IHOP, APEST, and The Danger of Playing Para-Church

(Note: this post was written several months ago after the release of the Rolling Stone article "Love and Death in the House of Prayer." I hesitated to publish it then but am publishing it now that time is passed and I feel good about it. Understand it is coming from a place of love for both IHOP and the Church, desiring "to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son.")

I have spent a lot of time at the House of Prayer lately.  Not the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, which has been doing 24/7 prayer and worship since 1999, but the local off shoot here in Des Moines.  IHOP Iowa (IHOPIA, which is almost just as long as far as abbreviations go) is open 4 hours a day during the week and features live musicians occasionally, but mostly plays a live feed of the IHOPKC worship room.  Lately, I have been spending 1-2 hours there a day and playing guitar once a week. 

There a lot of things I really like about IHOP. I attended One Thing, their big conference every year, this past December and had some profound encounters with Jesus. Since then, I've really been learning a lot. The greatest thing I enjoy is the chance to break out of the usual routine of 15 minute spiritual disciplines and instead take the time to spend an hour or two in the presence of God.  It forces you to actually engage with a God usually relegated to the margins of our schedules.  In a time when I am beginning to raise support for my new job with InterVarsity, this time has deepened my intimacy with Jesus and trust in Him in profound ways.  

Pictures, Thoughts, and Prayers in Ferguson, MO [graphic][updated]

[update] I am encouraged by pictures and reports coming out of Ferguson tonight.  From the reports I read, the Governor called off local police and instead sent in state highway patrol troopers who, in civility and without riot gear, joined their fellow citizens to peacefully march and protest.  This is a victory for freedom and an answer to prayer.  Now let's pray that other officers and prosecutors will do their job well and gather the evidence for seeing that justice is done.

[original story]
When the small St. Louis community of Ferguson witnessed the death of an young black man at the hands of the police, it is appropriate to respond like this to such a tragedy:

8 Ways That College Is A Time of Doing the Exact Opposite of What Our Parents Told Us

Our parents spent 18 years preparing us for the world. Now that we're on our own, we do what we want, often to our doom.

Our early years in our parent's house were spent learning a lot of do's and don't, a lot of life lessons, and a lot of cliches we rolled our eyes at.  Usually our teenage years we feel like we are under the heavy boot of Big Brother and can't wait to get out the house. College, for many, is the first time we are on our own away from home and our parent's edicts, so we respond by basically complete rebellion against everything they've ever taught us.  Here's compelling proof that during College we do the exact opposite of what our parents told us to.

1) "Don't make faces like that or it will get stuck"

In an effort to rebel against our parent's ban on making faces, these girls have resorted to looking like aquatic birds for aesthetic reasons. The plus side is they're really good at eating spaghetti. 

Miley Cyrus is seen here making faces as some sort of desperate yet brilliant marketing campaign to look really stupid in order to be famous. 

2) "Eat Your Vegetables"

Here we observe the college student eating the most well rounded of all it's meals.  Peppers and Onions are free? No thank you, I might as well be eating brussel sprouts. Oh Hubble sucks again today? Greasy Pizza it is.

Because nothing says "brain food" for studying late at night than the well rounded options from the vending machine. 4 hours for 10 pages? Get me a red bull and it's done.

3) "Don't Sit Too Close To The TV"

We all got yelled at for this as a kid. It's not gunna ruin my eyes I'm just blocking your view. 

So I'm gunna sit as close as I want because the closer I sit the easier it is to kill zombies.  If I sit far away then I startle the witch and now I'm dead, thanks mom. 

4) "If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you?"

There is a lot of truth to this one.  It's a testament to the power of peer pressure.  But in college, Yes! We Would! Many times metaphorically, we are caught into the same game of fitting in and feeling cool that we should have grown out of in high school. So that's not good. But literally, I want to go bungee jumping, especially if all my friends are!

5) "Nothing good happens after midnight"

This one is also true, unless you're up killing zombies.  And despite what stupid movies like "National Lampoon's Van Wilder Goes to Nebraska" will tell you, staying out until 4AM, getting blackout drunk three times a weekend, throwing up and hooking up, is terrible. I did my share of partying and let me tell ya, nothing beats a night of Live Mafia. As a great college Dean once said, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way go through life, son."  

6) "Go to church"

As a good friend of mine is prone to say, "Don't spend your Sundays listening to the Honorable Reverend Snooze."  Church seemed super boring growing up but college is a time to actually take ownership of your faith and think about what you believe, church (and your local InterVarsity) is a great place to start.

You'll discover that Church, for all it's eccentricities, is really your extended family and those aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are there to love you.  You'll find yourself growing in faith on your own and get some free meals out of it as well. 

 7) "Read Your Bible" 

Studying is overwhelming at time and "reading your Bible" seems like another churchy thing our youth group pastor told us to do.

But actually a well read Bible is your greatest friend and ally in your relationship with God. 99% of the despair we face in life will come from a misconception, in some way, of God's good news. Study, absolutely, but there is no better investment in yourself than giving 10 minutes a day to read a chapter or two.

8) "Say Your Prayers"

Growing up we were always told to brush our teeth and say our prayers before bed.  So prayer became this routine thing you did before bed, meals, and church. In college, prayer becomes an afterthought. 

But in my experience, prayer is more like this. Pouring my heart out to Him, usually in my car alone, with all of the junk I am struggling through. Prayer can be a conversation or it can just be silently sitting in His presence. For more ideas about how to make prayer interesting click here for a previous blog entry.

So remember, next time you hear that internal voice of skepticism from your parents about what you're doing, your parents are wiser than you think now and *much* wiser than you thought as a teenager.  Sometimes they were dropping brilliant truth nuggets, other times they just wanted you to stop making that face because you were being annoying. College is a time, not to disregard everything they ever taught you, but to separate fact from fiction and learn and how to grow in your relationship with God not as a child dragged to VBS, but as an adult discerning God's will for your life. 

Seth

19 Kinds of Prayer to Help You Actually Enjoy Talking To God

“To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and [there ascend] to stand before the face of the Lord, ever present, all seeing, within you [and on the throne].”

- Theophan the Recluse

Growing up, most of us were told to pray before bed and before meals and we saw our preacher do it on Sundays, but we never put much thought into what it actually was.  At times we think of it as a check list and duty. Last Wednesday at InterVarsity, Ann gave a great definition of prayer to shake loose these misconceptions, that "prayer is conversation between two people in love, you and Jesus."  Like any conversation, if you don't know the person very well, it can be awkward.  But as you talk more and get comfortable, great friendships can form.  Many of us never get past small talk with God, having only brief awkward interactions followed by days or weeks of silence.  But if we want to get to know God, our Creator, our Abba Father, we must talk to Him. Without communication relationships die.  But different people communicate in different ways and having deep convos every time you chat with a friend wears you out.  Sometimes you just want to catch up or hang out.

Inspired by that thought I have put together a list of 19 different kinds of prayer which can help us communicate with God in a variety of ways.  I took these from a book called Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun as well as my own experience in InterVarsity and Vineyard.  It is extensive but not comprehensive.  They range from contemplative silent prayers, to prayers that get you moving, to group prayers.  My hope is that you will bookmark this page and use it as a resource for connecting to God when your prayer gets a little stale, because every relationship needs to change things up sometimes. Build your relationship with God! Get praying!

1. Breathe Prayer - form of contemplative prayer linked to the rhythms of breathing: 1) breathe in, calling on a biblical name of image of God, and 2) breathe out in a simple God-given desire. E.g. (breathe in) “Jesus, Son of David” (breathe out) “have mercy on me, a sinner.”  You may also pray a short verse. (In) “The Lord is my shepherd” (out) “I shall not be in want.” Recall this prayer throughout the day as a way to re-focus on God, practice being in His presence, and pray continually.

2. Centering Prayer - a form of contemplative prayer where the pray-er seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires in the still center of Christ’s presence. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes, settle into a comfortable position, tell God you are intentionally placing yourself in His presence, then choose a simple word, phrase, name of God, or verse that expresses your desire for God. Perhaps read a psalm then pick something that resonated with you. Allow yourself to be still and become quiet as you focus on that word or phrase and rest in His presence. As distracting thoughts come into your mind, gently bring your mind back to the word. You may come back to that word throughout the day to still yourself and remind yourself of God.  Feel free to play around with different forms of contemplative prayer that stills your mind and rests in the presence of God.

Judging From A Google Search of 'prayer,' God doesn't hear you unless you're a silhouette. 

3. Conversational Prayer - Engaging in a conversation with God by yourself or in a group. When alone, speak with God like you would a friend, engage in a dialogue about what is on your mind right then. Try to get alone by going for a walk or sitting in your car so you can speak to God out loud. In a group, engage in the conversation together, taking turns praying about topics briefly as you are led by each other and the Holy Spirit. This teaches us to speak with God naturally and unself-consciously, listening to His Spirit in response, avoiding the pressure of the pre-planned flowery prayers we think we need.

4. Fasting - the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer for repentance, wisdom, or out of concern for others, yourself, and the world.  It brings attachments and cravings to the surface as a reminder that Jesus alone can satisfy. It is also a practice of, like Paul, “keep our body under control,” to “live according to the Spirit” instead of the flesh, and to build a disciplined character which resists temptation.  Fasts may include: food, drink, media (TV, social media, phone), comforts (naps, desert), etc for any length of time, but stick with it!

5. Fixed Hour Prayer - Regular and consistent patterns of attending to God throughout the day as a way of “sanctifying time” and building God into our everyday life. This may include setting a timer to pray at the top of every hour, taking the few minutes in between classes to pray, or taking a longer 10-15 prayer morning, afternoon, and evening. For 1,600 years the Order of St. Benedict have used a schedule of a night prayer, a waking-prayer, prayers for beginning work, giving-thanks prayers in mid-morning, noon-day prayer of commitment, a mid-afternoon prayer, an evening prayer of stillness, and a going to sleep prayer of trust.  Feel free to be creative in your schedule or types of prayer used. What’s important is intentionally connecting to God at regular intervals throughout the day.

6. Healing Prayer - Contrary to what some may believe, God does still heal! Prayer is not magic and God is not bound to our requests but He is certainly able to heal and does, both physically and emotionally.  Praying for healing can be scary because it puts us in the place of asking God to the miraculous and risking He may say no. But He can never say yes unless we ask! Seven words that can change someone's life are “Can I pray for you right now?”  Prayer for physical healing may involve appropriately placing one’s hand on the injury (always ask!) and asking for God’s presence and kingdom to restore and heal the injury.  In our culture, the need for emotional healing is even greater. Emotional healing means asking for God to bring to the surface wounds and lies that shape how we live and see the world, for Jesus to place himself in that place, and to take that wound and heal it.  Listen to what he may be saying. We may have our own emotional wounds that we need to go to Jesus with as well.

7. Intercessory Prayer - Coming to God to intercede on behalf of yourself, others, or the world.  It is a great mystery that God knows the desires of our hearts yet still wants us to ask Him and that He listens and responds to our prayer.  Our prayer has direct effect in the world, especially in the spiritual realm, even if it may not seem like it.  This is praying that God breaks our heart for what breaks His, for His Kingdom to come and will be done, for our family, friends, campus, country, and more.  This may be done alone in a variety of ways such as prayer walk, as well as directly with someone, similar to healing prayer.

8. Labyrinth Prayer - Making a quiet, listening pilgrimage to God.  Pilgrimages to the Holy Land were common practice for early Christians as a way of reconnecting with their roots and getting right before God. Later Christians began building their own labyrinth (like a really simple 3-D maze) to walk in order to replicate the experience.  Today we may replicate the experience by going on a walk to some pre-planned destination, with the intention of getting away from distractions, centering yourself on Christ, sorting things out with God, and spending time with Him at the destination before returning renewed.  We may go on a mental labyrinth prayer of sorts when we get alone with God and talk through a conflict or dilemma. Many today even use a pen to trace their way through a printed labyrinth to replicate the same experience. Just google “Labyrinth," like below.

9. Liturgical Prayer - Written or memorized prayer that serves as a framework for individual or corporate worship and devotion.  This is what we do when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together or recite the Apostle’s Creed and is often used in a Catholic, Lutheran, or Anglican church service.  Look up the Common Book of Prayer or search Liturgical Prayer to find other historical prayer that help us engage with our history and with God in a different way. This may also include praying a piece of scripture as your own such as Psalm 139 or Psalm 51 (also known as Scripture Prayer). In that vein you may insert your own name into a scripture as a way to personalize it.

10. Prayer Partner/Group - Regular gathering with trusted fellow believers to pray for each other, your communities, the world, or other needs.  This is especially productive when formed around a common communities (sports team, fraternity, campus group).  Prayer in the group may be done in a variety of ways.  A “prayer meeting” may be a one time event for a specific cause.

11. Prayer of Recollection - a type of contemplative prayer with the specific purpose of relinquishing one’s false self, ego, pride, and culturally created identity in order to remember and “recollect” our God-given identity, and rest in the truth that we are a new creation, reborn, a son or daughter of God, and an heir to the King of Kings.

12. Prayer Walking - a way of praying for a particular location that you are concerned about by placing you in the actual geographical place and praying God’s kingdom to come and His spirit the be poured over over it. For example, walking around campus in order to pray for campus. Praying for the freshman dorms and all those within as you walk by, for Meredith, students and professors, as you walk by it. This often precludes a new beginning or a particular event such as praying for Greek street before a big party week or around the arts building before starting a drama ministry.

13. Praying in Tongues - Praying in tongues is a particular gift of the Spirit that not everyone has, so if you attempt it and it doesn’t come, that’s fine.  You are equally valuable in the Body of Christ and gifted in other ways. However, praying in tongues is mysterious and weird, but also very valuable.  Paul says that praying in tongues is the groans of the Spirit, speaking in tongues of men and angels, when our words are not enough.  Practically, this happens in that moment of prayer when we run out of cognitive words to say but feel our soul burning to say more.  When we simply let our vocal chords speak anyway, this is the Holy Spirit within us speaking through us.  It is important that Paul says tongues edifies (instructs, improves) oneself, not others.  It is possible for one to “interpret” the tongue (either because they hear it in their own language or are given a word by the Spirit) in a way that gives instruction to others.  But this is the only time tongues should be done before the congregation/group, otherwise it is a private thing between you and God. For more about tongues, see: 1 Corinthians 12-14

14. Korean Prayer  - A style of corporate adapted from Korean churches in which, rather than one person pray or every prays quietly, everyone in the assembly prays individually to God out loud.

15. Night Watch  - Setting apart time late at night to forgo sleep and instead spend time in prayer, reading Scripture, and worship, connecting to God. During David’s reign, he had musicians and priests praying and worshipping 24/7 throughout the night.  In a time when the rest of the world is sleeping, the Night Watch is a special way to set aside all distractions and spend extended time engaging with God.  You may start off with any amount of time and build up to longer stretches. What’s important is setting an extended period of time that will allow to engage with God in a variety of ways.  Think of watching the live feed of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, which has been doing 24/7 prayer since 1999 and has a group of people doing the Night Watch every night from 12-6AM.

16. Listening Prayer - A way of being still to hear from God. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue in which it is possible for God to respond in a variety of ways.  Rarely does God speak through a loud booming voice but through a single word, phrase, scripture, or image. People often call this recieving “a word” from God.  Do not feel discouraged if it seems awkward or difficult.  Often it is difficult to tell the difference between God and our own thoughts but thought repetition we can learn to discern (and we could still be wrong).  SImply take the time to still your mind, welcome the Holy Spirit, and ask God to speak.  This may be done alone, directly for another person, or in a group setting.  As you get comfortable hearing from God and make prayer a part of your everyday life, you may find yourself hearing God on a regular basis.

17. Treasure Hunt -  This is listening prayer with a particular purpose and direction alone or in a group.  You are asking God for revelation, signs, and divine appointments before you go out to an area, event, or campus.  Time is spent in listening prayer as a group, with each person writing down words or images that come to mind.  Each person then shares before the group goes out and looks for those images as a sign of where God wants them to go or what He wants them to do.  Again, don’t be discouraged! It’s amazing how many images people think are totally random and stupid but several people received and is seen when on the treasure hunt.  This technique has been used to find out from God where sex trafficking is going on in a city, which the group responded to by going to those places and prayer, as well going on prayer walks on campuses.

18. Lectio Divina - A type of contemplative prayer that includes reading and meditating on a passage of scripture in four stages.  1) Read through the passage slowly and gradually, perhaps several times. 2)Meditate on the meaning of the passage by letting the Holy Spirit guide you in understanding. 3)Pray by having a conversation with God about the passage and how the Holy Spirit is moving and speaking to you 4) Contemplate by sitting in silent prayer before God and letting the things you have learned and God has shown you to sink in.

19. Gospel Contemplation - Similar to Lectio Divina, this a type of prayer that involves Scripture.  Read through one of stories in the Gospels of Jesus interacting with person like when he heals a beggar or talks to the woman at the well.  Read it again and familiarize yourself with the details.  Then in your mind place yourself in the scene and observe the surroundings, how Jesus is acting, how people respond, etc.  Meditate on what this means for how Jesus looks at and loves you.  Talk to God about what how this experience is shaping your knowledge of Jesus.

What do you think?? Any kinds of prayer that you use that I missed? Comment below!