Intimacy and Ignited Intercession - Church Prayer Leaders Network

Dick LaFountain has a passion to motivate a renewed love for prayer and the presence of God in churches. As a retired pastor, he has created a website (prayertoday.org) with a wealth of prayer resources to help pastors, church leaders, and congregations discover power through a disciplined daily walk in prayer. There are so many resources here that you can spend considerable time just poking around and reading articles, helpful hints, and even lengthy books!

Under LaFountain’s leadership, his former church became a place known for experiencing the manifest presence of God. Revival, repentance, healings, and conversions were common. He now mentors and coaches pastors in ministry, in prayer disciplines, and in strategic planning. This website is a gift gleaned from his years of experience as a pastor and prayer leader.

Exploring the Site

You can begin anywhere on the website to access the same information in different contexts. Here are a few features to get started:

Prayer Coach: If you look in the center column of the home page, you will find powerful prayer disciplines to help you focus your prayer life. Click on Free Downloads to find the newest information posted on the site. As of this writing it was A Guide to Intercessory Prayer, which includes a 12-step prayer guide and prayer training. The material is valuable for individuals, families, and churches to key in on the principles of intercession. The prayer guide is put into three-minute segments.

PDF Resources: There are also several comprehensive resources available as PDF documents. You will find photos set apart in boxes with a variety of topics to choose from. Each is in a blog-style format and very engaging. A particularly helpful one is 7 Days of Solitude (“Breaking the habit of noise, busyness, and people-addictions”), which discusses the principles of Sabbath rest and includes a plan for Seven Days of Fasting and Silence. Other topics are Praying the Word, Prayer Retreats, Prayer Sabbaticals, and 16 Prayer Disciplines.

Sidebars: On both side columns of the home page, you will see several topics. The right side features many PDFs that you can download for personal use. There are Helps and Hints, Prayer Guides, Prayer Strategies, and many worksheets with topics such as: Believing Prayer Survey, Daily Prayer Chart, Spiritual Life Inventory, Hindrances to Prayer, and Your Prayer Habits. LaFountain writes in a very engaging and easy-to-understand way yet gives insightful wisdom to help both the beginner and the more seasoned intercessor.

Retreats and Prayer Concerts: Also on the right-hand side is a section titled Retreats and Concerts. One of the most helpful topics is Cheap Prayer Retreats. LaFountain gives helpful suggestions about places to go for an inexpensive retreat time with God. Here is some advice about things to avoid as you search for a private retreat:

Avoid going with other people. It is not fellowship you seek.
void crowded areas and peak holiday times.
Avoid motels. They are often more temptation than quiet.
Avoid toys. You are not there to play. Leave your TV, computer, and radios at home.
Avoid recreation. Stay away from recreation areas, where there is too much to do.
Avoid the poison ivy!

The heading, Two Prayer Concerts, presents two unique and engaging concerts of prayer formats. Most concerts of prayer are done in a corporate setting. LaFountain’s design offers an opportunity to enjoy the presence of the Lord with others present; however, it also allows individuals to seek God on their own.

Check out his suggestion for two types of rooms that are uniquely equipped for two different modes of intercession: Oasis rooms for quiet and personal preparation of hearts before God, and Outpost rooms equipped with helpful resources for the work of intercession. As LaFountain says, “There is nothing like praying to teach you to pray.”

Get yourself a cup of coffee or tea and sit down to peruse prayertoday.org. It will take you awhile, but you will glean a wealth of information and be challenged to expand and change your prayer life. As the website says, “We exist to train God-hungry people in the disciplines of prayer.”