Worship & Prayer explores resources to help individuals and churches grow in worship and prayer. Find practical guidance on prayer habits, corporate worship, spiritual disciplines, the meaning of worship in Scripture, and leading gatherings that center on Jesus. This category includes biblical teaching, devotional insights, and ministry-focused articles to strengthen personal devotion and congregational life.
November 3, 2010
Tomorrow, Creekside Christian Fellowship (Needville, TX) resumes its Thursday evening worship services. CCF began the special services””held only during November, December, and January””to make it easier for members of the congregation who enjoy hunting to participate in their hobby while also making time for weekly worship.
August 18, 2010
By Mark A. Taylor Holy, holy, holy, All the saints adore thee. I looked down at the floor of the convention hall, almost full with fellow-saints singing the old words, and I thought about Heaven. I glanced down my row at my wife sitting beside Pat Merold who sat beside her husband, Ben. My preacher, Tom Moll, was on the aisle in the bleachers below me; beside him were Allan Dunbar and his wife. Bob Russell was a few rows ahead of them. All around us were people I didn”t know, and they were singing too. The scene made
July 11, 2010
By John Sloper Most of our churches refer to Sunday morning services as worship services. The styles differ from region to region, but the name remains the same. Some are formal, while others are more free. But do we really know what it means to worship God? Do we worship God by attending church regularly, teaching Sunday school, or serving on various committees? Perhaps, but let”s take a look at a few different words used in the Bible that are translated worship and see what they mean. Old Testament There are three different Hebrew words that are translated worship in
May 2, 2010
By John Mark Hicks Dear God, I hate you. Love, Madeleine. I meditated on this brief prayer (in Madeleine L”Engle”s The Weather of the Heart) for months after I read it. Initially, I was horrified by how much I identified with the prayer. My first reaction was, “I get the point.” And so did Mack in William Young”s bestseller, The Shack. Mack had become “sick of God” in the years since Missy”s death. But at God”s invitation, he went to the shack where Missy was murdered, doubting whether it really was God who invited him. As he entered the shack for the
September 27, 2009
by Greg Pruett I could hear my neighbor wailing, I just didn”t know why. My wife and I had just started our missionary career in a West African village, moving into a dusty tin-roofed shack that could have doubled as a solar oven. We found someone who could explain to us in French that our neighbor”s son was dying. When we saw the child, he was lying on the beaten earth floor of a grass-roofed hut, his breathing labored, pupils fixed and dilated. Despair crept into us as we realized he might not live long. I remember standing over
September 20, 2009
Karen J. Diefendorf reflects on Hebrews 8, Orthodox worship, and Revelation to recover a reverent vision of worship as joining what is already happening before God’s throne.
January 18, 2009
Mark Atteberry reflects on how ministry responsibilities, service mechanics, and Sunday distractions can keep leaders physically present in church while missing the deeper purpose of worship.
January 11, 2009
Ethan Magness reflects on a child’s bedtime prayer to show how honest prayer can hold gratitude and lament together before a good and caring God.
December 21, 2008
Tom Lawson reflects on how worship often gives us answers, yet Scripture’s questions may follow us home and lead to deeper insight and changed lives.
November 30, 2008
Robert F. Hull Jr. reflects on Advent as a season of repentance, Scripture, prayer, and waiting—one that can help churches prepare for Christmas with deeper spiritual focus.
October 22, 2008
Nikki Grimes reflects on writing, visual art, Christian calling, and the role of beauty, literature, and hope in worship and spiritual formation.
September 14, 2008
By Becky Ahlberg Worship is a spiritual discipline. It is relationally driven, to be sure, but like any healthy relationship it takes dedicated nurture to overcome our selfish nature. Healthy relationships require constant attention and, yes, discipline. They are dynamic and ever changing. Bookstores are full of books that offer help and insight into building better relationships with parents, children, spouses, coworkers, employers, employees, and even our pets! They all seem to agree we are drawn into relationships by our nature (to love and be loved and to find companionship and meaning for our lives), but we stay in them
September 14, 2008
Shockley Flick offers a practical framework for worship planning that honors God, edifies the church, and helps leaders use resources, sermon themes, and congregational “language” wisely.
September 14, 2008
By Tim Foot A worship service, without divine intervention, is going to be some nice music, maybe some creative elements, and a feel-good message at best! It”s only when we surrender to God”s presence and his ultimate plan that amazing moments happen. So while I like to see the creative process of service planning as a partnership with God, it”s certainly weighted heavily in the heavenly direction! As worship leaders our role, as I see it, is to facilitate a connection with God through worship. It is to do what we can to help folks discover grace, grow, and be
September 14, 2008
Danielle Frankland urges churches to see worship as more than Sunday music, recovering Scripture, prayer, communion, obedience, and whole-life surrender as central acts of worship.
September 10, 2008
Gary Johnson explains how Indian Creek Christian Church plans creative worship experiences around one clear “bottom line” to encourage transformed lives and reach people not yet following Christ.
May 14, 2008
Mark A. Taylor warns that prayer requests can become gossip when curiosity, self-righteousness, or public criticism replace humility, privacy, and genuine concern.
April 6, 2008
Why doesn’t God grant every prayer request? H. Lynn Gardner explores biblical reasons prayers go unanswered, the role of sin and selfish motives, and how believers can trust God’s wisdom and keep praying with Christlike humility.
April 6, 2008
Orrin Root reflects on the meaning and responsibility of public prayer, urging leaders to pray with sympathy, specificity, eloquence, and thoughtful preparation.
March 30, 2008
Why doesn’t God grant some prayer requests? H. Lynn Gardner examines Jesus’ prayer promises in context, showing how Scripture connects confident prayer with God’s will, obedience, and trustful submission.
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