FusionLife

The other day Tony Sheng quoted Francis Chan, “I tell my staff if they are not praying for an hour a day about their ministries to let me know and I will hire someone who will.”

That really struck me as I’ve been reflecting on strong leadership in the church. Usually strong leaders expect their staff to be good managers of their ministry, volunteers, meetings, relationships, and time. Rarely do you see lead guys (at least in the blogoshpere) talk about being good managers of their spirituality. I know for me, I struggle through waves of spending more time with God in prayer and not. I’ve worked to find more time (that is quite time) aside from the normal times associated with praying to pray and have have found that I really enjoy praying while I’m in the car alone.

I’m seeing a recurring theme in the books I’ve been reading and in my bible reading in regards to prayer. N.T. Wright spends a half a chapter on prayer in Simply Christian and really brings to life the Lord’s Prayer, “It’s a prayer about God’s honor and glory. It’s a player about God’s Kingdom coming on earth as in heaven- which, as we’ve seen, pretty much sums up what a lot of Christianity is all about. It’s a prayer for bread, for meeting the needs of every day. And it’s a prayer for rescue from evil. In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul talks about praying the for the church there at all times. Which all remind me of the examples that Jesus left for us like slipping away in the morning for prayer and the things He prayed for on the Mount of Olives. He prayed for His disciple for their faith, protection and to change them. He also prayed for future believers, for their unity and for us all to see His glory in heaven the way we were supposed to.

I have decided to challenged myself to pray at least an hour a day. So far its going well as I’ve found that I pray more throughout the entire day and have a deeper sense connection with God. I have also have a deeper relief from the normal weight I allow myself to carry.

Let me leave you with a story that I remember hearing and at first thinking was a little over the top but now relate to more than I ever thought. A seasoned minister interviewing a young minister about an urban ministry ask, “Do you pray at least two hours a day?” “No” answered the young minister. “Then why would I feed you to the wolves.”