A Praying Church

After three years of doing the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit, Kieran Carr had a major health collapse. He told his boss, "I can't do this anymore," but his boss encouraged him to take a break. In God's providence, Kieran "met" seeJesus during that break.

It’s been a hard few years for the church. There’s a sense in which the pandemic sped up a transition we were already in. It took out old solutions that were propping things up, making room for new ones. I’m hopeful for the church in this season.

The most easily missed person in the Christmas story is the last one mentioned. Where did the gift of Jesus, which led to the destruction of all evil and to a new heavens and earth, begin? With Anna in the temple praying. Of course, the gift of Jesus began from all eternity, and yet, it needed a human instrument, a conduit. Anna’s praying was one of the sparks that led to the incarnation...

"I never started out to write a book on prayer,” writes Paul Miller in the introduction to "A Praying Life." As we reflect on the ministry of "A Praying Life," here is the prayer story behind the book and how it continues to unfold into a new book, "A Praying Church."

In modern business terms, Jesus was a movement leader with twelve staff that needed to be recruited. Most leaders are quick to acknowledge that recruiting good staff is challenging. Let's watch Jesus do HR work -- and manage by prayer.