The Little Notebook That Became an App
Dear Friends,
When I first became a Christian as a young man, I always had a small pocket notebook with me filled with names of people I wanted to pray for. Family. Friends. Guys on my football team. I would turn the page, point to a name, and pray.
Over the years, the notebooks changed. Sometimes I used lists. Sometimes I used pictures. But the idea stayed the same: seeing someone’s name helped me stop, focus, and actually pray for them.
A few years ago, I began dreaming about a modern version of that little notebook. What if people could carry their prayer list with them everywhere? What if, when they told someone, “I’ll pray for you,” they could put their name somewhere they would actually see it again?
And what do almost all of us carry everywhere today? Our phones.
That simple idea eventually became the GoPray App.
From idea to app
Getting it from an idea to something you could actually use was another story. Over the last few months, I’ve learned things I never imagined. I started working with AI tools, learned about UX and UI, user flows, and enough about web app development to begin turning this dream into something real.
There were plenty of moments when I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Things broke. Things didn’t work the way I thought they would. I would solve one problem and discover three more. But I kept coming back to the reason for doing it.
People need to pray.
And I wanted to take something that has helped me pray throughout my Christian life and make it available to a new generation. Along the way, our beta testers have been invaluable. They tried early versions, found problems, gave honest feedback, and helped us make GoPray better. I’m incredibly grateful for every person who helped us get here.
And now, GoPray is live
At its simplest, you can open the app, see someone’s name, and pray for them. But if you want to go deeper, you can:
- Add scriptures you’re praying over them
- Record specific prayer needs
- Keep a prayer journal
- Track praise reports and remember what God has done
You don’t have to use every feature. Prayer isn’t supposed to become another chore. There’s no single right way to pray. God made each of us differently, and we all approach Him differently. GoPray is simply a tool to help you find your rhythm, remember the people you said you would pray for, and spend more time talking with God.
The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing.” I don’t believe that’s impossible. We really can learn to live with an attitude of prayer throughout our day.
That’s what my little notebook taught me many years ago. And now, after carrying this idea for decades and dreaming about this app for the last few years, I finally get to put it in your hands.
Go try it. Add a few names. Pray for them. Make it your own. And then tell us what you think.
Explore the GoPray App & Get It Free
Thank you for praying with us, encouraging us, testing with us, and helping bring it to life.
With gratitude,
Keith Cook
P.S.
Maybe there is something else in this story for you, too.
You may have an idea or dream God has put on your heart that you don’t feel equipped to do.
You don’t have to know how to do everything before you begin.
Sometimes faithfulness means being willing to learn, wrestle with the idea, get discouraged, get back up, and keep working until the thing you’ve been carrying finally becomes something you can give to someone else.
For me, that’s the GoPray App.
For you, God will guide you too!