Prayer Works

It was a great church service today.The focus is on prayer - both in our small groups and from the pulpit. Also, the week of Jan 23 it is our Faith Enrichment Days with emphasis on...you guessed it...PRAYER.  They are calling it 'Prayer Works'.

I think it can be taken two ways. (1) Prayer Works! - meaning just that - prayer does work. Why not try it if you haven't already! And if you haven't, here are some great ways to find out how easy and productive and fulfilling it can be.

The 2nd way is 'Prayer Works' meaning different prayer venues or ways to pray and how to pray.

Now, this may not be what the church had intended with this title at all but is simply my reaction to the wording because I do love words.  But, this morning's sermon stuck with me in that Pastor Phil (the Young Adults Pastor) suggested:  "Have you ever tried to pray differently than you normally do to add some new perspective into your prayer life?" 

 Wow, 'differently'? What did he mean by that? So he proceeded to tell us. Example...
(1) Pray HONESTLY. Whoa! Was he suggesting that we might lie when we pray? No. But I guess we sometimes aren't honest with ourself when we pray. Jeremiah 20:7 "O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived."  "Jerry" is angry with God and tells him so in his prayer. Can God take it? You bet! He's God! But the idea is that he is open and truthful and sharing how he is feeling with God (who, by the way, already knows anyway)!

(2) Pray CREATIVELY - Now you're talking. I wanted to hear more about this one! Psalm 33:1 Sing joyfully to the Lord...praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. 

So, make music, make up songs, even dance in front of the Lord. Be creative. I think that also means, word pictures, letters, song.  Do what you do best or most comfortably to make your encounters with him meaningful and delightful and exciting and enjoyable. Thus my blog!

(3) Pray about EVERYTHING - Nehemiah 2:4 What is it you want? Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered..." and Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Nothing is too small to God about your life. Nothing is insignificant to God.

(4) Pray NON-STOP - 1 Samuel 1 Hanna who was barren prayed continually for a child and God granted her prayer. Pray without ceasing.

Now, take swimming for example. When you don't know how to swim, nothing seems to keep you afloat. But...once you learn how...it seems like you can never sink. Same thing with prayer.

So, not the method so much, but 'how you best connect with God. What works? what doesn't? What's most natural for you. Find the best fit and then... just... do... it.!

Amen.

I

Good Neighbors

It is still snowing in Edmonton. I went out yesterday afternoon and shovelled and shovelled and shovelled. The neighbor to our north came over after I went into the house and used his snow blower to blow all my piles into the back yard! yippeeee!  John did not have to do a thing except come inside! He had a full day on the blizzardy roads yesterday and was thankful just to come in and relax. Well....that would have been hard as seven lady friends of mine were at our place last night for a little get-together! He heard giggling and laughing all evening! He said he went to sleep though so that was good.




Still dark at 7:35 a.m. after John drove out

 He had to work again today and left the house at 7:30. It had been snowing all night so I am sure he was fretting when he had to back out of the garage over all that snow. It was now packed into tire rows! I said I would go out this morning and shovel again and he could use the snow blower when he got home this afternoon to get rid of the piles. Again....another good neighbor to the south of us came this morning BEFORE I got outside and used his snowblower to do the driveway, sidewalks, etc. It looks great!  thank you, thank you, thank you!!!


9:30 am - This is a video but won't upload - at least the pic is here to show the work!

I know that John does the walks for people in our cul de sac and often the driveways too. I know those who receive his handiwork are thankful but to be on the receiving end of that gesture feels really good. I know why they appreciate it so much. He just thinks he is getting his exercise (which he is) but it is more than that! He's being a good neighbor too!

It's still snowing and there's more snow on the way. Welcome to winter in Edmonton!

Not So Clear

Here's an interesting or possibly uninteresting piece of information. While watching tv on regular cable I can hear the actors speak very clearly. When I flip to an HD station (watching the same show) the sound drops considerably and I have to turn it up from what was 14 to 60 or more (depending on the show). Why is that? It allows me to flip back and forth between regular and HD but I have to always remember to turn the sound down first if I am headed back to regular or it will be blaring loud!!! Technology!!  I admit I love watching the HD programs as it is clearer than 'real life'. Now that's a conundrum! Clearer than real life? Would that not be unreal real life? Oh dear..better just go do some housework in my not-so-clear real life world!

Gentle Giant

I went to the funeral for our friend Brad Bonkowski last night and a celebration broke out. The church was full. Obviously, he had impacted a lot more people than just me!  You know the hockey expression "I went to the fights and a game broke out" (as opposed to "I went to the game and a fight broke out")...you know what I mean? Anyway, I went to a funeral and the Hallelujah chorus broke out in my heart! What a tribute to a special man. As his close friend Ross shared, "he was exactly what you saw".

Brad loved to sing and he had a wonderful deep voice. He was in the choir for as long as I can remember. He stood out in a crowd not only because of his height but for his voice as well! It was amazing to see the full choir in attendance and for them to sing some of his favourite songs as a tribute to this man. 'Amazing Grace' never sounded as sweet or more true.

Brad was a 'gentle giant' of a man. He was soft and quiet in nature but fun loving and very friendly. He loved to sing. He loved God. He shared his faith through his love for people. He didn't 'push' his faith on you but you felt it, nevertheless. You knew what he believed and he left a sprinkle on you whether you where aware of it or not! It's refreshing to know someone like that! He will be missed by all who knew him and it is a loss for those of you who did not. May his wife Joanne be comforted in part by the knowledge of how much he was loved and respected by others. Our prayers for comfort and strength go out to her.  Brad is now 'safe and secure' with his God.

"...Our life here on earth is short but our eternity is forever. I'm not in a rush to get to heaven but I'm certainly looking forward to it. I just know I'm going to be a member of God's choir and I'm going to be able to hug my grandparents and other loved ones again. What a privilege to be a child of God ..." 
Brad Bonkowski (April 18th, 2009).

Change Is as Good as a Rest

I have been playing around with my templates again. Can't seem to really get what I want. I will keep trying but as my title indicates 'a change is as good as a rest'.

I worked Mon and Tues and last night we had our life team start up again so it has been busy. I have also taken a break from blogging - obviously not a long one - but a day or two. It's good to rest once in a while.

Tonite we are headed to a friend's funeral. Hard to believe he is really 'gone'. He was so young. Only 52. When you don't know a person and they die there is truly not as much thought given to it. Maybe 'oh, he was young,' or 'that's too bad,' or 'it will be hard for his family'. But.. when you know them - it's more like ... 'where exactly is he right now?', 'Is he able to see us?',  'Is there really an afterlife?' etc, etc, etc It is definitely more a questioning of one's self and one's beliefs.

I do believe...I trust in God...I believe in eternity....I know Jesus is my personal savior...I know what He did for me (a sinner)...I have asked Him to lead me...but death is so surreal (bizarre, unreal) when you know the person. It takes on a different meaning or understanding.

My heart goes out to his wife. She will be the one we now concern ourselves about. She will need the support and encouragement of her family and friends. It will take time and courage.

On a totally different and hum drum note...it snowed again last night so there was more shovelling to do. Life goes on amidst the happiness or unhappiness of ourselves or others.

Yet, in and through it all, we remain...joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, Romans 12:12.

Birthday Girl

It was my friend's 71st birthday today. We went out for supper to the Sawmill with her family. We've not been there for a number of years - it may even have been with them years ago! Where does the time go?  Anyway, she was a happy girl. She may not have been sure what our names were but she was still happy to be the center of attention. For a few moments, it was just like ol' times!

2011

Well, the 2nd day into 2011 and I am now making my New Years Resolution. Cut out the sweets, the extra servings and please, please, please, help me to just eat three good square meals a day without the nibblings inbetween! It might help if I knew I was going away in two months to the beach and will need to show skin but, alas, we are not. So...that means I might need to be more strict with myself. However, whatever the outcome, my good intention is there. Let's see what I can do with it!

This morning it was snowing again. I was up at 6:45 a..m. to get ready for church and hubby was already outside shovelling ours and the neighbors' sidewalks. He is so good that way. The weather report says flurries on and off for the next 4-5 days. Bet that will change daily!






Christmas lights still on and colourful.

The guy who does all the hard work around here!







We are off to a birthday party for a friend of ours. She will be 71. Hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly. I saw her Thurs and she was doing well. It will be a surprise for her tonite. I usually visit her on Sunday afternoons so she will be wondering where I am (or not). She has Alzheimer's. It will be good to catch up on what's happening in her two son's lives. We have not seen them for a number of months. Life is totally different for them now without their mother 'with them' mentally. She is doing well though.

Back to work tomorrow! I am actually looking forward to it. I need to get back into some sort of routine. Our Life Team starts up on Tues nite so it will be good to see the 13 people who attend. We missed seeing most of them over Christmas. Everyone goes 'every which way' with family things.

So, the routine of life begins again. Strange how it feels like deja vu (all over again)!!