Emily Post once advised that it was "bad manners" to discuss politics or religion in public. Here I am about to discuss both. If I were to be completely honest, I would tell you that I was tempted not to blog on this topic. There is nothing that gets people wound up quicker than politics. It is for that reason, I thought I would just skip it. Then I realized, that would be just thing that would cause Jesus to call attention to a bit of lumber in my eye.
So here I am, talking about the thing, that I desperately want to avoid. But that is how he works, isn't it? Bringing the uncomfortable to the forefront in hopes that we will learn just a little. For me, the Lord has been prompting me to pray for those people who make my life difficult. And I don't mean " Dear Lord, please make sure Jane Doe gets whats coming to her." I mean to genuinely ask that the Lord be with her.Can you imagine what would happen if each time I wanted to lip off about what a bad job congress was doing, I prayed for them instead.
Now maybe, I should take it to take it to the next level. Instead of getting on my soap box, I just look in the mirror. Could I learn something from their actions. Maybe the reason it hits a nerve, is that I see a bit of myself in it all. After all, those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Pastor Dennis has certainly given us something to think about. What has this sermon cultivated in your heart? Share below what God has laid upon your heart.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Get Your Glow On
I need to be honest with everyone. When I first heard the title of this weeks sermon, Go, Grow, Glow, I wondered if Pastor Hector was speaking on gardening....though I was not sure how glow figured into it. But, true to form, he delivered a passionate and spirit filled sermon. So much so, that it caused me to ask myself "how do I grow as a christian?"
The answer was sitting on my night stand. It was not my cell phone or Aaran's half eaten cookie. It was also not the TV remote or my glasses. It was, however; what my glasses rested on. It was the Bible.
I can't tell you how many times I have whined that I wish life came with an instruction manual. All this time, it has been sitting right there.
Here is the thing, it is not "cool" to read the Bible. You are all thinking it. I know you are, because I have thought it too. Maybe cool is the wrong word. Let's try a different word, how about relevant? How does what happened to Peter, John, and James on a mountain top relate to little old me? How can I get anything out of a book that was written over 2000 years ago?
Essentially, I was judging a book by it's cover. Once I got past the cover and into the word of God, things started to happen. I can't explain it. To be honest, I think it is a miracle of it's own. Once you start reading on a regular basis, it starts speaking into your own life. And it doesn't stop when you close the book. For hours (and sometimes days) after reading, things will come to me. Maybe it's an answer to a question I prayed about the day before. Or maybe it's a sense of peace about a situation that I have been upset about.
So give it a try. It's not as hard as it sounds. Start with a chapter a day. (Not a book, a chapter. Genesis 1, then Genesis 2, and so on.) If I'm wrong, you can always stop. But if I'm right, they can use the glow from Evangel for next years super bowl!
The answer was sitting on my night stand. It was not my cell phone or Aaran's half eaten cookie. It was also not the TV remote or my glasses. It was, however; what my glasses rested on. It was the Bible.
I can't tell you how many times I have whined that I wish life came with an instruction manual. All this time, it has been sitting right there.
Here is the thing, it is not "cool" to read the Bible. You are all thinking it. I know you are, because I have thought it too. Maybe cool is the wrong word. Let's try a different word, how about relevant? How does what happened to Peter, John, and James on a mountain top relate to little old me? How can I get anything out of a book that was written over 2000 years ago?
Essentially, I was judging a book by it's cover. Once I got past the cover and into the word of God, things started to happen. I can't explain it. To be honest, I think it is a miracle of it's own. Once you start reading on a regular basis, it starts speaking into your own life. And it doesn't stop when you close the book. For hours (and sometimes days) after reading, things will come to me. Maybe it's an answer to a question I prayed about the day before. Or maybe it's a sense of peace about a situation that I have been upset about.
So give it a try. It's not as hard as it sounds. Start with a chapter a day. (Not a book, a chapter. Genesis 1, then Genesis 2, and so on.) If I'm wrong, you can always stop. But if I'm right, they can use the glow from Evangel for next years super bowl!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Praying it Forward
Tonight, Pastor Dennis brought our sermon series on prayer full circle. We have spent 4 weeks circling or dreams, fears, and concerns in prayer. As we bring our "circle" to a close, I can't help but wonder "was I ever the center of a circled prayer?"
I have no doubts that the answer is yes. My teenage years alone, sent my mother to the hair color isle in Wal-Mart before the age of 40. It's an interesting thought, isn't it? To think that someone would invest their time and energy praying for little ole me.
Just for a moment, let's think. Maybe, just maybe, we are still here on this earth because of someones circled prayer for us. Or more to the point, maybe we are living a life of victory, with Jesus Christ as center because of their prayers.
The next time I start to doubt if prayer really works, I have a plan. I think I will just look in the mirror. No, I won't just look in the mirror..... I will look in the mirror, thank mom, then hit my knees and pray for my own daughter.
Now that's what I call "praying it forward".
I have no doubts that the answer is yes. My teenage years alone, sent my mother to the hair color isle in Wal-Mart before the age of 40. It's an interesting thought, isn't it? To think that someone would invest their time and energy praying for little ole me.
Just for a moment, let's think. Maybe, just maybe, we are still here on this earth because of someones circled prayer for us. Or more to the point, maybe we are living a life of victory, with Jesus Christ as center because of their prayers.
The next time I start to doubt if prayer really works, I have a plan. I think I will just look in the mirror. No, I won't just look in the mirror..... I will look in the mirror, thank mom, then hit my knees and pray for my own daughter.
Now that's what I call "praying it forward".
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