At the gas pump today the on-screen message asks: “Do you want a receipt?” The options: “YES” or “NO, THANKS.” Why is it that only “no” requires a thank-you? That puzzles me. I’m not sure there is an answer, but I’m searching for a lesson in there somewhere…

In the waiting room of life, we can thank God even for the answers to prayer that are “no,” or “wait.” Why? Because God is always in control, and has our best interest in mind. He loves us and cares for us more than we will ever know. “Father, we pray for those among us who are waiting, waiting, waiting for answers to prayer. We pray that they will know your love and care. We pray that as a church family we will help them wait, by showing them your love, and by being faithful in prayer.”

I had to drive to Suncrest West at 4:30 am the other day (my own fault–forgot something for the prayer walk). As I got close to the building, I remembered the first time I saw our new building a few years ago. It was at night, and the building was all lit up, an oasis of light in the middle of corn fields. I thought of the phrase, “a city set on a hill,” from Matthew 5:14, and that is my prayer for Suncrest today, “Lord, I pray that we would be a city set upon a hill, and that our light would never be hidden. We want to be a light to our community and to our world. I pray that nothing would stop us, and that you would strengthen us. Help us to be faithful to the charge you have given us. And, Lord, thank you for the beautiful building we call home!”

Suncrest begins a new sermon series, all about waiting. Waiting for God to answer a prayer. Waiting for God to do something in your life. We have planned a prayer walk to help you work through some of these issues with God. It will take place on Monday, Nov. 16 (5am-6pm) and Tuesday Nov. 17 (5am-8pm). I hope and pray that you will be able to take time to experience this. We have included some of the same features from our last walk, but also have some interactive stations to help you express yourself to God. I have gone through times when I have wrestled with God, and wondered why it seemed like he wasn’t doing anything! I know that others have been there, too. I actually remember swearing at God once! I was a young believer and the words were still in my subconscious, but it didn’t matter. He knew what was on my mind and in my heart anyway. He loves us and cares for us, the way any father would. Only better. I pray that you will know his love and care.

I called my home phone from work today, to  remind myself of something I had to do. I ended the call by saying, “Love you!” like I do when I am talking to one of my kids! …Well, I am rather attached to myself…!

God is calling us to remind us that he loves us. My prayer is that we will listen. I have had conversations with a few people this week that are really hurting. I pray that we would be sensitive to those around us, so that we can serve in a non-tangible way. So that we can be Christ to those who need him. We often say that we can’t reach people who are hungry, so we need to fill stomachs first. What about reaching those who are heart-hungry? “Lord, help them please.”

A few weeks ago I called your attention to the Echo Prayer Manager, and have been using it for a while now. You compose your own prayers,  or just make a prayer list, and set it up to email you with reminders to pray. Every Friday, I get the following prayer in my inbox. Sometimes I edit the prayers as they come, just because something comes to my heart and mind to add. Usually I leave the prayer in my inbox all day, so I am prompted to pray more often. Nothing major, and not the only time I pray, but just another way to incorporate prayer in my life. Pray for these things along with me today please.

“Lord, I love my church and have grown so much there. I pray that we would be true to the mission statement of being used by you to change lives. I pray that we would be true to you. I pray for the spiritual growth of every member. I pray for us to pray more and to grow in relationship with you. I pray for wisdom and purity for our staff. I pray for our pastors to have time with their families.”

One book that made such an impression on me when I was a young Christian (almost 35 years ago!) was The Practice of the Presence of God, a little book by a man called Brother Lawrence. I guess the book really spoke to me because he had one of the same issues I had regarding prayer, namely…my mind wanders. What was I saying?…Oh, yeah, my mind wanders when I’m praying. The theme of the book that captures most hearts, though, is the idea of practicing the presence of God: the idea that we can be in God’s presence at any time. Wow!  His book is a collection of letters and conversations about prayer, and although it was written in 17th century English, it has been updated to make it easier to read. My prayer today is that you will practice God’s presence in all you do. Remember that he is there with you at work, in your car at the red light, in line at Starbuck’s, and in the waiting room of life. I pray that you, the church, will be triumphant in living the Christian life. I also pray that the church, the body of Christ with skin on, will be there to support you with his love.

Do you use a prayer list when you pray? Or maybe a prayer guide of another type? When my kids were young we used several different things to help us remember who to pray for, and my favorite was the photo album. It’s easy to get photos of loved ones, but you can also get photos of our pastors by downloading them from facebook or their blogs. Usually people are glad to oblige with a photo once they know why it’s needed. A photo of the church building reminds me to pray for the church. Even though we know church is not a building, but the family that worships inside that building, the photo is still a visual for me. The photo reminds me also to thank God for the beautiful building he has blessed us with. And reminds me to ask God to help us pay the bills that come with it! Pictures taken in Africa remind me to pray for our mission trip there coming up in February; to pray for those going on the trip (me, too!) and the funds needed to go. I’m a very visually-oriented person, so an album like this is good for me, as well as for kids. I plan on making another one soon!

You might have seen online that our staff is just finishing up a two-day retreat. I love when our staff does this. It means they are team-building, praying, and planning. And just spending time together. In my classes at school right now we are studying teams and how they work. What helps a team work well together? Teams function best when they have a common goal, but there’s no getting around it, our leadership team works best because they worship God and seek his will together. “Father, thank you for our pastors and staff members. Thank you for their service to us and to you, and for their commitment to serve well. We pray that this retreat was a good time for them, and that you guided them to make good decisions and plans for the future of our church. We pray for good relationships, and for conflicts, when they arise, to be resolved with love and understanding. We pray for continued commitment to being used to change lives.”

In class the other day we were sharing our project teams’ mission statements. One of the guys said that where he works no one could even tell him what the company’s mission statement was. Not so with Suncrest! Anyone who has been around for any length of time knows what it is: “To be used by God to change lives.” It’s on our web page and in our bulletins, as well as lots of other places. My prayer today is that Suncrest would always embrace that mission and stay true to it. “Lord, place it firmly in our hearts, as well as the hearts of all those who come into our church family. Don’t let us forget what we’re all about.  Remind us of the way we were before we came to know you, and we thank you for changing our lives! Thank you for the Holy Spirit who helps us grow, and we pray for those in leadership who help us in our faith walk.”

Greg, in his sermon today, mentioned that no two snowflakes are the same. How does anyone really know that? It’s just mind-boggling to think about it. No duplicates ever? Hmm… Well, I got a request to pray for the Middle Schoolers as they have their lock-in next weekend, Oct 16-17. Talk about no two being alike! Middle Schoolers, like snowflakes, are all different. Let’s pray that God can take whatever is in their box of gifts, and use it to the benefit of the kingdom. That he would take each of them, starting from right where they are, and allow the Holy Spirit to grow them into the adults he has in mind for them to be. “Lord, we pray that you would help these kids to stand strong, and that you would keep them close to you. Help them to own their faith. Each one is unique, and has a place in your family. We pray that they will follow you all the days of their lives.”