Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our health matters. Our current choice of reading is “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” by Jim Cymbala. We are posting updates through the PHW Facebook page, but our PHW blog pagehas the discussion posts in full with responses from staff. Just look for the apple on top of the book picture among the blog post pictures and you will find past Book Club entries.
Yes, to Chapter Five. What encouragement it provided for me. Jim Cymbala encourages me that prayer does not have to be two hours long at a time to be effective. How many times have I bashed my prayer life because I only said a minute prayer here or there, or even a whispered a prayer in passing? Pastor Cymbala says, “The honest truth is that I have seen God do more in people’s lives during ten minutes of real prayer than in ten of my sermons.”
A robust prayer life that supports good health habits doesn’t have to be a marathon. It can be a series of sprints. What I’m gleaning from this chapter is that sincerity and honesty are the important ingredients of prayer. “Lord, please help me to be honest and sincere when I come before you with my needs.” That is the prayer that I have just prayed. I don’t want my “self” to get in the way of the power of the Lord.
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive them of their sins and heal the land.”
Questions:
1) What are your thoughts from this chapter?
2) How have you encouraged yourself to be honest and sincere before the Lord with your needs?
3) Isn’t the Lord’s name just beautiful?
–Joy Williams, PHW Regional Consultant
Partners in Health and Wholeness is an initiative of the North Carolina Council of Churches. PHW aims to connect health as a faith issue. Please visit our website to sign your personal pledge to be healthier, and to find out about grant opportunities for places of worship in NC.
