CS Heinz | Passionate About Prayer

Part 1: How We’re Like Zechariah

CS Heinz — December 3, 2013 — 2 Comments

This Christmas series is based on a quote by Frederick Buechner about the parable of the Good Samaritan:

Is the point of Jesus’ stories that they point to the truth about you and me and our stories? We are the ones who have been mugged, and we are also the ones who pass by pretending we didn’t notice. Hard as it is to believe, maybe every once in a while we are even the ones who pay an arm and a leg to help.
And perhaps sometimes we are the ones in the Christmas story. That’s what this series is about.

Zechariah is one of the first people we meet in the Christmas story in the book of Luke. To understand Zechariah, you should know some things:

Zechariah was a priest.
He was married to Elizabeth.
They were old.
Elizabeth was barren, so they had no children.
One day the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah with surprising news: they will have a son, whom they will name John (as in John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus).

Have a son in their old age? Zechariah was incredulous. But we can’t blame him. For years they had prayed for a child. They had watched their friends have children, but there was no bun in the oven for them. They grew loose and wrinkly, what happens when years have their way.

And all of a sudden

In Presence of God

How to Become a Friend of God

CS Heinz — November 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

She tinkers in her garden.

Your first apartment together has no garden, so she builds one. She brings in soil, spreads it out, and then plants lemon verbena so fragrant you’d think you were inside a lemon, red bee balm that looks like little bursting firecrackers, and a rosemary bush with thick, rich tentacles.

Your lady waters the garden first, then every day after. She spends a lot of time there, until the day you move into a house and she builds another garden.

She plants sunflowers that tower higher than the kids you will raise in that house, red bee balm as a reminder of the days before, and poppies of different shapes and colors. She seems at her best in her garden. She goes there often.

In Prayer

10 Myths of Adoption I No Longer Believe

CS Heinz — November 18, 2013 — 17 Comments

I don’t typically write about adoption on my blog, but I couldn’t resist.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month in the United States and my workplace, EnergyCAP, Inc., was recently recognized as a Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Plus, my wife and I adopted two boys from the Philippines—one in 2009 and one this past August.

We’re part of a growing trend in the Church to be families for orphans. The fact we adopted is not so much a reflection of us, but rather the God we serve. Psalm 68:6 says that God sets the lonely in families and James 1:27 says that pure religion looks after orphans. So before you say how great we are for adopting, first say how great God is—adoption is God’s idea.

According to the Barna Group, adoption is on the rise in the United States, a fact we should celebrate! But as we celebrate, let’s do so with understanding. There were many things I wish I understood about adoption before we received our boys.

Here are ten myths of adoption from our experience:

In Adoption

What Was Found in the Philippines Mud

CS Heinz — November 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

Agnes had just returned from the morning prayer meeting when she got my email saying help was on the way. Agnes is Pastor Roy’s administrator.

Hello Pastor Chris, praise God of the help. We’re encouraged to do our mission as we see many people giving donations. Thank God. It’s morning watch prayer meeting. God answers prayer, He’s so good to us.

(I’m wiring the money at 3 PM ET today, so please donate if you’d like to.)

Here’s an excerpt from chapter one in Made To Pray. It seems appropriate in this Philippine typhoon and also because it’s National Adoption Awareness month.

You don’t know when you’ll return to this part of the world, so you walk the streets near your hotel. You watch the people, take in the smells. It’s so different from home. Water has finally receded from the rain. The wet ground is starting to dry. You missed the storm by just days. You wonder how they’ll recover. It seems unfair that so many storms have come.

Different colored trash litters the ground; your eyes are drawn to it. There’s green glass and brown glass and blue glass. There are sheets of tin and wet cardboard, loose paper strewn about. Shoeless and dirty children waddle around. They pick out trash as toys. They find a tire, roll it to each other and laugh. You can’t decide to smile or cry.

What’s that on the ground?

In Adoption, Philippines

Help the Philippines

CS Heinz — November 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

I received an email from our good friend and partner in the Philippines, Pastor Roy Malpas.

Of the places in the Philippines where we know people, it seems that Masbate was hit the hardest. Masbate was where we held the crusade in August.

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Here is some of Pastor Roy’s email:

This Sunday morning, the church was full of tears. All of them were safe, but some of them lost their houses. The church building itself got a partial damage, it’s just made of bamboo but it can be fixed easily. In the house of my sister-in-law where my three daughters live, the kitchen was totally removed by the blowing of heavy and mighty wind. One church member’s house at the top of the mountain was picked up and thrown upside down a distance away; it’s totally wrecked. Now everyone’s dry rice is ruined and cannot be cooked and the water they drink is brown in color due to the muddy floods going to the wells. Only the rich people can buy and go to market.

In Philippines

A Prayer for Help

CS Heinz — November 6, 2013 — 3 Comments

God help me right now.

Help me to suffer that which builds, but shun that which destroys.

Help me to see the good that is not clear and the plan that has not been revealed.

Show me what you want to redeem.

Help me to walk in the love that is already in me, perfect love that loves without condition nor the hope of being repaid.

Help me to walk in you, in whom I have my being, and not only walk, but tread and dance and cling and sing.

I’m desperate for you.

Desperate like I need water and air and land beneath my feet and a lover for my soul.

Without you there is no light or love or affection. I need you.

Give me faith that trusts your present work, and when that work becomes sight, give me more faith to trust for more.

You supply faith to the believing and strength to the weary. I’m weary, my God.

Help me to love the ones under my care without reservation or expectation. Help me to see them as you do.

But most of all, help me to see me as you do.

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God help me right now.

In Prayer, Presence of God

6 Reasons God Speaks Through Prophecy

CS Heinz — October 23, 2013 — 5 Comments

When my wife was washing dishes after dinner, she sensed God impressing something on her heart.

She should buy flowers for someone—and it had to be that night. Flowers tonight, for whom? She didn’t know, she just knew it had to be then.

Colette left her dishes in the sink and drove to the flower store. Once inside, she thought God wanted her to buy three roses and a card. As Colette paid for them, a particular neighbor came to mind. She hadn’t seen her in a while, but yes, Colette felt very strongly the flowers were for her.

Colette sat inside the car, deciding what to write on the card. She asked God for a message and what she heard was, “I’m well pleased with you,” so she wrote that on the card. Then she drove to the neighbor’s house to deliver the goods.

The neighbor opened the door and Colette handed her the roses and card. Visibly surprised, the neighbor said thank you and quickly shut the door. Wait, there were so many questions. Why flowers? Why her? Why tonight?

In Prayer

When God Says Yes | Central Prayer Network

CS Heinz — October 20, 2013 — 1 Comment

A little more than a year ago, I was threatened with a lawsuit.

The letter came from a fancy Hollywood lawyer who claimed the title of my book infringed on the rights of her client’s book. Although my publisher’s lawyer said they didn’t have a real case, we changed the name of the book to keep the publication moving forward.

Exactly a year ago was the deadline to hand in the manuscript to the publisher, and I did. Then a few months after that, my publisher closed its doors. I was left without a publisher. But challenges were nothing new. 30 publishers had already rejected the book.

Even though many had said no, God had said yes, so we went for it.

We found a company to self-publish Made To Pray and we:

In Prayer

3 Levels of God-Given Creativity

CS Heinz — October 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

I’ve been on my knees asking for inspiration.

I was asked to lead the closing session for a conference in my hometown. The topic of my session is seeking God for creative solutions, so I’ve been seeking God about creativity.

By the way, if you’re in the central PA area, please consider attending this conference. It is a gift to Happy Valley that the conference is here. It runs Oct 16-Oct 19 and you can attend any part you want. Registration is free.
People from MD, OH, VA, NY, and DC are bringing this conference to our little town. There will be powerful messages, personal prophetic ministry, and times of equipping on topics like:

- Walking in Identity
- Condition of the Church
- Shine for Jesus Where You Are
- Plus there’s a special Friday night service at Penn State and a luncheon on Effective Transformation: embracing the five-fold ministry and spiritual gifts in the church, marketplace, and nations.

Don’t miss this important conference for your life and our region.

Get the conference brochure here.

Okay, back to creativity. As I’ve prayed, God has showed me some specifics about creativity.

In Power

Why It’s Important to Romance God

CS Heinz — October 4, 2013 — 3 Comments

One morning I sat down to spend time with God.

Sometimes I make a specific appointment with him and other times I don’t. I’ve found that he’s flexible and can always see me on a whim. I don’t know how he does this with such a full schedule, but I’m grateful.

Our time didn’t start off well. Yeah, I showed up, which is an accomplishment because half the time we make plans, I ditch. But here, now, something was off. We didn’t have the usual flow—the conversation, the sense of his presence, the interest. It felt like me sitting in a room by myself.

I tried a series of tactics to lure him out, but nothing worked. I was about to leave. Then slowly and suddenly, like a rose opening, a verse came to mind, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Sometimes God plays hard-to-get; sometimes He wants to be romanced.

Here’s why it’s important to romance God:

In Presence of God