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Prayer isn’t just talking — it’s learning to listen.
In the Season 4 premiere of Project Sisterhood, Chrissy Cole sits down with Kathy Cannon for a powerful and refreshingly real conversation about prayer, silence, and hearing God.
If you’ve ever felt like:
- you don’t know what to say when you pray,
- you can’t stay consistent,
- you feel distracted the whole time,
- or God feels quiet…
this episode is for you.
Chrissy and Kathy unpack what prayer really is — not performance, not perfection — but relationship. Together they talk about why silence matters, how to create space to actually hear God, and what it looks like to build a prayer life that is honest, practical, and life-giving.
In this episode:
✨ Why many people struggle with prayer
👂 How to practice listening, not just speaking
🕊️ The spiritual power of silence
💬 Practical ways to pray when you don’t know what to say
🔥 How prayer changes your life from the inside out
This is your reminder: you’re not bad at prayer — you’re just too loud. And God wants to meet you in the quiet.
— — — — — — — — — —
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If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend and leave a review — it helps more women find Project Sisterhood 💛
🎧 Listen to Project Sisterhood:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12Mzxkt8WDImuZJpu90b7N?si=a5208fcedd2c44f7
📲 Follow Project Sisterhood on Instagram:
Instagram: @projectsisterhood
⛪️ Project Church:
Website: https://projectchurch.com
— — — — — — — — — —
- (00:00) - Cold Open: “You’re Just Too Loud”
- (00:18) - Welcome to Season 4
- (01:12) - Why Prayer Feels Hard for So Many
- (03:05) - Prayer Isn’t Performance — It’s Relationship
- (05:10) - Talking vs. Listening in Prayer
- (07:45) - Silence Is Spiritual Discipline
- (10:12) - Why We Avoid Quiet
- (12:40) - How to Create Space to Hear God
- (15:20) - What to Do When God Feels Silent
- (18:05) - Practical Prayer Habits That Stick
- (21:10) - Praying When You Don’t Know What to Say
- (24:00) - How Prayer Changes You Internally
- (27:30) - Distractions, Consistency & Grace
- (30:10) - Encouragement for Women Who Feel “Bad” at Prayer
- (33:15) - Final Challenge: Get Quiet and Listen
- (36:10) - Closing Prayer + Outro
Creators and Guests
Host
Chrissy Cole
Chrissy’s parents moved to the U.S. from the Philippines in the late 70′s. She saw her parents both come to know the Lord at a young age. She and her family poured their lives into the local church and were changed by God. Chrissy attended Evangel University in Springfield, MO and earned a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.
What is Project Sisterhood?
Project Sisterhood is a podcast for women who want to grow in faith, find healthy community, and become who God created them to be.
Hosted by Chrissy Cole and the Project Church Sisterhood team, each episode brings honest conversations and biblical encouragement centered on identity, belonging, spiritual maturity, healing, relationships, and purpose.
With a mix of humor, vulnerability, and real-life wisdom, Project Sisterhood creates space for women in every age and stage to feel seen, strengthened, and connected—because you were never meant to do life alone.
00;00;00;00 - 00;00;04;11
Chrissy Cole
How can we start developing that component of listening?
00;00;04;13 - 00;00;07;27
Kathy Cannon
Yeah, it's this really age old tool. It's called shut up.
00;00;07;29 - 00;00;09;09
Chrissy Cole
Ha ha. Haha.
00;00;09;11 - 00;00;38;14
Chrissy Cole
This is a Project sisterhood podcast for all things women, brother, youth, a purpose for ministry, motherhood for the marketplace. We have crucial and genuine conversations that transcend your season to impact your true identity as a woman. So light hearted. Possible. Honesty. Matters of the heart and soul to be encouraged. We hope you and all women of every age, at every stage, find life and freedom in Jesus and.
00;00;38;17 - 00;01;02;10
Chrissy Cole
Ladies, ladies, ladies, welcome back to a Project Sisterhood podcast. We are so thrilled that you've joined us for another episode where we get to talk to some of my friends and some of the sisters of this house. And I believe you're going to be encouraged today by my friend Kathy Cannon, who I have known seriously for. It's been over 20 years.
00;01;02;11 - 00;01;06;00
Kathy Cannon
Yes. And it depends on what year you arrived at college.
00;01;06;02 - 00;01;16;20
Chrissy Cole
Yes. Okay, so we've known each other since college. Yeah. You actually know my sisters? You two of my three. Because we all went to the same university. The university. Shout out to Springfield, Missouri.
00;01;16;22 - 00;01;17;26
Kathy Cannon
So, valor.
00;01;17;29 - 00;01;19;06
Chrissy Cole
Valor, valor.
00;01;19;06 - 00;01;20;28
Kathy Cannon
That's the mascot now.
00;01;21;00 - 00;01;22;22
Chrissy Cole
What? Yeah, I didn't even know that.
00;01;22;27 - 00;01;24;06
Kathy Cannon
So, valor, they.
00;01;24;06 - 00;01;25;00
Chrissy Cole
Got.
00;01;25;02 - 00;01;26;25
Chrissy Cole
Rid of the Crusader? Yes.
00;01;27;01 - 00;01;27;13
Chrissy Cole
Kelly.
00;01;27;13 - 00;01;34;27
Chrissy Cole
And I think that a lot of high schools and, any Christian schools followed suit. So, anyways, great.
00;01;34;29 - 00;01;36;14
Chrissy Cole
We're no longer the Crusaders.
00;01;36;21 - 00;01;54;18
Chrissy Cole
Anyways, I digress. Candy cane and we've known each other for eight years. I just remember there were moments where I would see you and the man that you're married to. Just your boyfriend back then. Oh, yes. In the, the crosswalk offices, which were the, school ministry offices.
00;01;54;18 - 00;01;55;18
Kathy Cannon
I did the ministry.
00;01;55;18 - 00;02;02;19
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. And then I was in our, activities board office, and I would just see them hanging. So. Okay, that.
00;02;02;20 - 00;02;08;22
Kathy Cannon
You lived on the cool side of campus, though. I did not. No, I was totally on the nerd side of campus.
00;02;08;23 - 00;02;10;06
Chrissy Cole
Yeah, I was north side. You're a south side.
00;02;10;07 - 00;02;10;27
Kathy Cannon
Yeah.
00;02;11;00 - 00;02;26;09
Chrissy Cole
Okay. Well, anyways, all that to say, this is my friend Cathy, and she's probably one of the most intelligent people that I've ever met. I could talk to her for hours the one time we recently sat down for coffee. I was always supposed to be an hour. I forgot about an appointment and was late for it. And it was.
00;02;26;09 - 00;02;54;04
Chrissy Cole
It went. We're nearing three hours, so, But you have such an incredible mind and so much experience and ministry, and now the marketplace and super. I totally trust you because of your history with the Lord. Your. Oh, my gosh, there's so much about you. Your history with the Lord, your faithfulness to ministry, local church ministry, and even seeing your family dynamics in the way you and your husband lead.
00;02;54;04 - 00;03;10;28
Chrissy Cole
And I've seen you since you were just, boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean, not we weren't close then, but we just knew of each other. And, just seeing how you have grown your family and been faithful to the Lord and what he's called you to even the difficult things, which there's so many things that we could go into about you.
00;03;10;28 - 00;03;32;24
Chrissy Cole
But I so value our friendship. I value the, expertise that you offer. Even Caleb and I, as we approach some things, with the local church. But I also admire the way that you are raising your family, building your family, and encouraging other families in this church. So, ladies and gentlemen or ladies, ladies, I think some guys listen to this.
00;03;32;26 - 00;03;37;05
Chrissy Cole
Caleb listens to most of these podcasts. Introducing Kathy Gannon.
00;03;37;06 - 00;04;03;28
Kathy Cannon
Hi, guys. You know, and because you have to kind of shoot a lot of that back at you because it is different when you've been in full time ministry, when you've been a pastor of a local church. I've done a lot of things. My entire career has been full time ministry in the local church. And so when you're not doing that, because I now am in nonprofit leadership and pastoring pastors, it's very different to attend church somewhere.
00;04;04;01 - 00;04;22;18
Kathy Cannon
And so just the respect that Ben and I have for you and Caleb, we choose to come to church here. And not to make that sound weird or anything, but there's a reason we made that choice, and that's you guys and our trust that we have in you as leaders and as communicators, and these people who are going to follow what the word said even when it's hard.
00;04;22;24 - 00;04;50;17
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. Thank you. I really appreciate you. You know, when people of your caliber come to church, we're like, oh, thank you, Lord. So we're just so grateful for you. And I am excited to speak with you about prayer. We're in the middle of 21 days of prayer and fasting, and we I know that you have a lot of experience with it, and there's so many things between family and professional world where I know that prayer has been activated.
00;04;50;24 - 00;04;57;22
Chrissy Cole
It's a spiritual discipline. You know, one of our favorite books, I'm guessing salvation is spiritual disciplines. It is a verb phrase.
00;04;57;25 - 00;05;00;14
Kathy Cannon
So yeah, we have to compete with our own selves.
00;05;00;19 - 00;05;01;17
Chrissy Cole
Through these disciplines.
00;05;01;17 - 00;05;30;00
Chrissy Cole
Yes, yes. And so, that's also a book recommendation. Most of this person, sister, a podcast, we give a book recommendation. And in the beginning of this year, 21 days of prayer, fasting, and I preached on it this past Sunday. A book I would recommend is 21 or it not 21. Celebration of Spiritual Disciplines by R.H. foster, Robert Foster, incredible book that really allows the disciplines to not just be something to achieve, which we like to achieve because we're Enneagram threes.
00;05;30;02 - 00;05;45;01
Chrissy Cole
If you think that's demonic, sorry. Anyways, it's just personality thing for me anyways. It it really helps you celebrate and bask in not just the discipline, but who you're connecting with in those disciplines. So anyway.
00;05;45;04 - 00;05;52;27
Kathy Cannon
And I think it's a great way through books like that or Ruth Haylee Barton is another author. Basically anything she has written about prayer, I would recommend anyone.
00;05;52;27 - 00;05;56;13
Chrissy Cole
And it feels like so old school and like you can trust it because it's like.
00;05;56;13 - 00;06;04;17
Kathy Cannon
Yeah, it's so good. And there's some early church fathers, but I think entry points. Richard Foster, I think Ruth Hayley Barton they're really good.
00;06;04;19 - 00;06;06;26
Chrissy Cole
Why do you like Ortberg?
00;06;06;28 - 00;06;08;15
Kathy Cannon
Yes and no.
00;06;08;17 - 00;06;09;29
Chrissy Cole
Okay. Yeah.
00;06;10;01 - 00;06;10;28
Kathy Cannon
Not my favorite.
00;06;10;28 - 00;06;18;21
Chrissy Cole
In our university actually. Got rid of celebration of spiritual disciplines and put Wartburg in, and I was just like, oh, I was a little sad.
00;06;18;23 - 00;06;20;02
Kathy Cannon
Oh, that was after my time.
00;06;20;02 - 00;06;27;25
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. Anyways, sorry, I need to give the the listeners more context, but we love to read. Yes, we love to achieve, but let's talk prayer.
00;06;27;26 - 00;06;30;13
Kathy Cannon
Yeah. Well, but but that's kind of the problem though.
00;06;30;13 - 00;06;30;23
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;06;30;23 - 00;06;37;26
Kathy Cannon
Because people then think that oh they're, they're so spiritual. They're in ministry. They're pastors. They think that we must have this thing down.
00;06;37;26 - 00;06;38;15
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;06;38;18 - 00;07;00;13
Kathy Cannon
Like we must have figured out prayer. We're really good at it. And even people who like an hour to change the world, these books about these spiritual giants who just wake up at 4:00, or I can't even remember who it is. There's someone who was a famous prayer, which is kind of a weird thing to be famous for, if you think about it.
00;07;00;13 - 00;07;31;12
Kathy Cannon
But they're famous for their private time. So they were asked like, why, do you wake up every morning at 4 a.m. to pray? And they said, because I find it really hard to wake up at 5 a.m. to pray. You're so spiritual and I'm not like I don't think I am. You know, there's these verses in the Bible about David, you know, waking up early in the morning to praise the Lord and everybody talks about prayer is you wake up early, you have the spiritual discipline with your coffee.
00;07;31;12 - 00;07;46;27
Kathy Cannon
And if you can Instagram it, it's cute and I can't. So let's just be clear right from the very beginning. Like I cannot do that. I am not a morning person. Yeah I was not meant to be a morning person. I don't think that is anything about how God created me.
00;07;46;28 - 00;07;47;29
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;07;48;01 - 00;07;55;03
Kathy Cannon
And I could tell you all my personality on all of those test. Yeah. Right. Because I think they're fun. I think they're funny. They don't excuse us. They just explain.
00;07;55;03 - 00;07;56;19
Chrissy Cole
Us. Yes, I love that.
00;07;56;26 - 00;08;16;14
Kathy Cannon
And when it comes to prayer life, mine has had to be not a discipline. Even though it is one of the things I've taught is a discipline. For me it's not something that I can say is a discipline because then I resist it.
00;08;16;16 - 00;08;19;13
Chrissy Cole
Oh wow. And I really resist it.
00;08;19;13 - 00;08;26;29
Kathy Cannon
Like I don't want to be friends with you Chrissy because I have to be. Like I find that hard.
00;08;27;01 - 00;08;27;12
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;08;27;12 - 00;08;31;07
Kathy Cannon
Because then I worry that I'm being fake. Wow. Another three thing.
00;08;31;07 - 00;08;31;21
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;08;31;23 - 00;08;50;09
Kathy Cannon
It's. And I don't want to come across to anyone as they fake. I want to live as completely authentically as I can. Yeah. And open and honest with who I am, what I struggle with, what I've learned from the Lord, and a way to just be a working model. A faith.
00;08;50;12 - 00;08;51;04
Chrissy Cole
Wow.
00;08;51;07 - 00;09;08;27
Kathy Cannon
And following Jesus. Right. And a huge part of that is having that relationship and that conversation with Jesus that is authentic. Because if it's just something that I can put in a box and label, it is my prayer life.
00;09;09;00 - 00;09;11;11
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;09;11;13 - 00;09;13;27
Kathy Cannon
I am pretty sure I will fake my way through every prayer.
00;09;14;01 - 00;09;16;18
Chrissy Cole
Wow. Wow.
00;09;16;20 - 00;09;25;02
Kathy Cannon
How do you feel the difference? Like when you know you need to be praying versus like, does it take you a moment to get to the authentic place? I'm curious.
00;09;25;05 - 00;09;44;06
Chrissy Cole
Well, I would say that discipline has brought me to the place of authenticity, because that makes us so totally in my, ambitious start of the year. Let's stick to something. Grits. It revealed the discipline of prayer.
00;09;44;06 - 00;09;46;19
Chrissy Cole
Revealed how vague I was. Okay.
00;09;46;21 - 00;09;47;00
Chrissy Cole
This.
00;09;47;00 - 00;09;48;06
Kathy Cannon
That makes you want to know it. So I.
00;09;48;06 - 00;09;49;05
Chrissy Cole
Revealed these are.
00;09;49;05 - 00;09;50;24
Kathy Cannon
Tools, right? Discipline is a tool.
00;09;50;25 - 00;10;09;25
Chrissy Cole
It it realized that I was replacing relationship with tools. And I mean I remember that was one thing that I prayed for at one point. Like, Lord, I need new tools. I need a breakthrough. The leadership. Lid that I feel like I have. I need a breakthrough. The relational lid I have in my marriage and, my parenting lid.
00;10;09;25 - 00;10;17;05
Chrissy Cole
And I was like, what do I need to do? And and then the tool, it's like, duh, prayer. You know, it's my first response. I saw my last resort. You know, all the things.
00;10;17;05 - 00;10;22;23
Chrissy Cole
That you've ever heard any cliche like, but they're true. Like, every single one of them is true.
00;10;22;24 - 00;10;49;03
Chrissy Cole
So and and so in the discipline, thankfully, in the what the discipline can produce is the knee jerk reaction to pray. So when I really needed it and I found myself resisting, going in on prayer and rather, complaining or, mostly complaining or whining, it would be like, oh, wait, activate that discipline. But for real this time, you know what I mean, right?
00;10;49;10 - 00;11;03;05
Chrissy Cole
It's like sometimes the discipline can keep you away from doing what you know you should do, but it can also prepare you for when you actually need to do it. So I think it it comes down to the mindset that you have.
00;11;03;10 - 00;11;10;06
Kathy Cannon
And I think it's important because you don't see prayer listed in the New Testament as one of the spiritual gifts.
00;11;10;08 - 00;11;11;05
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;11;11;08 - 00;11;35;06
Kathy Cannon
There's different types of encouragement and impartation with people. And I know we're gonna talk about that in a couple of weeks in the series. You mentioned on Sunday that. Yeah. We talking about the Holy Spirit and praying in the spirit in those types of things. And it's those are listed as gifts. But just having a prayer life or being a woman of prayer, being a man of prayer, those are never listed as spiritual gifts.
00;11;35;06 - 00;11;59;29
Kathy Cannon
And so understanding that that means you have to work it out. You have to figure out how does this work with how God created you and who he created you. And recognizing that because for me, it had to be and it has to be this ongoing conversation. It has to be something that when I wake up, I'm willing to have a conversation with God when I have my head on the pillow at night.
00;12;00;03 - 00;12;22;03
Kathy Cannon
Yeah. Which is when I'm often my most awake. And I can't have that conversation with God at night, in the afternoon, in the car. You know, all of those different times in those places where we tend to lose time. And most of the time when we're talking about New Year's resolutions and starting new systems, we try to look at those places where we're losing time, and then we're going to plug things in.
00;12;22;07 - 00;12;23;29
Kathy Cannon
Right. So I'm going to plug in prayer life.
00;12;24;00 - 00;12;24;08
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;12;24;09 - 00;12;42;21
Kathy Cannon
Into these different elements. But allowing it to actually just become a life of prayer and a life of conversation with God. It's more like the fact that I talk. I check in with my husband multiple times a day. I don't know if you guys are this couple, but but we are that couple.
00;12;42;24 - 00;12;48;19
Chrissy Cole
I am that partner in the carpool, and whether Caleb likes it or not, I will be checking in.
00;12;48;23 - 00;12;49;04
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;12;49;05 - 00;13;08;08
Kathy Cannon
Okay. Yeah. Ben and I, like we text throughout the day. We probably FaceTime at least once during the workday. That kind of thing. And it's sometimes because it's, you know, something happened with one of our five teenagers. If you figure something out or other times, it's. What time are you home? Because I want to know when dinner is going to be.
00;13;08;08 - 00;13;25;27
Kathy Cannon
It's like, do I need to snack before you get home? You know those types of things. But it is an ongoing conversation. And so that last text message, like he could leave me unread. Right. And eventually it's we're going to come back to that in a moment where the answer is going to be there for me.
00;13;25;28 - 00;13;26;21
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;13;26;24 - 00;13;29;13
Kathy Cannon
And that is the relationship of prayer.
00;13;29;16 - 00;13;30;02
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;13;30;04 - 00;13;44;13
Kathy Cannon
That I want and and need to maintain with God. Right. I need it to be something that I don't feel an obligation. That I feel it's out of love. It's out of connection.
00;13;44;15 - 00;13;44;22
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;13;44;22 - 00;13;51;11
Kathy Cannon
It's out of just years of walking and, and that's the thing it has taken years.
00;13;51;11 - 00;13;51;23
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;13;51;29 - 00;14;07;04
Kathy Cannon
Of walking to get to that. So Grace if you are like learning and you are just starting to walk with the Lord and you're just trying to figure this out, I think it's actually easier sometimes when you're a new believer to have a great prayer life. Because you're just.
00;14;07;04 - 00;14;08;02
Chrissy Cole
Dating. Yes.
00;14;08;04 - 00;14;11;18
Kathy Cannon
Like everything's exciting. Everything about God is cute.
00;14;11;20 - 00;14;14;12
Chrissy Cole
Like everything you do read. The Bible is so adorable, you.
00;14;14;12 - 00;14;32;28
Kathy Cannon
Know, and all of those things. And you want to have that constant conversation because you're falling in love, you know, and it's it's your first love. It's the greatest love that you'll ever experience is that with God? You and I both we we got saved it like the ripe old age of four from, like, stealing a crayon from a spouse.
00;14;32;28 - 00;14;35;05
Kathy Cannon
Well, three. Three. Three. Sorry. Yeah.
00;14;35;07 - 00;14;39;10
Chrissy Cole
Like, I can't tell you a date. I'm kidding, I can't either. I can't believe that I can tell.
00;14;39;10 - 00;14;41;18
Kathy Cannon
You milestones perfectly.
00;14;41;18 - 00;14;42;09
Chrissy Cole
And you grab three.
00;14;42;09 - 00;15;00;16
Kathy Cannon
God, I can, I can tell you milestones in my spiritual walk. And what age those were. But I cannot tell you. When I first started walking with the Lord, that was just very early. And and I'm incredibly blessed to have been, you know, led in a heritage of faith by multiple generations of of Christians and believers of my family.
00;15;00;18 - 00;15;06;17
Kathy Cannon
But because of that, you know it. I've always known Jesus.
00;15;06;19 - 00;15;07;01
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;15;07;02 - 00;15;25;23
Kathy Cannon
Like he's always been the kid next door kind of thing, right? The big brother, those, you know, things that you've learned growing up in Sunday school and so it was a little easier in different times of my faith to ignore that conversation. Because good friends, you do always know that you can just come back to them.
00;15;25;23 - 00;15;26;20
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;15;26;22 - 00;15;33;24
Kathy Cannon
Like, it doesn't matter how long it's been since you've talked, right? You know, my best friend and I, she's a horrible communicator.
00;15;33;26 - 00;15;34;13
Chrissy Cole
Like.
00;15;34;15 - 00;15;46;20
Kathy Cannon
Horrible. Back when we had to write letters to each other. Right. And we lived, you know, hours apart from each other because we've been friends our whole lives. I would send her pages. I notebook paper.
00;15;46;21 - 00;15;47;21
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;15;47;24 - 00;15;55;29
Kathy Cannon
Two months later, I would get, like, a page back, or she would give me the letter when I went to see her at Christmas vacation. Like that's cheap.
00;15;56;04 - 00;15;57;02
Chrissy Cole
Yes. Like that's.
00;15;57;02 - 00;16;06;12
Kathy Cannon
Not okay. Thank you. I'm sorry, but the people who handed you the Christmas card when they saw you at Christmas, I'm like, this is cheating. Yes, because I see what you look like now.
00;16;06;13 - 00;16;08;07
Chrissy Cole
Yeah, right.
00;16;08;10 - 00;16;28;09
Kathy Cannon
But she and I, to this day, will go months. I will talk to her husband about stuff because we're all really close. Or I will send her messages, but she's not on socials, so I'm not sending her memes or, like, right, right. This kind of thing. Yeah, but when we come back together, it's like we've never left relationship day to day.
00;16;28;11 - 00;16;29;24
Kathy Cannon
And it can be that with God.
00;16;29;26 - 00;16;31;08
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;16;31;10 - 00;16;33;04
Kathy Cannon
Which is beautiful and dangerous.
00;16;33;08 - 00;16;35;06
Chrissy Cole
Yes. Very good. Right.
00;16;35;07 - 00;16;56;08
Kathy Cannon
Yeah. Because what we want our prayer life to be is my relationship with them. Yeah. It's the constant all day long. Here's the conversation. Yeah. Right. And it's also putting it in in human terms of relationship, I think, instead of just you, you can't over spiritualize prayer because it is spiritual.
00;16;56;09 - 00;16;56;22
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;16;56;28 - 00;17;06;10
Kathy Cannon
Right. But putting it in those human relationship terms reminds me that it's also just not about me, right?
00;17;06;12 - 00;17;30;14
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. It makes me think in a funny way about an SNL skip. Oh, gosh. Back in the day with Sally fields. And she's in the kitchen and she every decision that she's making, she's just saying. Jesus, what should I do about whatever. Yeah. Just the simplest things like yeah. How should I open up the refrigerator or what should I eat today.
00;17;30;14 - 00;17;55;25
Chrissy Cole
And and she's going to God about everything. And then this picture of me or this Jesus appears in her kitchen and it's like, Sally, stop asking me questions. Yeah, just just do it. I act and it's just, oh, Lord, you know, she's I don't remember the exact verbiage that she uses, but I'm like, oh my goodness. I feel like that is distracting us from what God wants us to do.
00;17;55;25 - 00;18;11;13
Chrissy Cole
And he does want us to come to him with everything. And but we don't have to come to him feeling like, oh my, the next she's got to drop. If we make the wrong move, we don't have to come into in fear. It's just kind of like, hey, I'm thinking, do this. What do you think? You know, and that's how I feel like I approach Caleb, too.
00;18;11;14 - 00;18;17;21
Kathy Cannon
And the most important part of that is you just ended your voice. What do you think? Yeah, that's a question.
00;18;17;22 - 00;18;18;19
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;18;18;21 - 00;18;21;08
Kathy Cannon
Which invites what a response.
00;18;21;08 - 00;18;22;07
Chrissy Cole
Right. Yeah.
00;18;22;09 - 00;18;45;02
Kathy Cannon
But how many times do we go to prayer. And so it's all declarative. It's all statements. And there's a time and a place for that. But when you're talking about declarative elements in our prayer life, often that's really more self edification. Yes. Which is not a bad thing. We're not talking like negative un, just encouraging yourself with the word and declaring what is true from our faith and what we know is true from the Word of God.
00;18;45;04 - 00;19;02;19
Kathy Cannon
But we're saying when you're just telling God everything and you never ask a question. Yes. That invites an answer. Is that really prayer life? Right. Right. Because is it truly a conversation if it's not two ways.
00;19;02;21 - 00;19;22;03
Chrissy Cole
So, so help me help or not help me. Well help me but also help the listeners. Yeah. How do you approach your time in prayer. Yes. You spend throughout you know, you spend your day talking and checking in kind of like you do with Ben. But how can we start developing that component of listening?
00;19;22;06 - 00;19;24;11
Kathy Cannon
Yeah, it's this really age old tool. It's called.
00;19;24;11 - 00;19;28;23
Chrissy Cole
Shut up! Hahahahaha. Like it is your mouth.
00;19;28;24 - 00;19;32;23
Kathy Cannon
Like for me, you know, it's. My mom used to yell at us. Yeah. Like.
00;19;33;00 - 00;19;35;05
Chrissy Cole
Hi. Yell that. That's so beautiful.
00;19;35;08 - 00;19;37;21
Kathy Cannon
Oh, because she didn't when he else shut up. That wasn't allowed it, right?
00;19;37;28 - 00;19;42;11
Chrissy Cole
It's so funny. I can't imagine saying something that beautiful with that.
00;19;42;12 - 00;19;47;07
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. No, it's the only friend she knew. Yeah.
00;19;47;09 - 00;19;53;03
Kathy Cannon
And that. I mean, that's the discipline for me. It's the fact that I have to shut up and listen.
00;19;53;04 - 00;19;54;09
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;19;54;11 - 00;20;05;20
Kathy Cannon
Right. And that is where I have to actually sit and be still. You know, the discipline of silence and solitude is. Is that something that works a celebration.
00;20;05;23 - 00;20;06;01
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;20;06;07 - 00;20;31;23
Kathy Cannon
Yeah. And again there's just books on it. So good. And that is something that in the last several years of my life that, I've just had to really work to cultivate. Because I don't have a quiet mind. You know, I am off the chart ADHD. And as a matter if I've medicated and have coffee and all of those things, it's still, there's like still 46 tabs open.
00;20;31;23 - 00;20;51;25
Kathy Cannon
Music is coming from somewhere like that classic thing that is, that is what's going on my brain. And so I have all of these different things. I'm thinking about all of these projects, all of these people that I'm holding tension and being able to sit with God and just.
00;20;51;28 - 00;20;54;05
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;20;54;08 - 00;20;57;12
Kathy Cannon
See, that's what I do. I fill it with, like, filler words.
00;20;57;13 - 00;21;03;26
Chrissy Cole
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, don't you think it's also a product of Pentecostalism and.
00;21;03;27 - 00;21;08;00
Chrissy Cole
Oh. It's all. Yeah. All the other podcasts. We love to.
00;21;08;00 - 00;21;13;21
Kathy Cannon
Talk more than we love to listen. Especially those of us who are like, ministry and microphone oriented.
00;21;13;22 - 00;21;35;26
Chrissy Cole
And it's a there were moments that I knew prayer was really working when certain prayer warriors or intercessors in our church were nonstop rambling, and they they always had something to say. And I think that's the misnomer of praying, well, really, the goal of prayer should not be that you are doing something well, but you're being with the Lord.
00;21;35;26 - 00;21;52;11
Chrissy Cole
Well, and what does that mean? It means being presence, right? It means listening to your partner. It means, shutting up, being still and knowing that he is God. Prayer should lead us to intimacy, not more accolades for our earthly right.
00;21;52;18 - 00;21;54;08
Kathy Cannon
And you're listening to hear.
00;21;54;09 - 00;21;54;28
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;21;54;29 - 00;22;04;09
Kathy Cannon
Not just to say, okay, I listened to what you were saying. I spent my time listening. I checked off the box. So I work with pastors, right? And so I write. I give.
00;22;04;09 - 00;22;05;07
Chrissy Cole
Them a little bit more context.
00;22;05;10 - 00;22;28;29
Kathy Cannon
Thriving in ministry. So we basically pastor pastors. And so we work with them on their personal and spiritual health while they are leading. So it's taking care of caretakers and all different kinds of fields in the world, whether it's nursing, teaching, different types have learned that those who are at the top and who are leading from those first and second chairs, they really need the support around them as well.
00;22;29;01 - 00;22;42;12
Kathy Cannon
Because you nobody wants to lead every area of their life. Right. Like really like I'm a, I'm a strong type a type of leader. Yeah. But there are some areas where I'm like please God, if I have to make another decision right now, I might hurt someone.
00;22;42;17 - 00;22;45;28
Chrissy Cole
I certainly don't want to make rescissions right.
00;22;46;00 - 00;23;04;19
Kathy Cannon
And so I want to be lead and I want to be led well. And so with pastors, we take them through cohorts, we do book clubs. We do retreats and journeys. Well, one of the things we do when someone's joining a 12 month cohort that that we're going to walk with them and mentor them and give them friendship and peers is at the opening retreat.
00;23;04;19 - 00;23;25;04
Kathy Cannon
The second morning, I say to everybody, okay, everybody come back to the couch because we do it very informal on purpose. It's this it's conversational learning because I think we take more in and I say, everybody, bring all of your stuff to the table. So I need your phone, I need your iPad, I need your watch. I need your analog watch.
00;23;25;04 - 00;23;44;09
Kathy Cannon
I need your digital watch. I need your Bible. I need your journal. I need your everything. All of those types of things bring them to the table. And everyone thinks we're going to do some sort of evaluative exercise on what they're using or tools or different. They're maybe going to check their screen time, which I am been known to do.
00;23;44;09 - 00;23;47;11
Kathy Cannon
Is somebody like, open up your screen time, what are you doing?
00;23;47;13 - 00;23;50;16
Chrissy Cole
And that's convicting. Yeah. It it's. Yeah.
00;23;50;19 - 00;24;14;13
Kathy Cannon
Because I have to do it at the same time. Yeah. And instead what I say is, okay, everybody put all the stuff on the table and you're going to leave it there and you're not allowed to touch it. And we are going to invite you into two hours of solitude and silence before the Lord. And I have a it's probably sinful how much I enjoy their faces in that moment, but it really.
00;24;14;13 - 00;24;15;10
Chrissy Cole
Is.
00;24;15;12 - 00;24;29;21
Kathy Cannon
Because they're all pastors. They know that, like, okay, this is, this is spiritual. Like, you know, we gotta we know this. And, but at the same time, they look terrified. Terrified.
00;24;29;21 - 00;24;30;11
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;24;30;14 - 00;24;44;07
Kathy Cannon
That they have to spend two hours where they've just shut up. And everyone knows that it's important. Everyone knows it's hard.
00;24;44;09 - 00;24;57;21
Kathy Cannon
So then putting it there's the discipline issue. Putting it on the calendar. Having space to have that where. Yes I could be just talking to God right now. And I know that that is important. But when am I listening.
00;24;57;24 - 00;24;58;06
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;24;58;14 - 00;25;02;01
Kathy Cannon
Because our theology says he's always talking.
00;25;02;04 - 00;25;03;13
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;25;03;16 - 00;25;12;13
Kathy Cannon
Our theology says the word of the Lord has gone forth and is always is still creating. From the moment that he said, let there be light, there are lights.
00;25;12;20 - 00;25;13;01
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;25;13;02 - 00;25;24;02
Kathy Cannon
And galaxies far beyond that are still being created. Because a creator God said, let there be light. So that's how long his word goes forth.
00;25;24;02 - 00;25;24;13
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;25;24;13 - 00;25;47;21
Kathy Cannon
So it's always available to us to hear, to take in, to learn from to, to be convicted by, to be encouraged by, to be loved and hugged by. But if I don't shut up enough. Then am I going to hear it. So then everybody goes and finds their own space on, you know in the home or on outside.
00;25;47;26 - 00;25;50;16
Kathy Cannon
But we do give some instructions. And so I want to share those today.
00;25;50;16 - 00;25;52;09
Chrissy Cole
If that's okay.
00;25;52;11 - 00;26;13;28
Kathy Cannon
The reason that we take all of their stuff is because the instant we have another tool in our hands, we start using it. Because they're good. These are a wonderful thing. Yeah. But when I put it down where is my reliance. Like I have to rely on God to show up in this moment. And I shouldn't be scared of that.
00;26;14;01 - 00;26;15;01
Chrissy Cole
Wow. Yeah.
00;26;15;04 - 00;26;23;13
Kathy Cannon
Because he's good and he's trustworthy. And then it's. Well do I even know how to hear it. What is I'm going to hear like Morgan Freeman's.
00;26;23;13 - 00;26;27;27
Chrissy Cole
Voice will just suddenly like suddenly be talking.
00;26;27;28 - 00;26;38;21
Kathy Cannon
And that's how you know one of my mentors Kurt Harlow, he said he calls it the louder than audible voice of God, the louder than audible, where you just know that you know that. I didn't think that.
00;26;38;21 - 00;26;40;02
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;26;40;05 - 00;26;58;02
Kathy Cannon
You know. And it's sitting there, but it's then saying, okay, then all of these things come into my brain. So what do I do? I have put down everything else, and now I have thoughts that are spinning because I'm somebody with a spinning mind. So I will flip over the back page of a journal. This is what I'm allowed to use.
00;26;58;02 - 00;27;06;17
Kathy Cannon
And I jot down whatever that to do was, whatever that item was. It's now trying to distract me in the moment I write it down so that I know I won't forget it later.
00;27;06;18 - 00;27;07;10
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;27;07;12 - 00;27;28;12
Kathy Cannon
Right. It's held. So then I can just go back to saying, okay, Lord. And just finding, you know, people I think relate to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit differently depending on our life experience. Right. And so some people just, you know, their prayer focus is to talk to Jesus and really talk to God the Father somewhere like pray in the spirit.
00;27;28;13 - 00;27;42;06
Kathy Cannon
And and none of those are wrong. God is very user friendly. Right. And so just then focusing back on God, as you relate and then just being still, it's not empty your mind, it's focus your mind.
00;27;42;07 - 00;27;43;07
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;27;43;09 - 00;28;03;00
Kathy Cannon
Right. And then whenever I start to guide the conversation is when I need to shut up. Whenever I start to give myself advice. And I say that because I don't want to say that I try to give God advice, but we both know I do.
00;28;03;02 - 00;28;04;02
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;28;04;04 - 00;28;22;18
Kathy Cannon
Whenever And the reason I, I tell people is go find a place to sit and be comfortable where, you know, my 44 year old body can, like, get up after an hour of spending time in solitude, in silence with the Lord. And the reason I don't walk is because then I'm distracted. I see different things.
00;28;22;18 - 00;28;32;04
Kathy Cannon
I'm like, yes, you've created that, Lord. And look at that beauty. Look at what you've done and all of this stuff. But again I start to control the narrative.
00;28;32;05 - 00;28;33;04
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;28;33;06 - 00;28;45;12
Kathy Cannon
I don't use my Bible during my prayer time because that's Bible reading time. Can those things go together? Yes. Yes. Absolutely. But if I'm specifically talking about taking time to hear from the Lord.
00;28;45;13 - 00;28;48;13
Chrissy Cole
Yes. Through prayer. Yes.
00;28;48;15 - 00;29;11;14
Kathy Cannon
I need to close my Bible. Now everything I feel like I've heard it needs to be verified with truth later. Right. And all needs to be held against the word of God. And it's not going to contradict. Right. But if I'm flipping through pages and saying, yes, you've said that. And yes, you said that, that I'm not learning what his voice sounds like to me when he's speaking to me.
00;29;11;17 - 00;29;19;18
Kathy Cannon
And it's also knowing that sometimes the silence is how he speaks.
00;29;19;20 - 00;29;20;12
Chrissy Cole
Right. Yeah.
00;29;20;14 - 00;29;42;02
Kathy Cannon
And you learn those different things in the Bible. You learn that from your devotional time. You learn that it can sound like maybe rushing when you learn that it, that God can feel like, being brought under the wings. Yes. Under his wings or brought close to his chest. All of those things are how talking and having a conversation with the Lord can feel.
00;29;42;02 - 00;29;52;01
Kathy Cannon
Because again, compare it to a human relationship. This is why Jesus is Jesus. This is why God became human so that we could understand in our humanity how to relate with him.
00;29;52;02 - 00;29;52;17
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;29;52;19 - 00;30;06;08
Kathy Cannon
And so that conversation with my husband, sometimes I need to be held and not see his face. So that he can just talk and I can close my eyes and I can take in that.
00;30;06;09 - 00;30;06;18
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;30;06;21 - 00;30;12;07
Kathy Cannon
Right. Sometimes he's teaching me something that I may or may not want to learn.
00;30;12;10 - 00;30;13;26
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;30;13;28 - 00;30;22;08
Kathy Cannon
You know, I mean what is the one thing that Caleb loves to talk about that you don't want to hear about whatsoever? Is there something?
00;30;22;10 - 00;30;24;21
Chrissy Cole
Oh, I will be honest.
00;30;24;23 - 00;30;40;06
Chrissy Cole
You know, sometimes he comes back from golf rounds and gives me. I don't mind hearing about the round, but he knows he can remember every single hole, every single shot. And, he's like his dad. His dad loves to share every last thing about the activity he just did.
00;30;40;08 - 00;30;42;09
Kathy Cannon
So he's a commentator.
00;30;42;12 - 00;30;46;03
Chrissy Cole
Yes. Yeah. Of his own game. Yeah. It's interesting.
00;30;46;05 - 00;31;01;07
Kathy Cannon
So my husband loves sports ball. I know you do too. All of them I am a sports fan by marriage. Yeah. So everything I know about sports I have learned since I met my husband basically. And so every once in a while. So I'm like a hardcore fan of certain teams. Now we won't.
00;31;01;07 - 00;31;02;08
Chrissy Cole
Discuss.
00;31;02;11 - 00;31;02;15
Kathy Cannon
My.
00;31;02;15 - 00;31;04;21
Chrissy Cole
My to be a fiery. No.
00;31;04;24 - 00;31;08;23
Kathy Cannon
But I'm with your father in law on some of these things. Seattle.
00;31;08;26 - 00;31;12;15
Chrissy Cole
So, no, he's not a Seattle. He's an hunters. He just. Yeah. Oh.
00;31;12;15 - 00;31;13;07
Kathy Cannon
That's weird.
00;31;13;10 - 00;31;14;09
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;31;14;11 - 00;31;38;23
Kathy Cannon
Yeah. No, I married a Pacific Northwest guy, so, So I remember one night we were like, at that, and we were both reading, and I thought of something because, again, brain is always spinning in multiple directions. So, yes, I'm reading a novel, but I'm also thinking about other things. And I suddenly had a question about something that had happened in a game we had watched.
00;31;38;26 - 00;32;00;09
Kathy Cannon
I should have known better. Chrissy. I really should have known better. And so I say to, hey, whatever question this is, I'm asking it. Right. And so I asked the question and in the moment I'm thinking he can just give me an answer. And then I go back to my book. That is not what happens.
00;32;00;10 - 00;32;00;23
Chrissy Cole
Got it.
00;32;00;24 - 00;32;11;29
Kathy Cannon
I literally changed his posture like he, I could hear the intake of breath like like an excited four year old. Yes. And he sat up and turned and said well you're going to need to sit up for this.
00;32;12;01 - 00;32;13;01
Chrissy Cole
Oh my God.
00;32;13;02 - 00;32;16;06
Kathy Cannon
Because he realized he this was his lovely.
00;32;16;08 - 00;32;16;26
Chrissy Cole
Yeah yeah yeah.
00;32;16;29 - 00;32;19;04
Kathy Cannon
Like he's going to get to explain something.
00;32;19;05 - 00;32;19;13
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;32;19;13 - 00;32;40;14
Kathy Cannon
That he loves to me because he's a detail guy. He was a research guy. He loves the nuances of these things. And so he wants to explain the history of it. He wants to explain the weird facts that he's read on Wikipedia about it. And he needs me. To look interested and to actually hear what he's saying.
00;32;40;15 - 00;32;42;03
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;32;42;06 - 00;32;50;27
Kathy Cannon
So I had to change my posture in that moment. This was not a laying down conversation. This was a sit up and pay attention conversation.
00;32;50;29 - 00;32;51;14
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;32;51;15 - 00;32;53;24
Kathy Cannon
This was a like lock eyes.
00;32;53;25 - 00;32;54;01
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;32;54;07 - 00;32;58;22
Kathy Cannon
This was listen so well that I can ask you questions about it. To clarify.
00;32;58;23 - 00;33;00;22
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;33;00;24 - 00;33;03;09
Kathy Cannon
35 minutes later.
00;33;03;11 - 00;33;04;10
Chrissy Cole
Wow.
00;33;04;12 - 00;33;17;21
Kathy Cannon
I thought this was like a 32nd answer, but no, I had an entire history lesson I had to learn. Yeah. And, honestly, I still can't tell you what it was about. Yeah. Because I don't really remember. I just remember that the whole time I'm like, oh, my gosh, I have a lot to learn about this.
00;33;17;22 - 00;33;18;02
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;33;18;03 - 00;33;21;08
Kathy Cannon
I did not want to learn all of this right now, but apparently this is time to learn it.
00;33;21;09 - 00;33;22;01
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;33;22;04 - 00;33;23;19
Kathy Cannon
And sometimes that's what God does to me.
00;33;23;20 - 00;33;26;10
Chrissy Cole
Very good. Yeah. It's like.
00;33;26;12 - 00;33;28;22
Kathy Cannon
You thought this was casual?
00;33;28;24 - 00;33;29;20
Chrissy Cole
Yes.
00;33;29;22 - 00;33;33;07
Kathy Cannon
We had to talk about this. You're giving me time to talk. You asked the question.
00;33;33;09 - 00;33;33;21
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;33;33;23 - 00;33;35;18
Kathy Cannon
Listen to what I'm going to say.
00;33;35;20 - 00;33;58;28
Chrissy Cole
So prayer is also even discerning. What is God wanting to say? What is it requiring of us to sit up and listen, lay back and chill or enjoy the silence or, you know, be bored? I think it's that's a big yeah. I love giving people like, get used to being bored in his presence. Discern what he's saying.
00;33;59;03 - 00;34;02;02
Chrissy Cole
So you know how to respond, right?
00;34;02;04 - 00;34;08;05
Kathy Cannon
And just like any person you ever met in your life, you get to learn those things about God.
00;34;08;08 - 00;34;09;08
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;34;09;10 - 00;34;12;22
Kathy Cannon
And that shows you how deep of a relationship he wants to have with us.
00;34;12;23 - 00;34;14;03
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. That's great.
00;34;14;03 - 00;34;36;01
Kathy Cannon
Because he wants you to recognize that twinkle in his eye. When he's like oh don't talk about this right. He wants you to recognize when it's time to get your journal. He's done talking. So now it's time to write it down. You know and I always encourage people to write down things later. We don't always have to record everything God's saying to us in the moment.
00;34;36;04 - 00;34;39;23
Kathy Cannon
And he's like oh but it was so good I don't want to forget it. I'm like yes. But also he is so good.
00;34;39;24 - 00;34;40;10
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;34;40;11 - 00;34;52;18
Kathy Cannon
So if it's important enough to you write down later says like it's also important enough to listen in the moment really well and then trust him that the good stuff you need to remember and apply later, he'll remind you of.
00;34;52;20 - 00;35;11;12
Chrissy Cole
Yes. He's so good that he's not gonna stop talking and test you. Did you? Were you listening? That is not the God, but come to think of that, that's probably how some of us who just won't stop moving or won't stop writing, right? That's how we're perceiving the Lord and he. But he is just so good.
00;35;11;15 - 00;35;12;22
Kathy Cannon
And then I start interpreting.
00;35;12;23 - 00;35;13;29
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;35;14;01 - 00;35;30;25
Kathy Cannon
Right. And it's the same when I read the Bible, I. Everybody interprets the Bible as you read it. And I start doing the same thing to what he's saying to me. And so having that practice and having that relationship where I'm just going to take what God is saying or doing or how I'm feeling in that prayerful moment at face value.
00;35;30;26 - 00;35;31;25
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;35;31;27 - 00;35;35;07
Kathy Cannon
Is just it's the best.
00;35;35;08 - 00;35;35;19
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;35;35;20 - 00;35;41;12
Kathy Cannon
You know, and that's why, man, you know, we've been married 23 years.
00;35;41;19 - 00;35;41;27
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;35;41;28 - 00;36;07;24
Kathy Cannon
24 this year and have a really great marriage. And we've been through some stuff where the divorce rates are really, really high. Yeah. Really really high. And the thing that has endured and people were like, well you guys went through this, you went through this, you've gone through with your family and all of this stuff. The reason that our marriage is so strong is because we communicate well.
00;36;07;26 - 00;36;08;14
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;36;08;16 - 00;36;15;00
Kathy Cannon
Now, sometimes we communicate poorly. Is in our tone. Right. But we have the relationship that can handle it.
00;36;15;00 - 00;36;15;14
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;36;15;16 - 00;36;17;03
Kathy Cannon
God can handle my tone sometimes.
00;36;17;04 - 00;36;17;28
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;36;18;00 - 00;36;28;16
Kathy Cannon
Right. And just coming back to the fact that we'll always talk about it, maybe not in the moment. Maybe we need to take a break. We go to bed angry sometimes. Talk about it in the morning when we're both calmer.
00;36;28;17 - 00;36;29;00
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;36;29;03 - 00;36;33;11
Kathy Cannon
And there have been nights where I went to bed angry at God and said well we're going to talk about that tomorrow.
00;36;33;12 - 00;36;34;02
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;36;34;05 - 00;36;40;26
Kathy Cannon
Because I don't want to hear anything else from you tonight because that's hard. I don't I don't want to do what you're telling me to do is that we'll talk about that tomorrow.
00;36;40;27 - 00;36;41;17
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;36;41;20 - 00;36;51;10
Kathy Cannon
But years down the road, that's what makes it a quality relationship. Is that prayer life? Is that communication life with your God?
00;36;51;13 - 00;37;21;19
Chrissy Cole
Wow. What an encouragement, I think, to all the ladies listening to bring prayer down to a personal level. And I think that we need to start seeing our prayer life as people that we have relationship with on the day to day, whether you are married or not. Can we start seeing our relationship with God as plain as it is with, you know, our spouse, our friend, our teacher, our mentor, our pastor, whatever it is like, can we just see it that way?
00;37;21;22 - 00;37;54;17
Chrissy Cole
And I think we're all we have all been. Encourage the listeners myself to just bring it down to a very personal level. And honestly, prayer. We don't talk enough about how most of it is listening and our opportunity to, hear from God should outweigh our desire to tell him something or have this cathartic experience. And so I do want us to get to the place where, we see God as the person in the room, still be reverent.
00;37;54;19 - 00;38;17;08
Chrissy Cole
I always start with adoration and putting him where his rightful place is, which is on the throne. The one who can give and provide everything. The one who's not looking down, judging, but who's ready to bestow grace and mercy and forgiveness on us. But man, when we start that way, you start to remember who he is, and then he starts telling you who he is.
00;38;17;08 - 00;38;39;03
Chrissy Cole
And listen, don't just be that immature person who just wants to say everything on their mind. That's when I know that I'm being really immature. When I'm in a fight with somebody, or if I'm I'm trying to prove myself. It's when I'm talking more. So I think our a growing prayer life, a maturing prayer life looks a lot more like listening.
00;38;39;04 - 00;39;00;15
Chrissy Cole
So thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. I'm excited that we get to do another, to, in a couple of weeks, but also today in close. So we will be talking about women in ministry. I'm sure we'll touch on prayer there, and I can't wait for the ladies to get to know you a little bit more.
00;39;00;18 - 00;39;04;27
Chrissy Cole
Hear more about your family. We got to hear about Ben. But you have a male trend.
00;39;05;00 - 00;39;06;05
Kathy Cannon
An excessive number, an.
00;39;06;05 - 00;39;25;05
Chrissy Cole
Excessive number of children. And so thank you for the challenge. And thank you for even sharing that one tool that I. I know we're not focusing on the tools, but the one thing I think that we can do when we approach the Lord in prayer is to silence everything but the journal way, even put the Bible away.
00;39;25;07 - 00;39;49;04
Chrissy Cole
Also, you can pray the Bible. Don't get weird, by it, but I hear the heart behind that. So you just remove all distractions. I think at the beginning of the year, a lot of time we want our, our new rhythms or our resolutions to really have traction. But the reason why they're not taking traction or there's no traction is in it is because we haven't removed the friction.
00;39;49;07 - 00;40;05;14
Kathy Cannon
Well, and those are all really great things. Right. So let's end with that. Those are really great things because the point of resolutions is I'm going to do something that I'm going to do it. Yeah, I'm going to I'm resolving that I am going to have this discipline. I am going to do this thing. When we remember about prayer that he will.
00;40;05;21 - 00;40;06;22
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;40;06;25 - 00;40;09;06
Kathy Cannon
Then it's a different level of relationship and trust.
00;40;09;09 - 00;40;10;06
Chrissy Cole
Yeah.
00;40;10;09 - 00;40;13;00
Kathy Cannon
That I don't have to do anything for him to talk to me.
00;40;13;00 - 00;40;14;29
Chrissy Cole
Yeah. So just.
00;40;14;29 - 00;40;15;29
Kathy Cannon
Listen.
00;40;16;01 - 00;40;41;23
Chrissy Cole
Oh, that's so good. I love that. Great way to end. Thanks, Cathy. Thanks for thanks for having us. So, sisterhood. Let's get in our prayer closets. Let's listen better and really connect with the Lord in intimacy. This year, I hope that you are enjoying the 21 days at prayer and fasting. If you're not getting the daily devos, you can still get this last week of the 21 days by jumping on our website project church.com.
00;40;41;26 - 00;41;03;22
Chrissy Cole
And there is Sisterhood Prayer on Tuesday mornings for those of you who are leaders within the sisterhood. So if you want to get connected, even join that group of, you know, consistent prayer, on Tuesday mornings. Hit me up, DM the Project Sisterhood page, and yeah, just get connected in prayer this year. So we love you guys.
00;41;03;25 - 00;41;08;00
Chrissy Cole
See you next time or listen next time. Bye bye.