Day 14 - Habitual Praying

 

 Dear Praying People, 

 Your praying times should be what you do, as usual. 

 This morning I received two e-mails from friends who have been desperately praying for answers from God. Today, they received those answers, and were blown away by this. One person wrote, “Why do I not expect this to happen?” Now, for the moment at least, they are motivated to pray more. 

 In a few minutes I will walk to the back of our property, by the river, where there is an old table, and my praying chair. I’ll bring my journal, Bible, and a cup of coffee. I will meet with my God and pray. I will pray for others. I will listen to God speak to me. And it shall be good. 

At this point in my life, I rarely leave these praying times without feeling encouraged and strengthened. I pray. A lot. I do this because “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.” (Luke 22:29) What Jesus did there was: 1) instruct his disciples to watch and pray. 2) pray, himself. 

 “As usual,” Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and prayed. “As was his habit.” Praying was Jesus’s customary way of doing life. Praying was a way of life for Jesus. If Jesus habitually did this, who am I, one of his followers, not to? 

 I heard of a sign, supposedly on the Alaskan Highway, where the road turned from pavement to dirt. It read: “Choose your rut carefully. You’ll be in it for the next hundred miles.” Choose a praying life. Over time, it will become your habit, something you engage in, as usual. 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 COUNSEL 

 Identify one day, during the week, to pray for an hour. 

 Identify a place of least distraction, where you will do this. 

 Do it weekly.

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.

Day 13 - The Lord’s Prayer

 

Dear Disciples of Christ, 

 I want you to pray the vast scope of The Lord’s Prayer. 

 I was raised in a Lutheran church, in Rockford, Illinois. We were a liturgical church. In our hymnbooks there was given the order, the format, of our Sunday worship services. There were responsive readings, and singing, in response to the pastor’s singing. This included saying, every Sunday, The Apostles’ Creed. 

The liturgical songs included Psalm 51. “Create in me, a clean heart, O God; renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation, And renew a right spirit within me.” As I type these words, the melody of how we sang Psalm 51 is rock-solid in my soul. I have drawn upon it many times in my life. 

 And, we said The Lord’s Prayer. Every Sunday. I know it by heart. So do you. I used to think this prayer was entirely eschatological, wholly about a future kingdom, in heaven, to be experienced after I die. But as years passed, and I studied this, I came to see The Lord’s Prayer as referring both to eternal life in heaven, and to my life, and our lives, on earth. 

 The term “kingdom,” in the New Testament, refers to the rule, or reign, of God. Not only postmortem, but presently, as well. In Christ, the kingdom of heaven has invaded the kingdom of earth. New Testament scholar George Ladd says the “age to come” has penetrated this present, dark age. Thus, we followers of Jesus can expect to experience the rule and reign of God, now, wherever we are. (In theology, this is called "realized eschatology.") Even in Michigan. Even where you live. Even in your church family. 

When I understood more about the kingdom of God, I began to pray The Lord's Prayer differently. Now, I pray like this, because I believe this is how the early Jesus-followers understood it. 

 God, let your kingdom come, 

 not only in the future, 

 but here, presently, in our experience. 

 God, reign over our hearts and minds, NOW. 

 As we are conscious of our surroundings, 

 as we take our next breath, 

 as we walk into whatever this day has for us. 

 Let things be here, 

 in our homes, 

 in our church families, 

 in our community, 

 in our hearts and minds, 

 on this earth, 

 as things are in heaven. 

 Let us see earth, 

through the lens of heaven, 

 and respond accordingly. 

 Truly! 

 C. S. Lewis called it the “Great Invasion.” 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 ATTENTION 

Spend time looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer. 

 What are the petitions, in this prayer? 

 Pray these petitions, with expectation. 

 Pray for heaven to invade your church family. 

 Pray for realities of the age to come and penetrate 

and dispel this present darkness. 

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.

Day 12 - Hearing God

 

 Dear Church, 

 To pray is not only to talk to God, but also to hear God talk to you. 

 One question I address in seminary classes is, “How do I hear the voice of God?” This is important, since the Lord is our Shepherd, we are his sheep, and his sheep hear his voice. 

 To be led by the Holy Spirit surely requires some kind of communication, from the Spirit, to us. For me, this especially happens when I am praying. My praying life forms a necessary foundation for hearing God. 

 The heart of true prayer is this: talking with God about what God and I are thinking and doing together. In praying, I receive divine revelation and discover God’s plans and purposes for me. I hear God, speaking to me. I situate myself in position to discern the voice of God from other voices, by doing three things. 

 1) First, I saturate in the Scriptures. 

 2) Second, I spend much time meeting with God. 

 3) Third, I hang around people who do 1 and 2. 

 Over the decades, I have learned to hear God communicating with me. For me, this has been a slow-cooker, more than a microwave. 

 To hear from God, don’t focus on trying to hear from God. You don’t have to work hard at this. Hearing doesn't come by striving. Instead, focus on living an abiding-in-Christ life. 

In a life of continual abiding, which includes having a praying life (i.e., you actually pray for extended periods of time), my expectation is that you will begin to hear God's voice, spoken to you. 

 My friends, remember: this is not about a task we have to do, but about a relationship we desire. It’s a love relationship, like daughter/Father, or son/Father. 

 Desire always leads to discipline. 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 EQUIP  

Purchase this devotional book and use it for a year. 

 Hearing God Through the Year: A 365-Day Devotional, By Dallas Willard

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.

Now Reading...

 

The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church, by JR Woodward

A sample quote:

"Jesus frequently tried to escape the masses, and his message was never defined by them—he regularly said things that made the crowds dwindle, to the point of asking his disciples if they too were going to leave him (John 6:67). His identity was grounded in the Father—not in how many came to hear him speak."

“Healing a Church from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse”

 

A 2-hour Zoom seminar (Register HERE.)

October 11, 2025

10 AM (EST)

“Healing a Church from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse” 

- John Piippo, PhD

In this seminar we will: take a close look at narcissism and entitlement, not only in ministry leaders but also in church systems; offer compassion and hope for those affected by its destructive power; and impart wise counsel for churches looking to heal from its systemic effects.

I'll especially draw from these books.

When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse: DeGroat, Chuck: 9781514005095: Amazon.com: Books

The Emotionally Healthy Church, Updated and Expanded Edition: A Strategy for Discipleship That Actually Changes Lives: Scazzero, Peter, Bird, Warren, Leighton Ford: 9780310520757: Amazon.com: Books

The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It: Goggin, Jamin, Strobel, Kyle: 9781400225231: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: The Entitlement Cure: Finding Success at Work and in Relationships in a Shortcut World (Audible Audio Edition): Dr. John Townsend, Dr. John Townsend, Zondervan: Books

The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church: Woodward, JR, Fitch, David, Yong, Amos: 9781955142243: Amazon.com: Books 

Day 11 - Habitual Praying Brings Transformation

Dear Believers, 

 People who pray experience spiritual transformation. 

 I have taught at Payne Theological Seminary, as an Adjunct Professor of Spiritual Formation, for twenty years. Payne is an A.M.E. seminary (African Methodist Episcopal). It is one of three black academic institutions in Wilberforce, Ohio (with Wilberforce University, and Central State University). Payne Seminary is the oldest free-standing black seminary in our nation. What a joy and privilege to teach there!

 Spiritual Formation is about how God changes the human heart. The core of my class is praying. I know, by experience, and by Scripture, that if a student develops a habitual praying life, they will change, and never be the same again. Their spiritual lives will be green and growing. 

 In John chapters fourteen and fifteen Jesus shares the open secret of his success with his disciples. Which is: He is in the Father, and the Father is in him. He then invites his disciples into that Trinitarian relationship. The point of entry is given in his illustration of the Vine and the branches. Be like a branch, says Jesus, connected to himself, the Vine. Then, he says, you will bear much fruit. 

 How shall we do this? Praying is a major way of abiding in Christ. As we live the abiding life, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, God predicates, of us, the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). Which are attributes of God himself. I have learned that a person cannot have a consistent praying life and remain unchanged.

 Consider this, as an analogy. Imagine receiving a phone call from the President of the United States. I know this is never going to happen. Just, for now, use your imagination! Imagine the President of the world’s most powerful nation asks if you would meet with them, for an hour, every day, to talk about how to make our nation, and the world, better. Would you clear out your schedule to do this? I know I would! The opportunity to co-labor with the world’s most powerful leader would be beyond-words incredible! 

Would you be affected by this? I think you would be in a state of ongoing mind-and-heart transformation. Probably, we could just look at you and see the difference. (Remember Moses when he came down from the mountain.) 

 Now, what if the omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, necessarily existent, all merciful, all-gracious, all-truthful, all-compassionate Creator and sustainer of all that is, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, invited you to have conversations with 24 him, every day, about advancing his Kingdom on the earth? Would you give up chatting on social media to do this? Or your golf game, or whatever, to take time for this? 

 What might we conclude about someone who is too busy for this? They would be, using Jesus’s metaphor, a disconnected branch, producing nothing. (John 15:5-6) Dead branches do not exhibit life-changing transformation. 

 Remember when Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commands?” My believing brothers and sisters, if you believe in Him, you will pray. And if praying becomes a way of life, you will walk in ongoing transformation into Christlikeness. (Galatians 4:19) 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 MEDITATION 

 Write these words on a 3X5 card. 

 Carry it with you. 

 Read it often. 

 Do not be conformed to the standards of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

 Then you will be able to discern the good and perfect will of God. 

 Romans 12:2

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.

Our 52nd Wedding Anniversary!

                                                                      (August 9, 2025)

(August 11, 1973)

Day 10 - Healing Prayers

 

 Dear Church, 

 Pray for the sick to be healed. 

 I was Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church of Joliet, Illinois, from 1974-1981. We had many wonderful friends there. One was a beautiful, Jesus-filled, elderly lady named Elsie. She was so kind to Linda and me. I can still hear the sound of her voice and see her smile. 

 Elsie had become physically frail. One day I got word that she was sick, with some kind of virus. I visited her and prayed for God to make her well. I always pray this way for sick people. So do you, right? 

 To be honest, I did not expect much to happen. Yet it felt good to lovingly pray for her, and she seemed to appreciate it. When I left her that day, the thought came to me that I would soon be doing her funeral. God, however, did not share my pessimism. 

 That evening Elsie called. Her voice was alive and vibrant. “I am feeling so much better. Thank you, John, for coming and praying for me. God has healed me!” Really? I was happy, and stunned. We all loved Elsie so much. The illness that had a grip on her physical body was gone! To my surprise, Elsie was alive, and would be for several more years. 

 As significant as that experience was for Elsie, I wonder if it was not more important for me. I gained confidence in praying for people. I had a greater realization that praying is a powerful thing to do. I found that God’s healing love was not corrupted by my mini-sized faith. 

 If your loved one was sick, you would pray for them to get better. In my church family, every Sunday, we pray for sick people to be healed. We view healing as comprehensive, and in this way Hebraic. This comprehensiveness is seen in how Eugene Peterson translates Isaiah 53:3-5, in The Message: 

The fact is, it was our pains he carried — our disfigurements, 

 all the things wrong with us… 

 He took the punishment that made us whole. 

 Through his bruises we get healed. 

"All the things wrong with us." Physical suffering. Mental illness. Anxiety and panic. Depression. Our inadequacies and failures. Sin. The atoning sacrifice of Christ has covered all our bases. The Atonement covers sin, yes, and so much more (a lot of which is the logical outcome of our sin). 

 Last Sunday we prayed for sick people to be well. I talked with a number of people who told me they had pain, and after praying for them the pain was gone. People were smiling, saying that chronic pain had been taken away. They were praising God for what only he can do! 

 I think this is good, don't you? 

 I want you to keep praying for the sick, with expectation. 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 CHALLENGE 

 Identify someone who is sick. 

 Contact them. 

 Ask if you can pray for them. 

 Pray for them to be healed, in Jesus’ name. 

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.

Day 9 - Prayer Works

  

Dear Praying Church, 

 I want you to remember that your prayers work. 

 I pray because prayer works. If I thought prayer didn’t work, I would not waste my time praying. 

 Praying “works.” What does this mean? As I see things…, 

 • Prayer is powerful. Which means, it does things. (James 5:16) 

 • Prayer is effective. Which means, it changes things. (James 5:16) 

 • Praying brings me into relationship with God, experientially. I meet with God, in prayer. I experience and sense the presence of God, with me. This is important because experience, not theory, breeds conviction. 

 • I engage and co-partner with God in his redemptive mission. 

 • I experience God’s guiding hand. I can corroborate this. I have multiple examples, written in 3500+ pages of journals, over the past forty-five years. I have read countless stories of God's guidance, from among the 4000 students and pastors I have taught. 

 • I have seen things happen, and change, as a result of praying. I can make a case for the causal efficacy of praying as co-laboring with God. 

 • I have seen how a life of praying recalibrates, daily, my heart to the heart of God.

 • A life of praying has changed me. For the better, I believe. (Note: for the Christian theist “better” is understood in terms of the “best” that is Jesus.) 

 • I experience a life of praying that renders me less anxious, less fearful, and less lonely. This is a palpable, existential, living reality. 

 • I know that praying changes things and changes the one who meets with God and prays. 

 • While praying, I often experience brokenness within me, resulting in breakthrough outside and around me. 

 The 4th-century theologian John Chrysostom, in a moment of joyful realization and remembering, wrote on the efficacy of praying. 

 The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire; 

 it hath bridled the rage of lions, 

 hushed anarchy to rest, 

 extinguished wars, 

appeased the elements, 

 expelled demons, 

 burst the chains of death, 

 expanded the gates of heaven, 

 assuaged diseases, 

 repelled frauds, 

 rescued cities from destruction, 

 stayed the sun in its course, 

 and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. 

 Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, 

 a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, 

 a sky unobscured by clouds, 

 a heaven unruffled by the storm. 

 It is the root, 

the fountain, 

 the mother of a thousand blessings. 

 (From The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom) 

 James 5:16 says, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

Be encouraged! Your prayers work to make a holy difference. 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 REMEMBER 

 Make a list of answered prayers. 

 Keep adding to the list, as the Holy Spirit reminds you.

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.

Day 8 - God Power-shares with Praying People

 

Dear Church, 

In praying we gain access to the power of God. 

 I meet people, including pastors and Christian leaders, who struggle to find time to pray. My seminary teaching tells me that many North American and European pastors don't have much of a praying life. Why not? Some reasons for this are: 

 • Their lives have become so cluttered with many things to “do” that they have little time for just “being” with God. 

 • Their material possessions allow “no time to pray,” and create the illusion of not needing to pray. Time for praying is in inverse proportion to the amount of stuff a person has. 

 • They have lost their first love. They used to get alone with God and pray, back in the day. 

 • They know what prayer is, but do not really believe in it. They have become practical atheists. 

 If prayer is what it claims to be, viz., communicating with an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent Being, then it seems someone who believed this would pray. Because 18 praying is talking with God. And – (insert awe and wonder) - because God and I are co laboring together. 

 To pray is to partner with God. God and I, dialoguing! Are you kidding me?! If this is real, only a fool would not pray. If this is not real, then you won’t see me praying, even in a foxhole. 

 Dallas Willard writes: "Prayer is God's arrangement for a safe power sharing with us in his intention to bless the world through us.” In praying I interact with God. God shares his power with me. 

Pause at the enormity of this. Who in their right mind would not have time for this? Brothers and sisters, praying is a beyond-big deal. 

As you pray, God shares his power with you, power for effectively engaging in the redemptive mission of Jesus. 

 Love, 

 PJ 

 PETITION 

 Identify an impossible person, or situation. 

 Pray for God’s power to fall on that person, or situation. 

 Pray for a prayer movement in your church.

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.