Author Archives: joseph elon lillie

Stream Of Consciousness At the Vicarage

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

One of the things I have missed about the blogging community is the group challenges. I used to participate in a lot of weekly challenges. I discovered that it helped me grow as a writer and as a person. So, as I come back to the blogosphere by bits and pieces I am going to try to join at least one challenge a week. This week’s challenge is called, STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS SATURDAY HOSTED BY LINDA G HILL. When you have finished here click the link and check out Linda’s other subscribers.

Linda has given us this to work with this week. Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 27th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “make the call.” Use it as an idiom or use it literally. Have fun!

I get a lot of calls every week: family, parishioners, robocalls calls, ministry connections. I get even more e-mails (ugg my inbox ). But I think the most important call I get or make daily is the call to prayer.

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We used to sing a song in church way back in the 1980’s entitled, JESUS ON THE MAINLINE. Here are the lyrics.

Jesus on the mainline, tell Him what you want.
Jesus on the mainline, tell Him what you want.
Jesus on the mainline, tell Him what you want,
Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.

2 If you want your body healed, tell Him what you want.
If you want your body healed, tell Him what you want.
If you want your body healed, tell Him what you want,
Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.

3 If you want your soul revived, tell Him what you want.
If you want your soul revived, tell Him what you want.
If you want your soul revived, tell Him what you want,
Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.

4 Call Him up, call Him up, tell Him what you want.
Call Him up, call Him up, tell Him what you want.
Call Him up, call Him up, tell Him what you want,
Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.

But the call of prayer is more than just telling Jesus what I want. The older I get the more I understand that the call of prayer is a call to LISTEN.

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These days I have to admit I mostly don’t know what to pray for. It seems, everything has gotten so complicated. Half the time feel like the things I am asking for are far less than what God wants; so these days I find myself sitting in the prayer space and listening for the voice of God until I get some inspiration about how and what to pray.

IF YOU PRAY WHAT DOES PRAYER LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

2024 A 21 DAY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY DAY # 21

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

This year as our church approaches its annual 21 days of fasting and prayer God has given us direction that we are to fast and pray that we would be prepared. We have been given a congregational sentence that comes through the many prophetic words which have been spoken to us over the last year or so. That sentence says: “Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“

seven prepare statements will be broken down into three days each of brief devotionals we will pray into over the next 21days.

DAY 21- Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).

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WELL THIS IS IT! 21 days have come and gone and we are at the end of our devotionals on preparing. But we are at the very beginning of the actual acts of preparation God will require of us. I hope you gleaned something from these brief comments over the last 21 days.

As we launch out into what comes next here are some thoughts from our study in the Book of Revelation.

8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name Rev. 3:8

Remember we don’t need to create doors. We don’t need to kick down locked doors, either. God is going to open the doors for us. We just need to prepare our hearts to walk through them when He does.

LORD PREPARE US FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD!