Paul Pate (R)

Dear Secretary Pate- I am praying for you to know & embrace God's word of truth so that it may encourage you. I am asking for God's all-sufficient & abounding grace to guide your conversations. I am trusting God to give you wisdom in every decision you are faced with. I am praying that God will bless you to bless those you represent. Blessings, Brenda S. Ps. 94:19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul. Father in Heaven, Your comforts are not only topical but reach us in the very deepest parts of our being! You remind us that in the world there are plenty of things that will stress us out & make demands that will leave us feeling spent, helpless, hopeless, & afraid. We are so blessed to enter into Your presence & find the peace, quiet, rest & delight in You that the world can't give. Help us to remember to live in Your presence & seek Your answers for today's concerns, so that we will be able to bring Your hope & peace to those around us. In Jesus' name, amen!

Dear Secretary Pate- I continue to pray for you and ask for God's all-sufficient grace and wisdom to guide you in every decision as you work to protect and serve the people that call Iowa home. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 "so that there may be no [a]division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is [b]honored, all the parts rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it." Father, thank You that Your divine wisdom brings divine order so that we may experience divine peace!! May there be no disunity or disregard among or between us, but to value each other's strengths & help each other's weaknesses. Help us to avoid careless attitudes & arguments, to surrender any pride & personal preferences. We desire to have our function & purpose rooted in Your love, being faithful to care for, pray for, & honor one another. We know that when one part is afflicted all other parts are affected in the spiritual body of Christ just as in our natural body & we need healing for our brokenness & failure in this. Today we pray for it by faith in Jesus' name, amen. Blessings, Brenda Schaefer

Dear Secretary Pate, I appreciate your hard work to be a blessing to the People of Iowa. I pray for God's wisdom and divine influence to guide you in all your conversations and decisions. Thank you for your service! Blessings, Brenda Schaefer Psalms 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Heavenly Father, we are glad to be Yours! We desire to know & love You more. Guide & teach us today to live our lives with You at the center of all that we are, have, & do so that we would please You. Thank You for knowing our hearts, hearing our prayers, and for blessing us to receive from You. You are our heart's delight! In Jesus' name amen.

Dear Secretary Pate- I am praying that you will be blessed with pleasing reflections of serving the people in our state well, and finishing strong in God's purpose for you each day! Thank you for your sacrifice! Have a blessed Easter! Blessings, Brenda Schaefer 1 Peter 4:16 "...but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name." Father, we thank You that as followers of Jesus Christ we have purpose in glorifying You in seasons of both suffering & celebration. While celebrating is easier, there is no shame or emptiness in suffering for the cause of Christ & for the sake of others. Help us to follow the example of our Savior who lovingly volunteered to suffer in our place knowingly, willingly, sacrificially, & resolutely. Thank You that His cause served the purpose of our being reconciled to You & that He counted us worthy! All glory to You in Jesus' mighty name, amen.

Dear Secretary Pate- I am remembering you in my thoughts & prayers today: *I thank God for His love for you! *I pray that His grace will guide your conversations & decisions. *I ask that His peace would bring refreshing for you. Blessings, Brenda Schaefer Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Father, we are eternally grateful that Your thoughts & ways are greater than anything we can ask, think, or imagine! We are truly humbled that Your love flows TO us while we were still in the depth & ugliness of our many offenses against You, FROM the precious blood of Your Son & His sacrifice on the cross. It was His love for us that held Him there to bring us to a right relationship with You, & we are now engraved on the palms of His hands. There is no greater love than this & we receive it by faith In Jesus' name, amen!

Dear Secretary Pate- Thank you for serving the people that are looking to you to be their voice & representing their concerns. I pray that you would know God's heart for them. May His wisdom and counsel guide you as you work with others towards the best possible solutions for the best possible outcomes for all Iowans. Blessings, Brenda Schaefer 1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." Father, we are blessed to have Your attention, affection, care & provision! No matter the hardships that we face, we look to You to guide us through them so that we will be stronger, wiser, more humble & found faithful to You on the other side of them. We come to You because You are our Savior & Lord - there is no other. We are grateful that You hear our prayers knowing that all things are laid open before You - You are holy & right in all of Your judgments. Lord, guide our prayers through the power of the Holy Spirit & Jesus Christ our Mediator, to honor You in all things. In Jesus' name, amen.