Christians naturally have a great interest in the subject of prayer. It is common for believers to confess some deficiency in this area. Consider some suggestions which might help us to have more effective prayer lives.

Some are concerned that their prayers are too repetitious, mindful of Jesus' prohibition against certain repetitions (cf. Matthew 6:7). The fact is, however, that Jesus was not condemning all repetition. He said: “But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words”. Jesus was prohibiting the ritualistic, formula-bound type of prayers being offered by some, not repetitions of all kinds. In fact, there are some things which we will repeatedly include in our petitions to the Father (Luke 18:1-7). The factor determining the acceptability of repetitions is whether they are sincere, or simply repetitive formula, with no thought as to their content. To be fair, we must admit that our public prayers stand a chance of falling prey to this problem.

Another problem faced by praying disciples is the tendency to let the mind wander during periods of prayer. This causes feelings of guilt and frustration. This tendency is present more often during silent prayers, as opposed to spoken prayers. Would it not be helpful then, when praying alone, to pray aloud, just as one might converse with another? Read various passages on prayer and notice how many times the prayers were spoken, as suggested by such words as those of Matt. 26:39, where Jesus “prayed, saying...."

There should be times of prayer where one can remove himself from all other activity and distractions. It is proper, however, to maintain a prayerful spirit which enables prayer in various places and circumstances. Think of the numerous times each day that we must simply wait, say, for traffic lights to change, checkout lines to move along, etc. Most often, we pass this time idly. Why not use such situations as occasions for silent, thoughtful prayer? This is especially helpful when we think of how overwhelmed we tend to become when we consider the many things for which we need to pray.

Certainly more teaching is needed on this subject. I read of one congregation recently which hosts a yearly prayer workshop While this might at first strike us as odd, we might ask ourselves what the difference would be between this and a workshop on teaching, singing, preaching, parenting, etc. It might be very helpful for congregation to concentrate on helping members lead more vibrant, effective prayer lives.

Let us be conscious of our weaknesses in this area, and be mindful of the effectiveness of prayer (James 5:16). Most of all, may we "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).

Gospel Meeting
Orange Street will be hosting a Gospel Meeting starting Sunday, March 6th, through Wednesday, March 9th, 2005. Mike Elledge from Ocala, Florida will be our speaker. Start making preparations now to be at each and every service. More details will follow as they become available.

From The Web-Site
Computer owners should note that we have added a couple of new links on our web-site. We have recently included The International Gospel Hour and the new Gospel Broadcasting Network to our “Links” page. Check these out as you have time.

TONIGHT! after the evening services, the men will honor the ladies of our number by preparing and serving them dinner. All are invited to attend and enjoy the food and fellowship.

There is a Men’s Pancake Breakfast scheduled for this coming Saturday morning (Feb. 19th) in the annex. All men are invited.

Home Devotional
The monthly home devotional will be hosted by Wilda Cox and Vanessa Powell in their home, this coming Saturday evening (19th) at 6pm. Please sign-up on the sheet in the foyer if you can attend.

Congratulations!
Two of our young people recently won honors at the Florida Citrus Festival. Emily Rowe won Reserve Grand Champion Over All and Grand Champion Over Breed showing her animals at the fair and Jacob Rowe won the Herdsman Award and First Place in Showmanship.

Half-Truth. A half-truth is a whole lie. Courts demand "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". By telling only a half-truth, a lie is inserted.