Two different stories with something in common
I have two stories to share today. If you know me, you know I just wouldn't be me if I didn't tell you a story before I get to the stories I want to share with you today, so here goes.
The first Sunday morning worship service I attended at First Baptist Church in Ogden, the topic was about who we'd invite to our table to share a meal. I don't recall the exact words but I do remember the concept because this is a lesson Wendi taught me our very first almost Thanksgiving meal together. Yesterday, we had a Christmas dinner at church. June and I sponsored a table for the dinner, which means we were in charge of place settings and decorations for that particular table. I'm so pleased we made that commitment. We used Wendi's beloved Christmas China and shared a delightful meal with 6 people I didn't know very well. Four of the people I knew by sight. Two of the gentlemen sing in our church choir. One other attends our church regularly. One I'd never met before and coincidentally this gentleman also sat next to me during the service. Another woman who joined us I'd just met last week after the service in the fellowship hall. The final person at our table was a young woman who attended the service as a guest of one of the members.
As I do these days, I spent most of the meal listening to the conversations at the table. I found the young lady at our table charming and it's her story I'd like to share with you first.
At our church, as I've mentioned before, we share our joys and concerns with the congregation. During this part of the service, one of the members introduced the young woman seated next to him and said that she'd been in an auto accident and as a result of a head injury, suffers from seizures. We had an opportunity to share our meal with these two people as I mentioned before and I was interested in listening to her describe her experience at our church. She mentioned she was grateful for the prayer for her during the service. At some point in the conversation her friend asked her if she'd ever asked God to heal her. Most everyone at the table was surprised to hear her reply that no, she hadn't done that.
The young woman's friend and others at the table explained to her that it's part of God's plan that we take our needs to him in prayer. I could tell she'd not been exposed to that idea before; partly because of her answer to the question. I mostly just listened to the conversation and offered my agreement to what was said. Her friend told her how important it was for her to pray for her needs, and equally important, to ask others to pray for them as well. He told her that's why he asked the congregation to pray for her healing during the worship service. This story struck a chord with me because I'd had that very same conversation with a friend just last night. I want to share some scripture with you today about this subject from James 5:13-16 (NIV);
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
God hears prayers. Sometimes the answer might not be the one we'd like. Other times it may be what we want, just not as quickly as we'd like it. Other times the answer is yes, but the one constant is it's all in His plan for each of us. I'm certain that most of us seated at the table will be praying for this young woman tonight. One other thing I noticed was that the young lady saw a friend of hers at church and several of us invited her to come back again. I hope she does. It's nice to see our little church grow.
The second story I have to share with you is about a friend of mine. I had an opportunity to talk to a dear friend last night. We talked about our lives and the things happening in them. At one point, though, I asked my friend, "Have you asked God for what you need?" I was surprised the answer was no. My friend is a Christian. My friend helped me a lot on my path after I became a Christian. My friend prays for everyone else which is why I was surprised at the answer to my question. I'd shared this Bible verse with Wendi a day or two before, so it was fresh in my mind last night when I shared it with my friend as well.
From Phillipians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Important words. God knows what we need and the Bible speaks to that, but it's also part of God's plan for us to ask Him, as the above verse speaks to. I've mentioned before that sometimes the weeks in my life seem to have a theme. This week's theme looks like it's going to be about asking God for what we need. Just as the little church I attend played a large part in today's story, it will tomorrow as well.
I notice something unusual about our church compared to the church I went to as a youth. Our little church seems to be alive with the Holy Spirit. Maybe it's because it's a small church and we have a dynamic pastor (I'm not sucking up, Pastor Karl, and thank you for what you do for our church, and for my family!) who shares with us things we can put to use in our lives and then challenges us to do so. I learn so much from attending the service each week, and not just from the sermon. What I learned today will dovetail nicely into the blog topic I have planned for tomorrow.
Lastly, it's the time of year that people think about going to church. I used to be a C&E Christian myself. Seriously, though, if you've been thinking about attending a service this holiday season and don't have a church of your own, I'd like to invite you to my church. I know it's uncomfortable attending a church where you don't know anyone. I've been there myself. But if you go with me, you'll know someone there and won't feel uncomfortable, right? The Christmas Eve service is Friday at 7:00 p.m. E-mail or call me if you'd like to go.
God bless you, friends and neighbors!
Coop
The first Sunday morning worship service I attended at First Baptist Church in Ogden, the topic was about who we'd invite to our table to share a meal. I don't recall the exact words but I do remember the concept because this is a lesson Wendi taught me our very first almost Thanksgiving meal together. Yesterday, we had a Christmas dinner at church. June and I sponsored a table for the dinner, which means we were in charge of place settings and decorations for that particular table. I'm so pleased we made that commitment. We used Wendi's beloved Christmas China and shared a delightful meal with 6 people I didn't know very well. Four of the people I knew by sight. Two of the gentlemen sing in our church choir. One other attends our church regularly. One I'd never met before and coincidentally this gentleman also sat next to me during the service. Another woman who joined us I'd just met last week after the service in the fellowship hall. The final person at our table was a young woman who attended the service as a guest of one of the members.
As I do these days, I spent most of the meal listening to the conversations at the table. I found the young lady at our table charming and it's her story I'd like to share with you first.
At our church, as I've mentioned before, we share our joys and concerns with the congregation. During this part of the service, one of the members introduced the young woman seated next to him and said that she'd been in an auto accident and as a result of a head injury, suffers from seizures. We had an opportunity to share our meal with these two people as I mentioned before and I was interested in listening to her describe her experience at our church. She mentioned she was grateful for the prayer for her during the service. At some point in the conversation her friend asked her if she'd ever asked God to heal her. Most everyone at the table was surprised to hear her reply that no, she hadn't done that.
The young woman's friend and others at the table explained to her that it's part of God's plan that we take our needs to him in prayer. I could tell she'd not been exposed to that idea before; partly because of her answer to the question. I mostly just listened to the conversation and offered my agreement to what was said. Her friend told her how important it was for her to pray for her needs, and equally important, to ask others to pray for them as well. He told her that's why he asked the congregation to pray for her healing during the worship service. This story struck a chord with me because I'd had that very same conversation with a friend just last night. I want to share some scripture with you today about this subject from James 5:13-16 (NIV);
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
God hears prayers. Sometimes the answer might not be the one we'd like. Other times it may be what we want, just not as quickly as we'd like it. Other times the answer is yes, but the one constant is it's all in His plan for each of us. I'm certain that most of us seated at the table will be praying for this young woman tonight. One other thing I noticed was that the young lady saw a friend of hers at church and several of us invited her to come back again. I hope she does. It's nice to see our little church grow.
The second story I have to share with you is about a friend of mine. I had an opportunity to talk to a dear friend last night. We talked about our lives and the things happening in them. At one point, though, I asked my friend, "Have you asked God for what you need?" I was surprised the answer was no. My friend is a Christian. My friend helped me a lot on my path after I became a Christian. My friend prays for everyone else which is why I was surprised at the answer to my question. I'd shared this Bible verse with Wendi a day or two before, so it was fresh in my mind last night when I shared it with my friend as well.
From Phillipians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Important words. God knows what we need and the Bible speaks to that, but it's also part of God's plan for us to ask Him, as the above verse speaks to. I've mentioned before that sometimes the weeks in my life seem to have a theme. This week's theme looks like it's going to be about asking God for what we need. Just as the little church I attend played a large part in today's story, it will tomorrow as well.
I notice something unusual about our church compared to the church I went to as a youth. Our little church seems to be alive with the Holy Spirit. Maybe it's because it's a small church and we have a dynamic pastor (I'm not sucking up, Pastor Karl, and thank you for what you do for our church, and for my family!) who shares with us things we can put to use in our lives and then challenges us to do so. I learn so much from attending the service each week, and not just from the sermon. What I learned today will dovetail nicely into the blog topic I have planned for tomorrow.
Lastly, it's the time of year that people think about going to church. I used to be a C&E Christian myself. Seriously, though, if you've been thinking about attending a service this holiday season and don't have a church of your own, I'd like to invite you to my church. I know it's uncomfortable attending a church where you don't know anyone. I've been there myself. But if you go with me, you'll know someone there and won't feel uncomfortable, right? The Christmas Eve service is Friday at 7:00 p.m. E-mail or call me if you'd like to go.
God bless you, friends and neighbors!
Coop
Friends, the message below is from my Facebook page this morning.
ReplyDeletePrayer Request
Matthew 21:22
"You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."
about an hour ago · 1278 · Like · Comment
Random? Absolutely! Did I share the right message today? You bet!
Add this little story to the list: I send the wife a Bible verse every day. Some days I take them from my facebook page. When I looked at the "Proud to Be A Christian" page today, at the top of the page when I looked at it, a woman had posted her favorite verse was 1 Chronicles 4 6-7. Take the time to look this verse up. I did. You'll see why I commented on it if you do,
ReplyDeleteDid the lady say why that is her favorite verse? I think I would have trouble applying it to my life ☺
ReplyDelete1 Chronicles 4:10 would have been the correct scripture. I was obviously typing faster than thinking. If you look up this verse, which is about God answering a prayer and most applicable in that context to the blog story. Thanks, Pastor Karl for catching the error.
ReplyDeletethat makes a lot more sense, and it's one of those nuggets that is hidden away until it jumps off the page and hits you square in the eye. A few years ago 'The Prayer of Jabez' was really popular at the Christian Bookstores - books, bible covers, mugs, key chains, wall hangings, and the list goes on
ReplyDeleteWell, the week is ending much like it started, and I just wanted to share this from my Facebook page. This was what I saw after finishing with some snow removal chores.
ReplyDeletePrayer Request
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 4:6-7).
2 hours ago · 17114 · Like · Comment