Each time you pray in the coming week, begin by saying, “Lord, I want my prayer to be in the name of Jesus. Please let all I pray be motivated by Jesus, consistent with the heart of Jesus, and for the glory of Jesus.” If you are not confident your prayer reflects the will and desire of Jesus, slow down … Read More
Your 1-1-1 Prayer
In the coming month, try doing a 1-1-1 Prayer. This is something Lee Strobel taught at the Organic Outreach Conference we hold at Shoreline Church. The idea is simple. You pray for a person who is not yet a follower of Jesus. Commit to intercede for them and ask God to soften their heart, open them to the love of … Read More
As We Pray For Others
As we pray for others, there are a number of important reminders the Bible gives us. These are some of the things we can miss if we are not attentive and sensitive to God’s direction as we pray. Here are five things I find helpful to remember. Each of these helps me keep my prayer life on track. Pray … Read More
Pray With Eyes Wide Open
When we pray with our life wide open, we allow the Holy Spirit to transform our behavior, change our direction, and shape our daily decisions. As we do this, opportunities to communicate with God come flooding in with surprising regularity. We no longer “try to pray” or “work at praying more.” Speaking to God and hearing from our Lord become … Read More
Be Missionaries Cleverly Disguised as Good Neighbors
Be Missionaries Cleverly Disguised as Good Neighbors One of the primary roles of pastors is to develop a mindset in the people God has entrusted to them to be missionaries cleverly disguised as good neighbors. When I think about the word incarnation, I remember back to learning about chile con carne in ninth-grade Spanish class—chili with meat. The incarnation was … Read More
Next Door As It Is In Heaven
A Love2020.com interview with the authors of Next Door As It Is In Heaven: Living out God’s Kingdom In Your Neighborhood. Phil Miglioratti ~ What prompted you to partner together to write this book? Lance Ford ~ In our work with pastors as well as church members over the last several years, it has become increasingly evident that most Christians … Read More
Let Love Rule: It Might Be Time for a Heart Check
by Phil Miglioratti Whenever a particular colleague would call me on the phone, I would immediately freeze up. Our ministry was suffering from his seemingly self-serving decision-making and destructive actions. When confronted, he refused to repent or resign. Somehow I survived that situation. But when he called, more than a decade after he finally moved on, I hesitated to … Read More