Amazed & Confused

Making spaces...

It's a strange sensation when months of preparation, hard work, hope and travel come to fruition.  Last week, one of my greatest focuses of the past few months finally went live.  The 24-7 Spaces podcast (short, daily, videos to help you pray through lent) have gone out to who knows how many people around the world.  Amazing!

I love my work but there are a few projects and opportunities that shine among the rest.  Spaces is definitely one of them.  It something I feel we should be doing not just a could be.  I love hearing stories of how people use them and the dreams, ideas and prayers they inspire.  My favourites included hearing about families using them at dinner time and the couple who watched one whilst in the early stages of labour!  I wonder how they'll be used this season?

Pete kicked off the season amazingly last week (so wise!) and this week it's my turn.  Here was Monday's episode about one of my heroes, Mary the mother of Jesus:

 

Then today's episode about Jesus clearing the temple...

 

These episodes were a pleasure to prepare and film.  There are few things more fun then making something like this with good friends that helps other connect with God.  I'll post the remaining videos below as the week goes on but if you're interested in following the whole season then find out more here.

We are what we eat...

We are what we eat, what we buy, what we consume. That’s how it goes right? What you obtain, what you invest in, where your heart dwells and where you spend your time… these are the things that shape and disciple us. Physically, emotionally, mentally… but how do we know when the things we consume begin to consume us?

Today much of the Western Church embarks on Lent, a journey toward Easter. An annual rhythm that challenges our role as consumers at the centre of a service orientated society. A time of denial and self-control. The season to stop, breathe and ask ourselves the question: what and whom am I living for?

“Get ready the road for the Lord.” John 1:23

I have an eclectic church background; before finding my community I sampled a selection of the flavours the wider Church has to offer. My current church doesn't make a big deal of lent. We’ve not rejected it we simply don’t closely follow any traditional church calendar. However, observing lent is a habit I picked up young and has stuck with me. When I dive into the season I’ve found that God gives to me more than I ever give up for Him.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Matthew 4:1-2

What do I hunger for?

Mimicking Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, I’ve joined many in fasting, praying and facing big questions and temptations. Each year God reveals something new in my character or faith journey. In my early twenties fasting make-up gave God room to talk with me about my worth and value. Last year when I gave up music on my daily commute He opened my eyes to the ways I shut myself off from the world around me. When I fast from food, and my stomach grumbles, “Lord, teach me to hunger for your presence” has skipped off my lips.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, 
so my soul pants for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 
When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2

This morning millions will have woken to a new fast, preparing hearts and minds to walk through death and into life and hope on resurrection Sunday. Be it a challenge to give something up or the establishment of a new holy habit, we’re examining our hearts and minds and inviting the light of Jesus shine in our darkness…

“Lent is the time for trimming the soul and scrapping the sludge off a life turned slipshod. Lent is about taking stock of time, even religious time. Lent is about exercising the control that enables us to say no to ourselves so that when life turns hard of its own accord we have the stamina to yes to its twists and turns with faith and hope… Lent is the time to make new efforts to be what we say we want to be.” Sister Joan Chittister

In an individualistic world, lent is a corporate act of humility that looks to Jesus and says; “I want to love you more than myself.” Whether you follow the Western or Eastern Church rhythms, or if like me you’re from a stream that doesn’t jump into lent, why not consider engaging in the pre-Easter journey in 2012. Lent is just an excuse… it’s unimportant when you start, end or how you calculate 40 days. The journey from now to Easter is an opportunity; an invitation and all are welcome…

As I embark on this year’s fast I find myself drawn to balance my denial with delight, my fasting with feasting. This Lent as I open one hand and let go of something for a time, I stretch out the other take hold of a new rhythm. From today to Easter Sunday I, like thousands of others, will be consuming the gospel of John in prayer.

Join the 24-7 Prayer community as we make 5 minutes, for 40 days to walk through the life of Jesus. Subscribe to the 24-7 Spaces podcast and watch short devotional videos hosted by people caught up in this movement.

This week launches with Pete Greig sharing from John chapter 1. Find out more and watch the latest videos here.

“Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; 
be merciful to me and answer me. 
My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ 
Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Psalm 27:7-8

40 days, 5 minutes, 1 Gospel...

 

8 planes, 8 faces and four nations; that's what will have gone into this video prayer podcast when we wrap in a few weeks.  This season of 24-7 Spaces seems the most exciting yet with people I love, leading us in prayer a week at a time through the Gospel of John.  I've been so tied up in helping make this happen it's bizzare that it's come round for release already!  If you're interested and want to know more then click play and find out what Pete Greig (England), Tash Creaney (Northern Ireland), Ralf Neumann (Germany), Brian Heasley (Ibiza), Adam Cox, Jon Petersen and Joe Steinke (USA)... and me too... will be talking and praying about this lent. 

Freezing my nose off to help thousands pray

Travel has been my watch-word for the last two weeks with retreats, prayer weekends, trips to Northern Ireland and now Germany taking me away from home and off into the big wide world.

It's been challenging, exciting, refreshing, tiring, inspiring, fun, thought provoking and much more to be away with lovely people in interesting places.  I'm looking forward to this little splurge of travel coming to an end tomorrow night as I fly back home to my waiting hubby and get my teeth stuck into all the work that's been awaiting my return.

The last trip in my schedule is to somewhere new.  Today I fly from Gatwick and arrive in Berlin!  Though I've been to Germany many times I have never landed in it's capitol city and though I only get to drive through it, I look forward to waving hello through a car window.  From Berlin airport Chris Stone and I will drive to Neubrandenberg for 24 packed hours with the great Ralf Neumman.  This rather brief jaunt is to film Ralf's contribution to the upcoming 24-7 Spaces podcast; a 40 day video podcast that helps anyone interested in praying through the life of Jesus in the gospel of John this lent.  So far the contributions people have made have been inspiring!  I can't wait for it to begin.

However... if passion is determined by how much you are willing to suffer for something you love then I must be passionate about Spaces.  I got a text today informing me that it's currently -16 in Neubrandenberg!!!  What!?!  We are totally going to freeze our noses off filming outside in the Datzberg.  Oh well shoud be fun.  If frost bite has spared my fingers I shall blog about it upon my return.  Here's to a new city! 

Is my Dad going to be OK? Please say yes...

The title of this post was a real prayer, found in a prayer space... Few things move me more than honest encounters with God.  In 24-7 Prayer Rooms and Spaces in churches, workplaces, prisons, community hubs and schools, people poor out what they really think, what they really want, how they actually feel deep down where no-one else can see.  Sometimes it spills out into an artistic explosion, other times a simple prayer or question... but if all I do with my life is walk with and encourage communities making space for this, I'll die a happy woman.

As this movement continues to... well... move... a new swell has emerged in the ordinary schools of our nation.  Prayer Spaces in Schools began only a few years ago yet they've spread like a wild fire across the UK & Ireland.  These creative, holy spaces in hosted in primary and secondary schools for a day or week, provide space for a generation to encounter a living and interested God.  We ran two here in Chichester and both times I was floored by the truth, questioning and genuine response evident on the walls / cargo nets / paint spaces / crosses.  It was messy, uncertain, unfinished and absolutely gorgeous. 

It's also spreading...

There's been interest from a few different nations about taking prayer spaces to schools but one that has just run with it is Uganda.  Yesterday I heard that a group of schools are joining together to host spaces back to back filling the academic year in 2012!  A generation, praying through the academic year.  Amazing!  

Yesterday the teaser film for the new Prayer Spaces in Schools video was released in the UK.  Take a look and let us know what you think... Could this be something for your local schools?

Prayer Spaces in Schools Teaser from Prayer Spaces In Schools on Vimeo.

 

Moments captured in the aperture of the mind

Today I opened a new journal... I'd set aside the practice last summer but it's been calling to me so I return to it again.  There's a lot happening right now.  Lots on my mind.  Good things, great things, things to make decisions about.  I don't want to lose the big picture so have turned to marking pages with streams of conscious to capture every aspect of what lies ahead.  It gave me peace...

Often I marvel at where God/life/choices have taken me.  As I emailed a 24-7 Prayer Room in the Dominican Republic I stopped to wonder how on earth we became connected.  Where did they find out about 24-7 Prayer?  What made them pray?  This movement never stops moving :)

The photo above was a beautiful moment in a rather hectic week.  Chris (the camera man), Scot (taking the photo) and I found ourselves on West Witterings beach at sunset.  We were filming an episode of the 24-7 Spaces podcast for this lent.  The bleak vista and an amazing passage from John combined to make the moment beautiful.  How did I end up there?  How come I get to do this?  I am so grateful.

If I don't capture these moments in the aperture of my mind they would pass by with little appreciation of their worth.  Journalling, blogging, conversing - they make me grateful.  Looking back, around and ahead I know that there's much that's happened I need to remember and much yet to be done that I must consider.  

Here's to today, a fresh page and a poised pen...

New Dawn: It's prayer Jim, but not as we know it...

From the 28th - 29th January (just a few weekends time) Theresa Stone, Emma Nicholson and I are going to eat, sleep and pray on a big beautiful boat with a whole bunch of other people :)  Why?  Well the CYE sailing centre have invited our little 24-7 Prayer team to come and lead a group of people through a weekend on prayer.  Theresa and I worked on our sessions this morning and got rather excited by all the dreams and schemes we have planned.

It's going to be a cornacopia of teaching, experience, space and creativity. I can't wait.

If you're in the UK and fancy join in I think there are still some spaces left.  If you want a chance to look at deepening your conversation with God by looking at who we are, how your personality affects your prayer life, trying prayer in ancient and modern ways and getting some inspiration and encouragement, then come and join us. More info here.

End of the world as we know it?

"As 2012 dawns many are speculating about what the next 12 months will bring. Some look ahead with hope, others with fear, as this year seems to be one of the most anticipated and discussed since the turn of the millennium. So what’s ahead of us: more financial turmoil, political change, spiritual transformation, the end of the world, or something else? Should we all stock up on tinned goods and start digging shelters, or could there be signs of hope and faith: God’s Kingdom on the move..."

This is the opening paragraph of a little article I've been musing on this week.  I wrote for the 24-7 Prayer tribes and if you're interested you can read on here.

Post-it Notes of hope

Last night, I slept badly. I tossed and turned, mind half awake and waiting for my alarm to sound. It was deeply frustrating. I was wakeful because I was worried. There's a lot ahead of me this weekend, not bad things just stuff that needs juggling. Each challenge felt like another ball I must keep in the air and I was mentally limbering up for today's throwing and catching.

After a bracing pre-dawn walk, the door of the 24-7 Prayer Room closed behind a friend and I found myself alone with God.  After a poor night of rest I was up early and here was my opportunity to splurge my head noise in prayer. I kneeled down to pray the entering liturgy we've written for the week and started to hand God everything in my head. One line in particular jumped out at me:

"In this hour I will give myself to the work of prayer, this is about God's concerns not mine."

It pulled me up short, I could easily fill the hour with worries and pleas (and this wouldn't necessarily be wrong), but what if God had other ideas? I walked around the room looking for how the space had changed since my last visit - it's one of my favourite things about these sacred spaces. I love seeing the prayer room fill with prayers , dreams, ideas, art work and catch a glimpse of what God's up to in our community. Each day it's different, each day another 24(ish) people have taken an hour out of life to see what happens when they say 'hi' to Jesus.  

As I reach the Wailing Wall / Wailing Cargo Net I spotted a prayer I had written just yesterday. I'd scribbled it in tears and it represent the thing I've wrestled most with in the last year. On top of my little yellow plea was a green post-it note. On that green post it note someone had written a few simple words, an echoing prayer. It did my heart the world of good to see that someone else cared enough to spend part of their hour praying for me. That was it - all my plans were out the window. The next hour wouldn't be about my stress, my concerns; the next hour would be about the other prayers pinned to this slightly musty smelling net.

I worked my way along the wall reading the anonymous prayers of others and the little Green post-it notes of encouragement stuck to them. As I began to add my amen to those who'd gone before me I felt the stress I'd been carrying start to ebb away. I was moved by the single word pleas, the three different posts about struggling with cancer and the beautiful heartfelt prayers of love and hope.

To end my hour I posted a prayer on blue paper for assistance with my day. By the time I finally wrote my prayer I felt entirely different about it. I placed it among dozens of others and knew I was leaving my life in good hands. As the next person knocked on the door, my fatigue and the day ahead seemed demoted in my awareness and gratitude had taken it's place. Prayer Rooms are good for me :)

(Written Friday, posted Saturday)

An Unassuming Sacred Space

There are sacred spaces in this world, some are marked with signs and heralds, others with great art and paths well trod by pilgrims, but there are many that can be passed by unnoticed; unnassuming places that have nothing visible to point to the encounters that have happened there.  The conference room in the Revelation Church Warehouse is one such sacred space.  

Teenagers gather in it, businesses and groups meet there, performers have used it as a green room and club nights as an entrance.  I wonder if anyone of them knew that the carpet tiles they were standing on are holy ground?  

It was in this rather boring looking room that I learned how to pray.  There were words, thoughts, movements, paintings, tears, music and many other expressions involved in my search for a language...  but this was the space in which my 18 year old heart learned to connect to God's.  In a smelly, beautiful, messy and glorious place later named a 24-7 Prayer Room. My life's direction has been set by my solitary lessons in God's love and conversation over a few short months in 1999.  Now I pour myself into helping others do the same.  

Today as I stood in that conference room, surrounded by my Revs family, tears slid down my cheeks and my heart was moved.  We gathered to welcome 2012, a new day a New Year with the launch of our first 24-7 Prayer Room in a few years.  As I worshipped I realised that if I'd had some stones to hand, I'd have been piling them there.  This room is my Gilgal.  The place God brought me, a watershed between one part of my life and the next.  Today I remembered the time I had spent there, the prayers God had responded to and the way we were changed.  As I remembered I longed.  Revelation is striding into a new adventure; we're looking forward.  We don't want the glory days gone by, we want the presence of God and His mission for us now.  This sacred space is a key.  

I have numerous hours alone and with Cymbrogi set aside in this room in the week ahead.  Lord I'm coming to meet with you.  Could this be a new watershed for me, for all of us?  Speak Lord, your servants are listening...

Don't know what 24-7 Prayer is?  Check out the website and this nifty little vid below...

Snapshots from Kuala Lumpur

 

Christmas is a coming...

I cannot wait!  I love the twinkly lights in the shop windows, the slight panic when I think about gift shopping, the food, the drink, the parties and the prayer... oh yes... the prayer. Here are just three ways I'm finding that Christmas feeling in the coming month.

This Friday the Harding household plays host to our annual Proxy Christmas celebration.  The month early celebration of Jesus birth where we share Christmas dinner with over a dozen of our friends.  For over five years this rather barmy (and very early) Christmas party has launched our holiday season with our Chichester family helping us decorate the house, put up our tree and have our own near-thanksgiving celebration.  

The following Monday before I jet off to Malaysia (can't wait!) I'll be joining thousands of others in praying through the advent season with the 24-7 Spaces podcast.  I loved our wee podcast that took us through lent earlier this year and as I prayed with my mates I felt connected to them despite the distance.  Find out more about the podcast in the preview vid below and pray along with subscription info here.

Grab a stone, pray for Turkey...

Turkey is reeling and rescue attempts continue after the worst earthquake in decades hit the nation on Sunday afternoon. The BBC are reporting that 239 people have died and over a thousand have been injured. Sadly the death toll is expected to rise. Looking at the photos and videos of rescue and rubble online, it's hard not to be moved by such devastation.

How can we respond and pray for the people of Turkey at such a tragic time of crisis? Honestly, today I found it difficult to know where to begin. I spent a some time reading reports online and asking God how we should pray…

Here is the simple way the 24-7 team have come up with - why don't you join us?

Go and find a stone and keep it with you all day. When you see it think about the situation in Turkey and prayer for:

1. Strength and protection for the thousands of rescue workers and medics working to free and treat people still trapped in the rubble. 
2. Comfort and our loving God to be with the families of those found dead or still awaiting news of loved ones. 
3. The tens of thousands of people who slept outdoors in freezing temperatures last night. For the shelter and for the government to respond quickly and efficiently to protect and house those now homeless. 
4. For God to protect the nation of Turkey from common after effects of earthquakes like water contamination and desease.

Coming up for air

Where have I been this last week?  Well let me tell you.

I've been lunching with lovely Australians caught up in this movement of prayer.
Planning the advent season of 24-7 Spaces podcast 
Dreaming and scheming over a cup of tea with my lovely mate Pete Greig
Breakfasting with a good friend and catching up on her love life
Experimenting with my wardrobe
Writing articles, resources, emails, briefs and much more
Learning to use a Canon 5D camera
Turning my living room into a salon for several hair cuts and colours
Finishing the Old Testament (at last!) and embarking on the excitement of the new
Sighing in relief at the last episode in this season of Dr Who and trying to find time to watch Downton Abbey and Merlin!
Coming up with an amazing and super cheesy new medley with the DeLoreans - themes from 80s dance films - oh yeah it's special
Planning not 1, not 2, but three talks for this week!
Driving to the midlands and back singing Christmas Carols with my gorgeous hubby
Responding to around a thousand emails (if I'm exagerating it's not by much!)
Saying sorry for being a muppet
Hugging friends old and new and giving out shoulder rubs
Thinking about mentoring others and what that means!?
Spending the day with the amazing UK team from World Vision
Editing a job description for an exciting new role in 24-7 Prayer!
Meeting with the 24-7 International Leadership Team
Trying to sleep

It's a little busy at the moment and it doesn't stop here.  Tomorrow I head to Frankfurt for the 24-7 Prayer Eurogathering - eek I can't wait!  Who's coming?  Anyone up for a tequilla/whiskey/wine/what ever beverage of your choice and a chin wag?

I may be a Creep, but at least I'm an animated Creep...

 

Wow - animated people jumping out of windows!  I love this music video.  (Er... that reads weird)  I came across the above during a creative sesson Scot and had to create the brief for the new 24-7 Prayer animation.  As we brainstormed drawing styles he dashed out of the room to grab a laptop and show me the above.  It's brilliant! 

If you like radiohead this video is a must play.  It's a little downbeat/morose for the mood of our little film but the drawing is stunning.  Anyone got any animators or videos that might help us in writing our brief?  We're making an animation called "Why Pray?"  We want it to feel young, fun, a little playful, international but able to pack a bit of a punch.  Our storyboard/naration is based on some brilliant ideas from Pete Greig and is shaping up nicely. Scot and I are meeting with an animator next Monday :)  

Has prayer been feminized? My thoughts.

This morning I switched on my tweetdeck to read this post from the lovely Brian Heasley:

"Anyone else ever worry that prayer has become overly feminized http://brianheasley.blogspot.com/2011/09/feminized-prayer.html I posted some thoughts @247prayer"

Brian is a brilliant blogger, I've been reading his Curious in Ibiza musings for many a year and I love how he can take a topic and stir up a bit of debate.  The one he's hit on today is an interesting one and mirrors my thoughts from this past weekend particularly.

Fundamentally I agree with Brian's concern.  Within European circles there do seem to be a lot more chicks than blokes involved in leading and taking part in prayer.  (I don't think this is true in other continents but let's limit this to a close to home discussion.) I do lead the prayer team he mentions and he's right over the years we've had two (amazing) guys and seven women involved.  This is actually been something of a concern for us and though we've actually sought to include more men we've found that difficult.  It's not that there aren't many men with deep prayer lives, more often that their primary energy in serving and leading is channeled elsewhere.  For example the corresponding 24-7 Communities team is all male.  

Are women drawn to prayer and men drawn to community leadership?  Is the trend a gender or cultural bias?

I think there is an element of what you see is what you replicate. Though many streams of the church have embraced female leadership in the last century there seem to be more men that women leading in this context.  Could women be more involved in prayer because we've lacked male champions to point the way for their peers?

Now I am speaking in very broad generalisations because I actually know a lot of very prayerful men.  Ian Cole, Etienne Piek, Pete Grieg (the leader of 24-7 Prayer!) and Brian himself (to name four of many) have led the way in this area.  I think men can and do have deep personal prayer lives and many in my community meet regularly to pray with one or two other guys. But, as I said, in general and in my own community experience, corporate prayer does seem more regularly and eagerly engaged with by women than men.

Why?

Sorry Brian I don't think it has to do with women traditionally staying at home or men going to work and the time that potentially gives you. (All the home Mums I know are very busy women!) 

I think style has something to do with it.  As our church circles have moved more in creative and contemplative prayer we may arguably not have considered both genders in our approach.  I've generally found that extreme and active prayer times attract a more balanced cross-section of the genders, where as our regular prayer breakfast has a ratio of about 2-1, women to men. 

What do you guys think?  I take this issue very seriously as it's something I really want to see change.  Do you think there is an imbalance in the genders in prayer?  Do you have any inklings as to why? What could we do to make it more open for all? (Read Brian's original blog post here.)

Lunching with the lovely Togwells

There are few things more glorious than eating sherbert out of a vintage tea cup in a quirky cafe with great friends.  Yesterday afternoon the 24-7 team decamped to Drink, Shop, Do near Kings Cross to do just that (though technically I'm the only one who turned her tongue pink eating sherbert).

Our lunchtime celebrations were in honour of an amazing couple: Phil and Emma Togwell.  For the last five years Phil has led the 24-7 Prayer UK team.  He's done a splendid job sharing his time, wisdom and home with many.  However, this September heralds a change as Phil leaves behind his UK role to focus on a rather exciting new venture: Prayer Spaces in Schools.   

Yesterday we lunched, gave gifts and honoured Phil and Emma for all they've invested up this point. Even though we weren't saying goodbye, it seemed important to recognise the journey and sacrifice of the last decade.  Prayer Spaces in UK Schools are taking off and they couldn't be in safer hands.  I am particularly chuffed as this move in role means I get to work even more closely with Mr Togwell and look forward to benefitting from a lot of laughter, musing and book recommendations in the years to come... xc

I believe that children aren't our future...

I've had children on my mind today for two reasons...

(Noooo... neither reason is that I'm pregnant.  Just thought I'd get that in there before I start squeals and victory dances across the UK...)

The first reason for my thought theme is that Steve and I have a gorgeous and miraculous new nephew called Milo George Harding (pictured above)!  Rushing into the world a little early (32 weeks while Mummy and Daddy were in France on Holiday!) Milo made his debut at around 3lb and is putting on weight and strength an impressive speed.  The nurses at the French hospital that Milo is currently chilling at call him their little champion as they can't believe how well he's doing.  Dad (Nick), Mum (Sarah) and Milo hope to be back in the UK in early September and I can't wait to meet him.  He looks so cuddly.   Must get him a present; hmmm... a toy frog? A stripy top? Do they make baby berets? (Ok I'm going to stop as I'm wading into the realms of light racism :)

The second reason for dwelling on children is the title of this blog.  I've had that classic song,

"I believe the children are our future..."

on mental repeat and I've decided I totally disagree with it.  Children aren't our future. They're our present.  Present is all we have.  I was thinking on this and the rising worldwide phenomena of children in prayer.  My musings led to this little post on the 24-7 Prayer Blog.  I mean every word...

"The most powerful intercessor I think I've ever seen pray, was 13 years old."  

Food for thought.

Being present: an evolving liturgy

This August my buzz word is 'presence'.  It's been on my mind.  I forget about it for a few days, maybe even a week, then something I read, pray or hear sparks the thread of 'present' thought back to life... Usually when such words and ideas persist like this it's a good idea for me to pay attention; I'm may be about to learn something.

It's amazing how a word evolves in our understanding and association.  For years of my life, to be present was to be in attendance at school,

"Carla Trundle"
"Present Miss"

It's also true that those seven little letters have represented gifts given and received.  In the last decade however the word presence has become inextricably linked in my mind with God and prayer.  It's not a new idea, (in fact it's as ancient as Eden) but I know it's key to greater quality in my relationship with Jesus...

We all have our little mantras, personal and informal liturgies that pepper our prayer lives.  A recent but persistent addition to my prayer vocabulary has been,

"Lord, make your presence felt."  

I've prayed it over my own life as well as over people, places and situations.  I quite deliberately used this line to replace my prayer of "Come, Lord," for no other reason than it struck me that He's already here; He's already everywhere. It's not His presence we're lacking, but an awareness of it.  

This idea grew.  I thought about it... then prayed it... then thought about it some more. Now I'm realising that my prayer mantra may be evolving again... I still want God to make His presence known, but I'm wondering if in most circumstances I'm approaching presence from the wrong direction.  A few weeks ago I found myself scribbling this prayer in my journal...

"Help me to live present to you."

I stared at those words... then I went over and over them in pen until they jumped out amid a page of scribbled prayers.  It felt like a break through, an epiphany.  Something I've always known but needed to recognise.  I thought back to the times in my 20s when God has felt distant and for most of them I realised that it wasn't His presence but mine that was the challenge...

Today I'm thinking about distraction, and wakefulness, and awareness.  How do I remain in attendance to God?  How do I give myself as a gift to the gift maker?

I guess it's what Brother Lawrence was getting at all those years ago, but I had to rearrange His sentence, His sentiment, the title of His writings to really get what he did.  Anyone got any ideas or tried any similar prayer experiments?  How do we remain present to God?

Being present: an evolving liturgy

This August my buzz word is 'presence'.  It's been on my mind.  I forget about it for a few days, maybe even a week, then something I read, pray or hear sparks the thread of 'present' thought back to life... Usually when such words and ideas persist like this it's a good idea for me to pay attention; I may be about to learn something...

It's amazing how a word evolves in our understanding and association.  For years of my life, to be present was to be in attendance at school,

"Carla Trundle"
"Present Miss"

It's also true that those seven little letters have represented gifts given and received.  In the last decade however the word presence has become inextricably linked in my mind with God and prayer.  It's not a new idea, (in fact it's as ancient as Eden) but I know it's key to greater quality in my relationship with Jesus...

We all have our little mantras, personal and informal liturgies that pepper our prayer lives.  A recent but persistent addition to my prayer vocabulary has been,

"Lord, make your presence felt."  

I've prayed it over my own life as well as over people, places and situations.  I quite deliberately used this line to replace my prayer of "Come, Lord." For no other reason than it struck me that He's already here; He's already everywhere. It's not His presence we're lacking, but an awareness of it.  

This idea grew.  I thought about it... then prayed it... then thought about it some more. Now I'm realising that my prayer mantra may be evolving again... I still want God to make His presence known, but I'm wondering if in most circumstances I'm approaching presence from the wrong direction.  A few weeks ago I found myself scribbling this prayer in my journal...

"Help me to live present to you."

I stared at those words... then I went over and over them in pen until they jumped out amid a page of scribbled prayers.  It felt like a break through, an epiphany.  Something I've always known but needed to recognise.  I thought back to the times in my 20s when God has felt distant and for most of them I realised that it wasn't His presence but mine that was the challenge...

Today I'm thinking about distraction, and wakefulness, and awareness.  How do I remain in attendance to God?  How do I give myself as a gift to the gift maker?

I guess it's what Brother Lawrence was getting at all those years ago, but I had to rearrange His sentence, His sentiment, the title of His writings to really get what he did.  Anyone got any ideas or tried any similar prayer experiments?  How do we remain present to God?

Externally processing/praying

Sometimes I don't realise I've learned a thing until I start writing about it.  That may sound a little odd but go with me.  I had this article to write for 24-7 Prayer the last couple of weeks and if I'm honest the challenge totally daunted me: 800 words on 'How to Pray for Your Nation'.  Yikes!  I was very tempted to delegate to a wiser member of my prayer team, but a niggling voice in the back of my head told me I should give it a go... I may surprise myself...  

After a prolonged period of writers block, last week's riots here in the UK prompted a torrent of ideas.  As I actually prayed for England I had one of those 'oh yeah!' moments as I examined my own prayers.  I guess I've learned a lot from God and my friends in this global prayer movement, much without consciously realising it.  As I sat down to condense and refine the experience and lessons I had to share, it flowed relatively easy from heart, to mind, to fingers, to keyboard.  Check out my finished article here.

You say it best, when you say nothing at all...

It's challenges like this that make me wish I was the slightest bit creative in the drawing, filming or animating department.  I can think of a few different ways to approach the above challenge but totally lack the ability to follow through!  Oh well, you can't be good at everything... cough... 

"What's the vision? The vision is Jesus."

Expressing the diversity, passion and direction of the 24-7 Prayer movement is never an easy task.  What do you do when someone doesn't have time to listen to you wax lyrical for a few hours or read Red Moon Rising?  I've found a few succinct ways to express parts of the movement (a prayer room, or a project) but all I've really discovered is that 24-7 Prayer is the name we've given to holy, colourful mess :)  Trying to sum it up is like trying to build a sandcastle with dry sand.  You can give a rough impression but it's near impossible to bring definition.

Makes the above an interesting challenge!  I definitely think there should be some people up to the task.  No words is a great equaliser of language and education.  How to express the vision of 24-7 Prayer without using any words!?!

If you fancy turning your hand to a creative submission then you could join me and many other lovely people in Frankfurt for Aufstehen (or if you can't make Aufstehen I think you can keep you ticket for a future gathering :)  So who's entering?

Re-imagining Sudan (spread the word!)

My lovely friend, Mr Andy Freeman, has thrown out a particularly brilliant challenge to the 24-7 movement this week. This Saturday I'll be joining him in scrawling on my hand and praying for the nation of Sudan...

"Imagine a country divided north from south." Writes Andy. "A country which has a southern oil rich area, but a northern area focused on political power. Imagine a nation who’s leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court. A nation which has within it’s border’s one of the world’s most infamous conflict areas in it’s north. A nation split by different religions. A nation which plays host to many different militia’s each intent on using violence to gain their aims. If you can imagine all that, you’re probably imagining the nation of Sudan."

Andy's come up with some brilliant and understandable prayer suggestions, so find out more about how we're praying this weekend and spread the word.  I dream of walking down the street and noticing dozens of hands with prayerful scrawlings on.   Tweet, Facebook, blog, let's bless a nation in an historic moment of change.  Wake up Saturday, grab your marker pen, add your 'Amen!' and upload a photo of your hand to 24-7 Prayer's Facebook group :)

 

A new day

Today is a new day.  I'm sitting on my own at the Guildford Boiler Room , cup of tea and chocolate bar to hand.  This morning is the first in a new rhythm of working; goodbye regular days in London, hello three days a week in Guildford.  The sun just broke through the clouds and illuminated my fingers flying across the keyboard.  I think this will be a nice place to work.  

This morning I have an inbox full of emails, some new stories from a brilliant group who've caught the 24-7 bug in Whyalla, Australia, a great video of 24-7 Prayer Room that I'll pop up below and a few blog posts to write of 24-7prayer.com.  Better get to it.

24-7 Prayer Room @ AIW 2011 fd from Bill Cahusac on Vimeo.

 

Why pray?

Why do we pray? Do you know? What do we gain from talking to God? Wouldn’t it be brilliant if there were one catchy sentence that could answer this question in such a compelling and irrefutable way? These are the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head at the moment. As I think about the next prayer breakfast for my church community, as I brainstorm ideas for a film about prayer, and as I email the organisers of 24-7 Prayer Rooms around the world, this question won’t quit; why do we pray? Truth is; it’s not that I can’t answer the question… It’s more that my answers are too numerous…

We pray because conversation is the heartbeat of relationship…

How else am I going to get a glimpse of the unfathomable God I love? The bible plants the seed of understanding, the Holy Spirit waters and tends to it, but it’s prayer – that continual connection to life’s source – that deepens the roots and brings growth. Prayer is the place where we find out if our faith is real or just a nice idea. It’s the bold 'Hello' that invites a response from our maker…

“I felt like God was stroking my hair”  From a 24-7 Prayer Room in Australia

In prayer room after prayer room around this world it’s testimonies like the above that have moved me most. Real, personal, heart to heart encounters with an interested God. It’s the moment we realise that He really is here, now. It’s a moment of forgiveness, an answer to a question, the assurance that we’re worth something, worth Jesus. These are precious interactions that have the potential to change the very direction of our lives. It’s the intimate stuff relationships are built upon. Why do I pray? I pray because I need to get to know Him, I need to get to know me…

“I’ve been in here for 13 hours. I had to chat about some stuff with my Dad.” From a 24-7 Prayer Room in the UK

We pray because He wants us…

“We have no reason why we are here - we just knew we had to come”  From a 24-7 Prayer Room in Australia

Do you know what fascinates me time and again? That the place of prayer isn’t just life giving for Jesus followers, but it’s attractive to those who don’t know him yet…

“We had 4 teenagers become Christians a few days ago - they came down to the prayer room and the team asked if they wanted to feel the presence of God and we prayed over them and they felt God's presence and said yes to beginning the journey with him!” From a 24-7 Prayer Room in Iceland

From Australia to Iceland ordinary people are stumbling into God’s presence and being invited into the conversation of a lifetime. Could we be praying in order to make space for others to start?

We pray because we need Him…

As I check the news today, I’m reading of war crimes, of shootings near schools, of murder and more. You don’t have to look far to find broken places and broken people; most of the time they’re right on our doorstep. It’s overwhelming, my feeble 'your kingdom come, your will be done', seems insufficient in the face of such pain. But… I have to start somewhere. I’ll repeat those words until my heart finds more…

'Guatemala is a turbulent and violent country...The BBC news recently listed it as being 3rd in the world for murder rates (for a country not at war)… I began asking [God] how could a nation be changed and I felt that he spoke just 2 words...unity and prayer.' From a 24-7 Prayer Room in Guatemala

Each week, contact people praying 24-7 I pause and ask, 'Lord, teach us how to pray'. I pray for everyone, praying with me, in many languages and nations. I ask God for three things:

1. ‘Take us deeper…’ I don’t us to pray 24-7 for the sake of quantity; I want each hour to strengthen the bond between the Father and His children. 
2.  ‘Take us further…’ send us from these prayer-soaked places to be the answer to prayer in our community. 
3. ‘Make your presence felt…’ 

“I SAW an angel in our prayer room!” From a 24-7 Prayer Room in Australia

I still don’t have a definitive answer to my question… maybe that’s because there isn’t just one reason why we should pray… Maybe our lives are supposed to be spent discovering one after another, after another. This however I do know; when you see a spark, a sign of life – pour some paraffin on it and start a fire. When someone is healed, when someone gives their life to Jesus, when lives are changed by an holy encounter my prayer is ‘more Lord, get out the paraffin!’ Will you join me? Why not make a choice now? How will you pray? How will you call your church to prayer? Take the next step, here’s how 24-7 Prayer can help…

Post a prayer or request now on our online Prayer wall
Host a 24-7 Prayer Room at your church, workplace or school
Join us in praying the Lord’s Prayer at Midday
Follow @247PrayNow4 on twitter to receive Prayer Alerts for the world

The Power of Speech & Cyber-stalking friends :)

I was going to blog today about the recording of the talk I gave last Sunday in Revs when it occurred to me… I wonder who else from 24-7 is speaking regularly to a community that get's podcasted or posted.  I did a little investigating, subscribed to a few podcasts and finished with a smile on my face as I anticipate some interesting listening in the weeks ahead.  If you're part of 24-7 Prayer and interested in what I found; then read on...

The 24-7 shop offers downloadable talks from all our major 24-7 Prayer gatherings. I'm usually present to hear them all but it's handy to get my hands on the ones that have really impacted me. They only get updated as we gather though (usually once a year) so more up to date teaching is best found on iTunes.

Pete Greig at Spring Harvest and Holy Trinity Brompton

Pete is one of my favourite teachers and communicators.  I find him constantly inspiring whether he's preaching or writing.  Last month Pete spoke at the largest Christian conference in Europe.  An Easter event called Spring Harvest that attracts 35,000 people of all ages over a number of weeks and locations.  Today I found Pete's talk on "A God Breathed World" available here.  Download and have a listen.
If you're interested in hearing more from Pete he also preaches ever few months at Holy Trinity Brompton in London.  You can subscribe to their podcast of weekly teaching here.

Adam Cox and the Kansas City Boiler Room Crew

If you were at Magnify in Scotland last year you will have had the pleasure of hearing Adam Cox, one of the leaders of the Kansas City Boiler Room.  Adam has such a passion for God's word and an amazing way of making it come alive to his listeners.  You can hear Adam and other leaders like Wendy Adams and David Blackwell teach through several different podcasts put out by the Boiler Room.  Listen to their weekly gatherings here and check out the wealth of teaching available through their website.

Little old me

Finally, I also teach from time to time and shared on Sunday with my home community of Revelation Church in Chichester, England.  The Red Moon Rising readers among you will recognise that name as one of the birth places of the 24-7 Prayer movement.  I am still a part of this community and spoke on Sunday about the power of speech from the book of Proverbs.  If you're interested in hearing more you can download it for free here.

That's all for now but I'll post a little update with more suggestions for downloads in the coming months, so if you've found these helpful, keep your eyes open for more.

And that's a wrap...

As I emerge from a week of travel I realise I have neglected my blog for the first time in 2011.  It's not good for me.  My head gets overly full with things I want to write about... Books I've finished... People I've hung out with... The chicks hatched in our lean too... My trip to the USA... An amazing Easter weekend... and so much more.  I know it's inevitable that I will fail to capture it all retrospectively but this week I'll blog daily to try and capture at least those moments freshest in my mind.

Today I want to chat about the end of an amazing journey through lent.  The podcast you're probably all sick of me mentioning called 24-7 Prayer Spaces.

This idea was born over a year ago.  For ages many of us involved in the prayer, mission and justice movement have wanted to repeat the podcast put out a few years back to unite us in prayer across the globe.  The challenge was finding the time and resource to make it happen.  The series has been dreamed about in many different guises until just after Christmas we finally realised we were able to make it happen.  Alana, Scot and I holed up in our little London office with tea and chocolate, prayed together and then covered the walls in paper as we started brain storming the possible topics and verses we could pray through.  It's been an amazing journey to see those scrawls become a reality.

I thought that the podcast would be an encouragement and tool for maybe a couple of hundred people around the globe.  The response however on our first week of release was overwhelming.  People have participated in their THOUSANDS!! 

That was a little scary at first... 

Our simple, scruffy little videos have been used by individuals, churches, networks, young people, old people, youth groups, families around the dinner table and many more.  The feedback we received moved me to tears (er... not cause it was mean) because it was amazing to see that God had used them to really speak to and meet with people.  What more could you ask for?

Scot and I are starting to plan our next Prayer Spaces season (probably for Advent this year!) and ways in which we could involve more 24-7ers from across the globe.  Watch this space and the 24-7 Blog for more.

To finish off the season Scot and I recorded the video below for Easter Monday.  Our closing thoughts and prayers are wrapped up beautifully by a little special something that the lovely Georgina and fabulous Ella put together.  

Oh yes... it's the outtakes!

 

I highly recommend watching them, it's laugh out loud material. (Skip to middle to get to the good stuff.) Someone commented on twitter and I have to agree that there's a lot of me in there.  What, did no-one else try to read their bible upside down, or nearly fall down a bank, or say "Mary went to the kill country"? Ok maybe that last one was unique.  Anyway, enjoy! If you watched any of the Prayer Spaces season I'd love to hear from you.  What did you think?  Got any feedback?

Saying goodbye...

During my commute back from work on Monday afternoon I received a call from my Dad to tell me that Aunty Marie had left us... Pictured above with my Mum, Marie was an amazing woman loved very much by me and all our family.  Though her passing was not unexpected (she's had a long battle with cancer) I guess no one really believed she would ever leave us. She was so incredibly strong, full of life and love.  I am very grateful for her... for the years she had... this week I flew to Dublin with the rest of my family and  together we said goodbye... It was good.  It was deeply sad.  That's about all I'm gonna say about it here...

Today I'm back in Chi, pretty exhausted and starting to get my head around all the things I dropped or postponed when I took off.  As I started downloading emails I took a look at today's PrayerSpaces podcast for lent and was surprised to see myself.  Though I only filmed these thoughts and prayers a few weeks ago, I never seem to recall exactly what I said.  As I hit play to remind myself I was moved afresh by the passage I was given; Jesus calling out to the Father in intense sorrow... there is something beautiful about the Bible... some days it'll hit you on one level the next it moves you in a completely different way...

Coming to a halt...

Today I am emerging from a week of running at a hundred miles an hour.  I've gone from a whistle stop trip to Switzerland with the DeLoreans, to two amazing days with the 24-7 Council in Guildford, then a day with the 24-7 Board and Trustees and finally, yesterday, I gradually decelerated whilst cleaning the house from top to bottom. I'm a little weary.  I also have A LOT to blog about.   For now I'm posting two videos from the last couple of days of the PrayerSpaces podcast for lent produced by 24-7 Prayer.  The first is mine...  

 

I had actually totally forgotten what I'd prepared and shared for this episode, and though it's a bit weird praying with yourself on a podcast I was really challenged afresh by the questions and thoughts in humility the Spirit had brought to mind when I read it.  Hope it gives you food for thought... Second vid is Scot Bower leading people in prayer today.  A voice of hope to the hopeless... beautiful...

My turn...

 

Today it's my turn to lead the thoughts in 24-7 Prayer's Prayer Spaces podcast for lent.  It was freezing cold on that bridge but a total pleasure to read this passage and provide questions and suggestions for prayer.  Hope it encourages you... 

Only one sleep to go... I don't think Scot looks like a hobo...

 

Today is Shrove Tuesday.  Scot, Georgina, Pete G and myself are all involved in last minute preparations for Ash Wednesday and the launch of 24-7's new devotional podcast Prayer Spaces.  Scot and I took a walk today, found a sunny spot and filmed each other explaining why we're looking ahead to the lent season with such anticipation.  Though Scot is convinced the video makes him look like a hobo (I disagree), he turned our musings into this nifty little trailer for the prayer spaces series.  Take a look.  The graphics are courtesy of the beautiful Ella and the music was produced by my handsome husband.  Find out more about Prayer Spaces here. 

Will you pray through Lent?

I love this time of year.  The sun is breaking through the winter grey, the daffs are popping the optimistic heads out of the ground and tomorrow is pancake day!  (I am planning a savoury and sweet extravaganza!)  As a child this week was also marked by a trip to Mass on Ash Wednesday so a priest could put a smudgy cross on my forehead to symbolise the start of lent.  Though this Wednesday my forehead will be staying clean, I will be launching into this season of the year with gusto.  I have big plans for this years journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

I will be fasting something specific this year.  I was praying about it and it turned out God had a suggestion for me.  Exactly what it is will stay between He and I but I'm curious about the impact it'll have on the coming months.  On a more exciting note, I've been hinting at it for a few weeks but the day is finally here to tell you all about the new prayer podcast that begins Wednesday!

Through the season of lent the 24-7 Prayer community are inviting you to join in prayer.  The podcast is written to walk us through the life of Jesus with daily inspiration from people like Pete Greig, Etienne Piek, Alana Wiens and others.  (I'll even be making a few appearances myself.) Monday to Friday, from Ash Wednesday (9th Mar) to Easter Sunday (24th Apr), 24-7 Prayer will release five-minute devotional films to help you pray.

Go to the 24-7 prayer page for more info.  Subscribe through iTunes, YouTube, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to receive links or downloads each day.  It's a bit of an experiment for us but I'm pretty excited.  Let me know what you think and if it helps you to pray.  If it's useful and inspiring to people we may have another go at it for advent later this year :)  

How are you praying this lent?  Know of any other good resources out there? Have some traditions that give you life?  I'd love to hear about them in comments.

PS - eek  the podcast is already number 1 on the UK iTunes Religion & Spirituality podcast chart.  It hasn't even started yet... now I'm scared...

Scary close ups & hyperactive double chins...

 

Oh yeah, I've done it again.  Another 24-7 YouTube update where I demonstrate every muscle in my face and get frighteningly close to the camera.  Ah well, keeps me humble xc

My Town... Justice is Local...

 

I have a super wise friend, she's Canadian, and her name is Alana.  If you watch the above video, you'll get to sort of meet her.  This week, 24-7Prayer.com features an idea, a prayer, a challenge from my beautiful friend to you and me.  Check out her article, "My Town..." all about Guildford and the simple way she's praying for justice and equality there...

Ok, from this point on in the post I'm making the assumption you've all read it!  

I find praying for justice and equality pretty intimidating... I mean where do you start?  There are macro issues, cultures of permission, apathy, greed, indifference... and then there's the individual people literally living out the consequences of other people's greed, intolerance etc. What I love about Alana's idea as it gives me a place to start.  A place to say, "hello God, I really need to talk to you about this... Can you do something please?"  Sooo what to choose? I'm gonna take a walk around Chichester today and decide on my one thing, for my town.  What's your thing for where you live?  Let me know in comments and if you make a video to post as a response to Alana's give me the link! 

Overdubbing & Outtakes: Best Rewind Ever!

 

This was even more fun to make than it was to watch.  Our attempt at a joint rewind video for 24-7 Prayer goes rather wrong when the batteries for the mic go bye bye.   Thankfully Scot's fabulous kids Mimi and Evan save the day with some fabulous overdubbing.  Scot also, quite mercilessly includes some rather embarrassing outtakes from Friday's filming.  I am supposed to be leading people in prayer but I keep stumbling over words and tripping over.  Oh well.  Maybe I have a future in comedy.  Check it out and subscribe to 24-7's YouTube channel here.

Freezing my fingers off

Today has been fantastic!  I've been chilled to the bone, stared at by passers by and generally made a wee fool of myself all for a good cause. 24-7 Prayer is putting out a series of videos, a podcast in fact, to help lead people in prayer through the season of lent.  I'm one of the hosts/pray-ers for the season and today Georgina, Scot and I tried out our ideas around various spots in Chichester.

There are many, rather embarrassing, outtakes in the possession of Miss Micklewright.  My reputation is in her hands.  Everything from the moment I read "Mary went to the hill country..." as "Mary went to the kill country..." to many explosive laughs and funny faces.  I loved praying through passages about Jesus washing his friends' feet and Mary's song of praise and vines and branches and more.  I think the podcast is going to be brilliant.  

We also filmed a rather amusing little trailer for it that Scot is editing together.  As soon as it's live I'll post it here for everyone to check out.  That's all for me - I think I may need a nap.  Having a camera pointed at you all day is surprisingly tiring!

Sunny days...

Working within the 24-7 Prayer movement, I’m never sure where each month will take me. Will I be abroad? Who am I going to meet? How often will I be commuting? What nations am I going to learn more about? There’s never a dull moment when you’re a small part of a viral, international, groundswell of prayer, mission and justice in the Christian tribes. The variety definitely spices up my working life!

Today I woke up to a beautiful clear sky and bright sunshine – the perfect day to take a trip east, along the coast to Brighton. Archie Coates, the leader of St Peter’s church, invited me over for lunch to chat about their upcoming 24-7 Prayer Room. As we discussed motivating, envisioning, praying creatively and much more, I was reminded again how much I love what I do. Archie and the guys in his community are in a really exciting place. They have such a love for the city they’re in and he’s so passionate about the need to pray for it. We shared our stories, and talked about the challenges we’d faced and the lessons we’d learned.  It was good to chat it all through because in the last few months I've started investing time in the prayer life and rhythms of Revelation Church.  Always good to hear how others do it.

As I wandered back through the north lanes on my way to the station, a cute faux vintage dress was the perfect topping to a satisfying trip... I love my job.  Someone buys me lunch, we chat, I shop, then travel home to a beautiful Chichester. Ok, so, most of my days aren't this chilled but that just makes me savour this one all the more.

Loving Lepers

Intimacy with God, and involvement with those in need. Buzz phrases like this are easily said, but rarely have I heard of them more beautifully lived out than through the lives of Brian and Mirte Longridge. I first spoke with Brian via email when they hosted their first 24-7 Prayer Room last year. Their group name appeared in our diary, and I contacted this group in the Philippines to find out how it was going. The ensuing conversation moved me deeply. Brian shared how he and Mirte live out prayer fuelled lives amidst great need…

“Prayer is loving on Christ, but we feel part of prayer is not complete without a prayer lifestyle, which is also loving on Christ through loving the poor.” Writes Brian. The Longridges work at a Leprosy centre and have planted two churches among those who suffer with the disease on the island.

“His word says that what we do for the least of these we do for Him, and when we see those broken people, we often feel that He looks back at us through their eyes and makes us want to cry… We spent our honeymoon in a leprosy camp for two months on top of a mountain in Indonesia. I know, we're kinda crazy, but we felt Him so close when we were with the people there… Our spirits never feel so full of God (even to the point of crying), as when we come back from being with the people who have leprosy. To us that indicates how God feels about it. We feel personally that we CANNOT separate our prayer life from living out that very prayer we pray...”

Beautiful.

I posted this story on the 24-7 Blog yesterday and it's one of those email encounters that make me truly grateful to be involved in 24-7 Prayer. I find it constantly challenging and inspiring.

From Guatemala to South Korea

I'm barely keeping my head above water at work at the moment. I have so many meetings I'm struggling to find the time to sit in front of my computer and plough through my to-do list.  Sadly, there isn't an imediate end in sight as the next couple of days I'm at a leadership training conference at Holy Trinity Brompton in London.  Oh well... maybe I'll find time to get ahead of the curve at the weekend! 

The problem with my time management is that everything I'm doing is so interesting.  It would be easier to prioritise if there were dull or less important tasks - but when my time is filled with chatting with amazing people all over the world, training new members of staff (Dana and Theresa are lovely!), creating a prayer podcast for lent, organising a meeting of some of my favourite 24-7 peeps next month, checking the manuscript for a new edition of 24-7 book and much more... there's not a lot I'd immediately bump off the list.  Oh well - I'd rather be too busy and love what I do than have time and be thoroughly bored... Having said that, God's been talking to me about Sabbath a lot... but I won't get into that now... it'll take too long and this post is about something else.

Anyway - back on track - I'm typing this at 10pm at night because I've just finished uploading two articles to the 24-7 website: "Guatemalan Youth Pray Peace in Violent City" and "Prayer Journey Through South Korean 24-7 House".  Two excellent stories I've heard in the last month.  Ah - I love getting to chat to amazing people all over the world :)

Phew it's Friday!

What a crazy week!  I've spent more time in meetings than I have in front of my computer able to do work for or from said meetings. Yikes!  It's been fun :)  I've talked about books, films, 24-7 Prayer Rooms, resources, databases, making the most of your time (oh the irony), the USA, Asia and much more.  I've responded to emails from Australia, Guatemala, Switzerland, Austria and a bunch of other places and right now I am happy to be finishing up for the weekend.  It's been productive, it's been fun and it's most certainly been tiring.  I love the new London office.  It's great to be working around the team again and it gives me a chance to film lovely things like the below.  So as I sign off for the weekend I thought I'd post the video so you can all meet Theresa.  Theresa is my newest friend/colleague and does my job for the UK (I look abroad :)  Love to you all and good night...

I filmed this in a hurry before we left for the Essex coast...

Carla Harding: Lion Tamer

Lots to think about this week.  Finished the book of Job in my read-the-Bible-from-cover-to-cover-in-2011 marathon.  I have to say it left me confused.  I haven't read it in ages for precisely this reason; I'm never certain what exactly I should take from it.  Job is not a book I've really studied, only read through and it presents God and our relationship to him in some interesting ways.  I briefly chatted to my handsome and thoughtful hubby about it and we touched on plays, interpretation, suffering, the western perspective on God and what we do when He doesn't fit our current understanding.  As I read the last chapter today the thing at the forefront of my mind was that classic Mr Tumnus quote about Aslan,

"He's not a tame Lion."  

He's not a tame God.  I cannot train Him, shrink Him or demand that He fits my world view.  Maybe that's what Job and His friends partly discovered through their experience and interaction.  I don't know.  Anyone recommend any good teaching or books on Job?  I think I wanna know more...

The other thing on my mind is this brilliant video made by a friend of mine.  Those of you who frequent the 24-7 Prayer site will have seen it as this week's feature.  It's called The Ache, and though I'm no longer a University Student, His words, questions and ideas struck a chord with me.  I recommend you take a few minutes and hit play below.

This may be the most beautiful thing I've seen on my MacBook screen...

Yes, the near impossible has happened - my inbox is empty.  I feel this occasion needs to be marked - it is truly momentous... surely this image corresponding with a completed to do list (a feat still out of my reach) is the perfect picture of contentment any modern girl living in a technological world could hope for.  Ah well, best to have something still to dream for...

Though this post will go live on Wednesday, I'm actually typing it on Tuesday afternoon.  The above image is the peace and tranquility that has been achieved after about four to five hours of sifting through and responding to correspondence from all over the world.  The journey was as amazing as the result.  I received emails that made me wiggle with glee from amazing people loving leprosy sufferers in the Philippines, two people planning 30 and 40 days of prayer and fasting at the same time in Sidney and Melbourne, Australia respectively, and news of a potential year of prayer in an Asian nation I probably shouldn't shout about until it's official!  There were lots of other good stuff too: emails with friends arranging tea and soup, swapping book lists with fellow book worms and responding to enquiries about 24-7 Prayer from Moldova, the USA, India, the Philippines and more.  My cyber feet are well travelled today.  I wonder where they'll take me tomorrow?

From the mouth of the movement

At the beginning of each month I have a ritual. It goes something like this... I open up an email folder full of correspondence with 24-7 Prayer Rooms from the last 29-31 days.  It's a job on my work to-do list that I actually really look forward too.  Each month I look through the email conversations and draw out the thoughts and testimonies that stick with me. Some of them arrive here on the 24-7 Blog, all of them go into a word document that is stored away on my hard drive. At the end of each year – for about the last seven years – I make myself a cup of tea and I sit down to read through that document.

It never fails to bring me to tears.

Just before Christmas I looked through my (almost complete) document of prayers and praise from 2010. Currently it stands at 14 pages and almost six and a half thousand words. It is a beautiful read. Here are just a few snapshots of what God has done in the words of the people who have prayed.

From South Korea…
 “This is one of the best things to happen in our church in a long time.”

From the United States of America… “For a year, students at Robert Morris University prayed that God would move on their small Pittsburgh-based campus. Since the beginning of the fall 2009 semester, God’s presence has been overwhelmingly evident in the way of many new believers, physical healings and baptisms. With a thriving weekly Bible study and a group of students who meet to pray and walk the campus regularly, the students at RMU are bubbling with stories to tell.”

"A Korean international student at Iowa State University got healed of nine years of back pain AND healed of bitter unforgiveness toward the man who hit him—immediately upon meeting Jesus and falling in love with him!"

From the United Kingdom… “I’ve never seen prayer displayed or experienced like this before. It’s made me realise how many different ways prayer can be appreciated. It’s opened up religion into my life again. Thank you!”

“Many of our prayers were for our dear friend… who had terminal cancer. Ronnie went to be with Jesus just after New Year, but his wife spoke of what a haven the prayer room was for her, a place of peace where she could draw near to God.”

“A young boy who was sick with pneumonia was prayed for and we were delighted to hear that the child had been released from hospital having made a 'remarkable recovery' according to somewhat baffled doctors.”

“God amazed me in how he used the prayer room for outreach and evangelism. Even as a room in a church, a lot of people felt less threatened by going into a prayer room than they might going to church. Friends of ours who don't know God often went in together or with a Christian friend. I think it would be fair to say that they noticed something tangibly different about being in that place, a place where God was so present.”

From Australia…
 “I believe because of 24-7 Prayer people have allowed new life to be breathed back into the church.”

“God healed a number of people – including 2 people who had bad backs and were in quite a bit of pain. One person in particular could hardly walk and was sitting very uncomfortably. By the end of the gathering she was sitting on the floor, cross-legged with no pain and complete freedom of movement. Even now, 3 days later, she is feeling the nerve down her leg constantly tingling and said it feels like the whole thing is re-generating! She was also so overwhelmed by God’s presence it was difficult to drive home! She says she just felt like God was pouring and pouring and pouring himself into her. She is a different person today and still cant wipe the smile off her face!”

“We prayed for 253 people over the four days and 25 came to faith.”

From New Zealand… “Our day of 24-7 Prayer went extremely well. We are an addictions centre so we are ministering to people in recovery as well as people discovering for themselves their spirituality. It's an awesome place and I am privileged and blessed to be able to encourage their journey into discovering their spirituality. So a lot of our clients spent time in the prayer room during our 24-7 prayer and had an awesome time with God as they understand Him”

“We have some AA members in church that brought friends and apparently this time of the year is big for relapses so it was cool to see some of the guys (how don't necessarily believe in the God we know) really get into [the prayer room].”

From The Philippines… “My prayer watch is really a part of my life and 24-7 Prayer has changed my life. It gives me so much strength.”

“Prayer is loving on Christ (worship, singing love songs etc) but we feel part of prayer is not complete without a prayer lifestyle which is also loving on Christ through loving the poor... We have two church meetings in the leprosy place sunday mornings... My wife also goes during the week to massage the leprosy ladies there. What they most need is to be loved...”

Yes, I have drawn on a moustache...

So what's my forfeit?

Monster Faces & Dancing with Abandon

Breaking the silence with a dance...

 

Honestly... I have been paralysed.  Paralysed by the impossible task of typing up my thoughts and experience of Magnify, 24-7 Prayer's international gathering.  It has led to a long silence.  A silence that becomes all the more insurmountable the longer it goes on.  So... I'm breaking it with fluff.

Above is a the latest 24-7 Rewind video.  I pop it on here because I wonder whether it's one of those things in years to come that return to haunt me.  I recorded it Friday evening after a brilliant day at the Community Mission conference at Westminster Chapel and I guess I was letting off a little silly steam after a day of serious inspiration.  That stream came out in the form of a pretty ridiculous dance... Oh dear... Actually it's not a one off, it's simply the only one caught on camera. I've found myself breaking out into movement a lot recently.  During a recent seminar I was giving the best way I could think to describe the marriage between two concepts was to do a wriggle that started in my hands, worked down my arms and found it's way into the rest of my body.  Maybe my recent attendance of a belly dancing class is reawakening the dancer in me :)

Take a deep breath...

The calm before the storm... I type this from my sofa, my husband across the room and a good film on the TV... this feels like a precious moment, the deep breath before the plunge into what generally is one of the most demanding and rewarding weeks of my year.

Between now and Wednesday I'll be sending hundreds of emails, dealing with dozens of last minute arrangements and generally dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't' in the preparations for one of my most anticipated of 24-7 events... our International Gathering.  I cannot wait to board my flight from Heathrow, early Thursday morning and making my way to Edinburgh to see some of my favourite people around the world and (I am sure) make some friends to add to the aforementioned group in years to come.  

I am savouring tonight... a good curry, a lovely glass of wine and a cup of tea have lulled me into a most pleasing state of relaxation... so much so I no longer have the energy to type... xc

Mimi Bower - A Star in the Making!

I love it!  Mimi Bower schools us all on how it's done on this week's 24-7 Prayer Rewind.  If you haven't subscribed to 24-7's YouTube channel do it now. Each week we release a run down of the latest news and testimonies as well as posting inspirational and encouraging vids from all over the world. xc