Storytellers (Heather Thompson Day)
In our annual summer series, Storytellers, we have heard from a variety of wonderful guest speakers. This week, our series concludes with Heather Thompson Day, author, speaker, and founder of Cross Communication and It Is Day Ministries.
Icebreaker: When you hear the phrase “call on God,” what comes to mind? Is there a particular situation when you naturally find yourself calling on God?
1. In her sermon, Heather Thompson Day says, “Prayer does not begin with what we say, it begins with WHOSE we are.” What difference does it make to approach prayer knowing that you are a beloved child of God?
2. The disciples had already witnessed Jesus doing extraordinary things, yet they specifically asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” What do you think they saw in Jesus’ prayer life that made them want to learn from him? What might that teach us about our own prayer lives?
3. Jesus’ prayer begins with God’s presence—“Our Father”—before it moves to our requests for provision. How might our prayers change if we focused first on being with God rather than simply asking God for things?
4. Thompson Day connects prayer with our relationships with other people, saying, “We cannot call on God as our Father, while ignoring God’s other children.” What does this suggest about how prayer should shape the way we treat our neighbors, family, coworkers, or people who are difficult for us?
5. In her sermon, Thompson Day describes several ways we can call on God: for provision, healing, victory over obstacles, and peace despite fear. Where do you most need to experience God in one of these ways right now?
6. Thompson Day’s final challenge was to “call on God in one area of your life where you need God to call into existence something that does not currently exist.” What would you name in your own life, our church, or our community? How can this group pray for that together?
Optional Closing Prayer Time: Spend a few minutes in prayer together, inviting each person to name one area where they are asking God to bring something new into existence.
(*Video available after Sunday services)
