After the prayer gathering last night, Kristen and I got in the car to head home. The first thing I said was, "That was one of the best, most encouraging moments I've had since The Crossing started."  No hype, no spin, no word-smithing.  It was simply one of the highlights of planting, pastoring, and being a part of this new church.  It was a "top ten" moment for Kristen and me.

There were people from every age and stage of life, new believers and mature Jesus followers, men and women, singles and couples, and everyone else in between gether together to go before our Heavenly Father in prayer.  People were meeting for the first time at the start and hugging goodbye like old friends at the end.  It was a reflection of the Kingdom of God.

We tried to cram everyone into one room, but eventually had to spill over into another one.  We had people in charis, on the floor, sitting on tables, and standing in the hallways at different points in the night. It wasn't a perfectly produced program.  It was way better.  It was family gathered together before our Heavenly Father.  It was a reflection of Spirit-filled authentic faith and authentic community.

Some people were eloquent in their words.  Others of us fumbled over our sentences.  Some prayed like they were talking to an old friend.  One thing it wasn't: it wasn't performing.  It was asking, seeking, begging, knocking, prasing, worshipping, glorifying our Heavenly Father.  

We prayed over you and over your requests.  Yep, you!  Some by name.  Some by circumstances.  We prayed for one another in the room.  We prayed for physical healing of cancer, RA, and other illnesses.  We prayed for relationships to be restored.  We prayed for moms and dads.  We prayed for everything from potty training of toddlers to leadership training of young men.

People prayed for our pastors, staff, elders, team captains, and volunteer leaders.  I can't tell you how personally encouraged and refreshed I was as people prayed for me, my marriage, and our children.

We prayed God would use us to reach our community and be missionally-minded.  We prayed for specific neighbors we wanted to see God bring to faith.  We prayed for those in need in our city.  We prayed for our city, state, and national politicians.

In the end, we all crammed back into one room, and rejoiced in Jesus and glorified God for how he had moved that evening.  And Kristen and I drove home with hearts so full of grace and joy.  I woke up this morning confident that we will hear stories for weeks to come of God answering those prayers from last night.

Thanks for a "Top Ten" moment!

-p. Adam