by Pastor Ron Miyake

In the early afternoon before the start of our All Church Summer Conference, four of us gathered together to talk about how we were going to prayerwalk the BIOLA University campus. Then we split up into groups of two to pray for the various parts of the campus and for our church family and the conference activities that would happen in those various places. 

But prayerwalking isn’t just an activity reserved for doing before a big event. It is something that we can do any time, anywhere we are. 

So what is Prayerwalking? 

Basically, Prayerwalking is Walking, Observing, Listening to God, and Praying for what we hear: 

1. WALKING with God and with other people. Joining together with God to pray for and to bless the community, campus, work place, neighborhood, or whatever place we feel led to pray for. This can be done alone or by joining with other Christians to pray together. 

2. OBSERVING what is around us as we walk. Using what we see direct what we pray for. For example, if we see a business or we see toys in a yard, then pray for that business or the family or children of that home. Or we might pray for all the businesses or for the families in that area. Or if we see graffiti on walls, then to pray for the gangs, crime, safety, the sheriffs, or whatever else God puts on our hearts to pray for. It is using what we see direct what we pray for. 

3. LISTENING to God. This is asking God what to pray for as we walk. Then listening to what the Lord says to pray for. Remember that in John 10:27 Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” So being intentional about listening to God, then praying for what the Lord puts on our hearts. 

4. PRAYING for what we hear. Listening to the sounds around us. Such as, if we hear people speaking in a language other than English, we can pray for the people we hear and for the country or countries that speak that language. 

Prayerwalking is something we can do wherever we are. It is a good way to see and learn about the community, campus, or place we are praying for. It is a good way to get to know and bless the people and area we are prayerwalking. 

If you would like to learn more about Prayerwalking, I recommend the book, Prayerwalking: Praying On-Site With Insight, by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick. 

by Pastor Ron Miyake

Matthew 14:26-29 When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”

Are you a risk taker? Are you willing to do things out of your comfort zone? I’m not talking about being a thrill seeker or doing risky things just for the thrill of it or to get some sort of adrenaline rush.

I’m talking about taking a risk, doing things out of our comfort zone because the Lord asks us to do something. Maybe the Lord asks us to do something that we don’t feel adequate to do or we don’t feel we have enough skill, talent, gifting or ability to do. Or maybe we are not willing to ask the Lord or say “Yes” to the Lord because we are afraid of failing and looking bad in front of others.

In this passage in Matthew 14, I’ve often heard people just talk about Peter messing up again. But one thing that I admire about Peter in this passage was that he was willing. He was willing to ask the Lord, he was willing to do whatever Jesus asked him to do. Even if it was way beyond his ability to do it on his own, Peter was willing to say “Yes” to Jesus.

For our summer conference, I was encouraged to see so many people in our church family who were willing to ask the Lord, “Lord, if it’s You… calling me to be part of the Prophetic Prayer Ministry team… I’ll do it.” I was so encouraged to see people not only ask, but then say “Yes” to the Lord. Of the 40 people on the team, 22 were new people who were willing to get trained, serve, and see the Holy Spirit work in and through them at the conference.

May we be a people who are willing to ask the Lord if He wants us to do something… and to be a people who will say “Yes” as the Lord calls and leads us.

By Terri Wong

Have you ever wanted to go back in time to your childhood, or to an earlier part of your life? Every Sunday I am blessed to go back to 3rd and 4th grade! When God called me to serve in the Church School ministry, I expected to just teach. While I may be serving as a Church School “Teacher” – the ministry encompasses much more. I get to go, teach, help, observe, fellowship and learn each Sunday morning.

Right after the 8am service, I eagerly go to the Church School classroom, with a grateful heart for the opportunity to serve God. I am blessed by each student that walks through the doors of the classroom, so thank you parents for bringing your children to Church School.

I get to teach the students truths and lessons from the Word of God. It is a joy to share the gospel message of salvation and a blessing to freely share about God’s love!

When I am not lead teaching, I love to help in the classroom. I enjoy listening to Bible verses, praying for the children, getting to know them and encouraging them to do their best for the Lord.

In the classroom, I also observe the interactions amongst the students, their different personalities and how God has gifted each one with talents and abilities. I observe the shy and quieter 3rd graders and witness them grow in their faith, until they promote from 4th to 5th grade, after two years in our department. I observe the helpful students and prayer warriors, with much hope for our next generation of Evergreeners. J

I serve alongside other teachers and am privileged to call them my fellow servants, as well as dear friends in Christ. We get to fellowship with one another, pray with/for each other and share joys, cares, and concerns.

Finally, the Holy Spirit continues to teach me and I learn more about God and His character each week in Church School. I love being able to go, teach, help, observe, fellowship and learn. It is such an awesome privilege and blessing serving God as a Church School Teacher! 

By Pastor Ron Milyake

Last November, my wife, Carol, and I had the opportunity to go to Israel to attend a gathering of Christians from around the world (www.882call.org). After the conference, we had the opportunity to see Peter and Rita Tsukahira at their church, Kehilat HaCarmel, and the Or HaCarmel Ministry Center. I was really looking forward to this visit since I really enjoyed hearing Peter share at our All Church Summer Conference in 2012. I had also heard how good the worship was at their church.

Peter shared with our group about the church and the ministries at Or HaCarmel Ministry Center. Rita showed us a video of the ministry that she has to Sudanese refugee women and children. It was neat to hear about their ministries and to see their church and the surrounding community in Haifa, Israel.

One of the unexpected highlights of the time for me was being able to experience the midweek worship and prayer time at their church. During that time, the worship leader, Sarah Liberman, played the keyboard and sang worship songs in Hebrew and in English. One of the pastors from Kehilat HaCarmel led us in a time of coming before the Lord, seeking Him, worshipping Him, and lifting up our prayers and ourselves to the Lord. It was also good to see their two flag worshippers. In the busyness of the conference and the traveling and sightseeing around Israel, this time of worshipping the Lord and coming before Him was so renewing and refreshing to my soul.

Last November, my wife, Carol, and I had the opportunity to go to Israel to attend a gathering of Christians from around the world (www.882call.org). After the conference, we had the opportunity to see Peter and Rita Tsukahira at their church, Kehilat HaCarmel, and the Or HaCarmel Ministry Center. I was really looking forward to this visit since I really enjoyed hearing Peter share at our All Church Summer Conference in 2012. I had also heard how good the worship was at their church.

Peter shared with our group about the church and the ministries at Or HaCarmel Ministry Center. Rita showed us a video of the ministry that she has to Sudanese refugee women and children. It was neat to hear about their ministries and to see their church and the surrounding community in Haifa, Israel.

One of the unexpected highlights of the time for me was being able to experience the midweek worship and prayer time at their church. During that time, the worship leader, Sarah Liberman, played the keyboard and sang worship songs in Hebrew and in English. One of the pastors from Kehilat HaCarmel led us in a time of coming before the Lord, seeking Him, worshipping Him, and lifting up our prayers and ourselves to the Lord. It was also good to see their two flag worshippers. In the busyness of the conference and the traveling and sightseeing around Israel, this time of worshipping the Lord and coming before Him was so renewing and refreshing to my soul.

After coming back to LA, I am still mindful of the sights, sounds, and tastes of our time in Israel. As I read of places in the Bible, I would use the maps at the back of my Bible to see these places and think about what we saw in Israel.

One of the things that Carol and I have really enjoyed is listening to the Messianic Jewish worship songs by Sarah Liberman. We bought her CD (“Lefanecha”/“I Am Before You”) at the Kehilat HaCarmel Church.

I would encourage you to check out Sarah’s four music videos on YouTube. On one of the videos (“The Great Exchange”), you can see what the Kehilat HaCarmel Church looks like. The songs in Hebrew have English translations, too.

Also check out Peter’s messages on the Kehilat HaCarmel YouTube channel (“Israel Media”).