The Well Church of the Nazarene

Praying with passion isn't about words, or years in church, or even theological understanding. It's praying for God's glory--seeking His face before His hand. All prayer leads us to God. Hallowed be His name!

Intercession is an essential testimony of a vibrant, united faith family. When we learn to pray specifically for others--to stand in the gap--we position ourselves to pray for the things important to us, our passions, and our own Spirit-sourced desires. Practicing intercession prepares us to recognize God's ordained intersections and to depend on His leading and the Holy Spirit's prompting.

The core of sin is birthed out of selfishness, but Jesus invites us to something better, something more--relationship with both God and others. We need only repent and respond! For when we seek redemption and acknowledge our separation from God, we gain intimacy, relationship, and closeness with Him. And the heart of the kingdom of God begins with forgiveness.

The progressive nature of prayer is important. Each part prepares and leads us into the next. First we must refocus on God, then realign our will to His, then release our needs... the order matters! And in those moments when we don't know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit steps in. When we lead with God, our needs and requests change.

We pray to be reminded of who He is, what He has promised, and of His faithfulness. Prayer gives attention to our covenant relationship with God, prioritizing our time and aligning our hearts with His, and our prayer life is a reflection of who we believe God to be.

We often approach prayer as words or thoughts we express TO God, or maybe ABOUT God. But if prayer is not a conversation WITH God, then we never really understand or experience all that God has for us. Especially when we presume that prayer begins when we speak first.

Reflecting on the message from a couple of children's movies regarding who we are and WHOSE we are.

The act of worship is a significant part of who we are as a church. We experience worship in community with others. We discover worship in our growing. We express worship through compassion and generosity. Worship is all over our values! And we worship best when we are poured out. It's what we strive toward--what we are compelled to DO in response to who God IS.

Jesus invites us out of whatever state of "emptiness" we find ourselves, and doesn't ask us to do anything He hasn't already done. Therefore, we find life in community, in growth, in compassion, and in generosity. We are FILLED UP to be POURED OUT.

It's easy to discuss generosity in terms of money, thinking of it as only what we "give." But while giving is an important expression of generosity, a much broader understanding of what it means to be generous involves sharing all that we are and all that we have.

Discipleship requires us to be generous with our service, talents and gifts, resources, assets, and money... but also our with our story--our witness--and with the Gospel of hope.

Giving might be what we do, but generous is who we are. We are filled up to be poured out!