24-7 People: Lisa BordenLisa Borden - 13 Oct 2011

1) How and when did you first get involved with 24-7 Prayer?

We moved to Portugal in 2000 after 15 years in Kenya.  Not long after, a friend in the US handed us an article she had torn out of a Christian magazine and said, “I think this will be important to you.” The article was an interview with Pete Greig and it really struck a chord for us in a big way.  

We’d just come out of ten years of trying to be culturally relevant, appropriate and sensitive as we helped establish a community of Christ-followers among the pre-modern Maasai people in southern Kenya.  Now we were in Europe, looking around at what seemed like a huge ocean of hurt, hungry, spiritually seeking, jaded young Europeans and we could see that what God was doing through 24-7 Prayer was absolutely key and wonderfully fresh and real.  

We looked on the website and found out that there was going to be a gathering called Cultural Shift so we up and went to England to get a first-hand feel for what this was all about.  

Back in Portugal, we began hosting prayer weeks with a community of artists and musicians, surfers and skaters that God had planted us in.  Soon we were attending every international gathering and event and, next thing you know, 24-7 Prayer was family and we were in, heart and soul.

2) Do you have a particular memory from the movement that is significant to you?

Two memories come to mind right away...

I remember one afternoon in Portugal when I was cleaning up in our home.  I put a few bags by the front door to take down to the garage and one of them had “left-overs” in it from our first prayer room.  It was filled with incense, fragrant candles, markers, paints, etc.  When I asked our teenage sons to carry things out, one of them opened the bag and this wonderful fragrance wafted into the room.  

Both of them lit up with this happy, longing look and said, “The Prayer Room!”  I remember thinking that when teenage boys start waxing nostalgic about prayer it has to be a sign that God is up to something.  It was definitely a “Woah!” moment for me.  It was like, “Aslan is on the move!”  

The second memory is from a gathering in Dresden.  I remember praying over the room of younger-than-me people and saying something about our porch light always being on for this generation.  I think I fell in love with an entire generation at that moment.

3) Is there anything you’ve learned recently that has been especially helpful in your own prayer life?  

About a month ago I heard a short passage out of Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation.  The gist of the passage was that, in prayer, coming into the realization of God’s presence was more important than our ability to articulate our prayers well. It’s much more about recognizing His presence then about spitting my words out perfectly.  My prayers are often panicky, in a way, as I breathlessly try to express every concern to the Lord.  

I’ve been experiencing a really trust-inducing transformation in these last few weeks when I feel the temptation to stress in prayer but choose to slow myself down and seek first to realize God’s presence.  Once I feel the reality of God’s presence, I find I only have to mention my worries to the Lord briefly and it’s like a handing over.  His presence assures me that what Jesus said in Matthew 6 is true—my father knows what I need even before I ask.

4) You’ve recently published a book of poetry and prose called Approaching God that talks about intimacy with God. Do you have any advice for budding writers?  

Well, it probably sounds cliché but, write, write, write!  I’ve been writing in my journal, on scraps of paper, in letters, on blogs, in magazines, for others and just for the sheer pleasure of it for YEARS. (I started my first journal when I was 11!)  Give your writing away.  Enjoy it as a gift and share it generously.  Celebrate big if and when you ever get paid for it!  My favorite book on writing is Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. My favorite book on faith and art is Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle.

5) Any final words of wisdom?

I highly recommend marriage. Don’t be afraid of it.  Sorry to change the subject.  Am I abusing my privileges?  :-) Also, nothing is too small (or too big) to pray about.

So fantastic to hear from Lisa Borden. If you would like to nominate someone from the movement for a 24-7 People profile please email me at [email protected].

We’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments or suggestions or things you’d particularly like to be included in ‘24-7 Prayer Partners News’ please email [email protected].