Prayer and Worship Report

The opening weeks of the semester focused on relationship with God with leading topics such as faith/hope/love, knowledge, prayer, intimacy, grace, fellowship, God's initiative in self-revelation, and mission to free and equip people. Two fundamental aspects of our relationship with God are prayer and worship; indeed, multiplying (extraordinary) prayer is sail #2 of the seven sails. In this assignment you seek to align with God's heart, plan your prayer, keep a record of your prayer and worship (whether in church services, devotions, SOAPS, DBSs, chapel, prayer walking, meetings, or otherwise), and reflect theologically on them.

Before you begin, create the file in which all of your work will go, if possible on the cloud. Make sure it's regularly backed up! Then, in that file, add at least seven entries along these lines:

Consider what to pray for, especially in light of God's will and priorities as you are coming to understand them. Rather than merely praying about your own personal or family circumstances (though it's okay to pray for those), I especially recommend praying for those who are far from God as well as close to you, for fellow believers in need wherever they may be, for more closely aligning with God's heart, and for God to move. Moreover, multiply prayer and worship by bringing this style of prayer and worship into the lives of others you know, and encouraging them to pass it on as well. LTGs and 5x5 groups are powerful ways to do this. My website has prayer guides you can consider.

After such a time of praying, worshipping, or reflecting, in a paragraph describe an insight you gained that relates to aspects of Christian doctrine you learned from lectures, books, discussion, or other sources such as your church tradition or others. How does each illuminate the other? I encourage you to go into pertinent detail: for instance, what you prayed (insofar as it's appropriate to say), whom you did it with and passed it on to, lyrics you sang, written prayers, psalms, or hymns, actions, images, worship settings, and the like.

Near the due date, conclude your report with the following assessment:

What cumulative effect did this multiplied prayer and worship have — for instance, on your undertanding of God's character and purpose for us, as well as your relationships with God, others, the Bible, and/or yourself? What major theme(s) in Christian doctrine lectures or STSB, The Father Glorified, or Walk through the Bible does it illuminate, and how? What actual differences has all this made in your life, habits, dispositions, relationships, and others' lives?

There is no formal length requirement, but if you need a ballpark, aim for 1,000-1,200 words.