In Colorado Springs, we are seeing men respond to a new call to pray.  We have seen an average of about 250 to 300 men attend periodic prayer gatherings.  We designed the meeting with a masculine context and we’ve kept the talking to a minimum.  Everyday believing men are responding well, and they are actually amazed that they can spend an hour and half in prayer and worship.  After personally seeing this new surge in men praying, I wanted to help motivate men across our nation to seek the Lord.

*Why do you consider it strategic at this time in our nation?

Many men feel powerless, hopeless, and purposeless.  These negative attitudes are removed as men experience the power of praying God’s purposes into their lives, families, and cities.  We give men direction and guidance into their calling to be freedom fighters on their knees.

I’ll lift out a quote from the conclusion that Coach McCartney wrote, “If we want to see our nation change, we now have a window of opportunity.  With all the instability in the world, what are we to do?  If you are a Christian, this call to war is inside you.  It is resonating with your spirit.  And I want you to know that you, as one man, are not powerless.  You can make a big difference.”

*What impact do you hope it has on our Churches?

Jack Hayford once said, “As the men go so goes the church.”  We can add, as the men go so goes the nation.  It is incredible what happens in a family when men start praying consistently with their wives and children.  One survey noted that, “When couples pray together daily, only one out of hundred divorces.”  I can’t think of a better way to build a healthy church than to build healthy families.  

*How can a Pastor use this resource to influence the men in the congregation?

In addition to personal devotions, we have included sections on how to pray for your pastor and church.  One chapter that pastors will rejoice about is entitled, “Men Under Authority.”  It’s all about men properly relating to their church leadership.  There is also a powerful appendix, which you wrote, Phil, entitled, “Pastors’ Strategies for Mobilizing Men to Pray.”  We have another appendix that provides guidelines for conducting a men’s prayer meeting.

*Mell, what about the many women who have been so faithful in prayer? What does this book say to them?

Quin Sherrer wrote of the book, “Every Christian man who has wondered how to pray and every wife who wanted him to pray with her and for her will find this a ‘must read’ book for their home.”

Historically women have been responsible for carrying much of the prayer burden for our churches.  As a man, I am forever grateful for the leadership women have given to the prayer movement!  Phil, you said it best when you described prayer as a plane and you noted that the women’s wing has been strong and doing well, but now God is calling men to become more active in prayer and build the other wing of prayer for the prayer force in our churches to have optimum impact.

*Is there anything here for our young men and boys? How might it influence fathers?

Yes, we have a chapter called “The Warrior’s Heart” written by Jim Chosa, a Native American, who describes how the Crow Nation trained their young men to be warriors.  Steve Shanklin contributed a chapter on “The Legacy of a Praying Father” with sections on prayer mentoring and how living a life of integrity influences the well being of our children.

*Lately, the Body of Christ has been encouraged to avoid militant terms, such as crusade ... Could this book incite an extreme reaction or be offensive to those we are praying for?

Deep inside every Christian man is the call to be a warrior who will give his life for those he loves.  We are not encouraging any kind of militant, aggressive action against other faiths or ethnic groups.  What we are calling men to is to be self-sacrificing, godly men who will stop being self-absorbed and will pray for their families, cities, and nation.  As Dutch Sheets says (p. 13-14), “Men who are purposeless merely exist.  Their lives make little impact on the world around them….The purpose of this book, men, is to awaken purpose in you—to make you a spiritual freedom fighter.  If freedom is truly to ring in our homes and nation, it will happen only as we take seriously our biblical charge to pray fervently for our nation and our own families.”

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