Moment By Moment I Pray

Describes how to rejuvenate a stagnant prayer life through the rearrangement of the language in common prayers, creation a daily meditation and prayer routine, and prayer groups.

This is part 4 of Moment by Moment, I Pray, which deals with my praying life from January 1, 2018–September 12, 2018. The story behind part 4 is the same as that of parts 1, 2, and 3, which deal with my prayer life from February 10, 2016, and ends on August 31, 2016. I found myself alone after the funeral of my beloved wife, Annie Jewel “Chief” Banks. We had been together almost fifty years. The funeral was held on Monday, January 5, 2015, at Ben Hill UMC, located in the heart of the Ben Hill community. After a forty-plus-mile drive to our birth home of Griffin, Georgia, she was laid to rest. Three days after her funeral, I took my original manuscript from a storage area in the house that we had made our home and had raised our family and went out into the backyard and destroyed all twenty-six thousand handwritten pages. I did not see the need to continue writing or to live. But that was January 8, 2015. I looked up into the heavens and asked the Lord what he wanted me to do. I said, “Lord, I have pulled myself up from a small town in the state of Georgia named Griffin, Georgia.” I had completed Fairmont High School, entered Clark College (now known as Clark Atlanta University), with the completion date of May 1970, and I completed Woodrow Wilson College of Law, Georgia State University Schools of Education, for my first teacher’s certification to teach school and the school of management. From 1966 to 1970, I completed my degree in sociology and psychology. During my senior year at Clark, I married the love of my life, Ms. Annie Jewel Hosely, my high school sweetheart, also from Griffin, Georgia. We set up housekeeping in Atlanta, Georgia. But in January 1971, I was drafted into the army and was shipped to the Republic of South Vietnam to serve a tour of duty as a squad leader in a military police unit. I worked very hard, and I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant E5. I survived Vietnam and many other situations, but Chief’s death took a toll upon the very essence of my soul. On February 12, 2016, I started back writing, and after a talk with the Lord on September 17, 2018, I had handwritten about three thousand pages. At this point, I asked the Lord, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” A soft but firm voice came to me, “Warren, my son, I want you to publish your story, which you have written in the form of a continued prayer.” Well, looking back upon my life, the Lord has always been there for me, even when I thought my life was over. About seven days later, I was listening to my favorite gospel radio station. I heard his message: “If you are considering publishing your manuscript, call this number or go to this website.” I was not quick enough to get the information down. Therefore, I missed out on getting the information that I needed to make my contact. But a few days later, while I was again listening to the same radio station, that same message came again. This time, I was able to get the information that I needed, and I made contact. Within the next few minutes, I received a phone call. The person on the other end of the line said that she had been assigned from the Christian Faith Publishing Company to serve as my literary agent. I was told that she would be my guide throughout the production process. I was given information where I needed to mail my manuscript to. I mailed my manuscript off to the address that was given to me. Within a few days, I got a call from my agent indicating that my manuscript had been accepted for publication. I was really beside myself. I have been in constant prayer with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He saw so much more in me than I saw in myself. He said that he would never leave me nor forsake me, and he never has.

EVERY MOMENT HOLY, Vol. 2: DEATH, GRIEF, & HOPE, is a book of liturgies for seasons of dying and grieving--liturgies such as "A Liturgy for the Scattering of Ashes" or "A Liturgy for the Loss of a Spouse" or "A Liturgy for the Wake of a National Tragedy" or "A Liturgy for the Weighing of Last-Stage Medical Options." These are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose and eternal hopes even when, especially when, suffering and pain threaten to overwhelm us. -over 100 liturgies for seasons of dying and grieving -beautiful leather-bound hardcover -over 20 illustrations by Ned Bustard -silk bookmark -gilded edges

The story behind this book started when I found myself alone after the funeral of my wife, Chief. We had been together almost fifty years. My wife, Annie Jewel "Chief" Banks, was held a funeral on Monday, January 5, 2015, at Ben Hill United Methodist Church, located in the heart of the Ben Hill Community. After a forty-plus miles drive to our birth home of Griffin, Georgia, she was laid to rest. Three days after her funeral, I took my original manuscript from a storage area in the house that we had made our home and had raised our family and went out into the backyards and destroyed all twenty-six thousand pages. I did not see the need nor did I desire to continue writing or to live. But that was January 8, 2015. I looked up into the heavens and asked the Lord what did He want me to do. I said, Lord, I have pulled myself up from a small starting place in Griffin, Georgia, completed high school, accepted to pursue my education at Clark College [now Clark Atlanta University]. From 1966""1970, I completed my degree in sociology and psychology. During my senior year at Clark, I married the love of my life, Miss Annie Jewel Hosely, my high school sweetheart, also from Griffin, Georgia. We set up housekeeping in Atlanta, Georgia. But in January 1971, I was drafted into the Army and I served a tour of duty in the Republic of South Vietnam, as a squad leader, in a military police unit. I worked very hard, and I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant E5. I survived Vietnam and many other situations, but Chief's death took a toll upon the very essence of my soul. But on February 12, 2016, I started back writing, and after my talk with the Lord, on September 17, 2018, I had handwritten about three thousand pages. At that point, I asked the Lord, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" A soft but firm voice came to me. "Warren, my son, I want you to publish your story, which you have written, in the form of a continued prayer. I will send you the name of a publisher." Well, looking back upon my life and the Lord has always been there for me, even when I thought my life was over. About seven days later, I was listening to my favorite Gospel radio station and I heard this message, "If you are considering publishing your manuscript, call this number or go to this Web site." I was not quick enough to get the information down; therefore, I missed out on get that information that I needed to make my contact. But a few days later, as I was again listening to the same radio station, the message came again; this time, I was ready, and I wrote down the information. Within the next few minutes, I had contacted the publisher and I spoke to the agent and she directed me to mail my manuscript to the address that she had given me. I mailed my manuscript to the address, and within a week, I received a phone call from an agent, telling me that the company had accepted my manuscript for publication. I was really beside myself. I have been in constant prayer with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He saw so much more in me than I saw in myself. He said that He would never leave me nor forsake me, and He never has. There are so many people who have been instrumental and positive impacts upon my life. I would like to thank the followings people: Jesus Christ, my lovely heavenly residence, my wife Chief, my children, Tonya Tameka (BeBe), Anwar Jamaal (Man), grandchildren Aliyah (Alex), Ali, Ava Jewel Marie, Jabari, daughter-in-law, Amesha, sisters Jenny and Jana, brother John E. Banks (BeBo), brother-in-law Timp, cousins Nita, Lorette, and her daughter Lola, Gwen, Betsy, many nieces and nephews, and so many more family members and friends. I love you all. I will always keep you all very close to my heart. Amen.

This is part 3 of Moment by Moment I Pray, which deals with my praying life from September 1, 2016-April 30, 2017. The story behind part 3 is the same as that of part 1 and 2, which dealt with my prayer life from February 10, 2016, and ends on August 31, 2016. I found myself alone after the funeral of my beloved wife, Annie Jewel (Chief) Banks. We had been together almost fifty years. The funeral was held on Monday, January 5, 2015, at Ben Hill UMC, located in the heart of the Ben Hill community. After a forty-plus-mile drive to our birth home of Griffin, Georgia, she was laid to rest. Three days after her funeral, I took my original manuscript from a storage area in the house that we had made our home and had raised our family and went out into the backyard and destroyed all twenty-six thousand handwritten pages. I did not see the need to continue writing or to live. But that was January 8, 2015. I looked up into the heavens and asked the Lord what he wanted me to do. I said, Lord, I have pulled myself up from a small town in the state of Georgia named Griffin, Georgia. I had completed Fairmont High School, entered Clark College (now known as Clark Atlanta University), completion date was May 1970, completed Woodrow Wilson College of Law, Georgia State University Schools of Education for my first teacher's certification to teach school and the School of Management. From 1966 to 1970, I completed my degree in sociology and psychology. During my senior year at Clark, I married the love of my life, Ms. Annie Jewel Hosely, my high school sweetheart, also from Griffin, Georgia. We set up housekeeping in Atlanta, Georgia. But in January 1971, I was drafted into the army and I was shipped to the Republic of South Vietnam to serve a tour of duty as a squad leader in a military police unit. I worked very hard, and I was promoted to the rank of sergeant E5. I survived Vietnam and many other situations, but Chief's death took a toll upon the very essence of my soul. But on February 12, 2016, I started back writing, and after a talk with the Lord on September 17, 2018, I had handwritten about three thousand pages. At this point, I asked the Lord, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" A soft but firm voice came to me, "Warren, my son, I want you to publish your story, which you have written in the form of a continued prayer." Well, looking back upon my life, the Lord has always been there for me, even when I thought my life was over. About seven days later, I was listening to my favorite gospel radio station. I heard his message, "If you are considering publishing your manuscript, call this number or go to this website." I was not quick enough to get the information down; therefore, I missed out on getting the information that I needed to make my contact. But a few days later, while I was again listening to the same radio station, that same message came again. This time, I was able to get the information that I needed and I made the contact. Within the next few minutes, I received a phone call. The person on the other end of the line said that she had been assigned from the Christian Faith Publishing Company to serve as my literary agent. I was told that she would be my guide throughout the production process. I was given information where I needed to mail my manuscript to. I mailed my manuscript off to the address that was given to me. Within a few days, I got a call from my agent indicating that my manuscript had been accepted for publication. I was really beside myself. I have been in constant prayer with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He saw so much more in me than I saw in myself. He said that he would never leave me nor forsake me, and he never has.

In this searing meditation on the bonds of family and the allure of extremist faith, one of today’s most celebrated Christian writers recounts his unexpected journey from a strict fundamentalist upbringing to a life of compassion and grace—a revelatory memoir that “invites comparison to Hillbilly Elegy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “Searing, heartrending . . . This stunning tale reminds us that the only way to keep living is to ask God for the impossible: love, forgiveness, and hope.”—Kate Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason Raised by an impoverished widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to venture out beyond the confines of their eight-foot-wide trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death—a secret that began to illuminate the motivations that drove his mother to extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause. Searching for answers, Yancey dives into his family origins, taking us on an evocative journey from the backwoods of the Bible Belt to the bustling streets of Philadelphia; from trailer parks to church sanctuaries; from family oddballs to fire-and-brimstone preachers and childhood awakenings through nature, music, and literature. In time, the weight of religious and family pressure sent both sons on opposite paths—one toward healing from the impact of what he calls a “toxic faith,” the other into a self-destructive spiral. Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post–World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear. “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write,” says Yancey. “So many of the strands from my childhood—racial hostility, political division, culture wars—have resurfaced in modern form. Looking back points me forward.”

"Everyone needs moments of quiet in their lives. A chance to stop, to think and to listen. They can also become moments of prayer, when we acknowledge the presence of God and draw strength. These meditations are offered as an encouragement to take time for prayer in a busy life."

If we're honest, most of us feel bored, distracted, or discouraged in prayer. We look for resources to give us the "right" words or teach us the "right" technique and are disappointed when they don't seem to help. What we fail to realize is that prayer isn't a place for us to be good or right, and it isn't a place for us to perform or prove our worth. It's a place for us to be honest, present, and known--a place for us to offer ourselves and receive God. Spiritual formation experts Kyle Strobel and John Coe want to show you what you've been missing when it comes to prayer. In this down-to-earth book, they show you how to fearlessly draw near to a holy God, pray without ceasing (and without posturing), and delight in the experience of being fully known and fully loved. Each chapter ends with prayer projects or practices to help you see a difference in your prayer life, starting now.