Thomas VanderPloeg

Prayer changes things. The most effective prayers are not the ones which seek to change my situations and circumstances—the world and people around me; the most effective prayers are the ones that change ME.

Jonah gives us an example of both a prayer that makes room in his heart, and a prayer that shuts out room in his heart. We can learn from Jonah the ways in which our own hearts either make room for prayer, or shut out room for prayer.

What an amazing thing it is that God has made it possible for us to present with God by the indwelling of his Holy Spirit. In prayer, we can embrace the indwelling presence of God with us.

Learning to sift through all the “voices” in our world and to discern how God is speaking to us is a key task of discipleship. Prayer teaches us how to silence all the other noise in our world so that we can listen to God.

Everybody wants a place where they know they can belong; the Bible assures us that we are created for belonging, and baptism is the sign of God’s promise that we always have a place to belong with him.

God invites us as his people to connect our hearts with his heart; a well-rounded rhythm of prayer with God helps us as disciples of Jesus to remain connected to God’s heart.

Prayer is a practice which brings us in union with God; sometimes the best way to begin embracing a life of prayer is to let others give you the words.

The Bible often reminds us that in our attempts to seek out God, it is always in fact God who is seeking our hearts.

The gospel of Jesus orients our souls towards a new life with God; the practice of worship also orients our souls towards a new life with God. Making room in our lives to nurture the wellbeing of our community brings action into a new life with God.