The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

time, then pray a few decibels louder. Pray long enough that you get past self-con­ sciousness about your volume. WJ'ite down your observations regarding your own expe r ience and, (/you 're in a group, what you notice about the prayers of others.

C. Don't go to sleep. For many, this can actually require discipline. I grew up rising early to milk the cows, catching the school bus, attending basketball practice, returning home for more chores, then doing homework before hitting the sack. I learned to sleep instantly whenever possible. On the bus or during quiet moments in class, I could be asleep in thirty seconds. I still possess this singular talent. Once when I was newly married, my wife said, "You keep your eyes open when we kiss." "Yeah," I foolishly replied, "if I close them I'll go to sleep." Now, if I can't stay awake while kissing my wife, I certainly can't afford to close my eyes in prayer. I routinely pray with eyes open, often standing as well. Do whatever it takes without creating a distraction. D. Work hard at agreeing. Don't drift mentally. I encourage people to respond ver­ bally to others' prayers. Agreeing aloud keeps my attention on the other person's words and affirms him or het; just as in any other conversation. If these responses distract you, I'd encourage you to bear with them for a while, and see if you don't come to appreciate them. PracticalExercise: Take time to pray with ryes open, while standing or doing some activity that doesn't distract from prayer (walking, jogging, bike riding). In a group, reinforce your support for the prayer of another person verbally with a simple "Amen" (meaning, "! agree; let it be so"), "Yes" or even "Uh huh." E. Stay on one topic at a time. Have you ever tried to conduct a conversation with one of those people who changes topics seven times in five minutes? You finally just smile and noel, because you've lost the train of thought. In praye1; as in any conversation, people are able to track with each other if the flow has consistency and avoids frequent, sudden topic changes. Spend several minutes on a single topic before moving on. F. Try to connect with the person who prayed before you. In any prayer gathering, topic changes are necessary. But think of prayer as a conversation with some type of connection from topic to topic. Sudden shifts to unrelated topics cause mental