The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “ONE DOOR CLOSES” for Sunday, 31 July 2016 with Scripture: James 5:13-18

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “ONE DOOR CLOSES” for Sunday, 31 July 2016 with Scripture: James 5:13 Is someone among you in trouble? He should pray. Is someone feeling good? He should sing songs of praise.
14 Is someone among you ill? He should call for the elders of the congregation. They will pray for him and rub olive oil on him in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer offered with trust will heal the one who is ill — the Lord will restore his health; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, openly acknowledge your sins to one another, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Eliyahu was only a human being like us; yet he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and no rain fell on the Land for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the Land produced its crops.
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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.[1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSV)]
My friend Doris, an artist, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She was gravely discouraged, and our town also mourned. No longer could Doris provide public meeting spaces with noble portraits and beautiful paintings of waterfalls and sunsets. In desperation, Doris cried out, “God, what good am I to anyone?” Within a week someone from the local college called Doris to ask if she would teach a painting class. Students blossomed under her skilled instruction, and the dean asked Doris to return the following semester.
Scripture invites us to pray about every aspect of our lives: the sufferings, the joys, the conflicts, even the weather. God hears and answers our prayers — rarely in predictable ways, but God answers all the same. How grateful we are for God, who cares about our challenges and our victories far more than even we do!
Read more from the author, here.More from Barbara Christwitz

The woman, Doris, of whom I wrote, passed away a few years ago. Happily, though, this lovely portrait of my husband, painted by Doris, hangs in our bedroom. Doris was his godmother, and she saved his life when he was two years old. (He's pushing 70 now.) The story goes that he had climbed out onto the roof and was hanging by his fingers when she plucked him from the clutches of a certain nasty fall.
As for litter clean-ups mentioned in my little bio on the back of the magazine, Citizens Caring For Clearlake (CC4C) began when my young neighbor knocked on my door asking if I had work for him to earn money. He agreed to pick up a bag of plentiful neighborhood litter if I gave him a dollar. Both my neighbor and I kept our end of the bargain. Later, at a party, I had a chance conversation with a friend where I described my $1 business deal with my young neighbor. The party friend and I visualized an idea of offering rewards to people in town who needed incentives in exchange for cleaning up trash. The following day my party friend asked if he could anonymously donate $10,000 as a tax write off to our clean up "cause." I quickly agreed to accept my friend's offer, and CC4C was born. It has blossomed into a group of more than 100 citizens. Our group provides a way to build the beloved community; connecting with neighbors, the people who live outside in tents, parishioners across denominational lines, and Clearlake's code enforcement/public works officials. We have been able to offer $30 dump vouchers for landfill fees, free mattress disposals, grocery store gift cards, and free breakfasts for Adopt A Highway helpers. In a world of many seemingly insurmountable obstacles, CC4C seems to have struck a chord as a doable project which offers gratification, camaraderie, and joy as we perform acts of earth care for God's creation.
Our primary focus is sharing God's love and building the beloved community and the by-product is a neater town--at least for the day of the clean up.
My bio also states that I lead Peace Prayer Dances. These dances combine simple songs and movement as a way to bless one another. In July 2016, I lead a workshop on Peace Prayer Dances at the Friends (Quaker) General Conference held at the College of St. Benedict's in Minnesota. The dance I taught uses a traditional Irish blessing that uses mother nature's imagery of wind, sun, and rain.[Barbara Christwitz]
See a picture of Doris, here.
The Author: Barbara Christwitz (California, USA) — See back cover.
Thought for the Day: God often answers prayers in unexpected ways.
Prayer: O God, give us the will and courage to accept new opportunities. Amen.
Prayer focus: THOSE WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

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