Harmonious Prayer

On the first Friday of every month pastors from all over my county gather together for prayer.  Because of my involvement as a minister through Fans For Christ and my own church, I attend these meetings.  We have black, white, and Asian pastors.  They include Baptists, Methodists, Messianic Jews, traditionalists, charismatics, and just about every other type of Protestant you can think of.  At these meetings we spend an our together simply praying.

Everyone prays in their own way and style.  Some are quite and kneel.  Some raise hands up and are shouting to the Lord.  Some speak in tongues.  Some walk around and physically touch others as they pray for them.  There are loud voices, soft voices, crying, begging, praising...you name it!

Today we had that meeting and in the middle of it I stopped my own prayers and simply listened to the prayers around me.  I heard all of those voices, tones, and styles surrounding me, and I began to hear them blend together.  The tongues merged with the traditional prayers.  The lamentations merged with the praise.  And it reminded me of a chorus of singers, where the altos, tenors, baritones, sopranos and all other ranges blend together to make a harmonious sound.  This variety of voices comes together to make a beautiful harmony that they couldn't produce alone.

I believe that's how God sees these prayers.  He doesn't care what our church affiliation or backgrounds are.  To Him it just matters that all of these different voices are lifted up to Him for a single purpose and a single worship.  The differences begin to vanish as the sounds change from cacophony to harmony.  That is the true glory of the Kingdom of God.  When believers from all faiths put aside their differences and focus on their similarities.  When they realize that they all serve Jesus and can come together as one single body to do His will.  That's when God is fully glorified and when His desires can be done.

I pray that such unity can spread across this country and the world.  What could Christians really do if we all prayed as one and lifted our voices to God in harmony?

God--The Adventure Hero!

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today:

"Life is an adventure. And you know, the adventure never really begins until everything goes wrong...And then you get to watch the Lord work." -Pastor Jay Stark

I love this quote and it got me thinking about adventure stories and heroes.  For example, let's look at that classic adventurer, Indiana Jones.  We know that he's pretty amazing and can do some spectacular things:  running away from huge boulders, climbing along the underside of a truck while it's moving, falling out of a crashing plane with a rubber raft as a parachute, guiding a runaway mine cart along broken tracks, racing speedboats through the canals of Venice, defeating ancient death-traps...and let's not forget the whip!  Indy accomplishes things that no normal person could ever do and pulls victory out of certain defeat.

But all of these great feats come when he's in danger and when things seem to be going wrong.  Remember that Indy is also a college professor.  How many amazing things do you think he performs in front of his students?  Now this isn't a comment against teachers.  I've taught college Biology, so I count myself as one.  But I can't recall anything happening in a class or lab that would be beyond the capabilities of just about anyone to handle.  I also never faced danger in the classroom.  If Dr. Jones had stayed in his classroom, he would have been much safer but we also wouldn't be telling stories about him.

God is the same way.  If everything is going smoothly and there are no challenges, there is no way for His miracles to show.  What kind of miracle can happen when everyone is well, there is plenty of money in the bank, and the car is working fine?  But when things start to fall apart and everything seems hopeless...that's when our Heavenly Adventure Hero can show what He's made of!  So the next time things seem bleak, remember that those times are there so that God can show how awesome He is!

Rearranging Your House

Over the last week my wife and I have been rearranging our house.  About 4 years ago when we moved we went for a relatively large house to a smaller one, losing several hundred square feet.  We've always been a little unhappy with the space, even though it's a nice house, and often have talked about wishing for a new home.  This is also the longest we've lived in one home in the 13 years we've been together, so we're feeling a little antsy and kind of wanting to move.  But there is no real chance of that happening soon, so we're trying to make the best of it.

As we started rearranging the house, switching furniture from one room to another, moving pictures, and so on, we discovered that we have a lot more open space.  What once seemed like a cramped home has suddenly opened up and feels roomy.  We look around and are amazed at what some new paint, slipcovers on the furniture, and a different arrangement can do to make us like our home.  We really haven't added or taken away things in the house, just changed where they were placed.  And that has made a world of difference in feeling content in our home.

This morning when I was praying God spoke to me about this issue.  I've also been struggling with being content in my job and our life.  I often wish that God has something else in store for me.  That he would help me find a different job, more money, and so on.  But for whatever reasons (and only He knows what they are), God wants us here at this time.  Since my desires don't seem to be in line with His, I've been struggling with personal contentment.  This morning He spoke to me and made me realize that it was no different than contentment with our house.

As I said, we really didn't add or take away from our home.  We used what we had and rearranged where we put them.  And that made a huge difference, increasing our satisfaction in our home.  So what if I did that internally?  What if I slapped a coat of spiritual paint on my heart and rearranged my priorities and activities?  By re-evaluating and rearranging my spiritual house, perhaps I could be content where God has me placed.

I'm not saying that suddenly everything is copacetic in my heart.  But it was a great awakening to me, and I'm glad that God spoke to me.  I don't necessarily have to add or take away from myself to be content.  God has already placed the things in our life we need to be happy.  When we're struggling with finding that contentment, we should look at rearranging things in our life.  We don't need to add things or even get rid of things (though we may need to get rid of sinful behaviors or add spiritual ones).  Like it took with my home, just looking at things in our life in a different way may help us find that peace that God wants for us.

Wal-Mart Wins

Over Christmas there was an unusual snowfall in Georgia (where I live).  It was the first White Christmas since 1882. I won't get started on a "global warming" rant here....The snow fell on Saturday, and by Sunday morning many churches in our town had put out notices that they were cancelling service.  My own church was open, but we had only about 30% of our normal attendance.  I know it's the South and schools get closed for flurries (not kidding!), but the roads were clear and not dangerous, even on the side-streets.

As we were sitting in church my wife leaned over to me and said "I'll bet Wal-Mart's parking lot isn't empty."  And you know, she was right.  We did go to Wal-Mart that afternoon and there didn't seem to be any lack of people there.

What does it say when people think it's too icy to attend church but not too bad to go to Wal-Mart?  When did it start being okay to risk bad weather for after-Christmas sales but not for worshiping God?  Our priorities are pretty messed up when Wal-Mart wins out over Christ.

Inspiration from Tron

I have gotten to know Christian novelist and blogger M.B. Weston through Dragon*Con and my involvement with Fans For Christ.  She recently posted some ideas of spiritual truths from the new movie, Tron: Legacy.


I love the concept Kevin Flynn taught to his apprentice, Quorra. He taught that as a means of preventing yourself from being selfish, take yourself out of the equation. Instead of worrying how the outcome of a certain choice might effect you, think instead of how it will effect others. Only then can you make an objective choice.

We all have a choice:

• We can choose to wake up, get our coffee, go to work, come home, and sleep--taking no interest in the world around us. Quite mundane, and very safe, but wouldn't you like to be part of something bigger?
• We can choose to participate in the adventure, to take ourselves out of the equation and actively seek to play a role in God's story. (Note: This looks different for everyone, as we all have different talents and life circumstances. No judging allowed here!)

I encourage everyone to go to her blog and read more of the details.  It's a great concept and I love getting inspiration from geek-related pop culture.

Thanks #5: The Bible

In case you haven't noticed, my thanks aren't in any particular order.

Yes, I'm thankful for God and Christ for some obvious reasons.  But I'm very thankful that God gave us the Bible.  This collection of writings has been with us for thousands of years and is available for anyone to read.  We can talk to God but we don't always quickly and easily hear an answer.  With the Bible we can go to God's words any time and anywhere.  We have advice, stories, comforting words, and anything we need.  It's also not just for us, but for pretty much anyone.  It's been translated into most languages and has been spread around the world.  Though Jesus is our intercessor, the Bible is the real way to getting to know God properly.  And despite many attempts over the centuries to suppress or discredit it, God has made sure that it's always around.  I give thanks that God gives us this book to understand Him better, and therefore ourselves better.

Thanks #4: My Kids

Like any children, my kids can sometimes get on my nerves.  My wife and I have also pondered what our lives would be like without the kids....more money, more freedom, less stress...  But both our son and daughter were wanted, and they still are.  Despite any hardships, I really do love them.

My son is a very sweet child, always asking for and giving hugs. For the most part he's kind, considerate, and helpful.  There's nothing quite like him coming up simply to give a big hug.  Plus, he has as many geeky interests as I do, and he's someone I can share movies with.

My daughter is such a study in contradictions.  She's all about girly clothes and anything pink, yet she likes lizards and bugs, is rarely scared, and doesn't get grossed out.  Her food tastes are almost identical to mine, which is nice since my wife doesn't have to fix certain foods for just me. She has a special interest in her Swedish heritage (though my father), which is nice to share.

God has given me great kids that are healthy and well-behaved (most of the time).  I'm truly blessed and thankful.