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Archive for the ‘Formation’ Category

What Is Prayer To You?

Posted in Formation, Hope on December 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

What is prayer to you?  Is it a chance to meet with God?  Is it an opportunity to pour your heart out to God and ask for help?  Or is it a chance to let God know how much you care?

I hope that prayer for you incorporates all of these things.  But do you ever catch yourself falling into a rut – or worse, bad habits when it comes to prayer?

Oswald Chambers asked a significant question in this regard.  Here is what he had to say,

Is the Son of God praying in me, or am I dictating to Him? . . . Prayer is not getting things from God . . . prayer is getting into perfect communion with God.  If the Son of God is formed in us by regeneration, He will press forward in front of our common sense and change our attitude to the things about which we pray.

How often do we take our laundry bag of needs and desires to God, dump them out and walk away, expecting God to “fix” everything?  I believe prayer has less to do with God meeting our needs and more to do with being formed to God’s will.

The closer we are to God – the stronger that relationship – the more likely our hearts will beat in sync with the Father’s.  When our hearts are beating in rhythm with God’s, then our needs will be put into perspective and doors will open.

So what is prayer to you?

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Joy In Following Christ

Posted in Formation on December 7, 2009| 3 Comments »

I was dropping boys at the gym this morning and listening to the radio as I drove to work.  You may have heard the short little thought provoking snippets on @Air1 called @WalktheWay by Jeff Klein and if so, you may have heard this there but it really got me to thinking.

The scenario was painted about a person who decided to write a book about the joys of being single.  His first chapter was inspired while at dinner with friends who had a two year old.  He said his first chapter of his book about the joys of being single would be, “The Joy of Uninterrupted Dinners Without Needing a Shower Afterwards.”

Jeff went on to describe what his friend would title the next few chapters, but his point was that his friend was obviously passionate about being single.  He then asked the question of what our book would look like if we were to write about the joys of following Christ.  I have been pondering that question since.  Would one of my chapters be titled, “The Joy of Eternal Security”?  That would certainly be a chapter at some point.

Maybe a chapter titled, “The Joy of Having Peace.”  That would be a lengthy chapter.  But today, the chapter I would write would be, “The Joy of Being Free.”  The subtitle of the chapter would be, “Free From the World’s Expectations and Free to Be Who God Created Me to Be.”  (Lengthy sub-title)

I am really passionate about the fact that God created me to be me.  That means understanding the big picture of God’s plan and living in it daily.  That is liberating!  There is true joy in knowing that I live for God and not to please others, which I am reminded daily that pleasing everyone else is impossible.

Are you passionate about following Christ!  What would you write about today?

Let me know how you would finish this title:  Chapter 1 . . .

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A Trip to See the Doctor

Posted in Formation, Hope on December 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, I spent most of the morning at the doctor’s office with my son.  He hasn’t been feeling well most of the week but has been toughing it out.  Yesterday, he woke up and could not stand upright without terrible pain in his stomach.  As soon as the office opened, we headed to see the doctor.

As he was being examined, I watched as the doctor gently pressed on his stomach.  I could see the pain on my son’s face as the doctor examined him.  I wanted so badly to help him but there was nothing I could do.  In that moment, I was reminded, in a very, very small way, the sacrifice that God made for me.

God sent Jesus into this world to show us how to live.  But in walking with us he experienced a lot of pain – even to the point of torture and death.  God watched all of that but chose to let it happen.  I cannot imagine the pain God felt in watching Jesus die.

Jesus was sent as a sacrifice for you and for me.  That is what Christmas is about.  We should celebrate the coming of the Savior, but never forget the sacrifice that was made.  Christmas is coming, but it comes knowing there is an Easter to follow.

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Burning Desire For God

Posted in Formation, Grace on December 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I used Thomas Merton’s devotional book, A Book of Hours, this morning in my prayer time.  One of the prayers he wrote awoke in me a new desire to remain in God’s presence.

Father, Father, whom we thought so hidden

Somewhere behind the jealous walls of Mars,

Oh how You visit us, at the deep roots of life

With glad reprisals

When is the last time you felt God visited you?  When is the last time you truly yearned for more of God?

Today is the day.   Stop what you are doing right now and pray for God to become real to you in this moment  and throughout the rest of this day.

Father, move among us today!  Wash over us with Your love!

Amen

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Now That’s Living

Posted in Formation, Hope, Missions, Motivational on November 24, 2009| 2 Comments »

You don’t hear it much any more, but growing up I remember hearing the phrase, “Now that’s living!”  It usually followed an experience of excitement or joy.  It conjured up the idea that someone had “made it” and now they were all set – really living.

Yesterday we began to look at what it means to be in the world but not of the world.  There is no doubt in scripture that God’s people are to be in the world but there is also an idea of being set apart.  So how do we do that?  The first thing you need to remember is that it is a journey toward a goal.  You will have days where you do very well and then you will have days when – well, not so much.  But that is life.  The key is to stay focused.

This past summer we were at the beach in California as a family.  It was awesome – the tallest surf they had had in years.  But with the incredible waves came an extremely strong current.  We got out and body surfed on the waves – riding a wave into shore and then fighting our way back out to deeper water to catch the next one.  What happened with each wave is that we got carried further and further down the beach.  But we were having fun and living life and just taking it as it came.  After about 20 minutes of that, I realized we were 1/4 mile away from where we started.  Because of our lack of attention to what was happening, we were carried away from where we should have been.

The same is true in life.  If we are to be in the world without being of the world, we have to be focused on the goal of living for Jesus.  We cannot take life as it comes and disconnect.  We have to stay engaged in our relationship with Christ.  But how?  Here are a couple of things to work on:

1.  Stay committed to your personal time with God – Prayer and Bible reading will keep you grounded

2.  Stay connected with your faith community – We all need each other to stay focused

3.  Find someone to hold you accountable – God designed us to need one another

Remember that Jesus commands us to be salt in a tasteless world.  But if we become so diluted by the world, we lose our effectiveness and become useless for the kingdom.

We are called to be light in the darkness.  We are called to show hope when everyone else is in despair.  We are to show love to those who don’t even know what the word really means.  There is nothing more relevant than that.

Now that’s really living!

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In The World

Posted in Formation, Missions on November 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Today (and tomorrow) I want to deal with one of the questions I received last week.  The question was, how to live in the world without being part of it.  I have been thinking about this for a couple of days now.  Today I want to focus on the importance of living this way.  Tomorrow we will look more into some suggestions as to how to do it.

The best place to start when trying to determine how to live is to look at the life and teachings of Jesus.  If you read the stories about Jesus in the Bible, it doesn’t take long to get the picture that Jesus did not come to earth to hang out with the church folks.  He grew up learning and studying the Hebrew scripture – in fact, even at 12, he understood it as well as anyone.  So he did not live as one ignorant of the religious tradition and the truth of the Jewish faith.  But understanding the law of God, he chose to live among the less desirables anyway (or more probably, because of it).  He partied with tax collectors and had open conversations with prostitutes.  He was definitely in the world!  But the impact he had was directly related to his counter-culture approach.  He brought the love of God to life in their lives – before their very eyes.

Matthew 5:13 records Jesus’ very words when he told his followers (and us) to be salt in the world.  He tells us that we are in the world for a purpose – to season it.  I am not a big salt eater but I do like it on several things.  If we have french fries at home, the salt will certainly be on the table.  But if the salt is left in the shaker sitting next to the plate, it doesn’t really make much of an impact on the taste of my fries.  In order to make a difference, it has to be poured out on the fries and mixed in.

Jesus never intended us to live in isolation – in our little shakers – and not come into contact with the world.  He intends for us to mix it up – to jump right in and get involved with people’s lives.  Is this risky?  Is it dangerous?  Sure!  But Jesus never asked us to play it safe.  Tomorrow we will look at the dangers a little closer and then offer some practical steps on how to do this, but for today . . .

GET OUT OF THE SHAKER AND MIX IT UP – TODAY!

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Planned Spontaneity

Posted in Formation, Missions on November 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »

As I was taking Bryson to school today (our youngest) we were talking about the day and the fact that he is participating in the UIL competition this afternoon.  His event is “Impromptu.”  I know what the word means but I am not sure what all is involved in this competition but I am sure it has something to do with not knowing what is coming.

At any rate, as we were driving I asked him this question, “What time is your Impromptu?”  After I said it, the comedy of the question hit me.  If you know what time it happens, is it still impromptu?  Bryson and I had a good laugh about it.

But it got me to thinking (man I say that a lot don’t I).  All of us need a routine, some more than others, but if our schedule does not allow for impromptu meetings, or prompting by the Spirit of God to get involved in someone else’s day, then I don’t believe we are leaving much room for God to work.

So here is your challenge today – be spontaneous.  Now stop laughing – I realize I am asking you to plan to be spontaneous and in and of itself, that makes no sense.  What I am asking you to do is to be open to the idea that God just might prompt you to pick up the phone and call someone you haven’t talked to in a while.  Or you may be led to go beyond the cordial greetings with the checkout person at the store and ask how they are really doing today.

Just be open to God’s movement today and everyday.  I would love to hear what God does in and through you today!

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Transformed Understanding

Posted in Formation, Hope on November 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Romans 12:1-2 talks about giving ourselves to God and focusing our attention on God and our sacrifice of ourselves.  Verse 2 is a well-known command that reminds us not to be concerned about this world but rather be more concerned about our spiritual transformation that comes when we “renew” our minds or change the way we think about God and the world and our priorities.

What I want to leave you with today is what comes after that phrase.  Verse 2 says, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” I am thinking again of God’s will.  I wrote a little about it here.  As I ponder on what it means to “know God’s will for my life” I am confident that rather than God’s will being a concrete fact I need to find, it is more of a process of growth, experience and understanding.

This verse says that we will be able to realize God’s will as we are transformed – a process.  Be confident today that God has a plan and our mission in life should be to live in that plan.  And understand that as we grow in our relationship with God, our understanding of God’s will becomes increasingly more clear.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind and  never forget that very transformation is the largest part of God’s plan!

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Does Your Faith Own You?

Posted in Formation, Motivational on November 12, 2009| 1 Comment »

Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about owning our own faith and the importance of wrestling with Jesus’ teachings for ourselves and not just taking what we are told at face value.  Today I want to take that thought to the next level.

Once we own our own faith – truly internalizing the truth of Jesus’ teachings – then that faith will begin to affect the way we live.  What then begins to happen is that our faith begins to own us, more accurately, the One in whom our faith is placed begins to own us.

I believe this is what Paul meant when he was addressing the believers in the church at Philippi when he said, “continue to work out your salvation.”  You can read it here.  It sounds strange to say that we should “work out” our own salvation.  But Paul brings clarity in the next verse when he says that God “works in you . . . according to His good purpose.”

At the risk of seeming like a simple play on words, I want you to vividly see the distinction between Owning Your Own Faith and Your Faith Owning You.  Owning our own faith is when we internalize the truth of the Bible – really dealing with the issues and settling in on the truth for ourselves.  What happens next is that very truth cannot lie dormant.  God will work through it to change you from the inside out.  That is the working out of your salvation – that is your faith owning you.

How is your salvation working out in you?

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Do You Own Your Faith?

Posted in Formation, Motivational on November 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Part 1 (2 will come tomorrow)

Last night I had the opportunity to teach a New Testament Survey class at our local Junior College.  I had a blast.  We discussed an overview of a couple of New Testament books and some other things as well.  But one of the questions I asked the students last night and I also ask you today is this:  Do you own your faith?

Studying the Bible is the key to our spiritual journey.  But if the information we find there is just that – information – then we haven’t accomplished much.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that if our understanding of scripture and Christianity does not make it from our head to our heart then it is meaningless.  Put another way, if what we learn does not affect how we live, then we are wasting our time but more devastating than that is that we are wasting God’s time and mocking God’s plan for our lives.

In order for the truth of the Bible to make it from our heads to our hearts, we have to truly wrestle with it ourselves.  If you haven’t noticed, the teachings of Jesus will mess you up.  There are things we just have to deal with for ourselves – which means we cannot take what our instructor or our preacher or our Sunday School teacher or even our parents say without really dealing with the issues for ourselves.

At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked the disciples two questions (you can read it here):  “Who do men say that I am?”  And the second, “Who do you say that I am?”  The difference is huge.  The answer to the first carries no commitment.  The answer to the second should change your life!

Do you own your faith?

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