Prayer Bingo in Practice using Imaginitive Prayer

My 6 and 8 year old were motivated to rush through their "prayer bingo" with the sole motivation to get a prize at church. However, they were missing the point of the exercise.

Me: "Why do you think your teacher wants you to do prayer bingo? Is it just so you can get a prize?"

E: "I don't know."

Me: "Your teacher wants you to learn how to pray. And if you rush through it you won't learn how to pray."

E: "We already know how to pray."

Me: "Prayer is something we can always learn to do better. Let's try something. Close your eyes and imagine something Minecraft. Tell me exactly what you see and all the colors."

E: "I see lots of wardens chasing a guy."

Me: "What colors do you see?"

E: "The wardens are blue and black and the guy is tan with brownish blackish hair."

Me: "Okay now keep your eyes closed, and think of a pastor at church. Describe what they look like."

E: "I see Pastor Peter, he has blue pants, and a blue shirt and black glasses. He has a microphone."

Me: "Where is he and what is he doing?"

E: "He is on stage teaching a lot of people."

Me: "Okay now ask God what He wants you to pray for him."

E: He thinks quietly for a few seconds and then says, "He wants me to pray that he would be well, keep teaching more people, and never give up. So dear God I pray that you would help Pastor Peter be well, keep teaching more and more people and not give up, amen."

Me: "That was an amazing prayer. Did you know that is called intercession?"

The same exercise was done with my eldest son and he felt God tell him to pray that Pastor Peter would never get sick. It was a beautiful and powerful time to see my kids develop this spiritual gift and be led by the voice of God.

We were able to take time for these things because we postponed our school work to the weekend, but I thought the time spent on the discipline of prayer was more important than anything else we could have accomplished that day.

I want to thank my son's Sunday school teacher who took the time to pull me aside and tell me about prayer bingo and the special effort he put in to encourage the kids in his class to practice this important and transformative discipline.

The morning wasn't all smooth and wonderful, I believe we experienced some spiritual resistance to what we did that morning later on. After struggling with an anger outburst, my son asked me to turn on his favorite worship song so he could worship God. I was so happy to learn a new favorite song of his (that is not about poop or farts or Minecraft), and now I am able to play it in the house maybe as a way to battle against the anger he sometimes struggles with.

The beginning lyrics to his favorite worship song,  "Good God Almighty" by David Crowder

I can't count the times I've called Your name some broken night

And You showed up and patched me up like You do every time

I get amnesia, I forget that You keep coming around

Yeah, ain't no way You'll ever let me down

Good God Almighty

I hope You'll find me

Praising Your name no matter what comes

'Cause I know where I'd be without Your mercy

So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs...

Thank you Jesus for this special moment and the breakthrough we experienced in this time. You really do show up when we seek You. You are a good God, your grace is so generous. May Your praise always be on our lips.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas, Mommy and Daddy are mad...what about God?

Image
 "To be honest if I were to come face to face with God, I would want to hide from Him", she confessed to me one December day. I could sense the regretful tone in her voice as she admitted this truth. In light of the holiday season, I was reminded of my kids' favorite holiday song as of late, "I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas" by Relient K. The punk rock version of this song frequently fills the sound of our home, and the catchy chorus fills my little boys' lungs and lips as they sing the words, I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas Mommy and Daddy are mad I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas 'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad In her moment of confession, it occurred to me, that this song reflects how a lot of people think of God. In many imaginations, God is a distant figure in the sky with strategically placed elves on shelves all over the world. His all-consuming interest being our behavior, good or bad. Bad behavior make...
Read more

Hot Dog Party

Image
"Do you want a cracker?" I said as we sat in the truck waiting. "No," said my now two year old son. "Do you want some water?" I said. "No," he chirped back. I tried again, "Do you want your truck?" "No!" he said again getting a little annoyed. My distraction technique was majorly striking out as I attempted to deter him from wanting to get out of his car seat. I needed to come up with something clever. So I said, "Do you want a hot dog party!?" "Yeah!" he answered enthusiastically. Score! I had gotten him to answer back in a positive way and in my amusement I couldn't help but laugh. However, now I had to deliver somehow. Then I remembered Nana and Grandpa were watching him that night so I told him he could have a hot dog party with them.  Thanks for bringing the hot dogs Mom and Pops! "Hot dog party" comes from the book, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by, Mo Williams...
Read more

Preparing for a Peace-Filled & Relaxed Birth

Image
 My baby is now 9 months old. She is learning to crawl, standing up, and has grown two teeth. Finally, I am getting back to the post I started writing when I was 35 weeks pregnant. It's still worth posting. Someone needs to be encouraged. I think us mama's and mama's to be, need all the encouragement we can get. For, the job of Mom is very difficult, and yet, is of the upmost importance. April 2024 As I sit here and write this, I am currently about 35 weeks pregnant with my fourth baby. My mind and body have been pre-occupied with the upcoming change and new life that will soon enter my arms, our family, and the world. Even after having three pregnancies, labors, and deliveries my mind is just as vulnerable to the unsettling feeling of the unknown that labor and delivery can be. If I am not careful it can be easy to rehearse all the discomfort and the pain that was a part of my previous experiences and play them in my mind thus, producing fear and uncertainty. Recently, I a...
Read more