Imagine how awesome it would be to have a thread filled with prayers for everyone to read? I'll toss one out and you can feel free to add your own, or simply pray silently in your heart.
Father God,
It's amazing that you created nebulas and flowers, supernovae and kittens, volcanoes and love. Things I've never even dreamed of, you created. As a creative soul, I'm eternally in awe of your creative prowess.
I'm having trouble staying focused today, Father. Please forgive me and help me to hone in on what I need to do, despite exhaustion, a headache and a thousand distractions.
Please bless my wife and son, our church family, our friends and relatives today in ways that suit Your will for their lives, Father.
In addition, please guide us to mature into the people you designed us to be so that Your will can reach fruition in our lives.
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Pray for prayer
I spoke with a good friend today about the need for prayer in our world. He and I both agreed that all too often we're too busy to pray, which is ridiculous (especially for someone who owns and loves Bill Hybels' book Too Busy Not to Pray). So, we've made a pact to email each other a prayer daily in order to remind one another to pray several times a day.
Odds are, you aren't praying enough either. And, I'd like you to join us.
During the conversation, I tossed this out:
"Funny how we can talk to God, tap into our divine birthright (His power) and use it to do great things, yet so many of us allow the evil one to shame us into believing we don't have time, don't have the ability or that God simply doesn't care what we have to say... :("
So, if you're reading and not praying enough, or you're reading and want to encourage us (and other readers) to pray and pray often, please post your thoughts and prayers here.
Prayer is our birthright and we should never, ever let the world or the evil one steal it away from us.
Odds are, you aren't praying enough either. And, I'd like you to join us.
During the conversation, I tossed this out:
"Funny how we can talk to God, tap into our divine birthright (His power) and use it to do great things, yet so many of us allow the evil one to shame us into believing we don't have time, don't have the ability or that God simply doesn't care what we have to say... :("
So, if you're reading and not praying enough, or you're reading and want to encourage us (and other readers) to pray and pray often, please post your thoughts and prayers here.
Prayer is our birthright and we should never, ever let the world or the evil one steal it away from us.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Never Run on Empty
It's easy to see how cars can't run on an empty tank. It's a little harder, but just as true to note how we are physically and mentally less effective on an empty stomach. Where the real danger lies, however is running on an empty spiritual tank.
If you are to pour into others, just as we're called to do, then you need to make sure you keep your tank as full as possible at all times. I learned that the hard way about a year and a half ago and I've been reminded of it recently.
So, how do you keep the tank full? And, what do you fill it with? Just like everything else, the answer is Jesus. But, we need more details than that, more specifics.
Here's a few things I've found to be indispensable.
1) Read the word daily. Even if it's only one verse in Proverbs. I went so far as to go purchase a study bible that I try to read bits of every morning to compliment my One Year Bible reading each day.
2) Subscribe to a daily devotional email service, or find a daily devotional book that speaks to you and read it every day.
3) Spend time alone in prayer with just you and Him.
4) Surround yourself with edifying Christ followers. While the first three are absolutely tremendous helps and totally necessary to keep your tank topped off, this one has a few caveats to it. Make sure these people are honoring God with their lives, walking with Him and able and willing to pour into your life. Just as some people in your life can motivate you and overflow your tank, we all have others who drain it, siphoning our spirit away. Your tank is precious, don't let anyone siphon it.
In the realm of edification, I want to congratulate my beautiful wife for taking her spiritual life by the leash and guiding it towards God, intentionally, more so than she ever has before. If you know her, you might wonder where she needed any improvement since she is purely spectacular in most areas. But, (and don't tell her I said this) we all need to improve at times, even her. So, I'm really overjoyed and proud to see what she's done. You can find out for yourself by going here:
Angie's blog.
Drop in. Say hi. Edify!
And keep your tank full.
If you are to pour into others, just as we're called to do, then you need to make sure you keep your tank as full as possible at all times. I learned that the hard way about a year and a half ago and I've been reminded of it recently.
So, how do you keep the tank full? And, what do you fill it with? Just like everything else, the answer is Jesus. But, we need more details than that, more specifics.
Here's a few things I've found to be indispensable.
1) Read the word daily. Even if it's only one verse in Proverbs. I went so far as to go purchase a study bible that I try to read bits of every morning to compliment my One Year Bible reading each day.
2) Subscribe to a daily devotional email service, or find a daily devotional book that speaks to you and read it every day.
3) Spend time alone in prayer with just you and Him.
4) Surround yourself with edifying Christ followers. While the first three are absolutely tremendous helps and totally necessary to keep your tank topped off, this one has a few caveats to it. Make sure these people are honoring God with their lives, walking with Him and able and willing to pour into your life. Just as some people in your life can motivate you and overflow your tank, we all have others who drain it, siphoning our spirit away. Your tank is precious, don't let anyone siphon it.
In the realm of edification, I want to congratulate my beautiful wife for taking her spiritual life by the leash and guiding it towards God, intentionally, more so than she ever has before. If you know her, you might wonder where she needed any improvement since she is purely spectacular in most areas. But, (and don't tell her I said this) we all need to improve at times, even her. So, I'm really overjoyed and proud to see what she's done. You can find out for yourself by going here:
Angie's blog.
Drop in. Say hi. Edify!
And keep your tank full.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
WHO NEEDS YOU?
Ever heard the saying “It feels good to be needed”?
Well, despite what some may think, we’re all needed by someone, or in most cases, a lot of someones. If nothing else, you’re needed by God to do what he specifically designed you to do. Only you can positively affect those you interact with daily in their relationship with you.
As for me, my wife needs me to be her husband, the spiritual leader for our household and a rock for her to lean on as I steady myself on the Lord.
My son needs me to be his father and do so in such a way that teaches him to become a great man of God, so that the potential our Father infused in him won’t go to waste as it would if I led him astray by chasing money or materialism or celebrity or fleshly pleasures.
My friends need me to be me. A guy they can count on and a guy who can help them to live, laugh and love the Lord. A man they can walk alongside, moving closer to God with each step in our journey.
Where’s the hitch in all that? It can’t be that simple, can it? Everything has a catch, right?
Well, there are others who need us to do things, to act a certain way, go a specific direction. Those others don’t serve our Father and they try to lure us off course by dangling earthly glory, pleasures and false security in front of us like a proverbial carrot. We’re in a world of greed, lust and sinful desires, where they need us to disengage from God at the least and to actively disobey him at the most, so that they can marginalize one more of His children.
But, God needs us more.
My wife needs me more. My son needs me more and my friends, co workers and acquaintances need me more. The same can be said of you, and I’m saying it right now. God needs you, today, this instant and for all eternity.
The further our world and our cultures turn from the Lord, the greater the need for everyone to fulfill His needs for us.
Start today.
Right now.
Pray God shows you where He needs you, ask Him to stand by you and shelter you from the storm so that you can show Him how much He is needed, all the while experiencing why you are needed also. Don’t let the world tell you otherwise, you’re a precious child of God and nothing in this life can change that.
It feels good to be needed, doesn’t it?
Well, despite what some may think, we’re all needed by someone, or in most cases, a lot of someones. If nothing else, you’re needed by God to do what he specifically designed you to do. Only you can positively affect those you interact with daily in their relationship with you.
As for me, my wife needs me to be her husband, the spiritual leader for our household and a rock for her to lean on as I steady myself on the Lord.
My son needs me to be his father and do so in such a way that teaches him to become a great man of God, so that the potential our Father infused in him won’t go to waste as it would if I led him astray by chasing money or materialism or celebrity or fleshly pleasures.
My friends need me to be me. A guy they can count on and a guy who can help them to live, laugh and love the Lord. A man they can walk alongside, moving closer to God with each step in our journey.
Where’s the hitch in all that? It can’t be that simple, can it? Everything has a catch, right?
Well, there are others who need us to do things, to act a certain way, go a specific direction. Those others don’t serve our Father and they try to lure us off course by dangling earthly glory, pleasures and false security in front of us like a proverbial carrot. We’re in a world of greed, lust and sinful desires, where they need us to disengage from God at the least and to actively disobey him at the most, so that they can marginalize one more of His children.
But, God needs us more.
My wife needs me more. My son needs me more and my friends, co workers and acquaintances need me more. The same can be said of you, and I’m saying it right now. God needs you, today, this instant and for all eternity.
The further our world and our cultures turn from the Lord, the greater the need for everyone to fulfill His needs for us.
Start today.
Right now.
Pray God shows you where He needs you, ask Him to stand by you and shelter you from the storm so that you can show Him how much He is needed, all the while experiencing why you are needed also. Don’t let the world tell you otherwise, you’re a precious child of God and nothing in this life can change that.
It feels good to be needed, doesn’t it?
Sunday, May 30, 2010
CLAIM YOUR BLESSINGS
Cross posted from Christian Republic
God has blessings waiting to pour all over you. Yet, if you’re like me, you might spend some time wondering why they haven’t been poured out yet. The idea occurred to me that my life is like a big project, and those blessings are dedicated for the project and nothing else.
If I were to undertake a project to build a hospital, but wanted to spend some of the budget on a grand party, would I be able to complete the hospital properly, having misused resources? Would I have enough for the ICU, the neo natal ward, the delivery rooms? No, probably not.
I think it’s easy to pose the same question to my overall life.
God knit me in my mother’s womb so that I could fulfill a destiny He set out before me. That destiny did not include becoming a rock star, although I tried. It did not include becoming a professional football player, although I chased that as well. In fact, it didn’t include flying fighter jets, orbiting the earth in a space shuttle or owning a nightclub… all of which I dreamed of doing at one point or another. And, almost as if I were visibly veering off course, God did not bless me in any of those endeavors except so that those experiences could help me down the trail he already blazed for me.
However, once I did correct my course and start walking in the light, the blessings began pouring out. My marriage blossomed into a wonderfully strong union, with God at the center. My son was born, healthy and happy. My family grows closer to God daily and by default closer to one another. And, most importantly, I learn more about walking with the Lord and how to bring others along for the journey each and every day.
What used to burden my heart is now trivial. What once caused strife in my soul I now shrug off. The worldly things I yearned for, and agonized over when I couldn’t possess them, are devalued, because they do not honor God. In the grand scheme, cars, houses, toys and celebrity mean nothing if you aren’t serving Him.
So, by changing my focus from worldly things to the Kingdom of God, I have laid claim to my blessings and rest assured that He will dispense them to me as needed. If I have a financial shortfall one month, God is faithful and I receive a refund from something I never knew I had coming. If hardship comes my way, He soothes my soul and calms my spirit, so that I can see it as an opportunity to grow, instead of one to wither. With these seemingly miraculous divine interventions, I’ve learned that faith is a two way street. I have faith in Him, He has faith in me. How awesome!
With that knowledge comes a peaceful freedom unlike anything I’ve ever known. And, I’d like you to have it as well.
How can you claim your blessings, you ask? Here’re a few simple steps to claim what’s rightfully yours.
1) Discover your God honoring goal and dedicate your life to achieving it. You might need to seek advisement on this from your local church and you’ll certainly need to pray on it daily until you achieve clear vision.
2) Pray that He equips you to achieve this goal. Where God guides, God provides, but you must ask so that He knows you truly want it.
3) Pray for wisdom to achieve this goal in a way that honors the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Anything less is a waste of resources and you just might need those to build a hospital.
4) Pray for perseverance to overcome the troubles that will come. Know that God is at your side, He’s got your back and nothing on earth can defeat His plan.
5) Pray for His protection. If you truly are on a mission from God, the evil one wants nothing more than to derail you. As your successes mount, so will the attacks from those who despise the Lord. But, have faith, He holds the key to the vault of your blessings, and he wants you to have them.
6) Pray simply because you love the Lord. Bask in that love, letting it wash over you like a gentle breeze on a warm summer’s day. Be still and know that His blessings are yours.
God has blessings waiting to pour all over you. Yet, if you’re like me, you might spend some time wondering why they haven’t been poured out yet. The idea occurred to me that my life is like a big project, and those blessings are dedicated for the project and nothing else.
If I were to undertake a project to build a hospital, but wanted to spend some of the budget on a grand party, would I be able to complete the hospital properly, having misused resources? Would I have enough for the ICU, the neo natal ward, the delivery rooms? No, probably not.
I think it’s easy to pose the same question to my overall life.
God knit me in my mother’s womb so that I could fulfill a destiny He set out before me. That destiny did not include becoming a rock star, although I tried. It did not include becoming a professional football player, although I chased that as well. In fact, it didn’t include flying fighter jets, orbiting the earth in a space shuttle or owning a nightclub… all of which I dreamed of doing at one point or another. And, almost as if I were visibly veering off course, God did not bless me in any of those endeavors except so that those experiences could help me down the trail he already blazed for me.
However, once I did correct my course and start walking in the light, the blessings began pouring out. My marriage blossomed into a wonderfully strong union, with God at the center. My son was born, healthy and happy. My family grows closer to God daily and by default closer to one another. And, most importantly, I learn more about walking with the Lord and how to bring others along for the journey each and every day.
What used to burden my heart is now trivial. What once caused strife in my soul I now shrug off. The worldly things I yearned for, and agonized over when I couldn’t possess them, are devalued, because they do not honor God. In the grand scheme, cars, houses, toys and celebrity mean nothing if you aren’t serving Him.
So, by changing my focus from worldly things to the Kingdom of God, I have laid claim to my blessings and rest assured that He will dispense them to me as needed. If I have a financial shortfall one month, God is faithful and I receive a refund from something I never knew I had coming. If hardship comes my way, He soothes my soul and calms my spirit, so that I can see it as an opportunity to grow, instead of one to wither. With these seemingly miraculous divine interventions, I’ve learned that faith is a two way street. I have faith in Him, He has faith in me. How awesome!
With that knowledge comes a peaceful freedom unlike anything I’ve ever known. And, I’d like you to have it as well.
How can you claim your blessings, you ask? Here’re a few simple steps to claim what’s rightfully yours.
1) Discover your God honoring goal and dedicate your life to achieving it. You might need to seek advisement on this from your local church and you’ll certainly need to pray on it daily until you achieve clear vision.
2) Pray that He equips you to achieve this goal. Where God guides, God provides, but you must ask so that He knows you truly want it.
3) Pray for wisdom to achieve this goal in a way that honors the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Anything less is a waste of resources and you just might need those to build a hospital.
4) Pray for perseverance to overcome the troubles that will come. Know that God is at your side, He’s got your back and nothing on earth can defeat His plan.
5) Pray for His protection. If you truly are on a mission from God, the evil one wants nothing more than to derail you. As your successes mount, so will the attacks from those who despise the Lord. But, have faith, He holds the key to the vault of your blessings, and he wants you to have them.
6) Pray simply because you love the Lord. Bask in that love, letting it wash over you like a gentle breeze on a warm summer’s day. Be still and know that His blessings are yours.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Up The Wall
Cross posted from Christian Republic.
When I was a kid, we had a wall in our house with short, horizontal dashes scrawled on it in pencil. Right beside these tell-tale marks were dates and initials. These dashes were milestones of our growth. Every time I’d stand with my back to the wall, waiting anxiously for my mother to draw a new line to illustrate my new height, I’d stretch to my tallest so that my growth would be maximized. Strangely enough, these were the only days I recall noticing I’d grown.
As Christ followers, we grow every day in our new lives. However, just like children, we don’t always notice that growth, even though others around us might. Sometimes, it takes a point where our backs are against the wall, where we need to stretch to our tallest in order to measure our growth in Christ.
Why can’t we stretch to our tallest every moment of every day? Is it the weight of our world that pushes our shoulders down, compresses our spine and lowers our gaze? Or is it the evil one, knowing you grow towards that which you focus on, like a flower blooming towards the sun? If you stare at the ground, how can you grow towards Christ?
While you may have not been tall enough in your faith last week to reach for something Godly, don’t let that prevent you from reaching out today. In fact, I encourage you to consider every day as a measuring day. Where we all stretch to our tallest, rising up the wall in faith.
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
With God, all things are possible. While you may think it’s impossible to grasp what was once out of reach, God knows better and is simply waiting for you to stretch yourself. So, don’t wait for the next time your back is against the wall, reach for the sky today, leaving tomorrow to itself.
When I was a kid, we had a wall in our house with short, horizontal dashes scrawled on it in pencil. Right beside these tell-tale marks were dates and initials. These dashes were milestones of our growth. Every time I’d stand with my back to the wall, waiting anxiously for my mother to draw a new line to illustrate my new height, I’d stretch to my tallest so that my growth would be maximized. Strangely enough, these were the only days I recall noticing I’d grown.
As Christ followers, we grow every day in our new lives. However, just like children, we don’t always notice that growth, even though others around us might. Sometimes, it takes a point where our backs are against the wall, where we need to stretch to our tallest in order to measure our growth in Christ.
Why can’t we stretch to our tallest every moment of every day? Is it the weight of our world that pushes our shoulders down, compresses our spine and lowers our gaze? Or is it the evil one, knowing you grow towards that which you focus on, like a flower blooming towards the sun? If you stare at the ground, how can you grow towards Christ?
While you may have not been tall enough in your faith last week to reach for something Godly, don’t let that prevent you from reaching out today. In fact, I encourage you to consider every day as a measuring day. Where we all stretch to our tallest, rising up the wall in faith.
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
With God, all things are possible. While you may think it’s impossible to grasp what was once out of reach, God knows better and is simply waiting for you to stretch yourself. So, don’t wait for the next time your back is against the wall, reach for the sky today, leaving tomorrow to itself.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Resurrection Day!
No matter where you are or what you're doing, I pray the Holy Spirit blesses you greatly today.
Also, here's my latest post on CR.
Have a great day and remember what He did for us, always.
Also, here's my latest post on CR.
Have a great day and remember what He did for us, always.
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