It came from Leila. One of my students at Friendship Christian School, she visited me several years after graduation. At that time, she was working with her youth group at church and told me about a project they had to pray for each other. Each member traced their hand and all the hands were collected into a notebook. One of their number would take the notebook each night, place their hand on each of their friend's hands, and pray for them by name. As I remember, the prayer notebook would be rotated through the group. I used that idea a number of years ago when when I was sponsor of our Westbury Christian chapter of the FCA. Years later, I reinstated it with my sophomore and eighth grade Bible classes. I instructed each student to trace their left hand, print their name, and add their birthday. (In the interest of style and individuality, they were also allowed to decorate a little bit.) We passed a sign-up sheet around in all five classes for volunteers to take the notebooks home each night and pray for their classmates. The next day, they would simply pass it on to the person below them. About half of the students volunteered to pray for the others. I tried to make the point in one of my classes that this was a great way to get to know those who occupy the other desks in Room 258. I asked Joel and Valerie questions about each other and even though they sit two seats apart in second period, we found they had no knowledge of each other's lives. It was a way to get involved....and increase the amount of time the kids speak to the Father. But there was a hitch; keeping up with the notebooks. It only takes one person to stop something like that in its tracks and that's what happened. Good things often come to an end and this one died a peaceful death.
But sometimes good ideas come back to life! Six years ago, we began doing the hands again but this time, we used the wall in my classroom for their display. The kids have become much more creative in the intervening years and some are now almost works of art. At the top, I have posted five of the ones we will hang shortly. They are from the minds of Jean, Mikey, Nick, Crystal, and Aya. The best addition, though is that of Moms In Touch, a ladies' prayer group headed by WCS librarian Diane King. In several weeks, the wonderful women will come in and pray for each student, hand on hand, as you see in our last year's session. What a blessing that we are at a school where we can lift each other up in prayer, regardless of age! In Luke 18:1, Jesus urged His disciples to always pray and not give up! We try to live by those words in Room 258.You are welcome to join us!
Applicable quote of the day:
"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
Martin Luther
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
Martin Luther
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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