Series

In Time for Easter

This informative post comes to you courtesy of my daughter MJ, who stayed in Children’s Ministry this past Sunday for the entire service! Miracles still happen.

As I was sitting in the service (all by myself!) our pastors recommended two books just in time for Easter.

The first one, which we reviewed last year, is for adults: Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross by Nancy Guthrie. It’s a collection of twenty-five short readings with contributors such as Martin Lloyd-Jones, J.C. Ryle, R.C. Sproul and more. This is one to re-read every year.

They also recommended a book for kiddos: The Very First Easter by Paul Maier. I hope to order a copy for Caly by the end of the day.

And while we are on the topic of Sunday (did I mention that I got to sit through the whole meeting?), one of my favorite preachers gave the message. Yep, my dad was speaking! In a series leading up to Easter Sunday, he preached a powerful sermon on Gethsemane. You can listen to his message here.

Thanks, MJ!

Praying Work

Nicole’s post from last week reminded me of what my long-time friend Nancy Loftness calls “praying work.”
 
Nancy’s a woman who loves God’s Word, loves to pray, and deeply cares for people. When she found that she didn’t have time to pray for everyone she wanted to pray for during her morning quiet time, she came up with a plan.
 
She thought about her regular chores that didn’t require any thinking or talking—such as ironing, cleaning the bathroom, or driving by herself—and she turned those into times for prayer on behalf of friends, family, members of her church and the unsaved. Praying work.
 
Just imagine how many requests Nancy has brought before the throne of grace while in her car or working around her house!
 
Consider your week: what tasks can you turn into “praying work”?
 
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers...” Ephesians 5:16
 
“No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.” Charles Spurgeon

How to Stay Awake During Prayer

Great news--Dawn’s kids aren’t in The 5 O’Clock Club anymore!

Thanks so much again for answering my mail about the 5 O’Clock Club. Things have been going better. Thanks so much for the phone under the pillow idea.  I have also worked on not stepping on the top step of our stairs and that helps a lot too. I have been able to get up and not wake the children this last week.

Yeah! We’re so glad to hear God is helping your kids sleep and you wake up.
 
But, says Dawn, “I have one remaining problem--how to stay awake during prayer. (I have tried praying aloud—well, in a whisper--but somehow I still fall asleep.) But you have encouraged me to think creatively so I am sure I will find the answer.”
 
Been there too, Dawn. Creativity is certainly called for. Here are a few things we’ve tried—
 
-       Pray while you exercise. Mom used to prop her prayer list up on the treadmill console and pray while she exercised.

-       Pray in the shower. From an idea Mom gave me, I printed my prayer list, put it in a sheet protector and taped it to the wall of my shower. I had some of my best prayer times there—although our water bill probably went up!
 
-       Pray on a walk. When Tori was a baby, I would sometimes walk around the block with her in the stroller. This idea doesn’t work with toddlers though.
 
-       Pray as you pace. This might not work with light sleepers in the house, but Janelle gets up and walks around if she feels sleepy during prayer.
 
-       Pray after you wake up. Sometimes it helps me to pray after an activity that really wakes me up—taking a shower, emptying the dishwasher, etc. My husband often goes running sometimes before his quiet time.
 
-       Pray after coffee (or caffeinated beverage of choice). The 5 O’Clock club runs on coffee.
 
-       Pray before you pray. Ask God for grace to stay awake and pray!
 
Hope those simple ideas get you started. We’re confident God is eager to help you grow in prayer!

What God Has Done

Sunday concludes our 28-day challenge for the 5 O'Clock Club and the FAM Club. As of today, we have 959 members of The 5 O'Clock Club and 378 members of The FAM Club. Even if you didn't participate in the challenge, you can still join the clubs at any time.

It's been so exciting to hear from so many of you about how God has given you grace in your times of meeting with Him and in praying for your family. Please continue to share your testimonies for the encouragement of us all. You can submit a testimony for the clubs, and we'll post them periodically as well.

Whatever growth in grace we've experienced this past month, may God receive all the glory!

"We glorify God, when we give God the glory of all that we do.  So when we have done anything praiseworthy, we must hide ourselves under the veil of humility, and transfer the glory of all we have done to God." Thomas Watson

"Lord...all that we have accomplished you have done for us." Isaiah 26:12

(Friday Funnies coming later today)

A Spiritual Highlight

A reader, also named Nicole, sent in this FAM Club testimony:

Today has been such an amazing day. As a matter of fact, this week in general has been the highlight of my walk with the Lord (besides my conversion).
 
I am always asking the Lord to reveal himself to me, "Lord show me who you are, show me your glory." I really believe the Lord has answered those prayers many times, but I haven’t always been paying attention.
 
On this 28-day FAM Club challenge, I am just in amazement of what the Lord has revealed to me. Its amazing what fasting does--this week I have been so sensitive to so many things in my life due to this time of discipline and prayer.
 
Just last night, as I was fighting away hunger pains and trying to go to sleep, I begin to pray for my family, calling some by name, some not. About 30 minutes later, I get a text around one o’clock in the morning from a cousin I was just praying for! She begins to share with me how she is running from the Lord and really wants to become a Christian. I am in awe. The Lord hears my prayers!
 
I know every case may not work out in this way, but mine did. The Lord revealed himself again, except this time I was so focused on prayer and fasting, that I was sensitive to pay attention. I shared the gospel with her again and invited her to come hang out with me and another young girl whom I meet with for Bible study.
 
It was neat to see her today, I have not seen her in 8 years! I shared my testimony of what my life was really like before Christ and even heard her story of wanting to walk with the Lord and not knowing how to let go of all of her competing loves. Oh, please pray she would be set free by knowing the truth—that God can change her, she can’t change herself!
 
We spent hours talking, even after Starbucks was closed. God has indeed reminded me that His arm is not to short to save. He has a plan for my cousin’s life. I can’t wait to watch it unfold!

Early Morning Grace

We received this exciting and funny email from Erin today and just had to share it with you. Read to the end if you (like me!) have trouble getting out of your warm bed each morning:

As a mom to 2 small children, I have been consistent at one thing for the past few years, and that is struggling to spend time with God.  It has been a constant source of frustration and guilt for me, as I have focused on my lack of a quiet time and not the goodness and grace of a loving God.  I have even attempted the 5 o'clock club before and failed miserably because of my motivations and dependence on myself. 

Well, this time has been very different for me.  I began rising early to spend time with God in January, so when I saw that your blog would be focusing on this for February, it was truly confirmation for me that God was drawing me into deeper communion with Him.  I cannot tell you how thankful I have been for the accountability and encouragement of your blog over the past few weeks.  I have more than enjoyed my times of rising early everyday and I am so thankful that God has given me His grace in this area.

My goal from the start was to get one load of laundry done and spend 45 minutes to an hour, reading, praying, etc.  Getting the laundry done has been HUGE for serving my family.  It is no longer a constant source of irritation...now it is a constant source of excitement.

I could go on and on about how meaningful my time with God has been (much more so than having the laundry done) but that would literally take several days.  I am so grateful for what He has been showing me and the desire He has given me to pray for my friends and family.  I am 31 years old, and can honestly say I have never experienced such a sweet time with my Savior! I am so, so, so, so grateful!

One more thing...I wanted to share something that has actually helped me get up in the mornings...it's rather amusing! One of the hardest things about getting up, to me, is how cold it is! Getting out of a warm bed into cold air is no fun! I found myself wrapping up in a blanket every morning, but that often got in the way of folding the laundry or reading.  Well, as sort of a gag gift, my husband bought me a Snuggie!  I know, I know...A SNUGGIE?! BUT...it has been fantastic...I love getting out of my warm bed into my warm snuggie...what a fabulous invention!!!  The only downside has been folding laundry filled with static while wrapped in a Snuggie...there have been a couple of times where I felt like I was being electrocuted...I guess that's good if you're having trouble waking up! 

I included a picture of me in my Snuggie.  I would have preferred pink, but my husband got blue...I think it is because secretly he wants to wear it, too!

When the Going Gets Tough

“How do you keep going with these disciplines when it is tough?” Dawn asked us last week:

“I really wanted to try it out but circumstances have only served to discourage me. The alarm waking my 3 year old so I spend the whole 'quiet time' is spent trying to settle him and stop him disturbing the others, then both we both have a harder day because of the extra tiredness. How do you keep on? I am convinced it is a good thing but feel like I am letting my whole family down because I am tired and so discouraged. Sorry just wonder if I am the only one who can't work it out.”

You certainly aren’t the only one! All four of us know exactly how you feel! With small children, it is hard to do anything consistently. The only thing predictable about our days is that they are unpredictable! But here are a few ideas (all from Mom) that we’ve found helpful:

1. Change What You Can – Small, practical changes can make a big difference. Consider potential solutions like buying a quieter alarm clock or placing it where the kids are less likely to hear it. I’ve even set my phone alarm to ring and vibrate and then slept with it under my pillow! My husband and I have run “tests” to see what noises in the house (walking on hardwood, flushing toilet, opening closet) sound loudest in our kid’s rooms. And training our children to read books on their beds until a set time each morning has made a huge difference. However, some problems aren’t so easy to solve, that’s why it’s good to…
 
2. Have a “Plan B“ – If your ideal plan doesn’t work out, have a back-up plan in place. Plan “A” might be to meet with God before the children wake up; but if you’re up half the night with a sick baby, you need sleep in the morning! Plan “B” may be to read God’s Word and pray during your children’s naptime.

3. “Do What You Can”- If both “Plan A” and “Plan B” fail (which may happen often with small children!) then do what you can. Read this great story from Donald Whitney about how one mother’s hunger for God’s Word led to some creative solutions. Liberating and inspiring!
 
4. Try Again Tomorrow – Even if you only rise early two times each week you are doing more than if you never tried at all—that should encourage you!
 
5. Preach the Gospel to Yourself – This will lead to joy. God is not more pleased with us on the days we rise early or less pleased with us on days when we sleep late. We are accepted and approved because of Jesus Christ.
 
Finally, as Mom is fond of reminding us: this is a season. It will pass all too quickly and the three year old who wakes up early will be a thirteen year old who you can’t get out of bed in the morning. Until then, remember that God’s grace is more than sufficient (2 Cor. 12:19). He daily bears us up, and promises that "as your days, so shall your strength be" (Ps. 68:19, Deut. 33:25).

 

 

“Give not up thy prayers”

Sometimes, we can grow weary of praying for our loved ones. We get discouraged, or begin to doubt God’s desire or ability to save. We must prepare for such temptations and be ready to fight for faith and persevere in prayer.
 
Two wise pastors are here to help! A.W. Tozer and C.H. Spurgeon remind us to look to Christ and His work in our lives to strengthen our faith:

“Unbelief says, ‘Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us.’ Faith says, ‘Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!’” A.W. Tozer

“Mighty to Save” Isaiah 63:1

“Christ is not only ‘mighty to save’ those who repent, but He is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but He is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of His name to bend the knee before Him….Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is ‘mighty to save.’ You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm and rouse it to put forth its strength…Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is ‘mighty to save;’ the best proof of which lies in the fact that He has saved you.” Charles Spurgeon

Put these “keepers” (and other faith-building verses) where you will see them often. Regular reminders of God’s power and faithfulness will spur us on in expectant prayer!

How Do I Find Time to Pray?

Here’s Karen’s second question:

On a more practical note I find fasting a meal doesn't gain me any time to pray. Meal times I usually eat with my kids (4 1/2 and 2) and even if I fast I still have to sit with them and supervise their meal - certainly not conducive to wrestling in prayer. Maybe the answer is to fast from ebay or reading a book or something similar in the time they are resting after lunch as well....

How do we Fast A Meal and find time to pray with little kids (or a busy job etc.)? We could, as Karen suggests, “fast” from something else; Janelle talked about this in her post FAM Club Qualified.

But even if fasting a meal doesn’t open up a chunk of time for prayer, it can still help us seize many moments to pray. I addressed this topic in our original FAM Club series, beginning with a quote from Ian Duguid:

“If we find that we are forgetful to pray for a particular need, fasting will remind us to pray over and over through the alarm clock of our hunger pangs! If we find ourselves short of time for prayer, fasting creates space to pray in the time we would otherwise have been eating.”

Several of you asked how to make time for prayer in the midst of busy lives. It’s great if you are able, like my mom, to take advantage of the “space” a mealtime creates to get away and intercede on behalf of your family. But for me, with small children, that’s a little impractical. I barely have time to eat as it is! And I imagine that if you are on the job or in the classroom, extended prayer time might be difficult to come by.

But my hunger pains, and my sense of weakness from a lack of food are like a snooze alarm ringing throughout the day. Each time I think—“I’m so hungry” or “I want food” (which is pretty often!) I take the opportunity to reaffirm that yes, I am weak, I am powerless and that is why I am appealing to the All-Powerful One on behalf of my family members. I need food. But I need God even more. And so do my loved ones.

By the time I break my fast, I find I’ve prayed for my family members many times—certainly more than if I had not fasted. I’m grateful for the reminder.

Another FAM Club member, Esther, wrote in this week to tell us how she put this idea into practice:

I've never really understood how 'fasting' works until it was made so simple & yet so empowering when I read what Nicole wrote in 'A Timely reminder' on Jan 15,2008. Ever since then, I've been excited to fast & pray! Each time the hunger pangs come when I fast, I quickly pray "Lord, I need YOU to help (this family member) love YOU, more than I need food now." "Lord, I need YOU to help me TRUST that YOU are able & eager to help (x), more than I need food now." I never knew what a blessing 'hunger pangs' can be! They've served to remind me ever so persistently during the fast, that we need GOD! Here's the good news! I've been fasting for my brother since then & what a joy it is to finally see the fruits! God has blessed him lately with a godly Christian brother mentor, he's started doing daily devotions, & to me as a sister, what a joy it is because our relationship as a brother-sister has grown close! This year, I'm excited to fast for another family member. & I've invited my mom to join me! By God's grace, we'll see yet another breakthrough in HIS time.

Esther’s story can encourage us all to express our desperate need for God through fasting, and to eagerly look for His grace at work in our loved ones!

How Do I Pray for the Unsaved?

Karen sent us two great questions about The FAM Club. We’ll take the first one today:

Hi girltalkers – I have just had my first time of prayer and fasting as part of the FAM club and I have to admit to finding myself a little perplexed. I am struggling with knowing how to really pray for those who are unsaved. More than just "Lord please save so and so" which is done in 2 minutes. I know lots of verses to pray for believers but nothing much in the same vein for unbelievers.

I love your desire to pray meaningful, biblical prayers for your loved ones!
 
Scripture—since it is the story of God’s plan of salvation—is full of verses we can pray back to Him. Any verse that extols God’s saving power, that describes his saving work can be turned into a prayer that He would do the same, through Jesus Christ, for our loved ones.
 
We’d encourage you, as you read Scripture, to look for verses that celebrate God’s saving work and power, jot them down in a place where you can easily find them again, and turn them into prayers for your loved ones.

Matthew Henry has a wonderful collection of Scriptures for this purpose, and here’s a sampling of verses and Scripture-based prayers we’ve used to help you get started. We hope they inform and invigorate your prayer time for your family:

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekial 36:26

“O God, I cannot endure to see the destruction of my kindred. Let those that are united to me in tender ties be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory…. Let not those of my family who are amiable, moral, attractive, fall short of heaven at last; Grant that the promising appearances of a tender conscience, soft heart, the alarms and delights of thy Word, be not finally blotted out, but bring forth judgment unto victory in all whom I love." -Valley of Vision

"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." Proverbs 21:1

“But to the disciples he said, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see.” (Matthew 13:16) Do you have "blessed eyes"? The new birth is the gift of "blessed eyes." This is what Paul was sent to do in the power of Christ: "I am sending you to open their eyes" (Acts 26:18). And once we have "blessed eyes," we pray for the fullest use of them every day. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalms 119:18) Nothing is more important for joy and love and worship than the gift of "blessed eyes." O pray for blessed eyes.” -John Piper

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-14

"Apply Your redemption to their hearts, by justifying their persons, and sanctifying their natures.  Teach them to place their happiness in Thee, the blessed God, never seeking life among the dead things of earth, or asking for that which satisfies the deluded; but may they prize the light of Thy smile, implore the joy of Thy salvation, find their heaven in Thee." -Valley of Vision

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!" Psalm 67:1-2

Fighting Laziness & Pursuing Holiness

This morning we received an email from one new club member, Kristin. Here’s a snippet:

Today is the second day for me in the 5 AM Club. By God's grace, I have not hit the snooze yet, and that is a HUGE deal for me...seriously. I was so excited about this club that I sent out the idea to the women at our church. As of now, we have 17 college girls that are joining the club and waking up early to meet with Jesus. Praise God! It's so encouraging to know that there are women all over the place fighting against laziness and pursuing holiness. Thanks SO much for initiating this club!

“Fighting laziness and pursuing holiness” might seem to be getting harder as the week goes on. The snooze button never looked so inviting as it did this morning!
 
We’re not sleep experts, but in our experience, you’re at the most difficult point right now. The initial adrenaline has worn off and your body is rebelling against the change. But our experience (again, we’re no experts) is that if you push through, it will get easier soon. Your body will adjust to the new routine. In the meantime, we recommend an extra long nap or an early bedtime!
 
But just because rising early (or fasting) is hard, doesn’t mean we can’t do it or that it isn’t worth it. J. Alec Motyer explains in his comments on Philippians. 1:9-11 Read it carefully. Then read it again:

“And this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

“Our obedience, discipline and hard graft are not insignificant or optional. On the contrary, they are the God-intended context for growth. But something else energizes the growth till the fruit is ready for harvest: all is done through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (verse 11)….In this setting the daily task of obedience remains hard, but not fruitless. We are often neglectful, frequently failing, ever inadequate; yet the end is secure, for God is at work.”

Getting up early to sit at Jesus’ feet is hard, but not fruitless. We may fail, but the end is secure: God is at work. So let’s persevere in this “context for growth” to the glory and praise of His name!

How to Stay in the Clubs

So it’s day three of the 28-day challenge. How’s it going? Are you on your third cup of coffee and thinking about getting an espresso machine? Is your stomach complaining so loudly you can hardly hear yourself pray?
 
Do you wonder how you can keep this up for 28 days, much less a lifetime?
 
John Piper explains how, in his comments on 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12:

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul prays for us—and I pray for you even as I write this—that God will “fulfill every resolve for good” that we have. This means that it is good to have resolves. God approves of it. It also means that our resolving is important, but that God’s enabling us to “fulfill” the resolves is crucial. Paul wouldn’t pray if God’s help weren’t needed. “The heart of man plans [resolves!] his way, but the Lord establishes [fulfills!] his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

But it matters how we resolve. When Paul says, “every resolve for good and every work of faith,” he is not describing two different acts. He is describing one act in two ways. It is a “resolve for good” because we will it. It is a “work of faith” because we depend on Jesus to give us power to fulfill it. That’s how we resolve—by faith in Jesus.

So Paul says that the fulfilling of the resolve is “by his power.” That’s what we are depending on. That’s what we are looking for when we resolve. We are looking to Jesus who promised to be with us and help us. “I know that through . . . the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance” (Philippians 1:19).

We are praying for YOU that God will fulfill these resolves for good and that you would depend upon Jesus’ power to do them. So, I guess we know how things will turn out. We’re confident that, by His power, you can stay in the clubs!

Thanks for Joining Us!

When we called each other at 4:45 am yesterday morning to prepare to open the clubs, we didn’t know what to expect. “What if it flops and no one signs up?” we wondered.
 
“And why do we always launch new stuff so early?” Janelle asked in her groggy morning voice (I wish you could hear what she sounds like at 5 am!). No one answered her.
 
I mean, if you didn’t know better, you might think we were trying to sabotage our own blog. Why else would we start two clubs with such unappealing membership requirements as less sleep and less food, and then kick them off at 5 O’Clock in the morning?
 
But you all began to sign up before 5 O’Clock! We tried to keep pace—accepting each request as it came in; but we soon fell hopelessly behind and the site was so overwhelmed that we could no longer access the management page. By late afternoon our site designer came to the rescue, and accepted your requests in one large batch. We are working hard this morning to add the newest members.
 
As of right now, The 5 O’Clock Club has over 600 members and The Fam Club has over 250—and both are growing! (By the way, you’ll notice the names are sorted alphabetically, but we have a record of the order of signup and will be contacting the Starbucks card winners shortly.)
 
What’s exciting to us is not that we have a lot of names on our rolls, it’s what your eagerness to join these clubs represents—your hunger for God’s Word, your passion to grow in prayer, your longing to see the lost sinners in your family come to Christ, your awareness of your desperate need for God’s grace, your determination to sit at Jesus’ feet each morning.
 
These themes echoed throughout your comments. We wish we could post them all here, but our site—already creaking under the heavy load of traffic—simply doesn’t have the space. But here’s how a few of our fellow club members answered the questions:

“Why do you want to join The 5 O’Clock Club?”
 
Maria
To join women from around the world in pursuing godliness in this discipline of rising early and sitting at His feet.

Janell
To help me get a spiritually healthy habit started and doing it together makes it that much sweeter

Cara
I have three little ones who seem to be conspiring to wreck my quiet time in the mornings: a nursing baby, who wakes up at a different time each day, and two preschoolers who are making a rocky transition to sharing a room. I want to get up earlier so that I will be able to meet with God for a few minutes, at least, BEFORE I begin nursing the baby and intervening in the hey-get-out-of-my-bed arguments.

Esther
By God's mercies & grace, your blog has been a means of grace to help me start & spur me to seek the Lord daily 1st thing in the morning... ever since then, (it's been 1 year & 7 months already!), I've been enabled to enjoy doing it every morning. Praise God!

Stacey
My sweet 5 AM friend Valerie and I have been alternating calling each other each week since the beginning of January to wake up and it has blessed us so much to be in the Word first thing each morning. It has definitely gotten easier and look forward to see how the Lord will continue to use it for His glory in our lives.

Misha
My husband and I have been waking together at 5 for about 2 years now.  My parents made this a regular practice as well.  It has been such a blessing to us in our spiritual growth as individuals as well as a couple.  We want our boys to benefit from this practice as well.

Rachaelle
I am the wife of one and the mother of ten children- ages 10 mo. - 10yrs. The Lord has been urging me to rise early for some time. This sounded like a beautiful way to encourage me to do just that. My godly mother was always such an example and encouragement in my life to get up early to spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus. Since she has gone to be with the Lord, it has been a battle to get up early with consistency. Thank you for this encouragement. God bless you all.

Molly
Because I think its good reading the Bible and I'm doing it with my Mum! (I'm seven years old)
 
Shauna
My mom asked me to join the club along with my sister, aunts, and grandmother. I already spend time with God, but I would like to be more deliberate in my time with Him. I also think it would be great to do this together as a family.

Kara
I have three little kids- 4, 2 and 10 months.  I will not get a moment to read the Bible if I don't get up early!  I have been part of the "6 o'clock club" of my own since I read your book "Shopping for time."  I used to think I would get a time to read the Bible during the day, but day after day I would not get to it, promising my self and God I WOULD do it tomorrow for sure. Something had to change.  When I started getting up before my kids and enforcing the "don't get up before 7am" rule for my early riser my bible reading got consistent and profitable!  It has been a blessing ever since!  For the first few months my sister called me every morning. Now my husband and I wake up together so it is easier to get up!  It is my favorite part of the day. Thanks for the encouragement on this blog and for us moms to make time with the Lord.

Amy
For the encouragement of knowing others are waking up at the same crazy time that I am

"Why do you want to join The FAM Club?”
 
Karla
I'm wanting to enter for my four grandchildren!
 
Margie
To lock arms with others that are crying out to the Lord on behalf of family members.
 
Jennifer
God has called us to adoption so we have a lot of kids.  Some of our kids come with special needs and also some pretty significant scars, some visible and some invisible.  I want to pray for them that God will do some amazing work in their hearts that will show His glory and His work in their lives that they will be an amazing testimony of God's grace and mercy.
 
Mikel
I am the first Christian in my immediate and extended family that I know of and long for the rest of my family - mom, dad, brother, uncles, aunts, etc - to know Jesus in a real way!

Sara
I would desire not much more in life than to see my siblings..[five younger brothers] saved by the Lord Jesus in my lifetime
 
Laura
How important my role is as a mother to do everything I can to win my children's hearts to Christ. I teach them, train them, and pray for them, but have not fasted for them. The stories that you have posted have struck deep, and what better what to get on my knees for my girls than with fasting. I hope I can keep this up until all my children are saved, and then fast for their children... so until the day I die!
 
Vanessa
My husband is not saved. We have 5 children ranging in age from 2 years old to 20 years of age. Obviously the little ones haven't received salvation but neither have the big boys. I would love to take a day and a meal a week and spend it in prayer for them. (If not more!) My greatest hope and prayer is one day my whole family can share a love of Christ together.
 
Nicole
words cant even begin to explain what something like this means...I just want to SEE GOD WORK in the LIVE OF THOSE I LOVE!!!!
 
Jennifer
My mother passed away in August and my father was just recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.  My mother had made a profession of faith, but my father never has...I want to truly commit to praying for his and my brother's salvation.
 
Betsy
What a joy, honor, privilege, and blessing to be able to fast and pray for my family, my church, Sovereign Grace, and other needs I hear about.  I agree with David Brainerd who wrote: "Blessed be God that I may pray."!  Thanks you four for providing this opportunity to pray and fast with and for others!
 
Britiney
To pray for my mom.
 
Anna
I have been concerned about my younger brother's salvation.  He is a young teen that is in a Christian home, but I don't see a heart that yearns for God.  I have prayed for him off and on, but now I want to make the commitment to fast and pray before the Lord for him.
 
Sarah
My immediate family has been awakened to the beauty and delight of God in Christ, but our relatives are still far off and constantly mock and ridicule us. I LONG for them to love the light and be saved! This will help me to regularly pray for them - especially my Gram, whom I love dearly.

Join Our Clubs

UPDATE, 9:00 am: Wow! We’re thrilled that so many of you are joining the clubs! Due to the overwhelming traffic on our site, we’ve experienced a few technical glitches. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of entries are showing up at the moment. We’re so sorry! But signup is working and we are receiving all registrations. We’re seeking to resolve the problem and hope to have it fixed very soon; so check back to find your name in the order it was received. And if you won a Starbucks card, we’ll contact you shortly via email!

It's club day, girls--let the fun begin! Check out our new clubs page and officially become a member of The 5 O'Clock Club and The FAM Club. You can share a testimony and read the testimonies of others. You can also read past posts on both clubs and see which of your friends have joined. And if you are one of the first 28 people to join (after the four of us) or in the 28th slot after that, we'll send you a Starbucks card.

Our hope and prayer is that these clubs encourage you as you seek to rise early to meet with God and pray for those you love!

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worth of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power." 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Janelle for the girltalkers

Friday Funnies and Monday Prizes

So, Monday’s the big day. Club signup will begin at 5 O’Clock am (EST) and if you’re taking the 28-day challenge, be sure to set your alarm (2 or 3 if need be) for whatever early time you want to get up! The way we figure it, after 28 days of rising early or 4 weeks of fasting once a week, these disciplines will be well-worn habits.

And join with your friends—that’s how we got started. Mom used to call the three of us each morning to wake us up; and we all used to fast on the same day of the week as well. As I poured my second cup of coffee or tried to ignore my growling stomach, it was nice to know my mom and sisters were too. And excuses don’t sound so noble when you tell a friend. So, sign up for the clubs together and hold each other accountable.

OK, we said there would be a prize for the first 28 people (not counting us) and every 28th person after that. You will each win a $5 Starbucks card!

Finally, to the funnies. We first posted this cute story after our initial FAM Club posts. It still makes me smile. Renee wrote in:

Just wanted to share a funny....now it is..... story about a friend who was fasting. I saw my friend in church. His face was scratched and had brushburns, bruises, scrapes, like when my son fell off his bike. I asked what happened and he said he was fasting and passed out!!

So much for trying not to have a disfigured face, and then everyone knows what you were doing.....

See you Monday, bright and early!

Nicole for the girls