"If we don't talk about this idea, will it go away?" I asked my husband, Bill, while fixing a sippy-cup of chocolate milk for our 1-year-old son.

Bill had just announced that his skills were needed to help Campus Crusade for Christ in another continent. He was up for the job. I, however, was comfortably imbedded in the Southern community in which we lived. Bill let the topic slide to the back burner and simmer.

Over the next weeks, I took evening walks under the moss-laden oaks of our neighborhood. While listening to the crickets chirp, I thought about how much I loved my home. I enjoyed chatting with other moms at the kids' school. I'd put my own touches on our house—from the stenciled bedroom walls to the honey-maple kitchen cabinetry and the fragrant rose garden celebrating our 10th anniversary. I also loved working with our church to reach people for Christ in our neighborhood. Some people bloom where they're planted. I planted where I bloomed.

Frankly, I was happy with my current place in life and didn't want to change. That could have settled it right there, for my husband wasn't about to accept the position without my support. There was only one problem with saying "No"—I wasn't sure if God was saying "Yes." I feared the Lord too much to nix the plan without first consulting Him. I knew that if I stayed in my comfortable life when He was telling us to go, then the happiness I'd found in school, community and even our house would slip through my fingers like grains of sand.

So I prayed and told the Lord I wanted to do His will first and foremost. What I was being asked to do was far less than what Christ had done for me in leaving His heavenly home. Did I truly love Jesus? Could I trust Him enough to know that if He were calling us, He would also have blessings in store, and a part for us to play in building His kingdom?

By now the answer is clear—I do love Jesus, the move did hurt, and I do trust that even now, as I learn the German language and culture, God has a good and a loving plan. God has been helping me see that there is a big difference between living a comfortable life and living an abundant life.

He's also showing me that whether I walk and pray under Southern live oaks or Black Forest firs, my home is in Him.

Your next-door neighbor, co-worker or friend has just placed his faith in Christ. You want to help him grow in his new faith, but what do you do? Here is a sketch of seven basic lessons you could teach him. Before meeting with your friend, study the given passage. Then pray for him. As you discuss each lesson, ask questions—listening more than talking—to make sure he understands the concept. Make it practical by offering real-life examples. If time is limited, then you can discuss one of the two passages and assign the second one for homework.

1. Promises—Assurance of salvation (1 John 5:11-13 and Romans 8:38,39)
2. New Life—Identity in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10 and Colossians 3:1-17)
3. Holy Spirit—Confessing sin and living in the power of the Spirit (1 John 1:8,9 and Galatians 5:13-25)
4. Bible—God's Word guides us (Psalm 119:10,11 and 2 Timothy 3:16,17)
5. Prayer—Open communication with God (Matthew 6:5-13 and Philippians 4:6,7)
6. Church—Relationships with other Christians (Hebrews 10:23-25 and Acts 2:37-47)
7. Evangelism—Witness for Christ (Matthew 4:19 and Acts 1:8)

I was a regular 5-year-old boy, walking down the sidewalk of a strip mall in South Louisville, Ky. Hand in hand with my mother, we were enjoying a lovely afternoon full of shopping and junk food. Suddenly a woman with a somewhat unusual fashion emerged from the doors of the drugstore we were approaching.

She was sporting a "beehive" hairdo so fresh that there could have been honey dripping from the edges. Not knowing any better, my immediate response was to say the first thing that came to mind. I all but shouted as she walked past, "Mom, look at that lady! Her hair looks stupid!"

Shocked by the horror of the situation, my mother avoided eye contact with "Mrs. Hive," tightened her grip on my hand, and quickened her pace while softly mumbling, "Let's not talk about that right now."

Of course, I continued. "But Mom, you've got to look at that lady's hair! It looks so stupid!"

"John, please quiet down," my mom said. "It's not nice to point at people and make fun of them."

"But, Mom, just look at her!"

By that time Mrs. Hive had enough. In one short phrase she said it all: "You're not funny, kid."

That's a brief and priceless memory for my family, but more importantly, it is a good reminder of the power of words. Words hold power—no matter to whom we say them or who hears them. I often look to Proverbs 18:21 as a good reminder of the power of words. It says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." We're given a simple choice—you can either choose to give life with your words or give death.

Sometimes it's easy, even automatic, to pick out the negative things about someone. But that breaks a person down. When we are about to criticize someone, instead we should think of something for which to praise him or her.

Granted, I didn't know the Beehive Lady well enough to praise her. Instead, I shouldn't have said anything. My words stung.

We all feel a deep craving not simply to talk to God, but to talk with God. We have no desire for the mere trappings of prayer; we want the real thing. And each of us has felt the disappointment of dry, dead prayer, in which our words seem to bounce off the ceiling and return to us unheard. One day in 1934 a farmer asked a group of friends to visit his farm and spend the day in prayer. He was just an ordinary farmer. As the men prayed together, they believed God wanted them to pray for a man from their own city to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. Yet there was no immediate answer.

Although you would not recognize the farmer's name, you most likely have heard of his son—my friend Billy Graham—who later that year became a believer. God's answer came quietly, but He eventually answered the farmer's request with a resounding yes.

James 5:16b says, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." Prayer, offered in a righteous spirit, can actually influence the course of history. That farmer was a world-shaker, because God answered his simple prayer. We all have the same opportunity.

And there is only one secret to this powerful prayer life; His name is the Holy Spirit. He carries us beyond our weaknesses and limitations. He carries us directly into the incredible, loving presence of God.

Prayer is the most precious, valuable privilege we could ever receive. And the Spirit does a number of wonderful things to help us in our prayer life:

The Spirit prompts us to pray. Have you ever felt that little nudge to pray about a particular matter or person? This impression could even wake you in the night. We hear of many Christians who were led to pray for someone, only to find out that this person was in a dangerous situation at that very moment. We need to pay attention when the Spirit prompts us to pray.

The Holy Spirit guides our prayers. He molds and shapes our prayers and brings our desires into conformity to God's will. It may be that you have encountered a difficult situation and feel a great deal of anxiety. Naturally, you ask God for a change in circumstances.

But as the days and prayers move by, you find that, while your circumstances remain the same, your attitude has utterly changed. You suddenly comprehend how God could use you in just such a setting. You realize that He didn't want to help you out of this mess, but to help you through it. More miracles happen in the midst of a crisis than when we are fleeing from our circumstances.

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer. Consider this remarkable promise: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26, New International Version). The Spirit prays for what we lack understanding to pray for. He expresses the depth of emotion we might feel if we could see with complete spiritual clarity. He helps us pray beyond our limitations.

The Spirit understands our desires, fears, strengths and weaknesses better than we do. Who better to speak to our Father for us than the Holy Spirit, who stands in the gap?

The Holy Spirit leads us in prayerful worship. Prayer, of course, is more than a flood of requests. It is the spark that sets worship aflame. We may begin a devotional time with a mood nowhere close to that of worship. But as the Spirit helps us to praise and exalt God, our hearts break out in song.

The Spirit frees us from the dryness of dead prayer by filling our hearts with true worship. Paul urges us, "Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts" (Ephesians 5:18b,19; New Living Translation).

I believe the greatest revelation of God's power comes through the vehicle of prayer, guided by the Holy Spirit. It accomplishes what nothing else will. It softens hearts. It calls friends and enemies to repentance. It reaches far beyond the borders of our mundane life to the other side of the globe and to generations yet unborn. It demolishes Satan's strongholds. Most important of all, it draws us into intimate communication with our awesome God.

Adapted from His Intimate Presence, ©2003, by Bill Bright, New Life Publications, Campus Crusade for Christ. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

I always thought my eyes were brown. And from a distance they do look brown. But my optometrist caught me by surprise one day when he mentioned, "Your eyes are kind of a hazel color, aren't they?" I was caught off guard. Hazel?

But when I looked closely, I could indeed see the flecks of green and gray amid the brown, creating a definite hazel hue.

Having a new eye color was exciting news for me, so I had to tell my friends. But it was a little weird saying, "Look at my eyes, look really deep into my eyes and see their real color."

While I was trying to show them my eyes, I had to look straight into my friends' eyes. I felt awkward, even vulnerable, but suddenly discovered hints of blue, streaks of green and brown. Although I simply wanted to show them my eye color, we gained a new intimacy by staring into each other's eyes.

I've noticed the same thing in my relationship with God. When I am vulnerable enough to reveal my heart to Him, I understand God more. When I'm honest about my thoughts and emotions, the good and the bad, I experience deeper intimacy with God. My passion for the lost increases when I think about how much grace God has given me. And I gain an eternal perspective on life as I meditate on God's character. I only have to be willing to open my heart—and eyes—to Him.