I love the sound that a basketball makes when it swishes through a net, the sight of the rock passing perfectly through the orange rim, and the satisfaction of making a shot in the game of basketball. Hours and hours of practice are required in order to accomplish this task on a consistent basis. A beginner needs to learn the basic form and hand positions in order to accurately shoot a ball. This requires training your muscles to put to memory this proper form. Next the player must learn how to use ones entire body, feet, legs, arms, hands, and eyes, working in sync with each other to skillfully shoot the ball into the air with perfect backspin, arc, aim, force, and direction toward the goal. With practice, repetition, and coaching the skill is attained. The task becomes natural and the benefits are joyfully received.

    As disciples serving in love we have practices that give glory to God and benefit our faith in God. Our practices shape and inform our ability to serve God and others. We have the benefit of participating together through prayer, singing, sharing God’s word, eating together, and meeting each other’s needs. When we gather together as the body, we learn how to perform these tasks with the purposes of drawing our hearts toward God. Individually we are encouraged to make these practices a part of our daily rhythm of life.

    Today we will focus on the practice of prayer. Join us in prayer as we address God through faith, acknowledging God’s presence, confessing our sins confidently to the one who will forgive, thanking God as the creator and giver of all things, and asking God to act on our behalf and our loved ones. Allow our prayers to point your heart toward God. Make our prayers a model of how you practice coming before God each day. We hope our practice of prayer in worship will inform your daily practice of talking to God, and that your daily practice of calling out to God will inspire our times of corporate prayer each Lord’s day.

    Let us come to love the sound of heads bowing, hearts opening, and voices speaking to God. - Bryan Johnston - nbcoc@hotmail.com - churchofchristnb.com