Family Prayer Recording - May 16 2024 Encouragement or Graduates

The speaker starts off the call by explaining that they want to do something different for the graduates in the family. They invite everyone to share advice, encouragement, or prayers for the graduates. Several family members take turns congratulating the graduates and offering words of wisdom. They emphasize the importance of keeping God first, pursuing dreams, staying in the Word, and leaning on family for support. They share personal stories and experiences to illustrate their points. The speaker concludes the call by expressing pride in the graduates and thanking everyone for their contributions. Well, it is 8.03 for family. We will go on and get started tonight. Good evening to everyone. Glad you could be on this call tonight. Norris and I talked today and we decided we would do something a little different tonight because we have numerous graduates, high school, college, and maybe even other levels as well. So we thought that as a family, we would just ask everyone to give some advice or encouragement or inspiration, and it may be even a short prayer that you would like to share or give to our graduates, and then I will send a recording of everybody's advice, inspiration and all to their parents so that they can play it for them because we want to send them off with a good start and knowing that family is behind them and that family has their back. So that is what we're going to do tonight for our inspiration. So if anyone would like to get started, I can start off with something. I can wait and let someone else start off. If you have some advice you would like to share, then go for it. Hi, Star. Go ahead. Can you hear me? Yes, go ahead. I would like to say congratulations to the graduates on their achievements, wishing them even more success in the future. And I would like to say to them to pursue their dreams. God has great plans for you up for tomorrow, and may God grant you the desire of your heart and make your plans succeed. We wish you nothing but the best as you embark on this new journey in your lives. Thank you, Janice. This is from Janice. Thank you, Janice. Anyone else? Hi, Cheryl. This is Renee. I'll go. I'd just like to say congratulations to all the graduates, and I send a special congratulations out to my daughter. And as Janice said, to the high school graduates, I would like to say to always keep God first for sure, always pray, always know that your family has your back, and always remember that your dream is your dream, and God will give you the desire of your heart if you seek him first. And I say that because my daughter has truly gotten the desire of her heart as she went through college. Her desire was to be a nurse, and she graduated Sunday on Mother's Day with her nursing degree and I'd just like to share with everybody that she has already secured a job at Emory and she will be on the critical care unit as an ICU nurse, and that is enough to just give God all the praise. She may have put in the work, but God is to get the praise for that. And so for all the high school graduates, I would just like to say always remember that your dream is your dream. Nobody can dream for you. It's your dream. So always go for your dream and remember to ask God what it is that he has for you and pray that he'll give it to you, and he will give you the desire of your heart if you seek him first. Amen. Amen. Thanks, Renee. Amen. This is Frances, and I have two graduates from high school, Connor and Atlanta. They're nurses in Virginia, and I just say to them to always stay in the Word, to always read the Word, and to keep the line of communication with the Lord open at all times while they are away, and remember their family. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Gerald, I'd like to say congratulations to the young graduates. I remember when Cheryl and I were practicing for our graduation, we sang this song, and we only just begun. So I tell you all that you only just begun, and also I was able to go to Philippians 4.1.3. Keep in mind, and whatever you go into with that, I can define through Christ who strengthens me, and also keep this one in mind, Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean upon understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge him, he will take you past. And one more that I give you, always look to him to which comes your help, for your help comes from the Lord, the one who made heaven and earth. And I think those scriptures are love, and if you ever feel the challenges that you may face, with those scriptures, find someone, and know that God is there, and he's an ever present help. He needs you. He's right there, you know he's present. Amen, amen. And I guess that's about it. Amen. Amen. I would just like to say, based on what has already been said, I concur with all of it. I did tell everything that has been said, and I would like to say to each one of them whether they have graduated from high school or college, this is the first chapter of their young adulthood, and I hope that they take it seriously, and go in it with a positive attitude. As our dad would always say, seek ye first the kingdom of God. Amen. And all of his righteousness, and everything will go well for you. Just don't forget that, and don't forget the family prayer. We'll be here if you need us, but one thing about it, God say that I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you. Keep these scriptures in your mind and your thought, and always as they say, stay in the word. Stay in the word, because it will be there for you where you think no one else is there, and God will be always there to carry you through. This is just the beginning, and your destination is where you want it to take you. Amen. Thank you, Kathleen. Anyone else? This is Portia in Clifford. I would like to say congratulations to the graduates. I'm so proud of you, and this is a great time for you. You're going to the next chapter of your life. This is, I think Renee just said a few minutes ago. But remember that God is all powerful, and nothing is too big for him. If you have problems, if you have trouble, turn to the Lord. Know that your family is here, and you can always call us. I know some of you don't know me, but I'm here for you, and I'm praying for you. Amen. Oh, thank you. Go ahead. Oh, thank you. Go ahead. As you go into this next chapter, you're going to have some good times. You're going to have some not-so-good times. But remember, the Lord always has your back. Take your Bible with you, and read it every day. Amen. If you do it every day, it will become a habit, and that will guide you through. And you'll be surprised at the number of times when things are not going well. When you open it up, you'll turn to the exact scripture that will help you. It's happened so many times to me. So trust in the Lord. Know your family has your back. And good luck, and be blessed. Amen. Amen. Something you said is just so important, because we don't know where we may end up, and we may end up someplace where there is family. Someplace we've never been before, or someplace we've been before, but knowing that there's family there that we can call when we need them, and that they'll be there for us. That is just so important. Thanks for sharing that. Thank you. Someone else? This is Clifford Wood. And I just want to talk about how, what the Lord did for me. Because when I was growing up, it was hard. But I kept praying, kept going to church, and I kept asking the Lord to help me. The whole, I want to see the whole, and not the other half. Hang in there. And he did. And he did. And as time went on, I leaned on him even more, because he got me in bad places that would have really been bad, worse. And he guided me from finishing school, going to college, going to another level in college, another level. Because when I started thinking and started praying even more, I got to that level where I got a job and got some other things that he blessed me with. And I just can't say what he had done for me, because right now, and I'm not bragging or anything, it came through prayer. Some nights I cried, but it came through prayer. I ended up in a house and laying on it. Yes, he did. And I thank him because I didn't know what to do during those times. And now, I would say I'm very pleased. And I can't say nothing but to the Lord and pray. Thank you for everything that you've done for me and my family. And I thank you for keeping me in better shape in my life. Amen. Amen. Amen. And just like he did it for Clifford, he will do it for you as well. And it just reminded me, Clifford, of how Dad had struggled in buying land and building a house. And that was just his joy to know that he was able to do that for his family and to provide that. And he had something that he could call his very own. So that is just so, that touched me. Just brought back memories of Daddy and how he struggled and what he wanted to do and what he was able to do. And again, what he does for one, he will do for others as well. Yes. Anyone else? Anyone else? Yeah, this is Ruby. I want to say something to the graduates. And I would like to say that this is a major milestone for each of them. It is just one of life's many victories. Don't be afraid to follow your dreams. Love you all on this big day. Graduation is only the beginning of your journey. Follow Jesus and you will always be in the right direction. And make sure you reach out to family if you need anything. We love you. Amen. Amen. Anyone else? Come on, Patrick. I know you got something to say, all you've been able to accomplish. Anyone else before we move on? This is Vette. I just wanted to acknowledge my graduate, Trenton Colbert. He's Gerald's grandboy and twin. I just want to say that I'm so proud of him. I just want to say that I'm very, very proud of him because he is one of my children that was so not interested in school. So it took a lot to keep him encouraged to get this far. And I want to acknowledge my dad and all of my village for everything they've done, you know, to assist me with him and keeping him focused. He's been, I had an uncle to bless him with a zero term because my dad had taught him so many things with his hands. So currently he wants to go to the tech for automotive. So if he, we're going to try to, you know, make sure he gets, you know, set up with that. Otherwise, he has a little self-employment going on. So just trying to, you know, keep him focused and keep him encouraged and keep him busy. Some other things going on with young men around here. And it's just always been a big thing, you know, for me to keep, you know, my children because I have boys. And if a man don't understand or anybody don't understand the heart of a mother with boys because it's hard to keep them encouraged and stay on the right road. So I ask all the family to, not just my boys, but all the graduates, keep them encouraged. When you lay eyes on them, say a positive word to them, a scripture. Not just say, if you don't lay eyes on them, shoot them a text message of a scripture or encouraging word so they can know that, you know, that you care and that they can start building their own relationship not to rely on your prayers but start to build their own personal relationship with God. And that's one of the things that I pray for my children when I pray for them. I ask God to let them hear his voice and for them to, you know, show them his face so they can know that, okay, this is God. And I just ask that and I would like to, you know, congratulate all the other graduates as well, not just mine. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Vet. And one of the things you said is that it does take a village. It does take a village and it takes all of us doing whatever we can to assist, encourage, help, inspire our children, all of our children, not just our personal children, but all of our children. So thanks for sharing that. And what we will also do is get the names of the graduates and if they have, well, you can text them or email them and just encourage them along the way. Anyone else? Good evening, family. This is Nikki. Cheryl, you just actually said what I was about to say. My daughter, Genesis, she's in good company with Shelby and Trenton and Connor and whatever other graduates that have been missed or mentioned tonight. I came in a little late so I didn't hear all the other graduates' names. Genesis is graduating from Nazemar River High School here in Suffolk, Virginia. And in August, August 16th, she'll be heading to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. I was just sharing with my cousin, Leandra Vernice Jones, earlier this morning that I remember my grandmama sending letters while I was away at college in Maryland. And Maryland was far from Georgia at the time for me. So being away from college, away from home at college, it really was a blessing to me to have letters that come from home. And I know in this generation, they don't think that letters are important anymore. They want text messages and email or what have you. But I would encourage the family to please take the time to send cards and letters to the graduates. It's just so important for them to have something that they can tangibly touch and read. And so Genesis does not yet have an address for Virginia Tech. But once she has that, Aunt Cheryl, I will certainly share that with you to pass on to the family. And you have my permission to share that with the family so that they can do so, that they can send letters and cards or what have you with her contact information. Thank you all for your prayers. Thank you, Nikki. Thank you. And as I said, all of the graduates, the parents of the graduates, send that information so that we can share it with others. Because I know when you're away from home, just getting something from someone at home and knowing that they're thinking about you, that they're praying for you can go a long way, can go a long way. Anyone else? Cheryl, I'd like to say a little something else. It won't be long, just a little something. I just encourage all of you to stay focused and focused on God. Build that relationship with God. If you've got a relationship with God and you've got Jesus in your heart, then you have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not going to tell you anything wrong. The Bible says in John that it would teach you things that Jesus didn't teach you and call your remembrance to things that Jesus did teach you. So that being said, you're going to be faced with a lot of different situations, a lot of different challenges. And some of those challenges might not be good, but that's when you use that spirit. You're going to show you and tell you and teach you what is right, the right things to do. Because there is, there is the enemy going to still be trying to work on you to turn you around. But allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and to teach you. He will tell you, we are with you now. We are just the Spirit. And you will know whether it's the Holy Spirit or God. He is not going to tell you anything that is not of God. If it's not of God, He ain't going to teach you that. But if it's Him that you know, you will see Him, He can make a lot of Holy Spirit to speak to you. And He will tell you what's right. And if it's not of God, then He'll tell you that too. Don't do it. That's it. Amen. Amen. Amen. Hey, hey, how's it going? It's about time, Patrick. I called on you. Come on. I know you had something to share. Yeah. Sound like somebody laughing already. Go ahead. Well, I got a granddaughter already on COLA, graduated with honors, like that, or whether it's Sonoma County High School, like that. And she's going to attend all of these states. And some, well, I think she's going to nursing or something. I don't really know. ECHOLS or something like that. I just figured I'd say her name and say that right there. I ain't no big talker right now, I'm kind of busy. I'm listening, but I'm kind of busy. Okay. We'll get her name so we can include her when we send a list to everybody. Okay. All right. Okay. You have something else, Pat? I'm going by the mute. Okay. I have, some years ago I preached a sermon to the graduates at my church, and I called it the 18. And I had three A's. The first A is to acknowledge God. And, of course, that's from the Scripture Journal, mentioned Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. And it says, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. And that's giving God priority in your life. Acknowledge God, the first A, acknowledge God, giving God priority. The second A is to ask God. And, of course, that's prayer. Matthew 7, 7 says, ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened. So acknowledge God. That's giving God priority. Ask God. That's prayer. That's talking to God, but also listening to God. And the third A is abide. And that's God's presence. John 15 says, I'm the vine, you're the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. And some of the comments made tonight is to remember that he is always with you, that you have God's presence in your life. Abide in him and he will abide in you. So acknowledge God. That's giving God priority. Ask God. That's prayer. Talking to God. And abide in God. That's God's presence. We thank each of you for sharing tonight. And we will make sure that the recording gets to the graduates and we will get a list and send to everyone. So every now and then just send them a word of encouragement or inspiration or prayer to let them know that we are thinking about them and we've got their back and we're here for them if they need us to be. Reverend Norris? Talk about 30 more seconds so I can pause. Say that again, Norris. Talk about 30 more seconds so I can pause. Okay. Okay. Anyone else have anything? Go ahead. Why don't you include our numbers on there also so in the event that they feel that at some time that they want to call or they want to talk to us, they have access to those numbers of the email. That's a great idea. Great idea. We will do that. Maybe we should just get a directory, a family directory, you know, something like that so everybody will have that. Absolutely. Well, we have everybody, all these numbers. We can put that in directory format and send it. If you want your email on there as well, you can make sure that I get your email address. In the times in which we're living right now with everything that's going on around us, we want to keep our young people encouraged and let them know that all things are possible with God. You know, there's nothing that they cannot do. Acknowledge God as God and abide in what's God. Amen. Well, we're waiting for Narissa Park so that he's going to pray for our graduates tonight. Can I add something too? Yes, go ahead. This is Portia. Also, I think if you could consider adding what school the graduate is attending and when you put our names on, put what city or town we're living in because the person who's, he said that his granddaughter was going to Albany State. I live in Albany. So I'm not far away if she needs help or she needs something. Absolutely. When all God's children get together. What a time. What a time. What a time. There it is. Now, y'all know that. Yeah, go on, Pat. I'm stooped now. I'm going to kill some time. I'll try to keep time going. I'm going to go back to mute. I'm working and all that. I'm going back to mute. You all, let's do that. As Portia suggested, if you all would send me that information and I'll be sure to include it in the directory so we can share it with one another and with the graduates as well. I'm sure I would have pictures. So if we had pictures, that would be nice. It sure would. We have the technology to do all of that stuff and I think it will get done. As long as we as a family do just what Pat is trying to say, when all God's children get together, what a time we can have. Let me just say this and you can close with our prayer. If you all would send me whatever it is you want on the directory, if it's a picture, address, phone number, whatever, you send that to me. I'm going to send it to this, how I send you the text and you can just reply to that and I'll make sure it's in the directory. Okay, Reverend Iris Bones. Okay. I've been driving. Tuesday I was driving from Oglethorpe and laying and saying to myself, happy birthday to big sister Kathleen Harris-Monks. Tonight I did put them out again from coming from Oglethorpe. I'm by myself and I can say what I want to say. I listened all the way with my phone on mute and it all goes back to my saying the best proverb that I could ever have that is, it's in the DNA. I know what Uncle Rome had. I know what Aunt Lou had. I know what my mom had. Rupert Lee Whitten Harris had a seventh grade education. Period, Afra Harris had a third grade education. My brothers and sisters didn't have the classroom setting that we have in these days and times but they were really educated and they educated us along with their education. How they educated us and the reading, writing, and the replicating how it used to be said that made us who we are today and what we are. Seeking to survive in a world that is just like it was in the days of Noah. But the good part about it Dad used to say singing and praying every day trying to walk this old narrow way. Mom would always tell us it's called upon the master. And I can remember my Uncle Rome saying he read the Bible all the way through. There was so many days you just couldn't comprehend it all. So this day as long as we keep our faith and trust in God and know where we have come from with the education that we learned the example that our parents set before us and the education we did get in the school we are up to the generation now to take it further than we have taken it. I can remember graduating in 1972 and didn't take my life as far as I wanted to but because of the parents I had because of the people that surrounded us and surrounded me and the sister called Gerald, Mr. Fixit We don't have to ask anybody too much or anything to do because of the education that we have and it's in the DNA that came back in the 1900s and in the 1800s that we are so grateful for. Let us pray. Father God we know who we are we know who you are we know you have made us in that way ourselves we acknowledge that you are God and you are superior to all of us and oh Heavenly Father there are young people among us right now that weren't born in the 50s, 60s and 70s don't have the experience we have but oh Heavenly Father we have it and we pass it on to them in order that their future might be bright in order that they may have a better understanding of the world that's out there and Jesus instructs us to teach them to observe our things that our parents have taught us to observe our things once they receive their degrees let them still continue their education let them know what the medicine is all about observe what they're writing on the bibles and on the paper they give observe the weather reports and most of all observe the political race that's going on right now because it will affect their future with the student loans and everything that's going on right now leaving high school and going to college and oh Heavenly Father we know that you are above all and you will teach them we know that Jesus chose 12 disciples and they were his students and they have been students but oh Heavenly Father after Jesus left the disciples they graduated they went from being disciples to apostles and right now our students our nieces and our nephews and our children, our grandchildren some of them have received their diplomas they have moved on from one degree to another and right now we're going to bless them wherever they may go and we're going to be like Joe we're going to pray for them we're going to continue in prayer and we don't know what they might be going through so when we go to the altar we're going to keep them in our minds and we're going to ask you to bless all the families bless all the graduates and bless them oh Heavenly Father who's coming up behind them that they're still in school they're looking forward to their graduation but we know that the teachers are out there all of them are out there for the good, for one cause and that one cause is to educate our children and these are now blessed in the name of our son Jesus we pray Amen Amen Amen Amen Thanks all of you for sharing tonight and please send that information so we can pull that together for you and just God bless each and every one of you Everybody have a good evening Good evening Good evening Good night Good night Good night Everybody be good Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen