Probably the most helpful, revolutionary thing to happen to me in this area was Matt Chandler’s teaching on prayer that I heard last year where he talked about writing prayers and so I experimented what it would be like to simply type out my prayers in a digital journal that I organize by year, month, and day.

It’s incredibly helpful because I no longer am able to “wander off” in my thoughts, I can focus and really “get to business” in praising, repenting, and interceding.

So what I think we need is a kick in the butt to not stop experimenting until we find something that works.

I have found prayer difficult because I am a doer and not a talker. On the surface, prayer, as an act of petition, looks like it is simply asking someone else to take care of a problem. It wasn’t until I heard a teaching by Matt Chandler (The Art of Prayer – pdf: http://is.gd/q3XXDq, mp3: http://is.gd/IH2jsD) that I began to see prayer as the vehicle God chooses to use to get to get things done. So when we talk to guys about prayer it needs to framed as a getting-stuff-done action and not like a facebook status update about raising awareness.

It is also easier for me to listen to certain kinds of people. I am a dude and I listen to dudes. Matt Chandler is a dude, I respect and listen to him. Mark Driscoll is a dude, I can listen to him. All the guys in my small group are dudes for a reason. Joel Osteen is not a dude and simply hearing him speak makes me want to stab myself in the face with a chainsaw, even if what he was saying was somehow worth listening to. So if you need to address an issue (“Peter, you need to pray more because…”) in my life don’t come at me with some sort of emotional appeal. That will not work as I am not an emotional decision maker. Punch me in the face, tell me to man up and stop being a nancy. Handle a guy problem in a guy way. Of course, this means that there needs to be guys around to say this…

Another difficulty I found in praying is that it is so heavily intertwined and symbiotic with worship. This may be more of a me-centric issue than something that applies to guys in general, but worship did not come naturally to me. I show affection and appreciation by doing things for people, not verbally telling them how awesome they are. However, I learned that when one spends a good chunk of prayer time praising God, reflecting on life and acknowledging God’s mercy/love/etc it is addicting and inspires one to spend more time in prayer. I have found that without this component prayer is really not that enjoyable and more often than not something I do because I’m supposed to. Basically what Bob said. So somehow guys need to be convinced of this.

I have also noticed that in my life there is an inverse relationship between sin and prayer. I hate acknowledging that I have done something wrong, which is always something that seems to come up in prayer, so I end up praying less when caught up in sin. I think the best thing to combat this for guys to get involved in a small group with other trustworthy guys who have permission to speak into each others lives and can help each other deal with their temptations.

Finally, I am not sure there are enough examples of guys praying. Years back when I first began addressing my (lack of) prayer life I had no idea what prayer really was or was supposed to look like. I eventually figured it out (I think) on my own, but I really could have benefited from being around examples of impassioned prayer. So guys need to pray often and pray together.

So there’s that. I don’t know if I’m a typical guy, but that’s how you’d get me to pray more.

I just ask because I’m not wired to sit in prayer for a half hour. My mind wanders, I start doing things… I walk and talk to God. Honestly, that’s how I find I’m able to actually concentrate or pray. Or I write. I mean, is this wrong- is there a right and wrong way to pray?

Just curious as a somewhat new beleiver if there is a “right” or “wrong” way for praying be done. Address when you feel you have the time. No rush.

My husband and I have been attending for a few months now following our move from Riverview. We enjoy the relevant preaching/teaching and the focus/emphasis on community. The church emphasizes the fact that “church doesn’t start until the service is over”, and truly takes strides to get people connected with a life group.

The church is about 5 years old and meets at three different locations within the Twin Cities. It’s a young and fast-growing church with a diversity of Christians in age and spiritual age. The spirit of God is certainly moving here — If you’re in the the Twin Cities, check out Substance!