July 18, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Category: Prayer

A Lifestyle of Prayer and Dependence
Spiritual Formation, Prayer

A Lifestyle of Prayer and Dependence

Editor’s note: This blog post is republished by permission of the author, Jack Gilbert. Jack & his wife are missionaries with SEND International in Spain. Jack regularly blogs at I’m Listening to GOD. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.(1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) We all live busy lives, juggling responsibilities, challenges, and expectations. And in the middle of it, Paul’s words can hit hard: “Pray without ceasing.” At first, that might feel impossible, or even a little unfair. But what if it’s not a rule to follow, but a way of life to enter? Instead of an obligation, what if we are being invited into something better than just getting by? Prayer is the rhythm that sustains the soul, the connection that shapes how we face each day. And that is what Paul wanted to communicate… Read the whole post
Jack Gilbert6 mins read
Your Kingdom Come: A Missionary’s Prayer for More Laborers
New Missionaries, Evangelism, Prayer

Your Kingdom Come: A Missionary’s Prayer for More Laborers

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Kingdom of God Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 For years, these words have been a daily staple in my prayers. Like many of you, I’ve recited them, reflected on them, and believed in their profound truth. But recently, the full, disruptive weight of what I was asking for truly landed. This isn’t just a polite request for divine influence; it’s a prayer for an invasion. Think about it. We are petitioning for Heaven’s rule to descend, to permeate, to take over our lives, our communities, our societies, the very nations where we serve. We’re asking for King Jesus to assert His authority, to establish His reign in places where His sovereignty has been ignored, resisted, or unknown. It’s a prayer for a divine intervention of the most transformative… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther14 mins read
Abiding in Christ – Laying the Right Foundation
Spiritual Formation, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Church Planting

Abiding in Christ – Laying the Right Foundation

This entry is part 1 of 15 in the series Church planting Editor’s note: David and Kathy North planted multiple churches with TEAM for 33 years in various-sized cities in the Philippines. In their first few years in the Philippines, the Norths and I (Ken Guenther) served on the same church planting team in Baliwag, Bulacan. David is currently the Church Planting Coordinator for TEAM’s international network of church planters and disciple makers. The Norths are involved in Coaching, Training, Mentoring and encouraging front line workers. These blog posts were copied with permission from TEAM’s Church Planting Blog, Go and Plant. Longing for help For years as a young church planter, I longed for outside guidance and input about my efforts to plant churches. From time to time, an experienced church planter would speak even just a few words into my ministry and it would give me the new thoughts… Read the whole post
David North7 mins read
Prayer

Connecting Well with Ministry Partners through Prayvine

Editor’s note: Over the past year, I have been sending out our prayer requests using a new website called Prayvine. Prayvine is a free and secure service for mission workers. It’s goal is to both increase the number of people who pray and also increase the number of people who let the missionary know that they are praying for them. I now regularly receive emails from more than 10% of my mailing list saying that they are praying for me. Many of them include personal comments. Recently, I received an email from Prayvine, listing some comments from Prayvine users about what they learned about using the service over the past year. This email can also found on the Prayvine blog. The founder and creator of PrayVine, Ian Hsu, has graciously give permission to repost it on our SEND U blog. As we embark on a new year of partnership with… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther6 mins read
Set times of prayer – a discipline of preparation and love
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Book Reviews, Prayer, Spiritual Disciplines

Set times of prayer – a discipline of preparation and love

I have recently finished listening to Tyler Staton’s book on prayer – Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer. I listened to Tyler Staton preach on the topic of the Lord’s Prayer at a leadership retreat a few months ago. Both his passion for and his experience in prayer impressed me.1 You can listen to these same sermons on the Bridgetown Church’s website. I did not expect this in such a young pastor. In his book, I was further intrigued by his emphasis on the importance of daily set times of prayer. He pointed out that both Jesus and the early church practiced regular times of prayer each day. Jesus and his prayer life Over the years, I have noticed that the Gospels (and particularly Luke) often note that Jesus gave himself to prayer. At this baptism, before he begins a busy… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther3 mins read
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