Prayer | Kraig Lowell Pullam

Archive for the tag “Prayer”

15 Feb 2018

Day 11

Prayer will…

Open the doors that will altar the course of your destiny.
Pull the covers off of the enemy’s antics; and clarify your focus.
Connect you to a remnant of intercessors whom God will use to impact eternity, and overthrow the kingdom of darkness.

Within our congregation, we began a prayer campaign called the 20 Days of Prayer, on February 5. We are now on Day 11. I cannot say how long I’ve been leading my church (wherever I’ve been) into a period of corporate prayer during some part of the first quarter of the year. But it has never failed to renew my spiritual focus.

These 20 Days of Prayer in our church have, in itself, given me new life and a greater sense of purpose. I am sure it has done and is doing the same for our parishioners.

This year…I’ve implemented a couple of changes that have deepened and intensified this time for me:

1) Jumpstart our days of prayer with a Prayer Institute.

2) Implement a Wednesday weekly, 15-minute prayer call at 6am.

Prayer Call each Wednesday in February at 6am….

Call-in number: 605-472-5649

Access Code: 266809

3) Commit 1 hour to privately/personally pray on our daily emphasis, outside of my regular prayer time.

4) Put legs on my prayers, as God speaks. I’m excited about what God is doing behind the scenes in our congregation, to make our congregation greater.

Today, as a congregation, Shiloh is praying for all of the endeavors of Shiloh this year; that God would bless our efforts, and the work of our hands.

I’m praying for the Lord to give us a heart, mind and spirit to work and execute His plan, power, purpose and provision for optimum results and impact.

God has revealed so much to me personally as we’ve refocused our attention on the priority of prayer. It even seems surreal when you commit to “JUST PRAY”, the things God will say to you as you tune in your spiritual ears to Him. When you renew your spiritual focus, He will show you things you’ve missed because of daily routine, perfunctory tasks, constant challenge and the like.

When we do it His way (fasting and prayer)….it is so refreshing.

On another note, yesterday we received word of another senseless at a high school in Parkland, Florida. 17 are reported dead. This breaks my heart, as I think of my own children, family members and the precious young people I Pastor. May the Lord call ALL of us to our knees in PRAYER. The only way things begin to change in this regard is through prayer, repentance and then action. Otherwise, the senselessness will continue.

May you find the strength you need now, to make it through. I pray you will find joy for the journey.

Posted in Christian Living, Pastoring, Prayer, Spiritual Formation and tagged days of prayer, life, pastoral life, Prayer

29 Aug 2015

4 Comments

My Thoughts

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It has been some time since I’ve last blogged. Four months to be exact! Since blogging back in April, my world and our world have not failed to keep on moving.

More unarmed minorities have been killed by law enforcement officers.
Crimes against those who protect us have tragically resulted.
Gay marriage has become the law of the land, getting its stamp of approval from the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that same-sex partners have a constitutional right to marry, sweeping away state bans on gay unions and extending marriage equality nationwide.
Bruce Jenner has become Caitlyn Jenner.
Floyd Mayweather defeats Manny Pacquiao.
Bobbi Kristina, the only daughter of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston together, has died.
Kermit & Miss Piggy have broken up. (I can’t make this up!)
Ashley Madison (a Canada-based website who promised discreet encounters to those in committed relationships) broke their promise and were hacked! (note: Ed Stetzer predicts that 400 pastors will resign this coming Sunday because their names surfaced in the hack)
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are running for POTUS!

On a personal note, I have just been taking some time away from blogging. To be perfectly honest, I have no excuses. Yes, I have growing sons who’ve consumed my Summer, preparations for making my printed publication a reality (long overdue), attempts to begin Ph.D. work (now halted), 15 year anniversary trip with my wife (check), the list goes on and on. But I am discovering excuses are relative and they are inexcusable.

An old friend of our family, the late George O. McCalep, would commit an hour each day to just write. He would sometimes find himself unclear on the direction of his writing matter…but he would write unencumbered by any distractions.

I love to write. My biggest obstacles are procrastination, writer’s block and wanting things to be perfect. The more I live, the more I am convinced that God gives many of us with limited ability more ALONG the WAY than He does before we start. So that is my renewed commitment….to just start writing!

I am now 37 years of age! Going into five years of pastoring the Mt. Salem Church, 15 years of marriage, my eldest son on the brink of being a teenager, approaching 22 years of preaching….I’ve seriously been evaluating where I am in ministry; and where God is taking me. I can honestly say that I’ve viewed people’s attempts to see what’s next of what God has in store ahead, sometimes, as vain and narcissistic. But the older I become, the more I realize it is necessary; and something I’ve actually been doing all of my life. I don’t have time to waste! It is my prayer that God grants me many years of life… But I am more interested in making my life count. My focus is to leave my mark, and be as much of an original as I can, rather than a cheap imitation of someone else’s life, ministry and legacy. That is where I am! That is my focus!

Currently, I have been preaching through the Psalms. At the beginning of the Summer with Psalm 1, I am now on Psalm 8. My focus is to complete Psalm 8 in the morning, and then move forward. What began as our “Summer in Psalms” may continue for a while. I’m enjoying the challenge and the luxury of some predictability in my preaching preparation. I love leaving one verse and going to the next. In ways, for me, it is much easier but also more of a challenge. I love it!

I am praying for every Pastor who leads God’s people; and every proclaimer who shares God’s Word faithfully, consistently and accurately. This is no small endeavor. Leaders are being attacked. I’m not necessarily referring to those leaders who were hacked. But good men and women who are just trying to serve the Lord, love their families, do right by God and His people….they are being attacked; and they are discouraged. My prayers are with them, as well as those who are guilty of failing and falling. I pray we never fail to realize that Shepherds BLEED, and healers are often WOUNDED.

May God faithfully reveal His grace and strength to them and all who need His care!

Please share your thoughts and subscribe to my blog.

Posted in Christian Living, Family, Learning, Marriage, Pastoring, Random Thoughts, Spiritual Formation and tagged ashley madison, Blog, christian life, leadership, life, Pastoring, Prayer, preaching

30 Apr 2015

2 Comments

Sunday Reflections

Well…God be praised for another day of celebrating the presence of Christ on the Lord’s Day!

April has been quite a busy month. Along with sports activities, D’Ani and I have both managed to remain occupied with the endeavors we’ve been assigned as stewards. Over the weekend, Jones High School of Houston (D’Ani’s alma mater), Class of ’95 celebrated their 20^th class reunion. On Friday night there was a skating rink outing (for just alum, thank you Jesus…I’ve retired from skating!!!), a dance/banquet on Saturday and a worship service, followed by a picnic, on Sunday. Unfortunately, I missed it all. The only thing I could realistically attend (Saturday dance/banquet), became implausible due to a musical held at our church overseen by our Building Fund Ministry. While I’ve never been a partier, I have always loved to dance amid my lack of rhythm. I suppose it is my love for music! Nevertheless, much to my chagrin, D’Ani traveled there alone. Fortunately, she was not the only one whose spouse could not attend. During her event on Friday, I had the opportunity to watch a 20/20 interview on Bruce Jenner who openly admitted his desire to become a woman. Prayerfully, I hope to blog about this one day soon, Lord willing.

On Sunday, I continued to deal with the subject of forgiveness by exploring a single phrase and thought couched in Christ’s Model Prayer: Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. While it is my hope to one day preach a series on the entire prayer, I felt it befitting to share this scripture on the heels of the previous week’s exposition of the parable of the unmerciful servant.

Here’s the outline of my exposition…

Text: Matthew 6:12 Subject/Title: Overcoming the Grief of Guilt Big Idea: God’s forgiving grace towards us prayerfully compels us to let others off the hook.

Outline:

I. The Desire of Forgiving Grace “Forgive us our debts…”

II. The Danger of Forgiving Grace “…as we forgive our debtors.”

• The person who will not forgive, burns the bridge over which they themselves must travel.

Refusing to forgive:

a. Hurts the Savior

b. Harms the saint

c. Hinders the sinner

d. Heartens Satan

III. The Demand of Forgiving Grace

1. Overcoming the Guilt Grief requires that we forgive freely

2. Overcoming the Grief of Guilt requires that we forgive fully

3. Overcoming the Grief of Guilt requires that we forgive FINALLY

IV. The Delight of Forgiving Grace

1. A cleansed spirit (Psalm 51:2)

2. A clear conscience

I enjoyed preaching this text! Admittedly, I could sense a strong tension on the subject of forgiveness within our congregation the entire month, almost to the point of grieving my spirit. Looking back, I should have spent more time in prayer regarding my spiritual preparation and strength for this series. I conclude that there are a lot of unsettled issues within our congregation; and things that must be released. Of course, I have lived long enough now to know that there are personal issues of forgiveness that reside in the pews; but I also am aware that there are possibly continued and remaining issues with forgiveness within our church history and predecessors that also remain and linger. I am searching to discern which weighs heavily more upon our congregation. I’ve concluded that most of my struggle within ministry revolves around God’s people being unable to just let things go, personally and corporately, that God can move us forward. I am seriously & sincerely praying for God to give continued patience because I often become agitated when forward progress is impeded by minuscule matters. I am praying that God would renew my strength and give me direction. Experience in pastoring has taught me that certain things are not my own vivid imagination or coincidental; but a hatchet that needs to be buried… I am ultimately praying for this area of need within our congregation.

I was glad to also journey to Gonzalez, Texas and share with one of the sons of our church who celebrated his 2^nd year anniversary of pastoral leadership to the St. James Baptist Church. It was a blessing to share. I shared from Romans 1:8-15 and entitled the sermon “What to Do in the Meantime”.

All in all, I thank God for carrying me through the weekend and through another week.

I am reading through a book by Walter L. Liefeld entitled “New Testament Exposition”; and some excerpts through various volumes of “The Words of Gardner Taylor.”

The Houston Rockets have made it past round one of the 2015 NBA playoffs; and the Cowboys have selected Byron Jones (a cornerback from UConn) in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. Great move!

If you are helped by my blogs, please share with family, friends and co-workers; and please subscribe. How has your week been? What are you reading?

Posted in Christian Living, Family, Pastoring, Preaching and tagged Christ, Cowboys, Forgive, Forgiveness, Gonzalez, Grace, Grief, Guilt, NBA, Prayer, preaching, Rockets, salem, Sermon

10 Dec 2014

Hello

There has been some time since I’ve last blogged. I called myself taking a break from my series in the Book of Acts and, as a result, a break from blogging. This has undoubtedly contributed to a heightened level of inner-stress when I consider that writing is cathartic and I thrive on structure. At any rate, here I am!

The fall has been quite busy, with 2 of our sons being in sports, trying to become more proactive in my workout schedule and trying to sort through some other things going on in church life, ministry and work.

Recently, I had a significant loss very close to our family. This loved one has always been near and dear to me, though we didn’t have the relationship where we talked every day. In some ways, our relationship would be complicated and superfluous to explain. In most way, she was just a spirit who crossed paths with the Pullam family in more ways than one; and I she had always been kind to me personally; and a loving spirit. Not only this – but people who have been and are close to me were also close to her. As a consequence, my heart was heavy in the shock of it all; and empathy towards those who were and are affected. She will be missed tremendously. Her homegoing celebration was just that – a celebration. A year ago, my paternal grandfather went Upstairs on the day before Thanksgiving. A few weeks ago, with her passing the day after Thanksgiving… this time of year solidifies itself as a time of reflection and perspective for me.

This past Lord’s day I preached “The Kind of Faith the Moves God”, from Luke 1:26-38. My hope in the coming week is to pick up in verse 39 and following.

Beyond this, I am trying to prepare for 2015; and looking forward to some great things happening!

Posted in Christian Living, Pastoring, Preaching, Random Thoughts and tagged Blog, loss, Prayer, Time | Leave a comment

28 Jul 2014

1 Comment

A Call to Biblical Literacy

I am concerned.

My concern stems from the growing trend of Biblical Illiteracy within the confines of the Christian Church. Permit me to clarify and debunk the notion that all Christians should be seminary-trained, academically-astute and emotionally-reserved. I am convinced that there is a distinction between being educated and trained over against being a student and steward of God’s Word. A seminarian who has no knowledge or desire to delve deeply into God’s Word beyond the textbook is merely an “educated fool.” In contrast, however, I strongly believe that the growing trend of simply not knowing what the Bible means by what it says is flooding the church and Christian community more than ever before.

In a world where Christians have access now to rapid informational technology through a smartphone, shouldn’t we know more? We have the ability to surf the net and download sermons and sermon helps and illustrations; where YouTube and Streaming technology has given us the ability to listen to sermons and studies from start to completion. My father used to tell his preaching comrades, “In a world with all of this technology, a preacher has no excuse for not preaching.” He was not attempting to lower the standard of sound and consistent study; but simply reminding us that the tools and information is readily available and there for the asking.

Tragically, we are doing a poor job; and it shows.
– It shows in the church community through our quotes, concepts and ideologies.
– It shows in ‘gospel’ music.
– It shows in how we misquote the scriptures.

It starts with the preacher! With age should come maturity. I’ll be a little older in a few weeks. And one of my goals going forward is to make God’s Word as clear as I possibly can; and communicate what He means in the clearest manner I can, consistent with sound doctrine, biblical truth and a God-centered Christology.
How can we possibly approach such a tall feat?

1. Spend time with God in prayer.
Nothing of eternal significance can happen without prayer. Prayer is the channel to which we turn in order to establish a connection and frequency with God that diminishes all of the strange noises we keep hearing in our worldly ears. I encourage myself and everyone to take time and learn the art of Kneeology. Of course, there is always the temptation to miss our time with God, in lieu of schedules, jobs, people and responsibilities. But God is merciful and gracious. As soon as we finish all of that, He is still waiting to hear from us and talk to us.

2. Spend time in the scripture.
It is important to read the scriptures devotionally. It is also important to read the scriptures systematically. When one reads the scripture systematically, one should spend quality time asking God to speak to them. After all, it is His book; and He knows the exact meaning of what He wrote, what He said or why He allowed it to be a part of the historical canon.

3. Spend time studying the scripture.
One can spend time in the scripture, and even plan a great outline of sermon ideas and scheduling. But reading the scriptures and studying them are two sides of the same coin. One should ask several questions when studying the scriptures (these are just my views, in the moment. I’m sure there may be others I fail to spotlight):

1. What is God saying in this text?
2. What is God saying to the recipients in this text?
3. What does it MEAN to the recipients in this text?
4. What does this mean to God in the text?
5. What are the major doctrines and themes in this text?
6. What does the scripture say that affirms this text?
7. What is the tension in the text?
8. Who is the antagonist, subject, protagonist, etc. in this text?
9. Where am I (and the human race) in this text?
10. How am I to live out the principles, message and truth communicated in this text?

4. Spend time reflecting and living the scriptures you’ve read.
The greatest sermon many will ever preach will require no words. Much of theology is biography and autobiography. As a preacher of God’s Word, I should be trying to live right, even if I fail to hit the mark every time. Others are watching me; but most importantly, GOD is watching me; and He will honor the one who seeks to follow His Word.

5. Spend time integrating the scriptures into the overall arena of your world.
Every Christian should have a way they see and view the world. I wear glasses because I don’t have perfect vision. The Bible, for the Christian, is our spectacle, because we have worldly views with our imperfect eyes. We should view every hot topic, crisis, issue, problem, disagreement, controversy through the lens of God’s Word.
When we do this, I believe it will lead others around us to build on the firm foundation of God’s Word; and we can empower and equip others and ourselves in becoming strong couriers of God’s truth. This, in turn and result, will lead to a Biblically Literate people who aren’t intimidated or phased by any wind of doctrine.

Posted in Christian Education, Learning, Preaching, Spiritual Formation and tagged Bible, devotion, Prayer, Scripture

06 May 2014

Let’s Talk: Communicating with God through Prayer

Have you ever found yourself facing the struggles of life and saying to yourself, ‘Hey, I just can’t take it anymore!’? Life can run you down until you just don’t have any more strength. Just as our bodies need to stay physically fit in order to keep up our resistance, it is also true that we will break down spiritually, mentally and emotionally if we don’t communicate with our Creator. If you want to increase your intake of nourishment for your soul, you need to PRAY! In a real sense God says, ‘Let’s Talk!’

Prayer unleashes God’s power so that He is able to work in our behalf. Prayer opens the channels of God’s blessing. Prayer is how God accomplishes the things that He wants to see happen in our lives, and in the lives of others. Prayer opens new doors of opportunity for God to move in.

How do I pray?

In Philippians 4:6 it says, “Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God.” Basically, prayer is simply talking to God just like you would talk to your very best friend.

God cares deeply about each and every one of our problems and is just waiting for us to come to Him with those problems. The Bible tells us over and over to constantly bring our problems to our Heavenly Father. Prayer is not to inform God of something which He may not be aware of or to try to convince Him to love us more. He already knows our needs and He has certainly shown his love. The purpose of prayer is to assist us in building our relationship with God.

Why should we pray?

Prayer unleashes God’s power so that He is able to work on our behalf. Prayer opens the channels of God’s blessing. Prayer is how God accomplishes the things that He wants to see happen in our lives. Prayer opens new doors of opportunity for God to move. In fact, you can view prayer like a door. You are on one side of a closed door and on the other side is God. But standing with God is all this incredible and unimaginable power. When you pray, it is you turning that doorknob and swinging that door wide open. It is at that moment when all that power can step through that doorway and work for God’s good, and for your good.

Since He respects our freedom of choice and free will, prayer enables Him to step into our lives. Interestingly, God has limited His power and ability in our lives to the importance that we place on prayer. Prayer gives God the permission (though He is sovereign) to do what He has been longing to do all the time. Even when we do not see anything significant occurring, God is still at work solving the problem. When there are apparently no answers, God is still is waiting for the proper time to give us the solution.

Look at these scriptures:

Psalm 55:22 – Throw every burden upon God.

Psalm 68:19 – Blessed be Our God who daily carries the load for us.

Psalm 56:9 – This I well know, that God is for me.

There are four basic steps involved in the proper way to pray.

1–Bring the problem to God’s attention. But always keep the problem God- centered and not problem-centered.

2–Supplication. The definition of supplication is—a very honest and clear confession that tells God that you need His help.

3–Focus on God and not on the problem. Keep in mind that our prayers are always to be God-centered.

4–Thanksgiving. You are thankful because you know the following about our great, mighty and glorious God.

That you can come to the Father with your problems anytime
That He is concerned about you
That He loves you
That He said that He would help you
That He will see you through this problem
That He has the power to solve this problem
That you trust Him 100%

God is just waiting for you to talk to Him, waiting for those few brief moments when you acknowledge Him, think about Him, and show Him some love and respect. Yes, your God is just waiting for you to talk to Him and He desperately wants to talk to you, not in words, but through your mind and your heart. God is going to bypass the vocal cords and the ear; and instead your heart will feel that gentle tugging, that urging, that pulling. Your heart and mind will know exactly what God is trying to tell you. Take the time this week to talk to Him.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged communication, meaning, Prayer, purpose | Leave a comment

20 Mar 2014

‘Devotion’ from Valley of Vision

God of my end, it is my greatest, noblest pleasure to be acquainted with Thee and with my rational, immortal soul; it is sweet and entertaining to look into my being when all my powers and passions are united and engaged in pursuit of Thee, when my soul longs and passionately breathes after conformity to Thee and the full enjoyment of Thee; no hours pass away with so much pleasure as those spent in communion with Thee and with my heart.

O how desirable, how profitable to the Christian life is a spirit of holy watchfulness and godly jealousy over myself when my soul is afraid of nothing except grieving and offending Thee, the blessed God, my Father and friend, whom I then love and long to please, rather than be happy in myself! Knowing, as I do, that this is the pious temper, worthy of the highest ambition, and closest pursuit of intelligent creatures and holy Christians, may my joy derive from glorifying and delighting Thee. I long to fill all my time for Thee, whether at home or in the way; to place all my concerns in Thy hands; to be entirely at Thy disposal, having no will or interest of my own. Help me to live to Thee for ever, to make Thee my last and only end, so that I may never more in one instance love my sinful self.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Poem, Prayer, Reading | Leave a comment

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Kraig Lowell Pullam

My thoughts. My reflections. My journey…. On pastoring, preaching, leading & learning.

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