Christian Coffee House - Prayer/Chat thread. No rubbish church coffee allowed.

[Madhairday]

With the latest prayer thread coming to an end, we thought we would create a new thread for prayer and general chat too - we had chat threads running for years alongside prayer threads, and we thought it would be great to combine them. I try and collate some of the prayer requests from the last thread in the next few days. In the meantime, dive in! Lurkers/newbies - you are welcome to post. Feel free to start any chat subject about Christianity, church, worship etc, and do share any prayer needs.
Would love to hear from those who were on previous threads and haven't been around for a while, too. Come and let us know how you are.

Very glad to hear your news Augustbreeze, thank you for updating us, so we can keep you and your brother in our prayers.

Love the idea of a weekly session @Madhairday. We used to have one at church but it isnt running atm obviously. It wasn't strictly bible study. Our now ex curate who set it up was very good at basing a session on what we needed at the time. So for example when my bf broke up with me ( the first time) and I was totally broken he did a session on friendship, basically to remind me how much I was loved and needed. Other times we looked at bible stories and how they are, or aren't, relevant today.

Welcome to the newcomers.

I'm beginning to feel peace again and my heart feels slightly less broken than it was.

I like the ideas here.
I've had another idea for a weekly session here. As some of us use and love the Lectio 365 app, I wondered what you think about doing The Prayer Course together? It would mean watching one 20 minute video once a week (it's an 8 week course) and then chatting about it here. We could try and watch it say on a Monday but anytime would be fine so everyone has a chance to, but sometime in that week maybe join in discussion about it. What do you think?
prayercourse.org/about/

Here's the intro video.

How lovely of that curate, @TheFormerPorpentinaScamander. To respond in immediacy like that. That's so refreshing.

The prayer course is good, my home group did it last year. I wouldn't choose to do it again but would be happy if others want to, to remind myself of it and join in discussion!

He was one of the most amazing people I've ever met @Madhairday. I miss him greatly.

The prayer course looks good. I'm not very good at praying

I would do the prayer course. I saw an earlier version and I'm reading how to pray so I would benefit from a discussion. Just watched intro and video 1! Its engaging and the discussions are nicely structured. I should join the Pete Greig fan club. How embarrassing! To be fair I also love some of the other L365 (We need this acronym!) regulars.

Great, let's go for the prayer course. If you have the time, watch this video over the next few days - session 1 - then come back with thoughts and questions about it. As well as still posting news and prayer requests, of course!

I've watched the video. I thought it was good. The presenters were engaging and I liked the emphasis on keeping things simple. Sometimes I think we can get caught up in the minutiae of issues and overcomplicate things. I know I am guilty of doing that. Looking forward to the next one.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, applesandpears.

Here's some questions to think on:

Q. What did you find most helpful or most challenging in the video?
Q. What do you find difficult about prayer? What do you find easy? Why do you think prayer can often feel hard?

Pete says the best piece of advice is to “Keep it simple, keep it real and keep it up.”

Keep it simple: “your prayer life is at its best at its simplest”
Q. What do you mostly talk to God about?

Keep it real: “Don’t role-play before God”
Q. Do you feel like you have to act a certain way before God when you pray? Why or why not?

Keep it up: “Don’t give up praying too soon”
Q. Do you find it challenging to persevere in prayer? How can we be encouraged to keep going?

Interesting questions. It will be good to see the responses other people have. I'll number them 1-5.

1. I think we often over complicate things. I liked the emphasis on keeping things simple.

1. If prayers in church or home group are too long I start to lose focus. Keeping concentration can be difficult. This may be why I like to keep things simple!

I think prayer can be hard if we have been doing something we feel bad about but aren't yet ready to ask for forgiveness, even if it is something really minor, or if there is an area of our lives that we are holding back from God. This is probably the other side of the coin from something I find easy about prayer - if God knows how many hairs are on my head there's no point in putting on an act, so I do try to keep it real.

1. Most time is spent on things I'm worried about, whether they be for me, my family, friends, wider society etc. I try to use the framework of the Lord's prayer but that is what I spend most time on. It is probably a bit out of balance.

1. No, see above.

1. I've found the notion about being persistent about praying for something difficult. God is so much greater than we can ever imagine and so isn't going to forget about something that we prayed about yesterday. At what point does being persistent turn into nagging? At the same time though, we are told to be persistent. It is tricky.

Really helpful answers, apples, and thought provoking. I agree that the emphasis on simplicity is helpful, we so often over complicate prayer. God doesn't need us to pray great long complicated flowery prayers, he just needs us to be real and lay out our hearts before him in all honesty. For me it's just like conversations I have with those I love - I don't put on a show or use loads of words I don't need to with them, I just say what I feel, and listen to them too, it's a 2 way thing.

With perseverence it can be so hard. The parable Jesus told about the widow asking for bread always spurs me on to keep asking and so do many of the Psalms where the writers choose to keep on remembering and keep on praising and praying despite the circumstances. Sometimes I've prayed for years for things which don't seem to have changed yet when I look back I see God at work in so many things along the way and how God is weaving that complex yet beautiful tapestry through my life. One of these videos is on unanswered prayer so that will be interesting to think on. For me people have prayed all my life for healing for me and it hasn't happened and yet I've seen and experienced God at work in some almost deeper ways than a physical healing as such. It's all a mystery at times.

I definitely don't get the balance right of prayer for others and the world.

Hello

I find Pete's own experiences of prayer most helpful to say that if we are not careful we can end up just asking God for stuff. It's nice to know we can all fall into that trap. I find it challenging that he has such clear recognition of God's voice. Sometimes I get that but only rarely.

I find it difficult to always feel connected or heard in prayer. I find it difficult to concerntrate when I want to be giving simple thanks for the many things I have to be grateful for but I get distracted, either with my day ahead, or often, food! I find it IMPOSSIBLE to listen properly to God's word. I dont pause enough in prayer so it's a bit one way a lot of the time. I almost get scared by what God does want because I dont want to change or live life differently. I dont find prayer easy generally but there are times you hit a state of flow and you say all the things you want to say and feel like it was a good prayer.

I think prayer can often feel hard because I am too tied up in myself. I talk to much and listen not enough. Plus I revert back to asking for things or saying the same things I often say.

I talk to God about everything!
In the morning I thank God and pray for my family or about my day. At night I pray for people and situations. I might ask for help with my faith.

I don’t think I role-play before God. I feel like I have to be honest about who I am. There isnt any hiding from God.

I dont pray for long periods. I think saying "Keep it up" to me means day in day out, which I can do but lately I've been busy with work, family, social life so make less time for prayer. I think I might give up praying too soon of an evening but that's because I usually leave it til day's end and I'm tired or I want to watch TV!

I have a prayer app to remind me about certain prayers but I could do to do more to keep up praying for some things. Sometimes I get really stuck praying for something and other things I forget to pray for. I think I just do what I can and not over think this.

Listening. That is something I'm not good at. How do you pause to listen during prayer without your mind drifting off to something else?

Unanswered prayer is another difficult topic. I get frustrated with anyone who suggests it is due to a lack of faith. I feel anyone that says that is trying to put themselves on a pedestal in order to put other people down and it reminds me of how the pharisees acted. Why God chooses to answer some prayers and not others I don't know, but I don't think it is down to a lack of faith. There are so many big issues that will only become clear when we get to heaven. Pre-destination is another one I find difficult, but that topic could fill a thread all on its own!

Listening and mind drifting: I like the book on prayer by Richard Foster. It's very hard to read, so actually I've only read a chapter or so but I intend to go back to it. I think he lives on a higher spiritual plane than most of us! But one thing he said, which I loved, was: when your mind wanders during prayer and you suddenly remember that you were supposed to be praying, say thank you to God for reminding me rather than sorry for failling! Much nicer emphasis, I think. He also said God might be speaking through your thoughts there, so pay attention and ask if he was guiding your thoughts just there?

I feel like I'm not great at prayer - it's not one of my talents because talking is not one of my talents! I pray for situations and people if God puts them on my mind, but I don't often stop in stillness long enough to give him the opportunity.

I'm feeling a bit cut off, living too far from my previous church (where I'm still a member) but not feeling the time is right to go find a new church family. I was looking forward to meeting up with my small housegroup on Friday, just for a social, really, but my car headlights broke so I couldn't get there. So I'm really glad you've started this conversation!

I really enjoyed the video, more than I was expecting to. I have very rarely heard God's voice clearly, I think. The times I remember most clearly were when I was separating from my then H - and finding my now H! - so it was reassuring that I was not going against his will.

The one which still makes me smile was this: I was driving to school to pick up my DC, praying about how I had no roots anywhere and it had been like this all my life. I turned the corner, and five or six families were already walking away from school. Every single one of them waved at me as I drove past! They're a friendly bunch, but this was not usual. It just made me laugh. Oh, ok God, I'm settling here, am I? Thanks for my new home! And it is still my base, seven years later. I liked what Pete said about God saying, I just thought it was a great tree. I used to expect God to ask me to do things out of my comfort zone and so I didn't really want to hear from him. But I think he wants more of that everyday living life alongside each other stuff, so much of my prayer life now is just chatting at odd moments of the day when I think of it. Just a sentence here and there, just checking in.

just popping in again. sorry I am struggling to keep up with lots of comments and filteringout the prayer from chat. it is too busy to access.

Ds is at home again for two weeks. his whole year have been sent home, along with another year group due to a poisitve case.

@BlackeyedSusan I hear you!

Am popping head up to say hi, have been dealing with me and DS having The Nasty Cold which everyone has (DS negative COVID test when he had symptoms), we've all had time off for that/test result waiting/ other things, it's exhausting.....

Other stuff going on too and am finding it so hard to get motivated about anything, including God ☹️....

Hi all. BES it's so lovely to see you, have missed you. Sorry to hear DS home already for a positive case at school. It's such a strange time. I'm sorry to hear you're finding issues accessing this as a chat and prayer thread. Would people prefer them as seperate? We've done it that way before but both had gone so slow I thought combining was a good idea so we could talk through things as well as pray. Happy to start new threads if preferred though - let me know what you all think.

I'm glad you're all finding the prayer course thought provoking and helpful so far and have enjoyed reading your musings which really do resonate with me. Here's session 2 so feel free to watch it and then come back and discuss over the coming week.

I'm not so well again so apologies for being quiet over the past few days.

@Madhairday

Oops @Madhairday that was supposed to be some 💐

Hi sorry to hear you are unwell @Madhairday. Feel better soon.

Thanks for posting next episode of the prayer course. Will watch it over the weekend. I have no real strong feelings about where the prayer course is posted. It is convenient here because then all our discussion is in one place and easy to find. I check in on this thread quite regularly. If you put it on a separate thread other people might find it useful who would not want to intrude on a "coffeehouse". It could be good for more people to go back and comment on earlier episodes. So either way works for me.

I've not been praying as much or should that be as regularly. Like BES I have had the kids at home (y2 and y5). It's been awful but I did trust in God that this is for the best. I suspect it has been better for them not to be in school as there have been 5 cases of covid. They both go back next week.

Just had a lovely chat with my 6yo about prayer. I credit the influence of this thread.

@AugustBreeze a nasty cold is bad news in covid times. A prayer here that you all recover and it doesn't cause any testing hassles. I also know what you mean about not being motivated. I think we all need prayers on that front!

Praying you'll feel better soon MHD

Thanks for posting up the next episode. I'm looking forward to watching it later today.

I ended up watching the video twice - because I got distracted the first time. I'm going to try that speedboat analogy that he used. It is a good one for me as I am familiar with being in little boats which are rocked by bigger ones passing by and am very easily distracted. The telescope/microscope analogy was very good too.