Published!

Every year our church starts the year off with 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer.

This year our leaders had the most wonderful idea to gift the Body with a beautiful book on one of my favorite subjects.....Prayer!

The book is called 21 Ways We Pray and is a collection of prayer experiences as told by the people of Church on the Rock, Alaska. This book is beautiful to look at and spiritually beautiful in so many ways.

 I am honored to have been asked to participate in the project and wanted to share my answers to the following questions:

How do you pray?

How do you meet with God,

speak with God,

and hear His Voice?

Prayer, simplified, is a conversation between a dad and his child. Only, imagine this, your dad is perfect. He has only good intentions, his heart is whole and without flaw. He is a good listener and He desires for you to open up your heart to His. He wants you to speak out loud your hurts, your hopes, your worries, your needs, and your love for Him.

Yes, He already knows all of it, but he longs to hear your voice. He longs to answer your prayers, those deep needs within you and the simple needs of this world.

When we adore Him, when we unburden our hearts before Him, when we trust Him and spend time with Him our relationship grows and deepens. 

I will never forget the time I asked the Lord which prayer book to read next and He said, "My book." 

I was flabbergasted. Of course Lord! So, I bought a brand new bible and set out to highlight every verse that mentions prayer.

I studied the Old Testament first. In the Old Testament I came to understand it was the priest who offered prayers on behalf of the people. In the New Testament I saw how Jesus prayed and how He taught us to approach the throne of God with boldness. 

We don't need a priest anymore! Jesus is our High Priest. We have direct access to God the Father, our adoptive father through our Savior and brother, Jesus.

When Jesus prayed. He went to a quiet spot, away from others. This was his time of decompressing from his ministry and life. This was also his preparation for the ministry ahead.

Prayer is for everyone.

Prayer is worship.

Prayer is intimacy.

Prayer is essential to the

life of the believer.

There you have it. My first ever published words!