So week after week, I kept encouraging the people to pray.

And of course, as Samuel Chadwick said

long ago, the greatest answer to prayer is more prayer. We were not there to hear one another give
voice to eloquent prayers; we were too desperate for that. We focused vertically, on God, rather than
horizontally on one another.

God is more powerful than anybody's past, no matter how wretched. He can make us forget - not by
erasing the memory but by taking the sting and paralyzing effect out of it
Jim Cymbala
It may not seem obvious at first glance, but the way we make decisions in life tells a lot about the
kind of faith we have in Jesus Christ.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People
No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our
times of prayer.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
I have since learned that the most mature believer is the one who is bent over, leaning most heavily
on the Lord, and admitting his total inability to do anything without Christ. The greatest Christian is
not the one who has achieved the most but rather the one who has received the most.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People
Jesus called fishermen, not graduates of rabbinical schools. The main requirement was to be
natural and sincere.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on
our behalf.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Faith never denies reality but leaves room for God to grant a new reality.
Jim Cymbala

The old saying is true: If you have only the Word, you dry up. If you have only the Spirit, you blow
up. But if you have both, you grow up.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

The Scriptures are not so much the goal as they are an arrow that points us to the life-changing
Christ
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Why do the greatest miracle stories seem to come from mission fields, either overseas or among the
destitute here at home (the Teen Challenge outreach to drug addicts, for example)? Because the need
is there. Christians are taking their sound doctrine and extending it to lives in chaos, which is what
God has called us all to do. Without this extension of compassion it is all too easy for Bible teachers
and authors to grow haughty. We become proud of what we know. We are so impressed with our
doctrinal orderliness that we become intellectually arrogant. We have the rules and theories all
figured out while the rest of the world is befuddled and confused about Gods truth poor souls.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
In fact, Carol and I have told each other more than once that if the spirit of brokenness and calling
on God ever slacks off in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, well know were in trouble, even if we have
10,000 in attendance.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
There are relatively few churches that have a heart for the lost and for the inner city; Jim Cymbala
and the Brooklyn Tabernacle are one of the few. They have allowed the Holy Spirit to use them to
breathe fresh life into seemingly hopeless lives. Nicky Cruz
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Carol and I have found that unless God baptizes us with fresh outpourings of love, we would leave
New York City yesterday! We dont live in this crowded, ill-mannered, violent city because we like it.
Whenever I meet or read about a guy who has sexually abused a little girl, Im tempted in my flesh to
throw him out a fifth-story window. This isnt an easy place for love to flourish. But Christ died for
that man. What could ever change him? What could ever replace the lust and violence in his heart?
He isnt likely to read the theological commentaries on my bookshelves. He desperately needs to be
surprised by the power of a loving, almighty God. If the Spirit is not keeping my heart in line with my
doctrine, something crucial is missing. I can affirm the existence of Jesus Christ all I want, but in
order to be effective, he must come alive in my life in a way that even the pedophile, the prostitute,
and the pusher can see.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
IN THE WORLD OF advertising, every copywriter knows the power of two magic words: Free!
and New! We see them in the supermarket, in the newspaper, on billboards. And consumers
respond. In the church today, we are falling prey to the appeal of New! The old truths of the gospel
dont seem spectacular enough. Were restless for the latest, greatest, newest teaching or technique.
We pastors in particular seem to search for a shortcut or some dynamic new strategy that will fire up
our churches.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great British pulpiteer, had said in a sermon almost exactly a
hundred years before: The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer
meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine
working among a people. If God be near a church, it must pray. And if he be not there, one of the first
tokens of his absence will be a slothfulness in prayer.1
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

The message of the cross will always be foolishness to some, a stumbling block to others. But if our
attention is on the market reaction, we move away from the power of the gospel. This fearfulness to
talk about the blood of Christ is an overreaction. Worse than that, it borders on heresy, distorting
and deflating the power of the Good News.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
the fact that we were created to enjoy God and to worship him forever is etched upon our souls.
Jim Cymbala, The Life God Blesses: The Secret of Enjoying God's Favor
the Creator of all things is looking throughout the whole earth for a certain kind of heart.
Jim Cymbala, The Life God Blesses: The Secret of Enjoying God's Favor
According to 1 Corinthians 14, if meetings are governed by the Holy Spirit, the result for the visitor
will be that the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God,
exclaiming, God is really among you! (v. 25). This should be our goal. When a visitor comes in,
there should be such a mixture of Gods truth and Gods presence that the persons heart is x-rayed,
the futility of his life is exposed, and he crumbles in repentance.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Some have said, The miracles, signs, and wonders of the book of Acts were temporary. They served
to authenticate the apostles until such time as the New Testament could be written. Now we have the
completed Word of God, which erases the need for supernatural happenings. My response is this: If
we have a completed revelation in written form, are we seeing at least as much advance for Gods
kingdom, as many people coming to Christ, as many victories over Satan as those poor fellows who
had to get along with just the Old Testament? If not, why not? Are we missing something valuable
that they felt was essential?
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Does anyone really think that America today is lacking preachers, books, Bible translations, and
neat doctrinal statements? What we really lack is the passion to call upon the Lord until he opens the
heavens and shows himself powerful.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire0

THE ABSENT ELEMENT IS what is expressed in the final sentence of the prayer recorded in Acts
4: Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders (v. 30). What gains
unbelievers attention and stirs the heart is seeing the gospel expressed in power. It takes more than
academic rigor to win the world for Christ. Correct doctrine alone isnt enough. Proclamation and
teaching arent enough. God must be invited to confirm the word with signs following (see Heb.
2:4). In other words, the gospel must be preached with the involvement of the Holy Spirit sent down
from heaven.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
The Jewish faith in Jesus day was dominated by rabbisteachers of the law. Their doctrine was
thorough. Jesus told them, You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you
possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to
have life (John 5:3940, italics added). They knew the written word of God very well, but not the

living Word, even as he stood before them.

Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
As a preacher myself, let me be blunt here. Preaching itself can easily become just a subtle form of
entertainment. When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he is not going to ask me if I was a
clever orator. He is not going to ask me how many books I wrote. He is only going to ask whether I
continued in the line of men and women, starting way back in the time of Adams grandchildren, who
led others to call upon God.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

The British Bible translator J. B. Phillips, after completing his work on this section of Scripture,
could not help reflecting on what he had observed. In the 1955 preface to his first edition of Acts, he
wrote: It is impossible to spend several months in close study of the remarkable short book
without being profoundly stirred and, to be honest, disturbed. The reader is stirred because he is
seeing Christianity, the real thing, in action for the first time in human history. The newborn Church,
as vulnerable as any human child, having neither money, influence nor power in the ordinary sense,
is setting forth joyfully and courageously to win the pagan world for God through Christ. Yet we
cannot help feeling disturbed as well as moved, for this surely is the Church as it was meant to be. It
is vigorous and flexible, for these are the days before it ever became fat and short of breath through
prosperity, or muscle-bound by overorganization. These men did not make acts of faith, they
believed; they did not say their prayers, they really prayed. They did not hold conferences on
psychosomatic medicine, they simply healed the sick. But if they were uncomplicated and naive by
modern standards, we have ruefully to admit that they were open on the God-ward side in a way that
is almost unknown today.1
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Prayer cannot truly be taught by principles and seminars and symposiums. It has to be born out of a
whole environment of felt need.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Our forebears back in the camp meeting days used to say that if people left a meeting talking about
what a wonderful sermon the preacher gave or how beautifully the singers sang, the meeting had
failed. But if people went home saying things like Isnt God good? He met me tonight in such a
wonderful way, it was a good meeting. There was to be no sharing the stage with the Lord.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk about having prayer
in public schools? We dont have even that much prayer in many churches! Out of humility, you
would think we would keep quiet on that particular subject until we practice what we preach in our
own congregations.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
In too many churches today, people dont see manifestations of Gods power in answer to fervent
praying. Instead, they hear arguments about theological issues that few people care about. On
Christian radio and television we are often merely talking to ourselves.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Instead of trying to bring men and women to Christ in the biblical way, we are consumed with the
unbiblical concept of church growth. The Bible does not say we should aim at numbers but rather
urges us faithfully to proclaim Gods message in the boldness of the Holy Spirit. This will build Gods
church Gods way.
Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

1.

ABOUT THAT TIME, I came down with acough that would not go away. Ihacked and
hacked for six weeks, to thepoint that Carol could hardly get anysleep at night. I was spitting up
phlegmevery day. One day I went out on a party fishingboat with twenty or thirty tourists. The
skywas an azure blue, and the warm Watersof the Gulf of Mexico lapped soothinglyagainst the sandy
shore. Seagullsswooped and squawked overhead.

2.

The Sun felt good for my congestedlungs. As we launched out toward deepwater, the
others laughed and talkedabout the fish they hoped to catchthat afternoon. I held a pole in my
hands, too. . . butmy mind wasnt on fishing. I moved down toward the end of theboat, away from
the crowd, andstared at the far horizon.

3.

I began mulling over the manyideas and strategies I had heardor read on church
growth. One Christian leader had told me; "Forget about the institutionalchurch building; home
meetingsare where its at these days. Youmight as well sell your building;God is doing a new thing."

4.

A once-large and historicBaptist church a few blocksaway had invested heavily ina fleet of
buses, trying to bringin large numbers of children.The only results were highinsurance rates,
chronicvandalism, and anunchanged church.

5.

I had attended larger churchesthat seemed to center onbringing in popular speakers

andsingers, whoever was hot at themoment.This helped market the church. . .at least to other
Christians.As one pastor told me with asmile, "I dont steal sheep fromother churches, but I do like
toleave my gate wide open."

6.

"Whether that was a validapproach or not, it took money,so forget it-nobody would cometo
downtown Brooklyn for the littlehonorarium we could afford. Moreover, Carol and I had
franklyadmitted to each other thatunless God broke through, theBrooklyn Tabernacle wasdoomed.

7.

We couldnt finesse it along.We couldnt organize andmarket and pro-gram ourway

out.The embarrassing truth wasthat some-times even I didntwant to show up for a service-thats
how bad it was.

8.

We had to have a visitation of theHoly Spirit, or bust. "Lord, I have noidea how to be a
successful pastor," Iprayed softly out there on the water. "I havent been trained. All I know isthat

Carol and I are working in themiddle of New York City, with peopledying on every side, overdosing
fromheroin, consumed by materialism,and all the rest. If the gospel is sopowerful. . ."
9.

I couldnt finish the sentence. Tears choked me. Fortu-nately, the others on theboat
were too far away to noticeas they studied their lines in theblue-green water. Then quietly but
forcefully, inwords heard not with my ear butdeep within my spirit, I sensedGod speaking:

10.

If you and your wife will lead mypeople to pray and call upon myname, you will never lack
firsomething fresh to preach. I will supply all the money thatsneeded, both fir the church and firyour
family, and you will neverhave a building large enough tocontain the crowds I will send inresponse.

11.

I was overwhelmed. My tears intensified. I looked up atthe other passengers,

stilloccupied with their fishing. Nobody glanced in my direction. I knew I had heard from
God,even though I had notexperienced some strange vision,nothing sensational or peculiar.

12.

God was simply focusing on theonly answer to our situation oranybody elses, for that
matter. His word to me was grounded incountless promises repeated inthe Scrip-tures; it was the
verything that had produced everyrevival of the Holy Spiritthroughout history.

13.

It was the truth that had madeCharles G. Finney, Dwight L.Moody, A. B. Simpson, and
othermen and women mightily used ofGod. It was what I already knew, butGod was now drawing
me out,pulling me toward an actualexperience of himself and hispower.

14.

He was telling me thatmy hunger for him andhis transforming powerwould be satisfied as
Iled my tinycongregation to callout to him in prayer.

15.

As the boat docked later thatafternoon, I felt wonder-fully calm. A few days later I flew
hack to NewYork, still the same young pastor I hadalways been. But all the modern trends and
newideas about church growth were nowirrele-vant. God had promised to provide, torespond to
our cries for divine help.

16.

We were not alone, attemptingthe impossible in a heartlessworld. God was present, and
he wouldact on our behalf. A holy excitement came overme. I actually looked for-ward to thenext
Sunday morning on AtlanticAvenue.

17.

Lord let this Word cometrue in our church TheBridge Network, God isnot a respecter
ofpersons what He did forthem He will do for us ifwe seek Him!

18.

WELCOME BACK, PASTOR CYMBALA,"people said when they saw me thatmorning."Did

you have a good rest inFlorida? Hows your cough?" I told them my cough was muchbetter, but
inside, I couldnt wait to tellthem something far more important. Early in the service I said, "Brothers
andsisters, I really feel that Ive heard fromGod about the future of our church.

19.

While I was away, I was callingout to God to help us-to help me-understand what he wants
mostfrom us. And I believe Ive heard ananswer "Its not fancy or profound orspectacular. But I
want to say toyou today with all the seriousness Ican muster:

20.

From this day on, the prayermeeting will be thebarometer of our church.What happens
on Tuesdaynight will be the gauge bywhich we will judgesuccess or failure becausethat will be the
measure bywhich God blesses us.

21.

"If we call upon the Lord, he haspromised in his Word to answer, tobring the unsaved to
himself, to pourout his Spirit among us. If we dont call upon the Lord, he haspromised nothingnothing at all . Itsas simple as that. No matter what I preach or what weclaim to believe in our
heads, thefuture will depend upon our times ofprayer.

22.

Lets call uponthe Lord to dowhat He hassaid he will do!

23.

"This is the engine that will drive thechurch. Yes, I want you to keep comingon Sundaysbut Tuesday night is what itsreally all about. Carol and I have set ourcourse, and we hope youll come
alongwith us." A minister from Australia (or perhaps itwas New Zealand) happened to bepresent
that morning-a rare occurrence.I introduced him and invited him to say afew words. He walked to the
front andmade just one comment:

24.

"I heard what your pastor said. Heressomething to think about: "You can tell how
popular a church isby who comes on Sunday morning. "You can tell how popular the pastoror
evangelist is by who comes onSunday night. "But you can tell how popular Jesus isby who comes
to the prayer meeting." And with that, he walked off theplatform. That was all. I never saw
himagain.

25.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid tothem that are lost: (4) In whom
the godof this world hath blinded the minds ofthem which believe not, lest the light ofthe glorious
gospel of Christ, who is theimage of God, should shine unto them. We really do not pray for God to
savepeople because He already has in ChristJesus but we pray To pull do strongholdsand barriers to
their salvation

26.

Joshua 24:15 (15) And if it seem evil unto youto serve the LORD, choose you thisday
whom ye will serve; whetherthe gods which your fathersserved that were on the other sideof the
flood, or the gods of theAmorites, in whose land ye dwell:but as for me and my house, wewill serve
the LORD.

27.

IF MY ANNOUNCEMENT to thatcongregation sounds strangeand overbearing,

considerthat it was not a whole lotdifferent from what CharlesHaddon Spurgeon, the greatBritish
pulpiteer, had said in asermon almost exactly ahundred years before:

28.

The condition of the church may be veryaccurately gauged by its prayermeetings. So is

the prayer meet-ing a grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of theamount of divine working among

apeople. If God be near a church, it must pray.And if He be not there, one of the firsttokens of his
absence will be aslothfulness in prayer.
29.

That first Tuesday night, fifteen to eighteenpeople showed up. I had no agenda orprogram
laid out; I just stood up and led thepeople in singing and praising God. Out ofthat came extended
prayer. I felt a new sense of unity and love amongus. God seemed to be knitting us together. Ididnt
preach a typical sermon; there wasnew liberty to wait on Gods presence.

30.

In the weeks that followed, answers toprayer became noticeable. New peoplegradually
joined, with talents and skills thatcould help us. Unsaved relatives and total strangersbegan to
show up. We started to think ofourselves as a "Holy Ghost emergencyroom" where people in
spiritual traumacould be rescued. In most hospitals, the ER isnt decorated asbeautifully or
fashionably as the rest of thebuilding, but its very efficient in saving lives.

31.

We were a prime example ofwhat the great Scottishdevotional writer Andrew Bonarwrote in
1853:"God likes to see His people shutup to this, that there is no hopebut in prayer. Herein lies
theChurchs power against theworld."

32.

We have sent politicians out therewithout the backing spiritual powermany have failed or
given up likeGovernor Fayose who used to be inDeeper life to Obasanjo who gave his lifein prison &
the former senate President tomention a few! Its our power against the world & tosucceed in
anything at all we must takeadvantage of the only thing we havethat an unbeliever does not
have;access to God!

33.

So week after week, I keptencouraging the people to pray.And of course, as Samuel

Chadwicksaid long ago, the greatest answerto prayer is more prayer. We were not there to hear
oneanother give voice to eloquentprayers; we were too desperate forthat. We focused vertically, on
God,rather than horizontally on oneanother.

34.

Much of the time we called outto the Lord as a group, allpraying aloud in concert, apractice
that continues to thisday.At other times we would joinhands in circles of prayer, orvarious people
would speak upwith a special burden to express.

35.

The format of a prayer meeting is notnearly as impor-tant as its essence-touching the

Almighty, crying out withones whole being. I have been in noisy prayer meetingsthat were mainly a
show. I have beenwith groups in times of silent prayer thatwere deeply spiritual. The atmosphere
of the meeting mayvary; what matters most is that weencounter the God of the universe, notjust each
other.

36.

I also began to ease up in the Sundaymeetings and not control them: sotightly with a
microphone. The usual format-two songs, thenannouncements, special music by thechoir, the
offering, then the sermon,finally a benediction- was graduallylaid aside as God began to loosen
meup. I didnt have to be so nervous oruptight-or phony. I had only beenprotecting myself out of
fear.

37.

After all, people werenthungry for fancy sermons ororganizational polish.They just
wanted love.They wanted to know thatGod could pick them up andgive them a secondchance.

38.

In those early days on AtlanticAvenue, as people drew, near tothe Lord, received the
Spiritsfullness, and rekindled their firstlove for God, they naturallybegan to talk about it I on theirjobs,
in their apartment buildings,at family gatherings. Soon they were bringing newpeople.

39.

From that day to the present, morethan two decades later, there hasnever been a season
of decline inthe church, thank God. By his grace we have never had afaction rise up and decide to
splitaway. God has continued to send peoplewho need help; often I cant evenfind out how they
learned of us.

40.

The offerings improved to the pointthat we could make some buildingrepairs. We

replaced the tumbledown pewswith fiberglass chairs that lockedtogether. More important, however,
peoplebegan to sense the presence of theLord in that humble place. They feltloved. Hardened
people wouldcome in and break down evenduring the singing. The choir began to grow.

41.

Lets pray for people tobe committed to Godnot to the Church first.Its God first and
thencommitment to thechurch and its people

42.

CAROL HAD LOVED MUSIC fromthe time she was a teenager.She came by it honestlyherfather had been an operasinger before his conversion,and her grandmother was
apianist.Growing up around the citymeant that she had absorbedthe sounds of many cultures..

43.

Inside her head, the classicsblended with black gospel,traditional Scandinavian hymns
withcontemporary worship chorusesand Caribbean rhythms. At the age of only sixteen
orseventeen, a dream had enteredher heart of directing a large choirsomeday-not a stiff, formal
choir,but a choir of the common people

44.

Carol did not have acompetent accompanist atthe church, so she had to playthe piano and
lead the groupsimul-taneously.She doesnt know how to readmusic, so she figured out thesongs in
her head and thentaught the group by rate.

45.

Even so, the number of singersbegan to climb, eventuallyreaching fifty or so. The
platform was not nearly largeenough to hold them; they wouldjust stand all across the front andSing,
overwhelming the smallbuilding with their sound. Practices were held on Fridaynights.

46.

That may surprise readers who findthat other weekend events would betoo stiff a
competition for peoplestime. But the urban schedule is dif-ferent;people are too rushed during
theweek with their jobs and the longcommutes on trains, buses, andsubways. They finally relax
when Friday eveningcomes, knowing they dont have toget up early the next day.

47.

Carol would begin with a half hourof prayer. Often a spirit of worshipfell on the group.
Someone mightvolunteer a testimony or feelimpressed to read Scripture. Carol might offer a

shortexhortation. Many nights there was more prayerand worship than there waspracticing;
sometimes the choirnever got around to singing at all.
48.

This experience put people in awhole different frame of mind. The choir wasnt just
coming up withtwo "specials" to sing before thesermon; rather, the members wereengaged in fullscale ministry. The band members were asuntrained as Carol. Joey Vazquez,who became the
bass player,learned the instrument "on the job."

49.

He had been plunking around ona bass at a friends house oneday; at choir practice the
nextnight, his friend jokingly said thatJoey knew how to play. Carol assumed the friend wasserious
and put Joey to work. Thatwas the beginning of his career asa bass player; he is still with thechurch
today.

50.

Our drummer, MichaelArchibald, a man from Trinidad,has likewise never had

lessons.Jonathan Woodby, our organist(and one of the best in America,we think), cannot read
music.Yet these two have performed ontwo Grammy Award- winningalbums.

51.

They didnt winGrammys from skill ortechnical knowledgealone or even disciplineits Gods
grace on themas a group that gavethem recognition in theworld

52.

The choir played a crucial role when westarted hosting monthly rallies incooperation with
Teen Challenge, amin-istry to drug addicts and gangmembers that was started in Brooklyn in1958 by
David Wilkerson. Together with Teen Challenge, werented a big Baptist church. For the firstrally
we advertised the film The Cross andthe Switchblade, which tells theconversion story of the
notorious gangleader Nicky Cruz.

53.

As more churches got involved in therallies, Carol formed a multiracial "NewYork

Challenge Choir" made up ofpeople from the Tabernacle plus anyothers who wanted to sing-eighty
ormore voices altogether. It was about this time also that Carolwrote her first song. She took
theChristmas carol "Joy to the World" andcreated a new melody for it. Again, shedidnt know how to
write it down, butsimply taught it to the choir by rote.

54.

John 3:1-6(5) Jesus answered, Verily,verily, I say unto thee, Excepta man be born of
water andof the Spirit, he cannot enterinto the kingdom of God.(6)That which is born of the fleshis
flesh; and that which is bornof the Spirit is spirit.

55.

That which is born of the flesh ishuman source but that which isborn of the Spirit is from
heaven. Anything we come up with ourown thinking alone is flesh butwhen we allow the birth of
ourideas and project be of the Spirit. No one is going to come to ourprograms or give us awards
untilthey are spiritually birthed

56.

The biggest distributor ofChristian choral music inAmerica got acquainted withus, liked the
music, and atdown with Carol one day toask: So what is the formula here?What makes this
work?

57.

She began to talking about thechoir prayer meeting. The visitorsaid to himself, She
didntunderstand my question. I want toknow what makes the music soinspirational. It was months
before he realizedthat the life of the music comesfrom prayer. Thats the formula.

58.

Prayer cannot truly be taught byprinciples and seminars andsymposiums. It has to be

born out of awhole environment of felt need. If I say,I ought to pray, I will soon run out ofmotivation
and quit; the flesh is toostrong. I have to be driven to pray. Yes, the roughness of inner-city life
haspressed us to pray. But is the rest of thecountry coasting along in fine shape? Ithink not.

59.

Then Lanny Wolfe, a well-known gospelsinger and songwriter, visited a service,he was
captivated by the choirs sound,now up to one hundred voices. He encouraged Carol to write
more."You have an eclectic feel thats totallydifferent," he said. The songs you write are unlike
anything Iwould do, or Bill Gaither, or anyone else." Lannys encouragement meant a greatdeal to
both of us.

60.

Since then, of course, Carols musichas gone far and wide across thecountry and is sung
in all kinds ofchurches, whatever the style of theirworship. After selling one million units ofBrooklyn
Tabernacle sheet music,Word Music gave Carol an award in1994. Ironically, the Tabernacle has
notbought a single piece of her music-itwouldnt do any good for a choir thatdoesnt read music.

61.

PRAYER IS THE SOURCE of theChristian life, a Christians life-line.Otherwise, its like

having a babyin your arms and dress-ing her upso cute-but shes not breathing!Never mind the frilly
clothes;stabilize the childs vital signs.It does no good to talk tosomeone in a comatose state.

62.

Thats why the great emphasis onteaching in todays churches isproducing such limited
results. Teaching is good only wheretheres life to be channeled. If the listeners are in a
spiritualcoma, what were telling themmay be fine and orthodox, butunfortunately, spiritual life
cannotbe taught.

63.

Pastors and churches have toget uncomfortable enough tosay, "We are not NewTestament
Christians if wedont have a prayer life."This conviction makes ussquirm a little, but how else
willthere be a breakthrough withGod?

64.

If we truly think about what Acts2:42 says-"They devotedthemselves to the

apostlesteaching and to the fellowship, tothe breaking of bread and toprayer" We can see that
prayer is almost aproof of a churchs normalcy. Calling on the name of the Lord isthe fourth great
hallmark in the list.

65.

If my church or your church isntpraying, we shouldnt be boastingin our orthodoxy or our

Sundaymorning atten-dance figures. In fact, Carol and I have toldeach other more than once thatif
the spirit of brokenness andcalling on God ever slacks off inthe Brooklyn Tabernacle, wellknow were
in trouble, even if wehave 10,000 in attendance.