Lifeway Church

Every year at Lifeway Church we dedicate the entire month of January to prayer.  We have prayer meeting practically every day, except for Saturday, that literally saturate the month with prayer.  Several years ago we added the discipline of fasting along with prayer and these have proven to be powerful tools that God has given us to advance His agenda in our lives and our church.  I can not say that the month of prayer was my idea though.  I learned this when I attended a church in south Texas in the mid 90's called Iglesia Del Pueblo.  The pastor there was instrumental in shaping who I am today as a pastor.  Every year without fail we had a month of prayer and I remembered saying to myself then, that if I ever pastored a church, I too would have a month of prayer.  So, to Pastor Juan de la Garza I say, "Thank you for teaching and modeling me the importance of prayer.  It is a lesson I have never forgotten and never will."  Here at Lifeway, we are about to conclude our month of prayer.  It has felt like a race of sort.  Sometimes I felt we've been running up hill and at other times I've felt like we've been running down hill with the wind at our backs.  We've seen some amazing things through out the month and God has revealed Himself in awesome ways in the lives of so many people.  As we near the finish line, ready to raise our hands to break the tape that means we've finished, I see a sign in the distance that calls out to me.  The words are clear and I know that its message is for me and the body of Christ.  The sign reads, "KEEP RUNNING!"  I know what this means and it's unmistakable.  Although the month of prayer is over, we're to keep praying.  God is calling us to a life of prayer and not just a month of prayer.  Nothing builds my faith like prayer.  Nothing builds my vision like prayer.  Nothing causes me to dream bigger like prayer.  Nothing causes me to love more like prayer.  Nothing causes me to give more like prayer.  Nothing causes me to be a better dad like prayer.  Nothing causes me to be a better husband like prayer.  Nothing lines up my heart with God's mission like prayer.  That is why the Apostle Paul said, "Never stop praying!" (1Thessalonians 5:17).  Pray!  Pray!  Pray!  So at the end of this race, there's another race to run.  My friends it's time to keep praying.  Let's do it!