Prayer Leader OnLine
Equipping Churches to Become Houses of Prayer
Vol. 4, No. 2
February 2007

Introduction

It's that time of year again. Time to prepare for the National Day of Prayer and the Global Day of Prayer. The NDOP is Thursday, May 3 and the Global Day is Sunday, May 27. We hope your church will get involved in some way--hopefully with both, but definitely with one.

For more information, go to the following websites:

National Day--www.nationaldayofprayer.org
Global Day--www.gdopusa.com

Materials for the Ten Days of Prayer leading to the Global Day--www.waymakers.org

These events can be catalysts toward more prayer in your church. Do whatever you can to encourage participation.

Blessings,
Jonathan Graf
President

It Seems to Me . . .

. . . the Holy Spirit is filling the Body of Christ's calendar with prayer!

Recently, at a meeting of the National Prayer Committee, I found myself feeling overwhelmed. Report after report, DVD after DVD, task force after task force blessed us with the latest updates on how God is at work in and through prayer. So much so, I could not imagine how I could accommodate each of these strategic events into my schedule. And I am a full-time leader in prayer!

As the prayer movement has developed and matured, we now are called to participate in:

National Day of Prayer
See You At the Pole
Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Global Day of Prayer
Fulton Street Revival
Worldwide Mom's Day of Prayer
Seek God for the City
Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk
Adopt-a-Troop
Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem
Year of Prayer for Unreached People
The Presidential Prayer Team

. . . along with denominational initiatives and congregational emphases. Phew!

I was encouraged (praise the Lord for this evidence of fruit!) but I must also confess to overload. As I sat in that meeting, I found myself wondering how it would be possible to promote, let alone actively participate in, each of these worthy initiatives. Every one meets a strategic and critical need. In fact, we need many more focused prayer promotions! Please know, I am not complaining nor am I suggesting that you, a congregational prayer leader, ignore these opportunities. No, I am flagging this situation because I fear too many in our network may be frustrated by the same dilemma I faced and may respond ineffectively or even give up.

This expanding calendar is to be welcomed; affirmed as answers to our prayers for a prayer saturated Church. As leaders, we must prayerfully seek the Lord's discernment and direction as to which calls to prayer we are to heed.

As leaders we do well to be full informed of the many and varied opportunities. As prayer leaders, we must respond personally to those God's Spirit has assigned to us for our personal prayer life. As prayer leaders, we are especially called to alert our pastor and ministry leaders, so they become aware of resources they can utilize to saturate their ministry. As prayer leaders, it is our responsibility to expose our church family to prayers that take us beyond our four walls, beyond our insulated lists, to needs across the street and around the world.

Our response must be to first thank the Lord for this explosion of new plans and projects, then to inquire as to which ones are assigned (and not assigned!) to our specific ministry. (For more help, go to Jon Graf's article Making Sense of All Those Days of Prayer, which appeared in the December 2006  Prayer Leader OnLine.) It seems to me that may be why the Holy Spirit is filling the Body of Christ's calendar with challenging new initiatives of prayer. It is precisely what we have been asking Him for!

Blessings,
Phil

Muffling God’s Voice

How to hear only silence from the Lord

By Jonathan Graf

At the start of 1 Samuel 3 comes a sobering statement: “In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions” (v. 1). This situation was most likely the result of a nation falling into sin and not following God anymore.

God broke the silence by speaking to a young boy, Samuel, who learned to recognize the Lord’s voice. Toward the end of 1 Samuel 3, another powerful statement reveals much about this boy as an adult: “[Samuel] let none of [God’s] words fall to the ground” (v. 19).

I believe many churches today are in a situation similar to what the Israelites experienced in Samuel’s day. Hearing God speak is rare for us, not so much because of sin, but more because of self-sufficiency, fear and prayerlessness.

Frequently churches and boards turn to the latest leadership fads rather than seeking God for direction. They tend to rely on capable people and their experience in decision making. When that’s what we rely on, God lets us act in our own strength.

In contrast the prophet Ezra ignored the obvious, logical solution to his problem in favor of trusting God for the answer. The results brought glory to God as a pagan king saw the Lord’s protective power (Ezra 8:21–23).

Sometimes fear subdues God’s voice. We want to hear first and then decide whether or not to obey what we hear. We’re reluctant to surrender our own agendas and desires unless we are convinced that God’s will is the better option. But God wants our obedience; without it, His voice becomes silent.

Another kind of fear, which resulted from the fundamentalist movement of the early- to mid-20th century, had a profound effect on making many churches--particularly those in holiness circles--more conservative and less Spirit-driven. Because of fundamentalists’ regard for God’s written Word and fear of anything experiential, many people came to believe that God never spoke outside of Scripture. Fear of excesses resulted in God’s voice becoming more and more rare.

We need to get over this view. While the Bible is true and is our plumb line, and while nothing we hear is accurate if it violates Scripture, God certainly speaks outside of Scripture. He gives us direction from the Holy Spirit and even, at times, from a voice so clear it’s almost audible.

Prayerlessness has also hindered us from hearing from God. Prayer is our direct connection to the living God. If we’re not praying much, we’re not listening. If we’re not listening, we will not hear from God.

As individuals and churches, we desperately need to regularly hear God’s voice. If you desire to develop your listening skills, then start seeking the Lord instead of relying on human wisdom. Check your fear factor. Are you willing to surrender? Finally, become a person of prayer. Don’t let a day go by without spending time talking to God and listening for His voice.

Jonathan Graf is the president of the Church Prayer Leaders’ Network. He is the author of The Power of Personal Prayer (NavPress, 2002). You can contact him at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

Quilting and Prayer

Prayer Leader interviewed Peggy Pearson, a member at Inland Hills Community Church in Chino Hills, California and leader of the Prayers & Squares Ministry.

Note: Prayers & Squares  is an interfaith outreach ministry that combines the gift of prayer with the gift of a hand-tied quilt. Unlike many other organizations that make quilts for charitable causes, the purpose of Prayers & Squares is not to make and distribute quilts, but to promote prayer through the use of quilts. Our motto is: "It's not about the quilt; it's all about the prayers."

The idea is that when there is a need--physical or otherwise--women get together and make a quilt for the person with the need. As we are making the quilt, we pray for that need.

Q. How did this ministry begin? What was the inspiration the Holy Spirit used to launch the idea?
A few ladies started an informal quilting group in 1992 at Hope United Methodist Church in Ranch Bernardo, California, with no other purpose than to have fun making quilts together. Then, a group member's 2-year-old grandson ended up in a coma following heart surgery. His doctors were very pessimistic about Kody's chances for recovery. The ladies decided to make a quilt in vivid primary colors. There was no time to quilt it, so it was tied with perle cotton thread as silent prayers were said for Kody. "There must be a prayer tied in with each knot" someone remarked. The group's first prayer quilt was rushed to the hospital that night.

Q. How many people are involved making the quilts?
We have more than 40 ladies on our roster, but only about 18 actually create the quilts. We have a few who just insert the ties and others who man the quilt tables at weekend services. What time investment is required? Turn around from request time to when the quilt gets out to the tables is about 2 weeks. Then it takes another 2-3 weeks to get them all tied.

Q. How many quilts have been made?
We've made almost 700 just in our chapter. Prayer quilts are mainly made for people who are physically sick or suffering, but we have never turned down a request. We've made them for people who have lost loved ones, people with psychological problems, etc.

Q. Can you share a story or two of how God's blessings have been bestowed through the prayer quilt ministry?
My favorite follows from Mary Whitten. The Debbie Torian that she mentioned, was touched by the quilt that Mary made for Debbie's late husband, John. Little did Debbie know, that hand sewing the binding on that quilt for John at Mary's dying father's bedside comforted Mary more than Debbie can ever know!

Here is her story:

My first Prayers & Squares meeting was 3 years ago. I showed up to help cut fabric so the quilters could do their magic. The first 2 people I met were Tina Abbott and Addie Dyer. They spent time with me explaining the ins and outs of quilting, Tina even throwing a pre-cut 9 patch kit my way. Next thing I know, I am hooked on this ministry of prayer quilts!

Unbeknownst to them, that hot summer day, my heart was breaking as my Dad had stage 4 colon cancer. My Daddy, my hero, was an amazing man with an interesting life. He was a captain in the Air Force even flying 106 missions over North Korea during the Korean War. So, there we were, my family and I with many hours of the cancer rollercoaster, chemo and other treatments.

Quilting and the P&S group became a wonderful outlet for helping others. Praying and sewing for others was comforting to me. That pre-cut 9 patch kit that Tina gave me? It was my first quilt and went to my Dad, Addie even taught me how to do prairie points to finish it off. Dad's hospice nurse was a quilter who was so touched that she started a P&S group at her church in Northern California!

As dad's time here became short, I would sit at his bedside and hand sew the bindings onto quilts. One of my favorite quilts was one I did for John Torian. It had an airplane theme and Dad loved planes! Little did I know that John's wife, Debbie, would become a much loved member of our P&S chapter and dear friend to me!

This prayer ministry has been the wind beneath my wings. Our fearless leader, Peggy Pearson, has been instrumental in promoting our ministry at church. Her tireless efforts and great sense of humor have resulted in more than 400 quilts in less than 4 years. Besides our regular church members, you can find our quilts outside of California, in the Dominican Republic and at a home for abused and neglected children.

If I had more room here, I would tell you about each member of our chapter! All of them with different talents brought to the group which rounds us out. I love these ladies and am blessed to be a part of the team.
Quilting and praying for others . . . awesome.

Q. How has prayer become more important or integrated throughout the congregation since the prayer quilt ministry began?
We now have a prayer room and many past prayer quilt recipients now regularly come by our quilt tables to pray over the quilts.

Q. How could a prayer leader begin a similar ministry in their congregation?
That is also explained in detail on the website, www.prayerquilt.org. What are the challenges they will face? Our biggest challenge was getting the word out about what the quilts represented. We still have people who think we're selling quilts to raise money for the church. Now that so many people know someone who has received a prayer quilt, it's getting much easier to explain.

Q. Peggy, please write a prayer local church prayer leaders can pray with you about making their ministries more caring.
Heavenly Father, help us to be a shining witness of Your love to the people to which we minister. Help us to treat all of Your children as we would our own. Thank You for equipping us with our special gifts and talents to make our service to others so fulfilling and successful. In Your name, Amen.

Empowered Features Unique Mini Conferences

Have you ever thought of the Lord's Prayer as a pattern for powerful spiritual warfare? David Chotka has.

Last November I sat at a lunch table in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada rivited by what this senior pastor and denominational prayer leader shared on his views of the Lord's Prayer. I immediately sensed God saying, "Ask him to present at Empowered."

David will be presenting Kingdom vs. Kingdom, one of the six-hour mini-conferences to be held all day on Wednesday. We know you will see the Lord's Prayer in a whole new way if you take this seminar.

We highly recommend that you add a day ($40 to CPLN members) to your Empowered experience and sign up for a mini-conference.

Besides Kingdom vs. Kingdom, we are also offering:

Developing Dynamic Corpoarte Prayer Meetings--Dr. Daniel Henderson

Hearing God/Healing Prayer--Ted Kallman

The Passionate Pursuit of the Manifest Presence of God--the National Revival Network

For more information . . .

What's Your Prayer Resource Library Like?

One of the roles of a prayer leader is to have resources available for praeyr teams and leadership. As a way of helping you out, the CPLN offers two starter kits for prayer leaders. These are packages of recommended resources--books that every church needs to have--we offer at a deeper than normal discount (33% off retail).

Each kit includes books and a dvd that we do not think a prayer leader should be without. Most o our titles sell for 20% off, but purchase these together and receive a 33% discount!

Currently we offer two starter kits:

The Complete CPLN Starter Kit
The Mini CPLN Starter Kit

The Complete Kits offers the following titles:

My House Shall Be a House of Prayer--Graf/Hinkle
The Prayer-Saturated Church--Sacks
Fresh Encounters--Henderson
The Power of Personal Power--Graf
Praying Grace--Teykl
Love to Pray!--VanderGriend
The Presence Based Church--Teykl
Leadership for a Praying Church--Butts (DVD Video)

It retails for $106, but you can purchase it for $71.02 (33% off) plus shipping.

The Mini CPLN Starter Kit includes:

My House Shall Be a House of Prayer--Graf/Hinkle
The Power of Personal Prayer--Graf
The Prayer-Saturated Church--Sacks
Leadership for a Praying Church--Butts (DVD Video)

It retails for $57.00, but you can purchase it for $38 (33% off) plus shipping.

Click Here to Purchase Either Kit