Updates are important. Marriage status can change. Ministry status can change. Recently, I was able to move one of the men on my “Wreckage” list back over to my “Pastors” list. About a week later, unfortunately, I had to move another name from the “Pastors” to the “Wreckage” list.

I have always known that prayer is important, and I have always prayed. As a pastor, I prayed often publicly, but for many years, my private prayer practice resembled the effort of an athlete who gets released from a team—I was there, I just wasn’t serious about making the cut.

This was a far cry from Colossians 4:2, where we are instructed to “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

Feeling convicted about that, I made a short list of names of people to pray for in my journal. When that short list became a longer list, I rewrote it as a categorized list. The categories eventually numbered five, which I list and explain below.

1.Personal

This is my inner circle—the people and places most directly tied to my calling and spiritual responsibility: My wife and daughters, my parents, my in-laws. The Lead Pastor of the church we’re members at and the elder team around him. The pastor of the church I previously pastored and the elder team around him. The elders around me at the church I currently pastor. The ministry of The Shepherd’s Refuge. My own needs and requests.

Beside each list item, I write notes about specifics I’ve either noticed or heard directly.

2.People

This list includes various individuals with whom I have a connection. Some are fellow ministry workers who belong to local churches. Others are friends who are not connected to local churches. A wide variety of prayers are offered for these friends. I often follow up with a text message, letting them know they’re on my mind and asking if they’d like prayer for anything specific. The responses to those texts have been some of the most meaningful spiritual conversations I’ve had.

3.Marriages

This list focuses on the marriages of younger couples we are close to. If you’re married, you know that marriage can be hard, especially in the early years.

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