Merry Christmas 2015

                  




       

What we are praying for:

That those in the LGBTQI Community recognize God's gifts in their daily lives,

and that they recognize their God given talents and accept the Holy Spirit's help to allow God's expression through them.

This month's theme:

God came as the baby Jesus to give us the gift of His life for ours.

What gift do you have and how are you to share it?

What story does God want to tell through you?

Encouragements:

God is the one who gave us our unique talents. We need not be afraid to share them. Let them shine! With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can manage our talents so God can generously minister through us to others. 1 Peter 4:10,11.

2 Timothy 1:6. Don't be afraid to fan into flame your God given talents!

Psalm 32: 8. God guides you along the best pathway for your life!

James 3: 17, 18. Your God given gift comes naturally

and peacefully and is full of love!

This year's prayers and meditations are the same as last years. 

The best way we can celebrate such a gift is to give to others.

Have a very blessed Christmas as you join with us to pray for others and share out of the gifts you have.

Peace of Christ be yours always!

             

November Prayers

 

What we are praying for this month:

Let us remember to pray for our service men and women who are protecting our country, those fighting or working to maintain peace throughout the world 
and the families of our fallen soldiers.
Let us remember to pray for our vets that they get the respect and help they need.

Let us remember to pray for those in the LGBTQI Community who are still fighting for our rights, our protection and our benefits as equal human beings here in Canada and all over the world. 
Let us remember to pray for our service men and women who are gay that  they are treated fairly and respectfully as all service members should be.

The theme this month is to remember:

Let's remember to honour and pray for those who have fought for our freedom and those still fighting to maintain that and all those in authority positions in government, military and all levels of society.

Remember, God is real and there for everyone. We should love everyone, but that is only possible with God's help. With God's help we can be all that we are intended to be and do the things we are called to do.

 Scriptures and meditations:

Romans 13: 1, 7, 1 Peter 2: 17.  Respect and honour those in government and all whom it is due.

John 15: 13, Psalm 116: 15. There is a great calling on those who choose to lay down their lives for the freedom of others and that calling affects greatly their families too. Remember that police, doctors, nurses, religious leaders, social justice and humanitarian aid workers, many in our society are included in these prayers.

Thank you all for joining with us in this month's prayers! 


 

Thanksgiving in downtown Toronto!

 

Thanksgiving at Allen Gardens. The flock is shining nicely in the sun while peaking at the CN Tower.                                                   















Colour starting to show in the trees downtown.

Flowers reflecting the sun as they smile at passers by!

Rich Autumn colours all around in the green houses!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Sunshine glowing through the cooling glass in  the late afternoon.      

Express Yourself - Charles Wright

Audioslave - Be Yourself

                                              



Life can be huge! So much going on and everyone wants to say who and what you should be and do!  
Be you! Then your story will be told!

October Prayers

                                      


BE GOOD TO YOURSELF!!

Whatever you do, be gentle with yourself. You don't just live in this world,
or your home or your skin. You also live in someone's eyes.
Sanober Khan

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?
Ian Wallace 

This month we are focusing on our relationship with our self!
Love yourself, do something nice for you today! Say something nice to you today!
Accept it when someone says or does something nice for you.
Remember, love is all around, sometimes you need to recognize it.

This month's theme:
October is about being thankful! Be thankful for you, for your life, for your unique attributes that make you to be you! 
Your purpose in life is appropriate to your talents and your personality!

This month's prayer:
Pray that those in the LGBTQQI Community not only accept themselves, but be thankful for their talents and gifts, their sexuality 
and all that makes them unique! May this bring healing to them and enable them to love and accept those around them. 
May they recognize and accept their talents and their purpose in life!
 
Scriptures:
Why should we love ourselves?
1Corinthians 13:4-8. Love is patient and kind, believes all things good, hopes all things good!
1Corinthians 1:7-9. God invites you into friendship! 
Romans 8:26. The Holy Spirit prays for us. 
Ephesians 2:10. We are God's workmanship.
Phillipians 1:6. God started the work in you and thinks that you are worth finishing!

If God is for us, we must have somthin' going on! 

Why the video this month? 
Look at the people with signs in the video. Sometimes we have to look for the blessings in our lives. But focusing on what we do have 
gives a better perspective. Even if we don't have friends to call on, we can call on God who will give us inner strength and change the negative to positive 
and sometimes do it through others coming into our lives and sometimes through means we never thought possible!

Love yourself! You are worth it!
Thank you for your prayers! 

 

Gta Prayer Walks goes to the Miss Gay Universe Pageant 2015!

I'm thankful to have witnessed so much talent and so much love. The participants in the pageant have such a message of love and being true to self and they communicate it in such a beautiful way it blows my mind! May they continue to live out their message and express it in creative ways.


Here is the speech I gave at the pageant. Jennete, the co-host helped by doing the prompts italicised. n the photo below you see me with Chris Edwards, the host of the pageant.

                                   2015 Pageant Speech                      
Hi! I'm James.    
Thank you for giving us a chance to share with you
what is happening on the street in the Church and Wellesley Village.

Do you believe in the power of love? I see a lot of love here tonight and I see a lot of love in our community.
Do you believe in the power of prayer?

Prayer? Whad'a ya talkin' about??
Well, we've all heard that prayer is asking for something. Sometimes what we need is just a question away! But, what about a kind thought, a strong desire that someone close to you does well.
It's all heard throughout the universe. Every thought, every desire inside of you is heard. All of us have  love, wisdom, truth, a piece of the universe, a piece of God if you will, inside us.
There's a message inside of you that if you listen to and live by,
you will be the truth, the beauty and the power you dreamed of.
The magic is inside of you to know who you are and
what your life is about.

Sooo James, what's your message?
I just want to tell you that every month a few of us  go for a walk through the Church and Wellesley Village and we pray as we go.
We pray for those struggling, those who are ill, we pray for the volunteers, and the activists fighting for our rights, and we pray for you, everyone here. We pray for everyone who lives, works and plays in the Village and the surrounding neighbourhood.

We are not trying to convert anyone to any religion. We just want to encourage everyone in their own spiritual awareness. Whatever that means to you and whatever way works for you.

I'm sooo busy, how can I remember all that?
Well, I've brought you some presents!
I've brought wrist bands! They have on one side THE POWER OF LOVE and on the other they have THE POWER OF PRAYER,
so you can turn it to the one you feel the strongest.
And different colours!
There's even one with the colours of the transgendered flag!
The idea is to use it to remind yourself to take care of your spirit,
that message inside of you, the truth for you that brings healing and guides you through your life. Feel free to take one, they're free!!
I love them! How can we keep in touch?
On the inside of the band there is an email address,
gtaprayerwalks@gmail.com, so you can look us up if you want to join us for a walk in the village, or if you just want to know more information as to what we are doing, drop us a line.
Take one of our cards. That has the address to our blog site.
There  you can see the monthly prayers and music videos!
And there's more- we ARE working on a new website
and we can send you the link when it's complete. The new website will include  other activities we are doing on the street. 
Like what activities James?
Well, like promoting - spiritual awareness at the
Halloween Street Party - in full costume! We'll have a fabulous time!
I can't wait!
So feel free to send us your prayer requests! We're here for you!
Send us your comments, what would “Church on the Street”
look like to you? We would love to hear from you!
REMEMBER, nothing is black and white, right or wrong!
Things aren't always the way they appear!
The magic is inside of you to know the truth for your life!
Thank you for your time!


We were well received and many took wrist bands!
Thank you all for your prayers!

September 2015 Prayers

God is our friend!

This month's theme:

Continuing in the theme of love, we are focusing on relationships. This month is about our relationship with God.
How do you know it's healthy? How do you keep it that way?

What we are praying for:

Pray that God helps all those in the LGBTQQI Community and all those in the downtown core to find it comes naturally
to do those things that maintain a healthy, loving relationship with God and those around them.

Scriptures:

1Corinthians 1:7-9.  God will keep you until the end of time, for it is God who has called you into friendship with the Son Jesus Christ.

John 1:12,13. To all who believed Him, He gave the right to become children of God.

John 15:5. Abide in me and I will abide in you.

John 15:15-17. Jesus calls us friends.

Romans 10:8-13. The message is on the tip of your tongue, even in your heart, that God is love and you belong to God.

James 4:8. Draw near to God and God will draw near to you.

Romans 5:5. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

If we open our hearts and minds to the message of God's love, then we will know in our hearts that we are loved and be able to love ourselves and others.


Autumn is soon upon us. Nature is going to sleep, the sunshine lessens and the temperature dropping. Let's not go to sleep, but stay bright and keep our hearts warm by responding to the love around us.

Thank you for your prayers and loving thoughts!

The Tenors - Lean On Me

August Prayers and Meditations

                      


This month's theme:                                   

This summer the theme is "Love one another." How does that theme relate to the LGBTQQI Community? Love is always being shared in our community. However the common experience has been the lack of acceptance from family members and members of similar faith. That's where our community comes in! And we know that God is like a close friend to all!

What we are praying for:

So we pray that God brings healing and reconciliation between family members and when that does not happen, that God bring healing to those in the community who suffer from the rejection and that they find family among friends around them. 

Scriptures:

1John 4:11-13. We know we are of God because we have God's love in our hearts.
1John 4:7,8.      If we love we know God because God is love.
John 13:34.       Jesus commanded us to love one another.
Romans 13: 8,10.  If you love your neighbour, you will fulfil the requirements of God's law. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God's requirements.
Galatians 5: 13-15. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbour as yourself." 

Let's build up our great community for everyone's sake! We will all benefit and the world will see that we are born of God!


I dedicate this month's prayer blog to 
my sister, Sheila, who was not only my sister, 

but a good friend! 
See you in the morning Sheila!

July Prayers and Meditations

              



Let's love one another!

This month's theme:
Love one another!
We can't do it, so we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit who leads us into truth and enables us to love.

Let's pray that everyone in the LGBTQI Community and the downtown core will continue to let the love of God heal them 
and flow through them to everyone around them.

Scriptures:
1John 4:7,8.       If you love, you know God.

Ephesians 2:8.  We can't do it. Even faith is a gift from God. 
                          Everything good within us is a gift from God.

Romans 5:5.      The Holy Spirit is given to us so we can truly love 
                          and therefore truly know God.

1John 4:16, 17, 19.            God is love and all who love live in God and God lives in them.
                                          And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.
                                          We love each other as a result of God loving us first.

Why the song for this month: 

There was a time I could not understand how I could be holy. I felt a long way from being like God! Then I believe God asked me a question. 
God said, ' Do you have my love in your heart?" I said, "Yes, that's how I know you and can love people and forgive!"
God said, " Then you are holy. You are counted holy in my kingdom because of my love in your heart. That makes you holy." 
God reminded me of this and I feel there is nothing I could say, for I know I am holy only because of what God has done for me, 
so I sing the song in reply, " Holy is your name". 
God is the holy one! 
Remember the scripture Romans 5:5 that says the Holy Spirit puts God's love in our hearts.

Focus on God and you will be able to love! 




                                         

 Be true to you!

 Tell your story!!

                            

 

Then others will be encouraged to do the same!!!

Pride Prayer Walk Map

Here is the map for the Pride Prayer Walk.
We will stop at most intersections depending on the locations of booths.
No need to prepare, I will instruct you at the beginning and
throughout the walk and you will be given bulletins to follow.

 

We pray for the LGBTQI Community here in downtown Toronto and throughout the world.

                                                                

We pray for the neighbourhood that surrounds

 the Church and Wellesley Village.

2015 Pride Prayer Walk

                                                                                    

COME OUT AND PRAY!! 
 
Join us for a prayer walk 
Sunday June 28th, 10am.
Meet us at Church and Bloor St.
Southeast corner by the Starbucks.

                                                                                                            Pepsi!

                   

A great way to start our day of celebrations! 

Walk with us through the Church and Wellesley Village 

to Mcct's Church on Church St. Pride Service

 at Church and Wood St. On our way we will sing familiar songs 
and pray for God's Spirit to fill people's hearts so they will know they are loved!

For more information, email: gtaprayerwalks@gmail.com

Come Just as You Are

                                                                                                                        
                              




JUNE 2015 PRIDE!!!

This month's theme:

COME OUT! Spiritually !!
Come out and let your own unique God given gifts shine for all to see! 
Then those around you will feel that they can do the same.
That's the way the world becomes a better place!


What we are praying for:

Pray that people in the LGBTQI Community will  recognise their God given talents and will COME OUT 
and let those talents flow through them to the benefit of all!


Scriptures: 
Matthew 5: 14-16. Come out and let your light shine so people will benefit from your gifts!
Colossians 1:9-14. Come out and let wisdom lead you!
Ephesians 5:18-20. Come out and be filled with the Spirit! Come out with a thankful heart!


Come out spiritually, accepting yourself as God does, and recognise your calling, your unique purpose on Earth!

Come out to yourself, come out to your world, and be YOU, so your story will be told and others will be encouraged!


Thank you for continuing to pray for our community! Be the best you!

Christopher Maloney's audition - Bette Midler's The Rose - The X Factor ...

                                  


What an illustration of overcoming your fears and letting your talent shine!

Bette Midler - The Rose [Live 1995 - Emotional Performance]

The Rose - Bette Midler

                          



May is about Blooming!! 
The gardens are greening up and colour popping all over. The trees and bushes are getting all dressed up to celebrate the warmer days!

This month's theme:
It may not yet appear what we are to be, but, God's love is usually the first expression of a changed heart.

What we are praying for:
Pray that people in the LGBTQI Community will allow God's love to bloom in their hearts and flow through them to those around them.
 


Scriptures:
1Corinthians 3:5-9. It is God who makes the seeds of love grow in peoples' hearts.
2Timothy 1:13-14. Live in the faith and love you have in Christ. By the help of the Holy Spirit, guard what has been entrusted to you.
Luke 8:15. As for that in the good soil, they are those who hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.
Isaiah 55:10-13. God's message always produces fruit and accomplishes all God intended it to.
Hosea 14:5. Our Community will send out deep roots into God's love and spread like a beautiful fragrant tree, a flourishing sign to all the world so those who are a part of the community, but are isolated and don't know God's love yet will be encouraged and given hope.



Be patient for God's work! Keep hope in your heart! You will see God's work of love in your life and your community! Thank you for continuing to pray with us. The future looks bright!!

Hymn of Promise1.wmv

                                  


In each of our lives is a unique story of love, to be told at the right time, in the right season!

Queen Esther was sent by God to intercede for the Jewish people.
In the end times we the Church of Jesus Christ are to intercede for the people of the world.

Click on the link below ( this week's episode) to hear Sid Roth's revelation for the church in the end times through the story of Queen Esther.



This Week's Episode

Hillsong United - Holy Spirit Rain Down

                           



April showers bring May flowers!

In Spring everything awakens to new life, but there is a lot of preparation that takes place in nature in order for that to happen. So let's take the time to prepare ourselves and the community we are praying for to get ready for new life to be born!

What we are praying for:

Let's continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will rain down on the LGBTQI Community here and over the world to prepare hearts to receive God's seeds of hope, love and peace.

Let's pray that God will raise up the right people to spread the news of God's love so people in our community will have the chance to hear and receive.

This Month's Theme:
Let's allow the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts so we can hear God's message to us!

Queen Esther's story:
This story has inspired my view on praying for the community.
Please read her story prayerfully. How did she prepare herself before entering the courts of the king? 
How did she present herself and her requests to the king? Ask God to prepare you to hear the message prepared for you and ask God to show you how to pray.
Here is some of my inspiration:
Chapter 5:1-4. After prayer Esther put on her royal robes, then approached the king and humbly invited him to a banquet where she would tell him her requests.
5:5-7 She made herself very beautiful and did everything she knew to move the king's heart. She invited him to a second banquet giving God the chance to move in the king's heart by the Holy Spirit.
7:1-7. Esther humbly but simply asked for mercy for her people. The king could not revoke the law that the Jews be killed, but he did make a new decree that saved them.

If we put our faith in Jesus Christ, it's like putting on His royal robes, and if we let the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with God's love, we can enter the presence of God to pray for this world which is in such dire need.

Put yourself in Queen Esther's shoes, such a humble place!
As God has all authority and knows everything, what could we say?!
Better to be humble and simply ask for God to move in our community and do what only God can do! 

Scriptures:

Ephesians 5:18. continually be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 5:4. Get ready for a haul!
James 5:7,8. Be patient, God will bring a harvest!
Galatians 5:22. As the Holy Spirit guides us we will develope good fruit within.


Thank you for joining in this month's prayers. God bless you in your journey of faith!

I Am The Resurrection Folk Mass Ray Rep 1966

                               

Happy  Resurrection  Day!!!!!!!!!!!

If the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He shall raise you to life eternal!!  ( from Romans 8:11)

THE TENORS: LEAD WITH YOUR HEART | "Lead With Your Heart" | PBS

Marching into Spring!

March can be a real snooze! Everything is melting and the ground is saturating with water to prepare for seed time. We must get ready too.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit, saturated so when God speaks we hear! Then you will be ready to be resurrected  to new life like what happens in Spring!

What we are praying for:
Pray that people everywhere will open their hearts and minds to seek for God so they will experience new life!


This month's theme:
Seek and you shall find! Don't be afraid to ask God for help in every area of your life.Let God fill you with the Holy Spirit.

Poem:

The afternoon is bright,
with Spring in the air,
a mild March afternoon,
with the breath of Spring stirring,
I am alone in the quiet patio
looking for some old untried illusion -
some shadow on the whiteness of the wall
some memory asleep
on the stone rim of the fountain,
perhaps in the air
the light swish of some trailing gown.
Antonio Machado, 1875- 1939, Selected Poems #3, translated by Alan S. Trueblood.

We are looking for any small hint that tells us
Spring is coming.
We are craving to feel warm again.
We can't wait as we eagerly groan for
the coming of Spring.
Anticipation is high and we expect a great future!
Are we as eager to look for God?
Are we ready and anticipating God's answer?
Anyone who asks God for help will receive!

Scriptures:
Matthew13: 3-8. Everyone who seeks finds!
John 14: 12-14. Ask in my name and it will be given to you.
Romans 10: 13. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Ephesians 5: 18. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5: 22, 23. The fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Thank you for your prayers.
God bless and guide you in every area of your life!

The Canadian Tenors Instrument of peace lyricswmv

February is the month of love!

What we are praying for:
Pray for people everywhere in the GTA to have a healthy heart and healthy relationships!

This month's theme:
God has given us healthy hearts. Let's maintain our healthy hearts and our healthy relationships.

Scriptures:
Proverbs 4: 23. Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 23: 7. Your achievements are the sum total of your thoughts.
Romans 12: 2. Spend your time doing good things. Then you will forget your bad habits as you engage in life with others.
Romans 8: 6-14. If the Holy Spirit guides your mind you will have life and peace. All who are guided by the Holy Spirit are children of God.

Definitions of a healthy heart: 
One that is faithful in all relationships. One that is true to self, will not be deceived by selfish desires. One that believes the good about everyone including itself. One that has a good sense of character and not fooled by lies. One that works faithfully all the time, strong physically. One that believes the truth and shows mercy. We have all these through Christ.

Thank you for your heart felt prayers!!
God's love guide and strengthen you always!

Engage in life with others. Get engaged!!

What God really wants from you is to be you. 

Then God can tell a unique story of love through your life.

Keith Green - Create in Me a Clean Heart

This is January Prayers' song for the month. We are praying for God to create in us a new heart!

Scroll down for the prayers and scriptures.

January 2015 Prayers



Happy New Year!!!

Coming into a new year is about renewal. But we cannot do it.
God will change us, heal us from the inside out.
We can become all we dreamed about as we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.





What we are praying for:

Pray this for yourself, for your family, for your neighbourhood, and for the LGBTQI Community all over the world:

God, please free us from the lies that have controlled our thinking. Renew our minds, fill our hearts with hope and love.
Create in each of us a new heart that desires to seek you and your ways. 

Scriptures:

Jeremiah 24: 6b, 7. 
I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that will recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me whole heartedly.

Ezekiel 36: 26, my thoughts:
I will give you a new heart with new desires. I will put a new spirit in you, one that is willing to learn and grow. Then you will follow me and know how truly wonderful living with me is.

Ephesians 2: 10. God has created us anew in Christ!

Song:  Create In Me A Clean Heart ( Psalm 51: 10 ) Scroll up to hear Keith Green sing it!

                                                                                    About the Theme:
God is doing the work, not us. Only God can make us loving like Jesus was on this Earth. When I talk about the lies controlling us, I am talking about the voices in our head saying that we are no good, we can never achieve anything, we are not worthy of love. If we believe that we can never love ourselves or others. The true matters of the heart, the essence of our being are these: are we loving and giving, or are we selfish and wanting? These are the true issues of life and death. As the holy Spirit fills your heart with God's love, it will guide you into all that is good.


Thank you all for your prayers. God enrich you as you are obedient!