Just go have a talk with God

A sermon about loving God and loving people and serving the world has stuck with Lana Wilken Gies, and she is hoping to use her artistic talents to bring people together in prayer.

The Just Pray Project was born after Gies had a vision to open a small storefront or other downtown Winter Garden location, a place where people could meet to pray.

“I feel like there are a lot of people who would like to have a relationship with God but don't really know where to begin and don't want to be pressured into a religion,” Gies said. “And that's where this comes in. The Just Pray Project is a ministry to encourage the world to pray in a subtle, inspiring way.”

After hearing the sermon, the Oakland artist started painting. She created designs using stick-figure-like characters on their knees praying, and people asked if they could purchase the paintings. She tithed her sales proceeds to the church.

Gies was particularly drawn to one of the characters, and she began making cards and gifts for people. Then she had the idea of window decals for vehicles.

“Everybody shows off their kids doing these sports with these little family stickers, and doing all these activities, but none of them (was) doing one of the best activities one can do,” Gies said. “And if you're Christian, that's praying.”

She calls her characters “prayeracters,” and friends and church members wanted some for their cars and trucks.

She has different themed characters, such as one in red, white and blue. It includes a prayer for America. She also created one for Noah’s Light Foundation, and the back includes a prayer for children with cancer.

“If we can get the entire community to slowly but surely don these stickers in some way, maybe putting them in their storefronts or on their cars, people who don't see prayer as a forethought … might start seeing these stickers and wonder about the movement,” Gies said.

She felt like God was calling her to start a prayer ministry, but she admits she didn’t know much about prayer. So she traveled to the West Coast a few weeks ago to study prayer at Bethel Church in Redding, California.

“I just went for myself to see what the environment is like when people are constantly in prayer and if it was doable or if it was conflicting or loving,” Gies said. “I went there to experience the power of prayer in its complete magnitude. … I got a good vibe from the whole thing. There was a lot of love and community service.”

Gies has a YouTube channel and a website and has developed five-minute podcasts of prayers she recorded. There are daily prayers, plus ones for buying a house, health, marriage, depression and more.

She’s hoping to build a team of people who will volunteer their time and record various prayers. Anyone wishing to join Gies can email her at [email protected] or go to her Just Pray Project Facebook page.

As part of her project, Gies has made prayeracter stickers to be sold as fundraisers for local residents in need. She hopes people will see the stickers and pray for them.

Once the stickers take off, the artist hopes to have a booth at the Winter Garden Farmers Market and possibly open a prayer room that can be supported by this and other merchandise that ties into the concept of prayer. She has ideas for coasters and notecards, too.

“Somebody made a comment that you shouldn’t have to pay to pray,” Gies said. “The point I’m making is that you shouldn't have to pay to pray, (but) there's a little chapel at a church across the way that's always open but it's not filled with people stopping to pray.”

While she doesn’t think a majority of folks will stop at a church and pray, she’s hoping they will see one of her prayeracters and say a quick prayer.

“It's like having someone say, ‘I believe in prayer and would like someone to pray for me today,” she said. “If you're stopped at a stoplight and you see a sticker on the back of the car, you can pray for them instead of yelling at them for not going.”

Gies wrote a prayeracter creed to get children excited about prayer, and she is in discussions with a local Christian rapper to put it to music.

The Purpose Network is interested in partnering with the Just Pray Project, she said.

“If there’s anybody that feels that they have a passion for this – I believe that God has lined people up — because I can't do this by myself,” Gies said. “I would love to have someone on board with me and get the whole world praying, basically.”

The Prayeracter Posture: 

To pray like a Prayeracter 

Drop to your knees, 

Arise off your heels 

Maybe 30 degrees,

Stick out your chest, give your elbows a squeeze 

With your hands clapped together, look up toward the trees,

Now tell God you need Him  

Let your mind feel at ease,

He's all-knowing and listens

To all who believe 

Now, an answer to prayer is what He guarantees, 

So surrender to Him and your burdens will flee!

Contact Amy Quesinberry at [email protected].