As a Pastor one of my Big Deals is Prayer….my goal is for no one to beat me in the amount of time that our church gets talked about with God. I believe what the Bible says about prayer – it can make things happen – it can help us hear God’s heart and it can provide protection from the enemy’s attacks. Here are the 5 things that I am currently PRAYING for THRIVE!

1. WE TRUST MORE! - Call it faith, trust – whatever you want…..Our relationship with God is built on believing God at his word and then acting on those beliefs. My prayer is that we TAKE HUGE LEAPS OF TRUST in the coming year. What are the focus areas: our time, families, jobs, finances and being a connector to God!

2. COMMUNITY GROWS! – We were built for more than sitting in a seat on Sunday! The church was designed to “do life” and at the same time, be “life-giving”. I’m praying Thriver’s eat together, play together, have conversations about God, life and family. The book of Proverbs describes it as “iron sharpening iron” – let’s sharpen each other!

3. PROTECTION FROM THE ENEMY! – The truth is Satan hates us! He will distract, deploy, and put despair in our lives to hold us back from God’s blessings and power. I’m praying that our eyes are wide open to the enemy’s schemes and that we grab a hold of the spiritual weapons that God has given us! Go read II Corinthians 10:4

4. EXPERIENCE AUTHENTIC JOY – When we can smile beyond our circumstances, laugh in the middle of storms and be thankful when we experience blessings…that’s when we can say “I have Joy”. Joy is not circumstantial – it’s an inward peace that comes from our confidence in who GOD IS! I’m praying that Thrive is busting out the doors with people who are discovering the real deal!

5. WE IMPACT OTHERS LIVES – The Bible describes the Gospel as “good news”. Good news deserves to be shared and given out freely. I get excited when I think about our friends, family members and neighbors connecting to Christ in 2010. We can impact other’s lives when we are willing to share our story – love people and invite them to go on the journey with us. It’s incredible to think that we can help people discover God’s Purpose and plan for their lives!

Praying hard! Pray with me!

See you Sunday…..

Tom