Known for his work with micro-church networks, missional investments, and organic church planting in and throughout the Long Beach area, Neil Cole writes, “I believe that the greatest legacy I can leave behind is nothing more than praying” (Cole 2020, 10). Cole, an influential figure in many significant missional and church-planting efforts in the United States and a resourcing coach with a global impact, is convinced that the most important legacy is our practice and discipline of prayer. Released in 2020, Pray was released by Cornelius Cole Publishing in print and Kindle versions, and gives an extraordinary prayer guide for ordinary individuals.
My First Encounter with Neil Cole
I first encountered Neil Cole just before his book, Organic Church, was released in 2005. That book is one of a few that ruined me for the better. Having only recently returned to the faith and church, I was torn between the paradigm I grew up with, what I was reading in the New Testament, and fresh ideas entering my life. In Organic Church, Cole stripped away institutionalized, consumeristic, and traditional models of church and offered new, powerful ways that looked more like the early church—gathering in restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, parks, and homes. It was missional, incarnational, and intentional.
Neil later engaged me a few times on Facebook and elsewhere, answering questions. I’ve seen him speak and read much of what he wrote. From the time of Organic Church, I have been inspired. Since then, I’ve read quite a few of his books, and I continue to be encouraged by his vision.
A California Journey into Organic Movements
Cole is a California native—born and raised in Los Angeles, educated at Cal State University Long Beach, where he encountered Jesus in a radical and transformative way. He went on to serve as a pastor in a megachurch with over 3,500 people, and later in a smaller church community of around 100. Still restless, he began exploring church differently, missionally and organically, helping launch thousands of rapidly multiplying organic churches that meet in everyday places across the globe. He has authored over fifteen books, traveled the world, and now continues to give vision for organic leadership and church planting as a grandfather.
The Book: Pray
On November 7, 2020, I picked up the Kindle edition of Neil Cole’s newest book at the time, Pray: Finding Ways for Ordinary People to Connect with God in All of Life. Published by Starling Initiatives Publications as the first in a series, it is a short, simple booklet with a Preface, an Introduction, and three main sections:
- What prayer is (and is not).
- How to pray. Here Cole compares prayer to shampoo—apply, lather, rinse, repeat. He explores intercessory prayer, personal prayer, communal prayer, journaling, praying the scriptures, healing prayer, and more.
- Why we pray. Prayer, Cole argues, is our mission as followers of Jesus.
The book ends with a contagious call to pray with all that we are—for our legacy, for the Kingdom of God, and for workers in the harvest.
Just this past week, I reread it as part of my research into prayer for my doctoral program.
Prayer as Legacy
Cole’s conviction is captured in words that resonate with me: “I believe that if you truly understood prayer, it is what you would do the most” (Cole 2020, 15). This conviction aligns with my own research into the Lord’s Prayer at Kairos University. If people understood prayer as Jesus teaches it, our lives would be transformed in revolutionary ways.
Cole’s stories challenged me personally. His organic movements and missional investments were saturated in prayer. Nothing good happens without it being drenched in painstaking prayer, he reminds us.
A Practical Introduction to Prayer
Pray is very much an introductory look at prayer. Cole shares his conversations, experiences, and lessons learned, offering readers a toolbox of prayer practices. While simple, it is also profound. I can imagine using this book in the prayer course I teach at Water Street Mission. I could see it being a study at River Corner Church as well. It would work well for individuals new to prayer, or for small groups seeking to grow together.
Formed by God’s Thoughts
Cole warns against shallow thinking and parroting propaganda. “We must be an awakened people during these critical days. This requires more intentional mental work when it comes to thinking about issues of the day” (Cole 2020, 53). Prayer is how we become formed by God’s thoughts rather than the noise around us (Cole 2020, 52).
One way we train ourselves in this is through the Lord’s Prayer—“a simple prayer that is uttered daily by thousands of people throughout the world” (Cole 2020, 50).
Adoration: Starting with God
Cole emphasizes the importance of adoration. “Adoration is simply the act of adoring God. Just praising God is prayer… When we acknowledge God in ways that adore Him, our own souls are lifted up to a place of better perspective” (Cole 2020, 45). Jesus taught us to begin prayer this way: recognizing God’s greatness builds faith in His ability to hear and answer us.
Prayer as Warfare and Witness
Cole reminds us that evil is real and personal: “The devil is not just a myth… Many are merely pawns of a nefarious actor who wants to kill, steal, and destroy all that is good in us” (Cole 2020, 14). Prayer keeps us aligned with God, not the enemy. He challenges us directly: “If you say you believe in prayer but spend very little time doing it, I think you are lying to yourself” (Cole 2020, 15).
A Dangerous Call
Prayer does not lead to a safer life. Cole insists that prayer is dangerous:
- “Praying and obeying God by faith does not lead to a safe story—but none of the tales worth telling are safe ones. Leave the harbor! Set sail into the open waters…” (Cole 2020, 32).
- “Prayer is connecting with God. It is a bridge from the material world into the spiritual dimension” (Cole 2020, 35).
- “Prayer is nothing less than entering the very presence of God” (Cole 2020, 37).
Prayer transforms us in God’s presence so that God can transform the world through us.
Final Thoughts
Pray is a call to live dangerously by living prayerfully. Neil Cole writes with the weight of experience, the heart of a disciple, and the conviction of one who has seen movements birthed in prayer. For anyone seeking to grow in prayer—whether personally or communally—this book is a simple but powerful place to start.
