Fasting: Just Try It.

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

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

"... 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

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

"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

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

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

"...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

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.