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| Name: | Lee |
| E-mail address: | lee@aol.com |
| Homepage URL: | http://arts32101.110mb.com/ionamin/ionamin-15-mg.html |
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| Name: | Jade |
| E-mail address: | jade@msn.com |
| Homepage URL: | http://humano.ya.com/nicsol/nationwide-online-banking/banking-accounts.html |
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| Name: | Tom & Kimberly |
| Enter Prayer: | Please pray that God will heal Tom & Kimberly's marriage. After 24 years Kimberly decided that she didn't want to be married anymore. Please pray that God will make Tom the man that He wants him to be and the Husband that Kimberly needs him to be. Pray that God will protect and watch over Kimberly and their children while their father is out of the house. We claim “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Matthew 19:6 |
| Name: | Riley |
| E-mail address: | riley@telusplanet.net |
| Homepage URL: | http://slila.sitesled.com/seroquel/quetiapine-fumarate.html |
| Enter Prayer: | Thank you for your site. I have found here many useful information... Visit alprazolam overnight ... aciphex ... and have fun! |
| Name: | Terre Dorward |
| E-mail address: | tldky@webv.net |
| Enter Prayer: | Please pray that my Dilantin blood level test will report a level much high than needed and that my mild epilepsy will be cured and I may stop taking Dilantin and any other medication; also, that my relationships are healed and restored. |
| Name: | Dennis Yarbrough |
| E-mail address: | yarbroughdennis@aol.com |
| Enter Prayer: | God bless the saints who offered prayers for all of us... |
| Name: | Kathy Abbott |
| Enter Prayer: | Be Still and Know
a prayer testimony. Many of you are aware that I have been practicing yoga for several years and that I also decided to seek teacher certification to teach yoga. I received my certification and am currently teaching in Tullahoma. Sue Turner asked if I could share my experience of how yoga has affected or made a difference in my prayer life. I will start with scripture from Psalm 46:10 "...let be and be still and know that I am God." These words have always been very powerful to me and through the practice of yoga and God's grace I have come to appreciate and have a deeper understanding of them. The word yoga, derived from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, means to bind join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one's attention on to use and apply. It also means union of communion. (Light on Yoga) The sages who developed this science and philosophy were intent on uniting and the powers of the body , the mind, and the spirit as one whole so that in turn one might be completely aware and united with God's Divine presence within. The practice of the yoga poses (positions) help promote a strong healthy body and Pranayama (the practice of breath awareness and control) help create awareness of strength through stillness and calms the agitated mind. My prayer life began to change as I found that when I sat down to pray I found myself longing to be silent in God's presence. Rather than the usual outpouring of all my thoughts, needs, and requests in words, I realize in the stillness of those thoughts and words I became aware of a deep longing in my heart to know God and just "be" in His presence. In yoga we learn to "let go" and be fully present in the moment. This same practice enriched my prayer life as I learned to let go of self and trust the Holy Spirit to lead my prayer. Romans 8:26-27 speaks to this grace in our lives... "meanwhile, the moment we get tired of waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we do not know how or what to pray it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves and keeps us present before God" (The Message) This scripture has become so real to me. Words alone cannot express the deep longing of the Spirit and I find myself sometimes just sitting in awesome wonder of the love and compassion of Jesus welling up inside or the incredible awareness of God's presence in me and all living things and that we are all one in Him. It is not always easy to quiet the "busy-ness" of the mind or to even find a few minutes of quiet time and space to center my heart and attention completely in God's presence. It is a discipline of daily practice just like my yoga practice. Discipline and daily practice have never been my favorite terms as I used to view them as a loss of personal freedom. During the yoga, teacher training program I had to log 500 hours of personal practice. I moaned and groaned through about the first 150 hrs of this until I began to experience incredible benefits Ex., flexibility, and balance, strength, ability to deal with stress and more compassion for myself and others, freedom from fear of failure or inadequacy. Amazing!! I began to experience more freedom and joy in my daily practice and the phrase "daily discipline or practice" took on new meaning in my life. I truly believe this was God's grace leading me on this path of discovery. I discovered what was already inside me. As I practice centering prayer and learn to quiet my thoughts, to be silent trusting God, this place of silence becomes a place of rest in Him in the midst of this busy restless world. I do not always experience great feelings nor am I always able to stop the restless thoughts and silence is not always my prayer life, but the practice of this quiet centering prayer has become a deep abiding part of my faith journey. The quiet prayer of the heart is powerful and I am slowly learning His truth that to die to self, to be as nothing, is to come fully alive in Him. In this silence I stop searching for God "our there somewhere", but instead become aware of His Divine presence in me bringing me into communion with Him. I am thankful for God's grace and the leading of the Hoy Spirit on this path. "...meditation and contemplative prayer is not so much a way to find God as a way of resting in Him whom we have found, who loves us, who is near to us, who comes to us to draw us near to himself." -Thomas Merton Contemplative Prayer. - Kathy Abbott Prayerroom Article -March 2003 |
| Name: | Sharon Martini |
| Enter Prayer: | Cancer Changes Lives – Not Always for the Worse.
It was quite an ordeal - breast cancer detection, surgery, and follow-up radiation treatments. A mixed bag full of fear and illness was countered with more love and moral support than I’ve ever felt in my life. It was so very clear that God was with me each and every step of the way. Prayer was such a vital part of it all. As I stressed through detection at the Breast Center at Harton, I prayed, and received comfort and support by the technician Bev Bergevin. She called and assured me she’d be waiting for me when I arrived for the diagnostic mammogram. God had sent a friendly face from my Trinity family to aleve the fear! My name appeared in every Sunday bulletin prayer list for several months both here at Trinity and at my son’s, Jeff’s, church in Houston. Prayer has great power and I felt both humbled and uplifted by being named..Every day in every way, Ron, my husband’s love was evident. We prayed and after 36 years of marriage our love grew even deeper through this ordeal. God had blessed me. On to the follow-up radiation. (something we’re told we should avoid at all costs was now being prescribed as part of the cure). God, are you sure? At the end of each of the 33 treatments I received a type written prayer for healing from the 2 very gentle, caring technicians. After my last treatment they laid hands on me and said a moving prayer of healing. God was present. Friends in my Alpha group also reached out and laid hands on me and offered healing prayers. Letters, calls, emails, and cards came from old friends and family members. Many reminding me that I was in their prayers. The “why me” question of misery turned into a “why me” question of so bountifully blessed. Cancer changes lives – not always for the worse! Pray, believe with your whole heart. God listens! P.S.—Two weeks after my treatments ended my 28 yr. old daughter-in-law, Carey who is also the mother of one month old Noah, had a swollen thyroid and underwent a biopsy because pre-cancerous nodules were suspected. Prayers from Trinity, her church, family and friends poured forth. The biopsy results were negative. Glory to God! He IS good! - Sharon Martini Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God… Prayerroom Newsletter - February 2003 |
| Name: | Homer Kelley |
| Enter Prayer: | Christmas Project Miracles.
There were many, many interesting and meaningful experiences during this Christmas project. First, we are blessed to have such a generous, caring and concerned congregation and concerned merchants and citizens of Tullahoma. Some of the experiences that I am aware of are: Linda Titus former member of our Church, runs a Pre School Day Care Center. She called (last year also) and said they had some food for our Basket Project. I said fine when would she like me to pick it up. Just give us 5 minutes notice, for the kids want to present the food to you and she wanted to take pictures. She told me to drive up in the back (normally closed) drive way. I arrived and wandered around outside for a few minutes, I could see the kids through the window, they were all excited and waving, after a moment or two, they all came out, each with a bag of food some bigger than themselves. All twenty-six of these beaming and excited little people gathered around me and presented me with their bags of food, each saying “We have food for your Christmas Baskets Mr. Kelley”, I was more than excited as they presented me with the food, then to make it even better, they all sang “Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. That made my day. Linda also gave us a Play House for the Nursery Playground. Gene and Rick Davis had two baskets to deliver out in rural Moore County. They found the first place, and these people said the Lord has answered their Prayers, for they had no food in the house and did not know where the next meal would come from. They thanked the Davis’s very much and wished them well. The Davis’s proceeded on to try and locate their second family. They finally found the address, but there was a locked gate and no house to be seen. They could not find anyone who knew the whereabouts of the family. So having seen the need at the first house, they went back to leave the family a second basket. The people said they knew the Lord was taking care of them, for they had just given thanks for the first basket, and here they were getting another. Tommy and John Soileau had a couple to deliver, and one place they went was for two elderly handicapped adults, both were in wheel chairs, it was cold and dark in their apartment. They were very grateful for the food, and said that their power had just been turned off. They knew they were behind on their bill, but was surprised it was cut off so quickly. The TUB officials were contacted, and said the power should not have been turned off, however there had been a power outage in that location and they would dispatch a technician to insure power was properly restored. These people were very thankful that people from our Church and the TUB who cares about them and their welfare were willing to insure all was well. The Lock family made one delivery where the family was so thankful the man got real emotional and started crying. When Karen returned to the car, she was crying, and her husband wanted to know what was wrong; she said, “The man was crying and it got to her so she cried too.” I am sure there are many stories that I am unaware of. People who participated were many: The Turner family The Chessors The Walters family Sharon May & husband The Campbell family The Frederick family The Hollon familly The Elam Family The Waller family Bob and Rob Paulk The Peltons Gene & Rick Davis The Jim Smith family Joanne & Cody Quillen The Stantons Dick & Anna Hettland The Greg Smith family The Tripp Family PL & PM Jim and Shelby Herron The Soileaus The Lock family PV & Ruth Denise Kelley The Donahues John Hershey Susie & Lorne Wilde The persons above helped distribute the food, many, many more participated by giving money, food and or gifts. I thank God for him allowing me to administer this project. Peace—Homer Kelley Prayerroom News Article - January 2003 |
| Name: | the Davis Family-Rick and Patti |
| Enter Prayer: | Prayer Works, Again!
In the Davis family, we were recently reminded that prayer works. Not something we forgot, simply a renewal experience of faith that our God, Father, and an extraordinary Creator loves us enough to hear all our prayers. The following is offered for your renewal of faith that prayer works…it works every time. Answered Prayer – Barbara Dimitri Barbara has been a friend of mine for about 17 years. I met Barbara through the Brownie/Girl Scout program at Rock Creek School when our two daughters were starting in the Scouting program. From the beginning I knew that Barbara was a special person. She always thinks about the other person before herself, she always goes out of her way to help, she always cares and she always smiles. The past 3 years have been a challenge for her as she lost her brother, then her father and last April she lost her mother after caring for her with Alzheimer’s disease. Barbara never complained about being the primary caregiver for her parents before they passed away. She felt that this is what she was called to do. In June Barbara got sick with a cold. She was having a hard time breathing so she went to Harton Hospital. She was told that she had cancer in the lung and in her liver. All of us were devastated. Many friends put Barbara on prayer lists at their churches including Trinity. Her daughter was getting married in September and we all prayed that Barbara would be at Tara’s wedding. We went to see Barbara and when Rick and I walked into the room God’s presence was surely felt. Worried that we wouldn’t know what to say we both said silent prayers that God would help us find the words. He did. After hugs and a few tears Barbara looked at all us and simply said “If it is God’s will that I die then okay and if it’s God’s will that I live than that is even better. It’s in His hands.” As the chemo treatments took their toll on Barbara she kept the same faithful, positive outlook. After her initial MRI results showed that the cancer was shrinking Barbara simply replied “I knew that God wasn’t done with me here and He has bigger plans for me.” Before Thanksgiving Barbara had her routine MRI and the cancer is GONE! Praise God. Barbara was right, it is all in God’s hands and all we have to do is ask. What an awesome God. Prayers are answered everyday. How blessed we are! P.S. Tara did get married and her mother looked beautiful. -Patti Davis Answered Prayer – Markie Haston Markie is a friend that loves the work of caregiving. She dedicates her service time to making certain one very special lady remains safe and comfortable at home. Last week, Markie called the office requesting time off to care for a sick child. In an explanation of the situation, we found that her son was recently diagnosed as having cancer, the type that spreads/finalizes quickly. She said it must be serious since the physician’s staff expressed their sorrow for having to offer such devastating news. After our conversion, we called Sue and put Markie’s request for prayers on the Prayer Chain. Several days later, Markie requested a second day off to go to Nashville for another medical scan and possible surgery to visit the extent of the cancer’s progress. Following that visit, the day before Thanksgiving, we got a call from Markie stating that the cancer had disappeared and the symptoms related to the condition were reverting. What a Thanksgiving treat! We called Markie on Thanksgiving Day to thank her for allowing all of us to become involved. Our call took place after their family’s Thanksgiving Day meal; we found that their time of celebration included thanks for your prayers and honor to God for being the faithful God, Father and extraordinary Creator…one more time. -Rick Davis PrayerRoom News Article December 2002 |
| Name: | Mike Stanton |
| Enter Prayer: | Enter Prayer—A Testimony
The first 28 years of my life I was a Roman Catholic. Thanks to my mother, she made sure that my brother Dave and I attended church each Sunday (well most). When I was about 16 years of age my dad who had been a non- practicing Protestant joined the Catholic Church and became quite active. Although I remember attending catechism classes my involvement in the life of the parish was limited to church attendance. Certainly it was my responsibility and opportunity to draw close to my Lord but I wasn’t going to have any part of it. Sara and I married in 1965. For the first 6 years of our marriage we attended her church (Church of God) and my church (Roman Catholic) on many Sunday mornings. We didn’t agree until 1971 to compromise—then we joined Trinity Lutheran Church primarily because the Rev. A. Richard Smith was pastor (we did not know that Paul Frank was the associate pastor)—(two wonderful Godly men). From 1971 until 2002 Sara and I have been members of Trinity… We have been so blessed. Pastors A. Richard Smith, Paul Frank, Ted Zimmerman, Dennis Yarbrough, Jim Hansen, Garry Vogelpohl, and Matt / Libby Manning have all offered Christ centered ministries with limitless opportunities for service to our Lord. Trinity congregation has always possessed strong lay leadership. From 1971 until June, 2002 I did just about everything to resist committing to active participation for any length of time. How could I have rejected the opportunity to draw closer to my Lord? Well it was easy—I was having a pretty good time—I had a wonderful devoted, faithful wife, 3 terrific children (I am a bit prejudiced of course), great job (Counselor and coach at Tullahoma High School both of which I enjoyed most of the time), friends, good health, etc. Sin certainly separated me from my Lord – I had my share & maybe more –so when I spent time around various people for whom I had great respect I sensed that they had something I lacked—a relationship with Jesus Christ—I watched them conduct them-selves in various situations- they respected themselves and others, tended to be less selfish, gave of themselves in the life of the congregation, demonstrated self- control (tongue, primarily), actively pursued a relationship with Christ thru scripture, prayer, sacraments and frequently were involved with the fellowship of believers. The result was a sense of peace – something I knew I did not have. In May of 2002 I attended a meeting of the Mutual Ministry Committee of which I was a member. Pastor Libby Manning introduced at that meeting the idea of “Care calling” the congregation. Each member would call approximately 20 families apiece about 3-4 times per year. We asked each member if they had any concerns, suggestions for life at Trinity and do you have anyone for whom you would like to lift up prayer? Well I was not real excited about making the contacts so much so that I put it off until 2 days before our next meeting in mid-June. Much to my surprise I really enjoyed the experience so much so that I created my own little book of care calling consisting of members who were ill or alone in and outside our congregation. (The Lord was fully behind this care calling idea—Pastor Libby was the angel or spirit or however you wish to title God at work) The recipients of my calls were blessings to me—little did I know that would be the result- The courage of seriously ill people with whom I spoke was so inspirational—widows living alone shared their faith—and I thought I would call and try to console them—Now I was finally beginning to see that God who had long been knocking on my door was making some real headway. If I could only get out of the way and let him into my life. On June 20, 2002 with no forewarning whatsoever my life was about to experience incredible change. I woke up at 5:30AM – very unusual for me—since I knew that it would be hot that day I decided that I would get up and take my usual 2-mile walk. When I completed half of it I was only a few blocks from Trinity so I started heading down that way only to extend the walk—(I was feeling good-it was reasonably cool), but as I neared the church I began thinking of various people in and out of our congregation who were experiencing serious illness. So I decided that I would enter and pray. Well I left the building and as I headed home I began thinking how good it felt to pray for people. Since June 20 I make that walk to Trinity and pray 4-5 times per week. (Christ is the reason I am making the walks—no way for any length of time would I have committed to something that crazy!) Getting up some mornings is not easy but once I start walking I look forward to getting in the sanctuary to pray. Conversing with God in solitude is incomparable. I really believe it’s He & me. I also believe that he answers my prayers. (I don’t pretend to know how or when but I trust Him) Having made the walk every morning from June 20 till July 3, I knew that life was really getting strange but I was getting excited. On July 3rd my wife had just come home from Scandinavia. In the early morning hours of July 4 I woke up (3:52 AM) and I had lots of trouble sleeping- so I went to the bathroom came back and gave it another try—no luck—I returned to bed-I began thinking about how my life was changing—(enjoying care calling?, looking forward to 5:30 AM walks to church to pray?-I began weeping just like a baby)--Sara woke up and said what is going on with you?—I said that I just can’t believe what is happening to me—they were tears of joy! The next morning (Pastor V was in Ukraine) so I called Pastor Smith (Trinity’s pastor from early 50’s to early 90’s). He invited me to breakfast with him in Winchester. Later we went to his office at the University of the South (Professor in School of Theology). He was very helpful—he listened to what I was experiencing—suggested that I may be receiving a call from God—citing many people who had had a similar experience to mine. I was very thankful for the opportunity to listen and unload. Sara was well aware that some crazy stuff was happening to me—at times she wasn’t sure what to make of it—but withheld any conclusions until things settled down. I called our son Shawn, our daughters Joy and Cyndi, my brother in Maryland, my nephew and nieces in New Jersey, my two closest friends Jerry Mathis and Bob Young. I e-mailed Pastor Zimmerman in China, and Pastor Frank in Nashville. The day after Pastor V and Ruth came home from the Ukraine I called them—It was a Saturday but I didn’t care –I knew that they would be excited—I sure was excited and wasn’t about to sit on it— Later that week I had really great meetings with Pastor Libby and Pastor Matt and Pastor V. I wanted to tell the world how Jesus had come into and become an integral part of my life. I gave testimonies July 17 at the Nazarene Church in Jasper, Fellowship Of Christian Athletes in Tullahoma, August 19 and First Methodist Church in Tullahoma on September 29. Then on Oct.13 I was given the opportunity to share a testimony with my congregation. Wonderful renewal experiences followed: a 4-day spirit-filled retreat called A Walk to Emmaus in late August in Winchester. On August 21 a 10 week series called Alpha commenced. Both studies were focused on having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Both courses are difficult to adequately describe—But highly recommended! I recognize that I have only begun— I pray that little by little I can give more of myself to God’s work. Now I look forward to my first Christmas as a Christian—now that will be so exciting!! by- Mike Stanton Prayerroom Article November 2002 Issue |
| Name: | Tina Lawson |
| Enter Prayer: | God is always with you!
============================ At the church I grew up in, every Sunday the preacher would have an invitation to those who needed prayer, make a public confession, or to talk about Baptism. I remember very well....while routinely getting ready for church, I became violently sick to my stomach. My mother tried to convince me to stay at home. Although I was tempted to stay in my comfy bed, I had an overwhelming feeling that I HAD to go. I felt if I did not get to church that something terrible would happen. When I arrived at church, the service unfolded as usual. However, this time, when the invitation began, I began to cry. I tried to fight the feeling. I hoped it would soon go away. I cried so hard. I kept thinking to myself that I wasn't ready to commit to Christ. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as the overwhelming feeling continued. I thought, "How long is this song?" What seemed like forever, the song that I knew well and had sung many times before was nearing the end. I knew it was time for me to be Baptized. As graceful as I could, I walked from the back pew to the altar to meet the preacher. All I could choke out was, "I am ready." I was Baptized the following week. Two days after my Baptism, one of my friend and I went cruising. Although she was usually a careful driver, we had a wreck. The car was wrapped around a tree on my side. I had my seatbelt on before we hit the tree. However, I was ejected from the car before impact. The police officer that arrived on the scene was as astonished as I was. Neither my friend nor I were harmed. Not long ago, I had discovered a lump in my breast. I was scared. Although the Pastors are understanding, I couldn't bring myself to tell them until the day I was scheduled to see the doctor. During the doctor's examination, another lump was discovered. This concerned me. Knowing how upset and worried I was, Pastor V told me that I did not have to come in the morning of the mammogram. However, I had this feeling again. The same one that saved me. Again, I tried to resist because I couldn't understand it. Filled with worry and concern, I couldn't sleep the night before; but, I still wanted to go to work. Right before I went to the hospital for my test, Pastor V asked if I could come to his office so we could pray before I left. I was surrounded by friends. Each person laid their hands on me. Although I was unable to tell whose hand was on my shoulder or on my head, I was able to tell how much love was in the room. Tears were rolling down my face. All my fear had vanished. I felt so peaceful. Several days later, my tests returned and they were negative (which is a positive thing!--no cancer--not even the need for surgery!) Thanks to everyone who prayed for me. There are many caring people at Trinity! I have always known that God's presence is all around. I hope everyone experiences God. Always remember that prayer is powerful. Talk to HIM, HE listens. Thanks be to GOD! In Christian Love– Tina Lawson PrayerRoom NewsLetter Article October 2002 Issue |
| Name: | Harvey Carter |
| Enter Prayer: | A Woman of Faith in Berdichev
================================ By now you’ve probably heard many stories about the recent trip to the Ukraine, undertaken by some members of the Trinity family. I hope that you can stand one more, and I’ll try to make it short. It was determined before we left Tullahoma that our group would perform a skit to illustrate Gods’ everlasting love and a good example of this would be the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector found in Luke 19:1-9. We hoped to portray from the Bible that God did offer them hope. Shannon Tripp would play Zacchaeus, Laura Carter, the tree which he (she) climbed, P.V. would narrate the story and the rest of our group portray the crowd wanting to see Jesus, provided with a beard and shawl, and to tell the truth, in costume, I felt kind of silly. In the skit, P.V., would start telling the story, the crowd gather, and at the appointed time I came onto the scene, shaking hands, greeting people and trying not to look too foolish. As I approached the tree (Laura) I would see Zacchaeus (Shannon) and call, “Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree. Today, I dine at your house.” (Or words to that effect). We performed the skit at several churches and Orphanages and I feel was appreciated and enjoyed by both children and adults. Near the end of our stay in the Ukraine, we performed at an old folks home in Berdichev. On this particular day, P.V. was instructing in a Bible Institute so John Soileau substituted as narrator when we started our program. The people at the home were arranged in a semi-circle, making it easy to greet them as I walked around with my beard and shawl shaking hands and giving Gods’ Blessing. Near the end of the circle of people, an elderly woman, wearing a babushka (hair scarf), with a beaming face and tears in her eyes clutched my extended hand and kissed it. I moved on, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I still can’t. I wonder what stories the lines on her face could tell. How many of her friends or relatives were sent to the Gulags under the cruel communist dictatorship of Stalin. How many acquaintances disappeared into death camps or were executed under the nazi occupation. AND SHE STILL HAD FAITH. She makes me wonder. Would my faith be as strong as hers, if I had endured what she did? If I knew my home was being watched, would I go ahead and hold a church service there? If the KGB, (Soviet secret police) had a file on me for attending church, would that file be empty or full? Something else happened to me. After meeting this woman of such great faith and hope, I didn’t feel so silly anymore. Dear Lord, Continue to cover us with your everlasting love through good times and bad. At all times, Lord may we have the faith and trust like this woman from Berdichev. AMEN. By– Harvey Carter - PrayerRoom NewsLetter Article September 2002 |
| Name: | Bobbie Morse |
| Enter Prayer: | The Bells of Trinity Ring
============================== Our hand bells and choir will be 30 years old this December. It was the first Lutheran Bell Choir in Tennessee. Most of the original members were in their mid-teens and their director was Mrs. John Nicholson. Our Bell choir has seen much change and growth. We are blessed to have one of the original choir members …. our very own Betsey Walker Elam. Betsey is a very talented lady able to play any position needed. Our church has been blessed with men and women dedicated to enriching our worship service through the use of English hand bells and recently acquired melody chimes. We start each rehearsal with a prayer because we have discovered that a rehearsal without God is not successful. Oh we still ring bells, visit with each other and work hard, but we have discovered if we play without inviting our Heavenly Father to be present with us; our music is just human noise. When we invite Him our rehearsals are rewarding and successful. He has provided the hand bells, melody chimes and talent to the members of Trinity and I believe our Father is waiting to hear our musical prayers and praise from his children. English hand bells and melody chimes are not just for adults. Our Logos group proved that this past year. All God’s children can and do enjoy playing hand bells/chimes. In September 2001, our young people held a youth led service. They formed a praise team, led the liturgy, played instruments, sang and played hand bells (some for the first time) and did an excellent job. This year we used our melody chimes during our first summer music camp. Hand bells/chimes can be used for worship services, i.e., Sunday worship, weddings, funerals (tolling), Christmas, Easter and concert programs. They can be played solo, in ensembles or choirs, combined with voices, or with other instruments. Now comes the time to present and thank our bell choir members for their dedication. Our members are: Beverlee Bergevin, Lil Breed, Linda Cribb, Betsey Elam, Rebekah and Scott Julian, Ethel Kelley, Al and Muriel Ketchum and Vera Koger. We still have one more octave of bells in need of ringing. We extend an invitation to music lovers to come and join us in supporting our worship service. If playing hand bells/chimes will not fit in your schedule at this time please remember our choir members need your prayers. Thank you. By– Bobbie Morse PrayerRoom Newsletter August 2002 Issue |
| Name: | Diann Tieman |
| Homepage URL: | http://prayer.trinitytullahoma.org/images/marvRachelsm.jpg |
| Enter Prayer: | My story
===================== I have never written a testimony before and have never really felt a need to. When I was in Romania, my niece Kay, asked me the simple question, “What is your testimony going to be?” Then she said, “You know, when something is given, you are called to affirm or to testify to it”. I will tell you my story and I don’t know if it will be classed as a “testimony” but it is my story. I have learned and grown in faith by seeing it in others so my testimony is as much about others as it is about me. I have seen evidence of faith that has surrounded me and sustained me when I was weak. Kay has had Rachael’s picture on her refrigerator and prayed for her everyday. She took her picture to work and told everyone who came in to pray for her. She has been on the prayer list at Kelly’s church for over a year. My church family has prayed for Rachael for three years. I believe that Rachael was also surrounded, sustained and given hope through this prayer. She told everyone 10 months ago that she was coming to America. She gave her things away saying that she would not need them as she was going to have a Mother and Father. At school, she got in trouble for telling everyone that she was coming to America.. I even said, “ she must know something that I don’t.” I think she did. We received an e-mail from Dr. Gundavich in Romania asking us to do more to get her out, that she would be devastated if we could not get her. What else could we do? We had done absolutely everything we knew to do and some things that we didn’t know if we should have done, like venting our frustrations to people in charge. I was so scared that we had started something that we could not finish.. I prayed, “please, please let us do no harm”. Marv had the fortitude and the staying power and the faith and kept telling me it was going to be all right. When we explained to Andreea that we would not bring Rachael home with us when we went in June, and that it might be a long, long time before we got her, with ridicule she said, “How do you know?” Kay and I started using that phrase as a statement of faith whenever the words can’t, or won’t was used to describe something about the adoption process. The day before we left for Romania, we were told that adoptions would maybe start up again this Oct. and that there were rumors that it might be a year from this Oct. Kay said, “How do you know?” When we arrived at our hotel in Bucharest, Val, from our adoption agency, was waiting for us in the lobby and told us that he had our papers in hand, signed and sealed. It was done, over, finished, completed, Rachael was ours and we just had to walk the finished paperwork through the channels. There were 33 families from the United States given permission to finish their adoptions and our number was 1034 out of 4000. Val could not believe we were one of the 33. He said that there were families that had a court date and were further along in the process that were not included in the 33. What is my testimony? I have been blessed by God through many people who have pushed, pulled, tugged and showed the way for me to grow in faith. I have been given the gift of Rachel. I have been given much and I am truly grateful. I pray for the children of Romania and for families that are still in the struggle of adoption. When I pray that prayer, I believe I am held responsible, am called, to ask for guidance to do everything in my power to help these children. Kay asked me if we had gotten Rachel 3 years ago, if we would have made the commitment to Romania that we made with the Nova 2002 children’s home. I don’t honestly know. I would like to think that we would have. By– Diann Tieman - Prayerroom Newsletter July 2002 Issue |
| Name: | Debbie Barnes |
| Enter Prayer: | The Call to LOGOS
==================== I believe in the LOGOS vision, which was introduced to me at a three-day LOGOS training session I attended two years ago. That vision is: “Growing up in today’s world is tough! Youth and children must be able to face this reality and live with purpose, hope, faith and joy. We believe passionately that these qualities of life are uniquely found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. LOGOS exists to help the church foster this relationship through a proven system of nurturing ministry.” Serving as director of LOGOS at Trinity has been the most fulfilling work that I have ever taken on at our church. Why? Christian relationships! Through LOGOS, I have witnessed and experienced the development of many Christian relationships. Children who were previously unacquainted have become friends in a healthy, safe Christian environment. Children are building relationships with several different adults each week who serve as Bible study teachers, recreation leaders and worship skills leaders. Members of our congregation without young children are serving as table parents during LOGOS family time and are growing friendships with the youth at Trinity. Our pastors are all involved in LOGOS (or FISHY!), and so our children are building relationships with them each week, too. LOGOS parents build friendships as they decorate tables together, wash many dishes, and have fun cooking in the LOGOS kitchen. And foremost, relationships with Jesus are under construction in all parts of LOGOS each week! LOGOS requires significant time, talents, and energy from many members of our congregation. It is a laborious undertaking! But, what could be more important than helping our children develop their faith in Jesus and preparing them for a life of Christian discipleship! Wow! If, with God’s guidance, we can succeed as a congregation to help our children in doing just that, wouldn’t that be great! My commitment to LOGOS is a Christian obligation that I feel I must do for our youth. It is my current “call” in the church. And that word, “call,” leads me to the meat of my article. The LOGOS training school I attended was a wonderful event. I frequently and fondly remember what a great educational and spiritual experience it was for me. (It is my dream that others in our congregation might also attend, whether or not you are officially involved in our LOGOS program.) One of the theology application sessions was entitled “The Practice of Call.” This session had classmates divided into groups to study scripture relating to how God calls and equips people today for his work on earth. We learned through the assigned Bible verses that our gifts vary, that we need to be willing to let God be in charge of our lives/gifts, and that we need to use our gifts to please God. As a closing task for this session, we were each assigned to privately write a dialogue with God about our gifts and our inadequacies as they related to implementing LOGOS in our congregation. We were tasked to fill in the blanks for both our thoughts and God’s reassurance of our concerns. Some of “God’s blanks” were already filled in and we were told to read and reflect (pray) about His words. I wrote in what I thought to be my gifts to the LOGOS ministry. Then, there was a line that read: “The areas of responsibility where I feel inadequate for this ministry are:______________.” The words I wrote in that blank were as follows (written in the summer of 2000): “I do not know how we will find worship leadership in our congregation. Who is there that will be willing to work with the children? Will anyone feel a call to this part of LOGOS? Will the children be motivated? Will they like worship skills? Will our church be willing to accept increased youth participation in our worship services?” Next on the paper, there was one of “God’s blanks,” already filled in. So, we each prayed this silently. It said, “Trust me. Obey me. Love me. I will surround you with the Body of Christ and with others who are called to the LOGOS ministry, who will support you and whose gifts compliment yours. And I will equip you to do new things.” And now, two years after that dialogue I privately had with God, take a good look at the worship skills part of LOGOS! We have had two wonderful LOGOS/FISHY worship services. The LOGOS kids have blessed our worship with handbell music, skits, bulletin covers, prayers, a Christmas program, anthems, etc. Hand chimes were purchased and the LOGOS group played them on Mother’s Day. Since that day two years ago, our church has hired a wonderfully talented music director, and dedicated worship skills leaders abound in the LOGOS program. Thanks be to God for where we are today! God truly answered my prayer and took away a huge anxiety I felt in implementing LOGOS at Trinity. Thanks to Him for equipping and sending all persons in this church who have heard the “call” to the various parts of LOGOS! By - Debbie Barnes Prayer Newsletter June 2002 Issue |
| Name: | Jim Herron |
| Enter Prayer: | My Visit to Ground Zero
Three weeks ago, a couple friends and I had to go to Long Island, NY on business. We had one open day during the visit, so we decided to go to Manhattan and see “Ground Zero” for ourselves. Karla and Mike Duncan and I set off for Manhattan via train just after morning rush hour. We arrived in Penn Station about 90 minutes later and caught the subway to Fulton and Broadway. As a side note, I’ve been to New York City several times. I worked in New Jersey for small stints fifteen years ago. I’ve been in the WTC on a couple occasions, going to the top and viewing the city, even acting as tour guide for visiting coworkers. I like to think I know my way around down there reasonably well. We walked up the stairs from the subway and I was totally disoriented. The skyline on one end of the road was empty. There was a huge crowd, way more than expected. I estimate a hundred thousand people around the site. We walked to St. Paul’s chapel, the site of the impromptu WTC memorial. St. Paul’s chapel is a small two hundred fifty year old rock church with a relatively large fence all the way around it. The WTC used to be right behind it. Now there’s only this huge gaping hole in the skyline. The fence was completely covered with flowers, banners, pictures, letters, and all sorts of very personal mementos. The viewing platform was on the left of the church. We wanted to go out on it, so we went to get a free ticket. The ticket was easy; the wait after you got the ticket was six hours. A very friendly policeman, and I honestly never thought I would put those words together about a New York City policeman, described an alternate path to see as much as we could without waiting to go on the platform. He actually came up to a nearby group without prompting. We spent some time just watching the scene before we started walking. There were still a lot of people crying, a lot of hugging, and a lot of consoling. People were touching the pictures as if touching the person. Others were looking for their hometown’s banner. It was jammed. All the time, in the background, the noise of backhoes, cranes, and dump trucks could be heard. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t help but get caught up in it. I would look at picture after picture and the very personal notes saying goodbye. I wondered what God thought about it all. I wondered how hard he cried when it happened and how hard he was crying now with all the still obvious pain. We started walking around the perimeter of the area. We walked from St. Paul’s Chapel through the outskirts of Wall Street, by Trinity Episcopal Church, and to Battery Park. Most of the area was coated in thick dust. Broken windows were still evident. Entire facades of buildings adjacent to the WTC were gone. Streets had been destroyed and patched. We watched the dump trucks, one after another, and temporary construction ongoing everywhere. One empty building in the damage zone had a Burger King in the first floor. Apparently on 9/11, they used it as an emergency hospital. It had “TRAUMA CENTER” in big, black, spray-painted letters across two sides. Another building had “TRIAGE” on it. I felt like I had left the U.S. We’re not supposed to live like this. I’ve been a fatalist to a certain degree for quite some time, as I’ve believed it was inevitable for large-scale foreign terrorism to move to the U.S., but it was a whole other matter to see it. It absolutely took my breath away. Suddenly, a siren started wailing. One of the workers thought they had found another body. We would hear the siren twice while walking the perimeter. We walked past the now bankrupt and closed Downtown Athletic Club. The very ritzy DAC is the presenter of the Heisman Trophy. Many businesses had closed for good. A couple businesses were closed and left just as they were after the destruction. They might be intact, but the store items were practically buried in thick dust. At a couple of the shops, there were “before and after” pictures on the front. On the shore-side of Ground Zero, there was a viewing platform for family members. It was relatively crowded with very distraught people. I was most affected by seeing this. I was embarrassed and very humbled. I realized how very small I am. Again, I looked for God. I did a lot of praying while I was walking. I suddenly realized I hadn’t said two words to Mike or Karla. I don’t think we even walked side by side in the damage areas. I think we tended to be deep in our own thoughts. The television doesn’t do it justice. The sheer size is overwhelming. I think this perimeter trail was between 4-5 miles in length. It took us three hours to cover. The TV news that day was saying the debris removal would be complete in another week. You wouldn’t have guessed that by the number of workers and heavy equipment still working at a steady pace. After I got out of there, I figured out God was everywhere in New York. The sheer reverence shown by all of the people at Ground Zero was incredible. New York City is a changed town. It has a huge heart now. I watched a policeman sign a t-shirt for a middle-aged man. He shrugged his shoulders at us, as if not understanding the celebrity. I told him he was just finally getting the recognition policemen have deserved. I would have avoided talking to a NY policeman fifteen years ago. Everyone was so friendly. I felt like Tullahoma had moved to New York. People said hello. People opened doors for other people. I didn’t feel threatened at any point of the walk. A street vendor gave me a free refill on my coke. These are little things in Tullahoma; they’re big deals in a place too busy or too distracted to slow down for common hospitality. We all may be hurting and angry, but God tries to give us ways to survive it and heal. By– Jim Herron May Issue of PrayerRoom |
| Name: | Laura Doty |
| Enter Prayer: | Angel Story
I’m sure most of you already know my Hannah story so I wanted to share a story not many people do know. When I was a college student, I became a weekend alcoholic. My freshman year I only drank on Saturday nights. At the end of my first senior year, my weekend started on Wednesday and ended sometime before my first Monday class. I was drunk most of the time and my grades prove I was not being diligent in my studies. I was in a sorority, thought I had lots of friends, and was involved in lots of activities. I used them as my excuse for my poor grades. I walked in the graduation ceremony in the spring, but shouldn’t have. I didn’t graduate with my classmates because my GPA wasn’t high enough. I had not made arrangements to live anywhere after graduation and realized I was stuck. I still had several classes to take to get my GPA up and no place to live. A friend told me about a friend of hers who was living in the next town in a two-bedroom apartment and needed a roommate. I called her. I moved in the next week and checked out the town. Not far from our apartment was a Lutheran church and it was right across the street from Va. Tech campus so I figured there were probably a few students attending church there. That was the first Sunday I had been to church on my own in 5 years. I was invited to a campus students’ program that week on Thursday night. I hadn’t had such a good time without alcohol in several years. That evening, I ended up in the emergency room at the local hospital. I was having severe abdominal pain and trouble breathing. By the next morning, I was in surgery to remove several pints of blood and fluid from my abdominal cavity (they still can’t give me a concrete reason why). I was scared, tired, and lonely. It was because of that ordeal and the following recuperation that I realized my college friends were only my drinking buddies, they were not true friends. Only one girl came to visit me after I was released from the hospital. No one called and no one offered or brought help. The people I had met the night before (for the first time) sent me a get-well card and organized meals for me for the next two weeks until I could get back on my feet. My eyes were opened. I put myself in a position that showed my immaturity and irresponsibility. God took that situation and showed me that I had been wasting my time and talents with people who did not love me or care for me and that I was not being the best me I could be. Once I had removed alcohol from my daily routine and I could see things as they really were, I saw people clearly for the first time in years and knew on whom I could rely. The students in the Lutheran Student Movement at Va. Tech became my family away from home, they nurtured me, supported me and gave me the opportunity to nurture and support them. The best thing that came out of my friendship with the group was meeting Mark. We were married several years later and I have thanked God every day since for sending me my own personal angel. By– Laura Doty |
| Name: | Flo Hershey |
| Enter Prayer: | Pray-Play Story
Have you every been so lonesome and blue that you even feel God has gone away? Has your life ever gotten so hectic and cluttered with the “Martha” things (your everyday duties and chores) that you don’t even feel you can pray? Or, if you do pray, God seems so distant and unreachable. My life was like that this winter. Do you remember the Sunday morning when we had snow and it was cold and dreary? I woke up and felt so discouraged. All of my family had gone home after a wonderful Christmas. I was so lonesome. John was up and at it getting ready for Church (I never could figure out why he woke up so happy and energetic). All I wanted to do was crawl into a ball and hide from such a dreary day. As I lay there I said my morning prayers and asked, “Lord, please help me through this day.” I didn’t expect Him to answer, nor did I want to do anything but hide. In an instant, questions rolled through my mind. “What would you be doing if the grandkids were here?” “Better yet, if you were a kid, what would you do?” Making a snowman came to mind. Then something came to mind I loved to do as a kid, make snow angels in the snow. No matter what people will think, GO! At first it was a little embarrassing as the neighbors went by on the way to Church, or came out to get their newspaper. My snowman turned out great, and John even brought out a carrot for a nose. The dog thought she was in heaven when the snowballs she chased melted in her mouth. I knew I was in heaven moving my arms to make my snow angel. Best of all I felt God was close. I saw snowflakes as far up in the sky as my eyes could see. They tasted sweet as they melted on my tongue. It turned out to be a wonderful day and I’m sure God was there enjoying it too. Snowflakes and snow angels may not be your pleasure. Think back and try to remember when God felt close. Perhaps you were resting on a bank, or running in the rain. Perhaps you were picking violets for a May basket. Whatever your pleasant memories, I urge you to try to connect. You’ll please God and yourself. By– Flo Hershey March 2002 Issue of the PrayerRoom |
| Name: | Julia Bearden |
| Enter Prayer: | Reflections of a Prayer Walk
It was really the last thing I wanted to do on that cold January morning, if the truth were told. A Prayer Walk. It sounded good at the time and I had promised myself I’d be there. Still, I climbed out of bed a little grumpy and feeling “not very Christian” that day. What the heck, I’ll check it out-couldn’t hurt, I thought. Upon my arrival I noted that so many cars filled the parking lot I’d have to park around back. This is great, I thought. No, actually this is Weight Watchers. Right. Got it. Our group numbered far fewer, but no less enthusiastic. We assembled and got the basics of what the Prayer Walk was all about. As we set out in small groups we were invited to be silent, intentional and prayerful as we walked the neighborhoods around Trinity. Observing our surroundings and listening to the silence that day I was suddenly aware of how quickly significant things escape our notice as we rush through our days. We all agreed that we are tremendously blessed, as we noted the many and varied places and ways in which God’s people are served and ministered to; places such as D.W. Wilson Community Center, Tullahoma Day Care, Senior Citizens Center, Churches, etc. We gave thanks for the privilege of living in a caring and involved community. Other sights reminded us of hard times and the many ways people struggle on a daily basis. I found myself filled with thanks for my abundant blessings and at the same time praying for those whose lives are hard. We were all struck by the realization of the tremendous ministry opportunities for Trinity “right in our own back yard.” The Prayer Walk was a jump-start for glimpsing all that is possible. My prayer is that we go forth and serve according to our spiritual gifts. I was touched by the Prayer Walk and again reminded of the blessing we receive when we are quiet and listening to that still Small voice. The experience changed my mood and set the tone for the day. It was a good day. I was glad I went. By– Julia Bearden February Issue - PrayerRoom |
| Name: | Laura Carter |
| Enter Prayer: | I have known for many years that if I prayed, and gave God the time to answer my prayer that it would be answered. I was alone for about 16 years, when I decided that I was tired of being alone and that I wanted to meet someone I could share my life with. I prayed to God to put that person in my life. I prayed everyday about this. One day as I was going to work I was praying that I was so alone and that would God Please bring someone into my life, and at that time, a great comfortable feeling came over me, and I knew that God had heard my prayer and was going to answer it. I didn't know when or how, but God had let me know He was listening. I sat down, why I don't know and wrote out what I wanted in a Husband, and put it in my Bible.
As everyone knows God gave me Harvey. We where married about a year when I opened up my Bible one day and saw what the qualification I was looking for in a Husband. Guess what It was a match all except one. He doesn't like to play Golf very much.I hear people say that they believe God gets tired of us asking for things. I don't I know that He answers prayers as they are needed. I knew back in Sept. when I was diagnosed with cancer that everything would turn out just fine, because there where so many people praying for me. I knew God was on my side. Prayer Works for everyone. By– Laura Carter Printed in Jan. Issue of PrayerRoom |
| Name: | Linda Garrison Ayers |
| Enter Prayer: | A Prayer Challenge...
Sue Turner, our facilitator of Passion & Power in Prayer Class sent me an e-mail wanting me to share an experience of her class. So here goes…about half way through the study guide, we were challenged to pray for a sustained 20 minutes each day. Well, you can only imagine the looks on some of those attending plus the questions/concerns and level of anxiety. Verbalizations such as: "I just do not pray like that" or "I just run out of things to say.." were a few that I remember. The group lamented that their prayers centered around group prayers during church services, one liners when in distress, short prayers throughout the day, etc. As we were about to leave Sue and another class member suggested starting with Psalms as that book is loaded with prayers. Other than prayers to do this task, our Bibles, and study guides in hand we left that Thursday night knowing we would be asked to account for our successes/failures the following meeting. Somewhat reluctantly, I began reading the Book of Psalms and could pretty much see why this book was suggested. It was so meaningful with the recent terrorist attack of 9/ll and an easy bridge to every day life. I would read a few verses and would discontinue reading when I wanted to reflect or review. Finally after awhile I found myself RRP (reading, reflecting, and praying) as my strategy for this task. We were warned not to be too concerned with loosing focus as that may just prove to be an avenue of prayer….so throw out that feeling of guilt. I made it about 15 minutes that day and considered that an "ok "base line. The next session, I used page 13 of my guide to aid my praying. The author Dr. Alvin J. Vander Griend suggests this outline for expanding your scope of prayer. Step I ADORATION in which you respond to who God is and praise him for that…such as "I praise you, Lord for….". Step 11 CONFESSION you acknowledge your guilt and seek forgiveness with words something like: "Lord, I confess…". Step III THANKSGIVING is responding to what God does in the way of helping and gifts He has given to you. Words may be simply be "I thank you Lord…". Step IV SUPPLICATION is asking from God and there are two types: Petition which is asking for myself and Intercession would be asking for others: Verbiage could be "Lord, I ask for myself"….and "Lord, I ask for others". This component may be one we use more than the others , it may be one where our comfort level is higher. Step V SURRENDER it telling God that you will obey, such as "Lord, I will try…". The author refers to this as the A C T Ss pattern. Using the preceding strategies has helped me to expand my mode of prayer, which I offer up for your use. That 20 minute challenge became a reality for me with much more ease than I ever imagined. Of course discovering your own unique way will be more meaningful and reinforcing. Consider the challenge…. Thanks to Sue and my classmates for their encouragement and bonding. Alive in Christ, Linda Garrison Ayers |
| Name: | Patti Davis |
| Enter Prayer: | Praying to God in the Flurries of Life
In the midst of all the tragedy surrounding our daily lives, I find myself in deep conversation with God. That’s how I pray-I carry on dialogue with God and I know that He is listening and taking care of me. Sometimes I don’t think that He is taking care of me the way that I want Him to but He always answers my prayers His way, the best way. I look back at my personal prayer life and I could share many, many incidences that our Father was indeed taking care of me. There are 2 episodes that stick out in my life that I would like to share with you. When my son, Nick, was 15 ½ years old he decided to take my company truck out in the middle of the night for a joy ride. What a ride he had! I vividly recollect the doorbell ringing at 1 a.m. and there stood an officer from the Franklin County Sheriffs department. He informed me that my son had been involved in an accident and that he was taken to Southern TN. Hospital in Winchester. After arguing with the officer that my son was in his bed and indeed checking upstairs for Nick I had the chore of waking Rick and informing him that we needed to go to the hospital. Fear engulfed both of us for we did not know the extent of Nick’s injuries or if anyone else was involved. The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever but all along I kept talking to God for I knew that He was with us. When we arrived at the hospital they took us to Nick’s room and thank God he was alive and had suffered only minor injuries. We were fortunate to take him home with us in the early hours of the morning. On our way home we stopped at the wrecker/salvage yard to check on the vehicle. Oh my gosh! The owner of the business was amazed to see Nick in the back seat of my car, alive. The truck was totaled and how Nick escaped was only by the grace of God. He carries one scar from that horrible night- on his left wrist is a scar, the perfect shape of a heart. We can only believe that the scar is a sign from God meant for Nick. The other occasion that is foremost in my mind again involved a child of mine. About a year after Nick’s episode, Rick and Jessie had 2 separate events that again God was very much present. Rick had chest pains and was rushed to St. Thomas hospital on a Monday evening. I was so scared that when I got to St. Thomas Rick wasn’t going to be with us anymore. The drive from Winchester to Nashville at 10:00 at night was grueling but again all the time God and I were in conversation. I knew God was sitting in the seat next to me. Rick, as you know, was fine, He just had an accident with some acetone. Rick returned home the following evening. The next morning, I was up, freshly out of the shower and the phone rang. I ran to answer it and the man on the other end was delivering the message that my daughter had been involved in a bad accident and that I needed to come immediately. I threw on clothes, told Rick, who was to be on bed rest for the day due to the heart test performed the day before, and ran out of the house. I must admit that on the way to the scene of Jessie’s accident, I was pounding on the steering wheel and screaming at God-WHY??? Why me? Why Jessie? Why us? Please take care of her! After all was said and done and Jessie was home I struggled with the fact that I had questioned God. I wondered “where was my faith? “ How could I doubt God? Why did I react that way? Shame on me for doubting. This really bothered me so I talked to a dear friend and he consoled me and simply said that when I was questioning and doubting my faith that is when my faith was the strongest. How right he was. All we have to do is look around and God is present in all that we do. He is right beside us. It doesn’t matter how you pray as long as you “show up”. Article- from the October PrayerRoom Newsletter 2001 |
| Name: | Linda Cribb |
| Enter Prayer: | How Many Times a Day Do You Pray?
PRAYER….A powerful word. These six letters of the alphabet spell a word that projects more strength than any other six letters I can think of at this time. If you give yourself just a few moments to honestly dwell on what prayer has done for you, I’d imagine you would be overwhelmed at the countless times you have used prayer, even without realizing it. Often I hear myself saying, “Lord, please help me”, or it might be “Lord, what am I going to do”. We call on God for help repeatedly, and He is always there. Isn’t that amazing? Just think about it. We live in such a fast paced world. As a result, most of us fail to stop long enough to notice much of the beauty of God’s creation. We have been on the receiving end of the spectrum for so long that we rarely remember where it all comes from. It’s not a result of OUR labors. Yet we continue to spend countless hours laboring on our jobs, always trying to do more than we did before. Everything seems to become some sort of race to see how much we can accomplish. Then when we step on a stone, or stumble, or run into a brick wall, what do we do? We ask for God’s help. I’m as guilty as the next person. Prayer is so powerful. One example of that power was when another member of our Trinity family called me about prayer concerns for different members. In our conversation, I mentioned a man who lived in Florida and was a relative of one of our sons in law. He had been hospitalized for several weeks with little hope of recovery. I asked her to pray with Me that he might find peace with the Lord. Within 15 minutes of the end of our prayer, my telephone rang. It was our daughter telling me that this man we had just prayed for had just died. It made the hair on my arms stand up. Needless to say, I phoned the person who prayed with me and shared the information. She too, was in awe of the sequence of events. A young man with whom I work shared a few words with me late last week. He explained to me that his mother had been told without question that she would never bare children. I understood him to say that medically it was not possible. So she turned to God in prayer. And a year later she had a son, her only child. This young man is a youth minister at his church, a husband, a father of two beautiful little girls, sings in a gospel group and would make any mother proud to call him son. This was another example of the absolute power of prayer. My father suffered from cancer for about six years. My mother would hate to hear the sounds of his agony. Finally, on June 29th last year, we prayed together to end that physical pain and he died within a few minutes of that prayer. That was the one and only time we had asked for the release of his suffering. It is amazing to me how powerful prayer can be. Now is the time we all need to pray for our country. I believe through personal experience that anything is possible through prayer. We just have to remember though, the answer may not be just what we want or ask for. It may not come just at the moment we want it or expect it. We just have to trust our faith and believe in God. We have been blessed in so many ways, over and over. We ask for God’s help repeatedly and He is always there. Do yourself a favor and spend some personal time taking with God. It can brighten your day, and maybe someone else’s too. -Article from August/September PrayerRoom Newsletter |
| Name: | Linda W. Dunn |
| Enter Prayer: | Prayer God’s Immeasurable Love
This column has become aware to me as a place of deep emotional sharing and catharsis. I decided to share my feelings of the past several months in this manner to not only communicate my feelings, but, more importantly, to share my most sincere thanks to all in the church and others who have made this time in my life not only bearable but comforted. Throughout the stressful events of recent times I have never felt alone. Since December, I have lost three lives whom I am so closely bonded to that I am sure those bonds will live in me eternally. My mother, Roberta Wheeler, was, in my estimation, the most caring, loving, and nurturing parent and educator I’ve ever known. She passed away on March 4, 2001 at the age of 61. Before that devastating event (and in no way comparable yet still very relevant), I was forced to put my faithful and loving 17 year-old black lab, Samantha, to sleep the day after Christmas. Two months ago from today, my 91 year-old grandmother who helped raise me as a child, Anna Eckstrom, passed away in a hospital in upstate New York. I could not have gotten through these losses as well as I did without the generous and selfless love and care of ALL members of the church as well as ALL family members and close friends (including and not restricted to Pastor Vogelphl, Pastor Matt and Pastor Libby, my husband Steven Dunn, Helen Norman, Martha Morelock, Lynda Wyatt, Margie Allgood, John and Jan Roberts, my 2 children Kendall and Charles, and the wonderful coworkers of my husband and I’s at A.E.D.C. and Vanderbilt Univer-sity). I am now, despite these losses and peri-ods of grieving, more acutely aware than ever of God’s ever-present love and pres-ence. I believe also that it is His comfort that has provided me the strength to get through this difficult time. My mother and grandmother, I have come to accept, are in a better place and their "times" had simply come. I pray that those in our congregation, as well as all my family and friends, under- stand and accept the immeasurable love God gives us each day and respects life on Earth as delicate and precious. May God bless you all. -Linda W. Dunn |
| Name: | Susan Gross |
| E-mail address: | biophoto@midtnn.net |
| Enter Prayer: | His Presence
------------ As happens in many families, I ended up being the sole family caretaker of my aging mother. As her health and mental state deteriorated after heart surgery, lung cancer, senility, and self-starvation I found myself faced with many caretaking problems that I couldn’t solve no matter how hard I tried to “fix” them. It was through this process of helplessness that the message of God’s presence is a gift so precious it is beyond understanding. Faith matters were rarely discussed in my family growing up and prayers were not apart of our life. So as my mother’s condition became irreversible I felt frustrated in trying to comfort her or talk to her about what was happening. When I approached her with faith issues, it merely made her feel guilty about her lack of religious practices. Somehow through the love of God, the support of my family and the power of prayers from those who knew are situation, I realized that I needed to release this issue over to God. So I poured out the love in my heart for my mother into caring for her physical and emotional needs the best I could realizing that I couldn’t fix everything. I left the future turn of events in God’s hands. First I cared for her daily in her home and eventually I cared for her with daily visits to a nursing home. Even though my mother and I did not discuss faith matters as time went by. I knew God’s presence was in our relationship. In the midst of all the misery of my mother’s health and the suffering of seeing her situation each day, my mother and I were able to love and comfort each other many times in unspoken ways. What a gift to have God’s love and be able to pass that love to one another whether it was voiced or not. It was God’s presence that gave us strength to face yet another day of deterioration together. We couldn’t have done that without the strength beyond ourselves. One day when I was reflecting on one of my visits to my mother I had a profound vision. I could see myself at my mother’s bedside attempting to be of help when the image of myself as the caretaker disappeared and there was Jesus bending over my mother with a loving aura that took my breath away. Now it was abundantly clear that it wasn’t my strength that enabled me to make those daily visits. Out of suffering and helplessness can come unexpectedly the blessing of spiritual insight and growth. Thank you, God. For providing us with Your presence through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. -by Susan Gross |
| Name: | Gay Goethert |
| E-mail address: | goethert@edge.net |
| Enter Prayer: | The fact that my teenage son is alive today is a profound
miracle because you see my handsome, lovable son is a recovering drug addict. My son is one of four children and as with our other children, we immersed him in church, family, and extracurricular activities. However, our son began using drugs when he was 12 years old. A great shadow descended upon our family. No matter how hard we tried, we were unable to monitor all of our son's activities. Although we never found drugs, our son became uncommunicative and increasingly belligerent. We experienced paralyzing fear when some nights our son never returned home. During this time we took our son to doctors and counselors, but he was cunning and manipulative and did not tell the truth. At 15 years old the situation became progressively worse and we knew we had to intervene immediately for fear of an impending tragedy. Of course we had been praying for an answer to our desperate situation. When the time came to take action, the Lord led us one step at a time. We took our son to a short-term drug treatment center in Alabama where he stayed for 28 days. The counselor said our son had a serious drug problem and would require long-term treatment. He recommended a treatment center in Louisiana. Little did we know that our young teenager would be gone for 1.5 years! Our son resisted going to Louisiana so the trip was a wild one. I never would have made it there with my son without God's obvious frequent interventions. Treatment centers are rough places. Some residents had been former gang members, some had tried to commit suicide, some had performed self- mutilation on their bodies, and others experienced numerous other problems. One of our son's roommates was only 11 years old. Prevalent drugs abused by the kids before coming to the treatment center were marijuana, nicotine, alcohol, heroin, crack, cocaine, ecstacy, GHB, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, meth (crank), prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and inhalants. Although the treatment staff tried to keep drugs out of the center, drugs were frequently smuggled into the facility. After returning to the treatment center from a wonderful home visit, and for whatever reason, he gave in to an offer from a fellow resident to an unlimited quantity of a deadly drug. Our child almost died that day. Even when kids leave the treatment center, recovery is not guaranteed. One friend relapsed within 2 hours after being discharged from the treatment center and was dead within 2 weeks. After being at the treatment center for 11 months without much progress, our son met Peter, a new counselor who turned our son's life around. Although our son had been participating in a 12-step recovery program (Alcoholics Anonymous) for over a year, the new counselor helped our son start on a serious path to recovery. Our son began to blossom in his recovery. He was not the only one who began a recovery path. I began attending Al-Anon and AA meetings for my own support and enlightenment. Addiction is a family disease and the entire family needs support. (As an example, the financial strain on the family was tremendous.) The Trinity church congregation gave warm support to us during these times where our immediate family did not. Many prayers were offered and answered. Leaving the treatment center posed a new problem. Our son wanted to stay clean and sober. A tip from a church member lead us to Community High School, a private school in Nashville that emphasizes recovery and education on the same level. Our son's enthusiasm with the school showed a perfect match. Students attend the school voluntarily as they work a 12-step recovery program while working toward an accredited high school diploma. Other miracles occurred. So as it was, the Louisiana counselor's best friend and colleague is a drug counselor in Nashville. Our son now had a drug counselor. Housing for our son was the next major hurtle. Finding housing for a 17-year old teenager in a big city is frightening, not to mention, virtually impossible. With the school's help, several families opened their homes to our young recovering addict. This act of faith from these wonderful families, made going to this school possible. Other families have embraced our son as if one of their own children which gave great comfort to us and our son. And so it is today, our son's recovery journey continues one day at a time. We now have a close, loving relationship with our son. As the saying goes, "We do not know what our future holds, but we know who holds our future." Our God is an awesome God! |
| Name: | Doug Hamilton |
| Enter Prayer: | Prayer Answered
A joke that's been around a while fits well with my view of how God sometimes answers prayer. The story begins as a pickup truck pulls up to an old house in the country, near a rising river, swelled by recent rains, and the driver of the truck goes to an old man seated calmly on the porch and tells him the river is getting ready to flood. He asks the old man to come with him to safety. The old man replies that he's not worried because he's prayed and knows Jesus will save him. The truck leaves. The local road is soon blocked by water. By the next day, the house looks like an island. A rowboat comes along, and the person in the boat asks the old man to come with him to safety. The man again refuses to go; again saying that he's not worried because he's prayed again and knows Jesus will save him. The rowboat leaves. The waters continue to rise and the old man is forced to climb on the roof of his house. About this time, a helicopter comes along and makes another offer of rescue, and the man again calmly declines the offer. The waters rise more and the man is swept from the roof and drowns. The old man's soul goes to Heaven, and there he meets Jesus. He says, "I prayed, and I thought you'd save me. What happened?" Jesus replies " I sent you a pick up truck, a rowboat, and a helicopter..." I believe prayers are more than answered all the time, but we, too, sometimes miss our boat (or pickup truck or whatever). The world has a lot of darkness, and we can get caught in that despair. Sometimes, this makes it hard to see those small points of light from God. We may miss the Lord at work in even little things happening around us. In tough times, we can get a little insight into the Lord being there to hurt with us and to help us get by, but we're not always attentive to see it. Because we don't see it as we expect or would prefer doesn't mean it's not there. In July of 1995, my wife, Laurie, took one of our daughters, Karen, to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital on a Thursday night for a series of tests. Karen had a fever and body aches for several weeks, and multiple rounds of antibiotics and other treatments hadn't brought relief. We'd been told this might be Lyme disease, or some other malady, but cancer had not been mentioned. Tests were run that night, and early the next day, I drove to Nashville to be with them when they found out something. When I arrived, I knew immediately something was really wrong. Laurie said a group of doctors wanted to talk with me and there was a serious problem they'd found that night. The doctors calmly (and gently) explained that Karen had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). The diagnosis and treatment were then outlined. I asked questions, but now realize my mind just wasn't processing the answers given. Lots of ideas came through my mind, and not many were very hopeful. I felt helpless. I didn't feel anger toward God, because I don't believe God makes bad things happen "for some reason". I don't believe God "tests" us with adversity, either. The idea of my (then) ten-year-old daughter dealing with this was simply something that was difficult to accept. The doctors had all the treatment decisions made, so I really didn't have any choice in what was to be done. Prayer was one thing I could and did do. I found comfort there. I prayed a lot over the next few days. The obvious prayer topic was healing for Karen, but I also prayed for understanding and support for my wife and family. I thanked God for help and the caring of many people we had received. I found my prayers were just a few of many offered by family and friends, and I discovered comfort in the caring words so many offered. I came to see some smaller pickup trucks and rowboats sent my family's way over the next period of time. On one of the first days Karen was at Vanderbilt, I went to the cafeteria to both get some lunch and bring back some food for my wife, staying with Karen in her room. There was a particularly long line to get a plate lunch, and I got talking to a stranger in line. I don't really remember how it happened but for some reason I mentioned to this stranger that I was upset over my daughter's medical condition, and explained why. The stranger asked how she "presented", and then explained he was a medical student. He said she was definitely in the right place to get treatment, and that tremendous advances had been happening with ALL. He said the situation would have been much worse just a few years earlier, but there were so many changes happening that the textbooks couldn't keep up with them. He said that if you had to get a cancer, this was the one type with the best chances for cure. He held out hope. The unsolicited words of this stranger were very reassuring at a time when I really needed to hear them. They weren't saccharine platitudes, but simple facts. This stranger's words were a gift. I not think of this as a pickup truck sent my way. Over the next few weeks and years, many old and new friends came forward with their concern and stories, and we shared our concerns and prayers together. My experience was not unique. Both Laurie and Karen experienced special people stepping forward with their experiences, and found comfort in those gifts. One of Karen's teachers, whose child had been successfully treated years before by Karen's doctor, was a source of early support. Mutual friends asked a mother and daughter who had been through this just a few years earlier to share with us, and they were a major support. Another of Karen's teachers willingly shared her own cancer experience and her faith. I view these all as "pickup trucks" sent by God when most needed, and answers to many prayers for help and support. Since then we've also been presented opportunities to share with others going through their own health struggles. We might only be able to say we hurt with someone, or offer a hug, but we do what we can. Maybe we might even get to be that "pickup truck" for somebody else. Thankfully, Karen did well with her treatment for leukemia, and we as a family have gotten a new perspective on life and prayer for others through the experience. We continue to thank God for every new day we get, and recognize there are no guarantees for the next minute, much less tomorrow, other than Jesus will be there to walk with us. "Give us this day..." has a much more immediate nature to me now, and simply means we ask God to help get us through today. |
| Name: | Marv Tieman |
| E-mail address: | tiemanpaints@infoave.net |
| Enter Prayer: | In June of 1997, Diann and I traveled to Bucharest,
Romania, to take supplies to the children of Orphanage #1. We had been to Orphanage #1 many times before in 1991 when we adopted Michael. Over that six year period our thoughts had returned many times to those faces of children who had a look of hopelessness and despair. Their clothes were meager as was their diet but the thing that really haunted us was their indescribable yearning for attention and love. Many children sat in their cribs all day long and rocked back and forth trying to stimulate themselves. Many prayers were said for them but the prayer that was answered for us was that we were able to go back to help. In our wildest imagination, we never anticipated adopting another child. We had been told that we were too old to adopt. During our visit, one little girl named Rachael followed me around wherever I went. When I sat down she was on my lap. When I stood up she wanted me to hold her. But as I said, we were to old to adopt. Meanwhile, Diann had found a little girl named Andreea that had a cleft lip and needed an operation. We decided to try to bring her to the U.S. for corrective surgery. We could not get the paper work done for her to travel to the U.S. for surgery. There was only one thing left to do, adopt her. Our age would not be a factor as she was considered handicapped. We immediately put her on the prayer list at church and I sat a picture of her on my desk so that every time we sat down and saw her picture we could say a prayer for her. As you know, she is now our daughter and we believe that happened because of all the prayers. We still had one problem.We had been told at one time, in the adoption process, that we could not get Andreea, so we had decided to try to adopt Rachael. After we were able to adopt Andreea, it was very hard to forget about Rachael. We decided again to add Rachael to the Prayer list and I exchanged Andreea’s picture on my desk with Rachael’s. On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, we got word that the abandonment papers were completed on Rachael and the way was clear for us to adopt her. Our prayers were again answered. We hope to get her sometime in the next few months, but please don’t quit praying as things can always change in Romania. The one thing that we have learned during this whole experience is that nothing is impossible through prayer. We have had so many ups and downs but in the end God has blessed us. Sometimes it was totally different than we had anticipated but in the end we were well aware of his presence. |
| Name: | Sharon Walker |
| E-mail address: | gwalker@cafes.net |
| Enter Prayer: | At the last Trinity healing service, I said a special
prayer for my sister who had finally reached the end of her rope in her marriage. My prayer was for her marriage to heal and her children to heal as well from the years of damage that a poor marriage can cause. Miracuously, she called a week later and stated that she had an experiance that reminded her of how much she loved her husband and family. Her husband also had a sudden change of heart and they began working through their problem areas in their marriage. The children began counseling and have made positive changes as well. We must keep in mind that when a prayer is answered, like a cut on a finger, it still needs care and follow up prayer to heal completely. The prayer will continue until all the healing has taken place. Thanks be to God for answering our family prayer and beginning the road to a strong marriage again. Thank you Pastors of Trinity for holding the healing services. Several of my "non-Lutheran" friends want me to keep them posted as to when the next service will be. They wish to attend as well and experience God's love and healing. |
| Name: | Sue Turner |
| E-mail address: | sue@theplaintiff.com |
| Enter Prayer: | I have been praying for my Sister for a several years now.
She is one that said straight out to me one day, that she didn't believe in God. It pains me as a Christian Journeying on..to even hear those words. For how can you Live life without God? Isn't God Life itself? Well, I Would like to share with you -- that I heard from her mouth (last night on the phone)-- that she did believe in God and she is now pursuing a church..(to get married). IT is a start..I see God working in her life...I say that He has answered this prayer. THANKS BE TO GOD! |
