Comments on: Prayer Conference http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/ The musings and ravings of a bloggart family Tue, 7 Oct 2008 03:27:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Tim http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1040 Tim Sun, 29 Apr 2007 22:32:50 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1040 Thank you to each of you who commented -- I am always honored when people read one of my blog entries. I appreciate the gift of your time -- comments are always (or nearly always) encouraging. :) In response to specific questions: Jennifer, the area surrounding the church that hosted the conference is very rural -- even in Washington, there are holdout communities (probably in a violent standoff with State Police) that don't yet have a Starbucks. We must be gentle with the unenlightened. :) Cynthia -- yes, I have read Brother Lawrence's <i>Practicing the Presence of God</i>, several times; I consider it an essential read for a serious Christian, and it has had a major guiding influence in my life. Jennifer -- sure, you can link to this entry from your blog. I'm skeptical at any positive impact that my writings will have on an avowed enemy of God, and I am not likely to permit comments on this blog from strangers ... but I can't see that it will do any harm. :) With regard to service, I don't recall that Pastor Duke had a lot to say about that, although his church certainly served those of us who attended the conference with meals (and some with lodging) and I know that they are active in missions in Africa. Without putting words in his mouth, I would not be surprised if Duke would argue that prayer <i>is</i> service, and service of the most effective kind. Again, thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. Thank you to each of you who commented — I am always honored when people read one of my blog entries. I appreciate the gift of your time — comments are always (or nearly always) encouraging. :)

In response to specific questions:
Jennifer, the area surrounding the church that hosted the conference is very rural — even in Washington, there are holdout communities (probably in a violent standoff with State Police) that don’t yet have a Starbucks. We must be gentle with the unenlightened. :)

Cynthia — yes, I have read Brother Lawrence’s Practicing the Presence of God, several times; I consider it an essential read for a serious Christian, and it has had a major guiding influence in my life.

Jennifer — sure, you can link to this entry from your blog. I’m skeptical at any positive impact that my writings will have on an avowed enemy of God, and I am not likely to permit comments on this blog from strangers … but I can’t see that it will do any harm. :)
With regard to service, I don’t recall that Pastor Duke had a lot to say about that, although his church certainly served those of us who attended the conference with meals (and some with lodging) and I know that they are active in missions in Africa. Without putting words in his mouth, I would not be surprised if Duke would argue that prayer is service, and service of the most effective kind.

Again, thank you all for your kind words and encouragement.

]]> By: Debbie http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1031 Debbie Sun, 29 Apr 2007 03:12:28 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1031 Wonderful post, Tim! I've been thinking a lot about prayer recently, mostly for me about how we pray and how praise for me is such a small part of it. I'm reading some fun fiction books called the Yada Yada Prayer Group series and although it is fiction, the themes are very good and always come back to our need to go to prayer first. As always, I enjoy your blog and you and Kathy compliment each other so well. God bless you both! Wonderful post, Tim! I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer recently, mostly for me about how we pray and how praise for me is such a small part of it.

I’m reading some fun fiction books called the Yada Yada Prayer Group series and although it is fiction, the themes are very good and always come back to our need to go to prayer first.

As always, I enjoy your blog and you and Kathy compliment each other so well.

God bless you both!

]]> By: Jennifer http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1027 Jennifer Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:22:04 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1027 Tim, Can I link this to my blog? There are a few athiest/agnostic readers and this would be the perfect explanation of the difference between random prayer and relational prayer. On service; do you think Pastor Duke was saying we should be serving more, or serving God wherever and whenever He leads? Tim,
Can I link this to my blog? There are a few athiest/agnostic readers and this would be the perfect explanation of the difference between random prayer and relational prayer.

On service; do you think Pastor Duke was saying we should be serving more, or serving God wherever and whenever He leads?

]]> By: Cynthia http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1026 Cynthia Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:41:54 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1026 Loved your post! As always, I come away from your blog having been ministered to... Have you ever read the book Practicing His Presence? I really enjoyed it. It spoke volumes to me about every day and every hour making a conscious effort to acknoweldge God.. about having an ongoing dialog with God throughout the day. Loved your post! As always, I come away from your blog having been ministered to…

Have you ever read the book Practicing His Presence? I really enjoyed it. It spoke volumes to me about every day and every hour making a conscious effort to acknoweldge God.. about having an ongoing dialog with God throughout the day.

]]> By: Yvonne http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1025 Yvonne Sat, 28 Apr 2007 11:28:09 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1025 Tim and Kathy - Excellent food for thought. I loved your dad's thoughts too. Thanks for your faithfulness in posting. Like iron sharpens iron...you both really do make me a better person. ~Yvonne Tim and Kathy - Excellent food for thought. I loved your dad’s thoughts too. Thanks for your faithfulness in posting. Like iron sharpens iron…you both really do make me a better person. ~Yvonne

]]> By: Dad (Grandpa) Edgren http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1024 Dad (Grandpa) Edgren Sat, 28 Apr 2007 06:32:08 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1024 Tim: This posting warms my heart (as I'm sure it will Mom's when she reads it). I agree with Pastor Duke that volume IS the important thing. I also believe that an attitude of "continuing in prayer" will result in more than 15 minutes each day rather quickly. What I mean is that whenever a person comes to mind - you pray for that person - sometimes maybe only a single sentence - or a situation. Then there's "continuing in prayer" of thanksgiving where you thank God for an action, event, person, or a near miss on the highway. "Thank you Lord for sparing me." Or the simple prayer of "What am I supposed to learn from this Lord?" As you know, when Mom & I pray on our walks, we use the ACTS formula. Sometimes it is hard to come up with the superlatives one needs for ADORATION. So just thanking God for who He is or who Jesus is becomes a form of adoration. One thing we usually ask the Lord for each day is that He will bring to our remembrance those people or events/situations we ought to be praying for in the course of the day. He always does. Don't worry about hitting a certain volume (level or time). If we practice the presence of God, the quantity will follow. One other thing. When you don't feel like praying (don't feel spiritual enough) pray anyway, even if it seems mechanical - if you keep at it you will soon "feel" plenty spiritual. You may remember that when you were a kid, Mom and I would say to you when you were told to do something you didn't want to do, "You don't have to LIKE it, you just have to DO it." Sometimes that's the way it is with prayer. Satan doesn't want you to pray - so he'll do whatever it takes to keep you from praying. Making prayer a habit is one way to overcome that resistance to serious prayer that we all experience. We don't worry about how we feel about it - we just DO it. Ultimately God's blessing accrues - even if we weren't the most pious when we were praying. Well enough on this. Just DO IT. Pray on!!! Love, Dad Tim: This posting warms my heart (as I’m sure it will Mom’s when she reads it). I agree with Pastor Duke that volume IS the important thing. I also believe that an attitude of “continuing in prayer” will result in more than 15 minutes each day rather quickly. What I mean is that whenever a person comes to mind - you pray for that person - sometimes maybe only a single sentence - or a situation. Then there’s “continuing in prayer” of thanksgiving where you thank God for an action, event, person, or a near miss on the highway. “Thank you Lord for sparing me.” Or the simple prayer of “What am I supposed to learn from this Lord?” As you know, when Mom & I pray on our walks, we use the ACTS formula. Sometimes it is hard to come up with the superlatives one needs for ADORATION. So just thanking God for who He is or who Jesus is becomes a form of adoration. One thing we usually ask the Lord for each day is that He will bring to our remembrance those people or events/situations we ought to be praying for in the course of the day. He always does.

Don’t worry about hitting a certain volume (level or time). If we practice the presence of God, the quantity will follow. One other thing. When you don’t feel like praying (don’t feel spiritual enough) pray anyway, even if it seems mechanical - if you keep at it you will soon “feel” plenty spiritual.

You may remember that when you were a kid, Mom and I would say to you when you were told to do something you didn’t want to do, “You don’t have to LIKE it, you just have to DO it.” Sometimes that’s the way it is with prayer. Satan doesn’t want you to pray - so he’ll do whatever it takes to keep you from praying. Making prayer a habit is one way to overcome that resistance to serious prayer that we all experience. We don’t worry about how we feel about it - we just DO it.

Ultimately God’s blessing accrues - even if we weren’t the most pious when we were praying. Well enough on this. Just DO IT. Pray on!!!
Love, Dad

]]> By: Jennifer http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1023 Jennifer Sat, 28 Apr 2007 03:59:58 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1023 OK Tim, what is it about Oregon and Starbuck's? I think there may be a conspiracy or something. You'd think that being so close to Washington would at least put a Starbuck's on every OTHER corner. I think we may need to talk about this to Dee Duke and ask if he would consider coming up here for some real coffee and doughnuts! You wrote such a thoughtful blog and I'm commenting on coffee....my priorities are wrong here, I'll comment more later about the important stuff. OK Tim, what is it about Oregon and Starbuck’s? I think there may be a conspiracy or something. You’d think that being so close to Washington would at least put a Starbuck’s on every OTHER corner. I think we may need to talk about this to Dee Duke and ask if he would consider coming up here for some real coffee and doughnuts!

You wrote such a thoughtful blog and I’m commenting on coffee….my priorities are wrong here, I’ll comment more later about the important stuff.

]]> By: Malta http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1022 Malta Sat, 28 Apr 2007 03:17:41 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/04/27/prayer-conference/#comment-1022 Thank you, Tim, for writing this about prayer. I pray a lot, but maybe not as much as I need to pray. Thank you, Tim, for writing this about prayer. I pray a lot, but maybe not as much as I need to pray.

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