Thank you for Fridays, LORD God, and please give us all a great one. 
âŚ[clears throat] stay on topic please A113
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donât call this religious. I call it helping people who require encouragement and a helping hand. This thread was designed so that peolpe can come and request help from others. The way we do that is praying for them.
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Its not wierdâŚweâve had 3 new people post asking for prayer and to me that is a gift that iâll never forget.
here is an encouraging story for ya guys.
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was âtoo crowded.â
âI canât go to Sunday School,â she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.
Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.
Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: âThis is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.â
For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.
He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.
But the story does not end thereâŚ
A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.
When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide.
Within five years the little girlâs gift had increased to $250,000.00âa huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century 2000). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.
Edited. I combined all of your posts. â Mitch
Al-Bob - In the future, it would be better if you edited your post instead of creating a long line of posts that are only a few minutes apart. Re-editing posts helps to keep the boards clean and organized.
Just a âheads upâ. 
â Mitch
Thank You Mitch⌠i always seem to do that. 
Al-Bob - No worries. Just remember to keep things flowing smoothly in the future.
â Mitch
Al: Thatâs a great story. I"ve heard it before, but itâs still really nice to hear it again.
By the way, that wasnât off-topic.
are you hinting that it was off topic 
here is another one iâve found
I asked God to take away my pride, and God said, âNoâ.
He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, âNoâ.
He said her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.
I asked God to grand me patience, and God said, âNoâ.
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation, it isnât granted, itâs earned.
I asked God to give me happiness, and God said, âNoâ.
He said He gives blessings, happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain, and God said, âNoâ.
He said, âSuffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.â
I asked God to make my spirit grow, and God said, âNoâ.
He said I must grow on my own, but he would prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked God if He loved me, and God said, âYesâ.
He gave me His only Son who died for me, and I will be in Heaven someday because I believe.
I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me.
And God said, âAh, finally, you have the ideaâ.
Oh, I heard that somewhere, Al-Bob.
I donât know if this will be off-topic or not, but I would like to share this inspirational story.
Once, there was a man going to get his hair cut at the barberâs. While getting his hair cut, he asked the barber if he was a Christian. The barber said, âWell, I donât really believe there is a God. If there is, then why are there so many homeless people, poor people, disasters, and problems in the world?â
The man was surprised at this answer, but couldnât come up with anything else to say. He thanked the barber after getting his haircut, paid, and left, wondering what he could say to help the barber understand.
The man looked around and saw many people who didnât get a haircut like him. After pondering a while, he went back to the barberâs, and declared, âI donât believe thereâs such thing as a barber!â
The barber looked at him like he was crazy. âAre you kidding me? You know I exist because you saw me cut your hair not too long ago!â
âWell,â said the man, âif there were such thing as a barber, how would you explain why there are so many people who have not had their hair cut?â
The barber answered, âI have to wait for people to come to me for me to cut their hair.â
âWell,â challenged the man (and I think you know where heâs taking this), âWhat if people wanted their hair cut, but didnât come to you?â
âThen of course,why would I do it! Those people might not know to come here, or donât trust me doing my job.â the barber replied.
âExactly the point,â grinned the man. âThe same is with God. There are many horrible things going on in the world, but if people came to Him to pray, then He would answer. These answers can come in many forms, either a miracle happens suddenly, or it takes a while, or God gives you the chance to help, etc. There are some people who need help, but unfortunately donât know Him, or donât trust Him, and therefore donât turn to Him. Thatâs why.â
And the barber was actually pondering about this, and couldnât believe it, but he was convinced.
Note: This story isnât saying that not getting a haircut is a sin. Itâs just an example to explain something.
I hope this story could come in handy.
Great story that really sums up the idea of
âWhy are there bad things in the world?â
Great post, Bâ˘-R!
GrrrâŚjk 
Would it be okay if I shared a few inspirational stories on this thread now and then? I think it could help us while we prayed. I heard this story at church, and I thought it was rather funny while at the same time could teach a lesson.
Once, there was a man who always prayed. And prayer is very powerful, too. He fully trusted God all his life, and that was good. One day, something terrible happened. There was a flood, and it was going to drown him if he didnât get out of the house.
The man remained in the house, though. He bent down and prayed to God that he would safely be rescued from the flood. Not too long after, a police car drove up to him. The police told the man to get out of the house to be saved.
The man replied, âNo, God will save me.â The police eventually left.
The water was rising higher, and the man was becoming worried. He prayed again, âPlease, God, save me from the flood!â
Then a boat arrived, and the people in it anxiously yelled, âGet in the boat if you want to be saved!â
The man stubbornly answered, âNo, I donât need your rescue. God is coming to save me.â The boat eventually left.
The water was rising quickly and dangerously. The man desperately prayed, âPlease, God, rescue me before itâs too late!â
After that prayer, a helicopter came, and the people shouted, âGet on before you drown!â
The man remained where he was and determinedly shouted back, âNo, Iâm going to stay here! God will come for me.â
Soon, his third chance of rescue left him. No one else was coming. Soon, the man died, and went to Heaven.
In Heaven, he asked God, âI prayed three times to be rescued. Why didnât you answer?â
Godâs reply was, âWhat do you mean, I didnât answer? I sent the police, I sent the boat, and I sent the helicopter, but you refused to get on and be rescued!â
Do you see the point of the story? Prayer is a powerful thing, because it means you trust God for the answer. But along with prayer, when you get the chance to take action, you should take it! Because this is His indirect way of answering your prayers: giving you the oppurtunity. You donât expect Him to do all the work, do you? Then what great thing can you do in your life? He has done enough work giving us the oppurtunities in our lives. The rest is up to us, whether or not we will take it. Sometimes you may not recognize Him answering your prayers, because answers come in different forms.
Sure go right aheadâŚit was my intention to also include stories to encourage users.
Very good point in that storyâŚ
Please pray for me, everyone. The enemy is tempting me geatly because iâve been growing as a Christian. The LORD is wonderful, and He is bringing me out of it. Keep praying, though!
Iâll be praying for you A113âŚ
Oh boy, A113. If it isnât personal, could you share with me what this enemy of yours is so my prayer could be more detailed the next time I talk with God?
People start praying, also its the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. We all believe in the same God(excluding hinduâs you guys beileve in too many gods), but differ in beliefs, just pray now you donât know they might be answered.
Unfotunitely azzstar we donât all believe in the same God.
Every culture is a externalization of the religion.
Culture is religion externalizedâŚ
What is your culture like?
How does it compare with other religions cultures?
I pray for my grandpa (nicknamed Pop-Pop)
he is an new-age philosppher who has started a little âgroupâ in Tuscon and he really believes in the human body and mind. It is super hard to talk to him about anything and understand him. (and he is like 75 years old)
I pray that God may show him that man is sinful and will always fall.
Iâll be praying for your grandfather, Al.
ThanksâŚhe could use a revelation
The enemy is that evil satan. 