We have probably all had experiences with prayer when we struggled to stay awake. Certainly part of that is simply that we routinely do not get enough sleep! However, there have been times when I’m in a group prayer setting listening to someone drone on to God that I wonder if God isn’t having a challenging time staying awake.
Each month the Elders of RiverTree gather for a time of prayer. And each time the meeting rotates to a different home of one of the Elders. The host Elder is then responsible for the format of the evening’s prayer gathering.
A few days ago we gathered at the home of Tom Patton. Tom put together one of the most creative times of prayer that I have ever experienced. When we arrived he announced that “We don’t celebrate enough. Tonight we’re going to offer up celebration prayers of thanksgiving.” He then led us all outside his home.
Tom had placed eight six foot long PVC tubes with one end anchored firmly in the ground and the other end pointing toward the sky. He gave each of the eight Elders three bottle rockets and a book of matches. He then showed us how to place our rockets safely into the end of the “launchers.”
We first thanked God for all He had done and is going to do through our Wreck The Roof life change initiative. We lit our rockets and watched as they flared into the night sky exploding far above our heads. We all yelled “Yeah God!” We ended by thanking God–one by one–for something that He has done in our lives. One Elder thanked God for his new grandchild. Another for his wife’s return to good health. I thanked God for our new son, Elijah John. And then we lit the fuses. More “rocket prayers” shooting into the heavens.
I don’t think I’ll ever look at fireworks the same! Thank God for prayer . . . and for creativity.
What’s your most creative experience with prayer?
I think this is what’s meant by “prayer warrior”! My husband never pictured himself a prayer warrior, but now that there’s a bottle rocket prayer….I think he can visualize it….prayer that is “Fun….and safe!”
LINDY
I went to Brian McClaren’s church when he was the pastor for the mid-week service. I was a traveling sales rep and he taught a small groups conference for Forefront and I liked what he had to say and I visited.
I walked in the sanctuary and it was a bit dark with lots of candles, a harp in the middle of the stage and podium to the right of the stage. A person intro’d the evening events by saying that they would read a line from “The Model Prayer” or as some call “the Lord’s Prayer” and then someone els would get up and read St. Francis Assisi’s perspective on that particular verse. After each reading we were given 3-5 minutes to pray, contemplate, and journal what God showed us and spoke to us about and during that time a woman played the harp.
That was probably one of the coolest/creative contemplative prayer times I’ve experienced.
I love the bottle rocket idea. I’ll save that one for a not so rainy day!