Week 1 - How to Pray

·37 min·3 clips

Mike ignored a small voice telling him to call a mechanic, then spent hours struggling with a tractor that wouldn't start.

This episode is a sermon from Christ Community Church in East Taunton, part of a series on spiritual disciplines. The speaker is Mike Roccaccini, a former high school principal and church elder who introduces himself as not a prayer warrior but a do-it-yourself guy. He begins with a humorous survey of DIY skills among the congregation, categorizing tasks from cooking meals to building sheds, to frame the topic of prayer as a personal responsibility. Mike explains that the series covers four spiritual disciplines: how to pray, read the Bible, study the Bible, and apply the Bible, aiming to deepen personal relationships with God. He clarifies that the focus is on sanctification, not works-based salvation, citing Deuteronomy 10:12 and Mark 12:30. Mike outlines eight steps for daily prayer, drawing on his vocational background to structure them as competencies. Step one is having faith, illustrated by a story about growing hay and relying on God. Step two is making lists of prayer obstacles and requests, referencing Philippians 4:6. Steps three and four involve finding time and a place, using Mark 1:35 and personal examples like praying in an office or on a tractor. Step five emphasizes the difficulty of being quiet and listening, citing Ecclesiastes 3:7. Step six is acknowledging God as central, referencing the Lord's Prayer. Step seven is repenting and confessing sins, based on 1 John 1:9. Step eight is asking the Holy Spirit to lead, supported by a detailed anecdote about a tractor breakdown where Mike ignored the Spirit's prompting. He concludes with steps on listening and praying for God's will, sharing insights from a church mission trip to Puerto Rico. The sermon ends with a prayer and an invitation for personal prayer support.

As heard by us

A grounded church message on making room for silence, daily prayer, and attention to God.

Prayer is treated here as a steady discipline of attention, not a performance of spiritual expertise. Mike Roccaccini, framed as a former longtime church elder, focuses on the practical work of preparing to pray: setting aside competing demands, making room for silence, and…

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Want help setting aside the noise, making time to listen, and beginning daily prayer?

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