Personal Renewal to God and the Church
We sometimes have a tendency to focus on the world of work, family and home that surrounds us everyday. We come to church and our eyes are opened and we are reminded of the vast world we live in. The world created by God and ministered to by His church. Use 2 Corinthians 8:5 to guide you this week as you pray for the renewal of hearts to the mission of God, the mission to go and tell what we have seen and heard. Also, use James 5:16 as you pray for the renewal of hearts to the work of the church, the very work which has seen tremendous blessing from God throughout the history of CCCH.

Love
"For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NIV)." What an amazing love that would call on his own Son for such a mission. And that the Son would accept it is also amazing. But that is exactly what Jesus Christ did. He came on our behalf. He didn't wait until we were perfect. He didn't sit back idly waiting for us to get our business together. He came that we could know the Creator-God. So that we could know life. This kind of love is the driving force of CCCH. This philosophy is the backbone of becoming a place where no one stands alone. We are reaching out to the world with acts of hope and compassion. This week, we ask that your prayers be for the continued growth of our love for God's world. That we will see our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and even fellow-Christians through the eyes of Christ and that His kind of love will guide us every day.

Grace
It is tough when we encounter gracelessness. The school yard bully. The merciless supervisor. A difficult home-life. Life itself can be graceless when death is viewed as the end. But this state of eternal-poverty was relinquished. The punishment of those who call Christ savior was alleviated when He died for our sins. We have been shown grace. We walk with God and we have been called to live for His glory. We have been called to live as a witness of what He has done. We have been called to be deliverers of His grace. This week, let the wisdom of 1 Corinthians 8:9 guide your thoughts in prayer as we ask for a greater understanding of the grace shown to us. Pray that we may exhibit this grace to the world with greater clarity and fervor.

Faith
Faith can be a difficult thing. We are taught to trust what can be seen and tested. These days empirical data gives us the confidence we need to have "faith". The Imagine campaign will test our faith though because God will ask us to have genuine faith: a trust in things seemingly unseen. This week, pray not only for your faith but also the faith of CCCH as a whole as we seek God's visions for ministry and impact in the western suburbs. Use Hebrews 11:6 to guide your prayers this week.

Hope
The Old Testament prophet of Jeremiah had little reason to have hope. He has seen his country ripped apart by invading armies and domineering countries. Yet he had a passion to see the people of Israel turn from their God-less ways. His vision was to see God's dreams for Israel fulfilled. There is a sense of hope at CCCH, a sense that God is doing great things but that we have yet to see what He is really going to do. We close our eyes and try to imagine knowing we are only scratching the surface. Jeremiah 17:7 says "but blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." May this be our prayer, that we will make the Lord our hope and confidence.

Prayer, part 1
In prayer, we converse with the Father. We sit in silence using inner dialogue to seek His wisdom and participate in his imagination for our lives. Prayer is another mark of grace as we encounter God in an intimate way through focusing on Him and through focusing on His word. In this quite, He reveals His desires and visions for our life. Think of the vision that John got on the island of Patmos. The New Testament book of Revelation is the result of prayer. Matthew has challenged us to imagine what it would be like if Acts chapter 2 was to happen at CCCH and in one day we went from 450 people a week to nearly 11,000. This is God-sized visioning. We honestly do not know what God is imagining for CCCH but we know from Jeremiah 33:3 that all we have to do is seek earnestly and He will show us: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

Prayer, part 2
We are encouraged to continue in prayer by Jeremiah 33:3: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." We have just ended a series in the book of Proverbs reminding us that God's wisdom is the wisdom we should desire and follow. So much knowledge is thrown at us everyday but God's will is the directive we should seek. Mark 1:35 shows us a quick glimpse into the life of Jesus. Jesus wakes up before all of his disciples and goes to seek God's wisdom. He knows the Father will hear and answer. When the disciples are drawn to the visible need of the people of Capernaum, Christ is able to guide them to greater places where their impact will continue to grow. This is the wisdom we should seek as we move forward towards the Imagine campaign. If we ask consistently, diligently and earnestly for his guidance, God will hear and tell us "great and unsearchable things".

Prayer, part 3
There have been some important messages passed throughout the years. Through books, speeches, songs and poetry, messages are delivered from one person to another. Take for instance the notice from Paul Revere regarding the invading British army on April 18, 1775. That single message rang out a warning to the colonies so that they could rise the challenge and taste victory. Just like the message of Paul Revere, the message of Christ spread like wildfire through the Roman Empire and then entire world. It was termed as gospel or "Good News". Many who received the news of this Savior, who had conquered death and brought prophecies to life, rejoiced. We continue to carry this message today. In fact, the Imagine campaign is about imagining how God wants to improve our ability to convey this message in relevant and life-changing ways. This week, pray for CCCH's ability to convey this message, this Good News, and pray for those who will hear it that they may receive it and join us giving hope to this world. Use 2 Thessalonians 3:1 to guide your thoughts this week in prayer.

Involvement
John Heywood said "many hands make light work". This statement is given a fresh reality when it is put to task in the work of the church. Even the beginning of the church was not dependent upon the apostles alone. It took the work of a few hundred people and, after Pentecost, several thousand people to see the Church of Christ actualized to the four corners of the earth. Now over a billion Christ-followers around the globe work fervently in the Kingdom of God in preparation for the return of Christ. Here in Clarendon Hills, we are small part of this global effort but a rather large part of what God is doing in the suburbs of Chicago. It is going to take each and every one of us praying for and seeking God's will and vision for CCCH. He challenges us to dream and to make those dreams known to Him. Get involved in the work. Close your eyes and imagine the future. Now, get involved in making it a reality. God wants to work through you in the life and future of CCCH. This week, may your prayers seek the miracle God wants to do through you through the Imagine Campaign. Use Nehemiah 2:18 to guide your prayers this week.

Willingness
It is striking how God allows his people to work things out on their own. He called Abraham, He called Moses and He called David. These early leaders had the choice to walk away and live ordinary lives but they heard the call and rose to the challenge. It is not a mystery that we are being called by God to step-out and answer His call to lead in His ministry and serve in his kingdom. Scripture reminds us that those who are willing should answer the call and give of what God asks: time, finances, resources, etc. Are you willing to rise to the challenge God has set before us in the Imagine campaign? May our prayer be for God to work in the hearts of each of us individually and as a church that we will continue to seek His voice and answer the call he has issued for us and our sacrifice. Let Exodus 35:5 guide your thoughts as you pray this week.

Example
There is a new commercial for a well-known American auto-maker. Every one is stuck in the daily grind of traffic and life. With the click of a button these particular cars begin to rise up, to set a new pace: to be an example of freedom on the road above the ordinary and sublime. Our very lives point to the maker of all who calls us to rise above the ordinary and concrete realities of this world to live in His Kingdom which flows down from Heaven and rises up from the earth through those who call on His name. We are the example of something greater; we who have answered the call to rise above the ordinary, to imagine the extraordinary world of God. Let Christ make you an example this week as you encounter him in prayer. Let the Holy Spirit transform you as you surrender to His will and purposes. Let Joshua 24:15 be an encouragement to you as you pray this week.

Sacrifice
Sacrifice asks of the giver something that they cherish and enjoy. For Abraham, it was his life with his family for the promise of the unknown. For the Israelites and David it was finances, time and the comfort of being just like everyone else in the world. For God, it was His one and only Son Jesus Christ. Sacrifice is the giving of something that costs us something or brings us security. But sacrifice requires us to live with an assurance of God's blessing and faith in his providential care. Pray about the sacrifice God is calling you to make through the Imagine campaign. Use 2 Samuel 24:24 to guide your thoughts and prayers this week.

Leadership
It is difficult to resist the wonder of a marching band. Hundreds of musicians in sync musically and physically over a large area as they produce a delight for the eyes and the ears. The uniforms are spectacular and the sound is overwhelming. But if they are not well led, people will go everywhere and there will be chaos. Leadership is an essential component to moving forward with the full beauty and power that a group is supposed to have. Leaders are required to step out and take the lead. In a marching band the leader is out in front giving direction, surveying the state of the group and insuring a successful end. A leader begins preparing long before everyone else so when the time comes they know what to do and when to do it. Pray this week that you may be a leader in God's Church and in the places He has set you. Answer the call to step up and be a light, to set the tempo, to ensure success. As you pray, read 1 Chronicles 29:6 and 1 Corinthians 14:8 and allow them to guide your thoughts.

Commitment
Exodus 35:29 says "All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do." The wiling have made themselves available for God's use. Pray that God will continue to work in their hearts and that they will not be thwarted in their offering and their oppeness to God's leading.

Praise
Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, says that the most overlooked aspect of prayer is remembering what we asked for in prayer. Memory is important to God. Remember His commands, remember His blessings, remember the ways in which He has revealed Himself through history. Flip through the Psalms and see how many times remembrance is mentioned. Memory is important to God. In giving praise there is content to the action. Simply saying "we praise you" does not get the job done. It is not the mentioning of the word praise but the remembering of why God is praiseworthy. This week, remember our God and the ways in which He has been faithful to His creation, His Church, CCCH and even you and your family. Use Psalm 100:4 as guide this week.

First Fruits Offering
God is honored with the first, with the best of what we have. He is not honored when we give Him our leftovers. Pray as God leads us in giving of our first fruits from the blessings He has given us. Use Proverbs 3:9-10 as a guide for your prayerson this topic.

Victory and Thanksgiving
The Christian story starts at creation. God is the creator, the giver of life. He is the One to whom all praise, glory and honor belong. We celebrate victory this week. Victory over our fears by the power of Christ that is at work within us. The victory in funds raised for the expansion of God's kingdom. We give thanks for how he has worked through us during this time of seeking, surrender and sacrifice. Give thanks to God this week. Thanks for a victory in His name and for His glory. Use 1 Chronicles 29: 11, 13 as a guide for your prayers this week.