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MARCH 1, 2007 (Wally)
Hello. I am writing in support and recommendation of iPrayz.
Imagine this: a quiet Sunday night with a quiet congregation in a church not used to having excitement on a Sunday night. Into the sanctuary walk four people – three musicians and an artist. By the end of the evening the quiet sanctuary has been replaced by 200 plus praising and raising-the-roof followers of Jesus Christ: tears in their eyes, awe in the hearts, thanksgiving in their hearts, and confidence and faith in their souls.
That’s what iPrayz does.
Yes, their music is great – a wonderful mixture of old and new, of soft and rockin’, of listen-to-it and sing-along. Yes, the art is great – a haunting picture of Jesus that rises out of nowhere to live in a person’s heart and soul. But it’s more than that. It’s a statement of witness, it’s a blessing of discipleship, it’s a gift from God which is so much more than either the music or the painting alone provides. Quite simply, God works through iPrayz to turn lives around.
Truthfully, if they could be my “house band”, I would never have to preach another sermon in my life.
I have
known the
I’m not sure what God is in store for iPrayz, but it’s going to be great. I look forward to their increased witness, ministry, and faithfulness. I also look forward to them back in my church!
Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
The Reverend Walter B. Carlson
217.224.1302
FEBRUARY 3, 2007 (Eric)
It’s
easy to be proud of your kids, and as most parents are, I too am
a proud parent. Not that my kids are perfect; I’m
aware that they are much like their parents, and have lots of
growing to do. For those of you who know our Noah, you know
that he is sensitive, loving, a big hugger…yet,
sometimes rebellious, not always respectful, and a little mouthy…but
he has a huge heart. I’m
not certain where he gets all of traits; some would say Jen and
some would say me, but truthfully he is a great big mixture of
us both…the good and the bad.
I’ve seen times in Noah’s life where he shows what he is truly made of. Last night was one of those nights.
We were driving home when Noah spotted an elderly lady trudging through the snow and cold. I remember thinking; I hope she does not have far to travel in this cold weather. We got two blocks past her and Noah says, “Dad, can we give her a ride?”
I said, “Are you sure?” He said, “yes.” So, I turned the car around and went back to ask her if she needed a ride.
I pulled in front of her as close as I could get, which was about a half a block away. Noah jumped out of the car and ran to her and asked her if she wanted a ride. She was very cold and a little tipsy, but she said yes without any hesitation. I asked the elderly lady where she lived. She said she lived on just off of Temple St., so she had a long ways to travel by foot, and if she could have made it, would probably be very cold by the time she got home. About half way to the woman’s home I realized I should tell her about Jesus. Since my Son was bold enough to ask her for a ride, his strength gave me the boldness to tell her about Jesus. I asked her if she went to church in the area where she lived, she said no. I told her that we go to New Hope; the church over by Wal-Mart. I told her that I sang on the Worship Team. She simply commented; oh, that’s nice.
Not knowing how much she had been drinking that evening, I was not sure if she would even remember our conversation.
We finally got her home, and Noah made sure she got her car door open and watched her safely go inside and we headed home. About half way their Noah says, “ya think I’ll go to Heaven?” I said, “you keep doing things like that Noah, I have no doubt you’ll make it.”
Noah’s question got me thinking, what does it take to get to Heaven? I realized that just as we are proud parents and accepting of the good things that our children do, God is that exact same proud parent; fully accepting of the good things that you do in your life. We reward our children for doing well, and God gives the ultimate reward for the same. I’m no different than my Noah, far from perfect and sometimes rebellious, but I come to my Father, who is always proud to call me His Child.
I could have passed that elderly lady last night, and I probably would have totally forgotten about her by now. But Noah’s heart taught me a lesson about what it takes to get to Heaven.
Matthew 18:3
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become
like little children, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.
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