Filed under: 1000 Miles
I walked in a tough neighborhood on Wednesday night. I got the sense people just didn’t know God cared about them because none of His people have ever shown them any love.
How can we show folks that live in bad neighborhoods that God loves them? What can we do? One was that maybe we can just be around. Not avoid the neighborhood or leave it to the “bad guys” but be there.
Can we change behavior just by caring? I don’t know but I’m willing to try. Will few drugs be sold if more people are around? I don’t know but I’m willing to try. Will fewer people be assaulted if there are more witnesses?
What I can’t get past is our fear. What are we afraid of? What is keeping us from “risk”?
Our goal isn’t to exist so we can arrive safely at death (we are all going to die). But our goal should be to live on the fringes so we can tell people about God’s insatiable love for them. We should ache to risk on behalf of God.
God sent His son to die for us, why should we expect something less for us?
I don’t want to be safe. I want to go where Jesus is, and he isn’t hanging out with church people.
Filed under: 1000 Miles
I believe prayer walking has gotten a bad wrap.
First off it is asking us to do two things at once. For men, that is difficult enough. We (men) aren’t known for our multi-tasking abilities. But secondly there is a whole question of “What do you do?”
Well, I am here today to explain it for you. It might get complex so stick with me.
First step, pick a place to walk.
Second step, talk with God.
Rinse, and repeat.
Did I lose you? Could you stick with me?
Prayer walking is really simple. You just walk around talking with God. Maybe asking questions, for sure listening to see what He might share with you. It doesn’t have to be poetic or using Jesusy terminology. Just talk. It could look something like this:
(first off, you are walking) then you can say something like, “Hey God. Do you know who lives in that house? Well of course you do, you are God. What can you tell me about them? How can I pray for them?” (then just wait and see what God says). It could also be that you stop and talk with a person that you encounter. See how their day is going. Smile with them.
Prayer walking isn’t hard.
I am walking 1000 miles in Ottumwa this year. Praying, talking with people. Generally being in the community in places I haven’t been before. I usually go on my own, but would have no problem going with someone else.
If you like, I’ll post my upcoming prayer walking times and starting locations and you can join me or not.
But maybe, you could walk around maybe just your neighborhood and pray for your neighbors. They may not even know they need it, but I know they do.
So what do you think?
Filed under: 1000 Miles
1000 miles over the streets of Ottumwa.
I kind of paid attention to time and distance today. I walked a little over a mile and it took me almost one hour. If I do some quick math, it will take about 1000 hours to walk every street and/or walk 1000 miles in Ottumwa at least once.
There is no special formula for prayer walking. I was just walking and talking to God. Just asking questions or sharing thoughts. Listening, greeting people in the neighborhoods.
This 1000 miles is all about the people along the routes.
Jump in, walk some streets. Pray. Share your experiences and your route with me.
I’m doing this 1000 miles thing. Walking 1000 miles in prayer in our city. I have help. A few folks have already signed up to help out and some have even started.
A quick impression of what God has been telling me.
The conversations I have on these walks. The interaction with people I don’t know – that is the difference He wants made. Since moving here we have noticed a lot of difficulty in conversation with people we don’t know. Either they aren’t interested or something. But a lot of sour looks after greetings and the like have left us a little taken back.
So God is saying go harder. Be more genuine. Actually stop moving and have a conversation. Be the light you are supposed to be.
That is my focus on these walks. We have a little over 17 miles down so far. 983 more miles to go.
Who’s in?
Filed under: 1000 Miles
We have started praying over our city. We are probably about 7 miles in thus far. Three little clusters of beginnings. One on the north side. One just west of down town. And the last one down on the south side.
I don’t really have any grand strategy or plan as of yet. I have a map that I am marking the streets off with to make sure we don’t miss anywhere.
I am praying and listening. Stopping and talking.
I had a great conversation this morning with Richard. He is two weeks away from 80 years old. He has a number of rental houses, a trailer park near Beacon and a farm (that he still farms) down in Van Buren county. He said he should probably stop when he turns 80. I asked him what he will do if he stops doing everything. He said he would probably die. So he isn’t going to stop. There is no need for retirement.
That conversation today, really made this whole idea worth it. I spent about 45 minutes walking and talking with Richard. That is also what this is about. Speaking with people I wouldn’t normally see.
I can’t wait to see what God has planned with this adventure. It is going to be fun for sure.
You can join us, just email me or drop me a note in the comments that you want to help out and I’ll send you some streets.
