Dear Upper Room Friends,

The little boy confessed to his mother that he was afraid of the dark. She assured him that she would stay with him until he was asleep. A few hours later he awoke and called out for his mother. She returned to his room and was again told he was afraid of the dark. She offered assurances and told him, "Don't be afraid, Jesus is with you, even in the dark." The boy put on a brave face, but before long, he called for his mother again. This time his mother asked him, "Don't you believe that Jesus is with you?" The young boy replied, "I know Jesus is with me, but it feels better to see a Jesus with skin on."

We all have our times of being "afraid of the dark." Not literally, but we face times of darkness in our lives. The illness or death of a loved one, difficulties faced by a child, a lost job, depression, and many other situations can give us a feeling of being in a dark place. We know Jesus is with us, but it feels better to "see a Jesus with skin on." That is a fitting way to describe The Upper Room Living Prayer Center.

Over 40,000 times a month, persons contact the Living Prayer Center. Those who call are facing dark times in their lives. They reach out to hear a word of assurance, to be touched by a voice in the dark that represents the face of Jesus. They reach out to find "Jesus with skin on." One caller to the Living Prayer Center expressed it like this,

"Life is indeed interesting and full of trails. As we all go along on our 'Faith Walk' there are many times we stumble and quite often the only help we need is the knowledge that we are not alone and we draw strength from that. I will probably never have the opportunity to meet any of you there face to face, but you are still brothers and sisters of mine in Christ and I just wanted to say thank you."

Your gift of $25.00 to the Living Prayer Center will enable us to answer fifty calls. A gift of $50 or even $100 will enable even more calls to be answered. Every caller talks to a real person and is assured that others will be praying for them and their specific situation. When you make a gift to the Living Prayer Center, you become a vital link between persons experiencing dark times and a voice in the dark offering a word of assurance.

The truth is, "sound travels in both darkness and light." Over 1,000 times a day, someone calls out from a dark place and their call reaches to the Upper Room Living Prayer Center. Be a compassionate voice in the dark, a "Jesus with skin on" by making your generous gift today.

Grace and peace,
Stephen D. Bryant
Editor and Publisher of Upper Room Ministries