http://www.u4theu.com/index.cfm?i=14872&mid=25&blogid=8268 Radiant WebTools For the last decade I've been a student of the great prayers and prayer movements of the Church. I've read about Martin Luther's practice of rising early to pray two hours per day, unless he was extremely busy – then he would pray three hours! I've studied the dedication to prayer of great preachers like Billy Graham, Jim Cymbala and a host of others. Every year I stop by the Harvest Prayer Booth at the NACC & ask for recommendations on the best new prayer books – Dave Earley's Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders was my gem from last year. But recently I've shifted from just trying to get my church to pray more to actually praying more – dramatically more – myself. The reason? One brief phrase in Luke5:16. There Luke records Jesus withdrew often and prayed. WOW! If Jesus withdrew often for prayer, then why shouldn't I? Will that cause my congregation to pray more – I don't know – but honestly I can't do anything to make them pray more – all I can do is withdraw often myself to pray and leave my church's prayer frequency up to God. Just sayin… For the last decade I've been a student of the great prayers and prayer movements of the Church. I've read about Martin Luther's practice of rising early to pray two hours per day, unless he was extremely busy – then he would pray three hours! I've studied the dedication to prayer of great preachers like Billy Graham, Jim Cymbala and a host of others. Every year I stop by the Harvest Prayer Booth at the NACC & ask for recommendations on the best new prayer books – Dave Earley's Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders was my gem from last year. But recently I've shifted from just trying to get my church to pray more to actually praying more – dramatically more – myself. The reason? One brief phrase in Luke5:16. There Luke records Jesus withdrew often and prayed. WOW! If Jesus withdrew often for prayer, then why shouldn't I? Will that cause my congregation to pray more – I don't know – but honestly I can't do anything to make them pray more – all I can do is withdraw often myself to pray and leave my church's prayer frequency up to God. Just sayin… http://www.u4theu.com/index.cfm?i=14872&mid=25&blogid=8268&comments=34609 34609 Fri, 25 May 2012 22:26:00 +0000 I seem driven these days by a seven-word phrase that describes the prayer meeting out of which the Lord launched His Church. Acts 1:14 says 'they all joined together constantly in prayer.' Literally, they prayed with a unified passion and when they were done praying, they prayed again and again and again. Why? I believe it was because of the impossible mission of being Jesus' witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts1:8) and their total inadequacy to make that happen. But what is keeping me up nights about this verse is wondering if my church – if any church – could pray constantly for world evangelism with that same unified passion? Honestly I don't know, but we're trying. Here's how. Every Sunday we feature one country in a U4theU Prayer Time. I share information about the country, distribute Joshua Project Unreached People Group Cards from that country, ask people to take a knee and we pray. Is everyone praying with the same unified passion? I doubt it. But is God listening? I'm sure of it. What will be the result? Well perhaps God will soften our hearts to one Unreached People Group we must reach! I seem driven these days by a seven-word phrase that describes the prayer meeting out of which the Lord launched His Church. Acts 1:14 says 'they all joined together constantly in prayer.' Literally, they prayed with a unified passion and when they were done praying, they prayed again and again and again. Why? I believe it was because of the impossible mission of being Jesus' witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts1:8) and their total inadequacy to make that happen. But what is keeping me up nights about this verse is wondering if my church – if any church – could pray constantly for world evangelism with that same unified passion? Honestly I don't know, but we're trying. Here's how. Every Sunday we feature one country in a U4theU Prayer Time. I share information about the country, distribute Joshua Project Unreached People Group Cards from that country, ask people to take a knee and we pray. Is everyone praying with the same unified passion? I doubt it. But is God listening? I'm sure of it. What will be the result? Well perhaps God will soften our hearts to one Unreached People Group we must reach! http://www.u4theu.com/index.cfm?i=14872&mid=25&blogid=8268&comments=31995 31995 Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:13:00 +0000