Mission is why the church exists Prayer is our first resort Relationships matter more than programs Equipping in faith leads to Christ-likeness

“ ‘…contemplatives at the heart of the world “ ‘…contemplatives at the heart of the world.’  They are contemplative because prayer is their life.  It binds them to God, reveals to them his will, and secures his blessing and protection all day long.” ~Mother Theresa

“To pray is to change. This is a great grace “To pray is to change. This is a great grace. How good of God to provide a path whereby our lives can be taken over by love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. The movement inward comes first, because without interior transformation the movement up into God’s glory would overwhelm us and the movement out into ministry would destroy us.” ~Richard Foster, Prayer

“Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn’t act the way we want God to, and why I don’t act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.” ~Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference?

“…a familiar friendship with Jesus. We become accustomed to his face.” ~Thomas à Kempis

“Prayer as a conscious relationship, is the royal road to finding God in all things and to a deeper friendship with God. … for God, friendship seems to come down to mutual self-revelation, to telling the truth about ourselves to each other.” ~William A. Barry, Praying the Truth

John 15:15 “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”