Prayer Requests

John 20:24-27 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."


Risen Crucified Lord, you come to us where ever we are, and you resolve our troubled minds. Help us stop doubting, and believe. Hear the prayers of your children:

"My name is Shari. I've been incarcerated for 3 yrs now. I'm 20 yrs and I been down since I was 17 yrs old. A lot of my loved ones died since I been locked up. My 20 yr old brother was shot in the head, and my grandmother she was 94 yrs old and now my mother is sick with full blown aids. I have faith ... but sometimes I fall short. Please help me." Shari Kemp

"I'm not a good Christian and my faith isn't that strong but I do believe and I have love in my heart. I've never really been to any church and when I do read the bible I have a hard time understanding it. But I want to change my life... I'm 29 this week and I've decided to really try and work hard to be a good Christian. I have a 4 year old son and I don't think he's ever heard of Jesus. That's real scary to me and I'm going to learn as much as I can so I can teach my boy when I get out." Christopher Cole

"I really need you to pray for me and my four children. I need my Heavenly Father to bless me with a home, a good job, and a car and bless me to find a good church for me and my family. Right now I'm living with people I don't know really much about, but I'm asking my Heavenly Father to send me a good signal if they are good people that I can call my second family. Heavenly Father bless each and everyone with an angel to watch over them in their time of need." Janice Sibley

"I know that God is working on me right now. Everyday a battle is taking place for my soul. I want to be one of God's soldiers and do his will. But I know that I must first learn to crawl before I am able to run." Robert Nichols

"I would like to request a prayer for all of the world to love on another and forgive one another." Darlene Morton

"For my family, my father Tom, daughter Jill, and my fiance Jay and myself. I know I will be home soon, but our life has been turned upside down because of a mistake that I made... I know my savior Jesus Christ and I know he will see us through." Jennifer Tittle

For Tracey Sullivan and her personal prayer request, Jeanette Babin and her family and fellow inmates, Kimberly Wiley, Lillie Jackson and her family, we pray for your peace to be on them and protect them during their troubles. We pray for Donald A. Golin, for his transformation in your love and for his life to be lived to your glory. We lift our prayers for Krystal LaKaye Williams and Brenda Wesley, For the women in C-Dorm at Richland Parish Prison, for Cynthia Corbin, Nurmis Socarras and her children, Katherine Bond, Michelle Drayton, Jeremy Sias, Nathaniel Hatfield, Angel Hensley and her family, Joseph Landry and his wife, Zina AKA Jevwe, Valerie Ealom and her family, and Larry Gilbert.

"I pray everyday and I study the word, but I still make mistakes... I know that we all do and it is a work in process. When I find myself doing things that I know are not right in his eyes and in his word, I think about the blessings that he has given me... I will never stop seeking change in the Lord, with God's help nothing is impossible. Pray for my wife and daughters, and all my family which includes my brothers and sisters in Christ." Terrance Dwayne Manning

He is risen, and in that knowledge, everything is changed! Amen.

Resurrection means New Life!

Mark 16:1-8

The Resurrection

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

"The utterly unexpected happens because the utterly unbelievable happened after Jesus was wrapped in his linen shroud and sealed in a tomb. Jesus was raised from the dead! The seed buried burst through the ground and opened up. There is now only an empty tomb, a hollowed-out space in a rock. There is no body! This mystery of emptiness must be entered into and probed deeply, and then we must go forth from our tombs, and from our baptisms, to meet the Risen Crucified One out walking in the world, waiting for us to catch up with him, walking the roads in and out of Jerusalem and on all the roads of the world.

...Now the only things left in the tomb, buried there were they belong, are hate, inhumanity, injustice, war, killing, starvation, oppression, greed, overweening power, voilence, rage and rape, destruction of the earth, despair, and death itself! It is time to seal the tomb again, with all of that debris and garbage inside.

...We are the people of God, the people of resurrection, and the children of light. We cannot forget, and we must remind one another of, the calling and our being signed with the power of the Cross. We must encourage one another in preaching, in poetry, in music and prayer, in the corporal works of mercy and the insistence on justice for all ... We must dance it, crawl it, and dig it out of the ground, empty the tombs and take down the bodies from the crosses with our bare hands. The power of love unto death, and life beyond death, has been given to us in Resurrection and in our baptisms." excerpt from "The New Stations of the Cross" by Megan McKenna

We lift our prayers to you, Risen Crucified One, who has loved us even unto death, and brought us life beyond death! We give all praise and glory to you, who has conquered the world through your faithfulness. We join together in celebration of your great love which destroyed the power of darkness and death, and brought light to the darkest corners of the earth. For you are the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world! Alleluia!

We join with these your children in giving praise to you: Amy Chavez, Victor Spicer, Bessie Spicer, Sydney Mann & Wilma Butler, Jecca Hemphill, Terri Gentry, Isabel Rodriguez and Shauntrel Jacobs. We pray that you strengthen our faith, guide our walk, and keep us firm in the knowledge that in you, all things are made new. You take away our doubt and despair, you heal us with your gentle touch. Embrace us in the fullness of new life, and remake us in the image of your love. For you alone are holy, you alone are the Lord! We worship you and give you thanks. We praise you in your glory! Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Alleluia! Amen! He is Risen!

Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

Mark 15:46 Then, having brought a linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Finally he rolled a stone across the entrance of the tomb.

"The body of the beloved of the Father, the maker and keeper of all things, lies in the womb of Mother the Earth. The flesh of the Son of Justice rests at long last in stone. Father the Sky carries the lingering traces of his last loud cry as the sky carries the trace of birds flying across its face. ... The seed of life, of hope of justice and mercy, lies buried, but the hour is coming, the hour of glory when much fruit is produced..." excerpt from "The New Stations of the Cross" by Megan McKenna

Precious Jesus, Word made flesh and walked on the Earth, now buried in a tomb. But this could not be the end, because you took with you all of our sins, all the world's warring and hate and indifference, and placed them in that stone tomb. May our minds and our hearts stretch to be able to see your grace and life transforming everything that you have created and loved. Amen.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

Mark 15:33-37 When noon came, darkness fell on the whole countryside and lasted until midafternoon. At that time Jesus cried in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" A few of the bystanders who heard it remarked, "Listen! He is calling on Elijah!" Someone ran off, and soaking a sponge in sour wine, stuck it on a reed to try to make him drink. The man said, "Now let's see whether Elijah comes to take him down." Then Jesus, uttering a loud cry, breathed his last.

"This is paradoxically Jesus' hour of glory and his hour of emptying out all that he is in love and in mercy, for us--for all of us, enemies and friends, pulled together into the unity of God. This is life and death that is filled with grace and power for those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear what is happening. The impossible is happening--God is dying with us for us and into us so that we will live and not die the death of sin and evil.

... Jesus dies, and something happens, and the world will never be the same again.

...Now it is time for us to die. Time to be stilled and quieted. Time to listen to the stillness after the cry and let the Spirit of the Crucified One speak to us. And then, with Jesus, it is time to die, to gather our life, to gather all that we hold dear and give it back to the One who made us. "Father, into your hands I give my spirit."

excerpt from "The New Stations of the Cross" by Megan McKenna

Jesus Speaks to his Mother and Disciple

John 19:25-27
Near the cross of Jesus there stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, "Woman, there is your son." In turn he said to the disciple, "There is your mother." From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care.

"There is an old saying that blood is thicker than water. Not so in Jesus' new family, in his kingdom. The waters of baptism override any familial ties. . . . This is the station of compassion, of the drawing together of the new family of Jesus, given to one another to care for each other as tenderly as we would for Jesus, Jesus' mother, and those who are closest to them . . . excerpts from Megan McKenna's book "The New Stations of the Cross"

Speak to us, suffering Savior, and tell us who is our family. Show us for whom we are responsible. Encourage us to take the yoke of caring for your people upon our backs, for in you we are strong and your burden is easy. Forgive us when our vision is too narrow or hearts are limited. Open our hearts to love our brothers and sisters in you.

We pray for your church, for the community of faith. Strengthen each community to share a bond of family that can not be undone by any of the world's concerns. We pray for church leaders, for ministers and priests, for elders, deacons, and teachers. Equip them for their tasks with love.
We pray for broken churches, churches fractured by dissention and mistrust. Heal their broken places, provide wisdom, patience, kindness and courage to all the members and leaders to recommit to their church family and resolve to begin nurturing the love and support of all the body. We pray for persons who have no church, but feel the emptiness of not belonging to anyone. Gently guide them into your fellowship, and open the arms of your loving family to receive them.

Individual prayer requests today: Johnelle Russell; blessings for her and her family and for them to be reunited soon. Sherry Johnson; pray for healing and renewal of her mind and spirit, for deliverance from addiction. Kellye Newman; we pray for her to be reunited with her loved ones very soon, and that she find her way to a productive and healthy lifestyle, favorable in your sight. Amy Patton; please provide her with the justice she seeks in her legal matters, let your will prevail in all things.

We pray for these, your children, our brothers and sisters, because in you we are one family. Help us lift the cares and concerns of those near to us and those unknown to us, as we seek to serve you. Jesus our brother, to you we pray.

The Repentant Criminal

Luke 23:39-43
One of the criminals hanging in crucifixion blasphemed him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Then save yourself and us." But the other one rebuked him: "Have you no fear of God, seeing you are under the same sentence?
We deserve it, after all. We are only paying the price for what we've done, but this man has done nothing wrong." He then said, "Jesus, remember be when you enter upon your reign." And Jesus replied, "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."
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"Are you willing to believe that even though they are guilty of a diabolical act, they still continuue to be children of God, not monsters, not demons, but those with the capacity to change?" Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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"The line separating good and evil passes not through states, not between classes, not between political parties either--but right through every human heart. . . . This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even with hearts overwhelmed with evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of hearts, there remains . . . an unuprooted small corner of evil." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

... excerpts from "The New Stations of the Cross" by Megan McKenna

Forgiving Lord Jesus, you see the darkness in our soul, and still you suffered to bring us into the light of new life. Help us to overcome the darkness and cast it out, and open our hearts to be filled by the light of your love.

We pray for faith communities everywhere, to find within their mission a way to offer reconciliation and renewal to repentant prisoners, so that upon release, they will be brought back into a nurturing, supporting community of believers. We pray for everyone who brings the good news into the prison system to be renewed and uplifted to share the redemptive news of the Gospels. And we lift up the following persons for special prayer: John Cahill, Melissa Simonson, Tommy Johnson, Leo Solis, Loretta Sols, Tiffany Blassingame, Hector Garcia, Debbie Green, Mary Elliott, Terrance Dwayne Manning, Stephen Clements, Douglas Gratten and Bessie Lea Hebbe.

Help each of us to recognize the truth of sin and suffering in the world, and in our hearts; and help us chose the path that leads to the cross. You have given everything to save us from our own path of destruction. We give you our lives, to be used in the service of others. In the name of Jesus we pray.

Jesus is Crucified

Mark 15:22-26
When they brought Jesus to the site of Golgotha (which means "Skull Place"), they tried to give him wine drugged with myrrh, but he would not take it. Then they crucified him and divided up his garments by rolling dice for them to see what each would take. It was about nine in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription proclaiming his offense read, "The King of the Jews."

"Jesus is dying, being murdered, and its all legal. All the rules were followed. All the details attended to, religiously and politically, with the leaders of the nation and the religion all playing their parts according to the rules. This is the way most of the killing is still done in war, individually and on a larger scale: abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, torture within acceptable limits, wars of attrition, for security, for expansion of territory, for prevention, for revenge, for nationalistic fervor, for aggression, and to make a point. The end is the same: death." ...excerpts from Megan McKenna's "New Stations of the Cross"




We pray for Vince Butler and the residents of Bradshaw State Jail, Philip Rhoades and his sister Kimberly. We pray for Gina Bowdoin, let your will be done, let love and mercy to prevail in her hearing, and may her children remain under your protection for all times. We pray for Bennett Davis to feel your peace that passes understanding. We pray for Jesus Gonzales to be nurtured in his new faith, may the Spirit burn brightly within him, remove all the old and bring about a new heart in him. We give thanks for those who contribute to this ministry, whether great or small, every contribution is a gift to help us share the message of your great sacrificial and renewing love to many who may never hear this message.

We pray for understanding of your great sacrifice. Help us not turn away from the suffering you endured on our behalf. Help us open our hearts to receive the great love that you have for us, and help us see the way to make that love the guiding force in all that we do. We pray this things in the name of Jesus, nailed to the cross.

Jesus Encounters the Women of Jerusalem

Luke 23:27-31
A great crowd of people followed him, including women who beat their breasts and lamented over him. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children. The days are coming when they will say, 'Happy are the sterile, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' Then they will begin saying to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' If they do these things in the green wood, what will happen in the dry?"

"A prophet is one who sees so clearly what is happening and being done in the present that they can tell us what will happen to us if we do not change now, immediately, turning from our present course. This has been Jesus' calling, and even as he draws near to facing his own death for his words of truth-telling, he still speaks to anyone he passes along the way. There is a weeping that is cathartic for the person who cries but is useless and allows the destruction on the cross to continue. In this case, no one moves to help Jesus or even stand with him. But there is another type of weeping and lamentation that leads to conversion, to the wowrk for justsice, the easing of pain and the giving of hope to those in desperate despair and need."
...excerpts from Megan McKenna's "New Stations of the Cross"

We weep, blessed Jesus, at the sight of your suffering. We weep for the world that places such minimal value on human lives. We weep for the wasted lives of hopeless, confused, frightened people who lose themselves in their own suffering, and who inflict suffering on others. We ask that you help us find ways to change our current path of suffering, to walk the way of the cross with you.

We lift up all the women who are in prison, heal the broken places in their hearts and shine the light of life upon them. We lift their children, protect and guide them, show them a new path out of destruction and into your community of faith.

We pray for Mary Helen Stewart and her children, Tiesha Bowden for guidance and strength, for Patricia Saxton, Rhonda McClure, and Latoya Greer and their families, for Jessie M. Rainey. We pray for all the women in Plane State Jail, in Richland Parish Detention Center, in Pewee Valley KCIW, Gadsden Correctional Facility, Indiana Women's Prison, TDCJ Woodman Unit, Lowell Corrections Institution, TDCJ Hobby Unit, CMCF in Pearl, MS, and women in prison around the world. Comfort them, heal them, renew and reconcile them to the world.

We lift our hearts to pray, empower us to raise our hands in service to the world. In Jesus we pray.

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus

Mark 15:20-21
When they had finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him. A man named Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the fields, and they pressed him into service to carry the cross.


"He is coming in from the fields, on his way home, or elsewhere, but he is not a part of the proceedings. He may not even know who Jesus is; he walks into a mob, an execution, and is pressed into service. . . .
We, too, are pressed into service along with Simon, often under duress. Massive human need draws the Simons of the world into homeless shelters, soup kitchens, back alleys, refugee camps, and endless lines of people waiting for food, tents, medicine." ...excerpt from "The New Stations of the Cross" by Megan McKenna

Tortured Savior, let us be called out from the crowd to serve you. Let us see a need and know our place is walking with you, carrying your cross until the end.

We pray for Shavonne Mills, for her safety and continued faithfulness following her release, for Glennie Dyar Brewster, and her friends and family, Ronald R. Barchus and Judith A. Ormond, for William and Justince Lucey, for Karen Corder, Kimberly Sager and all their family and friends. We ask that your grace and peace be upon them, and your protection cover them all, and we thank you for hearing our prayer in Jesus' name.

Jesus Carries his Cross

John 19:17
Jesus was led away and, carrying his cross by himself, went out to what is called the Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).

"The poor carry the cross all the time, and Jesus carries all the poor. He has made them his cause in the world, knowing the burden laid on them by economic injustices and inequality, and the greed and sin of others--individuals, corporations, and countries. But in this age of the millenium the issue of poverty is global in its proporations and like a dry tree in the path of a wild fire waiting to explode and add fuel to the fire as it continues in its ceaseless destruction. The poverty, starvation and desperation of more than six-tenths of the world's population has become a root evil that feeds fiolence, hatred, terrorism, and nationalism." . . . excerpt from "The New Stations of the Cross" by Megan McKenna


We offer our prayers to you, our burdened Savior, because as you carry your cross, you carry the weight of all the world's sin and injustice. In your death, you took our humanness into the grave, and in your glorious resurrection, you give the world hope that we can live a new life in you!

We pray for Paulette Lawrence, for peace and strength during her sentencing hearing April 6, for God's will to be accomplished in her case, and for her family's protection.

We pray for Detris Cormier, for the healing of her soul and the renewal of her spirit. Let her know that she is never alone in her suffering, because you are with her always.

We lift up Melody Williams, Wendy Bonafair, Willie R. Lee, Clarence Barron, Debbie Williams and Harley, Henrietta Covey, Cecil Mathews, Jennifer Mulvey, Patricia Clark, Erma Trammell, Schatizi Robin Trammell, Rema Jacobs and her family, Kimberly Cooper and her children, Laura and Mark Richie and their children. In their letters, they have asked for our prayers. Provide for them all they need, loving God. Heal their brokenness, refresh them with the living water of everlasting life in the name of Jesus Christ.

Guide and strengthen our steps, and let us take up our own cross and follow you all the way to the end of this life, when we enter into your presence with joy and praise, and all our burdens will be taken away. Alleluia! Amen!