There’s a really cool website that shows you the distance between any two cities in the world. It’s called How Far Is It? This can come in handy when you’re planning a trip or when you’re writing about a place you’ve been.

So, this morning, I discovered that I traveled 1,186 miles from my hometown to Glorieta, New Mexico, where God spoke to me. Yes, it took going that far! And I also learned that my elevation increased from 1,110 feet to nearly 7,500 feet. And that’s why I felt compelled to write about my mountaintop experience yesterday.

I went to the conference to learn how to become a better writer — and I must confess, to learn how to be more professional. Amateur writers can write whatever they want, and that’s fine. But professional writers can reach greater markets and earn a living at crafting words into sentences, and this is what I’m striving to do.

The first night of the conference, I listened to a dynamic speaker named Becky Tirabassi. She was all over the stage, like a jolt of energy — and she told us she’s 50 years old. Let me tell you, she has more zeal than a college cheerleader — and it’s contagious!

She shared how she used to be an overweight, frustrated youth worker — until she ended up at what she thought was going to be a boring seminar on prayer. But afterward, she was so moved that she pledged to devote ONE HOUR of her day to prayer — for the rest of her life.

ONE HOUR! Do you pray for one hour a day? How can anyone pray for one hour a day?

I listened to her and thought, Well, that’s worked out nicely for her, but I can’t do that. Who me? I’ve got way too much to do. I get up early enough anyway to write, and to devote an hour to prayer means I’d have to get up even earlier.

But the next night, God spoke to me. Two words. Burning Heart.

Oh no! I fought it! (Do you want to have a burning heart? The voice said to me. Then spend an hour with me every day.)

During her speech, Tirabassi talked about how she was inspired by reading about The Fellowship of the Burning Heart, a small group that began in 1947, at the home of famed teacher Henrietta Mears. The members of the group were three men, including Dr. Bill Bright.

Dr. Bill Bright! One of my heroes! At the time, Bright was a candy salesman — but he felt like God had called him to do something BIG with his life. Do you know what he ended up doing? He founded Campus Crusade for Christ. An organization that is responsible for sharing the Gospel with over 50 million people (including me).

An hour of prayer a day! The thought won’t leave me. I’ve bought Becky’s book, THE BURNING HEART CONTRACT, which is a 21-day challenge to begin this lifelong habit.

I’ll be talking about this more in the future, as I get into it. Here’s what she says in her introduction: “Those with burning hearts walk with Christ, hear His voice, receive counsel and instruction, love Him deeply, believe in His holiness, and are passionate to share Him with others.”

I want that. I really want that!