Prayer Advocate
Dr. Peter Thoms - Prayer Advocate
from your Conference Prayer Advocate
The Conference Prayer Advocate is a special designation of United Methodist Men appointed by  the Conference President of United Methodist Men to be an advocate of prayer to all in the Annual Conference, especially United Methodist Men Fellowships.
The CPA works with The Upper Room Living Prayer Center in Nashville to:
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Develop a network of District and Local Prayer Advocates |
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Start Covenant Prayer Groups and encourage existing Groups |
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Encourage volunteers to staff Prayer Remotes |
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Encourage supporting the cost of the Toll-free Prayer Line: 1-800-251-2468 |
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Provide training for the Prayer Advocate network |
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Publicize The Upper Room Prayer Center |
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Publicize resources and programs of The Upper Room |
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Participate in Upper Room events |
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Communicate with the Upper Room Prayer Center staff |
Phone numbers for information about Upper Room Remote Prayer Lines or Upper Room Covenant Prayer Groups: 877-899-2780, ext 7214 or ext 7215.
Power is a man thing!
We men want to be powerful. The Atlas appearance is why fitness centers are doing good business. Look at the Gold Gym advertisement and you see bulging muscles. My wife just smiles when I strike “the poseâ€. I go regularly to the fitness center to build muscles that through the years have become more like peanut butter due to neglect. I dedicate time and struggle to build what I one day hope to have – POWER.
But God says I can have power without going through all that sweat, struggle and pain of straining to build my body. James 3:16 reads “The prayer of a righteous man has great power…â€. But the power is there because there is a source from which to draw the power. Neither the prayer or the prayer have the power. It is God who transmits His power through us if we are properly connected.
The power of prayer is much like the power of the light switch. The light does not go on because the switch is changed to different position. The light goes on only if the wires are connected to the source.  A bad switch or a disconnected wire or even a short in the wire will fail to deliver power to the light. So we, too, must be properly connected to our power source. Being properly connected is the key.
Being “properly connected†to God, our power source, comes by daily listening to what He has to say – not asking but listening.
Practice listening. Practice listening for twenty minutes. Really listen. Put your agenda aside. There is not a problem that God cannot fix so listen. It is not easy but with daily practice you will become amazed at what God is trying to tell you. Give Him the chance to do His work in and through you. LISTEN!
Peter S.Thoms - Prayer Advocate
John 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[a]"
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[d] 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.[e]
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[g] 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."[h]