I'll keep that in prayer...

Say someone comes to you with a dire need. Someone they know is dying. Someone they know is spiritually dead. A relative is in bad financial straits.

I usually say, "I'll pray for you." You probably do too, right? Right. So...

1) If you can do something to help, DO SOMETHING. Remember James 1, kids.

2) Prayer is good, effective, and honoring to Jesus. So pray. Don't just say you'll pray. Pray then and there.

And then.... THEN.... WRITE IT DOWN. Seriously, do you think you're going to 'keep' ANYTHING 'in prayer' without writing it down to look at every day?

The fact of the matter is, in a fast paced, self-reliant culture, we neglect prayer. I neglect prayer. If I'm busy, it's often the first thing to go.

And also if I'm busy, prayer usually becomes about.... my junk. And no one else's. Certainly not the nation's, nor the world's... nor God's grand purpose in this world.

Whoops.

I pray through a list daily. Some of you might think that's lame. Well, I'm lame. I have a craptastic memory and a sinnin' heart that focuses on .... ME. So I write down stuff I need to pray for.

I read Scripture, ask the Father to convict me of sin, thank him for forgiving me for it, and pray through everything on that list - everything from my own walk with God, my wife's walk with God, to requests from others, to missionaries I support, to the whole world.

It ain't perfect. But it helps this dude out. Give it a shot! Prayer honors God, and through it, he's redeeming this world by the blood of Jesus.

Someone, at some point, probably prayed for your salvation. God used it. Let's keep the chain goin'.

Here's my list - maybe it'll help.

And feel free to help me out, too.