Prayer Champion Ideas

. Good Enough? Recently I heard a ministry colleague make a statement I am sure I'll never forget. I have already used it dozens of times in teaching and training. He made the point that, while what we usually do a good job of praying or studying or whatever, it is not good enough! My immediate reaction was defensive but, after thinking about it, I realized how right he was. Most of what we do as believers and as congregations is good; it is just not good enough if our objective is to blanket the globe with the Gospel. If our aim is to see entire communities impacted by Christ, then my praying (and maybe yours), as good as it is (whatever that means) is just not good enough. So, when it comes to praying for lost neighbors and hopeless neighborhoods, is your praying good but not good enough? It is good to pray for the youth of our churches but that is not good enough to impact their schools. Yes, pray for a Christan who has influence in business or government or media but that wi...

Prayer in the Midst of Physical Suffering By Susan Sorensen, co-author of Praying Through Cancer For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:5 We all know people who suffer with physical ailments. Maybe you are one of them. My battle with cancer began more than 20 years ago at the age of 19. I was home from college and getting a few routine medical check-ups. My doctor noticed a lump on my neck which proved to be thyroid cancer. Several surgeries later, they had removed both my thyroid and lymph nodes as a result. At the age of 41 it happened again. An annual mammography and subsequent biopsy revealed that I had breast cancer. I was at a completely different place in life…now a wife and a mother of young children. Once again, I walked down a path I wouldn’t have chosen but where I found God to be faithful. To say I was carried through these physical challenges is a...

A No-Plan Prayer Meeting I just returned from a three-day prayer summit where the only agenda was to seek and praise God. Three experienced prayer leaders led the event—but they did no advance planning. Imagine that! A prayer meeting for 75 pastors and prayer leaders with no outlines, prayer lists, handouts, pre-picked Scriptures, themes, or music, nothing! Recipe for chaos? It might sound that way, but really, that’s not at all what happened. When the leaders gave the planning over to God, He seemed more than eager to take charge. Which is exactly what He did. He picked the themes for each session. He picked the Scriptures. He picked the songs. Each segment of our three-day prayer summit was powerful, meaningful, worshipful, and consistent to a particular theme or characteristic of God. And participation was pretty incredible. People could hardly wait their turns to interject their prayers and praises. How’d it work? At the beginning of our time together, we asked God to make us a...

Cape beachgoers at holy crossroads Falmouth selectmen have given permission to four area churches to set up a “prayer station” in the Old Silver Beach parking lot. The churches say they're just reaching out to people, but some beachgoers view the effort as a public affront. Cape Cod Times/Paul Blackmore By Aaron Gouveia agouveia@capecodonline.com August 13, 2009 NORTH FALMOUTH — Sunshine, sand and surf are Beach 101 in town. Even weddings and an occasional sunrise service. But a prayer station in the beach parking lot? Earlier this month, selectmen voted 4-0 to allow volunteers from four Upper Cape churches to set up a prayer station in the Old Silver Beach parking lot. The "prayer station" only takes up one parking space — from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day this week — but the selectmen's decision doesn't sit well with ...

. >>>We gratefully post this chapter with permission from InterVarsity Press (you may link to this post but may not revise it in any way) ... The recent rise of spiritual formation must catch the attention of practical-minded prayer leaders and pragmatic-focused small group leaders - This book will help build those relationships. ===>Click headline to access information or to purchase this book. Seeking God Together: An Introduction to Group Spiritual Direction Chapter 9 Sharing the Journey Of Prayer Rebecca was scheduled to present one evening in our spiritual direction group at church . She began by saying, "Tonight I want to talk about my prayer life ." Then she told us how it was changing, what she liked and didn't like about it, and the questions she had about her own ways of praying . The group listened, affirmed and asked questions to help her process her experience . She seemed encouraged . But in all honesty, it was one of those experiences of group...

. Five ways God can answer your prayers. BY: Luis Palau Over the years, I've discovered from Scripture and experience that God loves to answer our prayers. Here are five of his most frequent answers: 1. "No, I love you too much." The Lord of the universe isn't under obligation to say "yes" to every prayer. That's a good thing considering some of the things we request! But sometimes God says "no" to our most heartfelt requests. Have you discovered this to be true in your own life? I certainly have. When my friend Diane started losing her hearing. When my mother-in-law came down with polio. When my nephew contracted AIDS. I would be known as Luis Palau Jr. if it weren't for the fact that God said "no" to my most earnest childhood prayers. Shortly after my tenth birthday, my father, Luis Palau Sr., contracted bronchial pneumonia and died ten days later. Death became, to me, the most undeniable reality under heaven. Everything else ca...

Jennifer Kennedy Dean is well known as a teacher and prayer leader with fresh insights. She has released a brand new Bible study called Set Apart: A Six Week Study on the Beatitudes. Set Apart is a 6-week interactive Bible study perfectly suited to either group or individual study. In this study, author Jennifer Kennedy Dean explores the Beatitudes. By bringing in the distinctively Jewish setting of Jesus inaugural sermon, Jennifer uncovers fresh nuances and overlooked undertones. Her distinctive communication style and approach to the Scripture is on full display in this challenging, encouraging , indispensable study. Click headline to read more about it/ If you place your order from there, you will get an email that directs you to a page of bonus gifts from some of your favorite authors, ministries, and artists ready for you to download immediately. You will also be invite...

. Phil Miglioratti interviewed Andrew Wheeler Co-Director of the prayer ministry at Willow Creek's regional campus in McHenry County, Illinois and author of a new book, Together in Prayer: Coming to God in Community Web: http://togetherinprayer.net ===>Click book cover to access: Book Excerpts Introduction » 1 The Case for Community Prayer » Table of Contents » Reviews & Endorsements » Features & Benefits » Phil ~ How did your experience as a small group leader convince you of the need for a book on how to pray in community? Andrew ~ Over the years, I've led many small groups and even prayer groups that didn't pray well together. Our prayer times often dragged by, and our prayers frequently seemed to be aimed more at each other than toward God. Many times our prayers focused strictly on the surface issues in our lives. Occasionally we'd have a prayer time ...