Rhythms of Grace

To listen to the podcast, click here!

Gina writing…1/10/2021

Philippians 1:6

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

This past week as I was adding things to my “to do” list, I realized again that the list never comes to an end. There is always something to add when I complete a task. That thought led to me to think about the work that God is doing in those who have placed their faith in His Son, Jesus. His work does not end when we accept His gift. It only just begins there and will continue in us until we see Him in glory.

The same is true in our prayer life. God is working always to deepen the communion that we have with Him through prayer. Look at the example of the disciples in Luke 11:1-3: (emphasis mine)

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “LORD, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

I can imagine as the disciples were watching Jesus’ pray, they realized that they had much to learn and that He had much to teach. Have you asked Jesus to teach you to pray lately? You can ask Him that many times over and still never know all there is to know. My prayer life has changed radically over the years as the Holy Spirit has caused me to mature. I hope that you won’t give up on prayer because you think that you aren’t doing it correctly. Our Heavenly Father loves to hear from us and He is always at work to help us to become the disciples that He needs to fulfill His Kingdom plan.

Prayer: Lord, as we seek You, we ask You to teach us to pray! Teach our Church community to pray and to seek You in all things. We repent for times when we have been very self-reliant and have not asked for Your wisdom and provision. Forgive us, Lord and create a deep desire in our hearts, by Your Holy Spirit, to have greater communion with You. Thank You, Lord, for Your continuing work in our lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Prayer Point:

Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian. ~Andrew Murray

Listen to this as a podcast

Contact us: rhythmsofgrace721@gmail.com

Gina writing…December 28, 2020

Some of you may be wondering about our new intercessory prayer ministry at Emmaus Road Community Church. I thought it would be a good idea to tell you the “back story” so that you can have a better understanding.

About 6 months ago, I had a night dream that I actually remembered the next morning. I tell you this because it is a rarity in my life to actually remember my night dreams. In the dream, God was speaking to me and He kept saying, “Rhythms of Grace.” I would ask Him, “What is that?” His reply repeatedly throughout the dream was, “It is the intercessory prayer ministry to pray for Emmaus, the Church and the world.”

I shared my dream with Carol Kobulnicky and she was inspired to look for the words “rhythms of grace” in the scriptures. She found these words in the Message version of Matthew 11:28-30:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (emphasis mine)

I had laid aside the dream for a period of time, when I had another dream a few weeks ago. In the dream, I felt the church was being attacked by our enemy, satan. It was after that dream that I felt that I needed to increase my prayer for the church. Several others who were part of the recent “Love to Pray” class have now joined me in launching a more intentional prayer ministry for our church. Please be aware that we already have a prayer group that prays for needs that are presented. That ministry will continue. What distinguishes the Rhythms of Grace ministry is that we will be praying Kingdom prayers for our church, community and world.

I recently asked Blake Knadler to design our logo. (see above) He asked me what my vision was and I shared what I have felt about the ministry. You will see a small silhouette of a dancing couple in the logo. You may notice that the man is wearing a crown. When Blake asked me what I was perceiving, I said, “I see a heavenly waltz. Jesus is dancing with the Bride.”

Only God knows where He will lead this new ministry in the days ahead. I’m excited to see all He has in store for Emmaus and for the Church worldwide. Be watching for future updates and prayer prompts through our church newsletter and social media. If you are interested in learning more about the ministry of intercession, please reach out to me. When I was a young Christian and the Lord was calling me as intercessor, I had wonderful mentors that helped me along the way. If you feel called as an intercessor, I’d love to help you!

And now…would you take a moment and agree with me in prayer?

Prayer: Lord, help us to trust You as we step out into the new Rhythms of Grace Intercessory Prayer ministry. We want our hearts to be aligned with Your desires, so please lead us by Your Spirit in the days ahead. Please call forth more intercessors to pray for Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done at Emmaus and throughout Your world. Show us how to disciple others in this important ministry. May Emmaus Road Community Church truly become a “house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7) Thank You for the privelege of co-laboring with You in Your Kingdom work. To God be the glory for great things You have done! In the wonderful Name of Jesus we ask. Amen!