PrayFast: Prayer and Fasting

Settlement

2008-05-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

When an aspiring saint asked Mother Teresa, "How can I be like you?"
her simple response was, "Find your own Calcutta."

Jesus said, "...take up your cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

As an Americanized Christian, I have lived a soft, privledged life.
Not until I was placed in the maelstrom of potentially losing all
worldly possessions have I experienced a minute amount of the pain and
suffering of Calcutta and the Cross. It has caused a deep wound but
it has helped me to see that we are called to take up our crosses...

A settlement has been arranged/paid. The monetary losses are great,
and we continue to ask for prayers of healing emotionally, physically,
and spiritually with all who have been involved in this bizarre legal
nightmare.

Brooke and I cannot thank you enough for being the hands and feet of
Christ to us during this time.

I will periodically continue to share with you some of our struggles
and some of our learnings from the experience in hopes that when you
find yourself in suffering, our experience may help ease your pain and
suffering.

We love you all!
Brooke and Drew

p.s.
Bucky (a close friend of mine) asked me to teach with him at church in
April and May. I shared some of my pain, sorrow, and joy of growing
closer to God during this time (sermon #4 of 5). For those of you
interested, you can listen to any of the sermons at www.ocpathways.org
(the series is named: The God Questions...2 of the 5 sermons are
currently at ocpathways.org and the others will be coming soon...)

Judgment Update

2008-02-24T19:52:00.001-08:00

An answer to prayer! The judge kept the judgment as it stands (no increase).
Now we ask for focused prayer that the plaintiff and their attorney
will accept the settlement offer.
Please KEEP praying!

We are grateful for all of you!

YBIC and YSIC,
Drew and Brooke

Prayer Request

2008-02-20T19:04:00.001-08:00

Please pray:
1. judge will not increase judgment amount (will find out tomorrow or friday)
2. please pray at 2pm tomorrow re: we have a meeting with our
insurance carrier's lawyer tomorrow, Thursday, February 21 at 2pm

love,
Brooke and Drew

Prayer Request

2008-02-16T11:36:00.001-08:00

Jim has asked us to pray for Greg who is soon to depart on a missions
trip to Latin America. Here are Greg's prayer requests...Dear Praying
Family,

The clock is running down toward the departure date for my next trip
to Latin America, and still no Cuban Religious Visa in hand.

we depart Friday Feb. 22 for Asuncion, Paraguay where we will present
of four-day seminar on Church Planting Strategy and Worldview.

…please pray the Religious Visa would be granted
(especially since I have purchased my tickets!)

…pray, whether before or after Feb. 22, that I would be
able to catch up with it somewhere along the road.

…finally, pray for the remainder of funding for these two trips.

Greg also asks us to pray for his wife, Laura, and daughter, Aubrey
when he is away.

thanks
Drew

Prayer Request

2008-02-14T01:28:00.001-08:00

As incredible as it may seem, we need MORE and CONTINUED prayer!
The judge has yet again delayed his final ruling to potentially
further increase the judgment until NEXT Friday, February 22. Please
pray that
the judge will not increase the judgment anymore.

love,
Brooke and Drew

Prayer as an aggressive act?

2008-02-09T10:51:00.001-08:00

"Violence and love are not contradictory...[we] must learn of
Calvary's power. Love. And,[we] must also learn Calvary's price.
Violence."-Jack Hayford

Chist's sacifice was a violent act of love.

From the time of John the Baptizer until now, the kingdom of heaven
has been forcefully advancing, and forceful people have been seizing
it. (Mat 11:12 GW)

This continues to be a strange and new concept for me. I have always
seen prayer as a passive, afterthought. But prayer, like Christ's
sacrifice for us, is an aggressive act against the evil and darkness
of this world that wants to steal our hearts.

Prayer Request

2008-02-09T10:50:00.001-08:00

As incredible as it may seem, we need MORE prayer! The judge is going
to rule on the final part of the case this Friday, February 15, and he
could rule to even further increase the judgment. Please pray that
the judge will not increase the judgment anymore.

love,
Brooke and Drew

Final Judgment

2008-02-06T10:51:00.001-08:00

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature...life
is either a daring adventure, or nothing."... Helen Keller

Please lift Brooke and I up in prayer during this 'daring adventure'.
The judge acknowledged the wrongness of the jury verdict but refused
to change it.

Please pray for a negotiated settlement in the coming days...

We have been truly overwhelmed by all of your love and prayers.

Your Brother and Sister in Christ,
Brooke and Drew

Prayer Update

2008-02-01T21:55:00.001-08:00

Please pray for the judge to reverse his tentative decision. At the
hearing today, it was incredible to hear the judge acknowledge from
the bench that he disagreed with the jury's verdict, but that he
didn't think he could and/or would reverse it....Please pray!!!

love,
Drew and Brooke

Fasting: Just Try It.

2008-01-29T10:26:00.001-08:00

Where has fasting been all my life? Now I am sure like anything else,
there are good fasts and bad ones. But if you want a time for God to
speak to you then fast. Just do it! Don't be legalistic about it: I
found that Day #1 works best with cranberry juice when I'm hungry or
thirsty, and a few hours before bedtime, a large jamba juice
chocolate smoothie at seven or 8 p.m. tides my hunger pains over.
Then juice in the morning and wow what a quiet, clear energy a fast
produces! Often when I pray, I get sleepy, but when you are on a
liquid fast, your energy level is higher. I found myself able to pray
with a much more focused and peaceful disposition. I thought fasting
for more than a day was going to take me out of commission, but it
actually did the opposite.

Prayer Update

2008-01-27T08:36:00.001-08:00

We want to thank you all for your prayers! The hearing has been
changed by the judge to February 1st at 1:30pm! Please continue to
pray for reversal and/or reduction of the judgment against us. (Psalm
27)

The Power of Prayer

2008-01-22T14:17:00.001-08:00

"... prayer is powerful... in fact, it is probably much more powerful
than you and I have ever imagined. The reason we aren't convinced of
the fact is that we usually fail to pray, consistently, intensely, and
strategically..."-Chip Ingram

A Call to Pray

2008-01-18T09:58:00.001-08:00

Dear Family and Friends:

There are only 10 days left before the hearing by the judge on the
28th at 9am. We are asking everyone for
intercessory/intervening/focused prayer each of the next 10 days for
the judge to reverse or reduce the judgment against us.

We have been overwhelmed by your commitment to pray for us and your
incredible words of encouragement. We are truly blessed and honored
to know all of you!

Please join us in bold and fervent prayer before God on this situation.

love,
Brooke and Drew

"... If you've ever wondered what your missing in the Christian life,
look here first. A commitment to intercessory prayer changes lives.
If you want to know who the most influential people in the world are?
When we think of power, we usually first think about presidents and
business moguls or cultural icons like movie stars and sports figures.
But in God's economy, those people have very little influence. S.D.
Gordon words it well: the great people of the earth today are people
who pray..."-Chip Ingram

Prayer is ALIVE and ACTIVE

2008-01-16T12:44:00.001-08:00

"Few things have contributed to spiritual barrenness in the Church
Christ founded as has the idea that prayer is mere quiet, meditational
passivism... but prayers alive. It is aloud with praise. Aglow with
warmth, attuned with song, aflame with power. And it is also
unsettling in its violence."-Jack Hayford, Prayer is Invading the
Impossible

WOW! These words took me out! I have always thought of prayer as an
after thought or a 'mere quiet' and passive process. NEVER have I
considered it to be ALIVE! ALOUD! and yes, even violent or forceful.
As I have thought about it more and more, it is our ONLY action that
DOES anything. Prayer IS the force, the action of piercing through
the veil of our world into the heavenly realm. It is ACTIVE listening
and ACTIVE speaking to the only One who can effect change: God. It is
also a force (and our only force) against the powers of darkness that
are violent and active against goodness.

So next time you go to your 'quiet place' to have 'quiet time'
meditate on the power that you hold and act on through prayer.

"... Power is the key to our victory, and prayer is the pathway to
power... prayer opens the doorway to the dynamic that shakes,
shatters, and does violence to the world of darkness."-Jack Hayford

The Power of Prayer

2008-01-15T14:18:00.001-08:00

Through my trial, I have been called to pray more and to ask for
intercessary prayer from those around me. So often in my life, prayer
is an after thought. It is a false promise: 'I will be praying for
you.' It is something thought of but not done. Please continue to
join me in God's adventure: PRAYER.

"I firmly believe that the missing ingredient in most Christians lives
and in most churches is prayer...I mean, strong, biblical,
prayer...It's the kind of prayer that is full of faith and trust, and
as we'll see, it's consistent, it's intense, and its
strategic....whenever God supernatural power is evident by signs,
wonders, transformed lives, and open doors that no one can explain, I
can guarantee you that somewhere, someone has been praying. Power
falls where prayer prevails..."-Chip Ingram

Prayer Request: Drew

2008-01-06T14:58:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, I have been through a very bizarre trial and a
very large judgment is hanging over us. Needless to say, Brooke
and I are going through a VERY stressful time.

Monday, January 28, 9:00am the judge will make his final decision on
the trial. Please pray over the next 22 days that the judge will
reduce significantly or reverse the judgment.

Intercessary Prayer

2008-01-02T15:01:00.001-08:00

"...informal, spontaneous times of prayer grow out of deep seasons
with God. We can pray as we drive, in the middle of a conversation,
when and was rushed by, and when were quiet and not really thinking
about anything-- until a vivid image of a need to comes to
mind..."-chip Ingram

Have you ever had the out of the blue urge to pray for someone? It
probably happens to me all the time and I just ignore it...but from
what I have been learning...that is probably the wrong approach.

According to the 'prayer experts' that I have read...the out of the
blue seemingly random nudges we get to pray for someone are what are
known as intercessary prayer...God places these 'prayer moments' on
our heart to help those in need.

I had one of those nudges/urges a few weeks ago so I stopped and
prayed for the friend that 'popped' into my mind at the time. Several
days later, I called the friend and he told me of a very difficult
time that he and his wife were having on Friday at 3pm. That was the
exact time that I got the nudge to pray for them! Yes, chills! Does
anyone have any similar experiences? Please post as comment on the
blog or email me with them.

when you feel a nudge or in my case a shove from God to pray....stop
and drop what you are doing and PRAY!

Being Spiritual

2008-01-02T14:43:00.001-08:00

As some of you may have read my last blog entry on everything being
spiritual (www.prayfast.blogspot.com), I just had an event that
definitely could have been more spiritual...I was riding my bike (with
a helmet thankfully) trying to catch up to my kids, and a dog off a
leash ran right in front of me causing me to fly over the handle bars
and do a face plant on the ground....needless to say, I had a few
choice words/ideas pop into my head....but seeing as everything is
spiritual...I drew a big breath and brushed myself off and told the
dog owner: 'Have a nice day.'

Now my point is: If I were living IN the adventure of seeing
everything as spiritual, as seeing everything from a kingdom
perspective...I would have been able to take note that ANY occurance
can be seen as an opportunity to LIVE in the adventure. What many call
a divine appointment! Now if I had that perspective, I would have been
able to take the opportunity to bless the dog owner. Thankfully, I
was able to hold my tongue and utter the pathetic but neutral: 'have a
nice day' comment.

Spiritual

2007-12-31T14:21:00.001-08:00

We don't look for things that can be seen but for things that can't be
seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that
can't be seen last forever. (2Co 4:18 GW)

Through my recent trial, God has been teaching me the importance of
prayer, challenged me to fast, and opening my eyes to the 'things that
can't be seen' i.e. the spiritual world.

It is my hope in the coming weeks to share with you the radical and
revolutionary concepts that I am just starting to learn and understand
that if placed at the forefront of our hearts and minds can and will
change the world around us.

It has been my understanding that the spiritual is the unseen and
prayer is trying to talk to the unseen God but that is a very naive
and narrow view. God is starting to open my eyes and heart to the
more radical view that the spiritual is all that is seen and all that
is real and all that matters.

What if the spiritual is all that is? The spiritual is "really the
only thing that is celebrated... in the arts, in biography and
history, and in most of our popular writings in magazines and the
like." ALL the popular writings-magazines, newspapers, etc focus
primarily on "what people think and feel, on what they might or should
do and why, and on what kind of character they have..." All the
immaterial, unseen and therefore spiritual things! The AMAZING reality
is that "the spiritual simply is our life, no matter what grand
theories we may hold or what we may say when trying to be
"intellectual," "well informed," and "up-to-date.""-Dallas Willard

How do you Fast?

2007-12-31T14:20:00.003-08:00

There are many ways to fast. From my reading of God's Chosen Fast by
Arthur Wallis and my discussions with a friend of mine who has fasted
for several weeks at a time, I have learned a few key concepts on how
to fast:

There are 2 main types of fasts:
The normal fast: abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water.
The partial fast: emphasis on restriction of diet rather than complete
abstention.

"Start with a partial fast, or else fast one day till supper. Next
time extend the fast till retiring, breaking it with just a light meal
or fruit only. When you can manage a one-day fast without feeling
faint or famished, you will be ready for any call of God to a longer
fast of 3, 5 or seven days."-Arthur Wallis

Here are a few notes on different types of fasts:
The simple fast: This is not eating but drinking only water from when
you get up in the morning to sundown i.e. eating only 1 meal in the
day--dinner.
The long fast: This is again drinking only water...but lasting 2 or
more days...from what I have read and learned from others, the first
several days are tough but there is a period just after the first few
days that you gain a hightened awareness of your surroundings and of
God...this usually lasts between day #3 and day #7-10...then true
hunger sets in and can be difficult (like the first few days without
food isn't?)
The modified fasts: My friend who fasted for over 2 weeks ate nothing
and drank only juices and occasionally had soup broth....I also have
friends who have fasted from certain foods: deserts, caffeine, etc.
There are many different ways to fast.

Please also note: I wouldn't recommend fasting for people with certain
medical conditions such as diabetics etc. (check with your doctor)

Why Fast?

2007-12-31T14:20:00.001-08:00

Fasting is considered one of the many spiritual disciplines. Through
the sacrifice of abstaining from food, one becomes more mindful of
God.

It was interesting to learn that Jesus didn't say to the disciples
'if' you fast...but 'when' you fast...implying that He expected the
disciples to fast.

"Fasting is designed to make prayer mount up as on Eagles wings... it
may be expected to drive back the oppressing powers of darkness and
loosing their hold on the prayer objective. It is calculated to give
an edge to man's intercessions and power to his petitions. Heaven is
ready to bend its ear to listen when someone prays with
fasting."-Arthur Wallis

"It is of supreme importance that you approach the spiritual exercise
bearing in mind these
principles and questions:
1. Am I confident that this desire to fast is God-given?
2. Are my motives right?
3. What are my spiritual objectives in this fast? Intercession? What
special burdens? Divine intervention, guidance, blessing?
4. Am I determined above all else to minister to the Lord in this fast?"

Finally also note:
"Beware of talking about your fast, either how long you fasted or of
experiences you may have been granted during it, "that your fasting
may be in secret," as Christ commanded."

Prayer request re: Bob

2007-12-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

Please pray for Bob who is depressed after 4 years of non-stop attack
and abuse at work. Please pray for him to come out of his depression
and be able to handle the unrelenting pressures of his job. Please
pray for him to remain employed and earn an income despite these
difficulties.

Prayer Request Re: Briana

2007-12-19T15:52:00.001-08:00

Kristi asked us to pray for her 12 year old, 7th grade daughter Briana
specifically for God to help Briana forgive her friends who have hurt
her, make new friends, and feel His peace and comfort during a tough
transition from elementary school to Middle school.

What is prayer?

2007-12-19T11:05:00.001-08:00

Prayer is SO much and there are so MANY ways to pray....but here is a
brief list of what prayer is about...

1. Time with God
"...Prayer is a window into knowing the mind of God, whose kingdom is
entrusted to all of us frail, selfish people on earth."-Philip Yancey
2. Praise to God: Thank Him for all the blessings in your life...
2. Requests to God: ASK Him, SEEK Him
3. Partnership with God
"...Prayer is our chance to join forces with God's power to confront
suffering and evil head-on."-Philip Yancey

How to pray

2007-12-19T11:00:00.001-08:00

If you are not prayer warriors...then start small....10 minutes per
day...start a list of prayers and add to it...

How to pray? As I have mentioned, I am a rookie at focused time in
prayer to God, and I often don't know how to start/what to say to
God....so I always fall back on a simple neumonic: A.C.T.S.
A: Adore God--tell God all the ways and reasons why you adore Him.
C: Confess to God--God is your secret sharer--tell Him ALL your
struggles, secrets, etc.
T: Thank God--tell God what you are thankful for...
S: Supplication--ASK! "Supplication is a continual praying--an ongoing quest for a given matter to be settled in God's will and it is also a contingent praying--a quest for God's order in God's timing..."-Jack Hayford...

that usually takes up at least 15 minutes...I set my timer and so
often the alarm goes off and I am shocked at how fast the time with
God goes by....(Please don't use a timer if you don't have to or want
to...it is just my way to not worry about looking at my watch...It
helps me focus on God for the entire time...)

Prayer Request re: Evan's Family

2007-12-19T10:43:00.001-08:00

A prayer request from a friend of mine:
"For your prayer ministry... here's a family that weighs heavy on me
and clearly needs prayer...They lost their 9yr old son 5 months after
being diagnoses with a rare metabolic disorder. He died Nov 2. This is
going to be a tough Christmas for them..." (Please pray for Evan's
family during this first Christmas without him: mom, dad, brother, and
Evan's twin sister.)

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/evancousineau