We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Prayer Meeting Effectiveness – Part 1 (

1-5): 1. Show Up! It goes without saying that we need people in order to make a group prayer meeting effective. The more that come out to pray, the more prayer we can offer to the Lord. The more that come out to pray, the more others will be inspired to make the same bold commitment to corporate prayer as well. Yet it also goes without saying that coming out can oftentimes be a challenge. Usually by 5:00 on Wednesday nights, we’ve conceived every excuse under the sun to justify our absence. Any personal application there? Think of it this way. If corporate prayer is one of our most effective weapons for spiritual success, don’t you think Satan and your flesh will do everything within their power to keep you away? Don’t give in! Discipline yourself to attend. If your feelings are not right, attend and pray that the Lord changes your heart. Erroll Hulse once said, “It is customary to mark engagements in our diary. If meeting the King with our fellow believers is important it will surely be reserved in our diary. Invitations to dinner or to recreational events will have to be fitted in elsewhere. Jesus says that we have not because we fail to ask (James 4:2). Is the audience with our Monarch esteemed by you as a priority? Does your diary reflect that fact?” Show up! There is strength in numbers! 2. Come Prepared! Arguably, our prayer meeting is the most important gathering of the church. Yet because we meet at the same time each week it is possible to fall into a mindless routine that just goes through the motions. Because we meet late in the evenings it is possible to come with minds clouded and numbed from the day’s activities. As a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a prayer meeting is only as effective as its weakest member. Be prepared to make your contribution by being sure to have prepared yourself spiritually before you arrive. For example, ask God to remind you of the awesome privilege you have to come into His holy presence with your requests. Ask God to put specific prayer requests on your heart. Ask God for a delight in His name so that He may grant you the desires of your heart (Psm. 37:4). Ask God to give you a love for Him and others. As the great evangelist, D.L. Moody, said over a hundred years ago, “The members should come to the meeting in the spirit of prayer. It ought to be on their hearts from week to week.' 3. Be Genuine! Many do not attend the prayer meeting simply because they are embarrassed to pray in the presence of others. That’s not good! Others go in the opposite direction and attend for the purpose of attempting to impress others with their prayers. That’s even worse! I’m sure we’ve all witnessed those who all of a sudden change their accent (perhaps a little Scottish flair) or pray in “King James Version” or use big theological words that they barely understand themselves or employ many words all for the sake of appearance. God is not impressed! Our Lord condemned this spirit (Mt. 6:5, 7). God looks not at the outward appearance, but the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). The heart that honors Him is the heart that seeks to gain His attention. All Christians can achieve this! Humble, childlike faith is esteemed in the ears of the Lord and should likewise be esteemed in the ears of His children who are present. 4. Pray Specifically! Effective prayer is specific prayer. Oftentimes we do not have because we do not ask (Jas. 4:2). For example, it’s easy to ask the Lord to bless our missionaries, but specifically how do we wish for them to be blessed? Is it God’s will to heal every sick person? Of course we pray for their relief, but what about their witness to the caregivers both in words and behavior, the sufficient grace to be upheld spiritually, the spiritual growth as a result of their trial and their understanding of God’s love and faithfulness despite the misery? Are you praying for people in particular? Use their names (see Romans 16)! Avoid the vague generalities and hone in on the particular circumstances with a creative, thoughtful and deliberate Spirit-led precision. 5. Don’t Pray About Everything! In large prayer meetings it’s customary to be broken down into a number of small groups. Commonly the leader assigned will then review the prayer agenda and/or take specific prayer requests from the people assembled. The needs are noted and internalized by those present, but then too often the first person to speak prays for everything before the next person even has an opportunity to open his or her mouth! Not only is domination like this in the prayer meeting selfish; it is also potentially frustrating for the others that are gathered. Effective groups will witness each person taking a topic or two until all the given topics have been covered. This not only guarantees the participation of everybody, but also enhances the mental and spiritual engagement of each participant to be sure that all the issues are prayed over before the group concludes their time together.

We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Cranberry, Pear And Chocolate Trifle With Pear Crisps

January 27, 2023

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy		Food networ, Food5	8	Servings

INGREDIENTS

6		Ripe pears
8	T	Whisky
100	g	Caster sugar, plus 4tbsp
450	g	Cranberries, defrosted if
		frozen
250	g	Ready-made chocolate sponge
		cut into 1cm slices
50	g	Good quality plain
		chocolate chopped to
		decorate
150	g	Good quality white
		chocolate chopped
400		Fresh custard
300		Double cream
2		Ripe pears
100	g	Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

First prepare the pear crisps. Preheat the oven to 120C/250F/gas 1/2
and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Without peeling or coring
them, slice the 2 pears very thinly from top to bottom. In a frying
pan, dissolve the sugar in 100ml water over a medium heat. Bring to
the boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the
pear slices and leave for 2 minutes,  then remove with a spatula and
place on a baking sheet. Place in the  oven for 1 1/2 hours until just
golden, then cool on a wire rack.  Meanwhile, peel, core and quarter
remaining 6 pears. Heat 600ml water  with a quarter of the whisky and
the 100g sugar in a large pan,  stirring, until the sugar has
dissolved. Add the pears and simmer  gently for 7-8 minutes until just
tender. Drain and set aside to cool.  In a pan set over a gentle heat,
cook the cranberries and the  remaining 4 tablespoons of caster sugar
until the berries just start  to soften. Drain a spoonful on kitchen
paper and reserve for  decoration. Set the rest aside to cool.  Layer
half the sponge in the bottom of a glass serving dish. Sprinkle  with
half the remaining whisky. Arrange half the pear quarters on top  and
cover with half the cranberries. Repeat layers. Make the white
chocolate custard. Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set
over a pan of simmering water (do not allow the bowl to touch the
water), then leave to cool. Pour the custard into a large bowl and
stir in the melted chocolate. Lightly whip the cream and fold into
mixture. Pour over the trifle and chill until set.  To decorate, stand
the pear crisps in the top of the trifle and  sprinkle over the
reserved cranberries and chopped plain chocolate.  Converted by
MC_Buster.  Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

A Message from our Provider:

“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 531 Calories From Fat: 78 Total Fat: 9.7g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 45.6mg Potassium: 320mg Carbohydrates: 107.3g Fiber: 12.9g Sugar: 34.6g Protein: 3.8g