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Call to Prayer 2008
Call to Prayer 2008
Click
here to read the Mayor and City Council's Proclamation
Click here to read the County Judge and Commissioners
Court Proclamation.
Click here for a one-page prayer guide (Word Document
Format)
Click here for a one-page prayer guide (PDF Adobe
Format)
Note to Pastors:
Pastors,
On Thursday, January
24,
at 4:00 p.m. our Mayor and City Council will made a
proclamation calling for the city to enter into a season
of prayer beginning with a day of prayer and fasting on
Sunday, February 3, 2008. On Monday, Jan. 28th,
at their 10:00 am meeting, our County Judge and
Commissioners Court made a similar proclamation.
We are
asking the people of Lubbock to pray that the virtues of
truth, honor, justice, purity, beauty, integrity,
excellence and credibility will prevail and transform
our community and its citizens. (Philippians 4:8)
Would
you consider making some recognition of this call to
prayer in services on Sunday, February 3rd?
Ideas found on our website include praying for these
virtues in a pastoral prayer, reading the proclamation
or printing or projecting Phil. 4:8 and asking your
congregation to pray for an increase of these virtues,
etc. We would also suggest some form of fasting that
day – that can be at whatever level you would like to
encourage. The duration of this prayer is for the year
2008, so fasting and prayer is in order on Feb. 3rd
and we will make an effort to keep this call to prayer
before our community throughout 2008.
We
have seen great results from previous corporate prayer
initiatives from record rain in 2004 to decreased
teen-aged traffic deaths in 2007. A complete rundown of
the previous calls to prayer can also be found at
http://www.praylubbock.com/DaysOfPrayerAndFastingHistory.asp.
A call
to prayer, alone, does not bring results, praying does.
If there is anyway I can assist you in encouraging and
equipping your congregation to pray, I stand ready to
help.
Proverbs 11:11 says, “By the blessing of the upright a
city is exalted…” Please join with Christians across
this city in speaking blessing, praying for Biblical
virtue to abound, and therefore seeing our city exalted
into the destiny God has for Lubbock to advance His
Kingdom and bring Him glory.
With
anticipation,
Steve
The Lubbock Mayor and City Council, the Lubbock County
Judge and Commissioners Court and Pray Lubbock are calling
for Sunday, February 3, 2008 to be a day of prayer and
fasting, commencing a season of prayer on behalf of the
character and heart of our community and its people. We are
asking that we all focus our prayers this year on the hope
that the following virtues (found in Philippians 4:8) will
prevail in our citizens and community and bring
transformation:
Truth > Pray that truth will be valued more than
personal opinion, that we will be sincere and trustworthy.
Honor > Pray that our motives will be highly
regarded, that we will display appropriate levels of
dignified and serious behavior.
Justice > Pray that our actions and declarations
will be founded in righteousness, that we will be equitable
and fair.
Purity > Pray that our society will desire values
over vices, that we will exercise abstinence over
indulgence.
Beauty > Pray that our people and neighborhoods
will be lovely, that our relationships and environment will
be friendly and amicable.
Integrity > Pray that our reputation will be that
of a good report, that our demeanor will be upright and
commendable.
Excellence > Pray that our workmanship will be of
high-quality, that our life-pursuits will be respectable and
first-class.
Credibility > Pray that we will earn grounds for
commendation, that our community will be admirable and
praise-worthy.
Philippians 4:8-9 (New King James Version)
8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble, whatever things
are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things
are of good report, if there is any
virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
9 The
things which you learned and received and heard and
saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be
with you.Here are some ideas about how to observe this day:
·
Organize the
entire service around prayer for our community and the
virtues found in Philippians 4:8
·
Include this
emphasis in the pastor’s prayer
·
Recognize
community leaders in your congregation and have them stand
as you pray for our community
·
Read the proclamation from the Mayor (link at the top of
this page)
·
Encourage
congregational members to fast in some way on Feb. 3rd.
You may fast for one meal, fast until sundown, fast from TV,
etc.
·
Replace the
coffee urns and boxes of donuts with signs reminding people
to fast and pray for God's increase of truth, honor,
justice, purity, beauty, integrity, excellence and
credibility.
In future Sundays during this season of prayer you might
consider a sermon series on each of these virtues which Paul
urges us to dwell upon.
"By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by
the mouth of the wicked it is torn down." Proverbs 11:11
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