Christian parents pray for their kids. At various seasons, these prayers range from intentional to consistent, and from sporadic to desperate. Prayer is powerful. God works through prayer. Here are some of the promises in scripture. Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be … Read more
Not all prayers are public. Most of our praying is behind closed doors, in quiet. There are times to pray aloud and pray together, but private, personal conversation with God is a necessity. My blog is not my journal – my journal is. Many of my prayers are written in my journal and not available to read. It’s easy to post … Read more
Here are a few excerpts from President Abe Lincoln when he decided to begin a national tradition of Thanksgiving, by making it a holiday at the end of November. It has since been officially moved to the fourth Thursday of November. But the focus of giving God thanks is important to note. Thanksgiving is more … Read more
Scripture talks about praying before meals. Jesus modeled it. During the feeding of the 5000 he broke the bread and gave thanks for it. Paul modeled it in a couple of other places throughout the New Testament. I have always thought of it as an opportunity to be reminded. We don’t really need a reminder … Read more
For a day to start off right and go well – here are four things I want to do each morning. It requires time and there are sacrifices, but it’s worth it. On my best, most disciplined days, each of these four things happen: 1) Read. I read Scripture. I read a little bit of more of … Read more
Here are five powerful points from Ephesians 3 for you to pray – for your family, for your leadership team, for your church. I pray… 1) That out of Christ’s glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 2) That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 3) That you … Read more
Here are a few lines from reading this morning. The kingdom of God doesn’t come with your careful observation, the kingdom of God is in you. (17:20-12) A woman kept coming with her plea, and the unjust judge eventually settled her matter. How much more will the just judge hear our cries? (18:6) The guy … Read more
Jesus invited people to pray for him. He invited people to pray for workers in the harvest field. He invited his disciples to pray for him in the garden. And he invited people to be in constant prayer. He expected his disciples to pray. ‘Delegate’ may not be the best word, since it implies not … Read more
Our church worship team and staff started off the year with the Daniel Fast. Here are some thoughts about why fasting is powerful and why it’s linked to powerful prayer in scripture: 1) DEPENDANCE: It’s a physical reminder of where we place our dependence. 2) DISCIPLINE: It’s a framework for discipline in a tangible way. … Read more
I was inspired by Greg Groves at The Well Seminars this fall. He has a very structured, intentional and expectant personal prayer ministry model. As a ministry leader, one of our big jobs is to pray for our people. I have adopted a similar model since then. My current ministry prayer plan looks like this: On … Read more