Welcome 2010--- Prayers For January

They delight in doing everything the Lord wants;
day and night they think about his law. They are like
trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each
season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in
all they do, they prosper.
Psalm 1:2-3





Lord, by your Spirit, draw me to the river of your love. Cause my roots to go deep into your streams of water, and make all that I do prosper. Give me the desire to read your Word and to meditate in it day and night. Most of all, empower me to do what it says. And for the fruit that is borne in the year ahead, I will give you all the glory. acknowledgement:One year Book ofPraying through the BibleCheri Fuller

Prayers For Baby Kiersten

From Jana Kitts, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 6:00 p.m.....

They are headed home from the hospital! Continue to pray for the family as they get back into the groove of things. Hoping for a very Merry Christmas for them!!!

earlier today: Pray that Kiersten does not have an allergic reaction to her new medication because if she doesn't they will get to go home today!


From Jana Kitts@ 7:11 p.m.Dec, 21st...

Baby Kiersten..... 14 hours with no seizures--praise the Lord! Family is very hopeful that they will be home for Christmas!



From Chelsey Ellis, Saturday, December 19th, 12:49 a.m.

Kiersten is continuing to have her seizures. The seizures are not
coming quite as often, and have slowed to less then a minute, but she
has still had 7 today. She tends to have more at night. Please continue to pray for our sweet little angel and for our other two kiddos.


From Jana Kitts, Friday, December 18th, 12:01 a.m.

Today (thurs.) has been a pretty good day for the Ellis family. Kiersten has had a few seizures but nothing too bad. They haven't lasted very long either which is good. She was removed from her EEG wires which means she was able to enjoy a bath and some play time. It was much easier for Kiersten to have a good day without the w...ires attached to her because she could get down and play and be more like herself. Pray that she continues to do well so a) no more EEG wires and b) she can go home.

Tomorrow Caleb & Carleigh have their school Christmas parties. BJ (Beau's brother) will be going to Caleb's party and I will be going to Carleigh's. I know that mom wants to be there more than anything so pray for her heart tomorrow as she misses her babies and being part of this special time. Also, pray for the kids as they won't have mom there.





From Jana Kitts, Wednesday December 16th, 10:15 p.m.

Kiersten continued to have seizures throughout the day today. The doctor has yet again increased her medication to help the seizures stop. They are giving her medicine to help her sleep, but last time this didn't really do much. Chelsey & Beau are exhausted and would really love to sleep so it would be good for them if... she did get to sleep tonight. Also, the doctors have started testing Kiersten for other possible answers to what is going on in that little body of hers. Continue to pray for the family.

Chelsey & Beau did get to eat dinner with Caleb & Carleigh tonight so this was a major blessing for the four of them. Continue to pray for the kids as they miss mom, dad & Kiersten.




From Beau Ellis, Wednesday, Dec. 16th 11:25 a.m.

Back to square one...after the seizure free streak broke at 9 last night Kiersten had 4 more seizures between 1 and 4 o'clock, a couple of them really close together. @ 4:30 she was givin a dose of Klonopin (Emergency Seizure drug) which controls the seizures and helps her sleep for a short time. She finally got a fe...ws hours of sleep and has been seizure free again to this point. Dr. feels confident that the meds will work so we plan on sticking with the same schedule today. Please continue praying for Kiersten and that the seizures will stop.

From Jana Kitts, Wednesday, December 16th, 10:26 a.m.

I visited with the family for a couple hours last night. Kiersten was
playing and having a good time when I got there. It was so good to see
her in that light. I got to snuggle uup with Kiersten as she slept for
awhile. She was awaken by a seizure after 8 hours of no seizures.
Continue praying for those seizures to stop, th...e medication to work and for the doctors and nurses wisdom in caring for this sweet baby.



From Chelsey Ellis,
Tuesday , Dec, 15th 8:48 p.m. PRAISE REPORT


We have officially been 6 hours free of seizures!! Praise the Lord!!! We have gotten to see her beautiful smile this afternoon! They started another medicine (Keppra) and while still giving the Trileptal to prevent the seizures and haven't decided which one she will drop when the do finally send us home. We are stil...l unsure what is going on with her sight and depth perception which continues to be way off. She's wanting to do what she's use to doing (crawling, standing, etc..) but is still awfully wobbly. They haven't decided if its the medicine causing this or the 40 something seizures since last Saturday night. My sweet angel still needs your prayers but at the same time praise God from whom all blessings flow because He is truly showing us His faithfulness in all of this.



From Jana Kitts, Tuesday, Dec, 15th 3:23 p.m.

Kiersten has continued to have seizures through out the night and thus far today. For some reason that medication will just not start working. She is tired and so are her parents. Please pay for rest for everyone! Also, begin to pray that the seizures would not physically effect Kiersten. Because of the amount of seizu...res she has had in the past few days her body is weak and it's hard to tell if there is permanent damage or if her body is just exhausted.




From Beau Ellis, Tuesday, Dec, 15th 1:30 a.m.





Kiersten showed good signs tonight. She was so excited to get down, play with some toys and roam around for a short time. Her crawling space was limited but if she could she probably would have crawled straight home. Seizures seem to be a bit shorter, but are still coming about every 1-2 hrs. Hopefully the meds wil...l take effect soon and start to prevent the seizures completely. Please contiune to pray for her and the doctors as we continue to learn more about what exactly is going on.




From Jana Kitts, Monday, Dec. 14th 9:00 p.m.

Kiersten continues to have seizures but the doctor seems hopeful that they will stop soon. He will be putting her on some medication tonight that should help her get good rest tonight. Good rest for Kiersten means good rest for mom & dad. So we are hoping that they all get rest tonight--much needed rest.

From Jana Kitts, Monday Dec. 14th 4:00 p.m.

I am with the family now and enjoying some time to love on Kiersten. She is still having seizures though so continue to pray for the medication to get in her system. They increased the dose at noon so hopefully we will see results of that.


From Jana Kitts, Monday, Dec. 14th, 11:00 a.m.

She is continuing to have seizures at this time so please keep the prayers coming! Your prayers are appreciated more than you know by me, the parents and the rest of their family. We all want to thank you for your continued support!


From Chelsey Ellis, Sunday Dec. 13th 10:52 p.m.

Kiersten just had her 19th seizure in less then 24 hours. She has already been
given 2 anti-seizure medications, but has continued to have them.
Please pray that they get under control so we can figure out a
treatment. Thank you for everyone's sweet comments! They mean so much!!


From Jana Kitts, Sunday Dec 13th, 6:09 p.m

Kiersten has started a new medication to stop the seizures but her body is not
responding very quickly. Pray for the medication to begin to work...this last one makes 17 seizures since last night.




Kiersten has been in the hospital since Wednesday 12/09 after having several seizures. She was in ICU until yesterday evening when they moved her to a regular room. Then at about 10 pm last night she started having seizures again and they put her on an EMU (Epilepsy Monitoring Unit).
Please pray for Kiersten as the doctors monitor her today. She has had 11 seizures since I got the first call last night. This may mean that the parents finally have answers which would be nice, but it is scary right now.

Prayers for December

O Holy Night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Prayers For November and Refreshing the Blog.

Refreshing the Blog

This prayer blog was birthed in February of 2008; as a gathering place where others could come to ask for prayer; to lay their hurt, sickness, need, concern or burden at the throne of our Lord; during this time, there have been seventy five posts; the prayer requests far exceed my feeble attempts at counting and the prayers offered have left me humbled yet joyous with the privilege of prayer....some of the prayers are available to read, while others have been saved in the files.....

Still, when I read and hear of the desperate cries of a people...desperate for healing; suffering in despair, sicknes, tragedy, fear....agonizing over seemingly impossible siutations, my heart aches. For I know there is Power, there is Hope and there is nothing impossible with our Lord and Savior.....

On bended knee, may I, may you, be the voice He hears....I encourage you to continue to pray for others... please invite your friends, your family, your co-workers, to link to this prayer blog....let them know where they can come if they are in need of prayer or would like to pray for others....encourage them to become one of the prayer warriors of By His Stripes . In Christ's precious name, may no one ever be denied the blessings of prayer...

Scroll down to the welcome post to read how to leave a prayer....please remember, this is not a blog for private messages or conversation...it is soley dedicated to intimate communion with our Lord and Savior.

Prayers for September

Confess your faults one to another,
and pray one for another,
that ye may be healed.
"The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16

In Remembrance of Arlene Wilburn

I pray you are blessed as you visit here and share in the videos and
words as we remember Arlene Wilburn, wife, mother, grandmother, friend,
sister, precious daughter of the King....

One year ago, February 20, 2008 the day of her glorious homecoming ...













From Sara:

I have known Arlene for so long, I don't remember the time before I knew her. She and Barry were a part of the "Old Mamre" church family that I grew up in. We shared the history of green pews, Jericho Marches and The Lion Of Judah led by Sister Rose. More than attending the same church, we have always been together at the heart. More than always knowing them, I have always known I was loved by Arlene and Barry Wilburn. Barry played piano at our wedding in 1986 and Arlene came over to our house the day our first son came home from the hospital in 1988. When I leaf through old boxes I find cards from showers and weddings and graduations signed, "love Arlene & Barry." I remember Amber in frilly little dresses and Arlene telling me how at 4 years old she answered the phone and took a message for a prayer request which she delivered perfectly to her mom.

I also remember the day that we got a call to pray for Arlene because she had gone to the Heritage Hospital emergency room because she was sick, and some doctor there told her she had colon cancer. And how ticked off we all were because it could not possibly be true but; it was true. Impossibly true. Arlene had surgery and so quickly, it seemed all was back to normal. The cancer was a blip on the radar of many years we have lived alongside one another and certainly it couldn't threaten the years to come. But it came back, still impossible to accept. I think Arlene made it impossible because her faith was so great, sickness was lost in the shadow of her Jesus. Her laugh was the same, her drive to serve the downtrodden and to go to the prisons was the same. Her voice and smile and red hair and the familiar, "love you guys" when we said good bye was real and alive and we couldn't believe that satan would dare try to touch her again.

We lived the final months close to Arlene, she fed us more than we fed her despite our schedule of meals brought to their home. She laid on the couch and life radiated from her spirit. The "Old Mamre" days so long lost to all of us fell on us again in her living room as we gathered to pray over her in praise and tongues and we were reminded of our lives together, and God's goodness in the middle. I also remember looking at her in one of those last days thinking that she was more of heaven than of earth. But Jesus looked so beautiful on her face that I found myself envious.
A year later, the idea that she is no longer a few miles away is still unreal to me. I still have moments when I think I am going to e mail her something... I can still hear her voice and I think it is because I so often heard my name spoken by her in love. Arlene taught me to speak love out loud. It is my hope that some day those I love will remember their name spoken in love by me and if so, it will be credit due to Arlene.

I miss her terribly. I cry for her still. Not for her, for me. Not for anything left undone or unsaid. She, like Christ, could truly say "It is finished." She ran the race set before her. Ran with hands held out in worship and with her face lifted toward heaven. She ran smiling and singing and laughing into the arms of Jesus.
I cannot believe she is gone because she is so very alive. Just too far away for me to hear her right now. Arlene still speaks to me in moments when I wonder if my passion for the Lord is gone because no matter how distant I feel from God, I know that one day I will hear Arlene say again, 'Love you guys!" when the distance between us is finally closed and we stand together before the throne. For me, the life of Arlene Wilburn will forever ring the truth...Jesus is alive!











From Pat

IN LOVING MEMORY OF ARLENE~

I've been thinking about Arlene more then usual this week because we are about to come upon the one year anniversary of her passing. I have to admit, that even after one year, it's hard for me to grasp that she is no longer on this earth, but home with her heavenly Father.

I sit here amazed at how she pulled us all together with one common cause....the love of God. That was Arlene. My precious sister in the Lord left me with so many loving memories. She was my lunch buddy. We'd meet at Applebee's and have lunch, talk about our kids, share the wonders of God and leave feeling blessed. I knew Arlene since she was a teenager. I saw her fall in love and marry her "Bear". I remember when Amber was little girl and her Arlene dressed her up in more ruffles then I had ever seen! Years of beautiful memories.

The memory that stays in my mind? Arlene giving of herself. Her prison ministry that was SO important to her. Going on the streets and loving the homeless. Giving them water on a steamy hot summer day, and sharing Jesus with them, just months before her homegoing.

I was privileged to sit next to her on her couch, and hold her hand while a room full of believers prayed for her healing. We wanted to keep her here with us, and we believed that God would heal her. He was true to his word, He did heal her and gave her a brand new body!

"What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon His face, the one who saved my by His Grace". Arlene was healed - what a glorious homecoming she must have had!!!

I will see you again....and what a day that will be!!
Pat











From Trish

Tuesday evening @ 8:05 p.m.

As I write this, Arlene's 5th Grandchild is on his way. Yes, her daughter Amber is in the hospital about to deliver a son, "Greyson." Arlene and I met as teenagers in Youth Group at Mamre A/G and I have so many memories

that it would be nigh on impossible for this space to contain them all.

So, I will tell you of the joy she felt as each grandchild was born! And I am certain that she is in that room tonight. I see her smiling as she eagerly awaits Greyson's first cry...I miss you sweet friend.

Love,

Trish













From Terry

I can't begin to tell you fully what Arlene meant to me and my family.I thank the Lord for having her as a friend and a prayer warrior for Dad Golden.I am so thankful for the day when I first found her and that was at Miss Patty's. She has left a huge space in my life when she left this world and entered heaven.I am sure that she met there some of the prisoners that she visited and witnessed to here on this earth and she will eventually meet so many street people that she and Barry were so kind to and brought the gospel to. My words are so inadequate so I have put down here some of the pure gold that I have gleaned from her blog. This is Arlene and what she stood for! Thank you for setting this day apart for Arlene and letting us tell everybody how precious she was to us all...

Love Terry

ARLENE SAYS... It's time to thank the Lord for all He has done and is doing for me.

1.. It's time to thank you for praying for our family throughout this crisis time.

2.. It's time for us to know that God is really doing something so very special in our lives and get excited about it.

3.. It's time to connect with old friends.

4.. It's time for us to go gather the Harvest of Souls that are out there waiting for us.

5.. It's time for us to minister the healing of Jesus Christ to people that are suffering.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; surely he bore our sorrows and joys and by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 -

and the words to the song. STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

He is our Peace, that has broken down every wall.
He is our Peace.
He is our Peace.
He is our Peace, that has broken down every wall.
He is our Peace.
He is our Peace.
Cast all your cares on Him, for He careth for you.
He is our Peace. He is our Peace.

1. Knowing that I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and that his angels surround me. What a wonderful Savior!

2. Having the best husband possible for me. Now don't get me wrong, he's not perfect for someone else, just me!

3. Bear being blessed with a wonderful job that pays well and has wonderful benefits. You just can't outgive God.

4. Having a family that loves me. Am and Chad. Thank God. Many families have no relationship at all.

5. Now comes the best...the grandkids. Kaitlynne (K) has always been special to me. She's our 1st and so that makes her special. She loves reading. She's pretty calm most of the time.

6. Then comes Tristin (T) what an absolute joy! He's a handful but a wonderful handful. I wouldn't change anything about him.

7. Bella - her smiles absolutely lite up my life. How could you not just love her. I love when she talks her gibberish to you. She will look you straight in the eyes and tell you something VERY important I am sure.

8. Then comes Hudsyn...hurry, hurry, hurry. Not really, but we can't wait. She's gonna be loved more than she can even imagine...if you imagine stuff like that in the womb.

9. Gracie - she is so pretty and such a little tomboy/princess. I don't see her near as often as I do the others but she is precious to me.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Oh, My Aching Bones! Today I had to go to the Cancer Center to get my blood checked. While I was there, a lady I would say was either Arabic or Indian came in. She was probably 65+ (just guessing). I heard her say to the nurse, oh, my aching bones...I ache all over...I hurt all over.....

I have not been able to get that lady off of my mind all day. I have prayed for her and ask that you do too! Don't know her name, don't know anything else about her, but she was hurting physically. I wanted to go over to her and hug her; tell her that everything would be all right. That was when I realized that if she is not a Christian it will never be all right. Wow! How many are dying and going to hell all around us and we are not praying while we could be. There are so many missed opportunities for us to pray for people.

Dear God, please never, ever let me lose compassion for my brothers and sisters or those that will be. Diligently I'm not very good with being diligent some days..how about you? I think if I were good at it, I would get more done and spend more time in reading the Word and prayer. At times I feel so inadequate, but then I realize that if I would spend more time doing what I am supposed to be doing that I would be adequate. We do what we can do and then God does the rest. It's up to Him as long as we are doing our part. There are so many scriptures regarding diligence that you would think I would "get it". Thank you God for your grace and mercy! Help me be more diligent in the Kingdom for you!Diligently Can you imagine if Jesus had never come to forgive us of our sins. Life can be hard at times now but we have that Blessed Hope. Without Jesus, we have no hope at all! We can now have hope, joy, peace and life everlasting! If you don't know Him you are more than welcome to ask Him into your heart. He will live there. I know...HE LIVES IN MINE!









From Deb:

I never met Arlene. Not in the physical sense of the word. But we were connected by our hearts. I am unable to count the times that I was encouraged by her words and was uplifted by her prayers. She was truly an inspiration to me, spurring me on in my faith. For her faith was unwavering - through all that she endured, her only goal was to be the best servant she could be for her Jesus. Our Jesus. One day, we'll meet face to face in Heaven and I will be able, finally, to give her a hug and hear her sweet voice and gaze into her sparkling eyes. Arlene, I miss you - especially today as I honor your memory. Borrowing from that old Andre Crouch song...."it won't be long, 'til we'll be leavin' here, it won't be long and we'll be goin' home." I'm trusting that you're saving me a seat!







From Cathy

Arlene was such an encourager even when she was sick. Her words live on in some of the messages she left me regarding caring for my special needs son. I will never forget her zest for life ... and bringing people to the foot of the cross to meet Jesus. Heaven must be full of orange flowers because since Arlene arrived, it's always springtime.







From Donna

I came to know Arlene through her blog and loved her immediately; she showed me time and time again the precious love of Jesus....and how to live life with the blessed assurance of eternity with Him, safe in His love. The length of time I got to share with her was short, I never met her face to face, never heard her voice; but ohh how she touched my life with her heart, her words, her love and her sweet spirit....I re-visited her blog a lot this week as I was preparing this remembrance post. It is amazing the many lives she touched....and I stopped to thank God, thank you precious Lord, for blessing me with her....

Many times I like to picture her strolling the steets of gold...and I think to myself..."I can only imagine", which is why I chose this song....

Continue in Prayer - January 2009

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;" and just as we are about to close the volume, the "Amen" of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob-there a Daniel who prayed three times a day-and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master.

The motto for this year must be, "Continue in prayer."



Charles Spurgeon
Morning Devotional
Heartlight- 01/02/09

Prayers For December

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night......

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid....

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people....



For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord....

America - Chris Tomlin

Praise You In This Storm -

Welcome to By His Stripes

Welcome to By His Stripes, a prayer blog dedicated in loving memory of Arlene Wilburn.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Arlene in person, face to face; but God gave me the awesome privilege to celebrate life with her, to pray for her, to love her, to call her friend and embrace her as a sweet sister in Christ; all through the simple act of blogging. She touched my heart in ways I believe God desires of all. By faithfully reaching out to others, through belief, trust and hope in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

My hope and prayer is this....whether you come here to ask for prayer for yourself or to offer a prayer for another....please come to His throne filled with thanksgiving and praise, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, with a heart full of desire for intimate communion with our Father...believing...always believing

You are healed....
By His Stripes


HOW IT WORKS


To post a prayer request, all you need to do is go to the comment section and enter your prayer. When you hit submit, it will appear. Please...type as much as you like, you do not have to mention names if you do not wish and you can post anonymously... While this is a public blog, let us always be sensitivite to others. There are a number of prayer warriors who receive all comments, all requests for prayer automatically via email.

To offer prayer for an existing prayer, again, go to the comment section of the post. Once you submit it, it will post.

This blog is not intended for discussion, debate or opinion. It is a quiet refuge, an oasis of sorts to lift up the needs of others to the Lord. As administrator of the blog, I do monitor closely for inappropriate comments and/or spam.

God's blessings to all.