24-7 launch!

As you may know from constant promotion for the past week, 24-7 Prayer launches tomorrow September 15th at 9:00pm ('til September 22nd) at the Baptist Ministry dorms prayer room. It is a student led, week-long streak of intensive prayer that a few of us students are praying will revolutionize the patterns of love and unity for Jesus Christ throughout the islands. We believe God has called it upon us to initiate this rally because of the need for greater intimacy with him and seeking of his kingdom.

If you are interested in signing up to attend for an hour (or more) of prayer in the prayer room during this week, please let me know...provide your full name, number, email, and the times/dates you (or a group of people) would like to cover for in prayer. No worries about not being able to fit it in your schedule, because we are going to be there LITERALLY for the entire 24 hours/7 days straight. You don't have to let me know to sign-up in advance in order to commit. We've constructed a big poster of the sign-up sheets for the entire week that'll be up so you are more than welcome to come in anyday at any time to sign-up when you can...The prayer room has been beautified with a spectrum of interactive prayer-inspirations all across the walls so that when you enter, you may be led to pray for specific things...things like prayer requests, world issues from local magazine articles, world and nation maps, campus controversy, and thanksgiving. Don't feel as if we're limiting you, for we know well that in all things the Holy Spirit shall be your driving force :) If you can't make it to the actual prayer room at all during 24-7, please just keep praying on what God's doing on college campuses and in the world.

Please let me know, in addition to all this, if you have any questions.

But man, I also gotta tell you guys how awesome it's been preparing for 24-7 Prayer and how much God's taught me in the process. You see, as college students sometimes we become really preoccupied at the advancement of our own lives. We become worried about how we're going to pass all of our classes to get the credits we need, we become stressed on the indecisiveness of our career choices, we ponder and almost idolize the issue of our future relationships, and all the while, struggle to keep a strong sense of personal and spiritual identity in the face of peers who oppose us. Am I right, or am I right?! Well, here's what God's taught me....it's not all about you! I am certainly one to vie for that one! I've totally let myself become blinded all this time by the fragility of my well-being! "Am I solid in MY personal foundation with God? Have I prayed for healing and strength to get ME through today? Do I need to be foretold anything about MY future so that I may be PERSONALLY CONTENT and live peacefully?" What happened to "Who can I pray for? What can I pray for? How can I ask God to use me in service to resolve the things about my surroundings?" How in the world did we become so selfish?! Don't get me wrong, personal intimacy with God is definitely important before seeking out greater needs,...but have we forgotten at all about everyone else? Acts 4:32 says, "All the believers were on in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." Believers should care about each other in this such way! It was our ultimate purpose, after all to love God, and love others just the same. But the phrase, seemingly, has become cliche'd! We say it over and over and over and over again, totally distorting it's meaning and passing it over as if "no problem! that one's easy!"...but really think about those words. Do you love that lady waiting to cut in front of you at the bus stop just as much as you love your mom, or brother, or sister, or dad? Can you honestly, truly say that your heart breaks for that hobo digging out of the garbage can swearing under his breath as if his pain is yours? God's does. His heart breaks when we're hurting! And he wants us to mimic that same hurt for others as we feel for the people in 'our circle'.

Dear God, create in me your purpose. Create in me a genuine heart that is selfless and kind and loving and conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. May I always ALWAYS desire to be like Jesus Christ! Help me to forgive and never regret, Lord God, that my life may not be lived out in bitterness and worry, but in tenderness and care. God, I pray that you would stir in the hearts of college students across the globe! May they be torn from boundaries and be strengthened to step out into the unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Help them to reconnect with your unique ways, and run the race! And lastly, God, thank you for Sara and Chris. For partnering me with them in sharing the vision for 24-7 Prayer. Lord God, I can't even express how thankful I am for them! I don't know if they even realize, but they can certainly count on making a difference in at least one person's life...and that is mine. I'm fired up, Lord God! We feed off of each other spiritually like frigging pirahnas! Trading sermon podcasts, sharing scripture, suggesting books to read, refering youtube links of revolutionary spiritual leaders...the feasting never ends! God, and I never want it to! I praise you so much for blessing me with friends like these! How can I ever show you the extent to my thanskgiving?! Words are too limiting to explain how much you've worked in them to increase my faith! God I pray that this fire stays burning in all of us! Help us to build each other up in faith as well as work to massage the hearts of others. We love you so much! In Jesus' name, Amen!