This past Sunday was another great day for us here at Laurel Avenue! Again, we had a great worship service, and all the young people present is especially encouraging and uplifting. But the most wonderful part of our time together was witnessing the new birth by baptism of Richard Otis! If you haven’t met Richard, be sure to take advantage of your first opportunity to welcome him to the Laurel Avenue church family. This Sunday evening, we will have another one of our Fireside Devotionals. As usual we’ll meet around the firepit in front of the Fellowship Hall for our time of worship. Following the abbreviated service, we will then enjoy a meal of hotdogs and brats (cooked over the open fire, yum!). As I said last week, the makings for S’mores are usually present as well. So, I hope that if Sunday evening worship is not a part of your usual schedule, you’ll make an exception for this week. It’s a great time of praise, worship and fellowship. By the time most of you read this, the Youth Group Camp-Out at the Greer home will be wrapping up. Obviously, as I write this, it’s still in the future. But I’m confident that it will be a great success! Events like these provide a great opportunity for our youth to bond with one another, and provide much-needed support and encouragement for them. The pressure on Christian young people to compromise their faith is perhaps greater than ever. Please commit to being a prayer warrior on their behalf. THE TACO PRAYER “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2, ESV) Do you struggle with praying? Someone has suggested that when your mind draws a blank and you don’t know what to say or what to pray for, just think about TACOS: Take a look at how TACOS can help us when we pray. Thanksgiving: What are you thankful for? Family, friends, your home, your church — the list goes on. Start by thanking God. Adoration: God is awesome! Adoration means “worship” or “great and profound love.” Let Jesus know how much you love Him. Confession: Prayer is a lot easier when we get rid of the barriers between God and us. We all sin. In prayer, we can confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. Others: So many people we know (and even those we don’t) could use our prayers. Praying means taking the focus off of ourselves and lifting up the needs of others. Supplication: Pray for yourself and your own needs. These prayers should come last. Otherwise, we are tempted to spend all of our prayer time talking about ourselves. If you love tacos, what a great way to help you when you pray. With TACOS, prayer will seem a whole lot easier — and delicious. I’m so thankful we can openly talk with God through prayer. God longs to hear from His people. Will He hear from you today?