HOW AWESOME IS THAT!

NO…………….

NOT THE BANNER!

THE TRUTH OF THE BANNER

Okay, let’s be honest.  How many of you thought I was talking about the banner when you saw my first statement?  I will get this out of the way: Dan did a bang up job on the banner.  I remember having lunch with him and giving him an idea.  He took my idea and improved it 100%.  WOW!

My theme for the year is “TRANSFORMED!”

I wrote about that here.  My theme for January is

TRANSFORMED BY PRAYER

If there is one spiritual discipline I fail regularly in it is prayer.  I find myself convicted on an almost regular basis about my lack of commitment to get-down-on-my-knees-and-cry-my-heart-out-to-God kind of prayer.  (I have trouble kneeling now anyway-the back, knees and shoulders all take a beating when I do).   But I digress.   The question I often ask myself…and am asking you…if prayer is so vital, why in the world am I so haphazard in its intensity?  Please don’t get me wrong.  I take time daily to pray.  Many of you are included in that prayer.  But I often find it not very “storm-the-gates-of-heaven”  type of praying.  Know what I mean?

Charles Spurgeon once said, “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”

Is there any doubt what he is suggesting there?  I think not.   Of all the things we teach in the church, prayer may be one of the most neglected.  Tithing?  Check.  Salvation? Check.  Baptism? Check.  God’s sovereignty? Check.  The list goes on and on.  But, I am sad to say, prayer is often relegated to the bottom of the list of “preaching ideas.”   I can count on one hand the number of times in 2011 I preached about prayer.  Maybe include 2010 in that.

I will not be preaching this Sunday.  Jon Graf, from Harvest Prayer Ministries, will be the guest speaker.  It is sometimes good to hear a different voice on a subject.   I am looking forward to a good kick-off to the month’s emphasis on prayer.  I have also encouraged the folks to pick up a booklet we are making available: Revolution With a Cause.  It is a 30 Day guide for praying.   Dan designed the cover for us.  The booklet is available from us (donation of $5) or you can order directly from HPM.  Drop me a note if you would like a copy at pastoratovcf.org.  Meanwhile, be praying for us, won’t you?

Question: how hard is it for you to have a concentrated, intense time of prayer?  Do you?  (That’s two).  I would love to hear your thoughts.