Good morning!

PureHeart is still alive and well, just busy with life, work and family.  Forgive me for not sending these on a regular basis.  My writing time has been limited.  I'm working on our next devotional titled, "An Antidote for a Discouraged Heart."  It's not complete but I wanted to get our praises and prayer requests out to all of you who faithfully cover us with your prayers.

1. Praise God.  We've started meeting with a group of young men again after taking some much needed break.  Pray for this group of amazing young men.  Pray for a sensitive spirit that will hear and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
2. Praise God for the start of our fifth year of ministry!  It's been an amazing journey.  
3. Pray for PHM.  Pray for our protection.  Pray for direction.  Pray for our health, children and our wives.
4. Pray for God-given ministry opportunities.  There's ministry opportunities all around us.  Pray that we will be bold and courageous.  Pray against anything that opposes the Kingdom, against pride, legalism, unbelief, lust.  
5. Pray for those whose lives have been disrupted by hurricane Ike.  Pray for the recovery efforts that are underway.
6. Pray for the upcoming presidential election.  
7. Continue to pray for OWU, the students, professors and administrators.  
8. Pray for each of your local places of worship.  Pray that each would be aligned with scripture in all they do and not just  places of religious activities.

I recently read a statistic that stated, I believe, in 2007 churches as a whole collected $31 billion dollars.  The question on the heals of that astounding amount was this: For what? ...  or: How did the Kingdom benefit?   I realize there are a lot of amazing things being done in ministries around the world.  It sure raises a good question, though, doesn't it.  Makes you stop and think.

Appreciate your prayers.  I'll do my best to have a note out next week.

Sharing from the Heart,

Steve