This is your brain on prayer

You might remember anti-drug commercials that aired in the 1980s with the tagline, "This is your brain on drugs."


The same could be said for your brain on worry, lust, anger, gossip, greed, or hurry.

It should come as no surprise that whatever you do consistently shapes your brain. How about prayer? In an article in Leadership Journal, pastor John Ortberg reports,
Researcher Andrew Newberg has shown the brain-altering power of such practices as prayer by looking at changes in the brain-state of nuns engaged in the practice for over 15 years as well as Pentecostals praying in tongues. It turns out that intense practice of prayer means their brains are much more impacted by their prayer than inexperienced or casual pray-ers. To find out who the true prayer-warriors in your church are, you could hook everybody up to electrodes, but it might be a little embarrassing.
If your brain on drugs is like an egg being cracked and fried, what would your brain on consistent prayer be like? How about this:


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