Santa Monica prides itself as being among the top three anti-Christian cities in California. The others are San Francisco and Hollywood (along with West Hollywood). It is not enough for these cities to ignore Christianity; they feel some sort of moral obligation to hostilely oppose believers.
So it was here, on Santa Monica’s Civic Auditorium patio that the Christians prayed in this materialistic, this atheistic, this hedonistic city. Christians from all denominations, from all ages prayed. There were lawyers, doctors, firemen, police officers, priests and pastors, military personnel, business owners. Even dogs came and prayed — well, maybe I’m exaggerating.
The praying pugs
Don’t think they were just old folks. Two high schoolers prayed for people struggling with suicide, sexual orientation and bullying. It didn’t stay with safe and dainty topics. It got real.
Mediating lawyer Harrison Sommer, a Jew converted to Christianity, prayed that we would have many National Days of Prayer. Yes. That is what this event was about: twisting the ignition key for many, many, many people to be inspired to pray.
To pray for revival, to pray longingly, lovingly. To turn off the cell phone and turn on the prayer phone. To strike up a conversation with Loving Father in Heaven. To seek an answer to the ills that afflict our nation (Boston, Newtown, abortion). To avoid war with North Korea and bring peace to the terrorists. There are no limits to what prayer can affect, no walls that can contain it.
Prayer may have been kicked out of the classroom, but only you can kick it out of your heart — by simply being distracted.
Find inspiration today and every day to pray.
Mustard Seed Budget 
Reblogged this on Biblical Times News and commented:
Don’t forget to add Seattle to the list of vehemently anti-Christian, anti-American cities. The number of anarchists & anti-American hate mongers per 1,000 people is probably higher in the Seattle metro area than any other city in the United States.
I have been really conscience about prayer lately. Thanks for keeping me in tune! Now, I wish we were neighbors so you could take these goodies off my hands and out do fridge, off my counter, in my microwave…. http://tahnycooks.com/?p=12834
Mail them to me!
Ya never knowwww…..
Interesting how a lot of people in these cities who preach tolerance somehow forget to practice it when it comes to people who disagree with them (i.e. Christians). Glad people are doing prayer days. We need all the help we can get from God these days…
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Jae, you are absolutely right! If it wasn’t so late at night I could scream “Yes, Yes, Yes!!!”
Great idea- turn off the cell phone and turn on the prayer phone!
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Very moving post. And convicting!
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Turn the radio on, the Gospel radio , get alone with God , tune out the world, tune in God, He has His own station, it’s always on! I listen for Him always! Sometimes someone I know who prays every day will blurt out a statement that will literally bring power to a situation and resolve it. Other times that same person can blurt out a word or message that might save me hundreds of dollars or hours of work. Yes, get around people of prayer and better yet be one and add to that also be a Worshipper of God for Praises sung and prayers hung are better heard for God inhabits the praises of His people!
We are missing you at prayer, Barry. š
This was one of the most memorable NDP events for me, too. I prayed over the phone with my new daughter-in-law’s mom (good friends now), linked with a ministry in Kentucky. Good cross-country connections! I felt a sweet sense of the connectedness of the body of Christ. I also got a note from former colleagues at Pfizer who were praying (yes, Christian scientists). My friend and I prayed about a news item that the Pentagon was going to discipline Christians in the military who witnessed about their faith. Well, by the end of the day, a new report on Charisma showed they had backpeddled and clarified their position. What more can slip by us if we are not watching together in prayer? Praise God for one very fruitful day!
Praise God! Please let me know when Principal Mefford has contacted you. He said he would like the kids to hear about science in general and how you came to God (or something like that). In any case, I forwarded your email to him and recommended direct communication so that nothing gets lost through intermediary (me). I am so excited!
Amen!
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Reblogged this on SingleFocus.
It’s so sad that a city with the name Santa Monica is so atheistic.
St Monica was such a holy, godly woman. How she prayed for her son, Augustine of Hippo, to turn from sin and embrace the Christian way of life. Eventually, her prayers paid off — and how.
May the same be true for Santa Monica’s unbelievers. The Wikipedia entry for her name says:
‘The city of Santa Monica, California, is named after Monica. A legend states that in the 18th century Father Juan CrespĆ named a local dripping spring Las Lagrimas de Santa Monica (“Saint Monicaās Tears”) (today known as the Serra Springs) that was reminiscent of the tears that Saint Monica shed over her son’s early impiety.[7] As recorded in his diary, however, CrespĆ actually named the place San Gregorio.[7] What is known for certain is that by the 1820s, the name Santa Monica was in use and its first official mention occurred in 1827 in the form of a grazing permit.[7] There is a statue of this saint in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park by sculptor Eugene Morahan; it was completed in 1934.[8]’
Yes, all this is incredibly ironic. You are right.
You could say, it is dripping (with Saint Monica’s tears) with irony.
Thanks for your prayers for my city!
You’re most welcome.
May God continue to bless you in your ministry and your family, too!
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