The Flame

The Flame
THE MAGAZINE OF CHRIST CHURCH

FALL | 2016
CONTENTS
4 STANDING ON FIRM GROUND
(DOES GOD STILL HEAL?)
17 THE NATURE AND

NURTURE OF PRAYER
5 WHY WE PRAY
18 CONFESSIONS OF A
PRAYER WIMP
by Rev. Shane Bishop

by Roni McDaniels
6 HOW DOES YOUR PRAYER LIFE

GROW?
by Wendy Smith
8 PRAYER THAT CHANGES

THINGS
by Dr. Steve Heitkamp
by Lyndsay Croxford
by Theresa Cavalier
19 HOW LAUNDRY CHANGED MY

PRAYER LIFE
By Kelli tobin
20 TRUSTWORTHY PRAYER
By Shelley Loring
9 THE THREEFOLD CORD
21 SHAMELESS PERSISTENCE
10 SNOOZE FEST
22 THE HEARING PART OF PRAYER
by Urban and Carrie Gaxiola

by Zack Funk
By Will Howell
By Matt Rygelski
11 IM NOT FEELN IT!

By Rev. Troy Benton
12 SLEEPLESS IN SWANSEA
By Becky OlRoyd
13 THE POWER OF
CONTINUAL PRAYER
By Dave Merrill
14 PRAYER: A SPIRITUAL LEGACY

by Shannon Durio
15 INTIMACY WITH GOD

by Shannon Peiffer
16 THOUGHTS FROM A
RECOVERING SINNER
by Dave Huff
SENIOR PASTOR
Rev. Shane Bishop
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
Rev. Michael Wooton
For a complete listing of the
Christ Church Staff visit:
www.MyChristChurch.com/staff.
WORSHIP TIMES
Fairview Heights Campus
Sunday - 9am, 11am, & 6pm
Saturday - 5pm
Wednesday - 6:30pm
Collinsville/Maryville Campus
Sunday - 10am
Millstadt Campus
Sunday - 10am
The Flame Magazine is a quarterly magazine published by Christ Church.

2016 Christ Church. Learn more about Christ Church at MyChristChurch.com.
EDITOR: Carrie Gaxiola DESIGN: Justin Aymer COVER: Mike Creagh
Scott Campus
Sunday - 10am
FROM THE EDITOR

On the pages of this issue you will find
wisdom and insight on the topic of
prayer. Yes, prayer, the one Christian discipline that either makes our hearts sing
because there is an ease for us in having a dialogue with God or causes us to
despair because we never feel we pray
enough, understand it enough, or have
the right words to reach the heart of God.
Its a mixed bag, this thing called prayer, a
mystery that will continue to be unsolved
through the ages but a necessary part of
our day-to-day life. To dismiss having a
prayer life is to miss out on the greatest
joy, the greatest comfort, and the greatest
place of working out our own salvation
with fear and trembling. (Philippians
2:12b, New King James Version) I know,
Ive tried.
There are so many questions about
prayer. How does it work? Why do some
prayers get answered and some dont?
Why do some people get healed and
some people dont? The list can be endless. I dont have the answers. I dont
know that any of the writers in this issue
have the answers, but what I do know is
that they have penned what God is walking and has walked them through on
their journey as they have the faith to
look to Jesus and follow in His footsteps
to the best of their ability. This is what
they share with you.
Mission Of The Flame
Be inspirational through biblical articles

and devotions. Be informative in the
announcement of future events that
connect people in ministry.
My prayer is that you will be encouraged

to try and pray on a daily basis if you are
not and thank God for His ear that hears,
no matter the answers He gives. If you
have a vibrant prayer life, I pray you will
be challenged to fall deeper in love with
Jesus and to pray for others in these troubling times. In turn, I pray, as well, that
we would get quiet and listen. After all,
prayer really is a simple dialogue between
two - us and God - where one listens and
one speaks. May we all know God more
fully through this wondrous, mysterious
thing called prayer.
In His service,
Carrie Gaxiola
I have been driven many times upon my
knees by the overwhelming conviction that
I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom
and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.
- Abraham Lincoln
The Flame Online:
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Visit MyChristChurch.com/theflame.
Questions about the Flame?
Contact the Editor, Carrie Gaxiola, at:

CarrieGaxiola@MyChristChurch.com
THE FLAME // FALL 2016
STANDING ON FIRM GROUND

(DOES GOD STILL HEAL?)
BY REV. SHANE BISHOP
When I was in high school, doing impressions of highly animated faith healers
was wonderful sport. Perhaps my favorite sport. I remember watching television as people threw away their crutches, ripped out their hearing aids, sprung
from their wheelchairs and testified of
miracle cures. When a few of the more
visible but unprincipled conduits of healing power got sliced, diced, simmered
and fried by the media, it was just all the
more funny. Faith healers were cartoons
in a cartoon graveyard for me. I believed
in God but I did not believe in them.
They stood on shaky ground.
Conversely, I observed that in church
prayers for healing were conducted by far
more believable servants of God. They
would pray for folks but always ended with the phrase, Your will be done.
That bugged me. It seemed like a bit of
a cop out because if God didnt heal the
pray-ee, the pray-er could always invoke the will of God clause and move
on without blinking. It seemed this
approach was tentative; and frankly, I
thought expectations were low. This was
unduly dry ground. Parched really.
I determined back then that if I ever
needed someone to pray for me, I would
want someone who actually believed God
could heal me. Keep the faith healers and
tentative preachers; bring me a child who
just heard the story of Moses parting the
Red Sea and is planning to go home, raise
a stick over the farm pond, command the
water to part, walk across on firm ground
and pick up the flopping catfish. Let that
kid pray for me!
After high school, I briefly explored a
tradition that believed that God healed
Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor

facebook.com/revshane
@RevShaneBishop
4
FALL 2016 // THE FLAME
people most of the time (not some of the

time or almost never), and that went at
prayers for healing aggressively, rather
than passively. Clearly, not everyone for
whom they prayed got healed, but results
seemed better than with the thy will be
done method. Though I struggled with
(and later rejected) significant hunks of
their theology, I really liked being the arrow and not the target when it comes to
prayer. Still do.
3) Why is everyone not healed?

We must realize that everyone is going to
die of something. Biblical healing was not
seen purely as physical; it was spiritual as
well. Physical healing is temporary, even
when it comes. Spiritual healing is eternal
and comes every time we ask.
There are three questions we must ask

concerning prayer and healing:
Are any of you sick? They should

call for the elders of the church and
have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of
the Lord. And their prayer offered
in faith will heal the sick and make
them well and anyone who has
committed sins will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may
be healed. The earnest prayer of a
righteous person has great power and wonderful results. -James
5:14-16
1) Does God care about our physical

illnesses?
The answer is, Yes. Though I believe
God constantly asks us to pray beyond
us and ours, God still loves us. I care
about global injustice and people dying,
but I also care when my grandchildren
scrape their knees. With God it is not either/or, it is always both/and.
I often pray for people to be healed. If

you ask me, I will pray for you anywhere,
anytime. I have seen miracles. I dont always know how to talk about them without you thinking I am three fries short
of a Happy Meal, but I do believe. I believe like the kid picking up the catfish off
the bottom of the pond. Like him, I am
standing on firm ground.
When you toss all this in a blender, I

guess that is how I came out a Methodist. The Wesleyan tradition offered me
a theological place that respects the will
of God without giving away the power
of God. This is firm ground. I can stand
here.
2) Does God still heal people today?

The answer is, Yes. Jesus healed people
and empowered and entrusted the church
with the ongoing conduct of his ministry.
Physical healing has always been a calling
card of both Christ and of the Spirit-filled
church that bears his name. If God healed
then, God heals now. I have simply seen
too much for anyone to convince me that
miracles dont happen.
Ministry Spotlight
WHY
WE PRAY
BY RONI MCDANIELS
Some years ago, God touched my heart
with a passion to pray for His people. He
brought me into fellowship with a few
women who also have a heart for prayer,
who subsequently joined me in intercessory prayer. Our small team of women
prays weekly for our pastors, ministries,
connect groups, our nations government
and military leaders, missions around the
world, the churches across the nations,
the hopeless, the hurting, and the lost.
Gods power by praying for each other,

our church leaders, our ministries, and
church family.
Why do we pray? Prayer is an act of

surrender that brings us closer to God.
When we intercede and pray for others,
God moves our own hearts and shows
us how to love those we pray for even
when they are unlovable in the eyes of
the world. Loving others leads us to
serve them, and serving others provides a
door through which God can move in to
save, heal, and restore lives. Prayer also
provides the foundation for every ministry in which the church is engaged. Finally, prayer enables us to stand against
the enemy who comes to bring chaos and
confusion.
Through the years in which our team has

committed to praying for Christ Church
and Gods people, we continue to see
Gods tangible presence at work through
the Holy Spirit. Matthew 16:19 tells us I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatever you bind on earth will
be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
From church growth, exploding ministries, physical healings, restoration of
relationships, and individual spiritual growth, God continues to bless us in
amazing ways. I believe God is also preparing our church to take the next step
in trusting Him. Intercessory prayer is
key to laying the foundation for successful ministry and heart transformation.
Is God calling you to step up and join
with a friend, a family member, or small
group in prayer? We ask you to intentionally seek God and the unleashing of
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three

gather in my name, there am I with
them.
If you have a heart to pray for Gods people, we invite you to join us in these intercessory prayer opportunities:
Womens Intercessory Prayer Team.

We meet each Saturday morning
at the Fairview Heights campus at
9:00 am in the Cry Room behind the
sanctuary.
Pray through the Church. A small
team of men and women meet each
Sunday morning to pray through
the Fairview Heights facility for our
pastors, ministry leaders, childrens
activities and church family. Join
us at 7:15 a.m. Sundays in the Fairview Heights Church Caf. We have
a specific need for at least two additional prayer team members to pray
through the new childrens wing
each week. Also, check out prayer
team opportunities at the Collinsville/Maryville, Millstadt, and Scott
campuses.
Romans 8:27 And he who searches our

hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for Gods people in accordance with the will of God.
Unless otherwise noted all scripture is
from the New International Version
For where two

or three gather
in my name,
there am I
with them.
Matthew 18:20
And he who
searches our
hearts knows
the mind of the
Spirit, because
the Spirit
intercedes for
Gods people
in accordance
with the will of
God.
Romans 8:27
Roni McDaniels
Flame Volunteer Writer
HOW DOES YOUR PRAYER LIFE

GROW?
BY WENDY SMITH
I hope the following interviews with a

few of my favorite prayer warriors will
bless your prayer life as much as these
individuals have blessed my life. My
thanks and gratitude to Steve, Linda and
Mary Ann, whose generosity and kindness have blessed me in more ways than
can be counted. It is my prayer that their
thoughts and words are represented well.
All praise to Him, all errors are mine.
An introduction to the interviewees:
Mary Ann Turner (MA): Mary Ann is
married to Mark for 35 years this year.
They have two married children and four
grandchildren. She serves women as a
mentor and teacher. She is enjoying this
sweet season of her life.
Steve Heitkamp (SH): Director of Horizon Hope Counseling and United Methodist pastor is always learning about the
meaning of prayer in his life and in the
lives of the people he serves.
Linda Winn (LW): Linda Winn is a
Christian writer, author and former
prayer ministry director who depends on
Gods presence in every aspect of her life.
Why do you pray?

MA I pray because I am in relationship
with my Father; I accept His invitation
to pray. Hebrews 4:16, Let us then approach Gods throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need.
God wants us to come and know Him
His character, His voice, His ways. Ex-
periencing this depth causes me to want

more time with Him on a long walk with
Him on HIS path.
Please describe your prayer life :

LW - On-going.
MA - Envision a diamond. Shine a light
on it. Its multifaceted sometimes praising, sometimes asking, sometimes listening. Always varied, always different
- never boring.
SH - I am a visual person so I surround
myself with items that invite me to pray:
a Bible from college yields Scripture that
creates ongoing conversations with God;
decor becomes a vessel for prayer; gardening provides time for more conversations with God; and at home, the stones
and an old church prayer altar remind
me to pray for specific people.
At what point in your life did you

become a prayer warrior? Have
you started and stopped or kept at
it continuously?
LH - I became a prayer warrior when I
organized and facilitated the prayer ministry at my church and saw the needs of
so many people. My prayer life continued five years later after moving and only
grows stronger, more active, and more
imaginative as I age.
MA My prayer life started in my early twenties when I read an anonymous
quote: Every morning lean a while on
the window sill of heaven and gaze upon
the Lord then turn strong to meet your

day. That was the turning point in my
prayer life. Years later, even through dry
times of praying, I continue to love and
learn from Him.
SH I dont claim the title Prayer warrior. However, I do know that people
ask me to pray for them and with them
because they know I will follow through
with what I say. This is part of my relationship with people, praying with and
for them.
Do your prayers tend to be free

flowing or rote? What / who do
you pray for? Do you have scheduled prayers (Monday pastors, Tuesday world leaders, etc.)
LW - No scheduled prayers. As a beloved
child of the Father, I want to stay in close
touch with Him, so my prayers are totally
spontaneous although I often pray Scripture. I pray as people and circumstances
come to mind. After all, God brings people to mind and orchestrates all circumstancesmeaning that He either created
the circumstance or allowed it to happen.
For me personally, I pray for God to work
His will in my life, to make me aware of
what Hes doing, and to keep me safe until He calls me home.
MA I do seek to be led by the Spirit as I
pray. I also pray Scripture-based prayers.
Schedules do not work for me and I keep
a prayer journal to stay focused on various needs or concerns.
SH I tend to be free flowing. To a de-
it to light via a surgery. Flat on my back,

I was reminded of how much I needed
God. Im thankful God loves us enough
to get our attention and bring us home.
What is the most important item regarding prayer in your opinion?

LW - Developing a close personal relationship with the One who created you
for Himself and loves you with an unconditional, everlasting, and sacrificial love is
most important.
MA Do it, be intentional.
SH It is the basis for all relationships communication and expectation, which
is true of conversations!
What would you say to someone

who gives up on prayer because
they have not had their prayers answered?
gree, thinking and prayer life become

synonymous and there is not much verbal praying-it is a conversation with God,
just talking with Him. On the other
hand, I am an orthodox Christian and
love the history of the church. One of my
favorite formal prayer guides is from the
Upper Room that gives a prayer structure
to the entire week. The core of prayer for
me is God changing me rather than the
circumstances. The biggest miracle is His
changing my attitude.
If your child stopped praying what

steps would you share with them
to encourage them to renew their
prayer life?
LW - Remind them that God is your
best friend who knows your thoughts,
dreams, and desires and watches over
your every move. He has your lifes plan
and knows your future. Talk to Himespecially when you feel like you cant talk
to anyone else, and when you cant see
His hand, trust His heart.
MA Assess the situation and ensure
they are open to engaging. If they are
not, pray for God to change their heart
and for God to reveal to them how He is
alive in them and active in their life.
If they are open to you, find ways to
work, play and hang out with them without judging them. Prayer is caught not
taught. Youth have to figure out prayer on
their terms. Ask them if it is ok for you to
pray with them, and ask, How can I pray
for you today?
SH Start by going back to when you
stopped praying, because either things
were going too well, or they became disillusioned or disappointed. Then find
someone who inspires either in music or
the written word, like Michael Card, who
has wonderful devotions and music. Offer perspective from others who continue
to pray. God has been at work for centuries answering prayers.
How has your prayer life evolved

over the years?
LW It has become more personal, more
frequent, more listening and a lot of
praise, thanksgiving, and What do I do
now? questions.
MA My prayer life is God-taught with
some natural ebbs and flows that have
matured my relationship with God. For
instance, God took me through a difficult
and dry time of spiritual pride that led
me to press in closer to Him. At another time I developed a legalistic approach
that I was unaware of until God brought
LW - If your prayers line up with His will,

you get positive answers. If they dont,
He wants to conform you to His will. He
promised to provide all of our needs, but
He has not promised to provide all our
wants even though He wants to give us
the desires of our hearts. Next, work on
your relationship with Him by spending
more time with Him. Try sitting quietly
in His presence. Trust Him to do what He
said He would do. Then pay attention!
MA Ask God how to redirect your
prayers. Sometimes we pray for what we
want rather than what God wants. Ask
God to teach you what to pray for.
SH - None of us get all of our prayers answered because we ask for our will not
His. We find the more we pray and spend
time in the Word, the longer we live and
learn, the more we change the way we
pray, the less disappointed we are asking
for prayers in His will not ours.
Summary: Isnt God AMAZING? He
keeps all of us on the same page when we
choose to walk in a close, personal and
conversational relationship with Him.
Try it!
Wendy Smith
PRAYER THAT CHANGES

THINGS
BY DR. STEVE HEITKAMP
Lord, Teach us to Pray. Luke 11:1

In my early Christian life, my prayers
consisted of me coming to God with my
requests and asking Him to change the
events, circumstances, and people around
me. This caused me to be truly disappointed when I thought I knew exactly
how a prayer needed to be answered, and
prayed earnestly for it, only to find out
that God had another direction in mind.
As I have matured in my Christian life,
God has been shaping me to pray differently. He is answering the prayer, Lord
teach me to pray as the disciples asked
Jesus. Its not that He doesnt answer my
prayers, but that my prayers have shifted
to be less about me and more about Him
and His will. I do believe God answers
prayers and changes events when His
faithful servants pray. But even more
importantly, I have found as I grow in
faith that my prayers have been shaped
and honed as I learn to pray with the
heart of God. My prayer life is more
about asking what He wants and wills,
rather than what I want.
Through this Christian growth and maturity, Ive discovered that the greatest
thing changed in my prayers is not
around me, but within me.
When I seek to grow in my prayer life, I
am drawn to the small letter of Paul to
the Philippians. Written from prison, we
see these admonitions to us about prayer.
Every time I think - I Pray

Every time I think of you, I give thanks
to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my
requests for all of you with joy. Philippians 1:3-4
Dr. Steve Heitkamp

drsteve@horizonhope.org
www.horizonhope.org
8
I have moved away from thinking about

something to pray about, to now praying
as soon as joys and concerns arise. I pray
about them now. When I give myself a
break to pray later, I often forget. So like
Paul, I have moved to when I think I
pray.
Even setbacks are an answer to

prayer.
And I want you to know, dear brothers
and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread
the Good News. Philippians 1:12
God reminds us through Paul that all
things can be used by Him. I continually try to adjust my attitude to change my
expectations in order to see what God is
doing. He is often using the unexpected
and unwanted things in my life to bring
about His purpose. Rather than running from them, Paul embraces them as
part of the will of God. Paul was able to
see his time in prison as an opportunity
for God to use him for a greater purpose.
He did not ask to be freed. He saw God
making the problem holy.
Begin with My Attitude.

You must have the same attitude that
Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:5
Perhaps most importantly, God reminds
me through Paul that the primary place
I can change things through prayer is in
my mind and attitude. I may not be able
to change anything around me, but I can
change me. Lord, when you teach me to
pray, may my attitude be your attitude.
Shape me through prayer to be like you.
Whatever Happens Rejoice.

Whatever happens, my dear brothers
and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never
get tired of telling you these things, and I
do it to safeguard your faith. Philippians
3:1
Woven all the way through this small
letter, God reminds us to rejoice in all
things. When dealing with difficult people, unwanted circumstances, setbacks,
and all other rocks along our faith journey, God can give me a spirit of joy in the
midst of it all. We are to thrive; not just
survive.
Be at Peace wherever you are.

I know how to live on almost nothing or
with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation. Philippians 3:12
It is no small task to be content, but
that is exactly what God calls us to here,
through Pauls life.
Be content. Find
peace in Him. In any and all circumstances, find your strength in Christ
alone.
Lord, teach me to pray.
Final Assignment: Consider your recent Prayer Requests. Are you praying
for God to fix others and the circumstances around you? Try praying for God
to change your attitude first, wait a bit,
and then finish the prayer.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New
Living Translation
THE THREEFOLD
CORD
BY URBAN AND CARRIE GAXIOLA
My husbands such a blessed guy! Thirty years of wedded bliss as of September

6th! Yep, he got the full package when
God brought me his way; sordid past,
emotional baggage, crazy family background all wrapped up in a redheaded
gal! Early on in our relationship, we knew
that if we were not grounded in our faith
in Jesus, we were sunk. Divorce ran deep
in both of our family trees, and we made
a decision before we were married that
we had to be rooted in church involvement (easy, I (Urban) was a pastor), Bible
reading and prayer, both individually and
as a couple. We knew that the scripture
was true when it said a threefold cord is
not easily broken (Eccl. 4:12) We both
came to the realization that if our threefold cord, with Jesus as central, was not
firm in Bible reading and prayer, then life
would break us and, like our family, possibly our marriage as well.
Like anything in our spiritual walk, moving toward obedience to God is not only
a challenge but many times a downright
battle. In order to be obedient to God
and have a marriage solid in faith, all selfishness and excuses must be overcome.
I (Carrie) have had times where I have
prayed through gritted teeth or crossed
my arms in defiance because I didnt
feel like praying with my husband or
was offended over some unreasonable
thing or was just too tired. We would
press through, though, because God said,
I want you to trust Me with all your
heart; your heart that I have made one
flesh through your marriage. Overcome
your own desires and seek My desires!
God wants us to trust Him with the big
things and the day-to-day areas of life.
(Prov. 3:5, 6) He wants us to seek His will
and not be presumptuous about daily life
decisions. (James 4:13-17) How would we

know Gods help and direction if we did
not make a concerted effort to seek God
together in prayer?
Sometimes life can give us a lot more
than we can handle. Anxieties and stressors abound in a family. The dilemmas
can feel crushing and in those times, God
calls us to Himself to pray and find comfort and direction. Through prayer, He
affords us a peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:4-6) and when all hell
breaks loose, weve created a habit of consistency together to run to God. God not
only calms the raging sea and winds, but
He gives us a foundation built on a rock.
Praying together builds an intimacy and
trust so that in the most difficult times,
strength comes to the weak. There was a
season in life where we lost 5 pregnancies
to miscarriage and I (Urban) was able to
pray with my wife because we were in
that place of pain together but her physical and emotional state was not as strong.
She trusted me to walk through the valley
with her because that three-fold cord was
not easily broken. There was a time when
my pastoral ministry was ravaged by the
enemy, a blindsided venture at best. My
livelihood and calling were shaken to the
core, our whole life turned upside down,
but because of our habit of praying together, my trust in my wife to pray with
and for me was a bedrock. When one of
our grown children went missing, and we
didnt hear anything of her whereabouts
for several days, we wept before the Lord
together. The threefold cord was our
strength in our dark times and our sustenance in the bright and even mundane
times.
Urban Gaxiola
This habit of praying together can be one

of the greatest challenges a married couple can face (remember the folded arms
in defiance) but when we learn to start
in small ways, sitting down together for
a moment and saying, God, please bless
my husband/wife. Amen, trust that the
Lord will hear our humble prayer, the
three-fold cord will become stronger and
stronger. Praying a blessing will turn into
praying about everything that concerns
us and our family, and in turn, it becomes
our greatest reward.
We certainly dont have the perfect prayer
life as a husband and wife, but we have
seen God prove Himself faithful over
and over again. As the strongest strand of
our three-fold cord, we can truly say that
cord is not easily broken because of Jesus,
and by joining hands in faith and trust in
prayer, life has not broken us! We pray
that couples take this challenge and see
what God will do!
Carrie Gaxiola
Flame Editor
CarrieGaxiola@mychristchurch.com
Student Connection
SNOOZE
FEST
BY ZACK FUNK
I was in high school when I first started

attending church. The music was great
and the preaching was pretty good, but I
couldnt wait for the preacher to say those
two magical words Lets pray. I was
an exhausted teenager who didnt know
much about God, and I always cherished
those times during the service where I
could get a little snooze in. The prayer
had to be long enough to feel refreshed,
but not so long that Id actually fall asleep.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) says this,
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be
thankful in all circumstances, for this is
Gods will for you who belong to Christ
Jesus. Pray continuously? How is that
even possible? Im not even sure I believe
that this whole prayer thing is even real!
Nah, Id rather snooze.
This was my thought process for the
first few years of my Christian walk, and
the more I talk to students and children
the more common this thought process
seems to be. How do we convince our
children and students that prayer time
is for real? How do we get our students,
and frankly even some our adults, to start
praying for real?
Stop snoozing and start sharing! Share
the stories of when God has blessed you
through the power of prayer! This year in
student ministry we made it our prime
focus in January to focus on prayer for
six weeks. During this six week period,
we had the students praying for their lost
friends. We then rolled into an evangelism series where we challenged the students to bring their unchurched friends
Zack Funk
Director of Student Ministries
ZackFunk@mychristchurch.com
10 FALL 2016 // THE FLAME
to youth. Our students packed the house

with their friends, and we saw something
that only God could have done. Since
March 1st of this year we have seen 27
students accept Jesus as their personal
Lord and savior. How? Prayer invites
God into the equation and when that
happens, all bets are off.- Circle Maker
Let me tell you a guaranteed by-product
of sincerely seeking Gods blessing: Your
life will become marked by miracles.
How do I know? Because He promises it,
and Ive seen it happen in my own! Gods
power to accomplish great things suddenly finds no obstruction in you. Youre
moving in His direction. Youre praying
for exactly what God desires. Suddenly the unhindered forces of heaven can
begin to accomplish Gods perfect will
through you. And you will be the first to
notice. -The Prayer of Jabez
I love this quote! Your life will be marked
by miracles if you pray for and seek Gods
blessing! I can testify that this is true! I
dont believe in the name it and claim it
type of prayers, but I do believe wholeheartedly that authentic prayers that are
aligned with Gods will are brought to
life.
The student ministry just took our upperclassmen in high school on a retreat.
I got to the farm a day before the rest of
the crew and had this burden to pray for
a student to surrender their life to Christ
that weekend. It didnt make sense because these kids are our leaders and
they should all be saved. Nonetheless, I
started praying circles around the farm
that someone would be saved that weekend. We had a student show up at the last
minute that wasnt even on the sign-up
list. That student gave his life to Christ
and is now a member of the Kingdom!
How? As I quoted before from The Circle Maker, Prayer invites God into the
equation and when that happens, all bets
are off.
If we want our next generation to know
how to pray, we have to do five things:
1. Stop Snoozing and wake up. 2. Pray
for our kids to pray. 3. Pray audaciously
with our kids 4. Teach them what prayer
is. 5. Recognize and celebrate answered
prayers.
From someone who used to be a snoozer in church I want to challenge you to
WAKE UP and tap into this amazing gift
of prayer that God has given us. Make
a prayer closet, pray continuously, and
share the stories of answered prayers.
Three books that have really helped me
grow in my prayer life are: The Circle
Maker, War Rooms - The Battle Plan
for Prayer, and The Prayer of Jabez. All
three of these are available in the Christ
Church Bookstore.
Stop Snoozing and Start Seeking
IM NOT
FEELN IT!
BY REV. TROY BENTON
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions

with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always
keep on praying for all the Lords people.
- Ephesians 6:18, New International Version
No one wants to do anything all the time!
Even the most joyful action(s) that any
individual revels in weans its potency to
their senses over time. This is even more
accurate for activity that envelops the
most heartfelt and intimate interactions,
as prayer. For those who struggle with
faith, prayer is something that requires
a level of energy and discipline that for
these people is an investment that does
not seem reasonable and a deed that
doesnt yield much. We as Christians
struggle with these facts, but in the words
of the kids, it is what it is.
Here is good news: theres more to the
truth that prayer is not always something we dont want to do. Prayer is a
life-changing, heart-fixing, mind-regulating communication with the most high
God that has power with no measurable
maximum. Jesus engages in this dialogue
with God at his most challenging and
pivotal leadership moments (Luke 4, John
17, Mark 5). The apostle Paul engages in
this communication with God when he
is almost at the end of his life, and when
the church is wrestling with its role in the
world (Acts 27, Philippians 4 and Colossians 1). Jeremiah puts into practice this
process when he is in need of discovering
purpose, and when those who misunderstand his ministry cause him doubt and
dismay (Jeremiah 1 and Jeremiah 29).
Sarah and Mary, as they seek to be faithful to a call that would make so many of
us fall to our knees, seek Gods counsel
in prayer and song (Exodus 10, Matthew
3). In all these cases, and tens of others in
the Bible, and for every person who has

ever lived, the truth is that there are times
when we are not feelin the practice and
power of prayer!
The same apostle Paul speaks the biggest argument of all, again rejecting this
opportunity by anyone who has or ever
will live. Paul says in Ephesians 6:18, on
all occasions with all kinds of prayer.
Reasons for Pauls words here are many,
however its practical focus is simple: God
will never stop listening and will always
be available! Unlike our variable tact,
God wants to hear us, and us to hear his
voice. Gods standard of relationship is to
stay with people regardless of how good
we feel about Him. There are places in the
text where we even see God not feelin
the drama of our lives but God still listens.
Here is where I offer you this most pragmatic and powerful invite. If youre like
me, there are times when Im not feelin
prayer. In these times, I recognize that
my lack of feelin it has nothing to do
with the God of my salvation who remains open to me even when I close
down. Just because I may not want to
pray, doesnt mean that God will not listen. My arguments, opinions, offenses,
over-stated cries-thoughts-requests are
equally listened to the Patient One as are
my most flowery and faith-filled contemplations.
This is also true of you. You may think
this is not so, but believe me, it is! Dont
believe me? Read the book of Job, and
youll discover this truth in bold ways.
Job has such a dynamic prayer life, that at
one point he tells God just what he thinks
of this trouble, and God still listens. God
even provides space for his frustration,
fuel for the fight Job is in the middle of,
and faith to take Job beyond the moment.

Job was not feelin it, but the real good
news is that God is always feelin us!
So what if youre not feelin the time
you spend in prayer with God? Even
then, you are praying! Go ahead and
share it all with God God is listening.
More importantly, in due season, God
will respond!
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
I Surrender All
by Judson W. Van DeVenter
Rev. Troy Benton

Senior Pastor, St. Johns UMC
THE FLAME // FALL 2016 11
SLEEPLESS
IN SWANSEA
BY BECKY OLROYD
Now I lay me down to sleep . . . begins the proverbial childhood nighttime

prayer common to so many of us. Im
not sure how I came to know it - whether
from Sunday school, my parents or from
my older, wiser brothers. Regardless, it
seemingly served me well as a child; and
quite honestly, it serves me to this day
from time to time when I collapse in bed
from mental or physical exhaustion and
feel as though that brief prayer is all I
have to give.
There is no one particular point of my
life when I considered that I came to
know and accept Jesus as my personal
savior - no exact moment when the nature of God was revealed to me. I simply knew, and I believed, and prayer was
an obvious extension of that belief. Perhaps prayer was taken for granted in the
rote memorization of The Lords Prayer,
God is Great, and that simple petition
as nighttime fell. But I prayed none the
less, always knowing that I could talk to
God whenever I wanted or needed, and
that I could count on feeling better after
these conversations.. And as lives do, my
childhood gave way to adulthood and
adult prayer.
My mornings begin with devotional reading followed by a time of prayer
when I fervently give thanks for the
countless blessings of my life and the
boundless beauty and goodness that surrounds me every day and in so many
ways. This is when I intercede for the
pain, grief and suffering of my friends
and loved ones and for the physical and
spiritual needs of my children and grand-
Becky Olroyd
children. This is the time when I ask for

forgiveness and to feel the Holy Spirit work in me to soften my heart. I ask
God to make me an instrument to touch
the life of perhaps just one person that
day in a Christian way. I pray for wisdom
and strength and courage to face the day
ahead and for healing of my own brokenness and frailties.
While I dont consider myself to be an
eloquent prayer (and I envy those who
are), I hold firm to the scriptural demands to pray in the Spirit at all times
and on every occasion. (Ephesians 6:18,
NLT) I have never experienced an airline takeoff or landing without a plea to
the Lord for safe travels upon ascent and
thankfulness at the end. I pray that God
will be with me and those traveling on
the roadways beside me every time I begin a road trip. And recently, when I was
a mile or two into my morning bike ride
and realized that not only had I forgotten
my water bottle but my helmet as well, I
most anxiously prayed for God to keep
me safe.
But more serious demands require more
serious prayer. When a driver loses control of the car in front of me, when my
child falls rigid on the floor seizing from
an overdose, when my husbands life
blood is literally pouring from him or
when my heart is breaking over a failed
relationship, I reach far into my soul for
prayers of mercy, courage, strength and
hope; knowing that, unlike a safe return
from a bike ride, those answers may take
weeks, months or even years to be realized. And the answers may not come
in the form for which I had prayed. But

they do come; for the inherent power of
prayer heals, protects, forgives and offers
peace.
I am prone to insomnia, either immediately after turning in or upon awakening
from a couple hours of restfulness. My
thoughts may race from one thing to
another, and I do some of my most productive thinking during those times, but
when the frustration of sleeplessness
wears on my mind and soul I turn to
prayer. It never fails that during those
prayers I will drift off into sleep as if in
mid-thought. For years this phenomenon bothered me as it felt disrespectful to
the Lord and almost blasphemous that I
had not taken my prayers to conclusion.
Then I realized that the intimate relationship with God in prayer creates the peace
that my mind, body and soul require to
give me the rest that I need to move into
another day to praise his Holy name.
And now may God, who gives us His
peace, be with you all. Amen. (Romans
15:33, NLT)
THE POWER OF
CONTINUAL PRAYER
BY DAVE MERRILL
A favorite passage of mine is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray

continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in
Christ Jesus. (NIV) God wants me to do
these three things: rejoice, pray and give
thanks, ALL THE TIME. Consider what
it means to engage in one of these three
disciplines: prayer. What does it look like
to pray continually?
Wake up sleepy-head. Its time to get out
of bed and go to work.
I utter an audible groan as I swing my
legs across the bed onto the floor. My
sense of balance is slow to engage as I
stand to make my way toward the bathroom. The click of the light switch on the
wall illuminates the room and causes me
to squint as my pupils contract to adjust
from darkness to light. The cold tiles of
the bathroom floor drive me to hurry
to plant my feet upon the soft throw rug
at the sink. I am amused, but refuse to
smile, by the sight of bed-head hair reflecting back at me in the mirror. What
first this morning? Do I shave or do I
brush my teeth? Decisions, decisions
and my day begins.
Down the hall, the kitchen livens my olfactory sense. Mmmm bacon, toast,
eggs. Still unseen, there is no question
whats in store for breakfast. The smells of
a country meal already cause me to salivate, and my taste buds come alive in anticipation. I breathe in through my nose
to fill my lungs with air, not because I
need the oxygen in the room, but because
it all just smells that good. Around the
corner, and now more filled with wakeful gratitude for the day, I feel the heat
from the stove. I hear the griddle pop
and see the bacon dance in its pan. The
bright yellow yolk of a sunny-side-up egg
adorns my plate and I reach for a warm
piece of golden-brown bread just springing from the toaster. Bring on the bacon
I am ready to eat! But wait, dear Lord,
let me bless this meal first. Thank you
Lord Jesus for this bounty I am about to
receive. Amen. There, Ive said my first
prayer of the day.
But wait something more is going on
here. Lets back up for a moment to consider continual prayer. Even from sleep, I
hear an early morning prompting to get
up. God has gifted me an ability to hear
and understand. In response, He has also
given me the choice to groan in malcontent and move my body. God has filled
this vessel with senses to experience the
world around me. Even my sense of balance and equilibrium is restored by the
Lord so I have the ability to stand upright
and make progress in a desired direction.
For those of you under the age of 40,
trust me, this is an important sensory gift
from God. Even the automatic response
of my eyes to a bright light is designed
to protect my gifted sense of vision. The
sole of my foot is loaded with sensory receptors to feel pressure, sense coldness,
and distinguish the subtleties of hard tile
or soft carpeting. How about the sense
of humor? I feel amusement, I respond
in my mind with laughter, and yet this
morning I choose to remain deadpan
at the sight of a mussed do. I must do
something about that. God has gifted me
with the ability to decide and choose and

live as an independent, yet wholly connected creature. Laugh or scowl, shave
or brush teeth, get up or go back to bed.
Its all up to me because of what God has
gifted me.
Then theres bacon. How can the smell of
bacon, eggs and warm toast capture my
being? God has designed me to respond
with a mouth-watering, breath-deepening, heightened sense of awareness. The
reason I enjoy the heat of the kitchen,
the spattering of bacon grease, the popping toaster and the brilliant yellow yolk
is because God has gifted me with his
blessing. All these senses: sound, speech,
sight, balance, pressure, heat and cold,
humor, smell, taste and even choice are
all incredible gifts from God. How can I
not pray and give thanks for these gifts
at all times? When I experience life and
express emotions of gratitude and joy for
all the gifts the Father has given me, I am
praying continually.
Thank you Lord!
Dave Merrill
PRAYER:
A SPIRITUAL LEGACY
BY SHANNON DURIO
A few years ago when I was going

through a particularly painful season
of life, I was talking on the phone to my
grandparents who lived in Texas. We
have always had a close relationship, but
distance and the chaos of my circumstances had caused our conversations to
become fewer and farther in between.
As we were hanging up, my grandma
said softly, You know, every single night
when we go to bed, I hear Grandpa whispering his prayers - and every night, they
include you and Faith.
Later on I learned that not only is my
grandpa praying for me, but for my parents, my brothers and sister, our kids,
and even our pets. Every single night.
He loves us so deeply, we are always on
his mind. My grandpa weeps for us, celebrates our victories, and intercedes to his
Father for us, without condition.
Through his example of consistent, sincere prayer, my grandpa has modeled
what it means to be just like Jesus.
I also have vivid memories of waking up
to get ready for school when I was really
young and finding my dad in our garage
doing his daily devotions. Each time he
memorized a Bible verse or found significant meaning in a specific passage, he
wrote its reference on the back of the garage door. From left to right, floor to ceiling, that garage door was covered in the
Word of God and my dad prayed that
very Word over those he loved each and
every day.
This is the spiritual legacy my family has
Shannon Durio
created for me.

Contemplating my own prayer life, I
often consider creating a designated
place to spend time with Jesus - like my
grandpas bedside and my dads garage. I
get caught up in thinking, If only I had
the perfect devotional. Oh, and a reading nook in my house with an oversized
chair, and a side table to put my steaming mug of coffee on. Next to a window,
of course. My quiet times with the Lord
would be perfect and picturesque. I
would be a great pray-er then.
It seems silly, but I am probably not alone
in thinking this way.
Over a hundred years ago, C. Austin
Miles penned the beautiful words to the
hymn, In the Garden:
And He walks with me, and He talks
with me,
And He tells me I am His own
It reminds me of those times over the last
few years when I was crawling through
valleys, struggling to keep my life together. I took full advantage of already being
on my knees and prayed my way through
those dark seasons. He wasnt walking
with me and talking with me from a distance, or in a cozy reading nook - He met
me in my designated prayer spot: the valleys of life.
It is easier to walk with Him and talk
with Him when my world is crumbling
because I am desperate for Him to help
carry my burden. However, it has often
been a struggle to maintain that intimacy

when my world is steady.
My daughter is six years old, and I am
expecting another child this fall. More
and more, I find myself lifting them up
to Jesus throughout the day, my heart
nearly exploding with a desire for their
well-being, health, happiness that they
would know Him, and that His grace
would cover them (especially when I fall
short as a mom.) My husband is in law
enforcement, and now more than ever,
I am whispering fervently to the Lord to
hold him tightly while he is at work. I am
recognizing the traces of my grandpa and
dads spiritual legacies seeping into my
day-to-day life, revealing the power of
prayer in a brand new way for me.
My prayers have become less about me,
and more about others. Ive found that
when this happens, it is so much easier
to walk with Him and talk with Him no
matter what my life circumstances may
be.
When I make a spiritual investment in
others through prayer, they are not the
only ones who reap those blessings - it
also draws me closer to the Lord.
What a beautiful revelation of the way
the family of God - the Church - is woven together by communion with our
Heavenly Father!
INTIMACY
WITH GOD
BY SHANNON PEIFFER
Some would attest that what others claim

to be a miracle, or answer to prayer, is
merely coincidence. Tim Tebow, recently on a plane from Georgia to Arizona,
prayed over a man who had had a severe
heart attack. The crew had been attempting CPR, with no success, but after the
prayer he regained his pulse. Coincidence
or miracle? And why did Tim have to
pray before the man came back to life?
Doesnt God know our needs enough to
just fulfill them? What is the purpose of
prayer and why is it so important to God?
from Heaven. For anyone who is not familiar, the story is about a young girl who
became very ill. After years of treatment
and prayer from her church and family,
she was getting no better. One day she
decided to climb an old tree with her sister. She fell inside the rotted wood of the
center of the tree. She came out of that
tree completely healed. Some try to scientifically explain it by saying she hit her
head and it just fixed her, while others
see it as an answer to some long heartfelt
prayers.
When I was a kid, I watched my father

pray often and intently over everything.
Not only did God answer his prayers, but
He usually went above and beyond what
my father would ask of Him. This example is what led me to spend a great deal
of time in prayer as well. I dont always
pray on my knees, but I talk to God about
everything. From things I am constantly losing, to the lives of my family and
friends. I believe intently in the power
of prayer. I have seen God do amazing
things through the heartfelt requests I
have made of Him.
Prayer is how we communicate with God.

It is our love language relationship to
Him. How long would your relationships
last if you never communicated? Probably not very long. God yearns to have a
relationship with us. He covets our faith
and prayers. When I was in my early
teens I prayed for my younger brother to
be saved. He was headed down a hard
path and I feared for him. I petitioned
that not only would he come to know
God, but that I would be there to see it.
Today my brother reaches others for God
behind a pulpit. Not only did God answer my plea, He exceeded it!
There are those who feel we are burdening God with our prayers, but scripture
tells us differently. God longs for us to
communicate with Him. Jesus even said,
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. Matthew 7:7 We are His
beloved children. He longs to have a relationship with us. As Jesus went on to
say, Which of you, if his own son asks
for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he
asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If
you, then, though you are evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7:9.
I recently watched the movie, Miracles
Prayer is a loving, enriching aspect of our

relationship to Him, that cannot be transcended simply because it is our intimate
connection with our Heavenly maker.
There are times when we dont get the
answers we so desire, but we must have
faith, that as Jesus said, our Father knows
whats best and wants whats best for us.
Gods mind was changed when Moses
asked Him to spare the people of Israel
(Exodus 32) and the future was forever
changed. A blind man called to Jesus,
who when quieted by the disciples, exclaimed all the more (Luke 18:35-42). It
was his persistence that won his healing.
It is stories like this that give us hope that
our appeals may yet be answered. One
thing I know for certain is that, The Lord
is near to all who call on him. Psalm

145:18a, and I dont believe in coincidence.
International Version
Which of you, if his

own son asks for
bread, will give him a
stone? Or if he asks
for a fish, will give
him a snake? If you,
then, though you
are evil, know how
to give good gifts to
your children, how
much more will your
Father in heaven give
good gifts to those
who ask Him!
~ Matthew 7:9 ~
Shannon Peiffer
THOUGHTS FROM A
RECOVERING SINNER
BY DAVE HUFF
Most of us are so busy and distracted in

our daily lives that we are looking for
shortcuts, principles and summaries to
make things easier. We commit to everything, or remain so noncommittal that
we postpone our decision-making (says
the man writing this to rush at the submission deadline).
We are the same when it comes to prayer.
We learn the acronyms and do them all.
We PRAY (praise, repent, ask, yield);
we ACT (adore, confess and thank); we
PUSH (pray until something happens; we
FROG (fully rely on God); we turn prayer
requests into to-do lists. It is one more
thing to master in our bag of Christian
disciple tools, so that we can move on to
the next one.
Once we master prayer, then it often becomes dominated by intercessory
prayer and forms of petitions to God. In
other words, we step into a situation and
beg for an answer that we prefer. It is not
really that negative, of course, and we are
to take our concerns to God. But I want
to draw us back to a new set of assumptions. Prayer is not a problem-solving
tool, it is a formation process. Instead
of concerns we raise, it is a way for us to
strip the faade away and be continually transformed ourselves. The primary
thing that is changed in prayer is us. We
begin with humility and patience in order
to build a relationship with a living God!
There are two practices I want to encourage for this: introspection and meditation. The two go hand-in-hand. In-
Dave Huff
trospection without directed or guided

meditation will lead to self-absorption.
Meditation without personal awareness
and humility does not move you outside
your own thoughts.
Introspection must be honest, critical
and reflective. It is often done best with
prayer journaling and with a close spiritual friend or mentor. Hard understandings about yourself come only when you
take the time to move beyond the surface. Where are your secrets? What do
you hide? What are your tendencies? Are
you on the verge of anger or rage all the
time? Do you honor your spouse and
treat him or her with respect. Do you listen to others when they talk to you? Do
you hear pain, sorrow or frustration? Or
do you merely wait till they are done before you give your opinion? Where are
your insecurities? Your addictions? Your
coping mechanisms? What masks do you
wear? What sins do you hide?
But, even if you go deep in introspection,
it can be quite depressing and hopeless if
you do not learn to have directed meditation. Most of us have very undeveloped
views of meditation. We often view it as
a kind of vague sense of focus on nature,
quiet time, silence, or listening to our
favorite music. There is nothing wrong
with that, of course, but is not the same
as guided meditation.
The first form of directed meditation is
called meditatio scripturarum, or meditation on scripture. Find a passage in
your Bible and read it through. Write
down the things that come to mind. Who

is Jesus talking too? What time of day is
it? What is the issue? How was it confronted? How was it resolved? Then shift
the focus. How does this apply to me?
When does Jesus come to me? What are
the issues that he wants to address in my
life? How am I doing so far? What does
he want to say to me? How does he wish
to affirm? Where do I find his love? Forgiveness? Mercy? What in me needs to
change that I may be more like Him?
The second form of directed meditation may be a specific scripture or short
prayer used continually. I use the Jesus
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ have mercy
on me, a sinner. This gives me a place to
come back to all the time. If I am examining my life and using scripture as a directing awareness, then the Jesus Prayer
becomes my ongoing reminder and practice. I can say the prayer over and over in
so many different ways. I can focus on
each word separately. I can let each aspect
of the prayer wash over me.
I will never master prayer. I will surrender to God continually. I will place myself
where God moves. I will seek humility,
transformation and ongoing conversion.
Slow down. Take time. Be changed.
[Google: Meditatio Scripturarum, Lectio
Divina, The Jesus Prayer]
THE NATURE AND

NURTURE OF PRAYER
BY LYNDSAY CROXFORD
Thank you, God, for to this day, for our

lovely food. Thank you for the cheese
and for our blessings. Amen. And to the
nourishment of our bodies.
This is the prayer my four-year-old recites before our meals. Its not a prayer
we taught her to say, but one she seems
to have pieced together from prayers shes
heard throughout her life. If we forget to
pray, she reminds us with haste, grabbing
our hands and squeezing her eyes with
intensity, speaking the words with all
the meaning her little heart can muster.
Sometimes words are added, and I wonder when the prayer will end, because
Im hungry and the food is only warm
for so long. At times like these, her twoyear-old brother has already said an audible, Amen! and is digging in with both
hands. My husband and I try to keep
from laughing and occasionally sneak
bites of food, not exactly sure well get to
eat otherwise.
Listening to my daughter pray causes me
to wonder about prayer, and whether its
something we are taught, or a need we
carry within us, or maybe a bit of both.
The week of my daughters first Thanksgiving, my family lost a friend that was
so dear, I couldnt imagine life without
her. We waited and we prayed, not knowing what would be written, but sure that
God would come through and answer
our prayers. After all, our friend was one
of the most amazing Christians I knew,
whose life truly exemplified Gods love
for others, who carried a gift of encour-
agement and an aroma of grace. But despite our prayers for a yes, God said,
no and my spiritual life immediately
turned onto a new path, one that was
completely unfamiliar to me - one that
caused any prayers I made to contain a
twinge of doubt, my stomach turning
with vulnerability.
A year later, I was asked to lead our
churchs mom group and realized at our
first meeting that I hadnt actually prayed
aloud since the loss of my friend, since
that prayer I had prayed with sweat and
tears. That whole season, I felt like a child
again, relearning all I had known about
God and prayer, finding myself relying on
the pure nature of prayer and erasing a
lot of what I had grown to believe about it
before that Thanksgiving. I felt like God
was writing a much simpler understanding of Himself on my heart - a message
of love. Not a simple love, but a deep love
that embraced me and my questions and
my grief and permitted me to merely rest
in Him. ...Be still and know that I am
God. (Psalm 46:10, NIV)
As my daughter grew older, we knew
prayer was important for her to hear
from her mommy and daddy, so my husband and I made a conscious effort to
pray aloud before meals and bed. And
as I grew more comfortable resting in
God, not having all the answers but still
choosing to seek God anyway, my prayers
aloud became a little more frequent so
my daughter would hear. And now that
my four-year-old is speaking words I
didnt even know she knew and telling

incredible stories, Im realizing that her
prayer life has already begun. Shes repeating some prayers she has heard, but
shes also speaking from her heart in a
way that cannot be taught - in a way that
can only come from her innate self, from
a place deep within her soul that existed
the moment her life began. And I now
know that I also have this written on my
DNA, this natural reaction to pray even
in those dark times when I was unsure
God was listening or even there.
So, as we raise these little children, we
pray for them and we pray aloud so they
can hear. We provide opportunities to
them to pray and pray aloud. We teach
them that prayer is a function of life, that
communicating with our Creator is necessary and natural. And then when we
hear them pray from their hearts, our
hearts are blessed by these little children
with whom God has entrusted us.
Thank you, God, for to this day, for these
little kids. Amen.
(Lyndsay Croxford is the author of A Year
in Color and A Year in Color Journal,
which are both a reflection of her ongoing
journey to discovering Gods love, and can
be found in the Christ Church bookstore.)
Lyndsay Croxford
CONFESSIONS OF A
PRAYER WIMP
BY THERESA CAVALIER
Prayer used to be something I turned to

when things went wrong or someone
asked me to pray for them. I believe that
God knows what is going to happen in
our lives, so really, what is the purpose of
prayer if the answer has been predetermined?
Now I know that through prayer, we
form a relationship with God. This relationship means we arent out there
on our own, left to figure things out for
ourselves, to deal with the troubles of life
alone. We also thank God in our prayers,
for all He has done for us and all He provides. We draw strength from praying
and experience the closeness to God that
comes from having a prayer life.
Abraham and Moses are two men who
had a direct pipeline to God, who continued to pray consistently and with
strength, even when they did not receive the answers they were hoping for. I
have a friend who is a lot like Abraham
and Moses. She is strong in her faith
and trusts God implicitly; she knows all
things come from Him. She also has a
strong prayer life. I truly believe she has
a direct pipeline to God and she definitely hears Him speak to her. I am sometimes amazed by this! I cant say that I
hear God speak directly to me very often.
A few years ago, I was going through a
rough patch and was out for my morning run. I try to spend at least part of my
time pounding the pavement talking to
God. I felt like my life was spinning out
of control and I practically yelled at God
to help me get control of my life! To
which He replied, You arent supposed
Theresa Cavalier
to have control of your life I am! I

heard that!
I have been told that God answers prayer
in three ways: yes, no, and wait. When
I receive a yes answer, I rejoice. When
I receive a no answer, I question. And
when the answer is wait, well, lets just
say that Im not the most patient person
in the world. I also believe that some
prayers are offered not expecting an answer, but to let God know we need Him,
like when I pray for strength, or ask Him
for guidance before I do something stupid. Many times, I feel like I float my
prayers up there and have no idea if He
is even listening, and then I forget about
it and move on. At least I move on until I
am bothered by the same thing yet again,
or a new problem arises. I guess you
could say that my prayer life is somewhat
inconsistent.
Realizing this, I began praying for God to
strengthen my prayer life, and I received
my answer in the form of an opportunity.
I am a member of the Metro East Board
of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
About a year ago, they wanted a board
member to be the prayer champion for
the Board. This would entail sending out
periodic e-mails requesting prayer for the
FCA staff, board members, and advisory board members. What better way to
strengthen my prayer life than by asking
for prayer for others? A prompting by
God caused me to volunteer and even
though some days Im all over it and other days I cant think of anything truly inspirational to say, I ask God to guide me,
and I hope that whatever I send out helps
someone that day.

I was reading a devotional recently and
came across the phrase prayer wimp.
And I thought thats me, Im a prayer
wimp! To say my prayer life is a work in
progress would be an understatement;
but Im working on it. My prayers are not
polished, and Im not all that comfortable
when I pray aloud in a group. I pray like
I talk, which isnt always a good thing. I
hear some people pray so eloquently, and
I am envious. But I know God hears my
prayers and accepts them as they are. I
humbly go to God with my requests and
in thanksgiving, and I know He is listening.
Do not be anxious about anything, but
in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
HOW LAUNDRY CHANGED MY

PRAYER LIFE
BY KELLI TOBIN
I have always struggled with a structured

prayer time. It was easier when I was
young and unmarried, but today, it seems
that theres always something that gets
my attention first. Whether its a meal to
make, dishes to wash, or laundry to fold,
I am guilty of wanting to cross off my todo list way more than I want to sit and
talk to God.
I know moms who get up before their
household to read the Bible, pray, and
drink a hot cup of tea. For me, Im always thinking about all that I can accomplish in those precious hours like working out uninterrupted, reading a book,
or sleeping. Ive set up routines before
to read my Bible and pray, but Ive never stuck with them. I give up, and then
dont do them at all. For me, an all or

nothing plan wasnt working.
After my son was born, managing the
house took on a whole new meaning,
and as we will add another baby boy to
the mix this fall, the dynamic will change
once again. I had to learn to find pockets of quiet time amidst all the doing
where I could talk to God, pray, listen
and just be. I think in different seasons of
our lives, God provides opportunities to
connect with Him in different ways. My
opportunity came in folding laundry. Every week, without fail, there are loads of
laundry to do at my house and loads to
fold. Each time I set a basket down at my
feet to fold, I use the time to specifically pray for the individual whose clothes
Im folding. Sometimes, its as simple as

thanking God for the person that wears
those clothes. Other times, God presses
on me to pray for my sons future friends,
spouse, and career. Regardless of the
prayer, I show up with a mound of mess,
and finish with a peaceful heart and a
folded basket.
I encourage you to think about how the
mindless tasks you do each week can be
turned into prayers at the feet of God.
He isnt bound by our busyness or circumstances, but desires to meet us in our
everyday lives. Use the small windows
of time in the drive-thru lane, waiting in
line at a store, or folding laundry to connect with Him in prayer and see if you
arent forever changed.
Kelli Tobin
Athletic Ministries Coordinator
KelliTobin@mychristchurch.com
TRUSTWORTHY
PRAYER
BY SHELLEY LORING
I know it is important to pray. I have

read books on prayer, I have done bible
studies on prayer, and even taken classes on prayer. I have prayer journals and
prayer lists, and even have a prayer app
or two. But just like I know that I should
exercise on a regular basis, but dont, I
know I should pray on a regular basis,
but dont.
Dont get me wrong, I love God. As a
matter of fact, I am probably more in love
with God now than ever before in my life.
Ive been known to pull the car over so I
can admire a sunrise or sunset and thank
God for the beauty He put in my path. I
have robust conversations with Him in
my car and I spontaneously lift people in
trouble or pain to Him all the time. But a
structured prayer life? Not me.
I have never had a problem going to God
on behalf of others, but it has always
felt selfish and greedy to ask Him to fix
my problem or provide something for
my needs. So instead I ask Him to help
my heart be at peace with whatever He
brings my way. I ask Him to align my will
with His. I ask Him to help me be a better
representation of Him on earth and I ask
Him to make me bold and to open my
heart to the possibilities of helping others, to make me a light in whatever dark
place they find themselves.
As I have matured, I have come to realize that God wants us to bring our specific needs to Him. Im not talking about
going to God with a wish list like a child
might craft for Santa Claus. Rather, He
wants us to bring our needs to Him be-
Shelley Loring
cause when we do, God helps us take

them from the abstract to the concrete.
The whole exercise helps us distill our
ill-defined wants or worries down to the
root cause of our pain or concern. The
more we can put words to our fears, the
less frightening they seem and the more
at peace we become.
Several years ago my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her prognosis was
grave, a matter of weeks, maybe months
we were told. Of course I prayed that
she would be healed and that I have the
strength to help her. I remember the
exact moment when my anguish overwhelmed me, and I escaped to the ladies
room at Dallas Presbyterian hospital,
pleading with God for a miracle. But I
also prayed that if He chose not to to heal
her, that he would help me to continue to
love and trust in Him as she died.
I got my miracle. Almost immediately, my fear and panic disappeared. The
feeling of peace and calm was visceral. I
knew right then that she would be healed
no matter what, but that God might take
her home to do so. In that moment, my
prayer turned from asking for her healing
to asking for faith in Him and His plan
no matter the outcome. I went from fear
and almost panic, to strength and peace. I
became strong and steady. The next several months were hard, as anyone who
has dealt with cancer knows, but my trust
in God and His plan never wavered. My
mother was healed and I am reminded of
that every week when I talk to her.
My experience is not unlike Jesus expe-
rience when praying the night before He

died. Jesus knew the suffering he would
have to endure and the human part of
Him was afraid and sorrowful. Jesus
went to God in prayer asking that if at all
possible, the cup be taken from Him. But
as he prayed, He acknowledged, not my
will Lord but yours. In response, God
sent an angel to strengthen Him . Jesus
trusted God with his fears. and in turn,
God strengthened Him. Jesus went from
fear to trust, from turmoil to peace, from
His will to Gods. (Matthew 26:38-42,
Luke 22:42-43, Mark 14:35-36)
Bringing our desires and concerns to
God requires us to consider how our
needs aligns with His plan. And when we
surrender to His will, God will take care
of our real need, the need for strength,
peace, and faith in Him, whatever the
outcome.
SHAMELESS
PERSISTENCE
BY WILL HOWELL
Have you ever been like me and felt that

you ask God repeatedly for the same
thing? If you are like I was, I felt condemned for going to God multiple times
and felt that I shouldnt be a bother to
the Almighty. Then one day I was reading Luke 11 which tells the story of Jesus teaching the people how to pray. He
told them about a man who was in need
and went to his neighbor for help. The
neighbor was inconvenienced and didnt
want to get up. In Luke 11:8, Jesus made
a powerful statement: But I tell you this
- though he wont do it for friendships
sake, if you keep knocking long enough,
he will get up and give you whatever you
need because of your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask
for. Keep on seeking and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be
opened to you.
The phrase shameless persistence is
what stood out to me. I read the note in
my study Bible and it reads Persistence,
or boldness, in prayer overcomes our
insensitivity, not Gods. To practice persistence does more to change our heart
and mind than His, and it helps understand and express the intensity of our
need. Persistence in prayer helps us recognize Gods work.
The question often asked is, If God honors our persistence, then why does it take
so long for it to come to pass? Daniel
experienced this in Daniel 10 when he
had been praying for the nation. In fact,
he prayed and fasted for 21 days before he received an answer. The angel of
the Lord appeared to Daniel and said in

verses 11-12: And the man said to me,
Daniel, you are very precious to God, so
listen carefully to what I have to say to
you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.
Dont be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day
you began to pray for understanding and
to humble yourself before your God, your
request has been heard in heaven. I have
come in answer to your prayer. But for
twenty-one days the spirit prince of the
kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then
Michael, one of the archangels came up
to help me and I left him there with the
spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.
Now I am here to explain
Daniel was persistent in praying for his
country and was prepared to starve himself to see his prayers answered. Whenever I feel that the answer is slow to come,
I am reminded of Daniel 9:22: Daniel,
I have come here to give you insight and
understanding. The moment you began
praying, a command was given. What a
powerful statement! At the very moment
that Daniel began praying, a command
was given! It wasnt what he did or who
he was, but the fact that he began praying
and the command was given.
but this woman is driving me crazy. Im

going to see she gets justice, because she
is wearing me out with her constant requests! (vs. 4-5) Jesus didnt stop there.
He went further to show how God views
this type of prayer. Even he rendered
a just decision in the end. So dont you
think God will surely give justice to His
chosen people who cry out to him day
and night? (v8)
There are many of us who are pursuing
God and pressing into something that
we feel in our spirit God is going to do.
The enemy will make you feel ashamed to
ask God repeatedly to grant the desire of
your heart. Dont stop pressing into what
you know God wants to do in your life.
Dont give up. Keep praying. Its effective
and powerful.
Living Translation.
Daniel wasnt the only persistent person

in the Bible. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus told
the story of a widow who came to the
judge and pleaded for justice against her
enemy. The judge refused to listen to her
case and ignored her. However, the widow did not give up. She went repeatedly
to the judge asking for justice to be granted on her behalf. What was his response?
I dont fear God or care about people,
Will Howell
THE HEARING PART

OF PRAYER
BY MATT RYGELSKI
A few weeks ago, I was privileged to be

invited to a very special class at Webster
University. It was scheduled for three
consecutive days, eight hours each day.
Initially, I hesitated committing, as it
looked pretty intense. And then, it was
announced to be set for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday days I would normally
choose to be anywhere but a claustrophobic classroom. I enjoy learning, but Im
not a huge enthusiast of sitting as a lecture student. The incentive of free breakfast and lunch helped, but I think it was
simply because the topic was so interesting that I was stirred to go.
There are over 23 million Americans aged
18 or older living with vision loss. That
number comprises people with a range
of vision difficulties, from those whose
vision cant be corrected with glasses, to
those who are totally blind.
Surprisingly, these individuals watch
more television and movies than those
with reliable vision. To do so, they use a
service called Audio Description; do a
YouTube search for a few examples. Its
humbling to hear an individual describe
the characters, action, sight gags and other visual information using nothing but
words while exercising great care to
not speak during any characters dialog or
voice-over announcer and not to interject
any opinion, commentary or personal interpretation.
I recently attended a seminar sponsored
by Webster University to learn how to
deliver Audio Description services. The
eye-opening (pun intended) three-day
Matt Rygelski
weekend classroom training session was

organized to bring that audio description
service to live theater and performance
art throughout the St. Louis region. It was
a great success, training over thirty volunteers, and setting the groundwork for
a service many may never even consider
exists. I never considered it should exist. I never considered what I see, what I
choose to see, or why I can see and others
cannot.
Just because someone has lost their sight
doesnt mean theyve lost their insight -as our instructor put it, just say what you
see. When forced to choose words to describe the things one sees, it is more challenging. At first, you see things through
your own perspective what I think that
person is going to do or how they feel, instead of simply observing that the person
is sitting, or tears are falling from their
eyes. I cannot interpret. Instead, I must
be a conduit. I have to separate from
eye.
Prayer is so similar! Prayer should be a
two-way conversation, not a one-way
broadcast. I want to hear the words in
those moments of silence. Stopping to listen for what God wants me to see, instead
of babbling on and bargaining for a list
of things that I think I want. Stopping to
hear and see all of Gods creation without
interjecting my judgment, prejudices or
opinion. Stopping to quiet that internal
voice of my ego and hear Gods voice describe what I am supposed to see -- what
my eyes are missing because my vision is
blurry, clouded and weak.
I believe the fourth chapter in Mark explains this idea well, as Jesus said, they
may indeed see but not perceive, and may
indeed hear but not understand (Mark
4:12, English Standard Version). Without
the extra effort, anything becomes meaningless ritual. Without a moment of stillness, how can a seed take root? To me,
prayer requires attention in the moment
and the readiness of seeing differently.
And he said to them, Pay attention to
what you hear: with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you, and still more
will be added to you. For to the one who
has, more will be given, and from the one
who has not, even what he has will be
taken away.
Mark 4:24-25 ESV
GOD AT WORK
NEW MEMBERS
JUNE 2016
Kenneth Chresos
Tammy Sibrel Colling
Julie Amlung
Matthew Amlung
Ivan Blackwell
Karen Blackwell
Craig Cantwell, Sr.
JULY 2016
Charles Ken Holdaway

Paul Dale Jones
Susan Louise Jones
Randy E. Smith, Sr.
Susan J. Smith
Randy Smith, II
Sarah Smith
Connor D. Hobson
Mark Anthony Hobson
Wendy Diane Hobson
Allison Jane Lysakowski
Melissa M. Nance
Kenneth C. Ragsdale
Amanda Mandi Seifert
Tia Thomas
AUGUST 2016
usan D. Procko
S
Eric J. Buehler
Terry Bill
Carol Amlung Hooten
Johnny J. Ray
Beth Martin
Gregory C. Martin
BAPTISMS
JUNE 2016
Peyton Abernathy
Terri Harkey
Jacob Kunde
Conrad Navarro, II
Rocky Seibel
JULY 2016
Maddox Carroll
Melissa M. Nance
AUGUST 2016
Hadlee Jo Severine
Haley Marie Tomanovich
Titan Ryder Tomanovich
Aria Beth Venable
Lyla Anne Venable
Eden Helene Venable
ATTENDANCE
2016
June Worship Average: 1831
June Connection Average: 340
July Worship Average: 2014
July Connection Average: 656
August Worship Average: 2259
August Connection Average: 315
WEDDINGS
John P Snyer & Allison Leigh Ann Krausz
August 27
GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Steve Rader
Job Title
Assistant Technical Director
Job Description
To help supply audio, lighting, and Computer Graphics for worship and
anything Nathan Tobin or Don Frazure tells me to do.
Where are you from?

I was born in Marion Illinois, moved to
Mount Vernon, Illinois, then Glen Carbon, then Fairview Heights.
What made you decide to attend
this church?
I started dating my wife and was not attending a church on a regular basis. One
day I asked her if she would mind if I
went with her. The rest is history.
What do you think delights God
above everything else?
Love.
What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how
did you do it?
I had a grandson die at birth. I feel what
helped me the most was spending time
working at church. I was a volunteer at
the time, but being around the people I
work with even now, watching and listening to their faith, helped me through that.
Those people probably have no idea how
much they helped.
When is it most difficult to trust
God? What about trusting other
people?
I have learned over time to trust God and
not question Him. Dont know if that just
comes with age or Im just finally starting
to smarten up a little. As far as trusting
people, I will trust you until you give me
a reason not to.
Do you feel you have a purpose or
calling in life?
Yes. I feel everyone has a purpose or calling in life. Unfortunately I feel I am still
trying to figure mine out. Hopefully I will
figure it out before I grow up.
How do your neighbors know you
are a Christian?
I probably talk about my involvement
with the church way more than they want
to hear about.
How would your life be different if
you knew Jesus was returning later
today?
It would not change anything He does
not already know. I figure if you start
changing just because you know He is
returning later today, youre just lying to
yourself and Him.
What dont you want said at your

funeral?
Sorry to ask you again but who did you
say this funeral is for?
If you knew you could try anything
and not fail, what dream would you
attempt?
Though I love working behind the audio
board, I would love to just once know
how to play an instrument. The gift that
has been given to musicians and vocalists to be able to make that small group of
people come together for that short period of time would be a rush.
If you could go on a road trip with
any person (dead or alive), who
would you choose and where would
you go?
My sister. She died way too early in life
and I squandered the time we had. I
would go anywhere she wanted to go.
What have you learned recently
from another Christian?
More patience.
Who do you respect the most?
My mother and father.
Do you have a nickname?

Due to autocorrect I now have the nickname of Stew.
What do you think you will be doing
five years from now?
Hope to still be working with the Tech/
Worship team at Christ Church.
What is your goal in life?
To live long enough to see my grandkids
grow to be adults and hopefully see great
grandkids. That would be a trip to have
great grandkids.
What are you best at doing?
Listening when someone needs to just
vent.
What ice cream flavor would you invent?
There really is no other flavor but chocolate is there?
What store in the mall would we
see you in the most?
The new store in the mall that deals with
used records and CDs (not much more
worthwhile in the mall anymore since
they took the book stores out).
How did you meet your spouse?

I was working on a friends house and the
woman he was dating at the time brought
us lunch. My wife came with her and so I
guess I have my very own lunch lady.
What world problem would you like

to see resolved this year?
How could anyone choose just one? So
many people going hungry unnecessarily,
people hating, killing each other. If I had
to pick just one, my first choice would
be to do everything possible to help the
starving, abused, bullied children, because they are the ones that have the least
amount of control over their situation,
and children are our future.
What attracted you to your spouse?

She brought me lunch. Feed me and Im
yours.
What dream have you yet to fulfill?

Drive the full Route 66 from start to finish on the motorcycle.
What do you think the secret to a

good life is?
Dont sweat the small stuff.
What advice would you offer to a

newlywed couple?
Talk, get your face out of the phone, computer tablet, and talk WITH each other.
Which souls of our society do you

think need the most help?
Politicians.
What advice do you have for the

young people at church?
Love God, trust the power of prayer,
everything happens in Gods time not
yours, put your electronics down and talk
with people, because all too soon those
people may be gone.
ALLIANCE
The highest compliment

I can receive is the referral
of friends, family,
& business partners,
Its a pleasure serving

our community
~ Thank You ~
Carie Bradshaw
(618) 593-3258
carie@cariebradshaw.com
Steve White
Steve.White@strano.com
Providing Our Community
and Military/VA with Options
Carie Bradshaw
(618) 593-3258
carie@cariebradshaw.com
Mobile: (618) 407-9110

www.strano.com/stevewhite
CHRIST CHURCH BUSINESS OWNERS

You can help Christ Church produce the Flame magazine by
becoming a sponsor. Call us at 618-277-4659 for details.
TURN YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS INTO

FINANCIAL SUCCESS.
Ryan Blaha
Fairview Hts
(618) 589-7047 x7047
ryanblaha.nm.com
05-4000 2015 The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (Northwestern Mutual).
Whether its business or family,

your legacy is important.
Let us help you protect it.
Representing the people and businesses of southern Illinois
for over 30 years in the areas of:
Wills, Trusts and Estates
Real Estate Law
Business/Corporate Law
Estate and Business
Litigation
Kurt S. Schroeder
(618) 239-3635
kschroeder@greensfelder.com
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. www.greensfelder.com

Offices in Belleville, IL St. Louis, MO Chicago, IL
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
ONE CHURCH - Multiple Locations

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS CAMPUS
COLLINSVILLE / MARYVILLE
CAMPUS
Service Times
Sundays 9:00am, 11:00am, 6:00pm
Wednesdays 6:30pm
Saturday 5:00pm
1908 Vandalia St, Collinsville, IL
339 Frank Scott Pkwy E, Fairview Heights, IL
SCOTT CAMPUS
MILLSTADT CAMPUS
4051 161 Highway East Belleville, IL

Service Times
Sundays 10:00am
Service Times
Sundays 10:00am
Millstadt Primary Center at 105 W Parkview Dr

in Millstadt, IL
Service Times
Sundays 10:00am
Learn more about Christ Church at
www.mychristchurch.com

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THE MAGAZINE OF CHRIST CHURCH

17 THE NATURE AND

by Rev. Shane Bishop

6 HOW DOES YOUR PRAYER LIFE

8 PRAYER THAT CHANGES

19 HOW LAUNDRY CHANGED MY

9 THE THREEFOLD CORD

22 THE HEARING PART OF PRAYER

by Urban and Carrie Gaxiola

11 IM NOT FEELN IT!

14 PRAYER: A SPIRITUAL LEGACY

15 INTIMACY WITH GOD

The Flame Magazine is a quarterly magazine published by Christ Church.

FROM THE EDITOR

Mission Of The Flame

Be inspirational through biblical articles

My prayer is that you will be encouraged

The Flame Online:

Get The Flame Magazine online. Sign

Questions about the Flame?

Contact the Editor, Carrie Gaxiola, at:

THE FLAME // FALL 2016

STANDING ON FIRM GROUND

Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor

FALL 2016 // THE FLAME

people most of the time (not some of the

3) Why is everyone not healed?

There are three questions we must ask

Are any of you sick? They should

1) Does God care about our physical

I often pray for people to be healed. If

When you toss all this in a blender, I

2) Does God still heal people today?

Gods power by praying for each other,

Why do we pray? Prayer is an act of

Through the years in which our team has

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three

Womens Intercessory Prayer Team.

Romans 8:27 And he who searches our

For where two

THE FLAME // FALL 2016

HOW DOES YOUR PRAYER LIFE

I hope the following interviews with a

Why do you pray?

FALL 2016 // THE FLAME

periencing this depth causes me to want

Please describe your prayer life :

At what point in your life did you

the Lord then turn strong to meet your

Do your prayers tend to be free

it to light via a surgery. Flat on my back,

What is the most important item regarding prayer in your opinion?

What would you say to someone

gree, thinking and prayer life become

If your child stopped praying what

How has your prayer life evolved

LW - If your prayers line up with His will,

THE FLAME // FALL 2016

PRAYER THAT CHANGES

Lord, Teach us to Pray. Luke 11:1

Every time I think - I Pray

Dr. Steve Heitkamp

FALL 2016 // THE FLAME