Christ Church Weekly

Answered Prayers: Cara Beth's Story of Patience, Purpose, and Prayer

gkruzel@christchurchcs.org (G Kruzel) — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 20:20:23 GMT

Right Where I'm Supposed to Be: Cara Beth's Story of Patience, Purpose, and Prayer

Sometimes we ask God for direction and get silence.

Sometimes we pray for answers and are told, wait.

And sometimes—when we least expect it—God shows up with unmistakable clarity.

Cara Beth Jones knows that kind of waiting. And now, she knows what it feels like when God responds.

Called Into the Unknown

When I sat down with Cara Beth, she shared something that immediately struck me. She didn’t join a sorority because she wanted to fit in or chase a college stereotype. She joined out of obedience.

“He was calling me into a more secular space in college, into a place of discomfort to do some growth.”

That, in and of itself, made me pause. I’ve heard people talk about a calling as something exciting, something full of promise. But what about when a calling feels uncomfortable? Uncertain? Even lonely?

For Cara Beth, that’s exactly what happened.

She went into her sorority experience with hope and expectation—believing God had a purpose for her there. But instead of instant community or visible fruit, she hit a wall.

“I thought that I would instantly make friends and instantly have these girls that the Lord was calling me to, but I didn't. So, it was really hard. My first semester I did end up contemplating dropping.”

Still, she stayed. And she prayed.

A Year of Silence

Cara Beth faithfully led Bible studies. She mentored younger girls. But inside, she struggled. Her junior year, she felt the Lord telling her to take a step back—not to quit, but to pause. To stop striving. To seek.

“I spent this last year doing the things that I needed to do for my sorority, but really like praying over what my last semester in this place was going to look like, and what the Lord really wanted me to do with it.”

As she shared this, I couldn’t help but think of all the times I’ve prayed for direction and felt nothing in return. Waiting can feel like being forgotten. But what I’m learning—and what Cara Beth’s story makes so clear—is that God is often doing His deepest work in the quiet seasons.

The Awakening

In May 2025, she attended The Awakening Project for the second time. It’s a week-long gathering of college students and ministry leaders designed to awaken students to the reality that the Holy Spirit still moves.

Cara Beth wasn’t looking for clarity—just refreshment. But God had more in store.

“I was just going to sit and talk with the Lord. What am I supposed to do next? Am I supposed to drop? Am I supposed to keep fighting?”

And then—on the second day—He answered in the most unexpected way.

From across the room, she heard someone call her name. It was a friend from her sorority.

“She ran up to me and she said she decided last minute to come to this and didn't know anyone that was coming and didn’t even really know what this is. She said she didn’t know what she was doing here.”

As they talked, Cara Beth began to see just how clearly God was orchestrating their meeting.

“So we talked about how the Lord's been telling me some things about what I think he's wanting me to do. And she said she had been hearing the same things from the Lord.”

Start a prayer group. Be intentional. Pray for the girls by name.

Two girls. One calling. Same God.

Clarity, at Last

“This is 100% clarity. I'm not supposed to drop. I'm supposed to finish.”

It gives me goosebumps thinking about how perfectly timed it all was—not because it made everything easy, but because it made everything clear.

I think about how many of us feel like we’re running out of time to hear from God. We set deadlines in our prayers: “God, I need an answer by this date.” But God isn’t bound by our clocks. And sometimes, the waiting is the very soil where purpose grows.

Purpose Renewed

Since that moment, Cara Beth and her friend—who serves as the chaplain of their sorority—have launched a weekly prayer initiative. A group chat of about 30 girls from their sorority now receives a Monday prayer list with specific names and requests.

“Last year, I probably could have counted on my hands how many believers there were in my sorority. But like 30 girls wanted to join this group chat.”

This experience didn’t just renew her sense of calling. It deepened her understanding of God’s character.

“I think that he's working to kind of correct my view. He's opened my eyes more to what his true character is.”

 To Anyone Still Waiting

If you’re praying for direction and hearing only silence—this story is for you.

“It’s really easy to get discouraged when you’re praying for something, especially when you pray for something for so long, but never give up.”

Cara Beth is living proof that sometimes, God’s answer takes time. And when it comes, it changes everything.

So keep showing up. Keep praying. God sees you. And when the moment is right, He’ll speak clearly.

You won’t have to guess.

You’ll know.

And you’ll realize—just like Cara Beth did—

You’re right where you’re supposed to be.

More Than Pain: A Testimony of God's Healing Power

gkruzel@christchurchcs.org (G Kruzel) — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 20:19:39 GMT

Does God still heal today? Ryan O'Neal would say yes—because he lived it.

Honestly, that’s not an easy claim to believe for a lot of people. Maybe even for you. In a time when we’re used to Googling symptoms and trusting lab results, stories of miraculous healing can feel... hard to grasp. Maybe even too good to be true.

But as I sat with Ryan and listened to him recount his story—not just the healing moment, but also the years of darkness before—I felt both challenged and comforted. His story is detailed and incredibly sincere. And above all, it’s saturated with the goodness of God.

The Pain That Won’t Stop

For nearly four years, Ryan endured a condition that defied diagnosis and disrupted every part of his life. He described to me what started as stomach pain the summer after his freshman year of high school and escalated into chronic debilitating agony.

“It was cramping, constant pain that didn’t stop, probably some of the worst pain I’ve felt.” Ryan said. “The only release that I got from it was when I was sleeping.”

Eventually, the pain forced him out of school and into total isolation. He switched to homeschooling, stopped spending time with friends, and spent most days in a dark room. He dropped to 90 pounds. Doctors ran test after test—MRIs, CT scans, endoscopies, colonoscopies—with no answers. In desperation, they prescribed opioids.

“I almost got hooked on them,” he admitted. “Praise God that I didn’t.”

Holding On to Faith

Despite the suffering, Ryan clung to his faith. His anchor was 2 Corinthians 12, where Paul speaks of a thorn in his flesh and Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

This verse became more than a comfort for him—it became his story.

During this time, Ryan couldn’t attend youth group. But one night, something unforgettable happened: the entire youth group showed up at his home.

“Brian Smith brought the entire youth group to my house,” he said. “It was really special for me. When I couldn’t go to them, they came to me.”

That line sat with me for a while. What would it look like if more of us loved like that? Meeting people in the middle of their pain?

The Awakening Project

In May 2025, Ryan attended The Awakening Project—a college ministry conference born from the 2023 Asbury Outpouring. Designed to inspire revival among students, it brought together believers from across the country.

Ryan went with no agenda—only an openness to God.

“I had no expectations other than that the Lord was going to work powerfully.”

Ryan tells me that one night during worship, a woman in a wheelchair began speaking on the stage—and her message centered on 2 Corinthians 12.

“It was my life verse. And here she was talking through my exact experience.”

But it wasn’t just the verse—Ryan felt pulled to notice her emphasis on Paul pleading with God to take away the thorn that pierced his flesh.

“I realized that I’d always asked God to take away my pain, but it had never been a plea.”

That distinction, between asking and pleading, was striking. How often do we pray safe prayers, hoping for help but never daring to fully cry out?

Prayer on the Concrete Floor

Overwhelmed, Ryan knelt to pray during worship. This was no small act—he’s had multiple knee surgeries and a fractured kneecap in the past.

“But I did it anyway.”

Two friends joined him—one of them, he had just learned, had a gift of healing. As they began to pray, more and more of Ryan’s college ministry friends gathered around him.

“It was all my community. All of these people are praying over me, and they know that the Lord is going to do something powerful.”

The moment became what Ryan could only describe to me as “unintelligible”.

“There were probably like 12 people around me all praying for me out loud. So, to hear anything in that would be difficult. But what would happen, as we were praying, I would think something in my head and then, one voice would just become a little bit louder, just enough for me to hear what they were saying, and they were praying to the exact thing in my mind at that moment. It was this beautiful display of the body of Christ being fully led by the spirit in what they were saying and God using that to reach me.”

Ryan feared that being healed might rob God of glory. As he thought this, someone began praying specifically against the fear of uncertainty.

The Healing

The pain began to ebb and flow.

“The pain was slowly lifting, then it would come back, but it would come back less painful.”

Ryan had opened his Bible, trying to find Psalm 116:7— “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” —a verse he has tattooed on his arm.

But he couldn’t get there. His eyes landed instead on Psalm 62:1— “Truly my soul finds rest in God.”

“It was a very restless time for me, crying and in pain,” he continued, telling me that this felt like God telling him to “rest”. “So, I just stopped there, and I meditated on that while we were praying.”

When the prayer ended, Ryan stood—with help—and joined in worship. His arms, sore from a random gym session earlier that day, were too weak to lift.

“It was a beautiful depiction of my community holding up my hands like Moses.”

The image of friends literally lifting Ryan’s arms in worship, just like Aaron and Hur did for Moses in Exodus 17, stayed with me long after our interview ended. What a picture of what the Church is meant to be.

Processing the Miracle

The next day, Ryan began to process what had happened.

“Constantly, the enemy was trying to feed doubt into my mind, oh, did this really happen? Are you really healed? You know, your stomach still hurts, doesn't it?

But what he realized was striking: he wasn’t in pain—he was just hungry. Or full. Sensations he hadn’t felt in years.

From that night on, he’s been pain-free.

“This Isn’t Just My Testimony”

Ryan is clear: this story isn’t about him.

“I don’t want people to think that this is specifically my testimony because this is the testimony of the Lord and his works. No one person there, even the woman with the gift of healing, was the one healing me. It was the community of believers and the grace and sovereignty of God that was healing.”

As he said that, I couldn’t help but think about how often modern church culture struggles with the pull of personality. We see gifted speakers, worship leaders, and people with influence, and we sometimes start to believe that God only moves through the “big” or the “known”. There’s a quiet pressure—even in spiritual spaces—to make faith impressive. To be seen.

Ryan wanted no part of that.

“I had always kind of been cautious about going up and receiving healing at different events because I was like, I would be at the center of attention and that person would be at the center of attention. And that's not what I want. I want God to be at the center of attention.”

It’s rare to hear someone talk about a moment of healing and immediately deflect the focus away from themselves. But that’s exactly what Ryan does. His words were a quiet but strong resistance to the idea that spiritual authority or experience should ever be about performance.

What happened that night wasn’t a show. It was community. It was humility. It was the Spirit of God moving in the way He always has—through willing hearts, not stage lights.

This experience didn't just heal Ryan’s body. It reshaped his understanding of God’s presence and intimacy.

“A relationship isn’t even a strong enough word to describe what he wants with us. He is not just my best friend or my father, we are unified, and he desires to be one with us.”

To Anyone Still Waiting

Ryan knows many are still in the middle of the pain. Still praying. Still pleading.

“The point is that, if you are seeking God, he will provide, he will display himself for you, he will reveal himself to you. Don’t think that miracles are for others, or even that they were only in the Bible. It’s the same God still present today. It’s not just a cool story, but it is very possible because we have a very good God.”

And as I listened to him speak those words—not with dramatic flair but with steady conviction—I realized this wasn’t just a story about pain or even healing.

It’s a story about a God who still sees. Still speaks. Still heals.

If you’ve been waiting—praying, doubting, hoping—Ryan’s story is for you. Not because your outcome will look exactly like his, but because his healing points to a truth that’s still alive today:

God hasn’t changed.

He’s still good.

And He still moves.

The Aroma of Christ

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 21:26:50 GMT

living a life that reflects jesus

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately sensed something special in the air? Perhaps it was the scent of fresh flowers or a delicious meal cooking. In the same way, our lives can carry a unique aroma that reflects our relationship with Jesus. This idea of being a fragrant offering is beautifully illustrated in the story of Mary anointing Jesus with expensive perfume during a dinner party in Bethany.

In John 12:3, we read how Mary took a pound of costly perfume made from pure nard and anointed Jesus' feet, wiping them with her hair. This act was not just a gesture of love; it was a profound declaration of devotion and sacrifice. The fragrance filled the house, symbolizing how our actions can fill the spaces we inhabit with the presence of Christ.

What Do You Smell Like?

This leads us to an important question: What do you smell like as a Christian? Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 that God leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. As we go about our daily lives, our actions, words, and attitudes can either spread the fragrance of Christ or the scent of something far less appealing.

Think about your interactions this week. When you serve others, do they see Jesus in your actions? When you respond to challenges or conflicts, does your reaction reflect His love? The prayer is that people will see Jesus in the way you serve, interact, and even in how you respond when you feel offended.

The Cost of True Love

Mary’s act of anointing Jesus was costly and countercultural. In a time when women were expected to behave modestly, she broke societal norms, showing that her love for Jesus was worth any cost. This raises another question: Are we willing to give our best to God, even when it makes us uncomfortable? Warren Wiersbe puts it succinctly: “Love is not love if it nicely calculates the cost. It gives its all and its only regret is that it has not still more to give”.

When we consider our own lives, what are we holding back from God? Are there areas where we need to break free from our comfort zones and pour out our love for Him? Let’s remember that Jesus must always be the focus in everything we do—our families, our careers, and our relationships.

Filling Every Space with His Presence

As we move through our week, let’s strive to fill every space we enter with the sweet aroma of Jesus. Whether at work, home, or in our communities, we have the opportunity to reflect His love and grace. The goal is not just to speak about Jesus but to let His presence shine through us.

When people encounter us, may they “smell” the fragrance of Christ emanating from our lives. This can happen through simple acts of kindness, patience in difficult situations, or a genuine smile that brightens someone’s day.

A Life of Devotion

Ultimately, Mary’s act of devotion calls us to evaluate how we express our love for Jesus. Are we willing to be misunderstood or criticized for our faith? Mary faced judgment from Judas, who questioned the value of her sacrifice. Yet, she remained undeterred, knowing that her actions were a beautiful offering to her Savior.

Let’s embrace a life that reflects the love of Christ, one that is willing to sacrifice and serve without counting the cost. As we do so, we will not only fill our lives with the aroma of Christ but also invite others to experience the hope and joy that comes from knowing Him.

May our prayer be that every person we encounter this week will see Jesus in us, and may our lives be a sweet fragrance to God.