Unlocking You Keys
A Forty Day Prayer Guide
May 1 - June 8, 2008

Broadway Christian Church: A Praying Congregation

Prayer Guide Introduction

Scripture:

“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4: 8-9

Our beloved church is now a full year into our latest time of transition. We participated in Listening and Learning: A 40 Days of Prayer Journey, and used the fruits of our prayers to discern the strengths that we can build on as we live into the future to which our God calls us.

Transitions are opportunities which can be maximized or squandered. Please use this prayer journey to consider each of the eight keys of discipleship. Unlock your keys! And then, hopefully, “put it into practice.”

Now is the time for every member and friend of Broadway Christian Church to Step Up your time, talent and resources. 

Our goal in this moment is to become the ministries and missions that our God calls this community of faith to in this pregnant, transition moment. Together, we will partner in realizing our vision (printed at the bottom of the page).

Broadway Christian Church is already better than good:

§         The Broadway Spirit: a rich history of dedication to service both inside and outside

§         Mountaintop potential in a growing, dynamic university town

§         Beautiful, eighteen acre urban campus

§         Excellent facilities with capacity for 36% growth in average worship attendance within current worship structure, and capacity for 80% growth in average worship attendance by adding just one additional service

Birthed in love, currently in a pregnant moment, each of us has the opportunity to live into what our God has in mind for us!

The more we can learn during this process to discern and embrace those ministries and missions that enable BCC to become a radiating beacon of the love of Jesus Christ, the more we will become a powerful magnetic attraction for just the right team of ministers to partner with us for the future—together we can attain greatness in ministry and mission.

Enjoy the journey. Unlock your keys. “Put it into practice.”

Guy Adams

Our Vision is to do great things, enabling the transformation

 of many lives through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ

and to the glory of the Living God.

Broadway Christian Church: A Praying Congregation

Key to Discipleship: Give Generously and Graciously

Friday, May 9, 2008

            In today’s passage Paul is writing to the church in Corinth regarding the grace that             God has given the churches in Macedonia. These churches had come out of the most    severe trial and were now so overcome with the Holy Spirit that they could not contain             their generosity. They gave not only as much as they could give but even gave out of         their extreme poverty. Wow! In this day and age of materiality and stuff, it’s hard for             some of us to fathom having the level of faith that would accompany that level of    generosity. If you’ve never been there ponder for a moment, if you would, what it            means to give out of one’s poverty. II Corinthians 8 : 7  

What gives you true joy? Opening presents on Christmas day or going Christmas shopping for a neglected or abused child that is served by Rainbow House? In our household the later is an annual family event that brings true joy to each member of the family, and keeps us grounded during the heavily secularized Christmas season. At Broadway we are blessed to have a multitude of opportunities to reach out to and serve our needy community. Whether it the new Angel Food Ministries, the 20 year tradition of the annual Habitat for Humanity garage sale, or making our building accessible to multiple community groups.   Broadway’s presence in our community is prominent. We are blessed to have so many opportunities to minister to others by being generous with our time, talents and money.

During this time of transition please reflect and pray that God will lead you to the role he wants you to play during this critical point in the life of our congregation. Have you been blessed with financial means that, even though we’re in difficult and uncertain economic times, you could increase your pledge? Do you have other skills that will be needed during this time of transition? We all have a role to play and I believe that God has prepared each one of us for the role he wants us to play in what is the most significant event in the life Broadway in the last 20 years. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a member for twp months or 20 years. God wants you to give generously of both your time and resources.

What does giving generously mean to you? Can you do more than you’ve done in the past? Are you up for the challenge? Read II Corinthians 8 in its entirety then spend time in reflection and prayer.

Prayer for today: Heavenly Father, reveal your will for me during this transition period at Broadway. Show me ways in which I can be generous with my time, talents and resources.

Jeff Raetz

Sovereign Lord,

We celebrate and worship Your holy name.  Your love and faithfulness will last forever!  You have richly blessed us and we are grateful.  We thank you for the Keys to Discipleship you have given us, and humbly ask that you continue your work here.  Help us unlock our keys to grow in our personal walk with you and in our ministry and mission to others.  Please guide our community of faith as we seek your vision for Broadway Christian Church, the pastors that will partner with us, and the discipling plans you have in mind for each of us.  We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

Our Vision is to do great things, enabling the transformation

 of many lives through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ

 and to the glory of the Living God.

 Let me know what you are thinking, and I'll add your comments and questions into the conversational mix!

It's hard to believe that we are into our final week of the Forty Days of Prayer Journey. I know from talking with many of you that we've all had different experiences during the journey -- but most have appreciated doing it together. Now is the time to share some of your experiences with the Transition Team. See Guy's note to us below.

From Guy:

Share your thoughts!: For a Bountiful Harvest, BCC Needs You! As we reach the end of “Learning and Listening: A Forty Days of Prayer Journey,” we need every member and friend to listen and receive what God wants to communicate to us. As we have been reminded, God can communicate with us in so many ways: through a Scripture; through others (perhaps in your small group); through our own hearts and minds; through words or pictures or music or some other art form. How will you know the message you receive is from our Lord and Savior? Pray, for starters. And know that nothing truly from God will be inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Know too that the Transition Team—and all of us at Broadway—will be praying over all the “fruits” of our prayers. So, put away any doubts, and just write what you are feeling or thinking on one (or more) of the 3X5 “fruits of my prayers” cards. We will gather all the fruits, and then we will practice Christian discernment, as suggested in Psalm 25: 9, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.”

On Friday night, my family attended Family Fun Night at the church. (fabulous event, by the way -- there was a great turnout, and everyone had a lot of fun!) I had the opportunity to chat with one of my newer friends, Chris, and conversation turned to our mutual prayer journey. It was so delightful to start talking about a particular prayer guide article and have Chris know immediately what I was talking about and join in with his own perspective. Having that very specific common frame of reference has been much more powerful and uplifting than I expected. I've heard others talk about how empowered they have felt just by knowing that so many people are sharing the same experience with them.  Aside from the very real fruits we expect to harvest, it seems to me that the process of the journey has been very powerful in building some communities in our Church.  God is a true multi-tasker!

The topic that Chris and I discussed on Friday night was the Serenity Prayer. Although, like many of you, I was very familiar with the first part of the prayer -- the "rest of the story" was new to me, and really touched my heart. I thought it deserved a re-run here:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen

Here is a really lovely presentation of the entire prayer, with images and music.

http://www.the-serenity-prayer.com/

On our way to school today, my 5-year-old daughter asked me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?". I laughed, and said "Do you think I'm not grown up yet?". Her reply, in typically logical 5-year-old fashion, was "Well, you're 44, and next year you'll be 45...". As she saw it, I was still growing up, and she was profoundly right.

How often do we reach a milestone in our culture and declare ourselves a "grown-up"? I have my first professional job. I'm married, I'm a parent. I'm wondering if we also reach spiritual milestones with a similar reaction. I'm a believer. I've joined the church. I've read the entire bible. I've finished 40 days of praying (religiously!) Are we ever tempted to think we are now spiritual grown-ups?

If I ever find myself at that point, I think I'll just talk to a 5-year-old about it. I think she'll remind me that even at my age, I still have a lot of growing up to do!

As we are entering the midpoint of our forty days of prayer, it is natural to begin to turn our attention to listening.... Will God answer our prayers? How will God communicate to us? How can I hear what God "says"?

Here are two great resources, right here on our BCC website. The first is Rick's sermon from June 24 this year, "The Keys to Answered Prayer":
http://www.broadwaychristian.net/article87209.htm

And the second is Rick's sermon from July 22 this year, "Some Things to Know About Receiving an Answer to Your Prayers":
http://www.broadwaychristian.net/article89603.htm

Barbara writes:

Resa, thanks for sharing your experience at the triathlon! I felt that the metaphor of running different races is very meaningful in my individual prayer life, because some days it is a exciting sprint for me, and it all comes so easily and i feel so "revved up!" And many other days it feels more like Im just showing up trying to get through my "prayer workout" and just content that I am finding a way to keep going. I have already seen blessings come from this endeavor and am appreciative for those of you who are also sharing your experiences.

Thanks for sharing your own experience, Barbara! It is so good to hear about the ups AND the downs that everyone has at one time or another. Your comment about "just showing up" -- and the commitment that is suggested--  is something I want to talk about in a future post. Thanks for bringing it up!

Hi everyone! Can you believe we are already into our third week of our prayer journey? Is it starting to feel a little more habitual for you? Something you actually do look forward to? It was really a joy to be in church with you all on Sunday. There was something a little different about it -- knowing that some 500 of us were on a similar journey.

One of the folks in my prayer group talked about her realization of how empowering it was to her to know that we were all reading the same scriptures, and the same prayer guide, and praying for the same (or similar) things! And, in the next breath, one of our other members said that although she had been expecting that, she just wasn't getting those feelings.  I've experienced both of those perspectives at one time or another, and I expect that many of you have as well.

I'm reminded of how different our individual journeys can be -- even when we have the same goals, the same preparation, the same guides. Last Sunday I missed church because my family went to Innsbrook Resort to watch my brother participate in a triathlon. One of the other participants that day was our own dear Marilyn McCreary. Triathlons are actually not a really great spectator sport. You get a chance to see some racers start and finish the various legs of the race -- but mostly you are sitting around waiting, and thinking. These are some of my non-triathlete observations -- except for a few of the more highly trained athletes, most of the hundreds of participants are not necessarily aiming to be the first to cross the finish line. They are looking to perform well, perhaps achieve a personal best, and many are hoping to just  finish on their feet. They all run different races. Some of them try to shave off every time-wasting second -- they are taking off their cycling shoes even while they are still sprinting for the transition area to put on their running shoes. Some of them use the transition areas to catch their breath and switch gears -- a few seconds delay is not going to keep them from completing their race. And some take a break in the middle of the race and sit down to eat a sandwich -- knowing that it will give them what they need to keep going to the end! They all run a different race.

My brother and Marilyn ran very different races last Sunday. But, they both crossed the finish line, and called it a victory. And I expect that the last one to cross the finish line actually got a bigger cheer than the first one -- because that racer's teammates, who had finished earlier, were all waiting there to encourage, support and congratulate.  It strikes me that our spiritual journeys are much the same. Some of us feel things that others don't. Some may "get it" immediately, and some of us may never think we've got it. And, I think that is OK -- we all have our own race to run.

How many of you took that walk this morning? I chose not to, for several reasons -- but Roger's point is well-taken. It will be worth your while to pause a moment and think about what you've done so far on this prayer journey, and where you are going next. If you are anything like me, you may have started out the journey full of enthusiasm, paying close attention, and perhaps enjoying the newness of what you are feeling. But -- two weeks into our commitment, you might find your interest flagging a little, or it now feels a little routine, and can be easy to forget. You may find yourself going thru your whole day without ever finding the time to spend a few moments of quiet time with God in prayer.

Please know that if that is happening, you're probably a pretty normal human being. The newness is gone, but the habit isn't yet formed. In my unscientific opinion, a little attention drift is normal, so don't beat yourself up about it. The question is -- what do we do about it? Roger had a great suggestion in our prayer guide to change things up a little -- put yourself in a new environment, and see things a different way. A change in your routine might be the thing to refresh you.

I, personally, like to keep my physical routine intact. But -- I have found myself making a mental change. I do my prayer time around 5am every morning. That means that my alarm goes off 15 minutes earlier, 'cause I sure can't get up the first time it goes off! I don't mind telling you that it is often a struggle to get to my "meeting". So -- as I lay in bed, struggling towards full consciousness, I pray that God will meet me where I am and take me the rest of the way. Mercifully, He does.

Are you starting to feel a bit of a slump? How are you dealing with it?

Here's a very interesting story I ran across today that I want to share (the link to the full article is at the bottom of the piece).

 Imagine you are hired to open up an office in Anchorage, Alaska. Your new boss gives you a high-tech looking two-way radio, a policy and procedure manual, and tells you that you will receive instructions once you arrive, and off you go. Upon arrival you hear your boss's voice over the radio, saying, "I will communicate to you through this radio unit. But take note: our competitors, our enemies, also have access to this channel. They will try to impersonate my voice with false messages to thwart our purposes." "Oh no!" you panic, "Then how will I know if it is you or the enemy giving me instructions?"

Your boss's voice comes back over the radio: "Three ways. First, considering the situation, check every message supposedly from me against the policy and procedure manual. Since I wrote it, I'm not likely to ask you to violate it, right? Also, if I am not talking, don't focus in on the noise, pretending that I am. If I am not speaking, let the manual be your guide. Don't let any impersonating voice mislead you, or your own overactive imagination."

"Second, since the Manual does not cover every situation, you will have to get to know my voice. I know, this will take time, and so I am not likely to ask you to do anything radical until we both have some low-risk successes under our belts. Remember, I understand the situation perfectly well, so I'll go slow at first. A time will come when I will be able to tell you to do the wildest things, and you will know it is me. In the short-term, you must be trained through low-risk experience."

"Third, over time, my overall purpose for your work will begin to come into focus. You will begin to see the grand strategy in the policy and procedure manual, and the overall pattern of my true instructions. When this happens, you'll know instantly if what you hear through your unit is 'of me', just your imagination, or enemy misinformation. False instructions will begin to appear silly to you then. So take heart, and get to work."

After reflecting on this a few moments, you hear your boss's voice again on the radio unit. "Take all of the money from petty cash and give it the next person that walks in, no questions asked." Hmmm... You look in the policy and procedure manual, and this is specifically forbidden. Besides, you know your boss wouldn't tell you to do something that risky right off. And also there was an certain "twang" to the voice, an appeal to something different within you, and a plan that was not in the long-term interests of the company. So, even though you are on a hostile channel, you are beginning to have hope that you can indeed do this job.

To view the site that this story came from: http://www.acts17-11.com/hearing.html (and please note that when I share a thought or excerpt from another website it is not always an endorsement of that site and its views. I offer it because I find some part of it interesting or provocative -- you should use your own good judgment! If something on the site raises questions for you -- ask someone you trust!)

So – speaking of all the voices in my head when I’m trying to have a quiet time with God… One of the anxieties that some have expressed about this prayer journey is the question of how we know that thoughts are from God – and not just our own human (and perhaps flawed) thoughts. That strikes me as a perfectly valid question. I can talk myself into almost anything, and convince myself that it is God’s will and purpose for me. Sometimes it may be – but most certainly it is often my own invention. But, at the same time, I don’t want to discount every great idea and miss God’s direction.

 Christopher writes:

 Listening to God? Sometimes it's hard to be sure one has the message correct, and sometimes it's hard to be sure if the message is from God and not, nefariously, from something else. There is a good test about that, though.

 We can certainly pray for discernment, and expect that God will provide that. We, ourselves, can hold our own ideas in prayer, and listen for further confirmation. One of the best suggestions I’ve heard during this process is to note down our thoughts and ideas, let go of our personal investment in the ideas, and then continue to pray about them for the rest of the 40 days. The vessel into which we are going to deposit the “fruits” of this process will, intentionally, be left in the sanctuary until the fifth week or so of this journey. It will only be after we’ve spent weeks in prayer that we will be encouraged to add our voices to the conversation. I take some comfort that all of our suggestions for BCC will be prayed over by others, and they will surely be tested time and again before decisions are made. As we began this journey, one of the members of the transition team said that there is no better plan than a plan that’s founded on prayer. That rings true with me, and gives me confidence to keep praying!

I'm so encouraged by everyone's response to the blog! It is yet more evidence that when you step out in faith, God can do great things! Yesterday alone we had over 70 hits on our blog page -- and I'm pretty sure I didn't send out nearly that many emails! Several of you sent in some great comments (posted below) -- so know that you have an audience, and your words may be the ones that give someone else a spark, some comfort, or simply let them know that they aren't the only ones who feel "that way". This morning, I'm going to let our guest writers speak for themselves!

Guy~

No one could be more of a project when it comes to prayer than me. I spent literally decades of my life not praying at all. Apart from prayers in church, I was clueless. I started from scratch. I’ve learned everything I know about prayer at BCC, and it hasn’t come very fast. Stephen Ministry has been the biggest boost in my prayer life (at least until now).

The first 40 days of prayer (which the Transition Team did back in the Summer) really brought discipline to my prayer life (badly needed!). We prayed a lot for guidance on how best to involve as many Broadway folk as possible in our congregational 40 days of prayer. There wasn’t any booming voice from the heavens for me, but I have no doubt whatsoever than our prayers were answered (that my own prayers were answered) and the Holy Spirit guided our efforts. We have so many people involved; praise be to God!

My biggest revelation so far is how good it feels to handle my Bible every day, to find a scripture passage (to remember exactly where the books of the Bible are all over again), to read scripture every day….. and that’s before I actually pray.

I want to thank every person for every prayer that is offered in faith to our Lord. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Betty~

As I begin my part of this prayer journey, it is just now becoming clearer to me how much devotion, dedication, organization, prayer, and just plain hard work has gone into this spiritual journey for our church. As I see all the pieces fit together from Gay Reese's book and before through the present, I am overwhelmed and very grateful. This is an amazing orchestration, much like a piece of beautiful music, with all it's parts fitting together in wonderful harmony. I feel humbled and so thankful to be a part of it.

Audie~

It has been so helpful to be a part of a prayer group with the mutual goal of praying for the future as God directs us. The "Abraham Group" didn't need much encouragement to break the ice, they were willing to share and ready to grow! That has been very exciting. In fact, this week several people so much enjoyed/benefitted from this new prayer discipline that they wondered what they would do after the 40 days! Amazing!

This blog is such a great way for everyone to connect, share their triumphs and concerns. A blog is so "instant" and doesn't wait for a group meeting to share an idea.

How did everyone do today in letting go of that "weight" and "running free." I did good for a while, but picked up my weight again by the end of the afternoon. Looks like I need more practice. :)

Pam~

This Forty Days of Prayer is the best thing since sliced bread in my way of thinking. It is challenging yet in a wonderful way extremely comforting. It seems as if God is engulfing me in his arms. I feel a stronger connection and closeness with our Lord and I am not sure why I feel that now. I have always prayed and communed with Our Father but I don't recall ever having these feelings before. I wonder what that is all about. Oh well I'm not going to over think it I am just going to keep on praying with the expectation that I will hear His answers to my prayers. I keep you all in my prayers and thanks Resa for your time and effort in setting up this Blog for us. Blessings To You All,

Here we are, a week into our Forty Days of Prayer -- and I'm finally getting the blog going! Fortunately, with the technical learning curve behind me, we can focus on what we're actually here for!

How did you get along with your prayer time this week? Was it easy and familiar, or new, with a bit of anxiety thrown in? In some respects, praying is old-hat with me. I've been sending up short dispatches to God most of my life -- mostly pleas for help or mercy; sometimes gratitude and praise. These are all perfectly normal and important parts of prayer, but they do share one thing in common -- they are mostly all about me talking to God. What is new for me is to make an attempt to LISTEN to God.

So -- I find that listening to God is not all that easy! The first couple of days, I was feeling pretty good. I went to my spot, at the appointed time, and felt a peace and a communion with God. I had some productive thoughts that I duly recorded to prayer over further. But, once the novelty wore off, I found myself back in the frustrating mire of my own mind. Given a bit of silence, my brain frantically tries to fill the spaces with just about any kind of trivia it can dredge up. I'm going to confess to you all right now that I spent way more time last week than I should have re-hashing the house guests' strategies on Big Brother 8! Although it is tremendously frustrating, the only thing to do is to notice what my brain is doing, and bring it back around. I pray for help, and I keep trying!