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Transcript10 lines

[00:00]
A
Foreign.
[00:05]
B
Nation. It is Friday, August 7th in the year of our Lord 2026. I am Luann Riley and this is your wake up call. It is our last day together in the book of James. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for showing up here and opening your heart, opening your lives, opening God's word with me. It has meant a lot to me to be able to be in this space with you. Thank you to the seedbed team, thank you to JD just for entrusting me in this space. I need to give a shout out to Arnold with Bristol House for his technical work that saw us through the whole week of these and I will be at new room and so I hope that I get to see many of you there, meet many of you there. I hope that you'll pick up my new Bible study and I would love to hear how it's going as you open that up and study it together. But it has been just a great honor and a privilege to be in this time. So thank you. So let's enter into our final day together this morning with consecration. Wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. Praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. So let's open the book of James together again. The word of the Lord will be in James, chapter 5, verse 13 through 16. It says, is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick, sick person well. The Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is is powerful and effective. So consider this. As James finishes his letter, he asks a few straightforward questions. He says, is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone sick? Call the elders of the church to pray. No matter what we face, James reminds us to turn to God. So when studying James, I came across this early church tradition that said that James prayed so much on his knees that they became tough and calloused like a camel's and people gave him the nickname Old Camel Knees. Now, if someone was going to give me a nickname, I would prefer something like the Great and Powerful, not Old Camel Knees. But that is how committed James was to prayer. His knees told the story of his faith. And while I may not want the nickname, I do wonder, what story do my knees tell about my prayer life? Do they speak of trust and honesty and perseverance? Or do they often show how frequently I try to handle things on my own? And for James, he understood that prayer wasn't just a religious routine. Prayer is our life line. When struggles drag on and answers are slow in coming. Prayer keeps us close to the one who holds us. And we started our journey through James talking about trials, and now he circles back to them. Our faith grows as we keep going, and prayer helps us persevere. James also talks about sickness and in healing. And he says those who are sick should call the elders, be anointed with oil, and let the church pray for them. And those words can be hard to hear, difficult to wrestle with. When we've prayed for healing over and over and over again, but still live with an illness or pain. I know what that's like. I have a chronic condition, and I have prayed over and over again. Sometimes I joke that I have been anointed with so much oil that I could catch on fire at any moment. And sometimes healing is instant. It is, and it's obvious, and we can celebrate that and praise God for it. Other times, it comes slowly, often through doctors or treatments or years of prayer. And sometimes complete healing doesn't happen this side of heaven. But that doesn't mean that our prayers have failed, because God still heals. And we trust that one day in Christ healing will be complete where there'll be no more pain and no more disease and no more loss and no more death. No. And until then, God might grant us relief. He might grant us restoration or strength to keep going and peace when things don't change. James reminds us that we're not meant to suffer alone. It says, pray for each other so that you may be healed. This is the holy calling of the church. We bring one another before God. We sit by hospital beds, we whisper names in prayer, we send a text, we make a call, we anoint with oil. And we keep praying for someone when they are too tired to pray for themselves. Mature faith. Growing up. Faith doesn't just ask, who will pray for me. It also asks, who has God put in my life? Who needs my prayers? Our needs may not become as calloused as James, but they can still tell a story of faithfulness. May they tell people that we are the kind of people who keep turning to God, believing that prayer matters and carrying one another until healing comes here or in the fullness of God's kingdom. Won't you join me in praying, healing God? Draw near to those listening who are hurting in body, mind or spirit. I speak now for them. Healing and life, I speak it over them. They are being healed even now. Help them to receive it. Surround them with people who will pray and care and carry hope with them. Hold them close until healing comes here or in the fullness of your kingdom. Amen. And the journal prompts as we finish this week is to just kind of look back this week over the things that we've talked about in the book of James and identify which part of James has challenged you the most and how you will live differently because of it. Because our time together with Jesus, our time in God's word, it's not just about our hearing, but it's about our doing. And it's through our doing that we, we really grow in our faith and that we grow up spiritually. In the study I talk about my own battle with chronic illness, just a shortened version here. I have always been a chronic migraine sufferer and at one point in my life they escalated to the point where I had a migraine that did not go away for four years. We could beat down the intensity of it with certain medications, but I spent probably three to four nights of my life when my children were small in a dark room throwing up with ice medication that I would have to shoot into my leg and my legs would be covered with bruise. And I went through all sorts of doctors and specialists and prayers and revivals and multi level marketing. You name it, I tried it. And I finally got diagnosed with an underlying nerve condition and had experimental surgery in 2018. And it took away the migraine that I had every single day, praise God. But I still, still have migraines. It still flares. I still spend days in pain. I still, it's just a part of my life that I always have to manage and hold. And I go through seasons of really strong believing and hoping and that God will deliver me completely from it and heal me from it. And then there's times where it's harder to believe that I get injections every six weeks and those are very painful. And on those days I just feel like the Lord holds me. And what I'm so grateful for is the community of people who surrounded me and who do surround me, who hold hope for me, who pray over me, who check in on me on those days. And so whether you have the chronic illness or you know someone that does it is such a holy thing to be in someone suffering with them and to pray for them and to hold hope for them and to encourage them when they don't feel like they can do that for themselves. And so wherever you fall, just think about people in your life who might need you to be that person to pray for them and to walk with them as part of your faith and also for as part of their faith. Okay, so we are going to hear our last beautiful hymn from my friend Bethany Johnson.
[09:44]
C
Good morning Sower Nation and Happy Friday, one of my favorite days of the week. I want to thank you for having me be in your space this week to worship with you and to share God's word. Thank you so much to JD and the entire seedbed team for having me as well. To Arnold behind the scenes, we could not do this without you. You are my favorite person. And to Luann, thank you again for inviting me on. Your teaching has absolutely grown my faith. You are a great boss, but an even dearer friend. When I think of all the seasons and stories of my faith that I've walked through, one constant prayer and thought that remains in me is the greatness of God, the greatness of the world he created for us to live in, God's great love that he took on, the burden that we don't have to bear. And finally, the greatest gift. When he finally calls me home, I'll be able to sing with all of my soul face to face. My God, how great Thou Art. I couldn't think of a better hymn to end our week together with. Please join me in singing hymn number 32, how great thou Art, from our seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise. I'll be singing verses 1, 3 and 4.
[11:10]
A
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed Then sings my soul My saviour God to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art Then sings my soul My saviour God to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art and when I think that God his Son not sparing sent him to die I scarce can take it in that on the cross my burden gladly bearing he bled and died to take away my sin and sings my soul My saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art and sing to my soul my saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home what joy shall fill my heart? Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim my God, how great thou art Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art and sings my soul, my saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art.
[14:01]
B
Y', all, can we just say thank you to Bethany for just gorgeous worship this week?
[14:07]
C
Thank you. Thank you.
[14:07]
B
Such a great friend and partner. And thank you all for being here with us. We love you and. All right, ready? One last time. Okay.
[14:14]
C
For the Awakening, I'm Bethany Johnson.
[14:18]
B
I'm Luann Riley.
[14:19]
C
And we'll see you on the field.

Summary5 min read

The Wake-Up Call – “The Story Our Knees Tell”

Host: Luann Riley
Guest: Bethany Johnson (worship and hymn)
Date: August 7, 2026

Episode Overview

In this final episode from the series on the book of James, host Luann Riley focuses on James’s concluding encouragements about prayer—particularly in times of trouble, joy, or sickness. The episode explores the profound significance of prayer in Christian community, the perseverance of faith through ongoing challenges (like chronic illness), and the legacy that a life of prayer leaves. Luann shares personal stories and reflections alongside practical encouragements for listeners to both receive and offer prayer—reminding the community of the transformative power of intercessory life. The episode closes with a heartfelt hymn led by Bethany Johnson.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Concluding Reflections on James (00:05–01:45)

Luann thanks the Seedbed team, contributors, and the listening community as the week in James concludes.
Expresses gratitude for the privilege of leading others in Scripture and prayer (“Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for showing up here and opening your heart, opening your lives, opening God's word with me.” – Luann, 00:12).

2. Scripture Reading and Initial Reflection (01:45–03:02)

Reads James 5:13–16, emphasizing James’s questions about prayer, praise, and seeking support during sickness.
Highlights: Prayer is for all occasions—trouble, joy, sickness—and always draws us to God.

3. The Example of James—“Old Camel Knees” (03:02–04:04)

Shares an early church tradition: James’ knees became “tough and calloused like a camel’s” due to his constant prayer—earning him the nickname “Old Camel Knees.”
Memorable quote:
- “If someone was going to give me a nickname, I would prefer something like the Great and Powerful, not Old Camel Knees.” (03:29)
Personal reflection: What do our own prayer habits—and “knees”—say about our faith?

4. Prayer as Lifeline in Suffering (04:04–06:14)

“Prayer isn’t just a religious routine. Prayer is our lifeline. When struggles drag on and answers are slow in coming, prayer keeps us close to the one who holds us.” (04:41)
Returns to the theme of perseverance from the beginning of James.
Discusses the challenge of unanswered prayers for healing and references personal experience with chronic illness.

5. The Challenge and Mystery of Healing (06:14–07:53)

Acknowledges the difficulty when healing doesn’t come as we hope—even after persistent prayer.
Empathetic and honest about her ongoing struggle:
- "Sometimes I joke that I have been anointed with so much oil that I could catch on fire at any moment." (06:43)
Recognizes healing may be instant, gradual, or await fulfillment in God’s kingdom:
- "Sometimes complete healing doesn't happen this side of heaven. But that doesn't mean that our prayers have failed, because God still heals." (07:16)

6. The Calling of Community—Praying for Each Other (07:53–08:54)

Emphasizes communal responsibility: “Pray for each other so that you may be healed. This is the holy calling of the church.”
Describes practical acts of prayer support—sitting by hospital beds, sending texts, whispering names in prayer.
Highlights the depth of mature faith:
- “Mature faith…doesn’t just ask, ‘Who will pray for me?’ It also asks, ‘Who needs my prayers?’” (08:33)

7. Prayer for Listeners and Community (08:54–09:40)

Luann offers a heartfelt spoken prayer for those struggling with illness or discouragement.
- “Healing God, draw near to those listening who are hurting in body, mind or spirit…They are being healed even now. Help them to receive it.” (09:01)

8. Journaling & Personal Reflection Prompts (09:40–10:54)

Encourages listeners to look back over the week’s journey in James, to “identify which part…has challenged you the most and how you will live differently because of it.”
Stresses that spiritual growth comes through action, not just hearing.

9. Personal Story of Chronic Illness (10:54–12:48)

Luann shares her journey with chronic migraines and chronic illness—recounting pain, failed treatments, and eventual partial healing.
Describes the vital support provided by people who “held hope for me, prayed over me, checked in on me on those days.”
Encourages listeners to be that supportive presence for others:
- “It is such a holy thing to be in someone suffering with them and to pray for them and to hold hope for them and to encourage them when they don’t feel like they can do that for themselves.” (12:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On prayer as commitment:
“His knees told the story of his faith…What story do my knees tell about my prayer life?” (03:44)
On chronic illness and faith:
“Sometimes I joke that I have been anointed with so much oil that I could catch on fire at any moment.” (06:43)
On community’s role:
“Mature faith. Growing up. Faith doesn’t just ask, ‘Who will pray for me?’ It also asks, ‘Who has God put in my life? Who needs my prayers?’” (08:33)
On hope and suffering:
“Our needs may not become as calloused as James’, but they can still tell a story of faithfulness.” (08:48)

Key Timestamps

00:05–01:45 — Opening remarks and thanks
01:45–03:02 — Scripture reading: James 5:13–16
03:02–04:04 — “Old Camel Knees” and the example of James
04:04–06:14 — The role of prayer in suffering and perseverance
06:14–07:53 — Wrestling with healing and unanswered prayer
07:53–08:54 — The community’s call to pray for one another
08:54–09:40 — Intercessory prayer for listeners
09:40–10:54 — Journaling/reflection prompts
10:54–12:48 — Personal testimony of chronic illness
12:48–14:01 — Transition to worship & hymn introduction

Closing: Worship and Benediction (14:01–End)

Bethany Johnson leads a moving rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” anchors the episode in worship and gratitude, and thanks the community for shared faith and encouragement.

Notable introduction:
“When I think of all the seasons and stories of my faith that I’ve walked through, one constant prayer and thought that remains in me is the greatness of God…” (09:51)
Hymn verses (11:09–14:01): Verses 1, 3, and 4 sung from “How Great Thou Art”—underscoring God’s power, love, and final hope.

Closing words (14:01–End):

Gratitude to Bethany for her role in worship.
Final goodbyes from Luann and Bethany, encouraging the community to “see you on the field”—a call to live out their faith.

Summary

This episode draws the series on James to a heartfelt close, stressing prayer’s central place in Christian life—not just as an individual practice but as a shared, sustaining power in the face of trials and sickness. With transparency and warmth, Luann binds together biblical teaching, personal vulnerability, and practical encouragement, inviting listeners to be both recipients and givers of God’s healing and hope. The episode crowns this encouragement with worship, inviting all to acknowledge the greatness of God, even in seasons of waiting and pain.

Loading summary

Transcript10 lines

[00:00]
A
Foreign.
[00:05]
B
Nation. It is Friday, August 7th in the year of our Lord 2026. I am Luann Riley and this is your wake up call. It is our last day together in the book of James. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for showing up here and opening your heart, opening your lives, opening God's word with me. It has meant a lot to me to be able to be in this space with you. Thank you to the seedbed team, thank you to JD just for entrusting me in this space. I need to give a shout out to Arnold with Bristol House for his technical work that saw us through the whole week of these and I will be at new room and so I hope that I get to see many of you there, meet many of you there. I hope that you'll pick up my new Bible study and I would love to hear how it's going as you open that up and study it together. But it has been just a great honor and a privilege to be in this time. So thank you. So let's enter into our final day together this morning with consecration. Wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. Praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. So let's open the book of James together again. The word of the Lord will be in James, chapter 5, verse 13 through 16. It says, is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick, sick person well. The Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is is powerful and effective. So consider this. As James finishes his letter, he asks a few straightforward questions. He says, is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone sick? Call the elders of the church to pray. No matter what we face, James reminds us to turn to God. So when studying James, I came across this early church tradition that said that James prayed so much on his knees that they became tough and calloused like a camel's and people gave him the nickname Old Camel Knees. Now, if someone was going to give me a nickname, I would prefer something like the Great and Powerful, not Old Camel Knees. But that is how committed James was to prayer. His knees told the story of his faith. And while I may not want the nickname, I do wonder, what story do my knees tell about my prayer life? Do they speak of trust and honesty and perseverance? Or do they often show how frequently I try to handle things on my own? And for James, he understood that prayer wasn't just a religious routine. Prayer is our life line. When struggles drag on and answers are slow in coming. Prayer keeps us close to the one who holds us. And we started our journey through James talking about trials, and now he circles back to them. Our faith grows as we keep going, and prayer helps us persevere. James also talks about sickness and in healing. And he says those who are sick should call the elders, be anointed with oil, and let the church pray for them. And those words can be hard to hear, difficult to wrestle with. When we've prayed for healing over and over and over again, but still live with an illness or pain. I know what that's like. I have a chronic condition, and I have prayed over and over again. Sometimes I joke that I have been anointed with so much oil that I could catch on fire at any moment. And sometimes healing is instant. It is, and it's obvious, and we can celebrate that and praise God for it. Other times, it comes slowly, often through doctors or treatments or years of prayer. And sometimes complete healing doesn't happen this side of heaven. But that doesn't mean that our prayers have failed, because God still heals. And we trust that one day in Christ healing will be complete where there'll be no more pain and no more disease and no more loss and no more death. No. And until then, God might grant us relief. He might grant us restoration or strength to keep going and peace when things don't change. James reminds us that we're not meant to suffer alone. It says, pray for each other so that you may be healed. This is the holy calling of the church. We bring one another before God. We sit by hospital beds, we whisper names in prayer, we send a text, we make a call, we anoint with oil. And we keep praying for someone when they are too tired to pray for themselves. Mature faith. Growing up. Faith doesn't just ask, who will pray for me. It also asks, who has God put in my life? Who needs my prayers? Our needs may not become as calloused as James, but they can still tell a story of faithfulness. May they tell people that we are the kind of people who keep turning to God, believing that prayer matters and carrying one another until healing comes here or in the fullness of God's kingdom. Won't you join me in praying, healing God? Draw near to those listening who are hurting in body, mind or spirit. I speak now for them. Healing and life, I speak it over them. They are being healed even now. Help them to receive it. Surround them with people who will pray and care and carry hope with them. Hold them close until healing comes here or in the fullness of your kingdom. Amen. And the journal prompts as we finish this week is to just kind of look back this week over the things that we've talked about in the book of James and identify which part of James has challenged you the most and how you will live differently because of it. Because our time together with Jesus, our time in God's word, it's not just about our hearing, but it's about our doing. And it's through our doing that we, we really grow in our faith and that we grow up spiritually. In the study I talk about my own battle with chronic illness, just a shortened version here. I have always been a chronic migraine sufferer and at one point in my life they escalated to the point where I had a migraine that did not go away for four years. We could beat down the intensity of it with certain medications, but I spent probably three to four nights of my life when my children were small in a dark room throwing up with ice medication that I would have to shoot into my leg and my legs would be covered with bruise. And I went through all sorts of doctors and specialists and prayers and revivals and multi level marketing. You name it, I tried it. And I finally got diagnosed with an underlying nerve condition and had experimental surgery in 2018. And it took away the migraine that I had every single day, praise God. But I still, still have migraines. It still flares. I still spend days in pain. I still, it's just a part of my life that I always have to manage and hold. And I go through seasons of really strong believing and hoping and that God will deliver me completely from it and heal me from it. And then there's times where it's harder to believe that I get injections every six weeks and those are very painful. And on those days I just feel like the Lord holds me. And what I'm so grateful for is the community of people who surrounded me and who do surround me, who hold hope for me, who pray over me, who check in on me on those days. And so whether you have the chronic illness or you know someone that does it is such a holy thing to be in someone suffering with them and to pray for them and to hold hope for them and to encourage them when they don't feel like they can do that for themselves. And so wherever you fall, just think about people in your life who might need you to be that person to pray for them and to walk with them as part of your faith and also for as part of their faith. Okay, so we are going to hear our last beautiful hymn from my friend Bethany Johnson.
[09:44]
C
Good morning Sower Nation and Happy Friday, one of my favorite days of the week. I want to thank you for having me be in your space this week to worship with you and to share God's word. Thank you so much to JD and the entire seedbed team for having me as well. To Arnold behind the scenes, we could not do this without you. You are my favorite person. And to Luann, thank you again for inviting me on. Your teaching has absolutely grown my faith. You are a great boss, but an even dearer friend. When I think of all the seasons and stories of my faith that I've walked through, one constant prayer and thought that remains in me is the greatness of God, the greatness of the world he created for us to live in, God's great love that he took on, the burden that we don't have to bear. And finally, the greatest gift. When he finally calls me home, I'll be able to sing with all of my soul face to face. My God, how great Thou Art. I couldn't think of a better hymn to end our week together with. Please join me in singing hymn number 32, how great thou Art, from our seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise. I'll be singing verses 1, 3 and 4.
[11:10]
A
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed Then sings my soul My saviour God to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art Then sings my soul My saviour God to thee how great Thou art how great Thou art and when I think that God his Son not sparing sent him to die I scarce can take it in that on the cross my burden gladly bearing he bled and died to take away my sin and sings my soul My saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art and sing to my soul my saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home what joy shall fill my heart? Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim my God, how great thou art Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art and sings my soul, my saviour God to thee how great thou art, how great thou art.
[14:01]
B
Y', all, can we just say thank you to Bethany for just gorgeous worship this week?
[14:07]
C
Thank you. Thank you.
[14:07]
B
Such a great friend and partner. And thank you all for being here with us. We love you and. All right, ready? One last time. Okay.
[14:14]
C
For the Awakening, I'm Bethany Johnson.
[14:18]
B
I'm Luann Riley.
[14:19]
C
And we'll see you on the field.