Prays well with others
Behind the Design: The Inspiration Behind the “Prays well with others” Apparel
From Pain to Purpose
I learned the power of prayer when my newborn son spent 37 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit fighting for his life. Even though I sat by his bedside for 12 hours a day doing nothing but watching him and occasionally holding him, I often felt paralyzed and unable to string together my thoughts into prayers. I relied heavily on the passages of scripture I had circled in my Bible prior to his birth.
During our NICU stay, I was blessed by the prayers of friends and complete strangers. Some friends sent me written prayers via text. Others would send friends who lived in the area to come and pray for us in person on their behalf.
Not long after our discharge, I felt God stirring something within me. Knowing how the prayers of others had helped to fuel my faith and provide me with His supernatural peace, I knew my service would involve praying for others in similar circumstances. And from those stirrings, God birthed the ministry, “Praying Your Way Through the NICU”. To read more on the ministry, click here.
Foundational Scripture
Galatians 6:2 instructs us to “Bear one another’s burdens.” What better way to help carry the weight of our brothers and sisters than to help them pray their way through the difficult seasons of life?
Design Elements
Three years ago, I was a brand-new Christian. The Lord had just saved me from death. I was so hungry to get to know Him more and to see Him work in my life. Divinely, He led me to the book, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. The story behind the ancient prophet of Jerusalem who circled his bold prayers stuck with me over the years. The power of circled prayers stuck with me so much that when I was under spiritual attack during the final months of my pregnancy, I understood God’s directions clearly. When He directed me to circle 15 psalms to continuously pray over my son, I understood the importance and obeyed without delay. The circle design on the “Prays well with others” apparel represents the power of circled prayer.
Play on Words
Do you remember report card comments that referenced social interaction? I distinctly remember seeing things like, “Jessika plays well with others.” While this was important enough to be included on a report card, I got to thinking…how much more important it must be to God that we “pray well with others.” According to the NIV Exhaustive Concordance, the word pray and all its conjugations is cited 375 times in the Bible. To God, prayer is of vital importance.
More on the Apparel
The Bonfire “Prays well with others” Apparel Campaign has sold just shy of 100 shirts!
100% of the profits earned go to the “Praying Your Way Through the NICU” ministry. Currently, our outreach consists of Biblical encouragement in the form of faith-based bereavement journals and read alouds rooted in scripture. Plans to expand the outreach to include scripture-based swaddles are in the beginning stages.
The Bonfire “Prays well with others” Apparel Campaign currently includes styles for men, women, and children—virtually the whole family!
Styles include 2 unisex tees of varying blends (4 colors), 2 varieties of women’s tanks (5 colors), A pullover hoodie (5 colors), 2 youth tees of varying blends (5 colors), and matching baseball tees for adults in children. View the collection here.
Pictured below: Premium Triblend Unisex Tee in Navy
