Happy New Year - a year of prayer

Happy New Year everyone! New Year's is a time for looking back, and it is also a time for looking back. As I look back over the past year I feel like I personally had one of the best years of my life. The ministry is going fantastic, I'm involved in the community now through various avenues, and we were able to move into our own home again.

One of my goals for 2007 is to have a more meaningful prayer life. I have finally been able to have a consistent prayer life that feels like I am finally communicating with my heavenly father the way I need to be. Here's what I'm doing:

1. Create a list - I want to be praying for all the teams I am currently working with so I started by listing all the teams I either lead or serve on which also includes my family. This also includes my cousins, and my only uncle, Lane. Employment needs, health, and special concerns are other categories. My list currently has almost 200 names which leads me to point number two...

2. Plan your prayer - With 200 people to pray for I quickly discovered that I will not be able to pray for every single person and issue every single day. So, I now pray for each ministry team once a week. I pray for my family every day, and also for those who have yet to accept Christ as their savior.

3. Budget time for prayer - I love reading the Bible and in all likelihood I will finish the Bible in February - only 3 months. But, I have been stopping early so I still have time to pray.

4. Prayer helps the memory - no kidding! I'm not the best at remembering names, and I have A LOT of names to remember. So, when I am struggling with someone's name, I put them on my prayer list and I pray for them by name. It really works!

I have found that by having a plan that I don't feel defeated like I used to, and I now have an objective to reach each day. I am really excited about this "break through" and the best part is I am already seeing results.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 NLT