I need your input. I want to start a private prayer forum where people can post their prayer requests that they might not want made too public. I want it to be a place where a person can pour his/her heart out without fear of condemnation or censorship. But I'm not sure if this should be open to all members, or for just those who commit to becoming prayer warriors. I can set up a forum to be viewed by members only; be accessed only with a password, or viewed only by those that I approve.
What are your thoughts? Let's do a poll!
__________________
Grace is the acceptance of that which is rejected. ~Paul Tillich
I kind of like the idea for a little different of a reason.
I'm so involved at church, online, etc... that I don't really have a space where I can go to find specific prayer support. Sometimes my requests involve other people... and that would breach confidentiality.
I do, of course, have a few close friends to ask for prayer... but a forum might be nice.
Nate
__________________
Perfect love casts out fear. God is love. Anything else is a lie.
Yeah, sort of. Let's say that a few of us with similar ministry roles want a private forum for prayer and to discuss things that don't need to be public information... Would that be possible?
You could also have a similar forum for say, men & women of different age groups.
Is that too much "differentiation?"
__________________
Perfect love casts out fear. God is love. Anything else is a lie.
I'm still thinking about this Nathan. Is limiting the number of members in a group too restrictive? I want it to be a safe place where someone can go & unload if they need to. But I don't want it to be a place for gossip, either. I don't know what the best way to do this is.
But here is why I'm feeling so strongly about having a private prayer forum. I just received an email today from someone whose friend had been asked to edit a prayer request on another site. Then I go to Bible study, (we are studying Max Lucado's Traveling Light) and here are some quotes from the chapter we were talking about today:
Jesus flat on the ground? Face in the dirt? Extended hands gripping grass? Body rising and falling with sobs? Face as twisted as the olive trees that surround him? What do we do with this image of Jesus? Simple. We turn to it when we look the same.
Don't avoid life's Gardens of Gethsemane. Enter them. Just don't enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted. Tears are allowed. And if you sweat blood, you won't be the first. Do what Jesus did; open your heart.
Those words were confirmation for me that a serious place for prayer is needed. I just don't have the details of how to run it!
__________________
Grace is the acceptance of that which is rejected. ~Paul Tillich
Whatever you choose to do is fine by me. I have emails from other members who have told me things that they don't want me to share with anyone else. So I can understand the need for such privacy. These people need a place where they can be as frank as they can be without fear of being "found out" by someone that knows them. I needed a place here to "confess" what I was going through in my life, so I think that a place like that for all members is great. We all need our "confessionals".
How about members only? That way you have to log in to read the prayer thread. Sometimes it really bothers me to post a prayer request because sometimes I feel so vulernable when I ask for them.
I think more prayers will always help :) So i dont think a prayer team will work, I think as a community we all should pray and reach out to each other as a whole.
But I do feel the need for privacy especially for the prayer requests.
nathan, i think youre idea is good, i just dont think, for right now anyway, it would work good. there are very few active members.. even tho we have many..
so i think youd get groups with one active and 4 nonactive.. and others with all 5 active.. ya know? does that make sense?
