The Powerful Benefits Of Prayer
First, what is prayer? Prayer is not necessarily the same for everyone, but generally speaking, it is a means of communication with our heavenly Father. It can be done alone or among a group of people. It can be spoken or even sang aloud, or thought inside one’s head. Sometimes no words are necessary at all, but rather it is a period of meditative thought and time spent between God and an individual.
Perhaps it is this meditative process that gives prayer one of its most outstanding benefits. Prayer is healing. Studies have actually shown that those who pray are physically and emotionally healthier than those who do not. Those who suffer depression, anxiety, and even terminal illnesses often have a quicker healing time, and more successful survival rate. Folks recover from illnesses quicker when they are able to faithfully steep themselves in prayer.
Have you ever had to work with a difficult co-worker, or is there something specific that is hard to deal with in your marriage?
Another powerful benefit of prayer is that it strengthens our relationships. When we pray for those we know and love, it helps us to understand that person a little bit better. It allows us to be more patient and understanding in frustrating situations, and knowing that He will answer our prayers in His time makes it easier. Perhaps it is because we are taking action and feel ownership in our relationships, but most likely it’s God’s amazing will that helps to strengthen our relationships through prayer.
Not only does prayer strengthen our earthly relationship, but it also draws us closer to the Lord. It truly helps us establish a relationship with Him, and understand more fully who he is and how he performs miracles in our lives every day. After you’ve begun to pray on a daily basis, you suddenly begin to see Jesus and His miracles everywhere. You see Him in the sunset, feel Him in great gratitude for the roof over your head and the food on your table. You know Jesus; you yearn to be more like him.
Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm
Recently I took off Columbus Day so Lynn and I could take the kids to Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm in Hampshire, IL. We always enjoy going to Goebbert’s in the fall and it’s a very kid friendly atmosphere. They have a very large petting zoo, a mechanical 30 foot orange dinosaur that exhales smoke and eats pumpkins (smashing them between it’s metal jaws), a corn maze, and a magician who has a vehicle that looks like it’s straight out of the Wizard or Oz. The kids always have a great time and this year they added a pumpkin cannon that shoots pumpkins over 300 yards. Taking target practice on an old Volkswagen Beetle parked out in the field, it takes a minute or so to prepare the cannon with compressed air before the artillery chief let’s her go. Check out the video to see if it hits the mark.
Family Movie in the Park (ing Lot)
Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we had rain last Friday night in Huntley, so we moved our showing of Horton Hears a Who? to the indoors. Using the LCD projectors and Proclaim’s sound system, we experienced a theater style presentation inside the church. The Youth Group provided popcorn, lemonade, and fruit punch and in all there were about 25 people in attendance. The turn out was not quite what we had hoped for, but considering the weather, we were grateful to those who attended.
This coming Sunday, we will be back at Trinity Lutheran Church of Huntley, IL for an encore showing of Fireproof. Due to popular demand, those who could not make the initial showing this past April requested another chance to see the movie. The Seniors will be providing refreshments and I’m expecting a good turn out. If you happen to be in the Huntley area on Sunday, October 7th stop on in. Showtime is at 7:00 p.m.
Old Timers vs. The Young Timers
This past Sunday, the Youth group at Trinity Lutheran Church of Huntley, Illinois challenged the congregation to a game of 16 inch soft ball. Dubbed the Old Timers vs. the Young Timers or the Slowskis vs. the Youngskis, there was a lot of hype leading up to the event. The Youth had 3 practices and promised a competitive game while also raising the stakes by putting dinner on the line. The losers would be required to make dinner for the winners.
The weather cooperated and the rain held off. Both teams were well represented with 25 players on the Old Timers and about 20 on the Young Timers. I believe the final score was Old Timers 18 and the Young Timers 2, but I think everyone had a blast and the highlight for me was watching Pastor Kittel sprint home just ahead of a throw and a play at the plate and you can check that picture out below.
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!
Trinity Lutheran Church in Huntley, IL will be showing their annual Movie in the Park (ing Lot) on September 25th at 7:00 p.m. This year’s presentation will feature Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Kevin will be setting up the DLP projector outside in the church parking lot and showing the movie on the back of the church building. Please pray for good weather. In the event that it’s too cold and/or rainy, the movie will be shown in the church sanctuary.
Trinity is using this event as an outreach to the community to draw more young families to the church. As part of the advertising campaign, many volunteers handed out 1500 fliers over the last two weekends to promote the event and Trinity in general. We’re praying that God opens our neighbors hearts to this unique event.
Choir Practice
Kevin is back at choir practice again at Trinity Lutheran Church in Huntley. The choir is meeting on Tuesday nights from 7 pm to 8 pm and there are about 8 new songs that the choir will be performing through the Christmas season. It’s always exciting to learn new material and to find a catchy hymn that you can’t get out of your head. If you live in the Huntley area and are interested in singing with us, just check out the church website for details.
Walking the Avon Walk
What an amazing event! My friend and I arrived at Soldier Field at 5:30am for a breakfast of bagels, bananas, and coffee followed by an emotional openning ceremony. Then we began our walk at 7:30am.
The morning was warm with a cool breeze from the lake with clear skies. We started our walk along the lake shore heading north. While walking we enjoyed the view of the Chicago city skyline as well as Navy Pier and the beaches. Eventually we headed west and zig zaged through the north side of the city.
Just before the 11mile marker, my husband and kids surprised us with a visit at a corner cheering station. They walked with us about another mile until we came to the rest stop where they had parked. My friend and I continued on for another 7 or so miles, refilling our water bottles at every rest area.
It was shortly after the 18 mile marker, when the temperature dropped to about 50 degrees and it started to rain. The rain quickly turned into a downpour and we had to take shelter at the next rest stop. Unfortunately, because we were not prepared, with warm clothing, and dreading an overnight in a tent in the rain, we decided it would be best if we left and finish the remainder of the walk at a local path at our convenience. As guilty as we both felt for leaving, we know that the important part of this event was that we both raised $1,800 which helps pay for research, the prevention of, and the care of someone suffering with breast cancer. 
Fireproofing Your Marriage – Week 1
Trinity’s Young Christian Couples met on May 1st to begin our six week study of Fireproofing Your Marriage. As I indicated in last week’s update, Fireproofing Your Marriage is based on the movie Fireproof which is currently out on DVD. Our group of 6 couples really enjoyed the discussion facilitated by the study guide provided with the kit. We had fun talking about how we met our spouses and listening to each other’s stories.
Each weekly session begins with viewing a scene from the movie. The scene for week one focused on a scene near the beginning of the movie where Caleb is complaining to a co-worker about Catherine. Meanwhile, Catherine is at dinner with several of her friends doing the same exact thing. The filmmakers do a great job of cutting back and forth between the two scenes which results in some humor amidst two serious discussions. By the end of the scene we know two things. Caleb feels disrespected by his wife, and Catherine feels unloved by her husband.
The study guide starts with a few basic questions regarding the scene before turning to scripture. If you are planning a group study of Fireproof, be sure to have your Bible handy. Each lesson has about 8 to 10 passages relating to the movie that the group will read and discuss. The key verses that I remember from this week were in Ephesians and dealt with how God expects men and women to relate to one another as husband and wife. Women should respect their husbands and men are commanded to love their wives. Just like in the movie, Caleb craved respect while Catherine craved a loving partner.
Our first week was a great success. We learned much about the members of our small group, and I’m already looking forward to our next discussion. I’ll continue to update our progress every week right here.
Sunday Morning 5K
This past Sunday Lynn and I joined about 60 other brave souls to run the 5K for Preemies in Crystal Lake which was sponsored by the March for Dimes. I fretted over the weather forecast and checked out weather.com just before we left the house to see what the radar looked like. We were on the southern edge of a system moving to the Northeast and in the next town to the south it was even raining. I told Lynn with confidence that the rain would end by the 8:30 a.m. start time.
Sure enough, as we drove up to Lippold Park in Crystal Lake, the rain ended and as we walked to pick up our race packets, the sun peeked out! Unfortunately, that was the last we would see of the sun. As we walked to the starting line and waited for the starter’s pistol to go off, the rain began anew. About a quarter mile into the race, it began to pour. But I have to say, I didn’t care. It was in the upper 40s and the temperature and rain did a great job of keeping my body cool as I raced. In fact, it was an awesome way to run. I’ve always said I prefer rain to heavy wind and I got my wish that day because even though it rained pretty hard, the wind speed was just a light breeze.
Maybe it was the fact that it was raining and cool and I was enjoying the challenge, but I soon found myself passing the runners in front of me. After passing a half dozen or so, I discovered that there were only 3 runners left in front of me and I kept gaining. In the end I finished two seconds out of 3rd place, but I was happy. I felt like a rugged competitor for taking on the elements in addition to the race.
Lynn did great also, taking 4th in her age group (she missed 3rd by one second) despite just coming back from an injury. We had a great time talking with the other runners and met a couple that runs some of the same races that we do. We’re hoping, in fact, to run into them again at the upcoming Lake Geneva half marathon a week from Saturday.
After the race, I headed to Church while Lynn picked up the kids from her sister’s. After church it was back home for me to run 10 miles on the treadmill and watch the Bulls vs. Celtics. I know it sounds kind of crazy to most people to run ten miles a couple hours after running a 5K, but I had to get in my long run, and I wanted to do it before Lynn and the kids got home so we could spend time together as a family on Sunday afternoon. They got home just as I finished and we had lunch, had time to play with the kids, and then headed to Roselle for the 6th and finally session of our Fireproofing Your Marriage study with our small group in Roselle. What a day!
Fireproof at Trinity Lutheran Church in Huntley
This Friday, April 24th the Young Christian Couples group at Trinity Lutheran Church in Huntley will be viewing the movie Fireproof in the Church sanctuary at 7 pm. Childcare is being provided in the preschool wing. I think it’s cool that we’ll have the opportunity to use the church’s LCD projectors and sound system to view the movie. It will definitely make for a unique experience. The movie stars Kirk Cameron of Growing Pains fame who plays the part of a firefighter with serious marital problems. Encouraged by his father, Kirk’s character, at first reluctant, takes the “Love Dare” and begins a 40 day process to repair his marriage.
Lynn and I participated in a small group study called Fireproofing Your Marriage recently and we’ll be leading the six week study at Trinity in Huntley that follows the movie. Every Friday night through early June, we’ll get together to review various aspects of the problems that the couple in the film faced, and we’ll discuss how we can apply their lessons learned to our marriages. I’m very much looking forward to the fellowship with our friends at Trinity and continuing to grow in our spiritual journey. Those who have signed up for the movie and study include our current small group plus several new couples, and I’m excited about the opportunity to meet new people and learn from their experiences.