One of the upsides of being in Vietnam for a season is that I have more than my share of uninterrupted time. Under most circumstances, I don’t do that well with a minimalist calendar. But I can see God’s providence at work in my current situation.

For several months now, I have been trying to finish two books. The “open calendar” I am staring at pretty much removes any excuse I might have had for not finishing them.

One book is a collection of intercessory prayers on various subjects: my spouse, my church, myself, workers in the harvest. Each section is a set of twenty (20) single-sentence prayers on each topic. The working title so far is (I’ll bet you can guess) Simple Prayers.

The second book is How to Talk to Strangers. It provides a brief survey of twelve (12) world religions, familiarizing the reader with some of their beliefs and vocabulary, and offers ways to engage. It is NOT intended to be a full-blown apologetics book, but simply a book that will encourage people to talk to people that they know do not agree with them. The English level in this book is a bit higher than what we normally use, but still quite readable. The spark that motivated me was the result of a CRU Survey of Christians. The result? Only 6% of Christians have EVER initiated a conversation about Jesus with someone whom they knew would disagree with them. I am writing this book to help us lose some of the fear we face when faced with such a situation.

Please pray for me over the next month as I try to make serious progress on both books. Pray especially that those two areas of the fruit of the Spirit that I need in greater measure (patience and self-control) will be worked into my personality a bit deeper over the next few weeks.

Here is a DRAFT SAMPLE of a set of prayers that will appear in Simple Prayers.

For the Sick and Emotionally Distressed

1. Lord, bring healing to their body and peace to their heart. — Jeremiah 17:14

2. Father, ease their pain and remind them they are not alone. — Psalm 34:18

3. God, give wisdom to every doctor, nurse, and caregiver involved.   — James 1:5

4. Holy Spirit, comfort them in their fear and strengthen them in their weakness.   — Isaiah 41:10

5. Jesus, speak peace over their troubled mind and weary soul. — John 14:27

6. Lord, protect them through the night and give them rest. — Psalm 4:8

7. Father, calm their anxious thoughts with the truth of Your love. — Philippians 4:6-7

8. God, help them to feel seen, heard, and held in their suffering. — Psalm 139:1-3

9. Holy Spirit, remind them that nothing can separate them from Your love.     — Romans 8:38-39

10. Jesus, be their refuge and strong tower when everything feels fragile.           — Proverbs 18:10

11. Lord, carry their burdens when they feel too weak to stand. — Isaiah 46:4

12. Father, fill their room with Your presence and their heart with hope.     — Psalm 23:4

13. God, let the darkness lift and the light of Your mercy shine through.      — John 1:5

14. Holy Spirit, give them strength for today and courage for tomorrow.     — Lamentations 3:22-23

15. Jesus, be their anchor in this storm and their song in the silence.     — Hebrews 6:19

16. Lord, send people who will show kindness, patience, and compassion.    — Galatians 6:2

17. Father, guard them from despair and draw them closer to Your heart.    — Isaiah 57:15

18. God, restore what has been broken in body, mind, or soul. — Jeremiah 30:17

19. Holy Spirit, breathe peace over their inner chaos and confusion.     — 1 Corinthians 14:33

20. Jesus, let them know that You are with them, even in the valley.      — Psalm 23:1-4