Approximately 4 months ago, I wrote a post titled "Ladies of Topeka!!!" wherein I called women in Topeka to come to my house early on Thursday mornings for prayer and coffee. Since that time, I've had quite a few questions as to how it's going. To be honest? It has been fantastic. I've truly loved every Wednesday night because I'm looking forward to Thursday morning. I've had a handful of dedicated women come to share and pray every week. The best part? I'm the common bond between all the women...BUT what's been so cool is that even though these women were, for the most part, strangers, they've gotten to know each other and have been able to be transparent and open. So awesome.
Some of you love details. In fact, my guess is that some of you would really like to attend but haven't because you're a bit unsure as to what we "do" each time we meet. Well, here's a very real breakdown of our time together:
6:30-6:35 - snag some coffee and find a comfy spot on the couch
6:35-6:50 - share prayer request updates (we work really hard to be a group who prays more than shares...sometimes when women share, we get lost in our emotions, but we've found that when we pray, our real heart is shown and our friends are able to see what's really going on....unbelievably amazing)
6:50-7:10 - pray - we each pray 3 times and we pray through layers like an onion - we pray for ourselves and things WE can change (our attitudes, our feelings, our emotions, our situations, etc.), then we pray for our immediate families (our husbands, kids, etc.), and then we pray for people who we regularly have direct influence over (I pray for a few choice students, other women pray for co-workers or friends), and finally, we pray for our church/community
7:10-??? - second to the prayer time, this is my favorite. We respond to each other's prayer. After hearing our friends' specific prayer request, this is the time that we either ask follow-up questions or offer words of encouragement that we received while hearing her prayer. Incredibly powerful.
7:15 - I head out...........sometimes the women leave when I do, other times they stay until.....I guess I don't know, but they're always gone when I get home around 4. :)
So, girlfriend, if you live in Topeka, please come. You won't know what an incredible blessing this prayer group could be for you until you give it a try. We promise it will be casual, low-key, and encouraging. So please come. I promise you will be blessed. And that sleep you'll miss? Don't even worry about it. As my mom says, "Sleep is overrated."
