A Note From Chris - June 23, 2022

Have you ever had a time where prayer just stopped making sense? Maybe you prayed, but it just didn’t seem to work, or didn’t work the way you thought. Maybe you started to doubt if it actually does anything after all. Maybe you’ve had questions like this:

Why did God say no to my prayer, and why did he say yes to someone else?

Is God even listening? Does he even care?

I begged God. Why did I never even hear from him?

When I pray, it just feels like my prayers hit the ceiling and fall back down.

If you’ve had thoughts like this or similar, let me reassure you that you are NOT ALONE. Prayer is powerful, but it can be complicated. After all, it is a supernatural act. We are talking to a God we cannot see, cannot directly hear, and cannot fully comprehend. And yet, when we see the evidence of God’s hand and the movement of the prayers of his people, nothing is more powerful and nothing gives us more confidence in God than prayer. Prayer changes things.

This weekend, we begin a summer series called, “After Amen.” It is a book written by a friend and pastor named Rusty George. In his book by the same title, Rusty wrestles a question I hadn’t often considered before reading his book. What if what I do AFTER I say amen has great significance in the outcome of my prayer? What if my prayer isn’t the problem, but maybe how I am living outside of my prayer? In Scripture, the obedient thing Jesus told people to do “after amen” had huge significance in the outcome of their prayers. I’m confident the same is true for us.

I’m thrilled to tell you that Rusty George (pastorrustygeorge.com) will be at Cornerstone to preach this weekend and kick the series off for us. You won’t want to miss it. We are also providing his books at a reduced rate (1 for $15, 2 for $20). Bring a $20 and grab an extra you can give to a friend or coworker. I trust it will bless them like it has blessed me.

Earlier this year, our church went through a season we called, “100 Days of Prayer.” Perhaps you remember we had a book resource for that focus, too. So why prayer again? Well, because prayer is truly central to who we are. It’s not only a short thought at the end of a long day or a quick word before dinner. It’s the lifeboat for faith in Scripture, and can be that same lifeboat for me and you, if we’ll let it. I’m confident this series will be not only challenging for each of us, but encouraging as well. Prayer sometimes seems daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. And how we live out faith as we pray is really just as important as what we pray. I can’t wait to worship with you this weekend as we welcome Rusty to Cornerstone for the first time.

Many of you are taking some time off this summer and will be out of town (as will I). Let me encourage you to stay connected through this note and through our services online (even if you go to church with grandma out of town). Staying connected over the summer helps us stay consistent in our faith walk. See you Sunday!

Yours & His,
Chris VandeLinde

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