One of the most memorable lessons I ever received on prayer came from my pastor’s wife several years ago. She told me about how they had started baking and selling cakes to support themselves at a time when there wasn’t enough support at the church. He baked the cakes, and she frosted them. She wanted to learn how to pipe a rose. A friend told her, “Come on by, I’ll show you how to do it,” but with four kids, she never had time. She prayed, “Lord, show me how to make a rose,” and she learned to make a rose.

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“Thoughts and prayers.” “I’m praying for you.” Intercessory prayer is simple to do, takes just a moment and can be equally worthless. For those who don’t believe in God and the power of prayer, of course, it’s worthless. “I’m struggling and I need real tangible help now. And you are asking your imaginary friend to do some nebulous something?” For those who do believe, it can be a huge help. The problems we bring to God are often the sort that are too big for us: an uncle has cancer, a pregnant couple’s baby has been diagnosed with an abnormality and won’t live, a friend’s dad dies unexpectedly weeks before her wedding, even something as simple as a job loss.

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Prayer – that was one part of my spiritual walk that I once thought I had figured out. Of course, it has evolved over the years, starting with kneeling by my bed and praying, “God bless Mother, Daddy, my little sisters, my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.” As my horizons expanded, my list grew to include friends, classmates, my Sunday School teacher, pastor, and all the missionaries. As I became aware of needs, I prayed for healing, wisdom, redemption, and safety. The list grew and the responsibility became weighty as I worried about leaving out a crucial need.

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We’re hitting your inbox this Sunday afternoon because our church has some big news to process. If you weren’t with us this morning during our service, we invite you to check out today’s message on discernment.

Dustin and I were able to share about a discernment process we’re currently in, and if the opportunity plays out, our family will be transitioning to living in Austin, Texas in a tiny-home community called Community First Village - a master-planned village aimed at lifting those experiencing chronic homelessness off the streets. You can learn more about the village here.

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“Prayer tends to say more about you and your image of God than it does about God herself.” 

“True, whole prayer is nothing but love.” - St. Augustine

“Pray as you can, not as you can’t.” - Dom John Chapman

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Wandering around in the dark night of my soul looking for the light switch was not how I envisioned the end of my marriage of 44 years. In fact, I had always pictured this time of my life being the space where Randy and I got to start each other’s rockers! Like many Christians, we believed that our commitment to love each other for the rest of our lives was enough to ensure a lasting marriage. We were both aware of many of our own eccentricities and imperfections, but at 20-something, we envisioned marriage as just an endless sleepover with our best friend (or favorite weirdo!). As I read somewhere, in reality, a perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.

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A million years ago, I graduated from college as a nurse, and I decided to move to Chicago to go to seminary. While there, I found a church home in the Evanston Vineyard. The Vineyard is a church movement where laying hands on the sick and praying for them to be healed is part of almost everything that they do. We would stop to pray for someone as soon as they mentioned a sniffle or an ache. We would gather in groups to pray for our friends in the hospital. Praying for each other at the end of every church service was a given. My practice of prayer changed a lot during this time in my life. I was praying almost continuously. I talked to God about everything because I honestly believed that he was listening to and answering me.

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Lutherans love a good ceremony. Nothing splashy, of course. We don’t like to show off. But when it’s hard to talk about spiritual matters and deep emotions, it’s good to stop, say some important words together, and admit that life is full of big moments. We baptize, take communion, get married, get buried…and we confirm.

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It had to have been the spring semester of 2003 when Prince Dorough, my choir director from Illinois Central College, referred me to a church that was seeking a part-time choir director for the upcoming school year. Prince had to have either held a great deal of confidence in my potential, or he was completely oblivious to my skill level because I had never directed a choir before, and I lacked any inkling of confidence in doing so.

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“Holy Orders” isn’t a phrase that’s in my vocabulary. In fact, to be completely honest, I had to learn what the term meant before writing this article. I’m guessing that the term probably isn’t in a lot of our collective vocabulary at Imago, so just for clarity, the dictionary defines “holy orders” as “the rite or sacrament of ordination” or “the rank or status of an ordained Christian minister.” But I think it goes beyond making your faith your profession. With that in mind, I want to share my experiences and thoughts about feeling called to specific ministries for God.

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Being raised Lutheran, we believe in baptism as a child, which is when I was baptized. But in my mind it never happened because I have no recollection of it. While I was in junior high, I started taking confirmation classes where I was being taught about the faith I was baptized into. Being a classic moody teenager, I didn't take any of this seriously. I wanted to go to church to see my friends, so I did this without argument.

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It may surprise some that, as someone who grew up Catholic, confession was something I saw more on television and movies than I practiced in real life. That was partially due to how often my family moved from one place to the next, and partially due to my own fear.  

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Thank you to the Imagoans who took the time to fill out the survey about what you would like to see shape our vision. As a leadership team, we appreciate hearing your voices about where you feel the spirit of God moving in and through our part of the Body of Christ. We have tried to thoughtfully and prayerfully use your feedback in plans going forward. There were some common threads among those who answered—many find Breakfast Club and our other outreach ministries to be hugely rewarding, whether they participate personally or want to support a church who prioritizes these actions. Most are very pleased with our attempts to have a welcoming spirit to all and consider that their priority as well. The community people find here and the love of the people of Imago for the people of Imago radiated. 

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Several summers ago, I was able to travel to Vail, CO. In the Winter, it’s one of the most popular skiing destinations, but in the Summer, it’s a beautiful place to hike through the forest. I was able to hike through a breathtaking aspen forest when I was in Vail. While I was there, I learned that Aspen trees aren’t stand-alone trees but are inter-connected stems/trunks that share the same exact root system. What starts as a single seed can spread into a massive cluster with thousands of shoots off the same roots. What looks like many stand-alone trees is actually a family of stems connected underground.

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For the last several months my work at Jolt has taken to places I never imagined. I spend the majority of my day with those who are unstably housed, people who inject drugs, and individuals engaged in sex work, particularly women who work the streets of Peoria. 

When people find out about the work I do, they have very strong opinions about the prostitutes I’ve come to know by name, who have become my friends and colleagues. There is an immediate comparison to the wicked temptress Eve or the whore Mary Magdaline.

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