Prayer Book

"Prayer is hard."

This is my thought! Have you ever dealt with this? Have you had a hard time praying and staying focused? Or maybe it is just a matter of discipline for you? So the problem becomes making time for prayer.

How about when altar time comes around? The prayer person at the front is leading us in prayer and you feel a disconnect. The words seem hollow. You don't know how to "join" with them in prayer. Then, your mind wonders. It just can't seem to stay connected.

I think we have all been there.

Some people are able to pray from the heart but it isn't easy to attain. Prayer therefore seems detached and looses it's luster. I mean, it shouldn't be this hard, should it?

I have started reading a book. And when I say started, think 15 pages so far. I got the book free as a pastoral gift from NPH. They gave something like 16 books and I put them up on my shelf with no idea when I would get to them. One of them caught my eye while I was placing them up there and I pulled it out and placed it on my desk in a hope that I could check it out to see if it was worthy of a boost up the pile.

The book is called Dawn to Dark. It is a Book of Christian Prayer (self described).

I am telling you all this, not because I expect you to go out and buy it, read it and know it. I say this so that you may know where I am going and invite you along.

Here it is in a nutshell. Want to add prayer to your life with me?

The book is about going back to practicing fixed-hour prayer on a regular basis. This is a very ancient practice and here are seven benefits that the book lists:

1. Becoming saturated in Scripture
2. Joining with the (big C) Church in prayer
3. Setting aside our individualistic prayer agendas
4. Marking time as sacred
5. Finding words for our prayers
6. Learning to pray
7. Fulfilling Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing."

The book suggests maybe not going all in at first but building in the prayer times over time. Here are the prayer times it suggests:

• Prayer at Dawn: Upon waking
• Prayer at Daylight: Between noon and 3 pm
• Prayer at Dusk: Between 5 and 8 pm
• Prayer at Dark: Between 9 and 12 am

I am looking to first add the Prayer at Dawn time. This is the easiest for me to add. You know how it is. Dark house. Quiet house. No one else is up! Good time to pray! The Prayer at Dawn is around 15 to 30 minutes. The Prayer at Daylight is 10 to 20 minutes. The Prayer at Dusk is 15 to 30 minutes. And, the Prayer at Dark is 10 to 15 minutes. These are all suggestions by the book. 

I will use this forum to keep you up to date on how it is going. I am very excited to add this to my life! The book even has prayer for each time of the day and also a prayer plan. 

How many of us can say we have that? A prayer plan!

I Think. I Can.

Here is a reprint of an illustration that was used for a sermon. I thought it was appropriate to use it as part of my message:

In Search of Watty Piper: A Brief History of the “Little Engine” Story
Celebrating More Than One Hundred Years of Thinking I Can!

Story of the Engine that Thought It Could. Published in the New York Tribune on April 8, 1906, this story is attributed to a sermon by the Rev. Charles S. Wing to the Norstrand Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn; the church had just paid off its mortgage after many years. This is earliest full version I have discovered to date:

In a certain railroad yard there stood an ex
tremely heavy train that had to be drawn up an 
unusually heavy grade before it could reach its
 destination. The superintendent of the yard was 
not sure what it was best for him to do, so he
 went up to a large, strong engine and asked :

“Can you pull that train over the hill?”

“It is a very heavy train,” responded the en
gine.

He then went to another great engine and 
asked:

“Can you pull that train over the hill?”

“It is a very heavy grade,” it replied.

The superintendent was much puzzled, but he 
turned to still another engine that was spick
 and span new, and he asked it:

“Can you pull that train over the hill?”

“I think I can,” responded the engine.

So the order was circulated, and the engine
 was started back so that it might be coupled
 with the train, and as it went along the rails it
 kept repeating to itself: “I think I can. I think
 I can. I think I can.”

The coupling was made and the engine began
 its journey, and all along the level, as it rolled 
toward the ascent, it kept repeating to itself:
 “I —think —I can. I —think —I— can. I —think— I —can.”

Then it reached the grade, but its voice could 
still be heard: “I think I can. I—– think—–I—–can. 
I —–think—– I—– can.”

Higher and higher it climbed, and its voice
grew fainter and its words came slower:

”I ——-think ——–I——-can.”

It was almost to the top.

“I ———think”

If was at the top.

”I ———can.”

It passed over the top of the hill and began 
crawling down the opposite slope.

’I ——think——- I—— can——I—– thought——I——-could I—– thought—– 
could. I thought I could. I thought I could.
 I thought I could.”

And singing its triumph, it rushed on down 
toward the valley.

Letter about God moving at MAX @MNU

Here is a letter from Dr. Spittal, President of MidAmerica Nazarene University:

Board of Trustees,

I wanted to forward the message I sent to the regional NYI council this morning.  The youth from your districts are on our campus today, and nearly 1,000 are in attendance, almost 200 more than last year, here for the events and activities related to MAX. 

But I especially want to give praise for the moving of the Holy Spirit in our opening service last evening.  The altars were lined with hundreds of students who began to come forward even before the speaker concluded his message.  Throngs of your young people gave their hearts to Christ last evening, and we celebrated and cheered as they came.  In essence we saw revival, and the Holy Spirit moved in a way I have not seen in years. I am sure many of your youth have never witnessed a moving of God like we experienced last night.

We have been praying all year for our campus, and especially for our athletes.  Our desire for them is that God will move into our athletic programs and speak to the hearts of the outstanding young men and women who have come to utilize their unique talents to play a sport they love.  Our desire is that through athletics at MNU they will discover God for themselves and be radically transformed through Jesus Christ.

In the midst of the altar call last night, I looked up to the balcony where a large number of our football players were sitting, because their coach had told them to be there last night.  Throughout the evening I watched as the speaker engaged the crowed and spoke directly to the football players in the balcony.  When the altars began to fill with young people, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the football players begin to leave as a group and was sad to see that they were leaving.  But to my surprise and delight, I was thrilled when they came to the main floor and together came down the aisle to the altar and there joined the hundreds of others who were seeking God.  Praise the Lord.

We must realize that many of our students and yours have never witnessed a moving of the Holy Spirit in revival.  But last evening the presence of God was very real and the moving of the Spirit on young hearts was amazing.  As our football players walked down the aisle of the church, our students and your young people cheered, with tears, as they watched God move in response to their prayers.

Please continue to pray for the Lord to reach the rising generation in a new and powerful way.  My prayer is that as these young people return to your churches they will bring the spirit of revival with them and in doing so bring revival to our churches.  I have great confidence in the rising generation of the church because I can see God at work in them for their time and for his purposes.

If there is any doubt why our passion for MNU must be sustained…we witnessed the basis for that commitment last night. 

We give praise for what God is doing on the campus of MNU.

David J. Spittal

President

Palm Sunday Followup

Hello again!

I was thinking again about Jesus going up the Mount of Olives. 

So the question is:  What did you change in your life between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday? What new thing did you commit to do? 

Did you fast from food so that you could read your Bible? Did you add family devotions? Did you cut out TV time so that you could read more of a devotion book? How about covenanting to memorize Scripture each week? 

Another way to put this is, what discipline did you do so that you were more disciplined in your time with God?

When we give up our time to make time for God in this busy world and culture, we set aside ourselves for God's use. We consecrate ourselves to Him. We say to God that He is more important that the schedule of our lives or in fact, the preference of our mind and/or heart. 

God becomes more important. We become less important.

As Jesus went over the top of the Mount of Olives, that is what he was saying. Jesus was saying that the road ahead of him was more important than what He COULD do. He could have stopped on the top of the Mount and glory could have filled the air as multitudes of angels filled the skies and heavens. 

That isn't what happened. 

He did the hard thing. He disciplined himself. He gave it all up. Himself. Completely. 

Wow. 

So when we come down from this time of setting ourselves in the backseat,  I realize you were only asked to do this for 40 (+6) days, the challenge is not to come down from the mountain and jump back into being the same person you were before the challenge. The challenge is to come down from the mountain and CHANGE who you are. Let the change, change you. Let the change become the NEW you. Jesus makes all things new because Jesus changes things. (I think I've heard that before!!)

So when you sat in the pew this past Sunday and you heard me talk about going UP the Mount and then going through the valley (Kidron) and then into Jerusalem, I was talking about the challenge that we made to God and how the ultimate end of that challenge is to let it change you. Jesus changes things. He sacrificed himself. We sacrifice ourselves for Him. 

Pretty amazing stuff! 

It is our choice what to do with the discipline we added to our lives. It is our choice whether to enjoy the mountain and then to do nothing with it, or to enjoy the mountain and then come down, sacrifice ourselves (just as Jesus did) and, ultimately, to choose to die daily for Him. 

And that is a mighty choice.

A Plain Account

Bo Cassell writes a paraphrase of John Wesley's Plain Account of Christian Perfection. The two lists below are from that book.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here are a couple of areas that I find to be challenging and helpful and go with the holiness message that God gave for this past Sunday.

We have to be continually aware of our heart condition. It is easy to forget to evaluate where we are spiritually. Paul references these six areas that may draw us away from God, if we let them.

1. Conversations that don't build up others or offer grace

2. Falling back into bitterness or an attitude of unkindness

3. By rage, continually putting others down, lack of tenderness

4. By anger or lack of immediate forgiveness

5. By speaking harshly, or using rough, hurtful language

6. Speaking evil, gossip, hurtful stories, needlessly talking about the faults of another behind their back

 

My prayer this week for each of you is that we, as a church family, continue to hold ourselves up before God as the mirror of His image. That we continually be looking to be renewed into the image of God. That perfect image that at first may reflect with a "dingy" type of reflection but ultimately, through adopting His perfect love, an incredible, righteous reflection. The Imago Dei. The image of our God. Our Lord.

 

John Wesley gave advice on what to do to not only to walk with the perfect love of God in your heart, but also to grow in that love.

 

Advice:

1. Watch and pray against pride. (example, not willing to own up to our mistakes and faults)

2. Don't get carried away with excitement. Stick to scripture. Search them! Know them.

3. Don't sit and soak up God's blessings. Do something with them.

4. Sin of Omission - not doing something you know is right. Inviting people to church, telling them about Jesus, Be active in God's work. Do good. Live out Love.

5. Desire nothing but God. Deny yourself and take up your cross daily.

6. Build unity.

7. Be an example for others.

 

I have been thinking lately, and maybe I've already shared this, that it would be an honor that when I die this physical death, that as an epitaph the words "He Died Daily" would be true and valid for my life.

 

"Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?" Luke 9:23-25

 

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Grace and Judgment

I was reading the passage "interlude" between this week's passage and next week's. And I thought I would share something that was impressed upon me.
Here is the passage:
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
This is a remarkable passage! And many times it is taken out of context to proof text or prove someone's point out of context.
Unfortunately, many translations don't help with this! Many of them, in an attempt to set apart the sections of text, called pericopes, cause a misinterpretation. The previous section, Luke 6:27-36, is talking about mercy, or as Nazarenes like to sometimes switch it over to Grace. This pericope is all about grace!!
And so we find that verse 37 continues that line of thought. It is all about grace! So when it says do not judge, it is all about grace. When it says do not condemn, it is all about grace! These two lines are called parallel verses. They act to clarify each other. This is to illustrate the definition of judge and to help understand what judge and condemn are and what they are not about!
So do not be confused! This pericope is all about expounding the idea of mercy. It is NOT about having a moral relativistic attitude! We are to use discernment. We are to, as one scholar put it, "have an ethical evaluation."
The explanation goes even further, as the concept of the full measure is given. This is not a measure that is short or less than expected. It is a fair measure. It is completely full. Pressed down, shaken together and running over. That's a full measure!
And that is what we are to give in material needs and also in mercy. And that is also what will be given to us in equal reciprocity.
Pretty powerful stuff! Mercy is to be dispensed in ways and means of the wallet and the heart. Freely. Completely. But it is not about the giving to receive. It is about giving to give. Receiving will come in full measure, and the giving cannot be dependent on the receiving.

Have a good week!

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Consumed!

Here are two of the references I was looking at for today. If you want to read them in their entirety make sure you read the comments in each of them.

There are so many broken people in this broken world!

Five Reasons the Church Failed

Dear Homosexual Friend

I haven't had time to look at Chick-Fil-A's list of people they donated to yet. My hope is that these accusations are false. You are not a Christ follower if you hate people.