The Soundtrack of the Saints

Financial Prayer Team, 

The quiet moments I have for intentional prayer time are often highjacked by the demands of family life. I have been practicing, over the years, how to jump in to a moment with all I have, even if it’s brief or I anticipate interruption. Commonly, this happens in my car on the way from one scheduled event to another. When I surrender my rush and grab the opportunity, God often strings the moments together tying the drive with a morning quiet time, a bed time prayer with one of the kids, and a sermon I listened to that’s rolling around in my mind. 

This week on a drive home, I was thinking of all of you and of our church family and listening to a Celtic Hymn worship station. I couldn’t help imagining (to the tune of bagpipes and violins and the scene of old farms and vineyards) the days when gathering for reading of common prayers and liturgies, singing hymns, and sharing life with neighbors was the way of life. There can be a temptation to romanticize that time period, when really what we long for deep within us is the connection that seems obvious between the people and their community and the people with their God. 

Here we live in this providential time and place. Each one of us designed for and inserted into this generation. But we aren’t without the gift of that era! Instead we are able to be where we are with the shared wisdom and insight. We can bring that beauty into our world. In fact, that’s what we are doing here. It doesn’t look the exact same, but the heart of it remains. I remember the church bulletin listing prayer needs when I was in “big church” with my parents as a kid. I can recall my mom sitting on the phone for what seemed like hours as she listened to prayer requests for personal friends and family members and through the church “prayer chain”. Before her my grandmother went to a weekly gathering where coffee, tea and some sort of breakfast cake were shared along with hearts of prayer for families and neighborhoods. Before her there are more generations that link us back. The expressions of this have varied, but the beauty remains. 

Today I am sending this to you with the same face to face affection of sharing my best coffeecake recipe along side the deep longings of my heart and the practical needs of this day. 

If in our imaginations we are sitting together, our hearts believe it and respond to it. Like the broken pieces of quiet times throughout a week all strung together by the Spirit, our individual prayers times are tied together, creating a symphony of praise and prayer in the kingdom. Each one of us is contributing a different but necessary part and the compilation is the soundtrack of the saints.

Wherever you are feeling led, belt out your passion to the Lord. You are not one singular voice. We are harmonizing and synchronizing and the sound is magnificent.

Here are a few parts you may feel called to sing out to the Lord today. Thank you for participating in this with us. It wouldn’t be the same without your part. 

• We are still operating on less than what we need for our basic costs at Living Waters. We are continually asking God for increased generosity, faith in giving, and wisdom with how to move forward in truth.
• We need more people to help with the practical part of prepping the building for contract work that is beginning soon. 
• Trunk or Treat is around the corner and our heart is to serve this community with joyfulness and abundance. Pray for volunteers to make Trunks, to give supplies, and to attend the event as a representation of the delight of God’s Kingdom expressed in this get together. 
• Face to Face women’s conference is coming in just a couple weeks. Pray for the women who are on the fence to feel emboldened to say yes and come! 
• Pray for this next season at Living Waters as we wrap up the impactful series on parables and take the knowledge of Jesus and the Kingdom into an emphasis on prayer and engaging with the holiday seasons. 
• Pray we are engaging our time in history, using the rich heritage and experiences of the cloud of witnesses around us, the continual revelation of God among us, and the great anticipation of eternity together. 

With great love and in true anticipation,
Sommer