Ministry – Page 5 – Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Expect More to Come!

I have presented the idea a lot over the last few years that I am an aspiring writer. It is something that I really like doing, but I also have not been very faithful in putting out articles unless I have a hard deadline. In other words, I have not been very productive as a writer, even though it is something that I am passionate about, and something that I want to get better at. There are a couple of different reasons for that. One is just time constraints. Preparing a sermon on a weekly basis takes a lot of time and effort, and other writing opportunities sometimes just get pushed to the side. Another is that I sometimes just have a hard time coming up with a topic that I really want to spend the time writing about. But more than anything, I just have not had the dedication to carving time out of my schedule to dedicate to writing.

I am attempting to change that. Scheduling has never been a strong suit of mine. Planning out my work week has always been something that I have generally just done as things come up, instead of setting aside specific times to do specific tasks. Goals of getting things done each week are always there, but I would not have a specific plan or roadmap of how to get there. It has worked for me, but I also have discovered that it is not the most efficient way to do things. I do not think that I will ever get to the point where I plan out my entire day, minute by minute, by any means, but I am starting to try to be a little more intentional in how I plan my weeks.

This leads me back to the idea that I have not dedicated time to write into my schedule in the past. I plan on changing that. In fact, in my attempt to plan out my week in a more intentional way, I have started trying to utilize my calendar apps on my computer, phone, and tablet. That means I have scheduled times (that can always be altered if ministry tasks dictate) into my calendar on a weekly basis for sermon prep, personal Bible Study and personal development (both physical and spiritual), as well as dedicated time to write articles, either for my personal blog, the Current-Argus newspaper in town here, or Central Christian’s monthly newsletter.

What this means for my writing is that I am going to attempt to post a minimum of three articles on my Crosseyed Jesus Freak page weekly, in addition to any newspaper or newsletter articles that I write. This is just starting this week, so we will see how it goes, but I really want to start putting time and effort into continuing to develop my writing style and skills. I want to be very intentional about this as well. Any of you that know ministry, know that things will inevitably come up from time to time that will interrupt this schedule, so for that, I am asking for your understanding. If you do not see an article from me for a few days, however, please feel free to reach out to me and ask if there is something keeping me from writing, or if I have just not been following through on my attempt to write.

I would appreciate any feedback you have for me, as well. Please feel free to share anything I write and publish on my blog page as well, as I would love to see God’s name being spread further through my writing.

Thoughts From a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, God, Ministry

It’s (Almost) Football Time in Tennessee! (August 2016 Newsletter)

I don’t know about you, but I am having a hard time believing that we are already through July, and that school is starting here in town in just a couple weeks. Where has this year gone? Even though it has gotten to us fast, I love this time of year. There is almost a renewal of things. Not to mention that (hopefully) we’ll start seeing some cooler temperatures soon. A new school year is starting, high school football season is here, and in just a month’s time, I’ll be hearing those famous words that get my blood pumping UT Orange; IT’S FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!

If you’re not familiar, that’s a phrase that is said by the radio and loud speaker announcers at the kickoff of every Tennessee Volunteer home football game. It’s the signal that the game has begun, and it’s time to pay attention. Along with the phrase, I’m looking forward to hearing “Rocky Top” played and watching the Big Orange take the field through the Power T. I’ve probably confused many of you if you’re not familiar with college football, or the Vols at all, but that’s ok, because there is a point to all of this, I promise.

Tennessee is expected to have one of their best years in recent memory, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding this team. There is also a little nervousness from the fans, however, because if something goes wrong, and the team disappoints, it could set the program back a few years. In other words, this season, in terms of college football, is very important. I’m extremely excited about the season, and no matter what happens, I will be a VFL (Vol For Life).

There is another reason that I love this time of year. And that is you! Our faith family, through the summer, is scattered. We don’t get to see each other as often as we do during the fall, winter, and spring. People are traveling, working longer hours (because of the daylight), and just generally busier during the summer. We’ve had weddings out of town, people traveling for work and vacation, and many other things that have kept us apart. It seems that every year, once school starts back, things settle in for the Church as well. While school is starting the second week of August, we are going to launch our Fall sermon series a few weeks later. This launch will be September 11, when we start a series about discipleship, looking specifically at the ways that Jesus discipled His disciples, and seeing how we can implement those same techniques as we try to build disciples today.

I’m even more excited about this series than I am about Tennessee football! And for those of you that know me well, you know that means a whole lot. I believe that we are poised here at Central for a great “season” of ministry. Things are coming into place, and it’s time that we fully trust God, get out of our comfort zones, and reach our potential that we have in regards to sharing Jesus with others. That’s why we are going to be focusing a lot on discipleship, and the things that get in the way of discipleship in the coming months. But just like the Vols, while the potential is high, this is a critical season. I will share more next month about what our “game plan” is for this season that we are entering in to, but there are two things that I’m sure of that I’ll end with. As the Wednesday Night Kid’s Ministry begins in August, and our Fall series starts in September, I’m excited to say, “IT’S MINISTRY TIME AT CENTRAL!” More importantly, no matter what happens, if this season goes as well as we could ever hope for, or there are some disappointments along the way, I will be a CFFL (Christ Follower For Life)! That is my prayer for you as well. Let’s get serious about building disciples!

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry, Newspaper

It’s All Greek To Me (Newspaper 7-23-16)

I was sitting in my office this past Sunday morning (7-17-16), preparing for our Sunday services to start, when news came across my computer screen of more police officers being attacked, this time in Baton Rouge, LA. To say it effected me is a large understatement. Before the news broke, I was in a great mood, looking forward to worshiping and spending time with those that would be joining us that morning. After, the only way I can describe it was complete heartbreak.

I posted the following on my personal Facebook page moments after reading the first reports:

“My heart is breaking for this world. Another attack on police officers, this time in Baton Rouge. And I think what is breaking my heart more than anything is that Christians are not rising up unified doing what we need to do. We are fighting amongst ourselves, over what differences we have in our doctrines, instead of trying to introduce a lost and dying world to Jesus. Jesus is the only thing that can make any of this better, but instead of trying to proclaim Him, those of us that profess to follow Him fight with each other and keep Him to ourselves. IT’S TIME TO STOP! Whether you’re liberal, conservative, or somewhere in-between in your political views, I think it’s time that we come together as Christ followers. There will always be things that we disagree with each other over, but one thing, and one thing only should unite us. Jesus is King, and those that don’t know Him as such need to be introduced to Him. There will always be pain and suffering in the world, but when are we going to rise up and do our part by living out our Christianity in such a way that others want what we have? Pray for this world, pray for Baton Rouge, but also pray for opportunities to share Jesus with someone today…and then do it.”

I have had even more time to digest what is going on in our world today, and want to take a few moments to address it. It is not that I think I am any smarter than anyone else, but it seems obvious to me that whatever we are doing now is just simply not working. And it is not just these shootings that seem to be popping up everywhere. It is any time the subject of politics is brought up. We are so determined to be “right” that we forget we have to find our common ground. In doing some research for another project, I came across a ancient Greek word that we really do not have a good translation for, but when the idea is fleshed out a little, I believe it speaks to exactly the problems that we are facing today. Bear in mind, I do not claim to be a Greek scholar by any means, but stick with me for a moment.

The Greek word in question is metriopatheia. The ideas that follow come from William Barclay’s commentary The Letter to the Hebrews in the section on Hebrews 5:1-10. He says that the Greeks used this word “as the mid-point between extravagant grief and utter indifference.” Barclay quotes W. M. Macgregor, saying, “the mid-course between explosions of anger and lazy indulgence.” Again, Barclay wrote that Macgregor spoke of it as “that sympathetic feeling which enabled people to lift up and to save, and to spare and to hear.” Finally, Barclay describes it in his own words as, “It means the ability to put up with people without getting irritated; it means the ability not to lose one’s temper with people when they are foolish and will not learn and do the same thing over and over again. It describes the attitude which does not get angry at the faults of others and which does not condone them, but which to the end of the day devotes itself to offering gentle yet powerful sympathy which by its very patience directs people back to the right way.”

I will leave you to draw your own conclusions, except for this question; Would the world not be a much better place if we all learned to live with more metriopatheia?

Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry, Newspaper

What Teenagers Taught Me (Newspaper 7-2-16)

I was very impressed this past week. If you read the last article I submitted, you will remember that I was one of the dean’s for Youth Camp at Guadalupe Christian Camp this past week. There is so much negativity going around about the younger generations these days, and I will admit that I have fallen in to this category at times as well. There are many things that are blamed for the actions and sometimes total lack of respect shown by teenagers today, but I discovered something that opened my eyes to a possible solution.

This past week I was reminded that there is a lot of hope for our future generations, on multiple occasions. The week started off a little on the rough side, with some of the campers not listening to directions and purposefully cheating at some of the group activities that we had planned as team building exercises. I was not sure what was going to happen by the end of the week, especially if things kept going the way they were.

On Wednesday morning, though, two of the adults, took a few minutes during breakfast just to remind the campers that they needed to listen and treat each other and the adults there with respect. We reminded them that we were going to be serving at a nursing home on Thursday, and that they needed to act with the utmost respect while there. It seems that the talk that morning had a great impact. We really did not see any lack or respect or lack of listening the rest of the week. In fact, the way the campers carried themselves the rest of the week gave me great hope for the future.

I saw teens step out of their comfort zones and spend time with the residents of one of Carlsbad’s nursing homes. We even did a service project there, and some of the teens came back to me asking if they could go tell some of the residents good-bye before we left to hang out at the beach area. There was a camper that even brought a verse from Leviticus 19:32 to my attention, so that we could share that with all the campers before leaving for the nursing home. The verse reads, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.” There was also a group that got a flat tire on the way home, and was stranded at the McDonald’s in Artesia for around 3 hours. My wife and I were able to go back and help take kids from the side of the road to McDonalds so they were out of the heat while their van got fixed. Not once did I hear anyone complain about the circumstances. In fact, they sat and played games the whole time, just going with the flow until the tire was replaced and they were able to get back on the road.

I realized one big thing this past week through all of this; teenagers have the potential to surprise us, they just need a little guidance. If we hold them to a higher standard, and ask them to act with composure and respect, they will. But if we expect them to act disrespectful and to not listen, then they will live up to those expectations as well. We need to treat them with respect and expect them to do the same, and guess what, you just might be surprised at the end results.

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry, Newspaper

The Faith of a Child (Newspaper 6-18-16)

June is the month that the church camp that we work with, Guadalupe Christian Camp, hosts their weeks of camp for the summer. There is a Beginner week for K-2nd grade, Elementary week for 3rd-6th grade, and Youth week for Jr. and Sr. High this year. Beginner is already completed, but as I write this on Wednesday, Elementary camp is going strong. My wife and I went to visit the kids on Tuesday that we sent from Carlsbad (we had 16), and then we will be spending the week next week at Youth camp, as I’m one of the deans for that week. So, we spent about seven hours at the camp yesterday, just hanging out and spending time with the kids and adults that are there this week. And I was revitalized and reminded of something great while we were there, and as I prepare for spending the whole week there next week. What was I reminded of? Why I love being in ministry and how important it is to have the faith of a child.

While we were there, we got to see kids excited about learning God’s word through the Bible, and having fun while doing it. We got to see an adult that was there for the week talking to his own son about what being saved is all about. I’m not sure where the full conversation went, but the idea that some of the kids there are interested enough to start asking questions about giving their lives to Jesus is amazing. Also, we got to spend some time talking to the camp manager and his wife, and seeing their excitement about getting to invest in the lives of these kids is energizing. And I get to spend all week there next week with a bunch of teenagers. How can you not like this job!?

I was reminded of something a little greater than just all of this, however, and that is what I want to share with you today. These kids actually are a model of what we are supposed to be like in our faith. That is not saying that we should not mature and therefore have a weak faith. Actually it means just the opposite. The faith of a child is actually very strong. It holds excitement and commitment. It holds a longing for learning more and more. In fact, Jesus tells us that we all need to have the faith of a child. Matthew 18:1-5 reads, ‘At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’

In a world where we tend to over-analyze everything, we need to be reminded to have child-like faith. That does not mean that we should not study and try to learn more. Just the opposite, because the kids that I know want to learn. They are on fire in their faith and cannot get enough about what it means to be a Christian. Seeing this in action again reminds me of why I love doing what I do. If you are reading this, and you do not have a relationship with Jesus, I would love to talk to you. Just name the time and the place and I will be there. Your life will never be the same!

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry

Influence (July 2016 Newsletter)

This past week, I have woken to the news that two very honorable and beloved people have passed away. My guess, however, is that for most of you that are reading this, only one of these deaths has crossed your newsfeed or information pipeline. Honestly, if it was not for my connection to Cincinnati Christian University, I probably would have only heard of one of them as well. Pat Summitt, former head basketball coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols passed during the night between Monday and Tuesday, due to complications from her battle with Alzheimers. Then, this morning (Wednesday as I write this article) I woke to the news that Wayne B. Smith of Lexington, KY had passed away.

Summitt is a TN and basketball legend, winning 1,098 games in her career as the head basketball coach of the Lady Vols. It’s the most wins in NCAA basketball history. She also lead the Lady Vols to eight National Championships over the years. She retired from coaching in 2012, after being diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2011. Summitt was known for her work ethic, and instilling that work ethic in her players as well. I think the most impressive thing about Summitt’s career is the fact that every single player that played their full four years of eligibility under Summitt actually completed their degree. Every Single One. That is unheard of in the realm of collegiate athletics. The sports world, and just about everyone in Tennessee is mourning her death, myself included.

But then I come to the fact that Wayne B. Smith has died. I never met the man, but I know plenty of people that have. In fact, I had a class or two during my time at Cincinnati Christian University in a classroom that was named in his honor. The preaching classroom, where I delivered my first sermon ever, is named after Mr. Smith. One of my professors during my time at CCU recently told me a short little quip about Smith. Jon Weatherly told me that Smith used to say, “If you want to put up a plaque to honor me for my preaching, hang it over the copier.” When I saw the news this morning, the name sounded familiar, and I clicked on the first article I came across describing his death. What I learned reading that article brought me almost to tears, because I know the reward that he is receiving right now. Wayne took Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY from 152 attendees at its first service in 1956, to averaging more than 3,700 by the time he retired in 1995. Today, Southland is the largest church in Lexington, averaging more than 12,000 on a weekend between their three campuses.

It is not just how many attend Southland, though. It is about the influence that Smith had on this world. The ministers that he influenced that are now on the front lines of ministry today. Or those that were influenced by those that were influenced by him. I am in that category. I never met the man, but many of the mentors and professors that I have studied under in the past were influenced greatly by Smith. While again, I have never met him, I join in those mourning his loss, but also celebrate because we know the reward that was awaiting him. Those close to him say that he often said he wanted to die in the pulpit, a sentiment that I have expressed as well. And he came really close to doing that. He spoke briefly Tuesday evening to a group of ministers, went home, and passed away peacefully in his sleep.

There is a comparison to be made here between Summitt and Smith. The news of Summitt’s passing shut down the sports world. It even brought a statement from the POTUS about her influence. And she had great influence. When it comes down to it, however, Smith probably had a more far reaching and more eternally consequential influence, yet, you will not hear about his passing, or his life on national news. In some ways that is a sad thing, but then again, if Smith is the kind of person that everyone makes him out to be, then I think it is fitting as well. He would not want the attention. I am not saying it is wrong to honor and mourn Pat Summitt; I just wanted to take a moment of your time and honor a man that has had a great deal of “Kingdom” influence. May you rest in peace, Wayne B. Smith. And I wish I could have been there to hear you receive those words we all long for at the end; “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

For more info on the life of Wayne B. Smith, please visit http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article86596192.html

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry

TobyMac and Discipleship Followup

I wrote recently about the way that TobyMac has discipled other music artists, bringing them along in the ways of the Christian Music scene, as well as helping stay true to their roots of being Christians first, and musicians second. This past Sunday evening, there were 16 of us that came together to see TobyMac and the Hits Deep Tour in El Paso, TX. It was a great concert, one of the best (that’s saying a lot) shows I’ve seen Toby do, but more than that, you could feel the worship attitude in almost all the acts on the tour as well. You could really tell that they were there to worship God first, and put on a great show second.

There was a very telling moment, during one of the set changes, where I found out even more the discipleship atmosphere that Toby and his band, Diverse City, carry with them. It’s not just other artists trying to make a career as a solo artist or group that Toby and the band have taken under their wing. It’s not just fellow Christians that they show the love of Christ to. During one of the changeovers, Diverse City’s drummer Brian Haley came out to talk about a Bible study/movement that he is a part of. He was really passionate about it, because it was something that he has experienced in his own life. The “We are One” movement is what he was talking about, but I don’t have a lot of information on what it is.

What struck me the most was that he was talking about discipleship and loving someone to the cross, instead of judging them away from the love of Jesus. I related really well to that, but then he just kept talking. He said that when he joined TobyMac and the Diverse City band, he got to see first hand what this looks like. He told a story of seeing Toby and the band find someone that had been hurt time and again by the church. Someone that really didn’t know who God was. Someone that was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Someone that had no relationship with Jesus. And instead of turning away from him, they embraced him. They brought this lost man into their group, and loved him to the cross. They introduced him to God and a true relationship with Jesus. Then he dropped the big bombshell. He said, “and that man was…Me”. He had firsthand knowledge of what true discipleship can do. He lived it on the side of someone that was loved and discipled in such a way that he left a life of hopelessness and is now a child of God. He’s been with the band for 15 years, and his life is totally different than what it used to be.

That’s what discipleship is all about, and that’s why we all need to find someone to disciple.

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry, Newspaper

‘Jesus Wept’ Moments Help in a Broken World (Newspaper 4-2-16)

Coming off of a great weekend celebrating the resurrection of Jesus through Easter, I was quickly reminded that we live in a broken world. Really, it’s easy to see that when we look around. There is pain, anger, despair, and a longing for something better that most of us see on a regular basis. We see news reports of attacks in this country and around the world, but sometimes it doesn’t sink in that this truly is a broken world.

My reminder came with a phone call that most people in ministry dread. A young mom had just lost her baby in the womb. I won’t go into detail about the situation, but it quickly reminded me that I long for something better. No one should have to deal with an innocent death like this.

Jesus understands our pain, however, because he lived in this world as well. A fellow minister gave me a great example of this when offering support this week. He called it a “Jesus wept” moment. The shortest but one of the most meaningful verses in the Bible is John 11:35, which simply states, “Jesus wept”. This was because one of his friends had just died, but he also knew he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus weeping was more because of the pain that the other people involved were feeling, and he took the time to weep with them.

While this is a broken world, with all that pain and suffering that we see, as Christians we have the hope of a better world. That’s what this past weekend of Easter was all about. It was celebrating Jesus conquering death and the grave. Jesus going to the cross to pay the price for our sins, and then raising back to life gives us the hope that death is not final. Take heart, because our savior has conquered death. I Corinthians 15:55-57 puts it this way; “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Christian Living, God, Ministry

Tobymac and Discipling (Newsletter April ’16)

Music has always been a big part of my life, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve realized just how big of a role different Christian bands have played in my walk with Christ over the years. I listen to Christian rock and worship music while I work out, while I read, and even while I write. In fact, my Pandora radio mix is playing through my headphones while I write this article. Christian music is one of the best ways that I connect with God, and am able to refocus my life when I seem to have lost my focus. So, you could say that music is a huge part of my life.

We can learn a lot from different Christian musicians as well. The one that really sticks out in my mind first and foremost is dc Talk. They changed the way Christian music was looked at, and they paved the way for some of the most influential artists to this date. But there were others as well. Rich Mullins really challenged the perception of what Christian music was. Audio Adrenaline was right there with dc Talk as they paved the way. Skillet and Thousand Foot Krutch have continued to push the envelope and have created a sound that is allowing them to be able to play to secular crowds, getting the message of Christ out to those that otherwise may never hear it.

When dc Talk broke up, I was really disappointed, and in fact I still hold out hope that one of these days they will at least put a reunion tour together. The three members of dc Talk have all gone one to be successful outside of the group. Kevin Max is now the lead singer of Audio Adrenaline, Michael Tait is with the Newsboys, and Toby Mac has a solo career with his band called Diverse City. 16 of us will be in El Paso this Sunday evening to see Toby, and I can’t wait! But as I was thinking about this concert this week, I realized something. As much as music has influenced my life over the years, there are ways that these musicians teach us about Christianity even outside of the music they perform.

Toby Mac is the perfect example. Let me explain. This concert that we are going to this weekend, including Toby, has seven bands. At least two of the bands that will be performing are where they are today directly because of Toby Mac coming along side them, mentoring them, and helping them get opportunities to grow in their music. Capital Kings and Hollyn, in other words, have been discipled by Toby Mac. And these aren’t the only musicians that he’s helped along the way. Jamie Grace may be the most well known artist that was discipled by Toby during her early years. My first experience with Jamie was at a show where Toby was headlining, and she was on the ticket because of him.

What am I getting at? We can learn a huge lesson from Toby Mac, dc Talk, and all these other musicians. When they see someone that is wanting to walk the life they are already walking, they aren’t afraid to help them out. They aren’t afraid to come along side of them, give them advice, teach them, disciple them, and show them what it really means to be a Christian musician. But at the same time, I think they make it very clear that the first step is being a Christian. They know how to disciple and to teach others to walk for Christ. To follow Christ. And we need to be doing the same thing. Those of us that have been following Christ for a while, not that we have it all figured out, need to be willing to come along side others that haven’t had as much experience following Christ, and help them figure it out. My guess is that someone in your life at some point has discipled you, and you wouldn’t be who you are today if it wasn’t for that person. Become that person to someone else, and give them the help they need to follow Christ better. God Bless!

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry

What God Taught Me About Prayer

About three weeks ago, I challenged our church to partner with the leadership and me to pray for our church and the impact we can have on our community for a full 24 hour period. We broke the 24 hours into 15-minute time slots and asked people to sign up for slots that they would commit to praying for the whole time they signed up for. I committed to take any of the time slots that were still left, so that we were assured of covering the full 24 hours.

As I write this now, we completed our 24-Hours of Prayer about three and a half hours ago, and as I’ve reflected on the time spent in prayer, focused on our church, I realized that God has taught me a lot through this process. I’m still processing everything (and exhausted because I was up most of the night), but I feel that there is value for you to hear what I learned as well.

Prayer is one of those disciplines that I always feel like I can and need to improve in, and having a commitment to praying for a specific amount of time caused me to set up a plan for how to follow through and keep my commitment. My wife graciously helped me cover some of the open slots, but in the end I had three hours and forty-five minutes that I had committed to praying during. A big chunk of that time (two hours and 15 minutes) was in one block, from 1:15-3:30 AM. I’m not saying this because I’m trying to brag about praying this much. In fact, I was really concerned at the beginning that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate and pray constantly through that entire time.

There were others that had committed to large chunks of time in one sitting like that as well, so to help them out, and myself, I put together a prayer packet, with a suggested order of prayer, Psalms that they could read and pray through, different prayers of Jesus they could read and pray as well, and also a selected reading from Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline about prayer. It was through this process that I discovered something that helped me so much. Prayer is more about setting aside time to communicate with God than it is about the words that we say. It should be a conversation between you and God, instead of just a one-sided listing of things you want from Him.

So, what did I specifically learn?

1. Start your prayer time with Confession

Starting prayer with time of confession to lay all of your sins at God’s feet really sets the time apart. The time I spent in confession last night means more than I ever thought it would. A prayer partner of mine taught me to do this a few years ago, but I never really understood the benefit of it until last night. I started my prayer time confessing those things that I just can seem to shake in my life, and it was the usual reaction on my part. That is until I realized just how broken I really am. That was a hard realization, and it led me to literally weeping for a few minutes in my brokeness. And it caused me to cry out to God like I hadn’t done in a long time.

Crying out to God like that helped me connect with Him again. It led to the rest of what I learned throughout the rest of the night. I got into the flow of a conversation like I was literally speaking to a friend in the same room. That was something that I hadn’t felt in a long time either. My two hour and 15 minute time block of prayer seemed to fly by after I was able to settle in to that conversation like I had. If you are having a hard time connecting with God, make a point of spending time in confession to Him on a regular basis. It may just be that the sin in your life is keeping you from that connection, and that confession and crying out for His help is all you need to reconnect.

2. There is value in praying for individuals

My prayer time actually started with a simple 15 minute session at 7:30 PM. Since I just had 15 minutes, and was just finishing up dinner as well, I decided that that 15 minutes would be best spent praying for each individual that had agreed to pray during our prayer event.

Later on in the evening, after my time of confession during my long block, I wrote out a list of all the people that attend our church (we’re a small congregation, so it wasn’t too hard to name each person), and then spent some time praying for each individual and family. It made me appreciate each person, even if there are things that I don’t agree with them on. How can you hold a grudge with someone if you are committed to praying for them on a consistent basis?

3. Find your own style

For me, I concentrate best with music on in the background. Complete silence allows my mind to wander, or I just flat out fall asleep (especially at 1:30 in the morning). So I put headphones on, turned on my Pandora shuffle, and listened to Christian music while I was spending time with God. In fact, when certain songs came on that really connect with me and are like prayers from my heart, I treated them just like that. I stopped talking, and just worshipped along with the song that was playing. They became my own prayers, and I even literally hit my knees a couple of times during the songs, because I was drawn to throw myself down before God.

The point I’m trying to make here is simple. Find your own way to remain focused, especially if you are undertaking a long prayer time. If it wasn’t for music playing in my ears, no matter how committed I was to praying, I would have either fallen asleep or I would have been just daydreaming. But knowing that about myself, I was able to correct it and spend that time focused on God.

4. There is value in praying others’ prayers

I knew there I was going to have a hard time praying my own words for that long, no matter how committed I was to it. So I took my own advice, and spent time praying through prayers from Psalms and Jesus’ own prayers. I did this during my 6:00-6:30 time slot. After my 3:30 session ended, I caught a little bit of a nap, setting an alarm for 5:50, so I would be awake for this short 30 minute session.

I was out of it, but awake enough to be able to follow through with my commitment. This seemed like a good time to pray some already written prayers, instead of having to come up with my own words. But at the same time, I wanted these to become my own prayers as well. So I read through them, concentrating on the words, and placing them in my own life.

5. Journaling is great

Writing is something that I find great joy in. I process things through my writing, whether someone else will ever read those words or not. Journaling during my prayer time, however, is not something that I have been very consistent with over the years. One of the journals that I have is a combination of Bible study notes, thoughts, and even a few prayers, although not many. I had that laid out, not really sure what I was going to do with it, but at one point, when I had run out of words, I flipped through that journal, reading every prayer that I had written there. It was a great experience, but it was also a little terrifying, because I realized some of the things that I was struggling with now, and had confessed earlier, were the same things I was confessing throughout this prayer journal, dating back several years.

I also spent over an hour total writing down some of my prayers. That was a great experience, because I was able to really concentrate on my words, and communicate exactly what I wanted to say to God at that moment. It is also great because now I have a record of my prayer time. I prayed some pretty big prayers, and now I have a record of that, so I can look back at later and see how God has chosen to answer those prayers. One of the prayers is actually going to be worked into my sermon this week, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t have them recorded.

6. Silence is part of prayer

Prayer cannot just be one sided. If you are doing all of the talking the whole time, there is really no value in it. It’s almost as if you are just dictating to God. There is value in “Being still, and knowing that He is God”. Sitting in silence, and just listening for what God may be trying to tell you is one of the best parts of prayer. This world is full of noise, yet when we can shut out the outside world (even if that means listening to music) and just patiently waiting for God really helps our connection with Him.

This 24-Hours of Prayer that we did with our church has been an eye-opening experience for my. In a lot of ways, I was actually disappointed when my time was over. That is until I realized that I can spend time with God in these same ways anytime I want. I just have to be committed to setting aside the time to spend with Him, and I am going to try to make this a daily thing for me from here on out (maybe not almost four hours a day).

What do you need to do to improve your prayer life? Is there anything I can do to help? Trust me when I say that spending committed time with God in prayer can truly change things!