The Right to Pray

 I read an article from an online news site. 

I encourage you to take a moment to read the article and then read the following passages from the Bible: Matthew 6:5-14, Mark 12:38-40, and Luke 20:45-47. 

Now grab a paper and pen to answer these questions: 

*How did Jesus describe how hypocrites pray? (Matthew 6:5) 

*What did Jesus instruct us to NOT do when we pray? (Matthew 6:5) 

*What did Jesus instruct us TO do when we pray (Matthew 6:6) 

*What did Jesus instruct us to NOT do when we pray? (Matthew 6:7) 

*What condemnation did Jesus have for the teachers of the law in Mark 12:38-40 and Luke 20:45-47? 

*What else does the Bible say about prayer? 

*Is there a biblical teaching on a specific location, position, or ritual when we pray? 

*How are Christians commanded to treat non-believers? 

*How are Christians supposed to respond to commands from the governing authorities? 

It's important to take time for perspective checks before we choose our response to this situation. 

1. The case may have just reached the Supreme Court and is currently making headlines, but these events happened in 2015. So take a moment to choose a response instead of giving a knee-jerk reaction that is most likely angry, bitter, or critical. 

2. Christians aren't commanded to pray at a certain location, but we ARE commanded to live at peace with everyone, as far as we are able (see Romans 12:18). 

3. NO ONE can stop Christians from praying. We can pray in workplaces, in stores, in schools, and at sporting events. However, those in charge can request that we don't make a spectacle of our prayers. When we are told that by the authorities, we are still commanded to obey them (see Romans 13:1-7). They can request that we don't kneel at the 50-yard line, but they can't stop us from praying in our seats and offices, in secret. Frankly, this request lines up with Jesus' teachings on prayer. 

4. Take time to reflect. Grab a piece of paper and pen to journal through your feelings. Turn your emotions into prayers. Examine why you are hurt, upset, angry, etc. at this news. Ask God to show you HIS perspective on these matters. Journal and pray until you are in a place of surrender instead of rebellion. Pray until your jaw unclenches and your hands relax. Pray until you get an eternal perspective on these events. 

5. Consider how these matters reflect Christianity to non-Christians. Christians tout obeying the law, until told they can't pray on a football field at the end of a game. Then they will overcome the lawful security and knock children to the ground to do it anyway. Is this the Christianity we want to represent? If they study the Bible's teachings on prayer, are they going to recognize that we are following Jesus' teachings or will they be confused that we insist on making prayer a visible spectacle? 

6. Consider how you'd feel if this was about a Jewish coach or a Muslim coach or a Hindu coach, or a Buddhist coach or a pagan coach. Are we in favor of ALL religions getting to pray on the field after a game, or are we just in favor of OUR religion having these rights and privileges? 

7. God is big enough to defend Himself. We don't need to sue to get God the right to show up at a football game; He's already there. When we jump in to defend God, our actions make Him look weak and unable to defend Himself. So let us take a step back and let God defend Himself. 

8. Are we praying for the "enemies" in this story (i.e. the people who are opposing the response we view as "correct")? 

9. Are we praying for God's will to be done (instead of praying for God to do our will?)

Quietly Waiting on Holy Saturday

Welcome to Easter Eve.  As we continue to wait quietly for the resurrection, we remember Jesus' death and burial in the tomb. Some Christians attend an Easter Vigil service today. This page and This page has a bit of history as well as some common practices. 

Our Scripture for today is Matthew 27:57-66, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:5-56, and John 19:38-42. These passages cover Jesus' burial.

Some Christians quietly wait by attending an Easter Vigil which can last from nightfall until just before sunrise. The atmosphere of this day is one of mourning and fasting. We think about Jesus' death as we await His resurrection. As we stay awake in the long hours of the night, we can do devotional exercises and spend time in prayer. In its fullest sense, the Vigil is about us waiting for the coming of the Lord. This page has more details about the Vigil. 

Historically, some Christians would quietly wait by fasting for 40 hours over Good Friday and Holy Saturday. (40 hours being the time he was thought to have been in the tomb). This final fast of Lent would be broken either by communion or the feast on Easter, although some denominations allow a little fruit midway through this day. Some denominations view this holy day as a day of private contemplation as no services were held. Due to the pandemic, it may be possible to join in an online vigil instead of an in-person service. 

It does seem fitting to continue abstaining from enjoyable activities from Good Friday through Holy Saturday as well. This is not a day to spend on ourselves or our pleasure, but to contemplate Jesus' death and the experiences of Jesus' first followers as they witnessed His crucifixion and burial. There are other weekends for projects, hobbies, and outings. This is a solemn time as we imagine ourselves waking up on that first Holy Saturday and feeling the grief, shock, despair, and confusion of the first Christians. 

I am intrigued by how the fasting and the Vigil interact with Resurrection Sunday. Instead of a full Sunday of feasting and celebrations, we would be tired and want to rest. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen cooking elaborate meals, we might prefer simple, nutrious food to end the fast. 

How can you wait quietly on this Holy Saturday?

Grieving on Good Friday

After Maundy Thursday comes Good Friday. This is the day that Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross, as we grieve and mourn. 

Our Scripture passages include Matthew 27:1-56, Mark 15:1-41, Luke 23:1-49, and John 18:28-19:37. These passages stop after Jesus' death, because the burial passages will be read tomorrow for Holy Saturday. 

This is a more somber day in the church year. It is a day for prayer, fasting, and church services. You can read more details of these events as well as some of the history of this day here. We grieve in the words we pray. We grieve as we abstain from food. We grieve through the services we attend.

This site here recommends setting aside the fun activities (and even work or school if possible) to more fully observe this day of mourning. Some Christians sit in silence from noon until three pm as we remember Jesus' suffering on the cross. Other Christians choose to sing hymns while Jesus was on the cross. This site here has song suggestions. We grieve as we set down our enjoyable hobbies and activities. We grieve as we sit in silence. We grieve as we sing hymns of Jesus' suffering and death. 

The stations of the cross continue from Maundy Thursday as we walk through Jesus' last hours and consider His last words on the cross. These sites here and here goes into more details. The key times are the 3rd hour (9am), 6th hour (12pm), and 9th hour (3pm). So even if "fixed hour praying" isn't common in our denomination, we could set alarms to pause and pray at these times as we remember Jesus' death sentence at 9am, Jesus being nailed to the cross at 12pm, and Jesus' death at 3pm. We grieve as we go through the stations of the cross.

The Tenebrae service from Maundy Thursday could be held instead on Good Friday. It might be possible to split the service into two nights based on the Thursday-Friday split in the Bible. So the Last Supper through Jesus' trials could be observed on Thursday and His sentencing through death could be observed on Friday. (I didn't come across this idea in my research, but was something I wondered about, since some churches hold these services on Thursdays, while others have them on Fridays.) We grieve as the lights are extinguished as we hear about Jesus' suffering and death.

Many people like to rush from the death to the resurrection, but I want to challenge us to sit in the stillness, in the darkness, in the grief of a life cut short, in the uncertainty of what happens next. The disciples experienced fear, hopelessness, and despair from 3pm Friday until Sunday morning. Let us sit with them in this dark watch of the night. 

How will you observe Good Friday this year? 

Consecrating on Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is a Holy Week holiday. As we lead up to Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter), we have 3 significant holy days to observe: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Each of these holy days will have a verb attached to it in these posts. For Maundy Thursday, our verb is "consecrating". When we consecrate something, we set it aside or apart as holy or sacred. It is devoted or dedicated to a specific purpose, such as set apart for God's use. We are setting aside these three days leading up to Resurrection Sunday as holy and sacred. Instead of doing what we want on these days, we are giving them up to God for worshiping Him as a bit of the sacred time overcomes our secular workweek. 

Each of the Gospels has plenty of text devoted to this night. We can read Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13 for their accounts of that night's events. (Technically we should be reading John 13-18:27 for all of Jesus' prayers, plus the betrayals, trials, and denials that the other passages include)

For those curious, "Maundy" comes from a variation of the Latin word for "commandment" since Jesus gave His disciples "a new command" to love each other. Historically, this was a day to for those estranged from the Church or wanting to join the Church to prepare to be reconciled and admitted. You can read more of the history here and here and here

Throughout history, this day has involved foot-washing, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. When we wash feet, we consecrate our time by serving others instead of ourselves, as well as humble ourselves. When we give money or food to those in need, we are consecrating a part of our income. When we pray, we consecrate our schedules and goals, as we subjugate them to the Spirit's timing. When we fast, we are consecrating our bodies as we pause from food to better listen for the Spirit's guidance. 

In the Orthodox Church, some Christians will fast from food from supper on Maundy Thursday until either the pre-Easter service on Saturday night or the morning service on Sunday, with the exception of a little fruit on Saturday. By abstaining from food for 40+ hours, we are consecrating this period of waiting. Resurrection Sunday becomes something that we are longing for, anticipating, and eagerly awaiting, as we grow increasingly hungry. As our stomachs growl, we are reminded throughout the day of what we are waiting for. (Obviously don't fast in this way if you have health problems that would flare up by not eating)

Some people hold special services or meals such as a Tenebrae service (where the lights in the sanctuary are gradually extinguished as the service goes on) or a Passover Seder where Christians partake in that traditional meal Jesus & His disciples were eating that night. Other Christians have a communion service on this day. Some churches set up the "stations of the cross" for people to pray through. You can read more detailed descriptions of ways people observe this holy day here and here. By observing an unfamiliar tradition, we are consecrating our preferences and desires as we meet God in a new way. 

Alternatively, we can look for online (either video or text) resources for a Tenebrae service or the stations of the cross to experience Maundy Thursday in a new light as we are guided through those Scripture readings.

Tenebrae service ideas here and here 

Station of the Cross ideas here and here and here and here and here

How will you observe Maundy Thursday this year?

Being Content During a Pandemic

Sometimes, I have a disconnect when reading Scripture, because I haven't experienced the persecution of the early church or even the lack of resources that they faced. 

Tonight I'm musing on Paul's words to the Philippians about contentment in a variety of situations.

"I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:10‭-‬13 NIV

https://bible.com/bible/111/php.4.10-13.NIV

If I'm honest, I've only experienced the highs (and avoided all of the lows) Paul writes about here. I have had plenty and have been well fed. I haven't experienced the need and hunger that is the norm for many around the world and in our country today. 

Yet, as workplaces close and shelves empty, I ponder how to be content during a pandemic. The secret to contentment is not in how much I have or can hoard. The secret lies in knowing and following Christ. 

As I follow Him, He does lead through dangerous areas, like the Path of Generosity, which calls us to share with the needy while the world urges us to hoard away. 

He takes me along the Stream of Compassion, which can understand why the grocery store worker is frustrated at a parent bringing their kids to the store AND how that single parent can't just leave them at home.

He brings me an Inventory of Blessing which reminds me of all the books, games, crafts, methods of contact, projects, and food that I have at home. 

He guides me through the Cave of Promises which whispers that He is with me and He is the God who provides. 

He takes me to the Overlook of Joy where I can see afresh all the blessings that I have in my life.

And as I travel with Christ, counting my blessings instead of my fears, I realize that contentment is not gained through ideal circumstances, but through knowing God is with us whatever may come. 

And as we realize how richly blessed we are, we are moved to look out beyond ourselves and our loved ones to offer hope to a world that is hopeless. We can offer this, along with food and other resources, because we serve a God who does provide.

So be kind to our grocery store workers.

Buy what we need, but not too much.

Look for ways to share with others (and be open enough to share our needs when we have them)

Take this time to draw closer to God.

And be content, no matter what tomorrow brings. 

Praying with Those Suffering

I once told my small group, when people were hesitant to pray out loud, "It's alright! There's no bad prayers!" My group purposely started praying prayers that proved my statement wrong. We can pray selfish prayers, materialistic prayers, hateful prayers, and so on. We can pray poor, unbiblical prayers.

Yet, just because a prayer is in the Bible doesn't mean that it is a good prayer to pray. There are examples of poor prayers in the Bible. It is possible to find "unbiblical" or "un-Christ-like" prayers within the pages of our Bibles.

The Bible does contain positive examples we would be benefited by emulating and commands that we are to obey. Other parts of the Bible have negative examples of things that happened, but should not have happened. There are lessons to be learned in what NOT to do.

In the Church, we sometimes hear prayers that should bother us. One such example, is to praise/thank God that we aren't suffering/persecuted like others mentioned in other prayer requests. A related prayer on a similar theme is to say, "I watch the news and I thank God that I live here."
Now, these kinds of prayers are technically in the Bible, but they are given as an example of what not to do. I'm talking about the Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee stood before God thanking Him that he wasn't like other people; whereas the tax collector asked for mercy, because he knew that he was a sinner.

These prayers break my heart, because in the moment I hear someone praying them, I do not see Christ's reflection in them. This is not to say that I'm doubting if someone is a Christian, but rather, that specific prayer is not Christ-like.

When we thank God that we were spared from a disaster and cite that sparing as evidence of His love for us, we need to ask ourselves what our prayers are indirectly implying about those who are suffering through the disaster. Maybe, we were spared from a disaster, so we could be SERVING and HELPING those who are suffering. That is living out Christ-like compassion.

You can be thankful you are happy with the nation in which you were born, but as soon as you connect your birthplace with a sign of God's favor, what does that imply about people living under corrupt regimes or in the midst of war? It implies that they are out of God's favor, which the Bible does not support.

If our prayers end with us just being thankful that we live in <place> or aren't suffering through <disaster>, than our prayers are too small. We SHOULD be praying for those who are suffering, as though we ourselves are suffering alongside them. We SHOULD find ways to serve and help those in the midst of disasters, because that is one of the main reasons we exist on this earth:
Reason 1. Glorify God.
Reason 2. Spread the Good News.
Reason 3. Help those who are suffering on the margins of society

We are clearly told throughout the New Testament to remember those in prison as though we were suffering with them. (see Hebrews 10:34 and Hebrews 13:3).

We are told to thank God for the good in our lives, but we are not told to thank Him that we aren't the ones suffering. We, as Christ-followers, are to expect to suffer. (see the book of Acts, Romans 5, Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 12:26, 2 Corinthians 1, Philippians 1, 2 Timothy 1-2, 1 Peter 2-4 for starters).

So let us pray for those who are suffering. Let us pray that we show compassion and mercy to those who are suffering. When we stretch our prayers in this way, we may discover that God uses these kinds of prayer to grow us and to draw us closer to Him.

When Our Priorities Grieve the Holy Spirit

I remember being floored back in April this year (2019). That was when the famous Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire in Paris, France. This came back to my mind recently as I read an update on how repairs to the cathedral were progressing.

People were grieved, crushed, and devastated by this unfortunate event, but the things that we weren't bothered by are events that probably grieved the Holy Spirit. Honestly, I think that the Holy Spirit was grieved by the response of the Church. We were so upset over a *building* that people were posting about it, donating to fix it, and raising awareness of this tragedy. Yet, we were largely silent regarding the world refugee crisis. We weren't donating to help asylum seekers at our door. We weren't raising awareness over human rights violations & violence happening in parts of Asia & Africa that were happening at the same time.

When we care more about buildings than lives being lost, we grieve the Holy Spirit.
When we care more about our safety & comfort than helping those trying to survive, we grieve the Holy Spirit.
When we aren't bothered by those who are fleeing violence & persecution, the Holy Spirit is grieved.

This should bother us, but we don't seem to be losing sleep over the children still detained in for-profit prisons within our borders. We don't seem impacted over the plight of the refugees or asylum-seekers. We aren't broken over those enslaved around the world & even in our own countries today.

So what needs to happen?
We need to change. We need to ask God to shift the priorities in our heart until our hearts match His. We should ask the Spirit to help us let go of the things that aren't important and focus our time, energy, and money on God's kingdom priorities.

May we be filled with a passion and a boldness for actually telling other people the Good News.
May we use the variety of news sources, not just to catch up on local or national news, but to pray over world events.
May we find ways to simplify our lives so we can give our time, talents, and money to help those on the margins of society.

May we be grieved and broken over the things that grieve the Spirit. And may we be moved to get involved to work towards righting injustices and interceding those who can't speak for themselves.

What to Pray for Soldiers, and the Church in the US too

Another US holiday has rolled around, which means I get practice in the Discipline of Silence as patriotic talk increases in churches around Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans' Day.

As someone who has served on the mission field and has looked at the US from the outside, I have come realize that nationalism and patriotism is what is referred to as a "golden calf" inside some church leadership circles. It is something that may not quite line up with Scripture, but if someone suggests toning it down, or leaving it out of the worship service entirely, the leader who left it out will definitely be hearing multiple complaints. So many in leadership do not try to tear down this golden calf.

But I want to be real and open here on this blog today.
Folks, I struggle with these patriotic holidays being in the church, because I can't really see Jesus accepting praising the military in the temple or synagogues in His day & age.
Frankly, I wrestle with these holidays period. The only way that I can go along with them mildly is to create a parallel Christian allegory that I can get behind.
On Memorial Day, I take time to remember the martyrs of the Christian faith and the heroes of the faith who fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel to all peoples.
On Independence Day, I celebrate the freedom that I have through Christ, as He overcomes my earthly nature and tendencies.
On Veteran's Day, I freeze. I don't have a ready allegory to apply, yet even now I hear the Spirit nudging me to pray for soldiers. The Bible teaches that we are to pray for all people and that includes soldiers.

Now my prayers may look quite different from yours, but this is what I'm compelled to pray for soldiers:
1. I pray that they will find salvation in Christ alone.
2. I pray that they will obey God and His laws, over man's law, even if it means that they will be punished for disobeying man's law.
3. I pray that they will have the wisdom to know when to question & refuse to follow orders that would cause them to disobey God. I ask for courage and boldness in living this out.
4. I pray that they will live out Christ's commands to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
5. I pray that they will find alternative, non-lethal ways to end violence and conflicts.
6. I pray that God will not leave them broken over the orders they have followed that caused them to end lives. I pray that when they regret and repent of their actions, they will find the reconciliation and redemption that God offers as they seek forgiveness.
7. I pray that they be welcomed by the Church, not as heroes who should be revered for using violence in the name of defense, but rather as prodigals who have wandered into dangerous ground for Christians, but have still walked in the doors of our churches.

I also pray for the Church in the US:
1. I pray that we recognize that we are praising people for using violence to end lives. This is not something to rejoice in.
2. I pray that we begin to mourn for the loss of lives, not just of our soldiers, but of the enemy soldiers as well. May we be grieved by all lives that are ended by weapons, especially those who aren't serving God.
3. I pray that we begin to pray consistently for our enemies. Pray that they encounter the living Christ. Pray that all soldiers turn from their wicked ways and begin to follow Jesus.
4. I pray that we see clearly the ways that our culture has set itself up on the altars of our churches to be worshiped and I pray that we tear down these altars as we fully pursue God.
5. I pray that the church will trust the mercy and grace of God as we are grieved over the ways that we have added nationalism to our religion, until we thought it was acceptable to serve and worship both God & country.
6. I pray that we will see clearly that to worship ANYTHING else in addition to God is idolatry. I pray that we will repent of the idolatry that allows us to see nothing wrong with elevating anything just below God.
7. I pray that we repent of viewing our military as purely good, fighting off other soldiers that we view as wholly evil. I pray that we recognize that war is a complex, ugly thing. That the soldiers on the other side could be protecting civilians that view us as evil attacking them. That soldiers on both sides can have a desire to defend what they view as good and noble. That soldiers on both sides are broken by the atrocities they were ordered to carry out.

I realize these are rough, raw prayers. They are not easy prayers with our eyes fixed on the ideal we hold of the military. These are prayers that dive below the surface-level conversations we have in regards to the military to the murky areas we don't like to think about. It is much more pleasant to look at the polished image presented on the pedestal, instead of the broken relationships and lives that are chewed up by the military machine, on both sides of all conflicts.

Even as I write these words, I recognize that they are words that I would not have the freedom to post without soldiers fighting to defend my way of life. As I have processed through the prayers that I CAN pray on this holiday, I realize that this should not be a day of rejoicing for Christians, but a day of mourning and lament.
I mourn that good, noble, honorable men are trained to end lives and return home with blood on their hands and pain in their hearts.
I lament that we are so quick to endorse and support violence instead of seeking alternative ways to reach peace.
I mourn that lives on both sides of conflicts were ended prematurely.
I lament that atrocities were committed by both sides in conflicts in the name of peace.
I mourn that we have created more effective ways of ending lives. Swords-->Guns-->Cannons-->Bombs-->Death Chambers-->Atomic Bombs-->Drone Strikes
I lament that civilians have suffered thievery, attacks, rapes, and death at the hands of soldiers on both sides of conflicts.
I mourn that we keep reaching for guns to solve our problems after seeing the devastation of world wars and conflicts throughout history.

These are the prayers that I am praying in the face of the ugliness of war. They may not be the pretty, sanitized prayers that we have grown accustomed to in churches in the US, but these are needed prayers, because people are broken by wars. They are coming home devastated and ashamed at the things they have seen and done. They need a church to offer them the real Way, Truth, and Light. They need a church, not to celebrate what has broken them, but to help them heal and repent, in order to find true Hope and Salvation in Christ.

Listening to God

In order to listen to God, I need to be silent.

In a conversation, I cannot expect to hear what the other person is saying if I'm talking over them. Now I haven't spent a ton of time with little kids, but I've been around them enough to learn how they tend to monologue around and over each other. Sometimes each child will be narrating what they are doing, but no one is listening, because they are ALL talking.

It is entertaining at times to witness kids monologue-ing instead of conversing, but how often do we do this to God? We say we talk with God, but we monologue the whole time. We talk AT God, not WITH Him.

This isn't to say that we should NEVER talk in our prayers, but maybe a larger portion of our prayers should be listening. Then maybe our monologues will turn into the dialogues that they should be.

What does this look like?
*I outline my problem to God*
~I listen for guidance and directions~
*I pray for people*
~I listen for guidance and directions~
*I pray for events*
~I listen for guidance and directions~
*I ask God questions like these: What would you have me do, Lord? / How would you have me respond, Lord? What do you want me to say, Lord?*
~I listen for guidance and directions~

My overarching goal is to speak when God gives me words to speak and to be silent when God would have me be silent.

Will this mean that I will be talking less? Yes
Will this mean that I will be listening more? Yep

I want to be a person who speaks the very words of God. Words of HOPE. PEACE. ENCOURAGEMENT. MERCY. GRACE. By being silent and listening, I want people to know that when I speak, it's because God is prompting me. That's living intentionally and speaking thoughtfully.

Joining In Kingdom Work

Far too often we don't take everything to God in prayer. Some people don't mention the small things that are bothering them. Others don't mention that great problems impacting our world today.
I was musing on why we don't take all of our requests before God, no matter how big or how small. I came up with several possibilities.
Is this because we don't want to bother God even though He specifically invited us to cast all our cares upon Him?
Or is it because we don't have any God-sized projects in our life?

If all I am doing is a Liz-sized goal, then I don't feel the need to ask God or others for help. If everything that I am doing is within my power and my abilities, than I don't need help. I got it covered.

But when I join God in a God-sized project, then I am asking for help and guidance for sure!!!! I am leaning on Him for every step.

Kingdom work is all around us.
The question is: Will we join God in His work?

Now, we should be warned: We aren't enough for the project, but God is. It will take more than we have to give, but we aren't working all on our own. We are working alongside our brothers and sisters, as well as with God.

Just because we live in a sinful, broken world does not give a pass to isolate ourselves in our church buildings as we don't do anything about the state of the world. No! As Christians, we are called to help the hurting, comfort the mourning, feed the hungry, and pray for our enemies. We are called to visit the sick and the prisoners. We are to share the Gospel, the Good News, with the lost, the hurting, the hopeless.

Instead of driving past the person holding a sign, we can give them something to eat. Recently, I saw a couple sitting on the ground talking to a homeless man. They had brought him a to-go meal and were talking with him as he ate. When I saw that couple and realized what they were doing, I realized that was what Jesus would be doing in our present day and age.

Instead of barely interacting with cashiers and waitresses, we can ask them how we can pray for them today.

Instead of buying whatever is the cheapest or most convenient, we can buy what is most in line with Kingdom practices.

As followers of Christ, we are called to find where God is working, join Him, and then we'd better hold on! It is a wild ride of faith, tears, and prayers for those involved in a God-sized project.

Will we join in the Kingdom work going on around us?

Pray Big Prayers

Do you listen to people's prayer requests? I mean, do we really listen to what is being said and reflect on what is being left unsaid?

I've come to the conclusion that either A) we don't want to risk overwhelming God with the weighty, big prayers, or B) our prayers are too small and narrow.

God is not JUST the God of one specific city, state, country, or even one world. He is the God of the Universe.

Yet, if our prayers were to light up a map, not based on where we were physically standing or sitting while we were praying, but based on where we praying for, how many prayers would be outside of our country or even our own city?

We need to pray big prayers.
Pray for the lost to be found.
Pray for slavery to end.
Pray for the persecuted to endure faithfully and lovingly bear witness to Christ during their trials.
Pray for their persecutors to become family through Jesus.

We should pray for the small things we see and encounter in our daily lives, but that doesn't mean that we are absolved from praying big prayers as well.

Now this isn't to say that we shouldn't pray small prayers, but rather we should pray big prayers alongside them.

For example:

Don't just pray for... abortion to end the Church in your country forgiveness for sins physical healing blessings your friends, family, and leaders Christians the enslaved victims those a part of your nationality kind people those killed or hurt by terrorism the persecuted Church us

But also pray for... all killing to be stopped the global Church deliverance & the power to overcome habits/tendencies/sins passed through generations spiritual healing to be a blessing to others your enemies those of other faiths to come to know the Lord their enslavers their perpetrators  refugees and immigrants jerks terrorists the persecuted mosque/temple/synagogue/shrine them

31 Ways to Pray

We sometimes get stuck in a rut. We create our routine and then go on auto-pilot. This can be a good thing, but it can be harmful to our prayer times.

When it comes to praying, it is good to branch out and pray big prayers that encompass the world. Our God is a big God, capable of doing great things, but we don't ask for His help for a lot of things.

Perhaps a far worse charge against us is the smallness of our prayers. We pray for those we know and for those close to us, but we fail our global brothers & sisters by neglecting to pray for them. God cares for all of the world, but most of our prayers center around us and maybe 100 miles around us.

How did we get to the point where we don't care enough for our global family to faithfully intercede on their behalf? When is the last time that you prayed for your city? State? Country? Continent? World? How often do you pray for things that happen in Europe, Africa, or Asia?

Here is a list of ways to pray that may stretch your prayers and grow your faith. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself.

1. A.C.T.S. Prayer:  This acronym stands for Adoration (Praise God for Who He Is), Confession (Admit Your Faults & Sins to God), Thanksgiving (Thank God for What He Had Done), and Supplication (Ask God for What You Need). By taking time to adore God, confess our sins, and thank God BEFORE we state our requests, our focus is taken off of ourselves.

2. Pray on your fingers. If you google 5-Finger Prayer printables or handouts, you will see a variety of these prompts. Essentially, you use each finger as a reminder to pray for a certain group of people.
*Thumb: pray for your family & friends (those who are closest to you)
*Index Finger: pray for your parents & teachers (those who point the way)
*Middle Finger: pray for leaders & authorities (those who stand the tallest)
*Ring Finger: pray for the weak, sick, or needy (this is your weakest finger)
*Pinky: pray for yourself (this is your last finger and the smallest one too)

3. Pray the Scriptures: Use actual prayers in the Bible and pray along with the speaker of the prayer or find another type of Scripture and pray it too. Pray for prophesies to come to pass. Pray for believers to follow God's commands. Pray for tragedies in Scripture to not be repeated again.

4. Pray with a Journal: Write out your prayers. Track when you started to pray for something to happen and leave space to record how God answered that prayer!

5. Pray for the Persecuted: Sign up to get email reminders from groups like the World Watch List to pray for the persecuted church around the world. Learn about countries where persecution is rampant.

6. Pray for Your Enemies and Persecutors: Pray for those who dislike and even hate you. Pray for those who consider themselves your enemies. Pray for your country's enemies. Pray for those who are persecuting the church.

7. Pray the Lord's Prayer: Take the familiar words of the Lord's Prayer and pray through different translations and Bible versions. Pray it slowly and meaningfully.

8. Pray while Walking: Prayer walking ties exercise with letting the sights of your community drive your prayer requests. Pray for the family who will move into the empty house. Pray for the person who lost their shoe somehow. Take what you see and offer it as a prayer to God.

9. Pray the Hours Away: It is called many different names, but you can look up the Divine Hours, the Divine Office, Praying the Hours, or Fixed Hour Prayers. Set alarms to remind you to pray throughout the day. Traditionally 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm are observed, with monks and nuns sometimes even praying at 12 am and 3 am as well.

10. Pray Without Speaking: Prayer is called a conversation, but a lot of times, we preform a monologue before God and then leave without waiting for His response. Take time to wait silently before God. Take time to listen to what He is saying. Be still and know that He is God.

11. Pray Through the News: Pray through the newspaper, news report, or news article. Pray for those arrested. Thank God for the good. Ask Him to intercede in the different events. Pray for the victims and the perpetrators.

12. Pray with the Words of Those Who Have Gone Before You: Find prayers that you think are beautiful and pray them. Pray with the Book of Common Prayer and Daily Prayer Books.

13. Pray for Those on the Margins of Society: Pray for the widows, the orphans, the stranger (refugee, immigrant, legal or otherwise). Pray for the single parents and the addicts. Pray for the homeless.

14. Pray with a Friend: Go before the throne of God with another believer. Pray together and pray faithfully for lives to be changed.

15. Praise God for Your Blessings: Thank God for everything that you can think of. Praise Him for all the good you have in your life and thank God for all the evils that are not in your life.

16. Pray for the Lost: Pray for missing children, prodigal children, and those rebelling against God. Pray for them to be found and to be submit to Jesus' lordship.

17. Pray by Percentages: Research how much of the world is in Asia, Africa, Europe, Central & South America, the Middle East, and North America. Take an hour and for every population percentage, spend a minute in prayer for that world region. Pray for countries, cities, people groups, religions, leaders, and events that you look up.

18. Pray for God's Promises to Come to Pass: Pray for us to fulfill our part of God's promise and humbly ask God to fulfill His part. Pray for His prophesies to come to pass (see Daniel and the end of the exile) or to be averted (see Jonah and Nineveh).

19. Pray for People in the Places You Know: Pray for the people in the cities in your county, the people in the states in your country, and the people in the countries in the world.

20. Pray for those who Practice Different Religions: Pray for Jewish, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, and others to come to faith in Christ.

21. Pray for Missionaries: Sign up for emails to get global prayer prompts from missionaries around the world.

22. Pray about Upcoming Events: Pray for tests, travels, birthdays, holidays, and more!!

23. Pray for the Displaced: Pray for those who are displaced by war, persecution, or violence. Pray for the refugees and those who drive them away.

24. Pray for the Things on God's Heart: Pray for Justice, Repentance, and Restoration to take place. These are only a few of the things that God is passionate about.

25. Pray for the Rich and the Famous: They need prayers too. Pray for celebrities, politicians, and other people who are in the news. Pray for them to realize their need of God's saving grace.

26. Pray for the Children: God has a special place in His heart for children. Pray for their safety, protection, and salvation. Pray for those in troubled homes and empty homes.

27. Pray for God's Word to be Spread: Pray for the Gospel to be heard by all people. Pray that they repent of their sins and follow Jesus. Pray for people to have access to the Bible, even if it is illegal in their country.

28. Pray for Stateless People: Pray for people who are rejected by their countries of origins. Pray for those who made it to refugee camps, but have no citizenship status. Pray for them to find their home in Heaven.

29. Pray for Those Facing Troubles: Pray for those who are facing physical, financial, or emotional troubles. Pray for the depressed, the lonely, the empty. Pray for the poor, the rich, and the greedy. Pray for those in pain.

30. Pray for God's Kingdom to Come: Pray that His church will live out His teachings. Pray for His Kingdom to come soon.

31. Pray for the Sick. Pray for those who are newly ill, chronically ill, and those who are baffling their doctors. Pray for those with bad knees, backs, and hearts. Pray for physical healing, but pray for their sin-sick hearts to be healed more.

What other prayer prompts can you think of?
What else should we be praying for?

This list gives ideas for a month of prayers, but it only scratches the surface. Let us be faithful in praying for the world in this digital age that lets us know prayer prompts (in the form of news) almost instantly. We have the information at our fingertips. Will we use it to pray not only for those we know, but for those we don't know?

God Make America into a Place You Desire to Bless

I see it all the time on social media, "God Bless America." It's a song. It's a prayer. It's a slogan. Instead of scrolling past the sentiment, I paused and considered it more fully. I had the distinct thought pop into my head as it blatantly challenged the status quo, "Why *should* God bless America? We aren't doing what He commands."

I look at our culture and ask myself why should God bless America?
Why should God bless a country where abortion has been legal for 44 years?
Why should God bless a country that idolizes the rich, the famous, and the sexy?
Why should God bless a country that over-consumes the world's resources and underpays its workers?
Why should God bless a country that preaches to "follow your heart" and "be true to yourself"?

I think about these actions that are in direct opposition to God and His commands. Perhaps like Jonah, I want to write off this country as undeserving of God's blessing. And you know what? I am right. America does not deserve God's blessing because no one does. I do not deserve God's blessing and neither do you. A blessing by its definition is a favor or gift of God, which therefore cannot be earned or bought.

So America does not deserve to have God bless it, but as the Weeping Prophet reminds me (Jeremiah 29), we are to seek the welfare of cities we have been placed in exile. Pray for the welfare of the cities & countries we are placed. May we pray, as citizens of America and citizens of the world to become a place that God desires to bless, a place that walks in obedience to His commands and seeks His kingdom before its own.

Let's zoom into a passage of the Bible that most of us have heard a thousand times: Matthew 5:3-12. This passage is commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. Let us see how America is doing with the Beatitudes and pray that God will make America into a place He desires to bless.

Verse 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Is America poor in spirit? We are rich in wealth and consumerism, pride and rationalization, but we are lonely, lost, and isolated. I guess we are poor in spirit after all. Bless us, Lord, for we are poor in spirit.

Lord, we are poor in spirit. We are a culture of instant gratification and technological marvels, but all the things in the world cannot fulfill or stifle our need for you. We may have things, but we are lonely, anxious, and depressed. We have money in our bank accounts, but we are poor in spirit. Cultivate in us a desire to seek Your kingdom first. Bless us, Lord, for we are poor in spirit.

Verse 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Is America mourning? We mourn for the ever-elusive "good, old days" when things seemed simpler and slower. We mourn for those we have lost to sickness, to murder, to the gods of our culture: Money and Consumerism. I guess we do have reason to mourn. Bless us, Lord, for we are mourning.

Lord, we are mourning. We have lost favor, as Christians, in the eyes of our culture and we mourn. We see a rapidly changing world that spurns the things You have taught us to value and we mourn. We have suffered loss and face new diseases and threats we never imagined would exist one day and we mourn. We are in need of Your comfort today. Bless us, Lord, for we are mourning.

Verse 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Is American meek? We are bold, brazen, prideful, arrogant, and proud. We trample the meek in our quest for more things, either by depriving them of adequate resources to survive & thrive or by paying them poorly in the quest for bargains. We have valued ourselves more than others as we have labeled meekness as a trait of the weak. Bless the meek, Lord, for we have dealt poorly with them.

Forgive us, Lord, for we should be meek.

Verse 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Does America hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do we eagerly seek to live rightly with You, with our fellow countryman, and with our global neighbor? Or do we thirst after the gods of this world: Fame, Fortune, Power, and Greed? We have reassured ourselves that our motives are pure and the end will justify the means, but we have forgotten that You have called us to be holy. Bless those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Lord, who desire You more than anything else in the world.

Forgive us, Lord, for we do not hunger and thirst after righteousness. Awaken in us, Lord, the hunger and thirst for righteous living.

Verse 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Is America merciful? We have taken revenge and dressed it up as a poor farce of justice. We cry out for blood and retribution after bombings, shootings, acts of terrorism, threats, and even perceived slights. We preemptively strike our enemies before they attack us. We take a life for a life instead of turning the other cheek. We hit back twice as hard when we get struck. Bless those who show mercy, Lord, even when they are hurting from wrongs inflicted on them.

Forgive us, Lord, for we are not merciful. You have shown us mercy, but we are like the unmerciful servant in Jesus' parable. You show us mercy (that we do not deserve) and yet we exact the full payment we are due from others. Teach us to be merciful. Please.

Verse 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Does America have a pure heart? Do we avoid the sinfulness saturating our culture? Do we give up our right to watch & read what is popular, because it does not bring You glory? There is a lot of mud and slime coating the entertainment of this world. We compromise and slowly slip down a slope where we impress worldly things on our hearts. Bless those who have pure hearts, Lord, and purify our tainted hearts.

Forgive us, Lord, for we have sullied the hearts You placed in us. We have dabbled in things that create callouses and hardened hearts in us. The mud of the world clogs us ears so we do not hear Your Spirit's guidance. Create in us a pure heart, Lord, for ours have been tainted by the world and its entertainment.

Verse 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Is America a peacemaker? A peacemaker makes peace wherever they go. A peacekeeper enforces peace through the threat of violence. A soldier or military force can maintain or restore peace by the presences of weapons, but a peacemaker tries to make peace through reconciliation of quarreling groups. We have assumed that these are the same thing because they both start with peace, but You have called us to be peacemakers. Bless those who are peacekeepers, Lord, and give us courage to follow Your path to peace.

Forgive us, Lord, for striving to be peacekeepers. Grant us the courage to be peacemakers in our homes, communities, countries, and world. Help us to let go of our weapons we use to have control in a frightening world.

Verse 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Is America persecuted because of righteousness? We are challenged because we have been enforcing global peace at the end of a gun. We are challenged because we care more about good deals and low prices than human lives. We actually have become a place that persecutes the righteous as intolerant, bigoted, hate-filled, hypocritical, self-righteous, pompous fools. Bless those who face persecution, Lord, and give us the courage to stay true to You no matter the cost.

Forgive us, Lord, for crucifying those who attempt to follow Your commands. Grant us courage to obey You no matter the earthly cost. May we seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness before all other things.

Verse 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Verse 12 Rejoice and be glad,because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Is America insulted, persecuted, and falsely & evilly slandered because of Jesus? Can you imagine the complaints? "How dare you feed our people suffering from famine!?!" "How dare you spend your defense budget on a global clean water initiative!?!" "How dare you refuse to bow to my gods!?!" "How dare you say I am a sinner, a bad person!?!" "How. Dare. You." What started off as humorous complaints, quickly grew more serious. The world will insult those who follow Jesus. The world will persecute those who follow Jesus. The world will slander, libel, and smear those who follow Jesus. Our motives will be questioned. Our routines will be turned upside down. Our very lives may be forfeit. Bless those who pay the cost of following Jesus, Lord, and may we be meek peacemakers in the face of persecution.

Sometimes, Lord, we have gone from the persecuted to the persecutor. We jump on the bandwagon of roasting leaders and the famous for failing to do things we are not doing either. Forgive us for trading insult for insult, persecution for persecution, and spoken evil for spoken evil. May we rejoice in persecution because it increases our heavenly reward, even as it burns off the impurities in our earthly lives.

This post turned out much differently than I expected. I was knocked off my high horse of scornful judgment rather forcefully. I looked in the mirror and saw Jonah staring back at me. I saw Jeremiah shake his head as I was too busy judging and condemning to apply his message. I call myself a foreigner, exile, and ambassador of Christ, but I forgot how exiles are supposed to live in the place God has placed them.

Forgive me, Lord, for I have too swiftly acted as judge and jury. I have written off an entire country as undeserving of Your blessing. I have desired Your judgment and wrath to be poured out in condemnation of a nation. I did not take the time or make an effort to reach out to these people I wrote off long ago. You long for them repent and draw near to You, but I long for their judgment, knowing full-well what the outcome should be. Thank You for Your grace, Your gift I could never earn or buy. Thank You for Your mercy, even though I fully have earned the punishment Jesus took on Himself. Forgive me, Father, for I had forgotten to be merciful. May You make America into a place You desire to bless and may You use me to be a blessing in this place. Amen.

Maybe I cannot fully pray "God bless America," but I can pray "God, make America into a place You desire to bless" and that, at least, is a step in the right direction.

What Should I Pray For Myself?

Have you ever examined why we do or say a particular thing in our Christian walk, and then wonder why we do a certain thing? Or do you read a passage in the Bible and wonder why we do not do a certain thing? I do wonder and question sometimes.

I was reading Acts 4, the passage where Peter and John are brought before the Jewish council and told to stop speaking and teaching in Jesus' name. They refused, because they must listen to God over man. After this encounter, Peter and John went back to the rest of the believers to fill them in. Then they started to pray. They realized that the Psalms predicted Jesus' betrayal by several groups. Next, they made their petition of God.

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”" (Acts 4:29-30)

This prayer blows me away. Why? Because they know that persecution is coming. They have been threatened. There are many things that they could pray for: laws to protect them, safety for believers, a speedy second coming so they can skip the persecution. But they prayed for boldness in speaking His word.

My top prayer for myself is not for my safety. It is for effectiveness and faithfulness in serving my Lord. I do not needlessly take risks, but I cannot pretend that my top goal is safety. When I look at Jesus' life and prayers, He prayed for God's will to be done, even at the cost of His comfort and very life. My example in living is Jesus. If the One who I follow cares more about God's will being done than His own safety, why should my life be any different?

I do pray for the safety of the persecuted church, but my top prayer is for God's glory to be seen and for the persecuted to remain faithful, even to the point of death. I know that if the choice has to be made, I earnestly want them to refuse to recant their faith, even if they are executed.

I humbly submit that we the church in the US needs to be less concerned with its rights, its comfort, its safety, its separateness, and more concerned with boldly speaking God's Word (in love-Ephesians 4:15), serving the least of these (because in serving them, we serve Jesus-Matthew 25:31-end), and remaining faithful to the end.

I Prayed for Compassion

I prayed to have compassion, because it is a skill that I lack. (Seriously, ask my husband. He may be polite & I am more forthright with him, but I have a distinct lack of compassion when I feel that the choices people make put them in their situation.)

I prayed to have compassion and suddenly difficulties arose in my life.

I never understood the loneliness felt by stay-at-home moms and at-home workers, until I was working at home and my husband was working outside the home. You see, for the first two years we were married, I was a student & as an introvert, I got enough "people time" that I was always grateful for alone time. Then for our third year of marriage, I was substituting, volunteering, and preparing to move to another country for ministry. Again, my need to be around people was always met. On our foreign mission field during our fourth year of marriage, I had generous amounts of quality time with my spouse, and spent my days in language classes and office work. I would feel "peopled-out" and enjoy my introvert time, content that I was a strong introvert, a 10/10 on the Myers-Briggs introversion-extroversion scale.

When we moved to Cactus, for the first month and a half we were here, my husband was at home with me all the time, as we settled in and started our volunteer work. "Alone time" meant that I was in one room and he was in another. Then, my husband went off to work for 8-10 hours a day. Then I realized that my need to be around people had always been met, leaving me to feel like the introvert of introverts. I was lonely. I felt isolated, because we were in a new place and so many of the people I knew were working during the day. I was alone, and then I began to understand the stories my friends & family members told me of feeling isolated & trapped at home, or of watching mindless tv shows just to have a semblance of human interaction.

I never understood scarcity until my pipes froze multiple times in our first winter in Cactus. Suddenly, I had no water, or limited water. I would fill bowls with water from the tub to wash dishes. It was inconvenient, but functional.

I didn't expect, when I prayed for compassion, that I would face difficulties that would allow me a greater sympathy with others. But maybe, if God just gave me compassion, I would not have valued it as much. Instead, God gave me empathy through shared experiences that allowed me to experience the compassion I so desperately wanted.

Prayer Warriors Needed

Lucas & I are starting up an ESL (English as a Second Language*) program in Cactus, Texas. Our students are immigrants & refugees. Although our students don't have to be Christian to take our English program, Lucas & I recognize, as the program's coordinators, the vital need for all aspects of the program to be saturated in prayer.

We would like for people to commit to praying for the Cactus Nazarene Ministry Center and its ESL program. If you would like to join in praying for the CNMC's ESL program, email us at CNMCesl@gmail.com to ask to be put on the monthly prayer requests email and to receive a prayer prompt guide. (Sorry for those who prefer to get prayer requests in the mail. We are just emailing them out at this time).

Our current needs:
1. Wisdom in planning the budget & financial provision for the program. Due to start-up costs (i.e. one-time expenditures) there are a lot of expensive needs in the first year's budget.

2. Volunteers. We need teachers, kitchen helpers, and child-care providers to make our program possible. By ourselves, Lucas & I could teach up to 20 students, but we are expecting to have hundreds sign up. If you are interested in teaching or volunteering, please email us at CNMCesl@gmail.com to let us know about your interest. If you speak English & want to empower refugees & immigrants, you meet our criteria.


3. Wisdom in choosing curriculum, advertising the program, and other decisions (such as which days & times to hold classes, class size, etc).

4. Future students. Please pray for the students we will be teaching this year.

5. The construction on the ministry center to be completed so we can use it for our English classes.

*Actually, for many of the residents of Cactus, English will not be the first or second language they learn. We met one refugee who speaks 7 languages!! While it is a more fitting name to call our program EFL (English as a Foreign Language), ESL is a more commonly recognized acronym.

Pray for the Persecuted Church

Will you join me in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world?

The Open Door USA releases an annual World Watch List each year.

This list have the top 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution worldwide.

You can download fact sheets about each country, a global map of persecution, and a report highlighting the top three countries here.

You can even sign up for weekly prayer prompts country by country and monthly prayer calendars. For general prayer requests of persecuted Christians, check out Persecution.

Will you join me in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world?

Will you suggest that your church participate in the international day of prayer for the persecuted church? 

Will you commit to praying for one of the top 50 countries each week this year? Will you encourage others to join you?

I Don't Feel the Sun

I don't feel the Sun.
I know I am supposed to,
But I don't. 

Some days it is easy to feel the Sun.
The day is cloudless.
The breeze is gentle.
The Sun warms me as I bask in Its glow.

Other days it's harder.
The day is cloudy.
The wind is violent.
I feel cold, alone, and abandoned.

Logically, I know the Sun is still there.
My evidence is I can see things outside.
Logically, I know this is just a phase,
The light & warmth will return soon.

Yet, my heart is aching
Because I don't feel the Sun.
I shiver & glance upwards,
But I don't feel It.

Sometimes, I see evidence that others feel the Sun.
I see evidence of the Sun in nature & behind clouds,
But I don't feel It right then.
I yearn to feel the Sun again.

Yet, somehow, I know that I'm no longer talking about the Sun. I'm talking about the Son.

Refine me, Lord

Refine me, Lord.
Through the fire, refine me.
Through the pain of burning dross, refine me.
Through eradicating my ungodly habits & interests, refine me.
Refine me Lord.
Replace my self-centeredness with You-centeredness.
Replace my desire for more stuff/money/security with a desire for more generosity & eyes for Your people.
Replace my complacity with passion.

Silence me, Lord.
Silence the songs, the shows, the lectures, the memes, the traffic, the books, and the noise, so I may hear You.

Refine me, Lord. Remove my barriers of protection & defense.
Remove my safety mechanisms & masks.
Uncover my secrets hidden in the dusty corners.
Then show me Your Love.
Show me my ugly parts & burn them away.
Cut them out.
Implant Your characteristics & desires.

Replace my worldly desires with Your heavenly desires.
Replace my time-wasting activities with God-fearing, God-pleasing ones.
Open my eyes beyond myself, my problems, my family/church/job, to the lives of my brothers & sisters around the world.
Help me to be faithful in prayer to lift up the needs of the persecuted church & the church suffering from apathy.
Bring unity among all believers, an unity that transcends gender, political party, denomination, opinions, and nation.

Reawaken our desire for Your word & to know Your will.
Help us to desire, not the comfortable wealth & opulence of the American church, but to live Your words out.

Help us to see the need for change, to desire it, & to embrace it.
Help us to speak words of encouragement, support, & love to each other.
Heal the hurts we have inflicted on each other; fill us with remorse for causing these hurts.
Give us courage to seek out reconciliation.

Thank You for Your word, Your Son, Your grace, Your mercy, & Your salvation.

Help us to seek fellowship, community, & a life different from the world's.
Replace worldly desires with Godly desires.
Replace greedy consumerism with generosity.
Replace selfishness with selflessness.
Replace hate with Love.
Replace fear with peace.
Replace mindlessness with mindfulness.
Replace me with You.

Written prayers from BCM's Light the Fire event (Feb. 22nd, 2014)

A Missionary's Prayer

Many times, we wear masks in church. Inwardly hurting, outwardly smiling, Not admitting our seasons in the desert, our days without prayer or Bible Study. Sometimes condemning and snubbing those who admit their struggles.

But we do struggle. All of us. Whether from the sin of pride or pornography. Whether from the sin of alcoholism or arrogance. Whether from the sin of serving gods or speaking gossip.

My emotions I feel range high and low. This is my prayer, poured out to God, to sort out what I am feeling. This is a raw, unfiltered prayer, showing my hurts, doubts, and confusion as I work out my faith & my emotions. May this be a help to you.

A blank page.
An empty mind.
What do I even feel?
Why do I feel this way?
Are my expectations too high?
Are my rests too brief?
Am I not meant to be here?
Am I under spiritual attack?
Should I even teach?
What should I be?
Why do I have an identity crisis?
Am I useful?
Am I helpful?
God, I'm serving You; why do I feel this way?
What do I do when I have these feelings?
Is this a season of testing?
Must I be refined?
I want to be joyful, peaceful, and near You.
Why do I feel empty and blank?
I can't trust my emotions-rolling from HIGH to low and back.
Same day, same hour, I'm on the mountain and in the valley.
Too fickle to follow, these emotions.
Are You teaching me to be still?
Are You teaching me the cost of following You?
Are You teaching me to have a faith deeper than emotions?
Are You teaching me to hear Your voice by silencing the dross?
I will follow You, even if my feelings are absent.
I will follow You, even if I don't feel like it.
I will follow You, even if I need to leave my favorite things.
I will follow You, because nothing, no one else is worth following.
When I need parented and raised, You are my Father.
When I need peace, You are my Prince.
When I need comfort, You are my Comforter.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, You are my lifewaters.
You are the source.
Thank You for listening.
I feel better.