The Gift of Intercession

Sunday morning, I had the opportunity to reunite with friends from the adult class. Due to some events dealing with students, I had only one person in my class, so connecting him to another, i joined in the adult class once again.
The subject was prayer and I sat silently and listened. Throughout, i had some comments but felt that they had to be waded through before speaking.
There was a brief moment or two when the conversation drifted into praying for others. Spilling out right and left were the various comments on the matter. All good thought. But it lead me to think of the theological framework of prayer in the Bible. I began to muse a little on the time in scripture when Jesus actually taught us to pray. Of all spiritual disciplines, at least the ones we talk about most, Jesus answers about prayer directly when asked, "Lord, teach us to pray". It went something like:

Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be your name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine in the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.

Of course, maybe you can see where I am going to come from here, but I want to raise the point that in this one direct teaching, there is no refeence on what we can call intercession, and not much reference to praying for others. Before you go up in arms, let me explain.
The chief reason for my thoughts is to get us to take another look at what we currently call intercession. Perhaps it is in just Pentecostal circles, but I often hear of this "gift". And i think it deserves some Biblical light, or at least some Biblical reminders.
Regarding Jesus' teaching on prayer, I want to first make the point as to why maybe he didn't mention this form of prayer. Mainly, we often forget that Jesus himself has been established as our intercessor (1 Timothy 2:5, John 17, Romans 8:34). When we use the term intercession, we reference the fact of standing between God and man. Now we see this a lot in the Old Testament in the lives of God's elect. God often changed his mind concerning man and his end because Godly men prayed. We see it in the general population, that when men turned back to God, God showed mercy and blessing once again. We even see it as an offer of God in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (the pentecostal fundametalists favorite scripture) But today, we have Jesus. All of the OT were types and shadows of Him. He now stands between God and man, and He only. The reminder, I have today, and for you as well, is that we need not forget that God changing anything is hinged on Christ, and not my ability or lack thereof to "intercede". When prayer is discussed, we often voice how guilty we are of not doing it enough. And if it is a sincere discipline problem that you stand convicted of, so be it. But sometimes I hear this condemnation in comments as if God refuses to move based on our lack of "intercession". Don't know about that. We have to remember that, "He is faithful, even when I am faithless."
Now second and lastly, I do have to mention that there is plenty of Biblical warrant to pray for others. If some misunderstand their roles or gifts in scripture, than there are some who use scripture to explain away their responsibilty. I do not want to be one. We all have the opportunity to go to God in prayer for others. But we have to understand what this does and how we are to do it.
First of all, what it does, chiefly, is exercise our faith in Him and reinforces our belief that He is the source everything. By prayer for others, we proclaim that we have no faith in our ability to save, heal, and restore, but He has every ability. We say to God and to ourself, that we have no answer for the given situation, and He has every answer. We truly have the opportunity to lay it down, to "cast our care on Him, because HE CARES FOR US". Prayer for others puts Him in focus, especially in the most diffcult realm of our existence...human relationship!
Next, how we do it is important. We need not pray in a fashion that exalts our "fervency" or "great faith". Remember prayer has to put God in the forefront. I have often heard it quoted the "the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much". And I suppose it does. But why is it we only quote that when we are trying to create and energetic and emotional environment. You see what happens here, we exalt the fervency of man versus the righteousness of God. Ouch! We then, in effect, teach people that Godly results are produced by personal effort. Hence, we get the comments when we discuss prayer like, "I am so guilty of not doing it enough", and "I just need to pray more or harder". Come on, really? I'm sorry, but that's Christless.
How we pray is important. We can take lessons from Paul, as he prayed things like, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:5-6, 13). How grace filled, how Christ-pointed. The hope of such prayer can be nothing but Christ working in a life to the golry of God. It takes the effort of even "ministry" out of the picture and puts all hope in Christ to do the work. This is great Biblical example of what it can look like in the life of man. Let uis give great attention to subjects and words of our prayers. The opportuites we do have, let's not make them futile by exalting the wrong ideas.
Prayer is a gift. But Christ is our only "gift of intercession". May the Word of God remind us of that, and free us of the guilt and shame, and spur us to the pirvilege of pure and holy prayer.

I have a Question

This is an article I wrote for our Sunday bulletin that I wanted to share with some of you. I just personalized it toward me a little by taking out the "we". After all its a more personal reflection: I remember in my high school Algebra class as being lost. Let’s face it, I simply wasn’t gifted in math. I am more of a concrete thinker. I was confused at the introduction of variables and could not understand why x and y could not just stay the same number. I figured that if x and y were having an identity crisis, that I shouldn’t really intervene. But being in the class, and faced with failing, I resorted to questions…endless questions. I asked so many in fact that my teacher finally would answer them with, “Well that’s just the way it is, Pounds.” I escaped with a C average, and to this day I am wholly convinced that I charmed my way into that grade. I still have problems with the introduction of variables. Things change and shift. There is very little concrete on this planet in our day to day. Constant shifting of circumstances can often back us into a corner of questions. And I am quite ready to question the God of the universe. I bombard Him with whys and why nots, often using the fact that He doesn’t readily answer us as an excuse for our continued unbelief and spiritual complacency. I put God into the position that He must answer to us. But I must remember what the Psalmist said, “when I consider the works of your hands, what is man that you are mindful of him?” God is not afraid of my questions, but I have to remember that in His majesty, He really reserves the right not to answer. He stormed back the answer to Job’s inquiries of unfairness, “Where were you when I spun the earth into orbit?” Sometimes I have to understand whatever I am enduring, that it’s just the way things are; quite possibly it's divinely aligned no matter how uncomfortable it makes me. God has a plan. It is my place to continue to trust Him as I have the awesome opportunity to play a role within it. God bless. May you find trust and solace in the Everlasting.

Boy Meets Girls

I dedicate to this to my wife. She brings me so much joy. This is my spin on the old-time story of romance: BOY MEETS GIRL Girl walks by boy, boy either has the confidence to go right up to girl and speak and meets girl, or boy remains "good friends" with girl for ten-twelve years before they realize they are for meant each other. Boy dates (or courts if you are a Chrisitan) Girl. Girl is decieved realizes that this Boy is an exception to the rule that all boys are pigs as boy woos girl with his God-given charm and lavishes girl with gifts that make girl blush, but simultaneously prove boy has no little or no ability to make sound financial decisions in the future. Girl falls in love with boy, and boy with girl. Boy finances ring and awaits the perfect and most uncommon moment in the world to bow before girl asking her hand in marriage. Little does boy know, girl knows its coming and has braced herself for it, but girl acts overwhelmed anyway, thus re-paying boy for his earlier deception. Boy is engaged to girl. Boy wishes to plan with girl but soon finds out it's best for boy to stay out of girls plans, or perhaps that girl already has plans and only asked boy to confirm what girl already thinks. After boy fails on the first three inquiries, boy relinquishes planning rights and signs over full control to girl. Boy will run many errands though, picking up what girl has chosen or ordered. Boy marries Girl. Girl and Boy are swept away into a magical leand of wedded bliss. Boy and Girl discover several things on honeymoon that boy leaves unsaid in this note due to fear of facebook expulsion. Boy and Girl after sometime decide that little boy or girl would be fun. For some reason, boy and girl seem to think marriage doesnt provide enough excitement and disorganization. Boy and Girl feel that they have arrived at everything life offers to boy and girl, and feel its their time to teach a little boy or girl how to survive in the world. Boy and Girl have no idea what they are doing. Little girl or boy come into the world confirming the clulesseness of older and wiser boy and girl. Such ignorance is revealed after a while that all rationale goes out the window and boy and girl decide to have more little boys and girls. Life is soon taken over by the worlds most noisy toys and near-impossible to assemble play-stations. Boy and Girl, as boy did earlier in the union, relinquish control to little boy and girl and things go chaotic. Boy and girl bring the boy and girl that decided to bring them into the world in to consult. Little does boy and girl know, those people take little boy and girl for the weekend and further soilidify little girl and boy's control. After a short while, boy and girl regain control and begin to learn balance. In all the chaos, boy and girl start to remember why they fell in love. Boy and girl learn what it is to give and take, even though it seems girl will always give more. Boy learns that girl is even more amazing of a creation than he ever imagined, and falls in love with girl more everyday. Although, one day boy realizes that in the midst of all girl does so well, God never created girl with a laundry folding chip. Boy realizes that if he takes that on as his one consistent task, girl would fall in love with him all over too. Boy begins to fold laundry without being asked by girl. Boy and Girl live happily ever after.

How Do I Like Me Now

Sitting in my office now I can barely feel my legs...at least until I get up, and then I feel the intense soreness and pain coming from two hard days of fitness training. If I didn't have pride I would cry right now. But people are watching. The funny thing is that I had convinced myself that I was doing alright. Looking in the mirror I would tell myself, "You're not that big", as I would drape mostly black clothing and dark colored suits across my form. Making trips to the local recreation center, doing short stints on the treadmill, and even "running" a 5k last year had me convinced that I was in decent shape for my age and weight. People didn't help much either. You either get words such as, "You weigh what? Well, you dont look that big", or something to the extreme opposite where they ridicule you in a most unchristian way blurting out most unchristian things. Those jerks must think they are helping. In all my life, other than hypocrtical preaching, I can honestly say there has only ever been one person really that I felt genuine concern from, and I suppose that confrontation helped me take a truthful look at things. I was always chunky it seemed. Even when I look at High School pictures when I was "skinny" I was overweight. I was just thin compared to what I am now I suppose. Being that way, and having a family history of health problems put us under alot of strain. I remember being on Weight Watchers at like twelve years old, consuming mostly diet soda so much in fact that I still prefer it when I drink soda. It was always a pressure, and because it was a pressure I ended up with a lot of bad health habits. Fad diet to fad diet, regiment to regiment, i digested a load of bad education geared to "get the pounds" off. On top of bad education, I must have thrown my body into all sorts of horrible chemistry trying to apply it. Growing up in the church, most entertainment was geared around food...and a ton of it. We preached against all unhealthy activity..except eating...gluttony was a joke, and a corporately shared sin. That made it alright I suppose. What was worse, even though it was corporatley encouraged, it became an addiction. It like other addictions was driven into secret. Fast forwarding to now, now being the last two days, I am disgusted at what I have allowed myself to become. What I feel mostly in my workouts is not the intense physical burn, although there is no doubt that is present; I am feeling the deep consequence of all my life's choices. Every bear crawl I cannot do is made hard by every bear claw I have taken in. Every sit-up that is of extreme difficutly is because of most of the moments I spent sitting-down. I think the overwhelming lesson is that our choices matter and they so deeply effect us, even when we convince ourselves that they don't. And sometimes even when we don't see the effects in outward form. Health is not about fat or skinny, it's about what's happening internally. And we are all good at lying to ourself about that. A lifetime of choices now plagues me as I try to change. I have to learn to change in the face of them, that is my penance. I write this note not for sympathy, so please keep that to yourself, not for encouragement, so please no "you can do it" remarks. I suppose I write it for me as a step in the right direction, perhaps as a self-encouragement, and for you that read it (for this reason I write every note) that you may be reminded of how much your choices today matter. C.S. Lewis once said, "This moment contains all moments." And my God does it.

Good Christians

People in this town are good Christian people..and so goes the remarks we here when talking about select people groups. I'll never forget this one line from the movie "Mississippi Burning". It went something to the effect that the south needed the Klan again and I quote, "good God-fearing Klan." I suppose throughout history people have justified a lot of things as "good Christian" acts. Americans, or at least mid-western Americans, tend to not only want to be Christians, but good christians. The problem is, what in the world does that look like? If there is anything I remain baffled over is that a "good Christian" seems to be a different standard of life in the places I've been. I was driving to the bank this morning recalling some past money difficulties, worried about the fact that could have destroyed my "Good Christian" witness. After all, a good Christian in Claremore OK is that middle aged republican conservative male who has built a nice life for himself and family, pays all of his bills on time and is goods with finance, doesn't curse, drink, or smoke and attends church regualrly. Anything less than this is considered unstable and in need, and if you're not careful...liberal and wrong. Maybe this is a stretch, but I think everyone sees the image I am painting, and probably have felt guilty if we didn't somehow measure up. I know a guy who firmly believes he is doing what God called him to do and has had his car repossessed in the process, can barely meet his bills and sometimes can't, has little or no money in the bank, and is barely skating by, depending only on faith to feed his family for the most part. But as I look into his eyes, I can see the passion for what he is doing. His nature wants more stability, but he says, "God wont release me." Is he a good Christian? I have met people in the Republic of Georgia, pastors in fact who pastor three or four churches at once and still barely scraping by in the face of persecution and constant conflict, under threat of death to their families. Is he a good, wise man? I read about people who give up their livelihood to serve in the depths of poverty, not after they have saved millions of dollars, but abandoned such comfort all for a cause, a cause they believe God would have them do? Are they smart, good Christians? But we are here and that is there. We are we and they are them. We have to live this out culturally, right? Whatever a good Christian is in our "culture", that is what we must strive to be. We are no longer after the image of CHrist then, we are after the traditonal image. In the Bible, that is idolatry. The fact of the matter is, we have to be whatever God is telling us to be, and if scriptural history is true, that often flys in the face of tradition. Sometimes, such life makes no sense to people around us. Perhaps we have to learn to silence critics in the shelter of God's wing. I'm not saying be a rebellious jerk. Goid knows there are are some who seem to be confusing the point. I'm not saying criticize the traditional image, for their are some who are genuinely living out such an image and doing exactly what God is telling them. But be careful we don't box in the image, and God forbid we strive after it. What is a "good Christian" to you? It should be marked by odedience to Him and Him alone. May He someday say," well done, my GOOD and faithful servant!"

The Secret

This is an excerpt from the writing of Gene Edwards' "The Secret of the Christian Life". I thought I would share as this was what we talked about last night in PYROS. I found this just a few moments ago and thought it meshed well with the thought pattern. Enjoy: What have you been told is the secret to the Christian life? Pray and read your Bible? Go to church? Witness? Speak in tongues? Tithe? Let me go on record. I do not believe anything on that list even comes close to the issue of how to live the Christian life. All have one inherent flaw. The fatal flaw? Every item on the aforementioned list assumes that it is possible to live the Christian life. Can you live the Christian life? The answer is no, a resounding NO! You cannot live the Christian life. That list takes for granted you can live the Christian life. Also note that you are the center of every item on that list. Call it "you-centeredness." You out there living the Christian life. You cannot live the Christian life. Jesus Christ could not live the Christian life. None of us can live the Christian life! If Jesus Christ cannot live the Christian life, what makes you think that you can? You can give up trying to live the Christian life! We can all testify what a colossal failure we have been at trying to live the Christian life. God the Father lives the Christian life. "How does God the Father live the Christian life?" He doesn't. He is the Christian life. He is the highest life. God the Father is the wellspring, the source, the first motion, and the fountainhead of the Christian life. The Father indwelt His Son here on this earth for thirty-three years. The Father lived the Christian life inside Jesus Christ. It was the Father's life, and the Father's life alone, which lived the Christian life inside your Lord. It is the Father's life, and the Father's life alone, that ever lives the Christian life. It is the Father's life, and Father's life alone, which will live the Christian life in you. Embrace a formula or a list in order to "live the Christian life," and you are doomed to frustration. But on the day you quit trying to live the Christian life ...then you will finally give Him the freeway to live out in you what is so easy and so simple and so organic for Him to do. Hopefully, you just got set free from a long list of do's and don'ts (the "do's" you can't do, and the "don'ts" you always do). Why look so shocked; stop and think about it. You never were any good at living the Christian life. Admit it.

In the Morning

But I cry to you for help, O Lord;in the morning my prayer comes before you. -Psalm 88:13What did you do this morning? How did your day start? For me, my whole day seems to be dictated by what I do in the morning. For some reason, a day starting with discipline turns out to be a very disciplined day, a day that starts rushed is a rushed day, a day starting with unrest continues with unrest. The morning is the start of something for all of us. How do we start?In a short overlook I discovered that there are roughly 205 references to the morning in the Bible. The more I looked at some of these I found that the morning, much like today, was a pivotal moment. The mornings of the Bible held discovery, deep decision, beginnings of journey, meditations, reflections; they even held strong turning points of life. People waited on the morning, wished for the morning and rejoiced in the morning. In the morning God was always found in both glorious and dreadful ways. Either way, in the mornings, man encountered God.Every new day screams God! His mercies are new, hope is new. The morning itself puts everything behind us and wipes our slate clean. Whatever we didn't do is now a part of of our fading past in the light of the morning's newness. Even deep sorrow only endures for the night, but joy is found in the morning!May you find God every morning. Each day still provides us the opportunity for encounter. In the silence of the morning, He whispers His love and direction. What is He speaking? In the newness of every day He embraces us. Can we embrace His heart in return?Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. -Psalm 143:8

Moments of Prodigality

I really was under the impression for most of my life that my salvation was a one time event. Perhaps I had a lot to learn. Countless times I have read, and been read the parable of the Prodigal Son. Shortly followed by 'Just As I Am', it was always a salvation appeal, and there was great hope inside the heart of us who were "already saved" that someone would respond; maybe it could be that shady character that happened into the sanctuary that given day, or the son or daughter of Sister so-and-so who had been astray in the usage of drugs. Maybe the addict would come, finding in a single moment freedom from all of his or her life-formed habits. We could celebrate together, record their name and information and give our testimony to our friends about that one who was lost and now was found. As I speak so tongue-in-cheek, I should say that I still belive that is the way it can begin for some. I make no mockery of my traditional upbringing. However, I find myself swept away at times into prodigal days and moments, even as a "saved" person. I am still in need of salvation. Such moments of prodigality sweep through most of our lives. I once heard the great teacher Chuck Swindoll say, "It is possible for those of of us who know Jesus to find ourselves behaving as though we never met." Finding ourself in the midst of selfish thought and action, the constant pull into addiction to replacements of Godly intimacy. the temtation to erase the lines of holy standard to justify our transgressions, these are all things I share with my brothers and sisters in the faith. For those who don't struggle, I am not sure how you fit in. And you should stop reading this.So what about such moments? If it's fact that we have them, it's fact that God knows. And if He knows, and He is good, he has provided for each and every circumstance with His grace. Simply put, moments of prodigality require moments of salvation. Everyday and struggle is in need of an altar, that place we go for freedom and cleansing. Like the parable, only unlike it in singular event, we need moments where we snap back into our senses and realize that Fatherly presence and provision, even under rules, standards, and occasional punishment is much better than eating pig slop in what seems to be total liberty. And we need to know, most of all, that it's okay to go back, because our Father awaits.(taken from 'Slice of Infinity' RZIM) Hear the beautiful words of an elementary school teacher:He came to my desk with a quivering lip,the lesson was done."Have you a new sheet for me, dear teacher?I've spoiled this one."I took his sheet, all soiled and blottedand gave him a new one all unspotted.And into his tired heart I cried,"Do better now, my child."I went came to the throne with a trembling heart;the day was done."Have you a new day for me, dear Master?I've spoiled this one."He took my day, all soiled and blottedand gave me a new one all unspotted.And into my tired heart he cried,"Do better now, my child."

Ugly

I just watched, as much as I could , the recent Jennifer Knapp interview on Larry King Live. If you haven't heard, Jennifer has "come out" as a homosexual in the faith. It was an intriguing interview, and I would invite all thinkers to watch it. There was a lot said in the interview. Of course, you could only imagine the typical CNN spin and approach. If not, imagine FOX news in reverse. Not that I am a fan of either. Surprisingly enough, I think all people (other than Larry himself) had great points. Perhaps some will frown on me for stating that but I just did. and I meant it. But there was something that happened in me as I listened, and I wanted to share it in an open forum. There was some scripture in Romans 1-2 that was brought into the discussion. Now I have read this numerous times in the past, these two chapters. As a matter of fact I have poured over them in study as I was confused with them in initial confrontation. So i read them again. And I discovered something grueling: My God, they are talking about me. Truth be known, especially as a Pastor, I have mastered the art of reading the scriptures for others. After all, most of it just isn't me. In my "new life" in Christ, something went wrong in my interpretation that the Bible was now about others. Since I was now perfected by grace, I started to learn how to point that "grace" at others. I was no longer that vile person it talked of, and it was now my mission to point my finger, using the long arm and powerful fist of the sacred scriptures, to crush others into belief of the divine; the same divine bliss I was now living in. Up unti this point, it hasn't worked by the way. I began reading Romans 1 today and realized that I was depraved, guilty of suppressing truth in unrighteousness, that I was filled with covetesnouss and mailce,gossip, slander, and deceit. That perhaps when Paul was revealing that mankind was haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, foolish, heartless, and ruthless...he may very well have been talking about me. I write in tears. I had the privelige of being blessed recently by a video played at our church. It was about a man who served a prison term. In prison, he found himself saying to God, "God, I am not like these people. I am not like these murderers and rapists and such." He then said in the video interview that God responded, "Yes, you are." I was so moved by this message. And I am moved today with the scriptures. i am like the sinner. I do not qualify. Never did. Still don't. Truth: I'm ugly. When it comes to the interview on Larry King, I can't say that I don't believe Jennifer needs to take a closer look at God's ideal. I believe she has embraced something that can be conquered. But then, reading into Romans 2, I am sharply rebuked for trying to stand so adamately against her failures without the willingness to realize my own. That I would be wrong to elevate her failures, only to put mine in a dimmer light. We all are instructed to live by faith. Let us encourage one another in that faith and never point the finger. Especially as pastors and teachers, for we will recieve the stricter judgment. When it comes to reading the scriptures. I leave from this excerpt from "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Consecutive reading of [scriptures] forces everyone who wants to hear to put himself...where God has acted once and for all for the salvation of men. We too, pass through the Red Sea, the desert across the Jordan and to the Promised Land. With Israel we fall into doubt and unbelief and through punishment and repentance experience again God's help and faithfulness. All this is not reverie, but holy reality. We are torn out of our own existence and set in the middle of holy history of God on earth. There Goddealt with us, and he still deals with us, our needs and sins, in judgment and grace. We are reverent participatants and listeners in God's action in the sacred history. And only in so far as we are there, is God with us today."

Parenthood

I have spent the morning on the phone with various parents of our teens. We had seven teens affirm their decision for Christ last Weddnesday in service, six of which are looking toward following the Lord in water baptism. The students were encouraged to speak with their parents concerning the decison, and were told that I would give follow-up myself. I said all that to say, it is for this reason I have been on the phone. What I received mostly was a spirit of embrace concerning this which gave me hope that parents still want the best for their children. If there is any irony in this, is that all parents I spoke with do not attend church of any kind. Most seem to have some history with it, or at least I will take that assumption with the comfort level of the topic of baptism. There weren't any outlandish questions at least. Of the ones spoken with this morning, only one gave the emphatic response that they had no intention of ever coming. Sad, but true. The potpourri of response and conversation this morning has me thinking a lot about being a parent. I would immediately fault them for not attending church, but then again I do not know their stories or experience. And as quickly as I could fault them, I could fault myself for the hypocrisy I have exemplified with my children as one who attends regularly, but maybe doens't hold the values firmly at all times. I think as parents we all try hard. This is positve but then again it is also the negative charge that can sometimes spark mistakes. We re-live all of our bad childhood experiences and vow that we will not rasie them that way. Whether it is more freedom, lack of one brand of discipline, rights and privileges, more or less materialism, or any other way we felt we were wronged...we insist on giving our child better. While that's ok, it doesn't take too much focus on what not to do before we end up doing just that...giving them nothing. Dr. James Dobson states this danger another way, "Sometimes we're so concerned about giving our children what we didn't have growing up, that we forget to give them what we did have growing up". That's an interesting perspective. The point is this: maybe we try too hard. Perhaps we overthink it. At the core, children need love and discpline. They need to know they are supported and cared for, and need to know when they are outside the boundaries of safety. I am in no way a parenting expert, but most of what I can think of fall in these two categories. But I too often get caught on the externals, and in everything my children have been provided, the most important things are often negelcted. I guess one could say that I am caught being the child and allowing them to raise themselves. God forbid. I suppose they would grow up better if I would grow up first. I want nothing more than to give some sort of list of do's and don'ts right now, maybe something concrete to do that would make us a success. But I think we all know, if we have been parenting very long, that we may never be able to exhaust all of those things. The uniqueness of the family unit makes that impossible. But what are you doing? What are you not doing? What are some things you have been delaying when it comes to your children? Be encouraged today no matter how you may feel about your parenting efforts. Know that it's the little things that make the difference, and do the little things more. Don't be overwhelmed with what you feel like you are not doing. The things that matter, well, your probably doing them without even thinking.

The God Shaped Hole

There is a God shaped hole in all of us. There is something missing. In all of my gain, I am still empty. And on and on it goes. The quotes never end. All of the above I suppose have some merit. But I think the fact they have been passed as good theology brings us to a point of, "come let us reason together." I am starting to discover in my own life and in the lives I in which I have had the opportunity to minister, that before we can love God deeper, there is a re-training that needs to take place. Somewhere along the line, we have come to "know" God, and call ourself "children" of His when in fact, God to us, has simply just been compartmentalized into one small section of our life. We think it unreasonable to "pray without ceasing", and "Meditate on His law day and night". "From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same" no longer is our mandate. Rather, we constantly seek times away, and are quite ready to verbalize it as well, that we just have to get away from it all now and then. Ministers, even I, have tragically proclaimed that ' I just want to go some place where i don't have to think about ministry and people'. Of course these times of sabbatical are often needed, but then I stand guilty of not using any portion of them to refresh spiritually, but rather just physically (if that), and have in turn, not sought vacancy of work, but rather vacancy of spirit. Now everyone of us could justify such action. When spoken of before, i was even confronted with a sracastic ring of, "Well what am i suppoised to do, think of God 24/7 and not have anything else?" This remark only makes the point I am trying to make more valid. The thought of being consumed by Him has become completely foreign, and almost absurd. I believe there are a couple of reasons that this has come to be. 1) Because in our teachings/upbringings we have been taught subliminally that only certain things are spiritual acts of worship. I know of a man in our church that cannot, no matter how hard he tries, see his daily job as a an act of worship to God. Why? Well, because we know that worship is a song set on Sunday. The spirit of worship doesn't even carry over to our messages and other sections of our program; so how in the world does it relate to Monday morning? We no lnger understand what it means to "make our life a living sacrifice unto God as a reasonable act of worship". We now "make sundays between 10:40 and 11:15 our living sacrifice unto God". So we have our life, and then our God life. There are parts He touches, and then parts that have nothing to do with Him. When we read our Bible. pray, and witness, those are spiritual GOD times. When we go to the movies, entertain with our family and friends, eat, shop, clean house, and other daily activities, those are OUR times. And then, doing "everything as unto the Lord" is no longer a part of our theology. 2) Because God as the source of everything is extremely inconvenient to the American way of life. I would live to speak universally, but I am pinned to the wall to speak of America. And it has proved a broad enough subject when it comes to behavior. If I could come up with a reason God and His laws are not the point of our thoughts and meditations, or pinpoint a reason His praises are not always on our lips, i would have to say because it simply inconveniences us. God's heart serves now (and really always) as an interruption to man's plans. He becomes not what we live for, but only what we reference when it is convenient. Could i be stretching it too far to use the word 'blasphemous' here? Maybe. But if that is what it takes for even me to understand my own points, then so be it. It is more than the spiritual disciplines that I am talking about being left undone. Even good neighborly acts of charity and care, which we can all say God desires, are eliminated because of our entertainment schedules and personal calendars. We no longer stop to help the man and woman on the side of the road because it will make us late to the party. We can't be a neighbor, even in the physical sense, because we are never at home (the home we spend so many extra man hours to pay for). These aren't specific calls to action, rather points to cover a broader spectrum of evaluation. Never have we been so busy in the temporal and produced so little in the eternal. So it all comes down to this question: How neatly is God tucked away into your "God shaped hole"? Is God just the something you are missing, or is He the everything that puts what you already possess into perspective and into use for His glory? Is He going to be another addition to everything you have gained, or would we be willing to "coutn all our gains as losses for the unsurpassable greatness of knowing Him?"