Recently we took some friends to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C.  If you haven’t been, do it and take people with you.  Before you leave the Grounds, visit the grave of Billy’s wife, Ruth.  When you read the inscription on her tombstone, you won’t forget it. It almost sums up all of Christianity in a couple of sentences.

Ruth was a fascinating person, and from the video clips, you’ll see the great love she and Billy had for each other.  One exhibit was showing a clip of Billy and Ruth together on stage at a Crusade. Billy said, “Someone once asked me who is the greatest Christian I’ve ever met.  I told them, Ruth.”  From that point of the tour until the end, I was done.  I’ll tell you why in a minute.

I didn’t know Ruth Graham.  I did visit once in their daughter, Anne’s home.  Anne’s husband Danny said that Dr. Graham had visited the day before and I was sitting in his seat.  I remember hoping that some kind of hyper-spiritual something would rub off; that maybe some of his DNA would get on me and I would be like Billy…….Didn’t happen, but I really did sit in his seat.  I know what you’re thinking.  “He’s just a man like you Eric.”  Get out of here!  You’d want to sit in his seat too, and you’d find a way to tell everybody.

Back to the story.  I didn’t know the greatest Christian Billy Graham ever knew because I didn’t know his wife.  For the rest of the tour, I stared a lot at my wife, Jackie when she wasn’t looking.  She gets my vote for greatest Christian.  If you think I’m trying to get points with her, you’d be wrong.  I don’t think Jackie gets on our website all that often, and I’m not even sure she knows I write an occasional blog.  I haven’t told her about this one, so she’ll never find out.  That is, unless you tell her, thereby making me a really big hero in her eyes. Of course, that’s up to you.

Most of you will never know her personally, and nobody will ever know her like I do.  I’ve never met another human who prays for so many people with so much consistency.  You might get one or two prayers out of me, but if she prays for you, she won’t let go.

While I was out trying to lead the greatest Congregation I’ve ever been a part of, Jackie was walking away from an outstanding career to home school our two daughters and make sure they had a solid Christian foundation.  Both our kids today not only love the Lord, but they serve Him in full-time ministry.  Yea Jackie!  Now that our girls are pretty much grown up, Jackie has thrown her gifts into Community Church.  I might be the Leadership face, but she is definately the Leadership brain.  I probably didn’t have to tell you that did I?  It’s pretty easy to see.

If you know Jackie well, just a little, or maybe just from the stage, then you know one of the most faithful Servants God ever created.

Eric

 

One of the best ways to get to know a Church staff is by the way they pray. 

After a recent meeting, each Staff member was asked to write a prayer, and you’ll find them below.  The names have been removed, but as you read through them, you’ll start to see the hearts of the people who are called to lead Community Church.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Lord,

I want to live life by Acts 20:24 – “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”  I confess that I don’t know how to do it.  I confess that I have left You out of the room too many times when decisions were being made.  If I am nothing and You are everything, I ask that You remind me of that often.

May the Community Church Staff release our grips on what we think should happen, and grab onto You for every decision You’ve asked us to make.  A long time ago your Servant Isaiah said in 29:16 – “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?  Lord, when we try and live like we’re in control, we act like You don’t know what you’re doing.  I want to lead the way in stopping that.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in doing the work of Church, we forget about the wonderful calling You gave when we first felt You saying, “Join Me in changing the world.”  Bring us back to that calling, and the love it takes to fulfill it to the end.  Amen.

 

Heavenly Father,

The mission is great Lord, because your vision for us is greater than us just making a difference.    I pray that as you move through us, we become more in tune with your Spirit prompting.  Lord as we draw closer to you we will flex and draw closer to your will and infinite wisdom.  We may not always understand your will, but that we trust your plans for us to accomplish the mission you have placed in our lives.  Lord, just as Paul was never defeated, continue to strengthen all of your followers to endure the attacks of those critics who wait to witness stumbling instead of opening themselves to your goodness.  Lord, you gave all when you sent your Son to the cross in our stead.  Help us Lord be committed to you as your Son was committed to us.  In Christ’s name.

 

Father,

Thank you for the undeserved Grace and Mercy that you pour out on us, your children, each day.  Lord, I humble myself in your presence…it is only through your son Jesus Christ that I have been made righteous, and it is only through your Son that I receive forgiveness.  You say in your word, that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Father, today I confess that I have sinned against you as I have thought more highly of myself than I should.  I recognize that apart from you, I can do nothing and I am nothing.  Father, there is no one good but You and I have taken the glory for some of the successes in my life in ministry, I am truly sorry.  Lord, I believe that through my confession, you have restored me to righteousness.

As a righteous person, I know that my fervent prayer will avail much.  But, Father, on my own, I didn’t know what to ask for.  But as I have delighted myself in you, you have prompted me and placed the desire in my heart to ask for the comfort of your Holy Spirit to wash over the lives of the staff and leadership of Lexington Community Church.  As a church, we are often affected personally when our efforts do not succeed as planned and we are often surprised when we face resistance.  Lord, you say that we should not be surprised by these things.  In fact, resistance should be expected; it should be predictable.  Through your comfort, may we rejoice in every resistance that follows your Spirit’s prompting, as it confirms that we are in your Will.

Father, please comfort us when we feel the certainty of your prompting, but the uncertainty of the details that follow.  Help us to know that you will take care of the details of your will, as we must take care of the details of ours’.  Most importantly, Lord, help us to have the self-less passion for the ministry of Lexington Community Church that you desire.  By doing this, may we give you all the honor and glory for every good thing that we encounter!  Amen.

 

Dear God,

Lately I have felt a prompting through your Spirit in which I want to say “O.K. Lord, I’ll do what you want me to do but it’s not easy. It’s the uncertainty that can be scary to be honest with you. Lord, give me Faith to step out of my comfort zone only to realize how great the purpose is. I want to follow you and live a Biblical life no matter what, and in doing so I pray that I would never think more highly of myself in following you for I am nothing apart from you God.

I also pray that your Church would proclaim the Great news of our Lord and Savior in all cities in hope that no one be left behind. Then we all can stand together united in the name of Jesus Christ.  Thank you God for your son, Jesus. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, amen!

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your love.  May we at Lexington Community Church not become so buried emotionally by what we do that we think “we are good”. I ask that You teach us how to spend our time by being the disciples that spread the Good News about Your love for everyone.  Your Word tells us in Genesis 1 that You are the creator of everything and in Psalm 24 that You own everything. I ask that our focus be on the truth that we are trustee’s and not owners.  May we be a congregation that is salt and light to those whom we have not yet met and show them who You are.  To You be all the Praise.  Amen.

 

Father

I come to you seeking your guidance in all that I do. I acknowledge you as my Lord and the desire of my heart is to bring honor and glory to you. Without your guidance, anything that I do or say is in vain. I know that you have a great plan for my life and that you lead me by and through the prompting of your Holy Spirit. My task is to listen carefully and be very sensitive to your prompting. No doubt, at times I second guess myself through uncertainty and the resistance that always accompanies your promptings but I also know that your servant Paul experienced similar feelings some 2000 year ago. I personally thank you for the calling you have placed on my life and how you have also transformed my life accordingly. You have placed me in a very special environment along with very special people so that as each  of us apply the gifts and talents given to us by your Holy Spirit your plan for your church is accomplished day by day. As I look back over my past and all of the adversity that has been a part of my salvation I can see how you have used all of it in my personal maturing process. I have learned that it is not about me–It is all about you! I want to be a child that is quick to listen and slow to speak–less of me and more of you.

I pray this prayer in the name that is above all names–the name at which every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!!  Amen.

 

Dear God,

I pray that I will be able to speak to you authentically through this prayer and that the Holy Spirit will speak to you what I am unable to put into words.  You know my heart even better than I do.  Lord, I pray earnestly for the Community Church body and for the leadership with whom everything starts, that you will use us to make more than difference for you.  If this requires us to leave behind something that is going well for something different, in other words: get out of our comfort zones, I ask that you will help us to do so fearlessly.  We will watch for your Spirit’s prompting and follow that prompting, whether it is for something big or something small.  God, whether or not you give us any details further than the first step, I pray that we will have the faith to trust you, even when what you ask seems impossible.   After all, Jesus says in Luke 18:27 that though there are things which are impossible for us as humans, nothing is impossible with you.  Allow that message to truly penetrate our hearts because it is easy to say with words but it is hard to believe when facing something new and challenging.  God, I pray that the criticism and resistance which we know is coming, will not crush or discourage us, but will cause the opposite effect and spur us on to keep following you in faith.  Help us not to take the blame if our efforts appear to be failing, so that we don’t, in turn, take the credit when your plan succeeds.  I pray that we will not build our ministry on the things which we’re against or the things which offend us.  Help us to take Ephesians 4:29 seriously and as a leadership, not set the example of slander for the church body.  Lord, more than anything, I pray that we will decrease so that you can increase.  I pray that we will truly learn the meaning of selfless passion for you and that it will not just be words that make us sound good or righteous, but that it will be a lifestyle for your believers.  Teach me constantly that I am not good and that we as a church body are not good.  Remind us of the truth of Romans 3:12, that as humans, we have turned away.  Alone we are useless and can never be good.  But God, you sent your precious Son to die for us and then come back to redeem us.  YOU are good, and only when we focus on you and your goodness will we choose to fight, not against people, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places like it says in Ephesians 6.  Lord, we who are believers know that there is no room in your kingdom for personal branding and that you do not honor a “better-than-others” mentality.  Only in our inadequacy can we be most aware of your sufficiency.  Lord, we can never know on this side of heaven whether we will make history for your glory, however, what we can do is spend our lives becoming a living sacrifice for you and considering our lives nothing in order to share the good news of the redeeming love of your Son Jesus Christ.  Lord, thank you for hearing my prayer.  We love and praise you.  Amen.

 

Heavenly Father,

I pray that as we move forward we will remain mindful of our purpose…to be disciples of Christ and for Christ.  It’s not about numbers, it’s not about how good we are, it’s not about us at all.  God help us to continue to be aware of our deficiencies so that we will rely solely on your sufficiency.  Help us not try to look too far ahead but instead to look for you in the now and be as effective as we can be in this place and time.  Help us to follow your Spirit’s prompting, trusting fully that your purpose is far greater than we can ever imagine.  And as we yearn to be used for making more than just a difference, let us remember that we cannot achieve this if we aren’t ready to put “self” aside and allow you to work in us.  With you, all things are possible and without you, we are nothing.  Please forgive us forever thinking “we’re that good” and not given the fullest glory to YOU. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Dear God,

I believe that you have called us to be used by You for Your Kingdom purposes.   It takes no faith for us to limit ourselves to what we can see and am certain of.  Because I believe You desire for us to make more than a difference, I pray that You will help us to get past ourselves, decreasing as Christ increases in us.  I pray that rather than focusing on “me” or “we”, we will “consider our lives worth nothing to us” and follow the Spirit’s prompting to walk in certain uncertainty, no matter what predictable resistance we encounter, with selfless passion.  I pray that we will stand for what You’re for, instead of what we’re against and will invest ourselves in winning at “the game You have in mind” instead of trying to win “the wrong game”.  Help us to remember that only You are good and that our true enemy is Satan, not flesh and blood.  While we do feel inadequate to handle the challenges that may be involved in being used by You to make history, help us to remember that “in our inadequacies, we are so much more aware of Your sufficiency and that nothing is impossible for You.”  Through that awareness, I pray that we will seize those “Deo ho pneuma” moments and complete the tasks you’ve given us, while leading by faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Heavenly Father,

I pray Lord for you to move in everyone’s heart who calls Community Church their storehouse, to want to do more than make a difference. Encourage us as your team to have the faith every day to do something bold for Your Kingdom.  Thank you for loving us so much that you would bring us together for a cause greater than we can imagine.  Give us the confidence that we are supposed to be right where we are, to serve you.  Help us to put on “our big boy pants” and fight the good fight until the end.  God, equip us for the task of completing our purpose and the compassion to see it through.  Help us to truly understand the privilege we have to be called children of God!  I pray that we all gain a Kingdom minded selfless passion to love you more!!  From this time forward God, I pray that we are criticized, ridiculed and talked about because we are answering the call to your prompting!!!  In your loving name I pray. Amen.

 

Be encouraged by what you read, and consider making these prayers your own when you approach the Father.