When I think of my life I am not sure if prayer is everything  as in those times when there is such joy to be held up by the Holy Spirit that it feels like my chest will burst open and I will shatter into thousands of shards of light which fly out into the sky to touch all of the other people who are praying to God at that moment in the world. One communion of believers. Other times I think that prayer is the only thing. Those are the moments when I am alone and I feel broken and that little voice of doubt tells me that  God has forsaken me, but still I reach out to God in prayer as it feels like that is my only voice. 

It was looking back on one of these times that I understood how important prayers are, even when it felt like I was alone, He was really right with me. My mom was dying. It was evening, she was in pain and I was alone with her. I prayed to God to heal her. At the same time her hospice nurse, Patty, had a feeling that she needed to see us, but she lived about 60 miles away in the rural part of town. She was about halfway to our house when her car stopped on an empty rural road with corn fields for miles. Patty (the nurse) later explained that she was almost frantic as that feeling that she needed to get to us kept building. After she opened the hood of her car, she turned and was startled to find a man was standing next to her. He said everything would be fine, then ask her to start the car. It started right up and she was so thankful to him, but when she leaned out to thank the man for his help, the road was completely empty. She was alone again. She arrived at our house treated my mom then started to tell me the story, but I already knew. The mysterious man who fixed her car had called me to tell me that the nurse was on her way and all would be well. (this was before cell phones). My mom died a couple of days later. God did not cure my mom, but He sent me an angel and a nurse to give my mom comfort and me the strength to say farewell.

That was 30 years ago and hundreds of prayers later I finally understand that even though I am physically handicapped,  we are all made exactly, perfectly how God wants us. I still have times when I feel alone but even at the darkest moments there is a sense of peace. I now understand. No matter how bad things seem, I promise you that we each are here by God’s appointment and in His keeping (1 Peter1:5), under His training (Revelation 3:19), according to His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11),and  even in times of sorrow we are here to glorify Him (1 Peter 4:16) and comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:46).

Prayer Chain

I have big shoes to fill as Michelle Cerny has stepped down from administering the prayer chain and I have been given the honor of taking over. We all need to thank her for doing such a great job.

Please think about joining the prayer chain. It would be a blessing to have more people sending prayers up to heaven. If you would like to join, contact me, in the church office at 239-434-5811 or .

Everything will remain the same. Send your prayer requests to the link on the website or to . If you do not have a computer, phone the request to me at 239-434-5811 ext. 0. 

Blessings, Patti Angliss