A Prayer-Care-Share Lifestyle

One of the ministries I support, both in my prayer and in my giving to the kingdom of God, is the National Pastors Prayer Network. The National Pastors Prayer Network is led by a very good friend, Phil Miglioratti. Phil has was born and reared in Chicago. He has a background in the church that birthed the Awana Clubs ministry and knows evangelicalism through a lifetime of service inside the church. He now lives in the Chicago suburbs, as I do. He was a pastor in the distant past, has served several churches in both regular staff ministry and interim ministry, and leads churches in prayer for renewal and mission. He is a fine teacher, a clear writer and a self-less man who truly loves Christ and his church. Almost everyone who meets Phil likes him because he has no airs about him and communicates warmth and love very easily. We try to meet about four or five times a year in order to stay connected in fellowship and prayer. We've done lunch, coffee and baseball. Like so many such friends I always wish that I had more time with Phil when we leave a meeting but what time I have with him is always a treasure. We talk freely and confidentially and always encourage one another to trust God and grow in his grace. I think I am better for knowing Phil.

Phil's recent prayer letter recounts some family blessings and then says, "Every day is unique for me, which suits my temperament just fine." That is so true with me that I had to share it. While my days are often quite different than Phil's, since our gifts are very different, I operate in much the same way in terms of "temperament." He says he enjoys facilitating work teams that have clear and specific goals to accomplish. He also spends days at home which he says are consumed with "uploading new posts to one of the many blogs

[he] administrates" and then he also "travels to a variety of cities to coach leadership teams." Phil does all of these things as well as anyone I know personally. He writes a column for Pray Magazine,
a publication of NavPress, and preaches and teaches on Sundays, and on retreats and in leader gatherings, in various churches. He says that his preaching allows him to challenge faithful church members to "get out of their seats and into the streets" with what he calls "a prayer-care-share lifestyle."

I love that last statement. I want to truly live a "prayer-care-share lifestyle" as a Christian. I want my life and ministry to help others do the same. I recommend Phil's Web site and blogs to you as one significant way to help you do that. I also encourage my friends who are pastors to invite Phil to minister to your church. If you want to teach your people how to pray, and you should be teaching this year-in and year-out, then Phil is your man. You will find that he comes as a humble servant with no big fees or major demands. This is precisely why I support Phil. He is deserving of a lot more than I can give to him but I believe the Lord is pleased when I invest in a man and a ministry like Phil's. I encourage some of you to get to know him and to even support his work with your gifts should the Lord lead you. Every prayer movement in the land could use Phil Miglioratti's input and teaching. He is the real deal.