Our snow is gone (at least for a while)!  With that, we're celebrating warmer temps, dry roads, and the possibilities of a great upcoming season... both for our training and racing, but more so for our spiritual growth and ministry opportunities.  It's with this anticipation that I re-direct your attention back to our topic at hand... living a disciplined life where it truly matters.  As we continue to prepare physically for our upcoming opportunities, may we be just as diligent in preparing spiritually for our ongoing mission!

               Last month we discussed what prayer is, talked about our motives, and began to explore practical tips to help us grow in our prayer life.  For the next couple months we'll build on this as I offer up lessons I have learned that may help us all grow as men and women of prayer.  As we begin, I remind you of my encouragement from last month... the challenge to schedule some time to pray. 

               How has that gone?  Were you able to schedule and protect some extra non-distracted time with our Lord?  How has the Lord answered your prayers?  We would love to hear and celebrate this, and I invite you to share His answers and your requests on our Prayer Team Wall.  If you have not been able to carve out that time, I echo my encouragement from last month.  Unless you block off and prioritize that time, any number of distractions will prevent you from deep, meaningful, intimate, regular conversations with our Lord.  With that, you'll be missing both the joy of this experience, but also the answers you may be seeking to your unspoken prayers. 

               While the Lord's Prayer is not the only recorded prayer we have of Jesus, nor is it his only teaching on prayer; heeding His answer to the disciples' question is both obedient and beautiful.  As we pray, we should: glorify the Lord, honor His holy name, seek His will, seek His provision, seek His forgiveness, seek His help in forgiving others, seek His protection from temptation and evil, and recognize His awesome majesty.  We have an amazing opportunity to follow Jesus' teaching through praying this prayer and intimately expounding upon each of his points as we come to and worship our Father in spirit and truth.

               While I encourage praying the Lord's Prayer frequently, I also wanted to pass along another tool that has been helpful in organizing my prayers.  It is known as praying A.C.T.S.  Consider spending one, five, or even ten minutes (or shorter/longer as you're led) praying in each of the following "categories."

• Adoration:  This is purely worshipping our awesome God.  Praise Him!  Recognize His magnificence, His power, His love, and His various holy attributes.  Sing His praise and glorify His name. 
• Confession:  Admit your sins before God.  Agree with Him regarding the times when you have missed His holy mark in your words, thoughts, and deeds.  Repent and turn from these attitudes and acts back towards God.  Seek and receive His amazing grace and mercy made available through Jesus's sacrifice.  Be specific and be ready to reconcile with others whom you may have sinned against.  
• Thanksgiving:  This is a time to thank God for His forgiveness and His amazing blessings in your life.  Thank Him for His love, protection, and provision.  Thank Him for His creation, His miracles, and people He has put in your life.  This list is simply endless!
• Supplication:  This is a time of praying for your needs and the needs of others: friends, family, your church, pastors and ministry staff, the government, leaders, community servants, and believers and non-believers around the world.  Pray for wisdom, guidance, faith, courage, unity, brokenness, humility, healing, and hearts that yearn for our Lord. 

               While praying A.C.T.S. is not a magical formula or found anywhere in Scripture, each of the above is certainly modeled in God's Word.  I have found that it can help balance my prayers, taking attention off of a potential briefly expressed "wish list" (even a Biblically-based list coming from good intentions), inviting me to spend more time in worship and confession, taking my eyes off of perceived needs and putting them on the LORD.  I pray this could be helpful for you as well. 

               And now for this month's challenge... try to spend 5 minutes on each of the above (time it so you don't cheat), while on your knees in a quiet place.  See if you can carve out the 20 minutes to do that 2-3 times this week.  It will take more discipline than you think, but it will be SO worth it!  As you do, remember the why.  This is not a legalistic check-list item.  We have the amazing privilege of going before the awesome, all-powerful LORD as his adopted children.  He loves us, answers prayer, and is worthy of our praise.  What could be more important than time spent with Him?  I look forward to hearing how this goes, and how He answers your prayers.

               As we enter April, we are also entering Iron Prayer season!  On March 29, we were blessed to host a fantastic Iron Prayer at the Oceanside 70.3.  San Diego Huddle Leader Greg Price coordinated with Board Member Sierra Snyder to organize the event, of course with the help of Iron Prayer Coordinator Robin Soares.  The event was MC'd by our Board Chairman Barry Edwards and worship was led by Rick Founds, writer of "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High."  The worship was amazing, including our first Iron Prayer with an accordion in the band!  A message was given by Chris Anderson and Professional Triathlete Jared Milam, who did a great job covering the first part of Romans 12.  We then closed in prayer and additional music.  It was a blessed start to an upcoming season!  For details on Iron Prayer and the Iron Prayer schedule, click here. 

              This month we would also like to celebrate all that the Lord is doing through the North Sound Huddle in Lake Stevens, WA.  Huddle Leaders Eric & Mary Gandee were recently joined by another co-leader, Pam Rensh, who will be a great addition to that servant team.  They're continuing to serve as founding Huddle Leaders Ryan and Kelli Ingram prepare for a year-long missions trip to Malawi!  I love the faithfulness of our leaders and their hearts to say, "Yes Lord," no matter the mission given!  Inspiring! 

               The Huddle has been busy... hosting a CPR call in February, weekly Bible studies, and a Huddle Movie night this weekend (watching God's Not Dead together)!  They're also helping lead an aid station at an upcoming run in May!  Good stuff!  Thank you for your prayers for this Huddle and our servant leaders! 

               Speaking of North, we're excited to announce our first North Dakota Huddle in Grand Forks!  David Uhlir responded to the calling, and this Huddle is off to a great start with 10-12 runners showing up for their first run.  They plan to run 2 times/month, with a short devotional before or after the run.  They're also exploring event ministry opportunities for the coming season.  Will you join me in prayer for David and this new Huddle?

As we close, I'll pass on a few additional updates:

• Needed:  Prayer Team Leader - Do you have a heart for prayer? Are you a "Prayer Warrior?"  Are you called/willing to help serve, organize, and encourage our Teammates and Prayer Team members in growing as men and women of prayer, all while bringing FCA Endurance regularly before the Lord?  If so, we need you!  Please contact Chris Anderson to explore this opportunity. 
  
   
• FCA Camps - ALL IN:  FCA camps are a time of inspiration and perspiration!  They are also an amazing tool that the Lord has used to impact countless student athletes, coaches, and campuses for Jesus!  Do you know any student athletes?  Then get them to camp!  It will change their lives!  Visit the camp site 
  
   
• New Orleans 70.3:  Will you be in New Orleans this weekend?  If so, you do not want to miss the NOLA 70.3 Iron Prayer on April 12 from 3-4 PM at the Hilton Riverside (Windward Room of the host hotel).  Our speaker will be the 2013 USAT Professional Rookie of the Year Mike Hermanson.  There will also be music, and of course prayer!  Come and prepare your heart to race.  Iron Prayer details and RSVP 
  
   
• Boston Marathon:  We are just over a week away from a great weekend of ministry in Boston.  Ministry details will be out by the end of the week.  If you'll be there (or you know someone who will), please RSVP on TheBody or contact Chris Anderson.

God bless you as you make disciples in 2014!

For God's Glory!