Mike Sansone, Author at Armchair Articulations

Intercession Schedule: Praying for Pastors

February 17, 2016 by Mike Sansone Leave a Comment

I recently wrote about a burden on my heart to be praying for pastors, along with leaders and workers in the ministry. I’ve created and am practicing a weekly routine that helps me focus each day.

Sunday – Praying for Passion

I pray for pastors to find and follow a renewed passion, allowing them to preach and teach however the Holy Spirit guides them. I also pray for a zeal and love for Christ, His bride, His Kingdom, and the lost and hungry.

Monday – Praying for Family

I pray for the time and opportunity for a focus on the family. Praying for a protection of love and health, for a time to build a stronger bond away from work.

Tuesday – Praying for Personal Pursuits

I pray for time for the worker of the Gospel to re-create and recreate. Praying also for personal development in pursuits of physical or mental refreshment. Most importantly, for time during the week for the worker to find time for personal intake and conversation with God.

Wednesday – Praying for Preparation

I pray for preparation of heart, mind, and body as the coming weekend approaches. Praying for unctions of message and methods to be clear, for distractions to be minimal, and for workers and assistance to be plentiful.

Thursday – Praying for Health

I pray for the health of pastors and workers, along with their family’s physical needs. I pray for peaceful and plentiful sleep.

Friday – Praying for Provision

I pray for provision for the pastor and ministry worker: provisions of time, of sustenance, of materials and resources, of finances, and again for workers and assistance.

Saturday – Praying for Protection

I pray for a hedge of protection to be placed around the pastor and ministry worker as the weekend gets in high gear. I pray for protection of his family, for his conversations, and against spiritual attacks of many kinds.

Side Note

The list above is simplified and general. There are often specific prayers for specific people. If you are considering praying for your pastor, ministry leader, missionary, or worker – and I pray you are burdened so – please use this as desired.

And pastor … there is a prayer cover over you. Daily. And then eternity!

Praying for Pastors

February 6, 2016 by Mike Sansone Leave a Comment

A burden on my heart grows. I can feel the tears welling up – almost from within my cheeks. A burden to pray. Every day. For my pastor(s).

Every day I must pray For Pastor:

For protection.
For provision.
For preparation.
For renewed passion.
For health.
For family time.
For their personal pursuits.

I am blessed to count many pastors and ministry leaders as friends. Having once stood behind the desk, and now with a view from a pew, I have a sense of the trials and turmoil associated with such position.

Pastors are under continual spiritual attack, threats, and temptation. Oh, that we might pray daily for the person and practice of the pastor.

Oh, that we might.

Daily.

This burden I have is not to win over the pastors in my life. Or even to thank them (though I am grateful). The burden is a gift from God. He loves my pastor(s) more than I can ever imagine.

Yes Pastor, I love you. But … this one is for God.

Quiet Writer for an Unquiet Mind

August 28, 2015 by Mike Sansone Leave a Comment

Quiet Writer for an Unquiet Mind

A Practice of Prose in the Testing of a Tool

By writing in the manner in which I first grew accustomed (Just Spill!), I will be able to get more words from out of my head and onto the page.

Flowing, without much concern to the readability or legibility of the prose – until after it is written – will free me up to be faster as a typist, more clear as a generator of ideas, and more prolific as a writer.

The goal of my writing is to clear my unquiet mind. By wringing out words currently saturating my brain, I will be able to think more clearly. However, that is simply the selfish (primary?) reason.

Believing what I have to share can be of value to others, isn’t it then my responsibility to generously share what I have? To do otherwise would be boorishly hoarding.

Thus, to find a way to rid my head of these ideas and thoughts, while still capturing them for keepsake (or discard when necessary), is of premiere priority.

Finding the Chrome extension, Quiet Writer, might help me to continuously write as spilling comes to mind.

This is my first writing with this easy-to-use tool.

Photo on Pixabay by annazuc

RECIPE: Healthy Pumpkin-Carrot Pudding

August 22, 2015 by Mike Sansone Leave a Comment

What started out as an experiment has become a staple. As in a small helping every day in her lunch box to school.

Last fall, we found ourselves with an abundance of carrots. Angela’s birthday was coming up and I wanted to fix a dessert dish that wasn’t a carrot cake (she fixes that for my birthdays).

I’ve been asked about it often – here it is, Angela’s Healthy Pumpkin- Carrot Pudding (with Thick Topping):

Angela’s Healthy Pumpkin-Carrot Pudding

Ingredients – Pudding

Ingredients – Thickening

4-5 Carrots (or 3 cups quartered)
1 can Pumpkin (15 oz)
1-2 Bananas
1.5 cups Almond Milk
1 Tbs Cinnamon
.5 Tbs Nutmeg

Ingredients – Topping

1 can Chilled Coconut Milk (separated)
1 Banana
1 cup Strained Greek Yogurt

1 cup Coconut Sugar
1 packet Gelatin
1 cup Hot Water

Instructions – Pudding and Thickening

Boil or Steam Carrots until Fork Tender. Drain. Place into a large bowl.
Add 1 large banana or 2 small bananas.
Add Pumpkin.
Mash (by hand using fork or potato masher)
Have Almond Milk ready for blending.
Using a blender, add mashed mixture along with milk (or with a bullet, blend three equal portions of mash mixture along with 1/3 amount of milk).
Using a hand mixture or blender, bring to a puree.
Boil water for Thickening
In separate bowl, combine Gelatin and Coconut sugar dry.
Add cup of boiling water, whisking as you add water until sugar and gelatin dissolve.
Add thickening liquid to pudding and use low mixer speed for one or two minutes until completely mixed.
Pour pudding into shallow container and chill 2 hours or more.

Instructions – Topping

Refrigerate overnight, one can of Coconut Milk. This separates the milk from the water, creating a thick and creamy base for your topping.
Strain 1-2 cups of Greek Yogurt, thus separating the liquid whey and creating an additional creamy base – almost like a cream cheese texture.
Peel a banana.
Mix on low speed until smooth
Chill for two hours.

Shopping List – Brands I Use

Almond Milk (any brand) – Unsweetened Vanilla
Coconut Sugar – Madhava (Organic) Found almost anywhere, including Walmart.
Knox Gelatin Envelope (available everywhere, see baking aisle near Jello products)
Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (not lite) – (available almost anywhere, see Oriental Foods aisle)
Oikos Greek Yogurt – Plain

Print out the PDF – RECIPE:_ Angela’s Healthy Pumpkin-Carrot Pudding

How Does the Back of Your Baseball Card Read?

June 13, 2015 by Mike Sansone Leave a Comment

Sometimes, during introductions at a church meeting, we trade data. History, job title, family size. Stats not spirituals. Like the back of a baseball card.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit churches all across the United States. On weeknights and weekends. In church house, school house, and under tents. Different denominations, worship music, and dress codes.

One thing seems to be similar across the board. Unfortunately, it’s not Jesus Christ. It’s human beings.

I hold to a belief that every church gathering is perfect … until I arrive. At that point, I’m showing my own human frailties – and I notice ’em in other folks, too. They wouldn’t have seen mine and I would’ve never known theirs if I hadn’t gone. Perfect, until I get there.

At some level and for the sake of understanding the world and people around us, we tend to meet new folks at church and judge, compare, and label (JCL). Not so much for bad reasons, but to organize our brain.

One way we begin the JCL process is to ask secular questions such as:

What kind of work do you do?
Where are you from?
Family?
Just visiting?

It’s like an examination of the back of my baseball card. The data. The history. The stats.

Look at the front of the card, or at least deeper into one’s life. Like what is God doing with my life (a testimony), what kind of Kingdom work am I doing or looking for (a ministry), or how would I like to use my gifts (a talent).

It’s different than what we’re used to doing. It’s deeper, spiritually. How many times do you go deep? (Wait, that’s a back of the card number).

Photo on Pixabay by ruthclark