There’s so much division and polarization in the world right now. BUT at the same time, I think there’s a pendulum swing that’s happening too. There seem to be more and more people who are saying, “Enough!” Let’s find some common ground and let’s work from there to find real solutions. They’re looking for a place to start! Because that’s what we do… when we are at our very best. We find a way to find a way. We find a way to band together to help. We find a way. That’s where the “We Agree to Pray” project comes in. We don’t have to agree on everything, but what if a small group of people could come together to say, “We AGREE to pray.” What might happen? Well… let’s talk about that!     RESOURCES: To sign up for WE AGREE TO PRAY, go here: WeAgreeToPray.com. Episode 282: “Empathy - A Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World.”  Click here: mitchmatthews.com/282 Mitch’s “6 Miracle Story.”  Click here.   We AGREE TO PRAY PROJECT EPISODE MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 2:00 Are you sick of the polarization? 3:15 Why Mitch Learned from a Derecho 8:09 The human spirit 10:56 The phrase that sparked the idea 13:47 The power of prayer and what to do when you feel “the nudge” 27:11 What’s coming up in September 32:21 Will you join us? 34:43 How to join   MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE: Recently, on an early morning drive… I was reminded of how we… as human beings… find a way.  That’s right.  When we are at our best, we find a way to help each other, encourage each other, push each other and come alongside each other. That idea planted a seed. What could we do… if we gave ourselves permission to find some common ground?   As I was praying about this question, I got hit with a phrase. “We Agree to Pray.” Well… I’ll be honest.  At first, I pushed back on the idea.  I thought, “People can't seem to agree on ANYTHING right now.  They can’t agree on big stuff like politics, COVID… or the little stuff like who makes the best French Fry or how to eat an Oreo. But… WHAT IF? What if a ragtag group of us was willing to put aside our differences for a month? What if we… a group of very different people… took a month to pray for healing, hope, grace, unity, solutions and breakthroughs?   What might happen? Now… here’s the deal.  Prayer may not be your thing.  If that’s the case… TOTALLY cool.  No harm no foul.  We’re good.  And hey… if you want to drop out of this episode… that’s totally fine.  We can TOTALLY still be friends AND you are still TOTALLY part of the DREAM THINK DO family.  Because we are TOTALLY willing to recognize and honor our differences and our similarities here! At the same time… if prayer IS your thing… or you’ve always been curious about it… cool.  Let’s keep talking. See… prayer hasn’t always been big for me.  But over the years… prayer has brought me a lot of peace, hope, strength, grace, AND love.  PLUS… it’s also become a part of our core business strategy and something I depend on as we navigate the wild waters of life (especially in 2020!!!). Now, I don’t do it perfectly.  When I pray… it’s messy.  It ain’t poetic.  It’s not beautiful.  #IloveJesusbutIcussalittlebit  But it has become powerful… and amazing.   In the episode, I share some examples, plus I mention our “6 Miracle Day.”  (Click here to read that story: mitchmatthews.com/our-6-miracle-story/ Most importantly, we’ve seen the power of prayer help people to experience a sense of peace, hope, and strength.  And we’ve seen incredible things happen when a group of people comes together to pray. So… for the month of September, we’re wanting to do something we’re calling the WE AGREE TO PRAY project. It’s where people from all walks of life agree to pray… together. We’ll send out a daily email to: Offer some encouragement Provide a shared prayer focus for the day Share some stories and breakthroughs