National Day of Prayer
The first Thursday of May has been declared the National Day of Prayer in our nation for 70 consecutive years. In Louisiana, Governor Edwards proclaimed it the Louisiana Day of Prayer. Groups all over the country met to express our profound dependence upon God in these times.
I had the honor to join a small team of people to pray with our Governor in the early morning, and shortly afterward I facilitated a gathering of Senators and Representatives to pray. The leaders offered all the prayers and Scripture Readings. It was a joy to see our state leaders carve out the first part of their busy day to seek God’s face and plead for His help.
Legislative Session
The Legislative Session has passed the half-way point. It is fascinating to have a bird’s eye view of the process and personally know most of the players. You never quite know what a day will bring:
Last week, a bill was proposed to legalize prostitution. I never expected to be in a room full of “sex workers” who brought testimony after testimony on how their lives have been transformed by their vocation. My heart broke. I prayed for each of these young women, that their eyes would be opened, and they would come to know the person of Jesus and the real transforming power of the cross. Fortunately, the bill was pulled for lack of support.
During the week, my days are filled with Bible studies, one-on-one meetings, speaking, writing and many divine appointments.
Foster Care Initiative
Our gathering of leaders on April 20 to address the brokenness of families and provide a real solution for aging-out foster care children went extremely well. Here is a portion of the Press Release that went out to media outlets after the event:
Faith Community Gathers to Learn About James Samaritan, Open Table
Covington, La. – Dozens of area pastors and leaders of faith-based organizations gathered on April 20 at First Baptist Church Covington to learn about James Samaritan and Open Table and the ways the organization and its mentoring program, respectively, support teens transitioning out of the foster care system.
Organized by James Samaritan, Dr. Michael Sprague (Louisiana State Chaplain, Capitol Commission) and Judge Scott Gardner (22nd Judicial District Court, Division G), the forum served to educate the faith-based community about the hurdles these youth face and to mobilize forces to strengthen Open Table, a program that pairs a small group of volunteers, or “table,” to form a support family for a young person who is aging out of the foster care system and who has accepted the offer to join a table. “Our hope is that by establishing…close, sustained relationships with adults we can mitigate (the poor outcomes that many of these youth face),” Gardner told the group.
For more information on James Samaritan and Open Table, visit http://www.jamessamaritan.org.
Prayer Requests
- I am representing the ministry at the Wilberforce Weekend at the Colson Fellows Gathering the weekend of May 21-22 in Fort Worth. Pray for great connections to place Chaplains in a few new State Capitols.
- Pray for Donna as she was just elected Chairman of the Board of the Crisis Pregnancy Center. Keep praying for healing for Donna as well.
Betting the Farm on Jesus,
Michael