When was the last time you prayed for two hours? Some students at Lumpkin High School in Georgia prayed for more than two hours last week while they were supposed to be in class…See and read the story for yourself below courtesy of myfoxatlanta.com.
Controversy is brewing in a northern Georgia community after about 50 students prayed together Wednesday morning when school officials said they should have been in class.
The spontaneous prayer at Lumpkin County High School has become the talk of the town. Lumpkin County Schools Superintendent Dewey Moye said that a student started the prayer in a coach’s office at 7:30 a.m. and it lasted more than two hours.
“It was a student-led initiative. The student showed up at the coach’s office and the coach did pray with them and it went into the school day, over into the first period of the day,” Moye said.
Moye says the student who initiated the prayer is part of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter. The superintendent said that before the prayer ended, 50 students had joined in. Moye said that the students were within their rights.
“I believe it’s a Constitutional right to pray, yes I do. I believe they can do so at their desk, as long as they do not disrupt the school day,” Moye said.
Moye says he realizes what happened Wednesday cannot happen again. He admits some parents called to complain about the prayer, but he says that going forward, procedures and policies will be followed.
While he said that he will not discipline the coach and students, Moye says from now on, there will be no prayers during school hours.
One student was suspended for three days for being overly aggressive to an administrator who would not let another person join the prayer group.
A man at one of the courthouses I go to for my job came up to me as 2011 came to a close and said, “As good as 2011 was for you, I hope that 2012 is even better.” As he said those optimistic words, my ears tingled because I believe that God was speaking prophetically through this man to me, and I was excited about what was to come. And indeed though 2011 was very good, 2012 was even better. Many of those reasons were highlighted in the post “12 Reasons I’m Thankful for 2012…,” which I wrote last month…
Who know that God would bless me with more in December? As December is the month that the world pauses to celebrate the birth of my Savior, it is one of my favorite times of the year, and I was content to celebrate it as I have for many years – pondering Emmanuel at church, scurrying around the malls of Atlanta hunting for the perfect gifts for family and friends and opening gifts around the tree…But on Christmas Eve, my boyfriend R. (now fiance’…Wow…) asked to marry me, and I said, “Yes.”
Stop the presses…
It’s funny how quickly life can change…In 2009, in one of my favorite posts “Hope. Wish.. Pray…” I wrote about two dreams that had been deferred no matter what I seemed to do, but I never revealed what those dreams were…Well, now I’m ready to reveal them…I wanted to be a published author, and I wanted to be in a relationship that led to marriage…And wonders of wonders…Here I am at the close of 2012 – engaged and published…
So what’s next…
Y’all pray for me, and pray for R. If you’ve read any of my relationship posts, y’all know that relationships have never been easy for me. Some women seem to be have been born knowing how to be coupled up…I am not one of them…In fact, if you want to get a better idea of the angst that I have felt around romantic relationships, these are just three of the blog posts that you have to read…
Last week, I posted about revisiting the goals that we made at the beginning of 2012…As we all know, it is easy to drift away from our goals if we don’t pay attention. And now that we officially have six months left in 2012, we must get back on track!
HOWEVER, with all of our planning, it is impossible to predict what the results of our actions will be. In essence, we plant the seeds, but only God gives the increase…If you are anything like me, I love to plan and then I worry about the results….But God has told us over and over again that worrying is wrong and not characteristic of believers…So to minister to me and you, let me share my favorite seven scriptures to ward off worry…
1. Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22 In this scripture, God says turn over all of your troubles to me, and I will see you through. We are neglecting some of the benefits of being a believer if we don’t realize that He wants to bear our burdens!
2. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I will be thinking of a situation and all of a sudden, I feel overwhelmed by fear and worry…That’s not God! God does not give us fear! Instead, He gives us power, love and a sound mind! When I feel overwhelmed by fear and worry, I see this as a sign that I need to pray and connect with God because the devil is trying to get at me…
3. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Luke 12:25 Can this scripture be any more direct? I don’t think so! This reminds me of a saying I recently heard…Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair…It will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere…
4. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 This verse has kept me from losing my mind for real! When I begin to worry, this verse reminds to talk to God about my present concerns AND thank Him for all that He has seen me through in the past…And supernaturally, my worrying is replaced by peace…Try it!
5. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid. Luke 12:7 I LOVE this verse…We are so important to God that He has even counted the hairs on our head! Wow! That’s why we can pray about anything – no matter how big or small! I even pray about what to wear sometimes…
6. So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33 In these times, it is tempting to worry about our finances and resources, but God says if we put Him first, then He will provide for our needs…Take Him at His word…
7. I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber. Psalm 121:1-3 I have claimed this whole Psalm for this year because I have embarked on a journey that I have never been on before….the journey of a published author…Although I am tempted to stay up nights planning marketing & promotion strategies, this verse reminds that I can sleep knowing my God in Heaven is always awake – and taking care of me on Earth below…
I hope these verses help you to realize that God simply does not want us to worry…We plan, but we must leave the results up to Him. Think about it. We cannot even control our next breath so why even worry about it…I know, it’s easier said than done 🙂 .
Below is a BEAUTIFUL song that I heard for the first time yesterday that reminded me not to worry and to turn over my concerns to God…Here is a sample of the lyrics…
WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN
ALL MY WORRY IS A WASTE OF TIME
WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN
LETTING GO BRINGS PEACE OF MIND
officials said they should have been in class.
