Read Shari’s library update below!
“Divide the circumference of a pumpkin by it’s diameter - you get pumpkin pi” - from Shari’s letter board in the library
Read Shari’s library update below!
“Divide the circumference of a pumpkin by it’s diameter - you get pumpkin pi” - from Shari’s letter board in the library
Monday, October 10. Give thanks for the Worship Planning Team, for their planning to assist us in worshiping all together. Pray for each of the team members: Bruce Benedict, Pat Dykstra, Norm Hoekstra, Pastor Matt Stob & Erik Van Appledorn.
Tuesday, October 11. Father, we pray for each of those who meet each week to pray for Maranatha, its ministry, and its members. We thank you for the gift of being able to come to You in prayer.
Wednesday, October 12. Pray for the Prayer Team as they give leadership in helping us be a people of prayer. Pray for each of its members individually: Larry Ensing, Ken Frieling, Bev Groen, John Lappenga & Gail Wiersma.
Thursday, October 13. Father, we ask that you would be with the Men when they meet for Men’s Bible Study. May your word come alive to them.
Friday, October 14. Father, we are grateful for the Safe Church Team and the work they do to help us all care for and protect each other. We pray specifically for each team member: Denny Achterhof, Charrie Hemmeke, Jenna Hop & Pastor Matt Stob.
Saturday, October 15. Prince of Peace, we pray that we at Maranatha will “make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).
Sunday, October 16. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). We give thanks, Lord, for the peace we can have because of Jesus. Lord, we pray for the Young People and their leaders as they meet this year, that their time together may be a time of blessing in their lives.
Monday, October 3. Pray for the Full Council as it meets tonight, that they seek the Lord’s wisdom and discernment for the matters that are before them. Pray specifically for the Elders: John Dykstra, Larry Ensing, Norm Hoekstra, Jim Le Febre, Brent Pollema, Dale Rosema & Pastor Matt Stob.
Tuesday, October 4. Father, we pray for Guild as it starts its season, studying the book of Mark. We pray for Sheila as she gives teaching leadership and for all those who attend, that your word continue to be active and alive in their lives.
Wednesday, October 5. Pray for all those who gather for Women’s Ministry as they continue their study of the book of Acts, that they continue to grow in their walk with God and in fellowship with each other.
Thursday, October 6. Pray for Dale Rosema in his role as Technical Director.
Friday, October 7. Pray for Worship Planning Coordinator, Bruce Benedict.
Saturday, October 8. Father God, we pray “for the joy of the Lord to be Maranatha’s strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Sunday, October 9. “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 95:1). Lord, we pray for the 2.42 groups as they meet, that they will be a means of making known the path of life and of filling your people with joy.
Monday, September 26. Please fill our students with Your wisdom and insight. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).
Tuesday, September 27. Teach our children the importance of doing their work with excellence, to honor you with their attitudes and actions. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9).
Wednesday, September 28. Help us as parents and adults to see the value in each child, and not dismiss their words and ideas because of their youth. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
Thursday, September 29. Give our students a genuine interest in what they are taught and renew their energy each day. “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
Friday, September 30. Father, we pray that each person who teaches our children this year will be filled with Your Spirit, Your wisdom and insight, Your love, Your understanding and compassion, and the ability to see each child as unique and highly valuable.
Saturday, October 1. Father, I pray that each of us at Maranatha will “be an imitator of You, God, as a dearly loved child and live a life of love” (Ephesians 5:1,2).
Sunday, October 2. As we celebrate Communion today, Lord, we give thanks for your great love, that you gave your one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Monday, September 19. Empower the children we love to not give up easily, but learn to push through the difficult relational times and difficult assignments, to persevere. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Tuesday, September 20. May our students be able to be quiet and attentive. “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end” (Prov. 29:11).
Wednesday, September 21. Lord, give our students the ability to respect others and put them first. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).
Thursday, September 22. Help our students to be able to control themselves, their thoughts, words, and actions. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Friday, September 23. Father, teach our children to have thankful hearts, an attitude of gratitude. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).
Saturday, September 24. Open our children’s minds and give them the gift of understanding what they are taught. “The unfolding of your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).
Sunday, September 25. Father, we ask You to give our children victory over lies and enemies. Encourage them to always cry out to You for help and strength in times of trouble. “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall” (Psalm 18:29).
Monday, September 12. We pray that our students are not passive and uninvolved in learning, but show initiative. “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Tuesday, September 13. Father, save the lives of the students we love, that they would have the joy of knowing You! “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
Wednesday, September 14. Lord God, give our students the ability to understand and to acquire knowledge. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Eph 1:17).
Thursday, September 15. We pray that our little (or big) learners would be excellent listeners. “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).
Friday, September 16. Father, help our students to grow and mature. “And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people” (1 Samuel 2:26).
Saturday, September 17. May our children be good neighbors to others. “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31).
Sunday, September 18. We ask, Lord, that Your Spirit to be at work in our students, filling them with hope and protecting them from disappointment or despair. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Monday, September 5. Give the students we love a boldness that comes from knowing You. “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1)?
Tuesday, September 6. May our students be courageous. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7).
Wednesday, September 7. Give our students the gift of discernment. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9-10).
Thursday, September 8. May the children we love be enthusiastic learners! “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23).
Friday, September 9. We pray that our students would be friendly and have good friends. “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24).
Saturday, September 10. Father, grow generosity in the hearts and lives of our students. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6-7).
Sunday, September 11. May our children and the children we love be willing to put others first. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:3-4).
Monday, August 29. Praise God! He is our righteous judge. “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity” (Psalm 9:8).
Tuesday, August 30. Praise God! He is Jesus! “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Wednesday, August 31. Praise God! In Him is joy. “You make known the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).
Thursday, September 1. Spend some time in quiet confession. “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).
Friday, September 2. Spend some time in joyful thanksgiving! “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).
Saturday, September 3. Jesus, You are the One who has shown us what is good and what is required of us. By Your Spirit’s power, show us how to “act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).
Sunday, September 4. Father God, give our students a helpful, receptive, teachable attitude. “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Monday, August 22. Praise God! He is our intercessor. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).
Tuesday, August 23. Praise God, our instructor. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (Psalm 32:8).
Wednesday, August 24. Praise our immortal, invisible God! “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim. 1:17).
Thursday, August 25. “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 5:5-6). Take some time to confess your sins to God.
Friday, August 26. Thank God that we are washed, sanctified and justified in the Name of Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Saturday, August 27. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, give us the desire to “be an imitator of God. Help us live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
Sunday, August 28. Praise God! He is just. “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:3-4).
Read Shari’s library update below… and stop in the library to grab a good book!
“Trust the next chapter because you know the author!” - quote from Shari’s letter board
Monday, August 15. Praise God! He is our hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Tuesday, August 16. Praise God! He is our helper. “The Lord is with me; he is my helper” (Psalm 118:7).
Wednesday, August 17. Praise God! He is our healer. “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).
Thursday, August 18. Confession - “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:3-4).
Friday, August 19. Thanksgiving – “Sing for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel” (Isaiah 44:23).
Saturday, August 20. Prayer for Others – By the power of your Holy Spirit, help __________ “…live a holy and godly life as he/she looks forward to the day of God” (2 Peter 3:11-12).
Sunday, August 21. Praise God! He is our Immanuel! “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:23).
Monday, August 8. Praise God! He is our guide. “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory” (Psalm 73:24).
Tuesday, August 9. Praise God! He is God. “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
Wednesday, August 10. Praise God! He is good. “How great is your goodness!” (Psalm 31:19).
Thursday, August 11. Confession – “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:3-5).
Friday, August 12. Thanksgiving – “Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13).
Saturday, August 13. Prayer for Others - Lord, may ___________ “…do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for him/herself as a good foundation for the future so that ___________ may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).
Sunday, August 14. Praise God! He is holy. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
Monday, August 1. Praise God! He is our Father. “You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior” (Psalm 89:26).
Tuesday, August 2. Praise God! He is our friend. “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (Psalm 25:14).
Wednesday, August 3. Praise God! He fights for you. “For the Lord is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory” (Deuteronomy 20:4).
Thursday, August 4. Confession – “O, Lord, have mercy on me; heal me for I have sinned against you” (Psalm 41:4).
Friday, August 5. Thanksgiving - “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepared the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23).
Saturday, August 6. Prayer for Others - I pray that _____________ will hear your word say “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).
Sunday, August 7. Praise God! He is gentle. “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
Monday, July 25. Praise God! He is our dwelling place! “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (Psalm 90:1).
Tuesday, July 26. Praise God, our defender! “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5).
Wednesday, July 27. Praise God, Who alone is divine! “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Thursday, July 28. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Pause and confess your sins.
Friday, July 29. Thank God for delivering you and giving you a firm place to stand. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him” (Psalm 40:1-3).
Saturday, July 30. Help us to trust in You, Lord, and delight ourselves in You. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:3-4).
Sunday, July 31. Praise God! He is faithful. “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does” (Psalm 33:4).
Monday, July 18. Praise God for being our Wonderful Counselor! “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Tuesday, July 19. Praise God! He is compassionate. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Wednesday, July 20. Praise God! He is close and caring. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Thursday, July 21. Confess your sings to our compassionate and caring God. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:8-10).
Friday, July 22. Thank God that you are no longer condemned because of Jesus’s death and resurrection. “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Rom. 8:33-34).
Saturday, July 23. Father of compassion, by the power of Your Spirit, help us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
Sunday, July 24. Praise God, our deliverer! “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).
Monday, July 11. Praise God! He is our bread. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
Tuesday, July 12. Praise God! He makes all things beautiful. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Wednesday, July 13. Praise God! He is our builder. “...but God is the builder of everything” (Hebrews 3:4).
Thursday, July 14. Confession – “Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name. For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against you” (Jeremiah 14:7).
Friday, July 15. Thanksgiving Prayer – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Saturday, July 16. Prayer for Others - I pray that ______________ would “be an imitator of God, therefore, as a dearly loved child and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us…” (Ephesians 5:1).
Sunday, July 17. Praise God! He is our creator. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom” (Isaiah 40:28).
Monday, July 4. Praise God! He is the author of our faith. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Tuesday, July 5. Praise God! He is our Advocate. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
Wednesday, July 6. Praise God! He is our Abba Faither. We are his adopted children. “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15).
Thursday, July 7. Confession – “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” (Psalm 51:4).
Friday, July 8. Thanksgiving Prayer – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this…” (Psalm 107:1,2).
Saturday, July 9. Prayer for Others – “I pray ____________ will abide in you and you in him/her, that _____________ will bear much fruit and know that apart from you, he/she can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Sunday, July 10. Praise God! He is before all things. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
Monday, June 27. “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). Father, soften our eyes, our tongues, and our arms so that we can embody Your gentleness.
Tuesday, June 28. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Help us, Lord, to know ourselves, to be aware of our motivations, impulses, and blind spots.
Wednesday, June 29. If you notice the fruit of the Spirit showing up in your life, that is God’s work in you, so give Him thanks! If you notice it in someone else, let them know!
Thursday, June 30. Pray for the seeds from your fruit to be planted in the lives of those who need to know Jesus.
Friday, July 1. Praise God! He is awesome above all. “Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him” (Psalm 89:5-7)?
Saturday, July 2. Praise God! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty. “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8).
Sunday, July 3. Praise God! He is the Ancient of Days. “As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days (Almighty God) took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow, the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze” (Daniel 7:9).
Thanks for all your support and prayers! This week has exceeded our expectations - Ephesians 3:20 says, “God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, and above all you could ever ask, imagine, or think, according to His power at work in you. To Him be the glory.”