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Meditation on Prayer
“In the morning, I lay my requests before you, and I wait in expectation.”   Psalm 5:3

As a pastor's son, and in fact the son of a man with a ThD after his name, I was privy to many a theological discussion among some very gifted, and intelligent men. Nothing seemed to surprise me more than the day a pastor asked my dad if he believed in prayer. Prayer...taken for granted or spoken in earnest; but do we understand the power of prayer. Do we expect an answer?

The galaxy we live among has nearly 250 billion stars, and astronomers think there are at least another 100 billion galaxies, each with hundred or even thousands of stars. The Bible tells us He has named every one of those trillions of suns, and rocks, in what we call our nighttime sky.

The largest star known is, Canis Majoris. The star is so large that if Earth’s Sun was the same size its radius would extend beyond the orbit of Saturn. God merely spoke it into existence.

Think about this, the universe is so vast that the matter it contains would only be the size of one grain of sand in a building the size of Bloomington-Normal that reaches skyward until it touches the orbit of the International Space Station. The incredible part is He is holding all of this in the expanse of His hands.

Prayer is much more than a puny, ordinary thing. That is because the One we are praying to is much bigger than we can comprehend. And, He is more willing to respond to us than you will ever comprehend.

How do you view prayer? Is it a want list? Is prayer a need list? Is it something that makes you feel good, sort of like a meditation time? Is prayer work? Do you pray to a cosmic Santa Claus, who is ready to dispense your wish?  Of course, he will be checking if you are naughty or nice. Do you adopt the attitude that prayer might work and you leave your prayer with about the same hope you have when you buy a lottery ticket.

Try this on, we know God is infinite, omnipotent and omnipresent (fancy words for all encompassing, all powerful and everywhere at the same time), but have we ever thought of God as intimate?  Every day you get to speak to the One who created and is sustaining a vast universe. The same universe that makes you look smaller than a grain of sand in comparison.

That same God who knows the names of every star --knows your name.  When you pray, you get to have face time, and even collaborate with the Creator of the universe.

And do you expect an answer? According to Psalm 5:3 you should 'wait in expectation' when you pray. Expect God to respond to your prayers! When you expect something, your mind becomes preoccupied with it, and you arrange your life accordingly, waiting for it to happen. So, prayer is not just a little five-minute conversation without expectation, instead, prayer sets your agenda.

God expects you to expect Him to be able to answer your requests. But He also expects you to expect Him to want to answer your requests. We may be smaller that a grain of sand when compared to the universe, but you have a privilege no star or galaxy will ever have. Lay your requests before God, and 'wait in expectation.'

— Gary Rude —

Introducing Rev. Thomas Bayes, Jr.

My cultural and religious values are rooted in West Virginia. My father owned and operated his own grocery store and my mother worked as a bookkeeper for a large department store. My parents were hardworking, middle class people. As a child and youth, I worked in the family business. My parents always encouraged me to be self-sufficient, self-motivated, and self-reliant. Faith was important to them. They instilled a deep sense of Christian values in my life.

Dianne M. Lorenz. Dianne has been a high school math and biology teacher. She holds master’s degrees in both disciplines. She had a distinguished teaching career and enjoyed the challenges that came with teaching in an urban school. She retired in 2008. Currently, Dianne volunteers as a tutor at Hines Elementary School and does personal math and biology tutoring of high school students in our home.

Dianne and I enjoy many shared activities and interests, in particular the arts and theater. Chicago is one of our favorite cities to visit where we enjoy eating in diverse restaurants, attending theater productions, visiting museums, and observing various styles of architecture. We enjoy ballroom dancing and traveling together. We like to read, exercise, swim, and soon will complete our task of reading through the Bible.

Dianne and I have a son, Brandon, who works as a financial analyst for Accenture in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is to be married on November 5, 2011. I will have the privilege of performing the wedding ceremony.

People may describe him as outgoing, gregarious, caring, creative, fun loving, friendly, compassionate and sensitive.

Pastor Tom enjoys pastoral ministry and the opportunity to work with diverse individuals. He says, “I am a collaborative leader. I strive to help congregations determine direction and vision for the church. My style of leadership seeks to reinforce the congregation's ownership of ministry and to facilitate the church in setting goals and objectives as well as creating a plan of implementation to achieve them”.

Quoting Rev. Bayes, “Interim ministry requires experienced pastors who understand the dynamics of managing transitions in the church and who possess the gifts to lead, guide, and care for congregations as they envision a new future together. My pastoral experiences have prepared me for the challenges that come with leading a church during an interim period. My skills and abilities in pastoral care, preaching and worship, missionary outreach, and administration have provided congregational stability, opportunity, and growth in times of change. The ability to guide churches through strategic and intentional envisioning processes has proven to be a valuable asset in developing new directions in ministry.”

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updated August 16, 2011