Recently someone stopped me in the hall to thank me for my prayer on her behalf. The interesting thing is that I didn’t actually pray with her personally. I prayed into her voice mail. My point is that prayer touches people; it doesn’t matter whether it is eloquent or fumbling, in person or a recorded message. It may be trite but it is true: Prayer does change things - within others, within the pray-er, and within God's Kingdom.
Intercessory Care Units are people who care enough to plead someone's case before God. The ICU ministry at Faith Church began in February of 2003. It's purpose was to "extend the pastoral care given by Faith Church to those in special need, beyond the resources of our Caring Ministry Pastor."
When Pastor Lehman designed the ICU Ministry he saw it as having 4 Essential Components represented by the letters HOPE.
* H - for Hear - Listening to what a person is saying about their life situation or active listening.
* O - for Observe - seek to understand what a person's needs are in order to encourage and help
* P - for Pray - Bring this person's needs before the Father and ask for divine wisdom, strength, and intervention.
* E - for Encourage - Speak words that increase a person's faith, hope and love in the midst of their life situation.
* R - for Enlist - Contact others or the Caring Ministries of Faith Church to get involved in meeting practical needs.
For 7 years, since that beginning in 2003 we have had an ICU Ministry team who have sought to bring HOPE to those without much hope in their lives.
Several years ago we tried to begin making ICU team visits to shut ins. That never got successfully off of the ground but recently we began a Shut-in Visitation ministry whereby some of our elderly or chronically ill are being visited by a pair of persons once ever 2-3 months. The team prays with them, offers communion to them and brings them flowers and cds of recent sermons. This has been a great encouragement to the shut-ins as well as to their families, and to the teams who visit them on a rotating basis. I am very excited about this ministry, facilitated by Marie Fehl.
Most people who are hospitalized are dismissed almost before we find out they are in the hospital. Usually either a member of the church staff, a Small Group or Home Church leader or Hugh Smith is the one most readily available for a hospital visit - made on short notice and often involving a drive down town.
This leaves the ICU ministry to call to pray with those who have asked for prayer. I have usually restricted these calls to those who currently attend our church and who are dealing with medical crises. We would love to expand the list to others dealing with grief, financial or job-related situations.
Are you interested in getting involved with this ministry or the Visitation ministry? Would you like more information about ICU? Call or comment back to me. I'd love to talk with you about it. Sometimes making a call to pray - especially with someone I don't know - is very difficult. The reward is inevitable! I have never not been blessed by the response in my own heart to a time of prayer with others. Join me!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Toastmasters - Getting out of my comfort zone
I live in a "Holy Huddle". I live with my Mom, I work at my church, my friends are at my church. Let's face it - I don't really have a life!
As I realized this, I decided to explore some options to expand my horizons and make some new friends. I was looking for opportunities to connect with people outside of my normal sphere of influence. I really enjoyed the Greater Impact course I took the winter of 2008. That course focuses on spiritual growth and being able to share what you're learning concisely in 2-3 minute talks in front of the class. I found that challenging and fun. In my job, I am frequently asked to speak to groups at the church and sometimes outside of our church. I have always enjoyed those speaking engagements.
So last winter I joined the Milford Toastmaster group. Toastmasters is an international organization wherein professionals and lay people can improve their public speaking abilities. Many people is my club have joined to enhance career opportunities - perhaps their job requires them to speak in front of others and a boss or manager has suggested that they join Toastmasters. Others just enjoy speaking publicly and want to get better at it.
I really enjoy the Milford Toastmaster group. There are about 20-25 members of all ages and backgrounds. We meet two Wednesdays a month. Each meeting is very regimented. There is a lighter part of the meeting first, with a word of the day and a humorous story and joke. Then Table Topics Master calls on various members to speak extemporaneously for 1-2 minutes on a preplanned topic.
Next is the prepared part of the meeting where 3 members present prepared speeches on topics of their own choice, but each one has a very definite objective depending on the skill level of the speaker. These speeches are planned to be 5-7 minutes long.
The last part of the meeting is evaluation of the entire meeting and of each speaker. Each prepared speaker has been assigned someone to evaluate their speech with the goal of giving 1-2 helpful suggestions "sandwiched" between several encouraging comments. Someone has been counting "ahs and ers". Another has been listening for grammatical errors. We note which speakers managed to incorporate the Word of the Day into their speaking. A timekeeper reports on whether or not each speaker stayed within their assigned time limits.
There are roles for almost everyone any meeting night. We have lots of fun together. We are each eager to help each other improve. I'm so grateful that our meetings always end on time or even early! Every several months there is a social event or a fun speech contest. There seems to always be a local or regional competition going on, and even international conferences that some people go to!
After my first meeting a few other women decided to meet for dinner prior to the next meeting, and a few of us have been having dinner together before the meeting every since. It's been fun to meet with these other women and learn about their jobs and personal lives. Overall I would say that Toastmasters is helping me achieve two goals: I am honing my public speaking skills and meeting new people at the same time. Speaking in public still makes me nervous but each time it gets a little bit easier - and dinner with new friends is always great!
As I realized this, I decided to explore some options to expand my horizons and make some new friends. I was looking for opportunities to connect with people outside of my normal sphere of influence. I really enjoyed the Greater Impact course I took the winter of 2008. That course focuses on spiritual growth and being able to share what you're learning concisely in 2-3 minute talks in front of the class. I found that challenging and fun. In my job, I am frequently asked to speak to groups at the church and sometimes outside of our church. I have always enjoyed those speaking engagements.
So last winter I joined the Milford Toastmaster group. Toastmasters is an international organization wherein professionals and lay people can improve their public speaking abilities. Many people is my club have joined to enhance career opportunities - perhaps their job requires them to speak in front of others and a boss or manager has suggested that they join Toastmasters. Others just enjoy speaking publicly and want to get better at it.
I really enjoy the Milford Toastmaster group. There are about 20-25 members of all ages and backgrounds. We meet two Wednesdays a month. Each meeting is very regimented. There is a lighter part of the meeting first, with a word of the day and a humorous story and joke. Then Table Topics Master calls on various members to speak extemporaneously for 1-2 minutes on a preplanned topic.
Next is the prepared part of the meeting where 3 members present prepared speeches on topics of their own choice, but each one has a very definite objective depending on the skill level of the speaker. These speeches are planned to be 5-7 minutes long.
The last part of the meeting is evaluation of the entire meeting and of each speaker. Each prepared speaker has been assigned someone to evaluate their speech with the goal of giving 1-2 helpful suggestions "sandwiched" between several encouraging comments. Someone has been counting "ahs and ers". Another has been listening for grammatical errors. We note which speakers managed to incorporate the Word of the Day into their speaking. A timekeeper reports on whether or not each speaker stayed within their assigned time limits.
There are roles for almost everyone any meeting night. We have lots of fun together. We are each eager to help each other improve. I'm so grateful that our meetings always end on time or even early! Every several months there is a social event or a fun speech contest. There seems to always be a local or regional competition going on, and even international conferences that some people go to!
After my first meeting a few other women decided to meet for dinner prior to the next meeting, and a few of us have been having dinner together before the meeting every since. It's been fun to meet with these other women and learn about their jobs and personal lives. Overall I would say that Toastmasters is helping me achieve two goals: I am honing my public speaking skills and meeting new people at the same time. Speaking in public still makes me nervous but each time it gets a little bit easier - and dinner with new friends is always great!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Who do I believe? Do I live like it?
"Don't believe the world; believe the Word." This was just one of the wise things I heard at The Cove, in Ashville NC last week. Dr. Michael Easley was speaking on Living Faithfully in Trying Times. I had anticipated that he would connect the topic to the current economic and social world climate, but instead he developed the theme of living faithfully in trying times with trusting Jesus, our high priest, in times of suffering. The call to cling to God's Word, and not be lured away by the siren-call of the world really resonates with me. It is as we keep our eyes focused on the "author and finisher of our faith", lifting up our eyes to the hills from which our strength comes.... that is when we live successfully.
Since I have a healthy fear of drowning, I marvel at Peter's faith as he stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. I'm sure I too would be tempted to look down, and thus sink beneath the overpowering waves of circumstances and anxieties. I do succumb to the tyranny of life circumstances on a regular basis. That's why it is critical for me to immerse myself in God's Word. And to keep my eyes on things above.
I can't be fit now based on lots of exercise 5 years ago. My muscles need to be used daily. Knowledge of God's Word doesn't come from years of Sunday School, or a personal library of old sermons, or even seminary training. I need to be reading it each and every day as part of my daily diet so that God's Words are the ones I think of, not those from Fox News or the Enquirer.
For the last several months I have been meeting weekly for one hour with one other woman in a DNA group. We commit to reading 4-5 chapters of the Bible daily and spend some time discussing those chapters when we meet. This is the "D" or "Divine Truth" part of DNA. I have observed that God's Word never becomes stale or old; each reading speaks to me differently. Each time I notice different words, phrases or concepts. Amazingly, my DNA partner often sees different things than I do, so that her observations amplify my own.
I love it when God uses what I am learning in His Word to allow me to encourage or sharpen others through out the week. How much more valuable is His Word than any human advice I could give? We need to encourage each other to believe the Word, not the world. It's my desire that the words that I say are a reflection of my Scripture reading that day - and that it represents God's wisdom, not any earthly wisdom I may have. If I know God's Word, and I believe God's Word is true, my life, my conversation, and my choices will reflect Him. May that be true of me!
Since I have a healthy fear of drowning, I marvel at Peter's faith as he stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. I'm sure I too would be tempted to look down, and thus sink beneath the overpowering waves of circumstances and anxieties. I do succumb to the tyranny of life circumstances on a regular basis. That's why it is critical for me to immerse myself in God's Word. And to keep my eyes on things above.
I can't be fit now based on lots of exercise 5 years ago. My muscles need to be used daily. Knowledge of God's Word doesn't come from years of Sunday School, or a personal library of old sermons, or even seminary training. I need to be reading it each and every day as part of my daily diet so that God's Words are the ones I think of, not those from Fox News or the Enquirer.
For the last several months I have been meeting weekly for one hour with one other woman in a DNA group. We commit to reading 4-5 chapters of the Bible daily and spend some time discussing those chapters when we meet. This is the "D" or "Divine Truth" part of DNA. I have observed that God's Word never becomes stale or old; each reading speaks to me differently. Each time I notice different words, phrases or concepts. Amazingly, my DNA partner often sees different things than I do, so that her observations amplify my own.
I love it when God uses what I am learning in His Word to allow me to encourage or sharpen others through out the week. How much more valuable is His Word than any human advice I could give? We need to encourage each other to believe the Word, not the world. It's my desire that the words that I say are a reflection of my Scripture reading that day - and that it represents God's wisdom, not any earthly wisdom I may have. If I know God's Word, and I believe God's Word is true, my life, my conversation, and my choices will reflect Him. May that be true of me!
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