Why Pray for PACC
by WCBI have a routine of sorts, a commitment that I have made to myself and a promise to the Creator God.
I won’t eat each day until I have spent time in the Word and time in prayer. My standard is to spend as much time feeding on the Word and in conversation with God as I might spend at the table feeding my physical body.
My prayer time is spent walking. If I were more time conscious I’d walk faster or even run and pray to get more out of my time/effort. I used to do it that way. Not any more. Now I just walk, saunter, trod, mosey along because my intent is to pray, think, listen, and pray. To exercise my spiritual self, not my physical self. My prayer walk is not particularly pleasant to the senses. There are lots of houses on one side, busy roads on the other, parking lots and even a large factory and some office buildings. There is one stretch that is especially unpleasant when I look down, so I don’t, remembering that the reason I am out on the walk is to look up. Sometimes, I also push Mia along. Perhaps some day she’ll ask me what I am doing, and I will tell her.
I put a lot of stock into the thoughts and Bible verses that come to mind when I pray. I guess I feel like it’s God talking back to me, especially when the Bible verses apply to the matter I am praying about.
Among other things, I pray for PACC, for its present, its future, its leaders – Lewis, Keith, Mike, for the people of PACC by name, for how I might be a better servant.
I pour a lot of time, energy and preparation into the time I spend with the church family at PACC as well. It is what I do. I am not sure why I am this way.
This morning a thought came to me when I was praying about PACC. It was not a Bible thought, rather it was something the theologian Vince Lombardi used to say. “The harder you try, the harder it is to give up.” In other words, if one felt like giving up on something, it’s probably because they hadn’t invested enough into it. Think of it as, the longer you are on hold on the telephone, the harder it is to hang up and try again later.
So, why do I pour time, effort, energy, preparation and prayer into PACC? Because all of these things create an emotional and real attachment to the church family at PACC. And the more I do it, the more I want to, and certainly the more I do not want to give up.
What’s your investment in PACC?
November 14th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
How beautiful are the feet of those who walk and pray! Thank you Bill.
I had no idea Vince Lombardi was a theologian, I thought he was a football player.
November 16th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
[Note to those who don't know: Mia is WCB's infant daughter. Vince Lombardi was not a theologian, but he was a football coach who used the gifts God gave him.]
November 16th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Now for a real comment. About 25 years ago I formed “Greer’s Theory of Investment.” It is not dissimilar to Mr. Lombardi’s statement, as quoted by WCB, and it goes directly to the question asked.
Greer’s Theory of Investment states that the more one invests in anything, the less likely that person is to walk away from that thing. The investment can be financial, physical, emotional, temporal, spiritual, or any combination of those elements.
Over the years I’ve refined my theory in several ways, including factoring in the reasons behind investments and how that impacts the strength of the bond between the investor and the thing invested in. Not surprisingly, willing investment carries more “glue” than unwilling investment.
Prayer, especially willing, heartfelt prayer, is a wonderful way to invest in people and in churches. Not only does it bring you more deeply in relationship with the person or thing prayed for, it brings you into deeper relationship with the one you pray to. And I can’t think of a better place to spread glue than in a relationship with God.
And now, I will pray for the PACC blog.