I have an idea. How much money would you give me to be silent... totally silent for say 24 hours? Let me clarify. I'm mean no speaking, no phones, no internet (blogging, twittering, facebooking), no writing, no music, no TV... total silence for 24 hours. 'Why do this?' I hear you cry... well to raise money so more people will use their voices...
Regular readers (and good friends) will be aware of my near constant references to the global, Christian movement I'm a part of called 24-7 Prayer. If you're a Christian reading this you may have even met me through this weird and wonderful community of people giving their lives to equip others in prayer, mission and justice. If you wouldn't call yourself a Christian you may have been utterly baffled by my job and are a little uncertain why it deserves a few of your hard earned pounds. Well... here is why prayer rocks...
For those of the faith in Jesus persuasion... I'm preaching to the choir. There are a dozen quotes from the Bible and from the heros of our faith that eloquently sum up why it's important to stay connected to our God, learning to love Him and those around us, but I'm gonna go with the one I read this morning... words from the big man himself... "Abide in me, and I will abide in you..." Forget the fruit of prayer for a moment (answers, growth, gifts, impact on us and the world around us) this is an amazing place to start... Problem is, if your anything like me and most of my friends prayer doesn't always come naturally. There are many preconceptions and much intimidation built up around conversation with our Father, so 24-7 is here to brush that aside, present a fresh way to explore prayer and then challenge everyone to act when God speaks back. For a funky little video explanation checkout Prayer as Movement.
For those not of the faith in Jesus persuasion... Prayer may seem pointless if you're not sure you believe in the person at the end of the line. The amazing thing is though, great stuff comes out of a place of prayer. People I know who've prayed believe God has motivated them to work alongside authorities battling human trafficking in the UK, Macedonia and the USA to name but a few. Others have moved to other countries like the community in Ibiza who look after clubbers with their aptly named 'vomit van' scraping them off the streets and ferrying them home or to the hospital (check out Prayer as Mission). I've met people who's entire lives have changed direction and now they're all about looking after the women and their children involved in the sex industry in Mexico (see the amazing film Prayer as Justice) or the homeless men and women that populate the streets of their city. You don't have to be a Christian to care about people... but there's something about believing that God wants you to love the people around you that breaks down class, cultural, financial or geographical divides and motivates people to do something about the rubbish stuff our world is filled with.
So... this is my idea: sponsor me to raise money for 24-7 Prayer.
I will give up my voice...
So that others are encouraged to use theirs...
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do I need a greater challenge? Is this something you would sponsor? Your thoughts in the comments would be much appreciated. xc