A Glimpse of the People We Serve

Each week we are emailed a list of the prayer requests from the weekend services that people put on our comment/prayer cards. Reading these can really help us as leaders catch a glimpse of what our people are going through and thus what they need to hear from us. I am humbled that God has chosen us to serve these people. Here are just a few examples:

My husband was recently killed. I have lost my best friend and the children have lost a wonderful father. If you could please say a prayer for our family I would appreciate it.

I have so many people who are close to me who I love dearly but they don't know they matter. It breaks my heart. I want so desperately to show them they're loved and that they matter. Please pray with me about how God may use me to reach them; how my influence can become viral.

I lost my job this week so I need you to pray that I find a new job ASAP.

Ever since we started giving tithes our lives have been easier and more complete. Thank you for teaching us about giving.

Pray for my daughters and family. Tuesday is the one year anniversary of my youngest daughter's boyfriend's death in a car accident at 18 years old. Now my oldest daughter's boyfriend has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Please pray for my mother who has pancreatic cancer; may her journey from this world to the next be a peaceful, pain-free journey.

Our people are experiencing REAL LIFE. They need REAL FAITH to match up with it. Not, pat answers like "all things work for good", but to help them know that God meets them in their trials and struggles. This is our calling as a church to hold up a banner of HOPE. It is this kind of hope that becomes VIRAL. My friend, Rob Wegner spoke of us being salt this weekend. Lives poured out for others. People with prayer requests like the ones above are all around us. May God give us eyes to see and the margin in our lives to PAY ATTENTION.