May 29, 2013

Almighty God, my heavenly Father. Some days I just skip over those words as sort of an introduction to prayer. However on days when I am feeling overwhelmed or feeling discouraged I linger on these words. Almighty God - is anything too difficult for Him? is anything outside of His control and authority? My heavenly father. Emphasis on my - personal - there when I need Him - understanding me - loving me - sitting with me. I need to know that. I need to remember that. Prayer is alive not a ritual. Hope you are growing and developing as you set aside one hour to pray each day.

May 22, 2013

Praying the one hour is not only working to discipline me in prayer but also is actually transforming my nature. I have for example become acutely aware of being joyful in all circumstances. After all I pray that every morning. Just that simple one line has work within me to bring about change in the way I respond to circumstances that normally would not produce joy. Someone asked me recently if I pray the one hour prayer every day - may answer was - most days. There are days that i do not pray but not many. the point is not perfection and not missing a day but rather having a habit that lasts. This blog is intended as an accountability tool for everyone taking the challenge. How are you doing this week.

May 14, 2013

It is amazing how easy it is to fall out of the habit of prayer. This past week was a busy one for me and I convinced myself that rather than pray in the morning before I begin my daily activities I would wait until later in the day. You of course know what happened. Several days I just never got to it. I am now back on track thanks to the accountability I have with my wife. First things first!

April 30,2013

I am always challenged by Jesus' statement "could you not pray with me one hour." As I discipline myself to pray God has been revealing to me my inner nature. I have what has been called 'hurry sickness.' If there is an issue or situation pending then my first and primary response is to solve the problem or deal with the issue. When my day is full I am in a hurry to get to work and get busy. Prayer of course challenges this aspect of my nature. I remember what John Wesley said - "I am too busy to be in a hurry." I am reminded what I believe Charles Spurgeon said, "I pray two hours each day and if I have a busy day then I pray three hours." God is disciplining me to make prayer a priority every day especially when I am rushed and busy.