Friends, I'm heading out of town today. I'm going to Minneapolis, MN with Marc Backes to the Pastor's Conference hosted by John Piper's Desiring God.

If you could, as you read this post, pray for me as follows:

1. For the protection and blessing of my family as I'm gone
2. For a blessed time of fellowship and encouragement with Marc Backes
3. For strong preaching of the Word
4. For my ability to concentrate, receive, and apply the messages
5. For refreshment of my heart, my ministry, and my relationship with God
6. For safe journey there and back

Thank you! I'll update you when I get back.

Update on Monday, February 2, 2009 at 9:04AM by Ryan Haider

We arrived safely this morning. Thank you for praying for our travels. The conference beings this evening so be praying that I would be awake enough (didn't get too much sleep) to hear, receive, and apply God's Word.

Update on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 4:34PM by Ryan Haider

The conference is going great! It is extremely frigid up here (but you already knew that). You can see summary messages of each session of the conference at www.desiringgod.org/blog/

Matt Chandler's sermon this morning stirred my affections, caused me to love Christ, and greatly humbled me for all my many sins. Best line: "I had to ask God to protect [my church] from myself." I pled with God this morning that as HHBC is transformed by the Gospel, my personal sins and foibles will not rub off! Please God!

Something we have most assuredly lost is praying the prayers that Scripture calls us to pray. We can have so much confidence in our prayers when we simply ask God to do the things he has promised to do, and when we ask him for the things he calls us to ask him for.

For one of our Wednesday evening prayer meetings I put together a really quick list of "Prayer Requests and Commands of the Bible". Here is that list:

• Confession of sins (Ezra 10)
• Pray for the peace of God’s people (Psalm 122)
• Thanksgiving for God’s general and specific graces (Daniel 6)
• Pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 6)
• Pray (Matthew 6)
  • For the coming Kingdom
  • For God’s revealed will to be carried out
  • For God’s name to be hallowed
  • For deliverance from evil and temptation
  • For our daily needs (like food, clothing, etc.)

• Pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest (Matthew 9)
• Pray for the grace to forgive (Mark 11)
• Pray that we do not lose heart in our struggles and trials (Luke 18)
• Pray for strength to endure tribulations now and in the end (Lu. 22)
• Pray for the presence and work of the Spirit (Acts 8)
• Pray for each other (Acts 21)
• Pray that the Spirit would help us pray when we don’t know how (Romans 8)
• Praise God for who and what he is (1 Cor. 14)
• Pray for restoration of hurt relationships in the church (2 Cor. 13)
• Pray for the defeat of evil and Satanic powers around you (Eph. 6)
• Pray for an open door for the Word to go forth (Col.1 )
• Thank God for each other (Col. 1)
• Pray that God would make us worthy of our calling (2 Thess. 1)
• Pray that the Word of God would be honored (2 Thess 3)
• Pray for unity in this church without anger (1 Tim. 2)
• Pray for those who are suffering (James 5)
• Pray for the forgiveness and cleansing of sins for others (James 5)
• Pray for those you see sinning (1 John 5)
• Pray that all may go well with us and that we continue in good health (2 John 2)