4:6)
-That the Lord would be their stronghold in the day of trouble (Nahum1:7)
-That the Lord would keep them from the evil one. (John 17:15)
-That God would give his angels charge over them to keep them in all His ways (Psalm 91:10,11)
*For their relationships at school:
-That our teachers would be gracious, full of compassion, and slow to anger, having great mercy. (Psalm 145:8)
-That they would learn that a soft word turns away wrath. (Proverbs 15:1)
-That they would be content with such things as they have knowing God will never leave them or forsake them. (Hebrews 13:5)
-That they would not be envious but respect one another. (Proverbs 14:30)
*For their relationship with God:
-That our teachers would come to know and believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father but thru Him. (John 14:6)
-May our teachers walk by faith and not by sight. (2Corinthians 5:7)
-That our teachers would ask God for wisdom which He has promised to give us liberally. (James 1:5)
-That their lives would shine out light into a dark world (2Cor. 4:6)
-That they would come to hate sin. (Psalm 97:10)
-That they would allow God to accomplish His purpose in their lives. (Philippians 2:13)
*For their teaching:
-That they would come to love and enjoy their students.
-That they would be excited about teaching.
-That they would be just or fair in their grading and testing of students.
-That they might be sensitive about how much homework to give.
Prayers for My Principal and other staff members:
-That the Principal would set a standard based on high morals and godly principles.
-That all the staff would seek God and His purposes for their lives.
-That God would give them wisdom when making decisions for the school .
-That the staff would treat students with respect and truly care about their well-being.
-That God would give the school a spirit of unity and cooperation.
-That Parents would be willing to work with the School to make it a great place to learn.
-For the Principal to have good communication skills and to be able to work well with others.
-For their physical safety and good health.
"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Andrew Murray, in his "Helps to Intercession",says:
*For their protection:
-That God would protect our teachers from danger such as accidents and illness (Philippians 4:6)
-That the Lord would be their stronghold in the day of trouble (Nahum1:7)
-That the Lord would keep them from the evil one. (John 17:15)
-That God would give his angels charge over them to keep them in all His ways (Psalm 91:10,11)
*For their relationships at school:
-That our teachers would be gracious, full of compassion, and slow to anger, having great mercy. (Psalm 145:8)
-That they would learn that a soft word turns away wrath. (Proverbs 15:1)
-That they would be content with such things as they have knowing God will never leave them or forsake them. (Hebrews 13:5)
-That they would not be envious but respect one another. (Proverbs 14:30)
*For their relationship with God:
-That our teachers would come to know and believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father but thru Him. (John 14:6)
-May our teachers walk by faith and not by sight. (2Corinthians 5:7)
-That our teachers would ask God for wisdom which He has promised to give us liberally. (James 1:5)
-That their lives would shine out light into a dark world (2Cor. 4:6)
-That they would come to hate sin. (Psalm 97:10)
-That they would allow God to accomplish His purpose in their lives. (Philippians 2:13)
*For their teaching:
-That they would come to love and enjoy their students.
-That they would be excited about teaching.
-That they would be just or fair in their grading and testing of students.
-That they might be sensitive about how much homework to give.
Prayers for My Principal and other staff members:
-That the Principal would set a standard based on high morals and godly principles.
-That all the staff would seek God and His purposes for their lives.
-That God would give them wisdom when making decisions for the school .
-That the staff would treat students with respect and truly care about their well-being.
-That God would give the school a spirit of unity and cooperation.
-That Parents would be willing to work with the School to make it a great place to learn.
-For the Principal to have good communication skills and to be able to work well with others.
-For their physical safety and good health.
"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Friday, August 13, 2010
Why Bad Things Happen To Good People
A Book By Harold S. Kushner (1981)--notes by Doug Muder (1997)
I found this book helpful and this review might provoke you to read it:
• Introduction, Why I wrote this book. Kushner wrote this book as a reaction to personal tragedy--his son Aaron had premature aging, which he died from. This provoked a crisis of faith for Kushner, who is a rabbi. He wrote this book for people "who have been hurt by life", to help them find a faith that can aid in getting through their troubles, rather than making things worse.
1. Why do the righteous suffer? A summary of all the too-easy answers to the question of human suffering, and why they are inadequate.
2. The story of a man named Job. Kushner presents his theological framework in the form of a re-interpretation of the story of Job. He lets go of the notion that God is all-powerful in favor of the notion that God is good.
The next four chapters flesh out Kushner's basic ideas by looking at three different causes of human suffering. In each case he takes the position that God does not cause the suffering and could not prevent it.
3. Sometimes there is no reason. This chapter covers random, circumstantial suffering, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kushner attributes the orderliness of the universe to God, but holds that the ordering of the universe is not complete: Some things are just circumstantial, and there is no point in looking for a reason for them.
4. No exceptions for nice people. Some suffering is caused by the workings of natural law. There is no moral judgment involved--natural law is blind, and God does not interfere with it. God does not intervene to save good people from earthquake or disease, and does not send these misfortunes to punish the wicked. Kushner puts great value on the orderliness of the universe's natural law, and would not want God to routinely intervene for moral reasons.
5. God leaves us room to be human. Some suffering is caused by the actions of evil people. Kushner re-interprets the story of Adam and Eve to make the point that the ability to choose between good and evil is what makes us human. For God to interfere with our ability to do evil would make all of us less human.
6. God helps those who stop hurting themselves. Some suffering we cause ourselves by the way we handle our initial suffering. We blame ourselves, or we take out our anger on the people who are trying to help us, or on God.
The second to last chapter answers the question: Given that God isn't all-powerful, what good is He?
7. God can't do everything, but he can do some important things. If God didn't cause our problems and can't fix them, why pray? Two reasons: The prayers of others can make us aware that we are not facing our problems alone. And God can give us the strength of character that we need to handle our misfortunes, if we are willing to accept it.
The last chapter is a summary of what has gone before. It adds flourish rather than content.
8. What good, then, is religion? Chapter 7 already answered this question. What this chapter really does is wrap up: "Is there an answer to the question of why bad things happen to good people? That depends on what we mean by 'answer'. If we mean 'Is there an explanation which will make sense of it all?'… then there probably is no satisfying answer. We can offer learned explanations, but in the end, when we have covered all the squares on the game board and are feeling very proud of our cleverness, the pain and the anguish and the sense of unfairness will still be there. But the word 'answer' can also mean 'response' as well as 'explanation,' and in that sense, there may well be a satisfying answer to the tragedies in our lives. The response would be Job's response in MacLeish's version of the biblical story—to forgive the world for not being perfect, to forgive God for letting us have our way, to reach out to the people around us, and to go on living despite it all." [page 147]
I found this book helpful and this review might provoke you to read it:
• Introduction, Why I wrote this book. Kushner wrote this book as a reaction to personal tragedy--his son Aaron had premature aging, which he died from. This provoked a crisis of faith for Kushner, who is a rabbi. He wrote this book for people "who have been hurt by life", to help them find a faith that can aid in getting through their troubles, rather than making things worse.
1. Why do the righteous suffer? A summary of all the too-easy answers to the question of human suffering, and why they are inadequate.
2. The story of a man named Job. Kushner presents his theological framework in the form of a re-interpretation of the story of Job. He lets go of the notion that God is all-powerful in favor of the notion that God is good.
The next four chapters flesh out Kushner's basic ideas by looking at three different causes of human suffering. In each case he takes the position that God does not cause the suffering and could not prevent it.
3. Sometimes there is no reason. This chapter covers random, circumstantial suffering, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kushner attributes the orderliness of the universe to God, but holds that the ordering of the universe is not complete: Some things are just circumstantial, and there is no point in looking for a reason for them.
4. No exceptions for nice people. Some suffering is caused by the workings of natural law. There is no moral judgment involved--natural law is blind, and God does not interfere with it. God does not intervene to save good people from earthquake or disease, and does not send these misfortunes to punish the wicked. Kushner puts great value on the orderliness of the universe's natural law, and would not want God to routinely intervene for moral reasons.
5. God leaves us room to be human. Some suffering is caused by the actions of evil people. Kushner re-interprets the story of Adam and Eve to make the point that the ability to choose between good and evil is what makes us human. For God to interfere with our ability to do evil would make all of us less human.
6. God helps those who stop hurting themselves. Some suffering we cause ourselves by the way we handle our initial suffering. We blame ourselves, or we take out our anger on the people who are trying to help us, or on God.
The second to last chapter answers the question: Given that God isn't all-powerful, what good is He?
7. God can't do everything, but he can do some important things. If God didn't cause our problems and can't fix them, why pray? Two reasons: The prayers of others can make us aware that we are not facing our problems alone. And God can give us the strength of character that we need to handle our misfortunes, if we are willing to accept it.
The last chapter is a summary of what has gone before. It adds flourish rather than content.
8. What good, then, is religion? Chapter 7 already answered this question. What this chapter really does is wrap up: "Is there an answer to the question of why bad things happen to good people? That depends on what we mean by 'answer'. If we mean 'Is there an explanation which will make sense of it all?'… then there probably is no satisfying answer. We can offer learned explanations, but in the end, when we have covered all the squares on the game board and are feeling very proud of our cleverness, the pain and the anguish and the sense of unfairness will still be there. But the word 'answer' can also mean 'response' as well as 'explanation,' and in that sense, there may well be a satisfying answer to the tragedies in our lives. The response would be Job's response in MacLeish's version of the biblical story—to forgive the world for not being perfect, to forgive God for letting us have our way, to reach out to the people around us, and to go on living despite it all." [page 147]
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Finding A Job
Here are 5 tips to getting hired in a recession
1.If you are looking for a job you have to be 100% buttoned up. From your resume, to speaking about your work experience, to highlighting your accomplishment, to showcasing your personality and your fit into their team, everything has to be well thought out and practiced.
2.Your resume has to be spot on perfect. Tell a very compelling story about your work history, your experience and skills and it has to standout from all of the other candidate’s resumes
3.Your interview technique has to be practiced and practiced again and again…rehearsed so well that you can make all of your responses seem spontaneous.
4.You have to have your trigger words down so you have a number of responses at the ready for any question that the interviewer might throw at you. Trigger words like teamwork, leadership, stress should trigger anecdotes that you can share or experiences that you can point to.
5.Your anecdotes need to tell a story about you. Highlight something about your experience, be relevant to the opportunity and you have to be able to tie them into how you will impact the bottom line for your potential employer’s company.
1.If you are looking for a job you have to be 100% buttoned up. From your resume, to speaking about your work experience, to highlighting your accomplishment, to showcasing your personality and your fit into their team, everything has to be well thought out and practiced.
2.Your resume has to be spot on perfect. Tell a very compelling story about your work history, your experience and skills and it has to standout from all of the other candidate’s resumes
3.Your interview technique has to be practiced and practiced again and again…rehearsed so well that you can make all of your responses seem spontaneous.
4.You have to have your trigger words down so you have a number of responses at the ready for any question that the interviewer might throw at you. Trigger words like teamwork, leadership, stress should trigger anecdotes that you can share or experiences that you can point to.
5.Your anecdotes need to tell a story about you. Highlight something about your experience, be relevant to the opportunity and you have to be able to tie them into how you will impact the bottom line for your potential employer’s company.
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