Challenge 2008

Well, He is calling you to exactly that! You have been chosen by your youth pastor to be the contact person in your youth group for the Challenge 2008 Prayer Army. Get ready: you are about to have a part in changing lives. James 5:16 says, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results" (NLT). Though God is sovereign and almighty, in His wisdom He has granted an incredible amount of power to us through prayer.

That's why your position on the prayer army is so important! We know that God wants to use Challenge 2008 to massively affect thousands of people. If that happens through this conference, it will not be because the speakers were incredible, the lead worshipers were passionate, or the seminars were exceptionally good. It will be because God chose to act. And, as unbelievable as it may seem to us, often God waits to act until His people pray. What does all this mean for us? It means that God's answer to our prayers will be what makes Challenge 2008 a life-changing experience.

So what does being a part of the Prayer Army mean? It means, first of all, that you are a prayer warrior for this conference. And secondly, it means that you are a recruiter--it's your job to bring your youth group on board with prayer for the conference! We'll send you monthly newsletters to encourage you in your prayer life. Then it's your job to spread your excitement for prayer to others. Once you arrive in Salt lake City, it will be your job to bring as much of your youth group as you can to the Prayer Army time (every night, one hour before the rally). During these times, you will prepare your heart as well as plead for God to do the massive work that only He can do during the rally.

But don't wait until you get to Salt Lake! The Prayer Army is active now. Pray daily for the conference--maybe every night before you go to bed or every morning while you get ready for school. And pray with others. We'd like to encourage you to get together with your youth pastor and student partner to pray for Challenge 2008. Pray for those still considering whether or not they will go. Pray for the finances your group needs. James 4:2 says, "The reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it" (NLT).

We look forward to partnering, praying, and meeting you personally at Challenge.
In Christ,

Glenn Olson
Challenge prayer coordinator

It's easy for prayer to become somewhat of a habit--a one-sided conversation during which we sometimes forget Who it is we're talking to. We forget that the power of prayer is not in prayer itself, but in the One we're praying to.

Solomon, known for his wisdom, wrote, "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few....Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2,7, NIV). If you were with us for Challenge 2006, you probably remember the awesome prayer testimonies and praying.

How often do you do that? If you're like most, the answer is probably rarely--if ever. Sometimes we're convicted of the need to listen and worship God more, to spend time in silence before Him, and so we try. And we find ourselves easily distracted, impatient, and very quickly either have proceeded to our list of prayer requests or quit praying altogether.

Why do we find it so difficult? Too often, I believe, we try to "force it." We sit in silence because it's something we think we're supposed to do. On the other hand, in those times like we experienced at Challenge 2006, when we've just been shown a glimpse of the absolute greatness, hugeness, and holiness of God, all we can do it stand in awe. What words could we possibly bring?

I'm convinced that what we need is not to learn the right things, but to see. The more we see of the awesomeness of God, the more the right actions--and the right way of praying--will follow. So as you spend time in prayer in the month, ask God to show you more of Him. Learn to listen and allow Him to do so. Be prepared to learn the sacredness of silence.

Prayer, after all, is not about getting God on board with our agenda. It's more like allowing ourselves to get on board with His. And we can only do that when we know how His heart beats...when we take the time to listen.

Seeking God with you,

Glenn Olson

Hosea 10:12 says, "Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord" (NLT). That's the call we're holding out right now.

You see, it's quite possible that thousands of us could gather next month in Salt Lake City, UT, hear incredible messages, sing great songs, have fun hanging out with our friends, and leave entirely unchanged, if our hearts are hard. On the other hand, if we come with hearts softened and prepared, there's no limit to what God can do through that week. He could bring us to the point of total surrender, radically transform us, and raise us up as an army to take His fame to every person on the planet who does not know Him.

There's a lot that God will do. He will do whatever it takes to confront us with the truth. But He asks us to prepare our hearts. How soft is your heart? Are there areas you've refused to surrender? Are there aspects of your life that you just haven't allowed God to investigate and clean out lately? How sensitive are you to His conviction and direction?

Now, says Hosea, is the time to seek the Lord. Start plowing the ground now. Don't wait until we arrive in Utah.

If you look through the Bible, you will find that most intense times of seeking God, repentance, and desperate prayer were accompanied by fasting. Fasting is a very tangible way in which we can set our heart, mind, and entire being on God. The natural desire that we have for food can be deliberately directed to God, allowing us to see our desperate need for Him.

The Challenge 2008 team has set aside Wednesday, June 25, as a day of prayer and fasting for the conference. I'm writing this to you to encourage you to take this day seriously. You don't have to fast the whole day. You can give up dinner. Or breakfast. Or TV. Or anything else that you feel you couldn't live without. Let God fill that spot in your life. You don't have to wait until June 25, either. You can start now (although it might not be wise to fast all food for a few weeks...). All we ask is that you intentionally give up something in order to set your heart more fully on God as we approach the dates of Challenge 2008. And that you pray.

Pray for the speakers, the lead worshipers, the drama teams--pray for their personal holiness, clear direction from God, and sensitivity to the Spirit. Pray for every group that will be going--for safety, prepared hearts, and transformed lives. Pray for the youth leaders--for rest, renewal, wisdom, and openness to God. Pray for the outreach and ministry projects--for effectiveness and right hearts. Pray for Salt Lake --that we would make a dramatic difference in that place. Pray for God's will, His way, His glory.

Praying with you,

Glenn Olson