The Day I Ask You For Prayer

Sometimes I feel like my faith is at war with itself.

God calls us to evangelize, to love, to share, but he also calls us to a standard of morality.  He calls us to treat others certain ways, to flee from certain activities, and to avoid from talking in certain ways.

And I know that the two are not mutually exclusive.

In practice it sure does feel like they are at war.

There are those I want to bring to church.  There are those I want to allow freedom to feel welcome at church long enough for them to see the beauty of the grace of Christ.  I want to give them time.

Yet I fear allowing them to be themselves until they see the truth.  What will the church say?  How will they react when they found out I brought them?  How can I allow someone to worship that is blatantly living in sin?

And I know the answer is messy.


And I know the answer is full of grace and love.

So today I ask for prayer, and advice if you have it, because what I know is right to do is not always easy.  And today it is difficult.  Will you pray that I share Christ's grace by allowing someone to come and see Christ, and allow Christ to change their heart.  Pray that I personify love while awaiting life transformation.

Thank you.

The Dividing Wall Rebuilt

You told us that the wall of hostility was torn down.

Destroyed.

In Christ there was no enemy anymore.  In Christ there was just unity; just love.

In Christ we could all walk to you on equal ground, and there was no wall.

When you told Mr. Christ to tear down that wall, it was supposed to be permanent.

So why, God, do I see walls being built all around me?

Anticipation

Dear God,

As I gather with your church, within your sacred walls of flesh community.

I do not see you.

I am too busy.  I have to look for you afterword.  I am too busy doing, thinking, looking, sharing, caring, shaking, smiling, hugging, hand raising, singing, teaching....


And I forget that you are in it all.

The old ones, Paul and Peter and countless others, they anticipated

You.

They looked for you, sought you, worshiped you, praised your grace, waited for you.

And you were there.

And you sent them.

And they saw, they noticed.




...So let it be with me.

Why I Can't Post A Post

Because I am not a self-help guru come to convince you that you can change.

No, nor a chicken-soup-soul lifter.

I am not the wit warrior cracking jokes, the courageous crusader for a cause, or the incorporated icon.

I am far worse than that.

I am a soul.

Mortally wounded soul.

I am the Lunatic crying from the street corner.

I am the one who cannot say it will all be OK.

IT WILL NOT.

The words float like acid in my stomach, burning to be unleashed and scorch my mouth and the nostrils of those around me.

I am the dying, who finally sees.

And the open-eyes of this sickened soul  looks at the world pretending to be well and just wants to grab his cardboard sign and yell:

YOU ARE NOT WELL YOUNG EARTH!

Why are you not looking for the doctor?


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God give us the strength to stand with the prophets of old and say the truth nobody wants to hear.  Amen.

Prayer Overflowing with Thanksgiving

Last week, during our Brown Bag Bible Study the youth and I looked at Colossians 1:3, which says this:

"We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you."

What fascinates me is how this verse points to Thanksgiving being a (if not the) central aspect of Paul's prayer life. As he began to pray for others, it would overflow with thanksgiving to God for what God was doing in their lives.

This is quite the opposite of my prayer life.

I pray in moments of panic for others (as I should)

I pray when I see the life of a Christian falling apart (as I should)

I pray when I feel the defeat of sin in the lives of those around me (as I should)

But,

I neglect praying when a Christian takes a leap of faith (as I should)

I neglect praying for a Christian who has been faithfully serving for years (as I should)

I neglect any and nearly all prayer that is excited for the good going on in my life or the life of those around me...

My prayer life shows something twisted in my heart: I pray for God to work, but never acknowledge him when he does.

I am a forgetful prayer...

This week I have been trying to watchfully look for God's working in the lives of people, and I have a list of thanksgivings going on this week:

• I thank God for giving Zane the courage to speak casually and friendly with new faces in the youth group.
• I thank God for the prayers prayed by Taylor Obermeyer and Kelly Murphy at Fusion--prayers that show they are listening and wanting to apply the Word of God to their lives!
• I thank God for Samm being willing to step up and ask a question in a new environment--that takes guts, and it shows God is wanting to work on your heart!
• I thank God for my wife for her great moral compass that helps guide me to more maturity in Christ.
• I thank God for my parents, who diligently placed Christ in front of our eyes, and continue to do so to young people in their community.
• I thank God for my brother Nate, whose study of the word makes me strive to do so better myself. (Thanks for making me reread a great passage Nate! I'm am pondering and reading it again!)
• I thank God for other youth ministers like Josh Rutledge and Brandon Foulke, who work with great perseverance to captivate hearts for Christ.
• I thank God for the faith of those who have went before me, people who have written down their words to help me see faith more clearly.
• I thank God for Chuck, our senior minister, who not only works hard at his job, but does the little jobs that nobody notices to serve the body of Christ, the church.
• I thank God for little Ben Harris, and his wonderful joy for life that brings a joy to the office (and occassionaly a mess).
• I thank God Jack White, whose text message this week refreshed my heart.
• I thank God Tyler Munjas, and his willingness to step up and serve--he is developing a heart like Jesus Christ!

Let's keep a list of thanksgiving that we can lift up to God in our prayers--looking for God showing up in the lives of those around us.

That is my list of thanksgiving this week, what are you thankful for?