I was here in Longview in January, 2007, when Morning Watch was in its first month. I
was staying with dear friends for three weeks while I was home from Scotland. I remem-
ber hearing about Morning Watch to which my friends headed off at 5 am. I accompanied
them a few times, but then made the wise decision to take comfort in a warm bed while
they went off in the cold and rain to pray. I had heard that it was only an experiment for
thirty days and reasoned there was little that I could do to contribute, especially since I
would soon be returning to Scotland.
When I arrived in Longview the end of January last year to apply for a visa to re-enter Scot-
land as a minister, I heard that, after four years, Morning Watch was still happening. I felt no
desire to take part in Morning Watch. I enjoyed sleeping too much. Then my visa applica-
tion was refused for twelve months. In mid-March I attended a Christian leaders' conference
and talked to several ministers about Morning Watch. I did not want to do it, yet I felt a strong
pull on my heart to ask them more about it. The Spirit kept tugging at my heart and I kept try-
ing to squirm out of it. Finally in late March of last year, I decided to try it out. Once I attended
one Morning Watch, I was unable to refrain from going to more. I sensed that if I had not con-
tinued going, I would have been disobedient to the Lord.
Since late March of last year, I have been attending Morning Watch five or six days a week.
There have been two weeks during that time when I did not attend because I was finishing up
on my thesis work. Morning Watch has become the foundation stone of my time here in Long-
view before I head back to Scotland in April or May. The Lord has engraved on my heart the
desire and ability to go to Morning Watch. It has shaped my time here and has also forged how
I will minister when I return to Scotland. I view it as the serious heart surgery that is required
for me to move into a new era of my life. It is rugged training in the wilderness to prepare me
for the next phase of my ministry. Even when I arrived in Longview last January, I did not
foresee how much the Lord would use Morning Watch to prepare me for the road ahead. Even
now I do not grasp how critical it was to my growing more and more into Christlikeness. I may
never fully understand what God did to me through Morning Watch. It has transformed me. All
I can do is thank the Lord for what He has done through Morning Watch.
Blessings to you and yours,
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Morning Watch: Transforming Prayer
I have been attending Morning Watch from 5:00 to 6:00 five or six mornings a week since
late March of last year. On Monday, January 2 of the New Year, Morning Watch entered its
sixth year of believers gathering together to pray for the the communities and churches in
Cowlitz County of the State of Washington. The numbers may have varied over five years,
but there has always been at least two or three people gathering together at the 5 am hour to
praise the Name of Jesus and to intercede for the people, families, communities, and churches
in the area. There have now been Morning Watches for over 1825 days without a single inter-
ruption.
At the Morning Prayer on that first Monday of 2012, Tim, who has been involved with Morn-
ing Watch ever since the first one, drew attention to how things in the area have changed over
the five years that Christians have purposefully interceded for people and towns of the county.
When they first started five years ago, Tim and others perceived a haze over the area. But grad-
ually as their concentrated prayers pierced the darkness, the haze began to dissipate. Unrelent-
ing prayer changed the atmosphere over the area. Various social problems that were above the
national norm back in 2007 have now plummeted below the national norms. Tim pointed out
that rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the county have dropped by more than 50% and
child abuse cases have taken a sharp down turn. Both the number of unwed teenage pregnan-
cies and school drop outs have fallen significantly. Longview schools have surged from the
very bottom of Washington State schools to healthier rankings. There is also a marked improve-
ment of unity and cooperation among Christians and churches in the Tri-Rivers area. It is evi-
dent that prayer does indeed change things.
Over the past few years a particular format has emerged that is followed for Morning Watch.
There is a person who is assigned to lead prayer for each day of the week. On Mondays Tim
focuses on prayers for pre-teens in the area and on Tuesdays Russ directs Morning Watch to
pray for all levels of government. On Wednesdays Leslie directs attention to praying for busi-
nesses and the local economy. On Thursdays Larry directs prayers for the poor and needy. On
Fridays Terri leads prayers for arts and entertainment and on Saturdays she prayerfully focuses
on family issues. The climax of the week is Sunday when Larry leads prayer on the the Bride
of Christ, the Church. The leader of a particular day usually does three things: he or she picks
a specific concern within the focus of the day, an attribute or name of God that relates to the
concern, and then one or two biblical texts that speak to the issues. At the beginning of Morn-
ing Watch, the leader shares about the specific concern for that morning and begins praying.
There is an open mic in the middle of the sanctuary where people can read from Scripture or
offer up their own prayers. A live vocalist or a praise and worship CD shape the atmosphere
for worship and prayer. Prayer and praise through music complement one another.
It is evident to me that the prevailing prayers of a small group of people gathering together for
over 1825 days without interruption have been changing things and people. There may not be
the numbers of people praying that there were five years ago, but there always seems to be at
least two or three persons praying at Morning Watch. Usually there are more that that. What is
important is that wherever two or three people are gathered in Jesus' name, God is present there
and prevailing prayer has become transforming prayer. God has been changing and transform-
ing people as well as their situations. I am witnessing that prevailing prayer is necessary for
long-term transformation of people and communities. It is a primary lesson that I have learned
that I will be taking back with me when I return to Scotland in a few months.
Blessing to you and yours,
late March of last year. On Monday, January 2 of the New Year, Morning Watch entered its
sixth year of believers gathering together to pray for the the communities and churches in
Cowlitz County of the State of Washington. The numbers may have varied over five years,
but there has always been at least two or three people gathering together at the 5 am hour to
praise the Name of Jesus and to intercede for the people, families, communities, and churches
in the area. There have now been Morning Watches for over 1825 days without a single inter-
ruption.
At the Morning Prayer on that first Monday of 2012, Tim, who has been involved with Morn-
ing Watch ever since the first one, drew attention to how things in the area have changed over
the five years that Christians have purposefully interceded for people and towns of the county.
When they first started five years ago, Tim and others perceived a haze over the area. But grad-
ually as their concentrated prayers pierced the darkness, the haze began to dissipate. Unrelent-
ing prayer changed the atmosphere over the area. Various social problems that were above the
national norm back in 2007 have now plummeted below the national norms. Tim pointed out
that rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the county have dropped by more than 50% and
child abuse cases have taken a sharp down turn. Both the number of unwed teenage pregnan-
cies and school drop outs have fallen significantly. Longview schools have surged from the
very bottom of Washington State schools to healthier rankings. There is also a marked improve-
ment of unity and cooperation among Christians and churches in the Tri-Rivers area. It is evi-
dent that prayer does indeed change things.
Over the past few years a particular format has emerged that is followed for Morning Watch.
There is a person who is assigned to lead prayer for each day of the week. On Mondays Tim
focuses on prayers for pre-teens in the area and on Tuesdays Russ directs Morning Watch to
pray for all levels of government. On Wednesdays Leslie directs attention to praying for busi-
nesses and the local economy. On Thursdays Larry directs prayers for the poor and needy. On
Fridays Terri leads prayers for arts and entertainment and on Saturdays she prayerfully focuses
on family issues. The climax of the week is Sunday when Larry leads prayer on the the Bride
of Christ, the Church. The leader of a particular day usually does three things: he or she picks
a specific concern within the focus of the day, an attribute or name of God that relates to the
concern, and then one or two biblical texts that speak to the issues. At the beginning of Morn-
ing Watch, the leader shares about the specific concern for that morning and begins praying.
There is an open mic in the middle of the sanctuary where people can read from Scripture or
offer up their own prayers. A live vocalist or a praise and worship CD shape the atmosphere
for worship and prayer. Prayer and praise through music complement one another.
It is evident to me that the prevailing prayers of a small group of people gathering together for
over 1825 days without interruption have been changing things and people. There may not be
the numbers of people praying that there were five years ago, but there always seems to be at
least two or three persons praying at Morning Watch. Usually there are more that that. What is
important is that wherever two or three people are gathered in Jesus' name, God is present there
and prevailing prayer has become transforming prayer. God has been changing and transform-
ing people as well as their situations. I am witnessing that prevailing prayer is necessary for
long-term transformation of people and communities. It is a primary lesson that I have learned
that I will be taking back with me when I return to Scotland in a few months.
Blessing to you and yours,
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Morning Watch: Prevailing Prayer
At 5 in the morning of January 2 in this new year, I was helping out at Morning Watch. When
I opened up the Tri-Rivers International House of Prayer (TRIHOP) building at 4:20 I did not
realize what a significant day it was. Exactly five years earlier, at 5 am on January 2, 2007, a
crowd of people from a variety of area churches met at a large local church to seek the Lord
and pray for God's kingdom to come to the people in this area. As many as 88 people showed
up some days during that first month five years ago. It was suppose to last only 30 days, but it
never stopped and has continued for over 1825 days without one day of morning prayer being
missed.
Morning Watch still meets from 5 to 6 every morning, seven days a week. But it was moved
from the church in which it started to the TRIHOP facility. Even though two churches call
TRIHOP home, Christian leaders in the area hope to establish TRIHOP as a place of 24/7
prayer in the near future. Usually between 3 and 12 people participate in Morning Watch.
People come and people go. Some come just before work and others have the time to devote
to this. People sit in chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing the stage. On the outside of the
chairs are a number of tables. Some people prefer the chairs and others always sit at tables
where they can spread out their Bibles and journals.
There is often a singer on stage who accompanies him- or herself on guitar or keyboard. A
praise and worship CD is used when a musician is not scheduled. The goal is for the music
to complement the spontaneous prayers of the people at the mic located in the area in front
of the stage. For over five years, praise, Scripture, and prayer have been woven together at
Morning Watch. A certain routine has been established and it has stood the test of time. But
despite that, it is still very difficult to get up and go that early in the morning. There are some
people who attend for a few days or a few weeks, and then do not attend again. Others ap-
pear occasionally. Only a very few have been there since the very beginning five years ago.
It certainly is not easy to get up for Morning Watch.
I am amazed that there are Christians who even think of getting up that early in the morning
to attend to God in prayer. I have been attending Morning Watch five or six days a week
since late March of last year. There are many mornings, however, that I myself struggle to
get up in time for Morning Watch. But I can't really remember seeing any fewer than two oth-
er people in attendance. Some people are longterm attendees and others are there for a day or
two; but as far as I can tell, every day for the past five years there has always been at least one
person from the local Christian community in attendance at Morning Watch, lifting up people
in prayer to the Lord. That is truly prevailing prayer.
Blessings to you and yours,
I opened up the Tri-Rivers International House of Prayer (TRIHOP) building at 4:20 I did not
realize what a significant day it was. Exactly five years earlier, at 5 am on January 2, 2007, a
crowd of people from a variety of area churches met at a large local church to seek the Lord
and pray for God's kingdom to come to the people in this area. As many as 88 people showed
up some days during that first month five years ago. It was suppose to last only 30 days, but it
never stopped and has continued for over 1825 days without one day of morning prayer being
missed.
Morning Watch still meets from 5 to 6 every morning, seven days a week. But it was moved
from the church in which it started to the TRIHOP facility. Even though two churches call
TRIHOP home, Christian leaders in the area hope to establish TRIHOP as a place of 24/7
prayer in the near future. Usually between 3 and 12 people participate in Morning Watch.
People come and people go. Some come just before work and others have the time to devote
to this. People sit in chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing the stage. On the outside of the
chairs are a number of tables. Some people prefer the chairs and others always sit at tables
where they can spread out their Bibles and journals.
There is often a singer on stage who accompanies him- or herself on guitar or keyboard. A
praise and worship CD is used when a musician is not scheduled. The goal is for the music
to complement the spontaneous prayers of the people at the mic located in the area in front
of the stage. For over five years, praise, Scripture, and prayer have been woven together at
Morning Watch. A certain routine has been established and it has stood the test of time. But
despite that, it is still very difficult to get up and go that early in the morning. There are some
people who attend for a few days or a few weeks, and then do not attend again. Others ap-
pear occasionally. Only a very few have been there since the very beginning five years ago.
It certainly is not easy to get up for Morning Watch.
I am amazed that there are Christians who even think of getting up that early in the morning
to attend to God in prayer. I have been attending Morning Watch five or six days a week
since late March of last year. There are many mornings, however, that I myself struggle to
get up in time for Morning Watch. But I can't really remember seeing any fewer than two oth-
er people in attendance. Some people are longterm attendees and others are there for a day or
two; but as far as I can tell, every day for the past five years there has always been at least one
person from the local Christian community in attendance at Morning Watch, lifting up people
in prayer to the Lord. That is truly prevailing prayer.
Blessings to you and yours,
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