A Whole Street of Houses, Stirred With A Spoon

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“ And by this time they were come up to the great iron gates in front of the house; and Tom stared through them at the rhododendrons and azaleas, which were all in flower; and then at the house itself, and wondered how many chimneys there were in it, and how long ago it was built, and what was the man’s name that built it, and whether he got much money for his job? These last were very difficult questions to answer. For Harthover had been built at ninety different times, and in nineteen different styles, and looked as if somebody had built a whole street of houses of every imaginable shape, and then stirred them together with a spoon.” —The Water-Babies, by Charles Kingsley. Ch.1 (1863)

prayer day

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"Bibles read without prayer, sermons heard without prayer, engagements to marriage without prayer, travel undertaken without prayer, homes chosen without prayer, friendships formed without prayer, the daily act of private prayer itself hurried over or gone through without heart--these are the kind of downward steps by which many a Christian descends to a condition of spiritual paralysis, or reaches the point where God allows him to have a tremendous fall." J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)



Wednesday, April 12 we are observing Prayer Day on the campus of Columbia International University. This is a day we suspend all regular activities and devote our heart, mind and strength to worship and commune as a body with our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Will you set aside a portion of time to observe your own Prayer Day with us?

Be encouraged to participate with us in your own setting. Please find below some simple suggestions to strengthen, enlarge and enrich your prayer life.
Every person prays differently.
Some will omit one or more of these elements.
Some elements require only one minute, others may take 15 minutes or more.

Please make it a point to join with us in prayer today.

Praise: Begin by recognizing God's nature, esteeming Him for His virtues and accomplishments (Ps 63:3; Heb. 13:15; Matt. 6:9b);

Waiting: Be quiet in God's presence, rest, be still. (Ps 37:7; Is 40:31; Lam 3:25);

Confession: The Psalmist knew sin was the greatest roadblocks to effective prayer. (Ps 51:10,11; 139:23,24; 1 Jn 1:9);

The Word: Read God's Word. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. (2 Tim 3:16; Ps 19:7,8);

Intercession: Pray for the lost and dying, for others with needs, missions, ministry, family, etc. (1 Tim 2:1,2; Ps 2:8; Mt 9:37,38);

Petition: Open personal needs to God. (Mt 6:11; 7:7; James 4:2);

The Word: Pray God's Word. (Jer 23:29; 2 Sam 22:31; Nu 23:19);

Thanksgiving: Offer prayer and supplications with Thanksgiving. Recognize God for specific things He has done. (Phil 4:6; Ps 100:4);

Singing: Worship in singing songs, hymns and spiritual songs. (Ps 100:2; Eph 5:19; Ps 144:9);

Meditation: Actively ponder on God's Word. (Jos 1:8; Ps 1:1,2; 77:12);

Listen: What is God telling you? (Ecc 5:2; 1 Ki 19:11,12)

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