A Prayer “Bucket List”

Have you ever considered making a “bucket list?” A bucket list is a list of experiences or goals you want to fulfill before you “kick the bucket.” Many people challenge themselves to do 212 adventurous things or visit 100 exotic places or reach 25 life goals (or a combination of several different experiences).

Such lists can be helpful as a way to challenge ourselves to come out of our comfort zone and try new things or visit new places. But they can also produce stress, as we try to achieve some goals or challenges that may be unrealistic or overly selfish.

In pursuing prayer, I have challenged myself to do certain things. It is a sort of “prayer bucket list.” And I find it helps keep my pursuit of prayer vital and exciting.

What does a “prayer bucket list” look like? For me, it involves some key challenges to stretch the way I think about, and practice, prayer:

Develop and keep a Prayer Journal– this helps me track my prayers throughout the year. Each day, I pray for a certain region of the world. It may be a nation, a state or province, a major city, or even a major geographical feature. I also pray for people I know who are celebrating a birthday or anniversary. And I keep a running list of current requests for health issues, family issues, etc. Finally, I leave plenty of space to track God’s answers to these prayers! Over the years, I can see how God has led me to pray, and how He has responded to those prayers. See more here : Prayer Journal
Make a consistent time each day to pray– I try to pray and do Bible study first thing in the morning. But you can do it at night, or on your lunch hour, or any other time. But it helps to be consistent in taking dedicated time out of each day to visit with God one-on-one
Pray corporately–I belong to a weekly prayer group that meets for an hour every Wednesday to pray for local concerns, our church leadership, the needs of people in our church and in our families, as well as national and global issues. While prayer is also a solo endeavor, it is amazing to pray with other Christians, whether in person, or on a streaming prayer service, or at a prayer event.
Learn about and practice different “methods” of prayer– I’ve challenged myself to pray a Psalm or a hymn, to write out prayers, to pray using the ACTS method (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication) and other outlines for prayer, reciting or reading a prayer like the Prayer of St. Francis or The LORD’s Prayer, and many others.
Pray “around the neighborhood”– literally walk around the block (or drive down the street or lane) praying for the households, businesses, people, or even the trees, fields, flowers, streams, etc. that you pass along the way. For your safety, it is best to say these prayers with eyes wide open! If weather or mobility prohibits this, you can draw a map or list and pray over that instead.
Pray the phone book– (I used to do this, but we don’t have phone books like we used to, so any random list will do)–pray for people on the list. You don’t have to be acquainted with them, just pray for the name. God already knows them far better than we do, anyway!
“Thank you for…”prayers–instead of closing your eyes for prayer, keep them open and thank God for everything you can see around you: the walls of the room, the furniture, the clothes you are wearing, your fingers and hands, the floor or carpet, the ceiling or roof– if you’re outdoors, you can thank God for the grass, trees, sidewalk, cars, buildings… I’m always amazed at how much I take for granted when I do this– pencils and breath mints and stamps in my desk, for instance.

And there are a lot of other “bucket list” items you can add:

Travel prayers–say a prayer in a cathedral in a foreign city; pray while traveling in a bus or on an airplane..
Rhyming prayers–try to make your prayer rhyme– at least some of the time!
Raised hand prayers– keep your hands raised to heaven for the entirety of your prayer. You’ll end up developing some arm muscles!
“Campfire” prayers– pray in a natural setting. This is especially meaningful near sunset or in a setting with a spectacular view of God’s amazing creation.
Prayer retreat– get away for an entire day to pray and commune with God
School yearbook prayers– go through one of your old yearbooks from school. Pray for all your classmates! Thank God for your teachers (or thank Him that you passed out of their class!) This also works for staff lists and bosses at your current place of employment.

Ultimately, prayer is not about a particular list or method or “experience.” But it should be part of the challenge of the Christian Life, and something that we pursue with intention and enthusiasm. If making a “bucket list” helps, then we should consider it as a way to build our prayer life and become part of our legacy.

June 13, 2025 0

You-nique!

Have you ever read through a passage in the Bible and been astonished, or even annoyed, at the long lists of names? Genesis, Chronicles, Ezra, even some of Paul’s letters contain genealogies and long strings of names– people whose life stories and deeds we will never know. Yet they are included in the greatest story of all time! God knows each name. He knows who they were, what they did, their hopes and dreams, their fears and disappointments– even the number of hairs on each of their heads!

“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered…”– Jesus Christ in Luke 12:7a (New Living Translation)

God knows you in the same intimate way. In the entire history of the universe, and in all the future years to come, there has only ever been, and only ever will be ONE of YOU. Your fingerprints, your retinas, your DNA are all unique to YOU. Even if you are a twin or triplet– even if you are the “spitting image” of one of your ancestors or relatives, NO ONE else can ever share your life story. Even if you were cloned, and there was another person who shared your exact physical nature, they would not share your soul– your thoughts, emotions, ambitions, griefs, and experiences.

And you are uniquely qualified in prayer. No one else can share your thoughts and feelings, your praises and confessions, your requests or petitions. Thirty people can pray for the same situation, the same person; there will be thirty different prayers! Even if you say the same words, or stand in agreement with another’s spoken words, you will not pray with the same exact thoughts. Your heart-cry is different from everyone else’s.. and God hears and understands each unique prayer. Out of all the prayers rising to heaven every second of every day, God can distinguish and delight in YOURS!

Some days it is frustrating to feel like “just another number” or “lost in the shuffle” of other people waiting in line, or trying to conduct business over the phone, or scrolling though social media. But you are never just a number to God. He knows your name– he has known it from eternity past! Your prayers are not put “on hold,” or filed away for later review, or answered with a form letter. God is personal– eight billion times over! He doesn’t just celebrate your uniqueness– He designed it!

What unique and amazing prayer will you pray today? How can you live out your unique personality and purpose this week? Who might be encouraged by your unique smile, your prayers, or your personal touch as you go through your day? Just remember, no one else can be you– no one else can show God’s character and His love exactly like you can! God didn’t send someone else to do what only you can. But He will be there each moment to help you do it– in your own YOU-nique way.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139&version=TLB

July 24, 2024 0

Looking at the Negative

(Please note: This is a re-post from a couple of years ago..)

Growing up in the age before digital cameras, I remember waiting for photos to be developed from a roll of film. We would drop off a roll at the pharmacy or photo shop, and pick up a package containing the prints and several strips of negatives from the original roll of film.

I was fascinated by these negatives–images with the exact opposite of the prints– dark was light, light was dark, and everything seemed topsy-turvy. Sometimes things seemed creepy and even somewhat sinister–people with white hair and white pupils shining out of dark eyes; icy trees against a dark sky.

Of course, the negatives were not the prints, nor were they intended to be the finished product. The negatives were included so that new prints could be made at a later time. We didn’t put the negatives in our photo album; we hid them away in a dark place, out of sight and far from the light. Most of them eventually got ruined or degraded over time, while the photos they produced were preserved and cherished.

Life holds a lot of “negatives”– negative experiences, negative emotions, negative thoughts, bad memories, scars–we all have them. But we are given the opportunity to produce something positive out of even the most negative of circumstances. It’s what God does– His light shines in the darkness and changes our view.

But we need to be exposed to the truth, and developed by faith, just like film. And we need to come back into the light, not as a negative, but as a faithful image of what (and who) God intends us to be.

The world is full of negatives– distorted images and situations caused by exposure to sin, pain, grief, anger, bitterness, and hatred. We can dwell on such images, and fill our days staring at the negatives, never seeing the reality of what God has done all around us. Or we can allow God to develop the negatives in our life and create albums of God’s Grace–filling our eyes and minds with the truth and beauty that comes only from our Loving Father.

Philippians 4:6-8 NIV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (taken from bible.com)

Someday, God will finish destroying all the “negatives” in this fallen world, and reveal His full Glory. What a sight that will be!

June 29, 2022 0

Connectors

My husband and I own a shop. It is a dual shop: one part is a resale/collectibles/vintage and antiques shop, while the other part sells amateur radio equipment. We sell new and used radios, antennas, coaxial cable, power supplies, amplifiers, and other, smaller accessories, including connectors.

Connectors are small (usually only about an inch or two in length). But there are dozens of different types, connecting various sizes of cable and wire to various types of equipment. We have BNC connectors, SMA connectors, PL259 connectors, “male” to “female” connectors, and many more, with different sizes and styles in each type! I find it very confusing. It seems as though it would be much simpler if there was just one universal type of connector, that would work for all the radios and accessories.

I have a similar sense of confusion with other electronic connections– jacks and USB ports and charging ports–without the correct connection, many of our electronics just don’t work!

Human beings often have trouble with connections, as well. We speak different languages (even different dialects of the same language sometimes), have different interests and personalities, different life experiences– we just can’t seem to understand one another or connect to one another. We end up being confused, offended, hurt, angry, and isolated. Worse yet, our connections can break down– interests change, resentments build up, life experiences pull us in new directions, and sin corrupts relationships.

I’m so glad that God is the Universal Connector! No matter what I’m going through; no matter what I am thinking or feeling; no matter how I express myself, God understands me– even better than I understand myself! Others– even those closest to me– may misunderstand my words, my motives, or my emotions, but God knows exactly what I mean. And that connection is eternal. If I feel “disconnected” from God, there may be something wrong with my understanding, or I may choose not to listen to His wisdom. I may be “plugged into” something that distorts or distracts the message. But God never “tunes out” or loses the ability to hear my prayers or understand my thoughts.

Amazingly, God is connected in the same way to everyone! There is no need for Him to have hundreds of different connectors in order to get the message. He never needs a replacement part to enhance or clarify His understanding– no matter the language of the speaker, her/his life circumstances, or emotions. God understands the broken-hearted, the hurting, the overjoyed, the overwhelmed, and the confused among us. He lovingly listens to billionaires and bums alike. Drug addicts, rape victims, murderers, self-righteous snobs, “grammar police,” Pharisees, nose-pickers, thumb-suckers, braggarts, liars, thieves, model citizens, and PTSD patients– God “connects” with each one who seeks Him. God meets us where and how we are, because He knows and loves us without limits.

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

It can be frustrating to try to connect with some of our neighbors, co-workers, enemies, and even some of our family members. That’s one great reason to pray about our relationships– God can make connections even when and where we cannot. God can also build, strengthen, and redeem relationships that lack connection or have broken connections. Even those relationships that seem solid need help from the Universal Connector. Instead of trying to “make things fit” with someone else, or working harder to force an understanding, maybe today is a good day to stop saying more, and start praying more!

March 18, 2022 0

Tag: experiences