How Do I Pray? Prayer is simply having a conversation with God.  Isn't this amazing that we can do this?  You can pray throughout the day, but it is also important to take the time to be alone with God.  This usually means taking the time to sit aside, ideally in a quiet place, and listen for God's voice by reading the Bible or devotions, or for Him to put an answer in our hearts, and speaking to God through prayer. Jesus did this numerous times in the Gospels, sometimes slipping away all night or in the early morning, to spend time with his Father.

Martin Luther's barber asked, "How do you pray?" Luther explained: "A good barber must have his thoughts, mind and eyes concentrated upon the razor and the beard and not forget where he is in his stroke and shave. If he keeps talking or thinking of something else, he is likely to cut a man's mouth or nose—or even his throat. So anything that is to be done well ought to occupy the whole man. … How much more must prayer possess the heart exclusively and completely if it is to be good prayer."

For most people, the hardest part of a quiet time is actually finding the time.  When you fully understand that telling God your thoughts and concerns can make an amazing difference in your life, it will become easier to find the time.  We do the things that we consider important, and if you are not finding time to pray, this usually means that you do not consider prayer important. Tell God you would like to pray more and ask Him to teach you the importance of this and to remind you to make the time.  He is faithful when we call.  Another concerns is fighting wandering thoughts. Luther instructed his barber not to pray long prayers: "A good prayer need not be long or drawn out, but rather it should be frequent and [passionate]."  This does not mean you should not pray long prayers, but shorter prayers can help if you do have a problem with your mind wandering - which is also why it is important to take the time to get away from distractions when you pray - like phones & TVs.  Sometime I use earplugs to shut out the distractions of life - I cannot count how many times the phone rang the moment I sat down to pray!

And what should you pray about? You can pray about your personal needs and worries; ask God to show you any sin in your life that He would like removed - including worry!  (Psalm 37:8 tells us "Cease from anger and forsake wrath;Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.")  Ask Him for forgivenss for any sins you are aware of, and ask Him to help you to turn away from your sins and to the things that please Him.  Try and really think about your life and where you think God would like you to improve and ask Him for help in these areas.  Praise and thank Him for the good in your life (scripture tells us that 'all good is from God').  Thank Him for being perfect and for sending His Son so one day we will never sin again, and every tear will be wiped from our eyes.  Prayer isn't just a conversation - we can ask God to change us to become more like Him and free us from the bonds that Satan has put in our lives.  We may think this is impossible, but Matthew 19:26 tells us "And looking at them Jesus said to them,     ' With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Luther suggested to pray Scripture. For instance, use the Lord's Prayer, a psalm or the Ten Commandments, or any scripture that 'speaks' to you.  How do you do that?  Luther would take each sentence of Scripture (for instance, "Do not steal") and think about it in four ways: 1) As a teaching. What does this mean for my life? What are different ways I steal? 2) As a reason for thanksgiving. For instance, how is this commandment not to steal God's way of protecting me? 3) As a confession. How have I stolen from someone? 4) As a prayer petition. That the Lord remove greed from my heart so I won't be tempted to steal.

There are no real 'rules', just know that God is listening when we turn our hearts to Him. 

• Please pray regularly and often for our pastors. They need your prayers to help them lead effectively and with strength.
• Please pray for the new Family Ministry. If you would like to support this ministry even further by being part of a prayer team, please e-mail us your name and phone number to the church office.
• Please pray for our congregation - that we turn our hearts to God and follow Jesus.
• Please prayer for our community, and that we be effective in showing them the love of Christ.

Prayer cards may be completed and delivered to the church office or placed into prayer baskets on Sunday mornings.  Prayer cards are available at the church office or in the weekly bulletin.  

Prayer requests received on Sunday mornings or during the week are typed and available in the foyer after each service, or may be picked up in the office throughout the week.

Various prayer groups in the congregation and the Elders' Board will receive these prayer requests on Monday,  for prayer during the week.

Parents in Prayer, as the name suggests, is a group of adults who meet to pray for their children and the youth of the church. 

In the Fall of 2008 (until June 2009), the group will be meeting in the Prayer Room at 7:30 pm on Mondays.  It is a mixed group, both men and women attend.  Everyone is welcome.

If you have a prayer request that pertains to your children or youth, you can put the prayer request into the prayer basket during the Sunday morning service and indicate on the form that you would like it directed to Parents in Prayer.  Another option is to send an e-mail to kwienis@shaw.ca.  All prayer requests are held in confidence.

Mother's In Touch International is a California-based organization which encourages mother's, world-wide, to pray for their children and schools. The Cranbrook group meets every Wednesday morning in Joseph Creek Chapel, from 9-10.30 am. We are loosely connected with the organization, and download a weekly prayer-outline from their website. This helps us to meditate on one of the Lord's attributes, and the related Scripture verses for that week. We also read a potion of Stormie O' Martian's book "The Power of a Praying Parent". 

Seven mom's, representing various churches, regularly attend this prayer meeting. We  pray specifically for Mt.Baker Secondary School's staff, students and programs, as well as our own children and their friends.

Join us Wednesday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 am in the Chapel at Joseph Creek.  Everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact Kerry Ries.  This ministry has not yet started for the fall of 2008.