Pastor Ben led our elder meeting prayer time last week with a Bible-based, encouraging exercise.   The prayer time we spend at the beginning of the meeting inevitably pays dividends of wisdom, fellowship, and improved conversations.

The first couple of minutes were given so that everyone could pick a Bible verse he would like prayed for himself.  Then each elder shared briefly the verse and any reason for picking it with the alert to listen up because each would be praying the verse for the person on their right.

The passages ranged through the Old and New Testaments. Example verses include Colossians 3.1-2, seeking things above; Psalm 51.1-10, having a pure heart; 1 Peter 3.7, being a better husband; and Psalm 22.14, waiting for the Lord in a new job.

The prayers were sweet, covering the verses and adding requests for the brother as led.  It took about thirty minutes for our group of thirteen.