Praise God for the faith of all those who have come before us and the encouragement we receive for our own faith. Ask Him for the strength and perseverance we need to run the race He has set before us. Thank Jesus for His example and the perfecting work He enacts within us.

This week we are praying for students at Brook Hills and for the Love Oliver Zone students of all ages who will begin a new school year over the next couple of weeks. We also want to pray for parents, teachers, administrators, mentors, and spiritual leaders as they work to equip their students to reach their full potential and enjoy God’s good design for their lives. We’re also praying for Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church and Pastor Bob Flayhart.
 
Day 1: Pray for all of the students in the Love Oliver Zone as they begin school on Monday, August 8. Pray for peace, patience, and wisdom to flood the halls of their schools and each student’s heart and mind.
 
Day 2: Pray for the new administration at Oliver Elementary School this year. Pray for wisdom and guidance for Mrs. Burney (new principal) and Mr. Kendrick Graham (new assistant principal) as they seek to prayerfully lead their staff and students to be all God created them to be.
 
Day 3: Pray for all ages of students at Brook Hills. Pray for them to grow closer to Jesus this year and be bold in their witness. Pray for them to take advantage of opportunities to influence friends, classmates, and school staff to know and grow in Christ as well. 

Day 4: Pray for all of the teachers, home school parents, and administrators to have wisdom, skill, sensitivity, patience, and endurance as they help students learn and grow to fulfill God’s purposes for them in their generation (Acts 13:16).
 
Day 5: Pray for parents as they guide, encourage, and support their students this year. Pray for them to guide their students toward a stronger faith in Christ.

Day 6: Pray for all the students in the Birmingham Metro Area to come to know, grow, and trust in Christ this year. Pray for them to hear the gospel and know Christ more deeply, one step at a time. Pray for them to find spiritual mentors to disciple them well.

This week we are praying for our Long-Termers, Chris and Leah M. Chris and Leah and their three children, James, Micah, and Grace, serve in the Middle East. Chris serves as a pastor at Redeemer Church of Dubai.

Day 1: Dubai is a large city, full of people from all over the world. Members of Redeemer also come from many different countries and backgrounds. Pray for Chris as he leads at Redeemer, and for the gospel to go forth through this church to Dubai and beyond. 

Day 2: Chris, Leah, and their teammates are each focusing on discipling one or two people over the summer. Pray for clarity on who to invest in and wisdom on how to disciple those people. Pray that the love of Jesus will penetrate hearts and minds and that lives will be forever changed.

Day 3: Pray for James, Micah, and Grace as they continue to grow in their personal faith journeys. Pray for Chris and Leah as they disciple them and lead them to pursue Christ above all else. 

Day 4: Pray for the new teammates joining Chris and Leah's team. Getting new teammates is exciting and challenging, all at the same time. There is a lot of transition for everyone involved as they work towards a cohesive team unit. Pray for the transitions for these teammates and their families, and pray for unity for the team.

Day 5: The majority religion in Dubai is Islam. Pray for God to be at work across the region convicting people of their sin and opening their eyes to the gospel. Pray that Christians will boldly share the gospel with their Muslim coworkers and neighbors. Pray for many to turn to follow Jesus. 

Day 6: Dubai is a vast city, with many languages spoken throughout the city. Pray for the development of church plants throughout the city, based on language groups. Pray for discernment as these church plants get started. Pray for leaders who will be able to lead like Christ. Pray for the churches of Dubai to raise up a culture of every believer making disciples.