There are two things I’ve always wanted to do. One is to host a prayer workshop and the other is to bring in the New Year in the presence of heaven.

Given my current situation in life as pastor of The Message Church, it seems I’m on the verge of having both of these “desires” fulfilled.

Dealing with the latter first, as far back as 2001, I’ve wanted to be at a church where a group of folks would get together for the express purpose of ringing in the new year in the presence of the supernatural/divine/heavenly (you can choose the word that is most comfortable for you). I’ve been at “church parties” on the eve of the new year and the emphasis has always been on the “party” side of the term. Enjoyable, entertaining, good food… always. But walking into the heavenly realms when one year transitions into the next… never.

So, this year The Message will host such an event. Details are yet to be determined but I’m already salivating about the potential of what could happen. As they say… stay tuned!

Now the former: a prayer workshop?

I’ve come a long way over the last decade. The thing that has been the catalyst of much of what has happened has been an increasing awareness of what prayer isn’t and what it really is. I was such a miserable prayer-failure for so many scores of years that I assumed that it either wasn’t real or that there was something wrong with me. Talking with others, I heard the same story.

In March of 2000, I had one of those “epiphanies” that you so often hear about people having. Not in the literal sense of an epiphany (an appearance or manifestation of a deity), but in a “Wow! I can’t believe that just happened and now I get it!” sense.

With that eye opener, things have gone helter-skeltering forward since then. I use helter-skelter intentionally; it hasn’t been organized or pretty, it often appeared to make absolutely no sense, but it has “advanced the ball down the field,” if I were to use a sports analogy.

While not an expert by any stretch, I want to share with and learn from others on how to pray better, stronger, more powerfully and authoritatively; I want to see the impossible occurring and the God-of-the-angel-armies giving glimpses of the activity taking place in the heavenly realms.

So, to that end, we will be having a prayer workshop at The Message Church on Saturday morning, December 4 between 9:00-12:00. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome to come. There’s no charge, no obligation, no strings and free coffee.