PrayerWorks Eugene

Helping protect children from violence

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:08:46 +0000

This entry will be expanded shortly, but in the meantime, please forward the conversation by replying with any ideas you may have for helping children where violence is involved, both in terms of keeping children from becoming violent, or from being victims of violence.

Another local issue needing prayer: sex trafficking

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:22:22 +0000

The recent arrest of a local man for pimping a 15-year-old girl led to this article on KVAL.com. There’s an accompanying video which highlights various aspects of the problem, including a possible gang connection. Included are comments from a member of ZONTA, an organization working against sex trafficking. A ZONTA representative will be one of the featured speakers at our next PrayerWorks meeting, to be held January 30th (see details on the Events page.)

In the meantime, please add below any inspiration or thoughts you may have about addressing this problem spiritually.

Elements of effective prayer

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:09:22 +0000

From Kurt:

I’m hardly an expert, but I’ve prayed enough that I’m starting to get some insights as to the keys to prayer. My ultimate model is found in Christ Jesus. He obviously prayed, and great things happened as a result. Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray. He said: “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2).

I now see Jesus’ prayers as an effort to deeply acknowledge God at work, and so to feel and experience and bear witness to His presence.

Thinking back on how I used to pray, I would ask God for things or ask God to do certain things. I realize I was suggesting to the Almighty what He should be doing. Now, though, I pray for an awakening to God’s reality from His point of view. In fact, my shift in prayer from asking for things to coming to the point of more humbly trying to understand God’s present infinite goodness, has improved immeasurably the results of my effort.

Experiences can leave us entirely doubting the possibilities of prayer because praying to change things doesn’t seem to work, and making the leap to praying for the purposes of awakening to an unseen reality defies human reasoning.

But so much of Jesus’ teachings also defies conventional reasoning.

I now have a habitual desire to know and do what God shows me in prayer.

Now, I am not just settling for a troubled community. I’m not asking God to step in. And I’m not just accepting the negative view of things. Instead, I’m watching for good that is already evident in our community and lifting up those negatives to God’s light.

Gangs… and college football

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:16:16 +0000

It’s come up in the news in the last few days that some college football players were gang-affiliated before they arrived at their schools, and have kept that affiliation. Today I came across a great Sports Illustrated article about a high school student in Compton–prime Southern California gang territory. It shows how hard the boy’s parents and others have worked to keep him away from the pervasive gangs and violence of the area, and makes it obvious how difficult his success story would be for someone without the family resources this boy has. The article gives a good look at what kids are up against in gang-pervasive areas–points which could be helpful to target in our prayers. The boy’s story of success against overwhelming odds is inspirational as well. Find the article here.

Please add any inspiration you may have as to how to approach our community’s gang-related problems in prayer.

Did you attend Chief Kerns’ talk?

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:24:00 +0000

Let us know what you thought. Did you have any ‘aha!’ moments? Did the meeting inspire you to uplifts these challenges in prayer?

What stood out to you most in what was presented? Share your ideas for effective prayer regarding any of the topics brought up.

(If you missed the talk, or would like a review, check out our summary of the evening under ‘Events’ in the navigation.)

Welcome!

admin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:20:31 +0000

We expect discussion here to begin after Chief Kerns’ talk this coming Tuesday evening, but in the meantime, thanks for dropping by. We hope you’ll add your thoughts and inspiration to the problems we’ll be addressing through prayer. If you have any questions about PrayerWorks, you can ask by commenting below.

See you at the Tuesday evening talk!

- The PrayerWorks team