Back to School

Well, it's that time of year again. Hubs is going back to a full five-day work week, teacher friends are posting about getting their classrooms ready, mommy and daddy friends are posting about getting their little ones in bed early, shopping for school supplies, and posting the sweetest "first day" pictures. Yep. It's back to school time!

Since we don't have kids, the biggest impact this has on my life is that traffic will be WAY worse in the morning and I'll pray that I don't get trapped behind a stop-and-go schoolbus in the afternoons if I'm heading to an appointment or leaving early. However, for many people, I know that this is a huge time of transition and stress and all sorts of other emotions. Our church family has been praying for teachers, administrators, kids, and parents this week, so I thought I'd share some of the ways we're praying this week.

• Day 1: Pray for families as they make the adjustment to a new school year. Pray they would approach this as an opportunity to impact a mission field daily in their homes, schools, and communities. 
• Day 2: Pray for students. Pray for clarity and boldness in the witness of Christian students. Pray the Holy Spirit would work in their lives in a manner that guards them from compartmentalizing their faith. Pray for every lost student to come to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
• Day 3: Pray for our school campuses. Pray they would be safe environments, friendly and open to the gospel. Pray these would be locations where followers of Christ lead out in, not shrink back from, their faith in Christ.
• Day 4: Pray for our home school students and parents. Pray for God to give wisdom and understanding in all of the practical decisions that have to be made. Pray for God’s grace to fill in the gaps where parents may feel inadequate. Pray relationships within the family would be strengthened and not strained in the time spent together.
• Day 5: Pray for school administration and leadership. Pray their perspectives, direction, and actions would flow from a biblical perspective of what is true, right, and good. Pray those in leadership would have a strong growing relationship with Christ that would inform everyday decisions.
• Day 6: Pray for teachers. Pray for Christian teachers, that they would take hold of every opportunity to share their faith in Christ, and to be an accurate example of what it means to be a follower of Christ.