My Favorite Benedictions (NIV)

These are some of my favorite Scripture Benedictions:

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Aaronic Blessing: Numbers 6:22-27 - The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:“ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Jesus Blessing: Matthew 28:16-20: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Personal Blessing: Romans 15:13 : May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unity Blessing: Ephesians 6:23-24 : Peace to the brothers and sisters,^c and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Equipping Blessing: Hebrews 13:20-21 : Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God’s Power Blessing: Jude 24-25: To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

You know I love ya, Don

When Jesus enters He calls for prayer!

When Jesus enters He calls for prayer … Here Comes Jesus!… turning over the tables.

Matthew 21:13 "It is written," he said to them, "’My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ’den of robbers’."

Our house should be a “house of prayer” but often it’s a house of confusion and conformity. Confusion, because we allow the rush of the day to invade us to the point where God is shoved out and we have no time to talk to God.

Conformity, because we are conformed to the surroundings around us instead of drawing aside to have some quiet time with God. But God wants us to be a people of prayer. Not simple, surface prayers, but prayers that penetrate our own hearts and the heart of God.

The early African converts to Christianity were faithful to pray. Each one reportedly had separate spots in the thicket where they poured out their hearts to God. The several paths to these spots became distinctly marked; and when any one began to decline in prayer time, it was soon apparent to others. They would then kindly remind him, saying, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

What about you? Does the grass grow on your path to God? For the Christian, prayer should be one of the most natural things we do every day, every hour of the day.

Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Karen is the best minister’s wife…she is a prayer warrior. We pray as a family in the morning and before we go to bed. Now Karen hears the fire whistle and she is praying. I hear it a night and think, “Oh great, this is going to wake up the children.” Then I hear Karen praying for the firefighters and those in need of help. We are driving down the road and she sees a car on the side or an accident and she starts to pray…She is lifting in intercession and she is guarding the heart with prayer.

When we pray… Here Comes Jesus!… turning over the tables.

You know I love ya, Don

Take time to rest!

Our culture invites us into constant activity and exhaustion.  In our world of unending hurry, we are trained to fear silence and even to avoid rest itself as a sign of insignificance (if we’re not working or doing something productive, who are we, anyway?).  Thank God that this is not what Jesus invites us into.  Any one who reads Matthew 6 or John 15 will have a hard time missing Jesus’ vision of a slow life of trust and surrender.  And the Bible makes is clear that Sabbath, as a discipline we engage for the sake of our souls, is essential for establishing a healthy, whole rhythm for life.  In Sabbath, we acknowledge our limitations.  And we acknowledge that we need a rest far greater than what 24-hour break can provide.

Taken into consideration, the Sabbath rest is an act of intention. God commanded us in Exodus 20: 8-10: Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gate”. Believers should consider the Sabbath as a day of retreat; one in which we honor our Creator, cease from work and remove ourselves for a while from the stress, mental challenges and physical fatigue that labor often brings. We draw away, whether we enjoy our occupation not. Your Sabbath does not necessarily have to be Sunday, but could be any day of the week set aside to come apart from work in order to rest. In doing so, we not only gain physical respite but also experience the blessing of having spent time in the presence and worship of our God. This is why it is so critically important that we worship as a body of believers to encourage and uplift each other to our Creator for restoration and hope.

This discipline restores and replenishes the soul. Rest is important. It has been scientifically proven that lack of rest affects our immune system, our ability to handle stress, our thought processes, and even our ability to work. This discipline of a Sabbath rest not only rejuvenates us spiritually, but physically and emotionally as well. A healthy follower of Jesus Christ is one who takes time to rest. 

You know I love ya, Don 

Why Pray?

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One might ask, “Why do we need to practice prayer as a discipline?” We have severely impaired attention spans because of our fallen, sinful nature. In prayer we attend our minds to God, and all too often that attention lasts for a few seconds. We begin our prayer with "Heavenly Father," and it is not long before our minds are meandering off; attending to anything other than the One we began to address. It is for this reason that we must undertake prayer as a spiritual discipline — to enable ourselves to attain the single-mindedness necessary to attend to the God-who-is-present. It is also vital for us to understand that prayer, just as every other discipline, is a learning process. We will find ourselves distracted. We will notice our minds wandering among the countless concerns of the day. However, as we continue in the paths of prayer, our meanders will be shorter and less frequent.

Prayer is conversation or communication with God. It involves both speaking and listening. So often we pray as if it were a monologue. But prayer is so much more than talking to God. In fact, the seasoned prayer warrior knows that prayer is more about listening than talking. Soren Kierkegaard said, "A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening." And this makes sense because God knows much more than we do — and He knows it a whole lot better than we do.

Prayer is opening our lives to God for change. Prayer is recognition that God is God and we are not, and so in prayer we yield our desires to God's. Jesus prayed, "Not my will but yours." In prayer we ask God to change the way we see other people, life, and our circumstances. When you look at other people and your situation, see the eyes of Christ. It is then that transformation happens.

 You know I love ya, Don

God's Encouragement - Build the relationship

To receive God’s encouragement is to view yourself as God’s friend. We have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  The means by which we build our relationship with God is through PRAYER. Prayer is the communication between God and the Believers. It is through our time in prayer that He speaks to us and we can speak to Him.

The Bible never gives us a specific command for how much time we should spend in prayer. The closest we come is when it says, “pray without ceasing”. The reason why I believe is because if there was a command given we would see prayer as routine and an obligation rather than a privilege and an opportunity to communicate with the Almighty God. Sadly, in the midst of all this busyness people often fail to take time for the things that are most important…prayer, and they wonder why they are discouraged.

Why is it that people in their busyness are usually busy with the wrong and less important things? I have heard countless people that have lament how much time they spent working to the neglect of their families.

Jesus spent a lot of time doing a lot of things, but we see in spite of that there were two things he was never too busy for. He was never too busy for people and He was never too busy for prayer. Countless times as he got flooded with people he withdrew and prayed. Many times we have the mindset that we are too busy to pray, but I want to tell you that we may be too busy not to pray.

I have heard it said, that when we work we work, but when we pray, God works. The best source for encouragement is to take time to pray to the Lord.  Next weekend will be a great source of renewal and encouragement. It is my hope that you are signed-up for the prayer walk, that you will come next Saturday for the Fresh Touch Prayer service (6 PM), and then make prayer a basic necessity to your daily life.

In our unity of spirit and mind, we are reminded that we are to live with endurance and encouragement. The endurance comes in our step by step pressing toward the mark … our encouragement comes in our daily routine of prayer and building our relationship with God.

Ephesians 6:18 states; “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

God’s example is to endure and to seek encouragement…these are both found in pressing on and praying without ceasing. It is then that we will sharpen our axe and be found faithful in our daily lives. 

I pray for you often and you know I love ya, Don

Prayer Experience 2015

What is prayer? Prayer is simply conversing with God. It is communion with God. We converse with people all the time. Husbands and wives talk together. Close friends get together to visit. Prayer is just doing with God, what you do with people all the time. We can’t have a close relationship with another person without spending time communicating with them. It’s exactly the same with God. We can’t have a close relationship with God without spending time talking with Him. 

 

When should we pray?  Jesus once told a parable to show that at all times we ought to pray and not to lose heart (Luke 18:1). Paul instructed the Thessalonians that they should pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). The apostle Paul would often begin his letters saying that he was praying always for them, that he did not cease to pray for them, and that he prayed for them night and day (Col.1:3; Col.1:9; 1Thess.3:10).

How should we pray? Jesus instructed us how not to pray. He told us not to pray using meaningless repetitions, or to be seen of men (Mt. 6:5,7).

The New Testament teaches us that we are to pray:

1. With faith:  “All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Mt. 21:22)
2. According to God’s will: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14-15)
3. In the Holy Spirit: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20)
4. With devotion: “rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer” (Rom.12:12)
5. With thanksgiving: “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving”) Col. 4:2
6. Earnestly:  “As we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess.3:10)
7. Being on the alert for all the saints: “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Eph.6:18)

If you have not already committed to the Prayer Walk, Fresh Touch Prayer Service and Prayer Sunday, please carve time and make it a priority. We make it vision at HCC to CONNECT with Jesus and with each other. Our prayer experience weekend is an optimal time to connect. For more information, go to www.howardchristianchurch.org

You know I love ya...and pray for you often. Don

Great giving is giving prayerfully!

Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” In Malachi God encourages His people to trust him and test him on this…it is God that desires for us to have a relationship.

A man took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunch time arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich. The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer." Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time. When he finally looked up, his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that time?" With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do I know? It was a silent prayer."

 

This is exactly how many of us pray about our finances…we pray silently. God is very interested in you and your gifts and your offerings. A word of caution…He might tell you something that you do not want to hear. My advice, It is better to hear it in this life than wait and regret your unwillingness in the next life.

So - Pray that your gift will be used in a great way, ask God how much you should give to your church and charities, then thank God for what He has used your gifts for, and finally thank God that you are able to give. 

You know I love ya, Don

Another Simple Prayer Request ... "Strengthen Me."

Judges 16 is a chapter full of references to Samson’s strength or lack thereof. Of all the chapters on Samson, chapter 16 has the most (16:5,6,9,15,17,19,28). The term is used many times in the scriptures, but it is not always used with the word "me" following it.

In the context of Judges 16 we understand Samson’s request to be centered upon the return of his physical strength. It was here, at the end of his life that Samson finally fully understood and believed where his great strength originated. Samson was a man indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God who granted him power for the work of being a Judge of Israel. Yes, the strength left him when his hair was cut, and after his hair grew back, this is when he asks God for his strength back, but it was not necessarily the hair, it was the Holy Spirit of God at work in this man’s life. 

The hair and the other Nazarite vow signs were outward manifestations of God’s control in that person’s life. We have these today, Communion is an outward manifestation of what God is doing within our hearts. Baptism is another outward manifestation that represents our death to the old man and our resurrection into Jesus Christ. God wanted the person who was a Nazarite to be a living picture of God’s power and control among the people. In this final request, Samson is finally granted the vision of his vow and through his strength plans to show the sovereign power of our God.

Samson needed physical strength, but he really needed the spiritual strength that only the Lord can give. The same is true of our long obedience in the same direction. King David realizes the strength he needs from the Word of God. David in Psalm 119:28 declares where his strength comes from … he sings, “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.”

Samson’s new vision understood from where his strength came … I wonder if we know from where our strength comes from?

You know I love ya, Don

A simple prayer request ... "Remember Me."

Some other references in the Word of God where people said the same thing: Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11) Nehemiah (Neh. 13:14,22,31); Jeremiah (Jer. 15:15); Jesus (Luke 23:42); and the Early Christians (Acts 4).

In each of these references the person is praying to God or speaking to Christ and wanting God to recall past things they have done or simply to look upon them and the request they are about to beseech Him for. Except for several times in the epistles of Paul, the words "Remember Me" are used in prayer. It is a natural human desire to be remembered by others and especially God. It is certainly amazing that this man who had forgotten God so often in his life would now come to God and ask God to remember Him. This is so like God’s people today who live in disobedience for years and then want God to remember them when a major test comes along. It is the humble petitioner who feels like they need to appeal to God to remember them. When we feel distant from God, and are in fact spiritually distant from Him in our daily walk and talk. Our soul yearns to feel God again.

Samson had probably repented of all his wrong doings of the past by this time. He had had plenty of time to reflect upon his past transgressions in the grinder and came to understand that he was in his present plight because of his own doings.

A long obedience in the same direction praises the Lord we can still turn to Him and know that He is willing to hear and answer those who come in faith. God is always willing to remember us.

2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  This passage is often applied to the nations, but it applies to our own hearts as well… Romans confirm that if we confess with out mouths and repent, God will grant a new vision and God will remember.

You know I love ya, Don

Prayer is Seeking God.

Peter and John return and report the problem. The response of the believers (several 1000 of them) what the Sanhedrin told them…they were to keep their mouths shut!

The people respond with Acts 4:24: “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God..” Let me ask you…when you hear of an issue, how do you respond? The believers hear the reports and at this point they are not threatened by persecution, the threat is to stop doing this new religion and healing a lame man go about your lives before Jesus. Their response is to seek God… Strongly leaning toward Prayer is to seek God in every circumstance…when you wake up, in your quiet time with God, before your meals, before you leave the house, before you turn on the TV or read a book, and before you go to bed.  Seeking God is not hard. God is not interested in your formalities…He is interested in getting to know you.

Psalms 34:29 states; “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry (or prayer).” Or As God called to the Prophet Jeremiah in 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God desires to know you.

Brian Brown tells the story of being at the community pool with his family. Kids were screaming, playing, and splashing in the pool, music was playing, the lifeguard whistles were blowing and in the midst of the conversation, his wife quiets him. He said, "What are you doing?"

"Shush, did you hear that?"          "Hear what?" he said.

"Listen!"        And over all of the noise, she had heard their youngest daughter screaming. As she listened to it, she then said, "OK, every thing's alright. That's a happy scream."

He said he was blown away that, over all of the other voices, she not only recognized her child's voice but also was able to identify what type of scream it was. Why? Because every day she talked with them and in the process learned the sound of their voices.

And then he writes, “ that's what it takes for us to understand His voice, that every day communication and spending time saying to God, ‘Speak to me’." This is why it's so important spending time in prayer. The only way you will be able to hear the voice of God is if you spend time seeking God.

Prayer is seeking God…Christ followers are devoted to knowing God. You know I love ya, Don

The Least is often the Most! Simply Talking to God!

Prayer is a word that describes a relationship. Disciplines of prayer provide patterns for attending to God throughout the day. Prayer is a divine dialogue through an intentional encounter with the creator of the universe. The prayer disciplines open our gaze and bearing to God. Prayer is sustained less by duty. It is increased by a desire to connect and grow in intimacy and communion with God.

Acts 4:23-31  
On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.'

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

 … an amazing text that grants some very articulate postures for the purpose of praying and directly experiencing God. Our devotion to prayer brings about a radical transformation. It is an inward posture of humility, dependence, and responsiveness that changes us.

We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. - Oswald Chambers

Prayer is talking with God. Any encounter with God will bring about transformation… radical transformation.

Henri Nouwen is considered a pioneer and leader in the modern spiritual formation circles. He struggled a great deal with depression during his life. Yet, he finds a super natural comfort in prayer. Nouwen writes, “To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all seeing, within you.” He also wrote; “Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world – precisely because they have been joined through the suffering of Jesus Christ…prayer is letting one’s own heart become the place where the tears of God’s children merge and become tears of hope.”

Prayer is the radical transformation of the heart that is not interested in the manipulation of the spiritual… in contrast: The follower of Jesus prays so as to allow the Spiritual to manipulate, grow, and advance the physical.

You know I love ya, Don 
 

Finding the Peace and Direction!

 Last summer during our introduction to Spiritual Formation class with Dr. Jody Owens I was introduced to “The Jesus Prayer.” It is the simple words, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is a simple declaration of faith as well as a plea for mercy and grace. The presentation of the prayer is to follow the formula that repeats the phrase over and over in rhythm with one's breathing and heartbeat. It serves as a reminder of a believer's dependance on Jesus while also seeking a plea of Mercy from Jesus.

After Dr. Owens introduced it to the class, we were encouraged to go to a place on the Johnson Campus and experience the prayer as an offering with God. I remember that it was Thursday morning and I was able to gain access to the Glass Memorial Chapel. This was the main chapel when I was a undergrad student at Johnson. I sat in the same pew which I was assigned as an undergrad and started to recite the prayer. Recently, I have been praying for a new direction. The Holy Spirit led me to start singing as we had sung 14 years earlier and I started to sing the old hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” while reciting “The Jesus Prayer” in between the verses. I surrendered to God and I laid out my desire. 

 

I began singing, “God is so good” and while I was singing the Holy Spirit interrupted me prayer. The interruption was not an audible voice, but a clear direction. The direction I received was as if God said, “If I am faithful, I have provided you with great opportunities in the past, and I am so good, then why would I stop being faithful, providing opportunities, and being good?” The amazing comfort of the prayer, the location, the renewal of the mind through his grace exposed me to how powerful “The Jesus Prayer” truly is. I discovered in those few minutes that God is a God that looks beyond my faults and failures. He is the One that has always used my service for his purposes. I also learned that I needed mercy. God's favor reminded me that it was not about “me” or my wishes but that the surrender of ministry is to surrender the “me” to God purposes in life, service, and ministry. 

 

Is there magic in the words?” Absolutely not! What the prayer does is quiet the mind, body, and heart so that the soul might be central in the prayer offered. Declaring Jesus as the son of God is a statement which contradicts the world around us. The use of this “apophatic” practice is “to direct personal encounter with God without images.” The images of the prayer are that of a blind man on the side of the road calling out to Jesus to come and have mercy on him. The use of this prayer combined with the natural rhythm of breathing with study brings the believer to a place of hearing from the Holy Spirit so as to receive and engage in divine direction. The wonderful aspect of the results is that the answer that God is faithful, that God is a great provider, and God will continue to be a good God is not new information or that it provided a new revelation. The message accomplished in my heart a divine mystery of trust. 

 

Trust is difficult when we seek independence with our lives. I certainly am not immune to an independent will. Thus, the prayer declaring that Jesus is the Son of God and then pleading for him to grant me mercy is a reversal of my independence. The learning experienced in the chapel that summer day was a reminder of my dependance on God in surrendering to him. I find a great comfort in knowing God will not bring about judgement in my prayer, instead he will offer mercy.

Holt states about the Hail Mary the following: “the mind operates on two levels: the repetition of the Hail Mary is a way of centering the attention, while the mysteries are imaginatively relived.” With my experience with The Jesus Prayer, I believe it applies even more. I do not see a need to pray to Mary. Yes, she was a special young lady. She grew to be the mother of God's Son. However, I do not see her as divine or as a deity. I do not see Holt believing that Mary should be prayed to either, he is simply explaining the Rosary and how it works. What is noted is the prayer offering of the Rosary and The Jesus Prayer produce results that focus the mind so as to reveal God's love. The Jesus Prayer certainly works in the same fashion.

Since the opportunity last summer morning in the chapel, I have had opportunities to use the prayer. At night if I cannot sleep, it is a simple tool which brings about comfort with the inevitable dosing off in sleep. I have recited in my mind as I sit in a difficult or long meeting. There is comfort in the words of declaration of faith that Jesus is the Son of God and that he will hear us when we ask for mercy. As sinners, we need his forgiveness on an individual level. The Jesus Prayer reminds the believer of his mercy, while the Holy Spirit humbles and places the believer in a submissive spirit to hear and connect with God.

"Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen"  You know I love ya, Don

Bradley P. Holt. Thirsty for God. (Fortress Press: Minneapolis, 2005).

Is it difficult to be myself before God?

Is it difficult to be myself before God?

I would answer that I do not find it hard to be myself with God when I am honest about who I am in God. Another way to state it is that when I am pure before God, I do not have a hard time to be honest before him. As I have stated in other posts, I was raised in a believing family and we attended a healthy church that taught from the bible. So, it would be abnormal for me to deny that God exists or to try and deny that which is true to my DNA. I cannot deny that which he has done and I have seen. Our God is all knowing, all powerful, and all present. Thus, I would have a harder time denying that God already knows my issues before I present them to him because of who I am in him.

Luther states that prayer refers to prayer as stating what is in our hearts and from my experiences, God has all knowledge of what is in my heart. So, to deny honesty to him would not be in my mode of action. BUT, what is in my mode of action is to be come complacent in my sin and then I deny "who" I am in God. That is to hedge around my sin or as my six year old daughter says, "I don't want to talk about it." I know that God knows and I know that I know, but a complacent believer just denies it exists and on a spiritual level states, "I do not want to talk about it." Yes, this is a form of un-honesty, but....

I can be myself before God as long as we talk about the things I am willing to talk about. Where I find the traction for my prayer life is when I submit myself to talking about what God wants to talk about. It is also then, that I am willing to hear the "yes" to my petitions and I am willing receive the "no" to my petitions as a response that is given in my best interest. I believe this would be best stated in our modern culture as possessing a "transparency" with God.

I can truly say at this point in my spiritual walk, I am honest with God and feel I am transparent with his spirit, yet as soon as I type these words there are areas of my life that are not as transparent and honest as I would like them to be. That is why I find so much hope in the Martin Luther's words, "Prayer is made vigorous by petitioning; urgent by supplication; by thanksgiving, pleasing and acceptable." God knows me better than I know myself and he works on my honesty and transparency, he is also very patient with the areas that I am not willing to deal with. It is in my trust and faith in him that He is able accomplish the most in completing the work that he started in me.

You know I pray for you and I love ya, Don

A Prayer for 2013

"New Year's Prayer" is a Christian prayer by Jack Zavada. Written in poetry form, the prayer resounds with a re-dedication theme of daily surrender and obedience to the Lord.

New Year's Prayer

Lord, this year I want to change,
and I've said that in the past.
but now my prayer is different
'cause I understand at last.

I wanted my own way before,
I ignored your loving plans.
But now I'm putting everything
into your nail-scarred hands.

I promise to obey you
out of gratitude and love.
I won't be giving orders
to my Father up above.

I finally realize the truth
and so I've changed my prayer.
The safest place for me to be
is in your gentle care.

Please be my shepherd, Jesus,
that's all I ask of you.
In good times and in bad this year,
Take my hand and lead me through.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

--Jack Zavada 

This prayer resonates with me this year and look forward the to the great things God is going to do and give Him the thanks for them in advance! You know I love ya, Don

Set-Free!

 Set free by Exercising Prayer & Fasting.

What does Jesus say in John 8....If you want to know freedom, Do as Abraham did. He talked and walked with God.

Prayer is a spiritual communion with God as in reverence to the One that supplies the very essence of life, through thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or daily routine for a period of time. You replace the absence with prayer or some sort of service to God. In other words, you abstain from something and replacing it with volunteer service or time of meditation.

Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Are you praying and fasting so as to share life with God?

Praying for you - Don

The physical being transformed by the spiritual

While [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. -Luke 9:29 (NRSV)

Jesus went up the mountain to pray. He had announced that he would soon suffer great agony. The religious leaders would reject him, and he would be killed. Jesus, who was fully human as well as fully divine, must have been troubled.

As Jesus prayed on the mountain, God's glory shone through him. His face glowed, and his garments became dazzling white. The great prophets Moses and Elijah, who had died centuries before, appeared and spoke to Jesus about what was to come. Then God spoke from heaven, saying, "This is my son." After this time on the mountain, Jesus was able to face Pilate and the Roman soldiers. He was able to endure rejection, hatred, abuse, beatings, and the agony on the cross.

When we pray, we come into the presence of God, who has unlimited power and abundant resources. Sometimes when we pray God changes circumstances, and sometimes prayer changes us. Whatever form the answer takes, God's message to us is, "I love you, and I am with you always." Too many times we get in a rut and make the prayer all about the spiritual being transformed by the physical. The truth of prayer is that we, the physical is transformed by being in the presence of the spiritual.

You know I love ya, Don

Those who touch us, even though we may never meet!

The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. -1 Corinthians 3:8 (NRSV)

The other morning I sensed the Lord wanted me to pray for the people who had made the clothes I was putting on. Not knowing who they were, I began to think about them. What country do they live in? Are they men or women, young or old? What are their circumstances? What religion do they profess?

A quick check of some of the clothes in my closet shows that they are made in many different countries, on different continents. Although I realize I can never know who these people are, they are a great blessing to me; but before that day I hadn't even thought of them. But they are real people, trying to make a living. They may work long hours in hard conditions to make my clothing, and I am awed and humbled by their work on my behalf.

Even if I tried, I could not reach them to thank them, but I can pray for them. I can pray that they will be blessed, that they know God, that their lives will be made easier through faith in God who loves them. Through my prayers, I become part of God's touching their lives.

I have also been touched tremendously by Reese' Rainbows. This is an adoption agency that promotes homes for children with down syndrome in foreign lands. I have become a prayer warrior for Vladimir B (if you click the link, he is about 2/3 down the page. Be prepared, there are a lot of children and it will tug at your heart). Much like the ones that made my clothes, I will probably never get a chance to meet this perfectly and wonderfully made children. So, I touch the picture on the screen and pray for these little guys and little gals. I pray that they will find a home and a forever family.

As the text from 1 Corinthians, we can plant and some one else may water and then someone else will harvest...you know I love ya, Don

Prayers Heard!

Last night was the Changing Hearts Prayer Service held at Greenfield Central High School. We had about 425 in attendance. Of that 450 there was a 26 piece orchestra and 80 voice choir. I had the great honor of directing the choir and orchestra. We had a great day of singing and making music.

The service was good. There were opportunities to pray for forgiveness, each other, and for our community. As I was reflecting on it this morning, it occurred to me that God hears our prayers. Of course, I knew that truth, but it became real to me again. Many years ago, I asked God for a good choir and an orchestra to direct. He has heard those prayers and for the last 18 years he has allowed me the great honor of being a choir director and orchestra conductor.

A minister in Singapore wrote it this way:

As a pastor, I conduct weekly prayer meetings and pray for the sick and others in need. Prayer comes naturally to me and has been an important part of my pastoral ministry. Recently, in leading a devotional time on prayer, I discovered that I had made several typographical errors in the prayer quotations I had given to the participants. Although I was upset with the mistakes, I continued with the devotion.

How often are we as careless with our prayer life as I was with my typing? At times we pray not because we enjoy praying but because we were asked to pray or because we had to lead the prayer meeting. Sometimes we can be so caught up in what words to use in prayer (especially in public) that our prayer becomes merely an outward form.

Despite our shortcomings in prayer, Christ continues to invite us to pray and to teach us how. Jesus teaches us how to pray. He said, "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites ... when you pray, go into your room." (Matt. 6:5-6, NIV).

I am praising God for hearing our prayers today. I am also praising God that in our inadequacies, he still listens and brings new mercies to us each and every morning. Praying for you and whatever is in your life today. You Know I love ya, Don

Being Made ...

I have several irons in the fire...family, church, Worship Choir, Orchestra, trying to adopt our little guy in Chicago, Grad School, getting things ready for winter, the Greenfield Community Chorus new director position, JBC Alumni Association and trying to maintain this blog. Lots of things in the works and some more important than others, yet there is a special need in each one. It has become more and more apparent to me that in order to maintain a good schedule for each of item I must maintain my relationship with God. H. Cecil Pawson in England wrote in my Upper Room devotional this morning:

FEW are called to be leaders like Moses, but all are called to make things; for God who is our maker gave us this instinct. And soon we begin with bricks, sand, and blocks to express this desire.

We were made for full employment. Some make laws; others ships, cars, homes, and gardens. More important, in all our making of things, we are being made ourselves for better or for worse.

Are we consciously working, day by day, in accordance with God's design? In obedience to God's command, Moses rose up early in the morning to be alone with God. The result of his keeping that appointment was the glory of God upon his way and upon his face and knowledge concerning his life's work.

God made this world and saw that it was good. We seek, through Christ, to find and to do God's will in all things in this world that God created. In this way, we help fulfill God's redemptive love and purpose, both in us as individuals and in the world around us.

Even Jesus as God new how important it was to pray and to have connection with God, the Father. In Mark 1:35 we read; "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Being connected to God is what I am made for. It is also essential in order to complete the purposes and the goals that are laid out for me.

Striving to be connected to Jesus...you know I love ya, Don

Holiness or Hardness Toward God?

"He...wondered that there was no intercessor..." - Isaiah 59:16

The reason many of us stop praying and become hard toward God is that we only have an emotional interest in prayer. It sounds good to say that we pray, and we read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial. We are informed that our minds are quieted and our souls are uplifted when we pray. But Isaiah implied in this verse that God is amazed at such thoughts about prayer.

Worship and intercession must go together; one is impossible without the other. Intercession means raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying (Philippians 2:5). Instead of worshiping God, we recite speeches to God about how prayer is supposed to work. Are we worshiping God or disputing Him when we say, "But God, I just don't see how you are going to do this"? This is a sure sign that we are not worshiping.

When we lose sight of God, we become hard and dogmatic. We throw our petitions at His throne and dictate to Him what we want Him to do. We don't worship God, nor do we seek to conform our minds to the mind of Christ. When we are hard toward God, we will become hard toward other people.

Are we worshiping God in a way that raises us up to where we can take hold of Him, having such intimate contact with Him that we know His mind about the ones for whom we pray? Are we living in a holy relationship with God, or have we become hard and dogmatic?

Do you find yourself thinking that there is no one interceding properly? Then be that person yourself. Be a person who worships God and lives in a holy relationship with Him. Get involved in the real work of intercession, remembering that it truly is work. As I said in the sermon yesterday morning. Prayer is not a mean to an encounter with God...prayer IS an encounter with God. So, remember to "listen up!" God is talking.

Praying for you and you know I love ya, Don