I wrote a post a while back about the Friday night events we have at our house. We have beans and burritos every Friday night. Everyone is welcome. Anyone at all. Feel free to join us!

EVERY FRIDAY.

ANYONE.

We have never missed a week since we started last year. You can read about it here.

But there is more. Much…much more.

We have never written about it, never posted it social media, never brought it out into the light.

It is what happens AFTER Friday. Specifically…between Fridays.

Text me your week

It sounds simple. It is simple. But it makes a big impact.

Every week, Brandy will try and text or send an instant message to all the ladies who came the week before to our Friday event. I do the same with the guys. It’s a simple question.

How can I pray for you this week?

Prayer can move mountains…change lives…mend souls…and make a difference.

Texting for prayer is no less powerful.

Texting this request always gives those who are a little weary of the whole Jesus-thing an easy way for them to opt-out. They either don’t respond, or provide something superficial. It’s okay with us! We just assume they’re busy, or we pray for that superficial something. And we know that we all have something that may seem superficial to others, but is a big deal to us. That’s just life.

It might be…I’m having a crappy week…I’m doing great, thanks…I hate my job…My kids need prayer right now because I’m about to kill them.

Others will respond with deep hurts (or extreme excitement), struggles, or debilitating scenarios we had no idea existed. Texting allows those who are grappling with such issues to share them without having to look us in the eye. They’ve open their soul to us, but through a safe and distant method.

And they allow us to seek God on their behalf.

It might be…I struggle with porn…we have a lot of debt and trying to figure out what to do…I lost my job yesterday…I’m pregnant!…I found a job that’s perfect for me…I think my kid has autism…my daughter needs counseling and I can’t afford it.

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29: 12-13, ESV).

All of what they share is confidential, NEVER shared with others who come on Fridays (or anyone else).

Then….Brandy and I pray for those requests. I pray over them as I drive during the week between home and work. Brandy prays for them during her morning Bible study. It makes us think about our community. It personalizes each person that comes. It reminds us of the beauty of diversity. It provides a picture of how Jesus wants us to treat and pray for each other. It reminds us that life is messy and we often need each other to make it through.

“Make this your common practice: confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (James 5:16, MSG)

Sometimes people will follow up with us later and say, “Hey, guess what happened?” Other times they don’t. It doesn’t matter to us, our gift is the opportunity to pray for our friends, old and new.

Admittedly, sometimes we don’t get to it. The note on my desk to remind me gets buried, life happens, we just simply forget. But that’s fairly rare.

Even so, for most weeks, it’s a privilege for us to text them for prayer. We have a large family and many people who come on Fridays so we only do it for those who came over the last couple weeks.

This is what happens between Fridays. It may just be more impactful than Friday night itself. It is true community.

So what are you doing this Friday? Are you coming to our house for burritos? If so, I’ll send you a text later in the week asking how I can pray for you.