Does Prayer Really Work?

When a strip joint opened just down the road from the Nazareth Baptist Church in Bishop, Oklahoma, the enraged congregation tried every way they knew to have the establishment legally closed down.

After talking with the mayor, the town council and the chief of police, they found that there really was no legal way to make the sex business close.

So, the congregation turned to prayer, asking the Lord to intervene on their behalf and shut the strip club down by Providence.

Three days later, at 2:00 AM, a raging fire destroyed the strip club completely. 

The congregation, of course, was happy that their prayer had been answered, and that no one had been injured in the inferno, and were proud to tell everyone who would listen that God had intervened on their behalf.

But, the owner of the strip club was not stupid.  He got lawyered up and sued the Baptist church for asking God to destroy the club.

The church lawyer responded by stating unequivocably that the church congregation had had nothing whatever to do with the fire that destroyed the building, and that it was not possible that their prayer had caused the fire.

After deliberating the case, the judge stated that, while she did not approve in any fashion of the kind of business in which the strip club engaged, it was very curious to her that "Here we have a church, whose members obviously believe in God and the power of prayer, who now deny the possibility of God's intervention on their behalf after He had answered their prayer."

Fear of Public Speaking

When I was a boy, all the way up through my mid-twenties or so, I was deathly afraid of having to stand up before a group of people and speak.  I remember one time---I was about 13 or thereabouts---when I was asked to lead our Boy Scout meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance.  I absolutely could not do it.  I had a panic attack.

Part of my problem at the time was that I had very low self esteem and had no confidence in much of anything I was doing.  Looking back, I can say that this affliction was one of the worst things I ever went through in my life.  It wasn't until much later in life that my confidence began to improve with a success here and there---but I still dreaded it when I would have to speak before a group.

One of the most terrifying thoughts always occurred when I would be a part of a church group.  What if I was asked to say a prayer?  Oh, my gosh---I couldn't refuse to say a prayer!  I would have to actually say a meaningful prayer!  How would I go about doing that without having a heart attack?  By and by, the day came when this did happen.  I did my best to fight through my fear and mumbled something unintelligible and said a loud "Amen" at the end of it and got out of there before anyone could comment on how bad a prayer it was.  Ha.

As time went on, and my age progressed, and my life experience built some successes in business, personal relationships, social situations, etc, I began to feel at ease in speaking before groups.  In fact I began to enjoy it.  Soon, I was actually asking for opportunities to speak in public---teaching Sunday school, singing before groups of people, leading classes in various subjects.  Soon, being a speaker or singer in front of others was FUN!  I had come full circle!  Now, my friends and family often tell me they can't shut me up!  I take that as a compliment.  I don't EVER want to go back to those years when fear held its power over my life.

I thought this might be a meaningful blog posting because there are so many people who suffer this same fear of public speaking that I once did.  It can be overcome very spectacularly by making yourself DO IT!  With practice, fear will dissipate and the joy of being a speaker will take its place.

Before I close today's post, let me offer a little suggestion for those who might be fearful of being asked to say a prayer for a group.  Simply remember the ACRONYM    "ACTS".

A---Adoration....Begin your prayer by expressing adoration to God for His grace
C---Confession....Confess to God the group's humanity and imperfection
T---Thanksgiving....Thank God for all that He has given to the individuals of the group
S---Supplication....Ask God for whatever you or the group needs

The Corner Bakery

Our Little Restaurant

Our prayer group meets Tuesday mornings at 7:00 at The Corner Bakery.  There are six of us in our little group, and we have become close friends and brothers in Christ.  Today, I brought my camera and took a few pictures of our time together as we visited and discussed "Simple", Robert Morgan's book about the simplicity of being a Christian.

Mayra, Our Beautiful Server

Our first vision inside the Corner Bakery is that of Mayra, our beautiful server.  She is so cheerful!  She fills our orders for coffee and breakfast, and she always reinforces our good mood with her personality.


Darrell, Our Newest Member



Paul & Croissant



Darrell & Pannini

We sit at a table and eat our breakfasts and drink our coffee and catch up with what has been going on with each other over the past week.


Bill Holding Connor's New Crib Quilt

Debbie, Paul's wife, is a seamstress, and she has made a crib quilt for Bill's new grandbaby, Connor.

Then, we start discussing our reading assignment---today, it was chapter 1.  The burning question:  "How do you know you are going to heaven?"  This is a deep and sometimes troubling topic.  But, the discussion is lively and meaningful.

After two large mugs of java, a great discussion and comradeship, I am off for home, where Cindy will want to know what we discussed.