Asking another favor, but not for myself.

Excuse me, I'm going to preach for just a moment.

I believe in Higher powers. Some call it God, some call it Elvis, some call it the Universe. It doesn't matter what name you chose to give it, there is a higher power.

I believe in the power of prayer. If you are willing to humble yourself and ask for what you want, and accept the answers you get (even if they are not the answers you want) prayers are heard and answered. I've seen evidence of this too often to doubt it. In the Bible it says "And all things you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive."

I do not believe that pray is some magical answer to all our problems. I believe that you have to ask, and you have to wait, and you also have to work. I don't believe that prayer is like a magic spell that can be cast and poof you get what you want. I believe that you have to humble yourself and allow the higher power to answer the prayer with what you need. And there is a difference.

Having said that, and knowing that I have friends out there who have offered up more than one prayer for me recently, I am asking now for a friend. The other day I wrote a blog post about a friend of mine struggling with some issues in her life. Through some conversations we've had, it's become apparent these issues have deep roots.

I'm not going to go into details, because it's not my story to tell. She has just asked me if I could offer up a prayer for her. I do, nightly, anyway, she's my friend. But I know if one prayer is heard, then several will be heard as well. She is lost and searching for answers. She is hurt and wants to stop the pain. I'm asking, those of you who do pray, to please keep her in your thoughts and your hearts and your prayers too. I know she would appreciate it.

Sermons over. *stepping down from the podium*