Praying Through

Here I sit… second pot of tea steeping on the counter… still zoning… staring at a blank, white screen…
The tea… well yes, it is a wonderful brew of Samurai Chai Mate mixed with White Ayurvedic Chai. It is a spicy and aromatic brew that is quite lovely with a couple of lumps of German rock sugar, but the cup just doesn’t have quite the kick of a triple shot latte even after adding an extra pinch of Yerbe mate. Yerba mate? Yerba mate (yer-bah mah-tay) is made from naturally caffeinated leaves of the South American rainforest holly tree (Ilex paraguariensis). The leaves are purported to contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. Maybe another pinch will put me in right order… although I am missing the gourd, the friends, and most likely my water was too hot… but regardless, I am beginning to feel a bit more energized… Thank you daughter… I will become international yet.

A big thank you to everyone who has written me over the last couple of weeks of my informal sabbatical … I apologize for leaving you hanging with that silly game that I started… Riddle, riddle me ree and the book I am still reading… rereading…eating… digesting so as to incorporate it into the DNA of my soul…

Many of you guessed it, despite my lame effort. It was the “Circle Maker: Praying circles around your biggest dreams and greatest fears”, written by Mark Batterson. What a wonderful book on prayer. There are so many lively quotes and provoking concepts, it is hard to eat just one…

Mark, and I hope he doesn’t mind the familiarity… my brother’s name was Mark so I feel especially close to him just for this fact alone, but Mark contends,“…our generation desperately needs to rediscover the difference between praying for and praying through…”

“Praying through is all about consistency. It’s circling Jericho so many times it makes you dizzy…”
“Praying through is all about intensity. It’s not quantitative; it’s qualitative. Drawing prayer circles involves more than words; its gut-wrenching groans and heartbreaking tears. Praying through doesn’t just bend God’s ear; it touches the heart of your heavenly Father…”

“There are higher heights and deeper depths in prayer, and God wants to take you there. He wants to take you places you have never been before. There are new dialects. There are new dimensions. But if you want God to do something new in your life, you can’t do the same old thing.”

“It will involve sacrifice, but if you are willing to go there, you’ll realize that you didn’t sacrifice anything at all.”

“It will involve more risk, but if you are willing to go there, you’ll realize that you didn’t risk anything at all.
Make the sacrifice. Take the risk. Draw the circle”.

Are you willing to abandon yourself into the arms of a lovely, loving God and commit to a day of prayer… a week of prayer… a month of prayer… a year of prayer… a season of prayer… a lifestyle of prayer? Then join us… we are in for a ride!

“First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them. Pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God. This kind of prayer is good, and it pleases God our Savior. God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, which is, There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us. God showed us this at the right time” (1 Timothy 2: 1-6).