Category: Uncategorized

The hobby of collecting items can be as varied as the individuals who enjoy it. Postage stamps, patches (of state / national parks visited, for example), vintage books, buttons, varied China teacup patterns, antique guns, movies of a particular actor – these are just a few examples of what people collect. Even among a category like coin collections there are many sub-categories: military coins, ancient coins, state quarters, coins from international travels, etc.

Did you know that God Himself is a Collector? Malachi 3:17 records this declaration: “And they shall be Mine, saith the LORD of Hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels (literally, “special treasure”)…”

What is the “they” of His collection? Verse 16 answers this question: “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.”

To get the full impact of why the people described in verse 16 were viewed by God as a special treasure, we need to notice the setting of verses 13 to 15. Most people’s words were stout against the Lord, and yet they claimed innocence. This is like a black velvet cloth on which a jeweler places jewels. The colors and sheen of the jewels are more obvious to the observer because of the contrast of the background fabric. The same contrast is highlighted in Malachi 3:13-18.

1. Pray that Christians who are currently living out the same actions of verse 16 (fearing the LORD, thinking about Him, and speaking often to other believers about Him) will be deeply encouraged by the fact that God Himself pays attention to, listens, records, and remembers their words.

2. People can change the tenor of their words. The thief on the cross started out as one who ridiculed Jesus, but came to a realization and belief in the fact that Jesus was innocent. His words and attitude changed as a result, and Jesus took notice. Pray for someone living in your region of the country who has long ridiculed Truth to be likewise gloriously redeemed.

3. David prayed the following in Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my Strength, and my Redeemer.” Pray for this to be true in the lives of all TGP team members today.

Matthew 13:43

Thank you to a Vermont TGP team member for submitting today’s featured hobby!

Many genres of literature are written and enjoyed throughout the world. Today’s focus is on the area of fiction, which includes many sub-categories. Historical fiction is a unique intertwining of actual events / people with created characters / sub-plots. Science fiction is often futuristic, involving imagined inventions. Mystery / adventure, romance, fantasy, allegory, and literary fiction are also popular forms. From Winnie the Pooh to the works of Charles Dickens, children and adults alike enjoy reading fiction. Fictional pieces can range in length from short stories (such as those of O’Henry) to the longest novel ever published: In Search of Lost Time, a 7-volume book containing 1.3 million words.

1. Jesus used the genre of fiction when He told parables to illustrate spiritual truths by placing them in easily understood daily life settings. (The way to distinguish a parable from His references to actual events are that parables do not contain names of specific individuals.) One such parable is Matthew 13’s story of the farmer and the types of ground that received seed. Pray for someone who has heard the gospel but not yet believed to have a heart like the good ground Jesus described.

2. Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory written by John Bunyan in 1678, has often been described as a book second only to the Bible. One part of the story depicts Christian and Hopeful locked in the dungeon of Giant Despair. They forget that they have the Key of Promise (indicative of the promises of Scripture). When they remember they have it three nights later, they are able to escape. Pray that Christians throughout the world today will remember, be strengthened by, and avail themselves of the hope that God’s promises give.

3. Pray for Christian students in secular universities not to be deceived by the false idea that the Bible is fictional. Pray for them instead to be wholeheartedly convinced of its complete historical veracity and inerrancy.

Matthew 13:43

Thanks to a Vermont team member for submitting today’s featured hobby!

Knitting is a craft over a thousand years old. Likely originating in the Middle East, trade routes carried knitting to Europe, where it gained popularity during the Middle Ages. Creating articles that provided both needed warmth and an outlet for artistic expression, knitting has continued to be a favorite pastime through the centuries.

From bone, wood, ivory, copper, aluminum, or plastic, various materials have been used for knitting needles. Early yarns were primarily from wool, though cotton or even silk was used at times. Today’s yarns feature both natural and synthetic fibers.

It is estimated that around 50 million people around the world knit or crochet. (Crocheting is similar to knitting, but uses only one shorter hooked needle, as compared to the two long knitting needles.) This number translates to about 1 in every 161 people worldwide who knit or crochet. Yarn arts are sometimes taught in groups like 4-H clubs, and sometimes just passed down from generation to generation in the home setting.

1. Pray for 50 of those 50 million knitters / crocheters who do not know Jesus to enter a personal relationship with Him before the end of the summer.

2. Sometimes in American culture today, young people grow up without learning any practical hands-on skills. Pray for Christian parents and grandparents to see the value of passing on homemaking skills, and be intentional in doing so with their children.

3. Pray for someone who does not know his or her birth parents, and so struggles with identity and worth issues, to discover the truth that ultimately, God is the Creator Who oversaw their development in utero, as Psalm 139:13-18 beautifully describes.

John 7:37-38

Note: Please send in any additional names or updates you may have for our specific salvation prayer list before July 20.

Thanks to a Vermont team member for submitting today’s featured hobby! This series will run through the end of August, so feel free to send in your hobbies if you have not done so already.

Quilling, or paper rolling, is an intricate and colorful way to add a three dimensional element to flat surfaces. Strips of paper are rolled and then glued down in whatever shapes or designs the artist desires. The decorated surface can be anything from paper goods to home decor to jewelry. Finished pieces invite the observer to take another look because there is so much detail to be seen and enjoyed.

Quilling is both an ancient and modern craft. It’s exact origins are unknown, but quilling (first with gold and silver wires, and later with paper) has been a part of many cultures. The term “quilling” comes from the fact that strips of paper were rolled around a quill to produce and hold a desired shape (today there are a variety of quilling tools). The art form became very popular during the Renaissance and following centuries. Although it declined for a while, quilling has become increasingly popular again in recent years.

1. Pray for a person who will be quilling today to realize that God takes as much care in the details of her life as she takes in every strip of paper used to create a project. Truly, “we are His workmanship.” (Eph. 2:10)

2. Pray for the owner of a company that manufactures quilling tools to understand and believe the gospel.

3. Pray for a Christian recipient of a quilled gift to realize how much he or she is loved, and to see that human gift as an extension of God’s love.

Genesis 1:31

Thank you to a TGP team member from Tennessee for submitting the hobby of gardening for today’s post in our summer series!

Gardening has long been both a vocation and a hobby…and when we say long, we mean long, for it was the first work human beings ever undertook under the direction of their Creator. Scripture is replete with illustrations drawn from plant life. For example, Jesus compares our need to abide in Him to the vine – branch relationship, with the Father as the vineyard keeper. The New Jerusalem will have a tree that yields a different kind of fruit every month. Also, the setting for many biblical stories occurs in a garden.

Gardens can be as varied as the people who plan and tend them. From container gardening to inground flowers, fruits, vegetables, or herbs, to specialty themed gardens  (pizza garden, birthday month flowers honoring loved ones, exotic plants, water gardens, etc.), the list goes on and on. There are countless possibilities and combinations for utilizing and enhancing whatever spot on Earth God has given a person to manage.

1. Gardening season is currently in full swing in Earth’s northern hemisphere. Pray for someone who has been working outdoors today and is about to stop for a water break, that he or she will reflect on the refreshment that God brings the soul as an even more valuable commodity than the water needed to sustain physical life.

2. Pray for an unsaved gardener to recognize the fact that God is the One who makes plants grow, and respond in gratitude to Him. Pray that this gratitude will open the door for recognition of the spiritual benefits God offers to that person through Jesus Christ.

3. Pray for Christians around the world to enjoy fellowship with their Father as they work in their gardens this season.

Genesis 1:31

Malachi 2:17

You have wearied the Lord with your words; yet you say,
“In what way have we wearied Him?”
In that you say,
“Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the Lord,
And He delights in them,”
Or, “Where is the God of justice?”

The problem in Malachi’s day has not gone away in 2025: people willfully choose a distorted view of God to rationalize their actions. However, God and His mandates do not change, and sin always brings destruction.

Today is the last day of Pride Month. First recognized by Bill Clinton in 1999 and expanded by Barack Obama in 2011, the promotion of alternate lifestyles is ultimately a flaunting of rebellion in the face of a holy God.

The prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, banned a pride parade in Budapest, citing the reason as protection for children. However, 100-200,000 people showed up to defiantly participate in the parade. The following headline and subtitle is from The Washington Post:

1.Pray for the Lord to bless Prime Minister Orban for his courageous attempt to do what was right. If Viktor Orban does not know Jesus as his personal savior, pray for him to hear the gospel and believe.

2. It is very sad that many infants / children are exposed to the LBGTQ+ lifestyle as “normal,” growing up in homes with caregivers who have made those lifestyle choices. Pray for the Lord to rescue these children, helping them to understand and believe His pattern for the family.

3. Pray for someone living in your vicinity who has embraced this skewed reality to, on this last day of Pride Month, see the futility of that choice, and turn to God (as He reveals Himself to be in the Bible) for salvation and healing.

Thank you to a TGP team member from Vermont for submitting today’s hobby for our Summer Series!

Transcending continents and millennia, weaving has long been both a practical skill and art form. From handheld to room sized looms, elementary age art students to senior citizens, weaving is enjoyed by countless people in a variety of applications.

Not surprisingly, weaving is referenced many times throughout the Bible. A notable example in the Old Testament is God’s instructions regarding curtains for the Tabernacle: “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them.” (Exodus 26:1ff)

In weaving these beautiful curtains, the weavers themselves could worship God. A New Testament weaving example was doubtless a very similar act of worship: “Now the tunic [of Jesus] was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.” (John 19:23b)

1. Thank God that He has given His children so many ways to worship Him – any skill can be offered to Him in loving adoration.

2. Our lives have often been compared to weavings, with God the Master Weaver alone knowing how all of the various colored threads (events) work together to make the beautiful pattern He has in mind. Pray for a weaver in the country of Tunisia to receive God’s gift of salvation, that his or her life may be such a weaving.

3. Pray for Christian weavers in China to be encouraged by the Father’s care for them through His providing supplies for them to make weavings.

Philippians 4:19

Matthew 28:20b

“…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

1. Boston Tent Meetings Update:

Praise God! Our TGP team member who went to Boston to help with the special gospel tent meetings this week sent in this summary:

Just wanted to let you know  that there were 10 saved this week.  Over 400 Bibles were given out.  Only 200 were English.   The rest were a variety of languages  including  Aramaic, Hebrew, and Spanish.   They actually ran out of Bibles or they could have given out more.   MANY tracts were passed out and many seeds planted.  Thank you for your prayers.

2. Continuing Prayer for Ukraine: Pray for God’s comfort and hope to be known by the families of the 14 apartment residents killed this week.

3. Your Choice: please pray for a request you remember from one of the other locations featured this week:

Sancti Spiritus, Cuba

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Hobby series related requests:

Card making

Reading & listening to audiobooks

Thank you for praying!

Today’s featured hobby was sent in by a TGP team member from Tennessee. Thank you to everyone who has submitted hobbies for our summer series so far!

Both the ability and opportunity to read are gifts from God! From learning to enjoyment, there are many reasons people read. Audio books are a great way for busy adults to read on the go, because they provide the opportunity to obtain the benefits of books while other tasks (housework, exercise, drive time, etc.) are being performed.

Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440, and the Bible was the first book ever printed. Truly, being able to read a copy of God’s Word for oneself is the best reason to learn to read. Of the 180 copies he printed in that first edition, 49 are still in existence today (21 complete Bibles, parts of 29 others).

It is estimated that there are currently around 170,000,000 different books in the world today (source link below). The earliest libraries were in ancient Mesopotamia, and Benjamin Franklin started America’s first library in 1731. What is your favorite book?

1. Libraries across the United States hold summer reading programs for children. Pray for a child with the same name as yours who will participate in a summer reading program to discover the greatest Book of all time, and understand and believe its message of Jesus’ love.

2. Pray for the person who made the Christmas tree book display picture above to read and believe the true Christmas story from Luke 2.

3. Pray for a Christian living in your county to grow in his walk with God today through the encouragement received from a Christian book or audiobook.

Matthew 28:20b

https://love-books-review.com/facts-and-figures-about-literature/general-literature-stats/how-many-books-are-in-the-world/#:~:text=As%20of%202024%2C%20it%20is,books%20are%20published%20each%20year.

Earlier this year, TGP started a new prayer outreach for specific lost individuals with whom our team members have interacted. We currently have around 55 first names on the list. Each month there’s an opportunity to send in updates or additional names. A new one page PDF document is then emailed to all participants, so that it can be printed /   posted in a location that facilitates frequent viewing and prayer.

The list is emailed the 20th of each month. If you would like to participate, please email

targetedglobalprayer@gmail.com

Thank you!