Deus Misereatur

  It is our privilege and honor to be invited into your presence to pray on behalf of the world and your church. And in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord you have given us bold access into your presence to bring our cares and petitions. We come, Lord, at your invitation and bidding. For those in our State, townships and neighborhoods who feel that all hope is gone; who are in despair and deep in darkness; who are in continual pain. We pray that you would place people in their lives who will hold on to them and walk with them through it all. And we especially pray for those who are having thoughts of suicide. O God, break into the grief and gloom with your hope, and raise them up to see your life and light in Jesus Christ. For those who are in great need, who have chronic health troubles, who are being treated for cancer, and other infirmities (…). We pray for them to have relief, to walk whole and healthy. And we pray for them to overcome the doubts and disbelief that seem to normally...

  “ There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God ” (1 Samuel 2:2). We offer up to you our thanksgiving for all your generosity to us, especially in preserving our health, sanity and livability. We pray for your churches throughout the nations and around Oklahoma City such as: Midwest City Community Church of the Nazarene, Moore Church of the Nazarene, Oakcliff, and Piedmont. Give them all the resources they need to serve you properly and well, and the heart they need to serve you with sincerity. Deliver our brothers and sisters who are being hounded and harmed for the Faith that they may serve you in peace and joy. “ There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. ” Please help us in this congregation so that our families may be filled with godliness and holiness. May those who are single remain consecrated and joyful in their singleness and the married be charitable, gracious and fait...

  (This was from my letter to my congregation sent out on 22 April 2026) Take a moment to look at Psalm 45. The first half of that Psalm is about the coronation of the king of Israel, and the second half has to do with his queen. As good Bible readers that means we quickly recognize this as a Messianic Psalm. It’s a Psalm that looks through the historical king of Israel at that moment to the promised greater Son of David, whose “ increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this ” (Isaiah 9:7).   And we know we’re on the right track because Psalm 45:6-7 is quoted in Hebrews 1 as evidence that Jesus is higher than the angels: “ But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteo...

  O LORD, you who are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, (Exodus 34:6-7): we lay before you our prayers for your world and your church. And so we pray in the name of Christ; O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth (Psalm 54:2). For those who have no one to pray for them: alone, abandoned, abducted, enslaved, ignored, or eliminated, please take up their cause, O Lord, and show them that you know them and know where they are. Rescue them, raise them up, refresh them, and restore them to their families or to society. And where evilness and iniquity have entrapped them, bring justice. And so we pray; O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth . For those who are ailing; for those who have received disappointing diagnoses; for those buried under a suffocating pile of bills...

  (From my letter to my congregation sent out on 15 April 2026) Since life at Heritage is about truth, worship, and Christian love to equip us in making disciples who will belong and believe with us as we grow in truth, worship, and Christian love, then we are rightly concerned about being disciple makers. In the words of Kevin DeYoung, “If you walk with God and walk with people, you’ll reach the next generation” (“The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation,” pg. 4). Simply put, disciple-making is not a program or project, but a person-to-person lifestyle, and our Lord Jesus has placed it in our hands with a powerful promise (Matthew 28:19-20).   Besides one-on-one fellowship ( Part 2 ) and parents raising their children ( Part 1 ), another venue where disciple-making naturally happens is in our Care Groups [Some congregations call them Life Group, Community Groups, or Small Groups]. The time we spend together eating, fellowshipping, applying Scripture to our...

  Almighty God, Heavenly Father, you have summoned us to pray for the Church and the world, that your grace and salvation might become known to all. And you have promised that as we pray in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, you hear us and answer us. And so we pray in the name of Christ, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause (1 Kings 8:45). For those in need, the poor and the hungry, the homeless and unemployed, the sick and lonely (…). May they receive the right help at the right time in their distress and find real relief. And so we pray, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause . For those who have not yet believed; all in spiritual need; and those who have stumbled and fallen (…). For all of these we pray you to bring them faith, hope and comfort in Jesus Christ. And so we pray, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause . For the peace and security of the nations of this world – including Mali, Malta, Marsha...