best part of my week...

My church (Bethany Community Church up in Green Lake) is doing 40 days of prayer, where for every hour of every week, someone has committed to spending that time in focused prayer for anything that God has put upon their heart. Their family, our city, the world...anything. To give structure to this effort, people are encouraged to go online and sign up for an hour that works for them, and then meet at this designated prayer room near the church to pray.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I really wanted to be a part of this, so I looked at the online sign-up calendar, and was surprised to see all of the slots booked for the next two weeks. Seriously, every hour of every day....I'm talking 2, 3, 4 in the morning times. The outpouring of people wanting to give up time during the work week, or middle of the night, it was pretty crazy.

I barely nabbed an hour slot for a couple weeks out, on my day off and wrote it in my planner.

Time goes pretty quick nowadays, and before I knew it my number was up- today!

So I went to this prayer room, not knowing what to expect or what God would show me while I was there...

I knocked on the locked door, and a minute later a girl my age ran downstairs let me in, and left. She had been assigned the hour before me. I was now alone in this little chapel with arrows on the floor directing me upstairs.

A sign asked me to take my shoes off before entering the prayer room, and at the top of the stairs was a warm, reverent loft...with writing all over the walls, floor pillows, hymnals, notebooks, a desk with a community prayer journal, a fireplace, a place to light candles and kneel, kleenex boxes galore, a giant stained glass window.

what a special hour for me.

it went so fast, and when it was over and the next person was knocking on the door downstairs, I found myself wishing my time was longer. NO WONDER the calendar was booked for weeks out!

I know we don't need entire lofts with all the fixings to share quiet, alone time with God...but for that hour it was perfect. The peace I felt being alone with my creator, being able to sing or cry, or just be quiet...

and simultaneously feeling the presence and sanctity of all the prayers that had been offered there before I came. It was such a holy place.

I wont get all into it. I just want to say that I really want a room for this in my house someday. Is that weird? It could maybe be considered "tithing" ten percent of my house to the lord someday when we have the space. I'd love a little sanctuary that's set aside for anyone to be alone and cry out to God. Forget the whirlpool bathtub, for real. I'd much rather have this.