" Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested." (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) NJKV

I have agreed to teach an online course of study which is entitled "Towards More Effective Prayer". I will be serving as the facilitator for participants of the course for a total of ten weeks. The course will run for nine weeks, with a course wrap-up during the final week. If everything goes well, we may endeavor to create a second course that delves more into specifics of prayer--more in-depth stuff.

This Journal is my response to a request I made of the other participants in the course, in the first course material I sent to them. (Not only am I facilitating the course, but I am also a participant. )

During the beginning, or "Zero" Week of this little course, I asked all students to initiate a new Prayer Journal. I suggested to them that one way of doing that was by the creation of an on-line Journal. Paper Journals are fine--I just spend most of my waking hours sitting in front of a computer. My access to this format is much more immediate and useable for me. This, then, is a Journal of Prayer for me.

What may surprise my fellow participants in the course is that I will also use this site for additional purposes, as well. I may hide assignments here, or respond to written requests for help here, or provide useful course resources here. One of the secrets of effective prayer is digging down deep. Another is searching for understanding, meaning, and context. The participants already know that there will be writing in the course, via assignments that must be completed and returned to me via email. But, I will also reflect on my thoughts along this little journey here, too. Fellow students will be able to read my entries, and post comments here. I hope they do.

What is it that makes me feel qualified to teach anyone anything about effective prayer?

That is a great question. I'll see if I can come up with an equal answer.

Prayer has been a faithful friend to me for a very long time. This particular prayer ("The Prayer of Jabez") has been with me almost longer than any other. I have been praying along the guidelines this particular prayer offers for over thirty five years now. The only prayer I have been using longer, prayer-wise, is "The Lord's Prayer", which I have known and used personally for over forty-five years. I have, for many years now, found that prayer is the most effective tool I have to maintain my life. It illuminates my faith. It empowers my living. It is, daily, my conversation with the God of Creation. It is not the ONLY communication we share, but without prayer I am convinced there would be no other communication with God, whom I very generally refer to as "Dad", or "Daddy". Prayer keeps me focused on things that matter to God, as well as things that matter to me. Prayer answers those questions, large and small, that fill the confines of a life lived. Prayer allows me to live that life more fully, and completely. Prayer gets, and keeps, me centered in my Father's Will for my living today.

My attitude towards prayer is holy, yet as comfortable to me as the wearing of an old shirt. And, while this alone does not entitle me to be some kind of "grand master of prayer", I can tell you without fear of successful contradiction that I have seen prayer work in my life, directly. I have also seen prayer most-fervent fail. I think I have some understanding why, and that is what I wish to share. What the Instructor of the course (God) will share individually and with the entire group is not my business, but it is my concern. I wish to enable my fellow participants. I hope to increase their faith, and to give them hope. I hope to show them His love in a way that will, forever change their journey, at least as much as it has changed mine.

To a large degree, the love I know from Dad is through prayer. The course will walk through the book by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson entitled "The Prayer of Jabez" (Sub titled: Breaking Through To The Blessed Life). We will use Scripture, too. As you may know, there has recently been a raging controversy over the Jabez book, the Author, and anyone who ever bought it. Almost 10 million copies have been sold, and almost 1,000 of them are available for purchase (used) at Amazon.com this morning. That, to me, is a fair indication of the controversy. Why this book, in a course on more effective prayer? And why use Scripture from the Holy Bible?

I use the book because of its subtitle. I pray to Dad to be blessed, and to be a blessing. That is what my life has been, is now, and will always be about! In every endeavor, every journey, and every adventure of my life to date, those two items have been right at the top of my list. Those are the things that I pray for. I pray for God's Blessing on and in my life each and every day. I pray that God would use me, centered in His Will, to be a Blessing to the entire World, every day. I do this because the Bible tells me that is what God wants, needs, and commands me to do. I am a Christian. I am (I have recently been informed) a fundamental Christian in that I do know that I know the Bible IS the Word of God. The Book has been God-initiated, God-inspired, and God-breathed. I believe it fully to be the entire revelation of God, by God himself, to every one of his Children. I believe that it is literally "the Word of God". And that, they tell me, makes me a fundamentalist Christian. I happen to disagree, but it really is not of any significance. I believe that God Himself set out to find the persons, give them His Word, and cause them to write them down--simply because God knew I was gonna be coming along down the road of Eternity, and would very desperately need that Word. I really do believe that.

I also believe that man, through his own desire to be something greater than he should rightfully be, has spent many years mis-translating and mis-interpreting this same Holy Word to suit his own needs, purposes, and desires. I believe that there is sufficient evidence to categorically prove this beyond any reasonable doubt. But the proof is not readily found without digging, and the mis-interpretations will not show themselves without a practiced eye to see them. God has not hidden his words in a book! Man has hidden God's words for his own designs, purposes and desires. It may have been the need of one group to grow in numbers. It may have been one man's refusal to face his own sin. It may have been one nation holding itself superior to another. All these and even more reasons are valid proofs that man has taken this Holy Book and used it to batter, maim, and kill millions of his fellow men. So let us not look with scorn to other faiths that have done the same. We taught them how to do it. In America, there are more bibles than there are people! By more than three to one. There are countless (more than 120 the last time I checked) "versions" or "Translations" of the Bible. Is God so confusing that we need this? Is God so distant that we must be constantly re-interpreting the very Words He ordained? Well, maybe.

You see, I believe the Bible is NOT about giving answers to our questions. The Bible is about teaching us how to ask better questions. It is an open book, with lots and lots of white space. The white space is there to serve as a working space. God can say "I love you, (fill in your name here) and to everyone within 2,000 miles of you, simultaneously. And you will only hear your name. Think of it! Well, you wonder how He can do that? Yo! He's God!!

Another example, if you are willing. You go to Church on Sunday, right? When you "recite" the Lord's Prayer together (in unison), do you really believe that every single person there with you is saying the same thing? In the same way? At the same time? Do you? Really? I mean, of course you learn where that group likes the pauses, and the whole "debtor vs. trespass" thing, for sure. But, if every voice lifting those words up simultaneously were saying the exact same thing, it just wouldn't be a Prayer in the first place! It would be a Mantra with no consequence other than to your own satisfaction. Prayers are externally reaching petitions that leave us, going somewhere. Mantras are internal defining chants that stay within us. That's what they were designed for! When you recite, corporately, The Lord's Prayer, every voice is lifted at the same time, and the same words are heard--by humans. That is the first dimension to prayer, not the last one! When I say "Thy Will be done on Earth..." God knows precisely what I mean when I say it. It is necessarily different than what you mean when you say it. God does not pay any more attention to the words that you say than you understand the babbling of your very own two month old child! But He does hear what you mean. Every time, without exemption, exception, or dispensation.

For all eternity, God has given us the recipe for effective prayer. He has told us in His Word those prayers that he hears, those that He answers, those that He honors, those that He discounts, and those that He honors with the answers we request, just as we request them.

The purpse of this course is to discover what that paragraph just completed is all about. We, as believers and followers of Christ simply must understand these truths. And, we must agree to incorporate them in our daily living, moment by moment.

I believe, with all my heart, that if we look at some effective prayers, we may just come to understand a little better this whole prayer thing. How do we know? We must dig, deeply. The answers are not hidden, yet they are sometimes difficult to understand. The answers are not wrapped in deep theological nonsense, yet we miss them because they are simple. And, simple is always good to God. We are the ones that complicate things of God, not God. So, let's get to digging, and see the wonders of God, the Creator of the Universe in our lives, even today, shall we?

Hey, Dad? It's just me. I just wanted to thank You for allowing me to be with You today down here. Thanks for walking with me, and for showing me the really amazing things of Your World. I really love being with You, and talking with You, and learning more of You, and from You. Thanks for letting me hang out with some really nice people, and sharing with them the really neat stuff that You have shown me over the past little while. I hope that You will help me show them the right things--the things You would show them. And, Dad? Thanks for loving me that much. You are the very best! I love You Dad. Your kid, Bud