NEEDS AND PRAYER REQUESTS

On each listed item, the regular text denotes the need and the bold text denotes the related prayer request.

If you can't handle a list of needs and prayer requests this long and detailed because you're pressed for time, I understand. Praying for me on an item by item basis could be time consuming. But at the very least, a brief prayer that God would meet all of the following needs (without any obligation to mention them one by one) would be greatly appreciated.

I should mention that these items are not necessarily listed in order of importance.

1. A close family member I love very much is currently struggling to overcome self-destructive addictions to alcohol and tobacco. Please pray that God will completely deliver my family member from addictions to alcohol and tobacco.
2. I need to be able to fulfill the calling God has on my life, both in terms of making the most of my own artistic talents and in terms of helping to bring about a "righteous renaissance" by empowering other artistically talented Christians so that they can do the same thing. Please pray that God will bless this endeavor known as ArtisticChristians.com, not only in terms of financial needs pertaining to the success of the web site, but also in terms of finding numerous people of faith who will share in my vision and want to become part of this ambitious undertaking. Please pray that God will help me to successfully solve the various practical issues and problems which have impaired my own ability to make the most of my diverse artistic talents.
3. As the result of various trials I am experiencing in my own life, I sometimes find myself tempted to yield to depression and despair. Please pray that God will lift my spirits if and when I am feeling down, and that I will successfully overcome the temptation to yield to depression and despair.
4. My personal sleep patterns have been pretty strange lately, with a tendency to experience insomnia which reduces my ability to get things done during the hours between 6:00 a.m. and Noon. I've never had such problems until very recently. Please pray that God will restore normal sleep patterns to me so that I can be more productive during the times of the day when certain types of things must be done.
5. I sometimes experience anger and bitterness when thinking about people who have needlessly harmed me in the past. Please pray that God will enable me to let go of anger and bitterness against people who have harmed me. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help me to trust that God will take care of my needs in spite of having had to deal with such people.
6. We live in a morally decaying society in which things once considered unthinkable have often become the norm, whether one is talking about people killing their own unborn children or regions of the world continuously plagued with violence and turmoil or families torn asunder by the tragedy of divorce. Please pray that God will bring about a new spiritual revival in our land, and that God will make Christians everywhere aware of their responsibility to serve as instruments of God's healing and peace, thereby helping to fulfill their responsibilities to act as both salt and light.
7. For 14 years, I have lived in a very small and inexpensive room at the Lawson House YMCA in downtown Chicago. I long for a nice home of my own, where I will be delivered from the difficult aspects of living where I live. Unfortunately, financial considerations have prevented that from happening so far. My dream home would be a beautiful log home such as one sees in the magazines pertaining to such homes, but even a minor improvement in my living circumstances would be greatly appreciated. Please pray that God will enable me to begin to improve my personal financial situation so that moving into my own home will become feasible for me in the near future.
8. As a result of living where I live, I have become personally acquainted with numerous people who find it difficult to live reasonably normal lives, due to problems with mental illness, substance abuse and other personal issues. Please pray for the people living in my building and in the neighborhood where I live, that God will help them to live victorious and successful lives.
9. I have never been married or even lived with a woman in anything other than a platonic relationship. While there are undoubtedly some benefits associated with that fact, there are still times when I would very much like to be able to share my life with a compatible and loving Christian wife. However, I just turned 50 last summer. The probability of my ever marrying a compatible woman seems more and more remote and unattainable with each passing day. I will continue to serve the Lord faithfully until the day I die, even if God never blesses me in that particular manner. But it still would be nice if I did not have to serve the Lord alone as a single man. Please pray that God will enable me to find a compatible Christian woman to love and marry; or, in lieu of that option, that God will give me the strength to resist the temptations and deal with the feelings of depression to which my current situation sometimes makes me vulnerable.
10. I am a very ambitious person. My personal "To Do" list is enormous (and constantly growing, it seems). The good part about that is that I am seldom bored. The bad part is that I sometimes feel that nothing I ever do is enough. At this time in my life, I haven't achieved much more than a small fraction of the goals I have set for myself, and that can sometimes be a source of great frustration. Please pray that God will help me to find personal contentment, regardless of my personal achievements. Pray that I will continually remember that God's deep and self-sacrificial love for me is unconditional. God's love for me is not based on my current level of personal achievement or success.
11. While I am relatively healthy compared with some people my age, I am still dealing with a few health-related issues, including dental work that needs to be done, as well as a hernia operation which is needed, as well as a slight skin condition (on my forehead and head) involving small raw patches of skin which never completely heal. I also find that my optical prescription has changed over the years, particularly in relation to my right eye. I could really use a good eye exam and a pair or two of eyeglasses which match my correct prescription. Please pray that God will either heal me supernaturally, or that God will enable me to pay for the medical and dental and optometric work which needs to be done without forfeiting the money I need in order to accomplish other goals and objectives.
12. Regarding my employment situation, I recently lost my job, shortly after having lost a wallet containing approximately $600. (The wallet may or may not have been stolen. I'm not really sure what happened.) As the result of the loss of my job and the loss (or theft) of my wallet, I find myself in a situation where the money is very tight, to put things mildly. Please pray that God will sustain me and meet my material needs during this period of unemployment. Please pray that I will either get a new and better job, or better yet, that I will begin to make enough money from various projects pertaining to my ministry at ArtisticChristians.com that I will be able to support myself for the first time in my life without having to work at a job where I feel spiritually and artistically unfulfilled.

I realize that presenting a list this long may make me seem self-centered (although there are some items on the list which don't directly pertain to my own personal needs), but let me hasten to add that I am willing to pray for you, too, if you'll write to me and let me know what you want me to pray about. Feel free to send me your prayer request via e-mail at mark_w_pettigrew[at]hotmail[dot]com, or via information on the Contact page of this web site.