February Prayer Time
by Lindy Swanson
Prayer Team Member
Heavenly Father, we praise You for clothing us with Jesus’ righteousness that we might build up each other’s holy faith as we minister, presenting the sweet incense of our prayers, and offer our writing as a love gift to You.
Give us a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit, in wisdom and in understanding. Lay Your hands on us, Jesus, and fill us with the spirit of wisdom, just as Moses laid his hands on Joshua to impart the spirit of wisdom (see Deuteronomy 34:9). Help those who are supposed to listen to the message You give us to receive and take it to heart and act according to Your wisdom.
Cause the judgments that emerge from Your wisdom (I Kings 3:28) to administer justice so the kings of the earth will acknowledge the beauty of Your wisdom, which is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (James 3:17 nasb).
Cause the power, goodness, and gentleness of Your wisdom to overflow our lives so that those who oppose it will be unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which we speak. (See Acts 6:10.)
Thank You for storing up sound wisdom for the upright, for being a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of Your godly ones. Help us discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course.
Thank You that wisdom will enter our hearts and knowledge will be pleasant to our souls. Discretion will guard us and understanding will watch over us to deliver us from the way of evil. (See Proverbs 2:7–12.)
We praise You that Your “wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare” (Proverbs 8:11 nasb).
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Rom. 11:33 nasb).
We praise You that by Your doing we “are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30 nasb). In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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MEMBER NEWS
John Avery, of Monmouth, has a second book, Deciding How to Publish Your Book: Navigating the Publishing Jungle, that is now available from Amazon in paperback ($5.50) and e-book ($2.99). It will also be on sale at the OCW Winter Conference. It defines three broad publishing models and the pros and cons of each model, and suggests ways to determine which model best suits your publishing goals.
Mary Hake, of Crooked River Ranch, wrote the cover article in the December18th issue of LIVE (a weekly adult take-home paper from the Assemblies of God). Other OCW members with articles in this quarter’s issues of that publication are Lydia Harris, of Lake Forest Park, Washington, and Laura Bradford, of Walla Walla, Washington. There is also a story written by the son of member Charlotte Kardokus, of Salem.
Nick Harrison, of Eugene, recently signed a two-book contract.
April McGowan, of Newberg, signed a contract with WhiteFire Publishing for her new novel, Hold the Light. It will be released this summer.
A reminder that Rebecca Olmstead, of Walla Walla, Washington, is asking for book donations from authors. Her homeschooling co-op is having a fundraiser in May that will include a musical program and a silent auction. If you are interested in donating one of your autographed books (remember that homeschoolers are voracious readers!) to be included in a basket for the silent auction, please contact Rebecca at rebecca@rebeccaolmstead.com.
Jill Williamson, of Vancouver, Washington, just received a copy of her latest book King’s Blood along with a note from her editor saying she had set the record for longest Bethany House Publishers book! Her book King’s Folly was nominated for an INSPY award in the speculative fiction category.
Several other OCW past and future keynoters and faculty members were also nominated for INSPY awards in other categories: Jim Rubart, Susan May Warren, Cynthia Ruchti, Colleen Coble, Tessa Afshar, Rachel Hauck, Davis Bunn, and Ronie Kendig.
The January edition of The Christian Journal included articles by Eleanor Cowles, of Independence, Jon Drury, of Vancouver, Washington, Lynn Hare, of Portland, Annika Klanderud, of Dundee, Maxine Marsolini, of Happy Valley, and Jan Sheerin, of Bend.
