ABC Prayers

Sometimes our prayer life gets into a rut. I remember about a year ago, we talked in our small group about how prayer should be more of an ongoing dialogue with God rather than these little hit and miss desperate cries for help finding the car keys. So I remember one day on a walk with my kids, I was thinking about this and trying to formulate a plan of action. My mind instantly slipped into teacher mode- I taught Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies for 6 years prior to staying at home to raise my kids, so cut me a little slack on the "nerd factor" here. I came up with a plan and I'd like to pass it along to you. It has "teacher" written all over it, but it has been useful to me and could be useful for you and your family too. 


It may seem a little dorky. But you have to try it before you judge. If you have kids, this would be an awesome family activity. On my walk that day, I started with the very basic premise of the alphabet and praying through each letter. For example, I would make my topic for a day "The attributes of God" and I would start with the letter A. A-awesome. B- bigger than my fears. C- creator of all things. You get the idea. Another day, I might wind my way through the alphabet with prayer requests- A- advance my ability to lead. B- bring relief to someone I know who is sick. C- comfort a person who is mourning a loss. D- deepen my devotion to study and prayer. This works really well with kids. An extension of this could be to have a prayer basket on the dinner table filled with letters of the alphabet on cards- you could draw one out each night and discuss words that begin with that letter that describe how we feel about God, who He is to us, or things we are thankful for. I am planning on doing this with my sons this week. 


Another practical use of this for adults would be to get a prayer journal and on the first page, write the letter A- think of a word that praises God that begins with that letter- for example "adore". Then write out a prayer, a poem, or a song expressing your adoration to Him. Then take some time to look verses up in your Bible and write them down to meditate on that have to do with adoring God.


It sounds really elementary, and it is. But sometimes getting back to basics can allow for a lot of growth. You can't get much more basic than your ABC's! God loves to hear from His children- I think any method we can use to start and carry on a conversation with Him is a good thing. Once the basics are mastered, and the routine of a daily dialogue is established, the topics will get deeper and the relationship will flourish. There is power in prayer and I pray that all of you will make the effort in some way to embrace the power today. 



Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.


1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Let it Rain!

After two days He will revive us;
   on the third day He will raise us up,
   that we may live before Him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;
   His going out is sure as the dawn;
He will come to us as the showers,
   as the spring rains that water the earth.
Hosea 6:2-3

Chains Be Broken!

^{Galatians 5:1, 6-21 (MSG)}

^{1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.}

^6-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

^19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

I was reading this passage this morning and it just struck me, particularly verses 19-21. The Message Bible just nails it- these are the sins eating away at all of us, churched and unchurched, saved and unsaved. We're all in a sinking ship together. But thankfully, those of us who have turned to Jesus are holding on to a lifeline that can't ever be severed or released. 

At our church, we've adopted the saying "Chains Be Broken" from an awesome Brooke Fraser song called "You'll Come" and the song talks about waiting on God  and knowing that He is rescuing us and is responding to us when we respond to Him. The bridge of the song is:

Chains be broken
Lives be healed
Eyes be opened
Christ is revealed

I think verse 19-21 of Galatians 5 is the perfect list of "chains" we're praying against in our church. We want to see people released from the slavery of these things that are holding them back from a free life lived for Christ. 

I am going to print Galatians 5:19-21 off and post it somewhere where I can see it and I encourage anyone reading this to do the same- this list, though Paul wrote it a couple thousand years ago, is still relevant today- they had the same problems then as we do now, but they also had the same God that we have now! We have access to the same powerful Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead to overcome the chains holding us back and God wants to break them for us, but He wants our hearts to acknowledge these things that are holding us back and willingly shake them loose as He breaks them and then He wants us to run straight to Him, never looking back. Let's pray, as a community, for these chains that are listed in verses 19-21 to be broken, smashed, and destroyed that we might be free to worship our King freely and completely with surrendered hearts and lives, every moment of every day! We declare it-Chains Be Broken!

The Altar of Peace

I was reading in a study Bible of mine this morning in John 14. There was an interesting note off to the side about a historical event that had occurred that put Jesus' inspiring words about peace into a new light for me. I am sort of a history nerd (it was one of my concentrations for my education major in college) and I taught Social Studies for a couple years when I taught middle school and loved it. Anytime we can use historical information to gain further context and insight, that's a good thing. 


So here's a brief history lesson for you: 


"In 9 B.C. Augusts dedicated the Altar of Peace in Rome, a marble altar in an enclosure 38 by 35 feet. The altar was decorated with carved garlands and other sculptures illustrating peace and prosperity that Augustus announced as his gift to the world. Jesus announced yet a greater peace from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:27)"


So it stands to reason that people must have been pretty impressed with this giant marble peace symbol. It was probably the talk of many towns. It was something visual, a very literally huge reminder of the "gift of peace" that Augustus promised. If you'd like to read more about it, you can click here: http://www.romanguide.com/ancientrome/ara-pacis-augustus.html

This picture shows a reconstruction of the altar (the original was destroyed). As you can see, it's an impressive structure- beautiful even in an architectural sense. But looking at it, the word "peace" doesn't really come to mind. So what were the Romans going after when they launched this building process? 




People like believing in and can understand things that they can see, don't they? I mean, we drive our car because we know that our car is in working order when we pop the hood. We like to walk on a bridge only if it's not visibly falling apart. We like to put our kids in swings that look sturdy enough to hold them up. We like to put our trust in things we can touch and see. It's difficult to embrace an abstract concept and put your total trust into that concept.  I think that's why Augustus built this giant marble deal. Peace is a feeling, but he tried to create an object to encapsulate it. We do the exact same thing today. We try to find peace in a myriad of different objects or places. But we can search and search and we will find that anything that is not of God will not bring us the peace we long for. 


In John 14:27, Jesus said "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."


This past weekend was just amazing. At our church, Lancaster Community Church, I believe that so many lives were changed. Many people came to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Many more people committed themselves to moving into higher levels of commitment to Christ. There is a peace in my heart  this morning in knowing that Jesus, though He was crucified, which we remembered on Friday, reigns forever in heaven, which we should celebrate every single moment of our lives. There is such peace in knowing that I am loved, I am free from my sin, I am part of an everlasting Kingdom, and that if God is for me (and He is, by the way), then nothing can stand against me. 


If you find yourself on a constant quest for peace, would you just do me a favor? A couple favors, actually. First of all, pull out your Bible and read it. Start with John 14 and keep going. Secondly, if you're not part of a church, would you just give it a shot? I think you would find our church to be welcoming, very casual, non-threatening, filled with everyday, ordinary people who are trying, just like you, on a lifelong journey to find Jesus. Some of us are running on that journey, others are moving at a snails pace, but we're all moving forward and experiencing the beautiful peace that comes from only one source and that's Jesus. He is truly the author and giver of peace and is more real to me than any manmade attempt at peace that ever was, or ever will be.


 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Once For All

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."  1 John 2:2


This verse has been on my mind and in my heart all week. I think it's only appropriate to share my thoughts today- on the day we set aside to remember Jesus and His sacrifice. First of all, that word "atoning". We don't use it a whole lot in our everyday speech. It means "to make amends for an injury or wrong." It usually refers to someone making their OWN fault or mistake right again. What's so significant about this word is that Jesus never MADE a mistake or had any faults. So why did He have to atone for them? Because He did it for us. For our sins. 


And then here's the part that blows me away- "and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." Did you catch that word "whole"? As in, the entire species, every race, every person who ever lived, every person who will ever live in the future. Every person who embraces Jesus' truth, every person who disdains and refuses it. Everybody. Rich, poor, black, white, young old, woman, man, child, parent, atheist, Bible-thumping Christian...He did it for everyone. And though the world chooses to remain in ignorance of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we MUST remember. We will NOT forget today, or ANY day that He paid the price for our mess. We will remember that when we put our faith in Jesus, the transaction was complete.


If the story ended with the death of Jesus, it would be a pretty bleak weekend. It would be a pretty bleak life actually. But we know in our hearts that He has overcome the grave. In a couple days, we will celebrate that truth. Had Jesus just died and stayed dead, I wonder what life would look like. It seems possible that we would still have some assurance of our sins being covered by His sacrifice. But we would have no hope. No power. No way to know that our futures were bright. I think this is the mindset of some Christians today- they know and understand that Jesus died, but they leave Him in the tomb. They never fully accept His power and live in the hope of the resurrection. Jesus did come back to life. He walked among His followers. It is corroborated by eyewitnesses in the New Testament and was miraculously foretold through dozens of prophesies in the Old Testament. It happened. And because it happened, we can be saved from a life of our sin and our meaningless selves and we can have hope for our present and our future. Jesus did that for us. Jesus did that for the whole world. 


A truth that goes unaccepted is still true, but a truth unapplied is like having a really awesome gift given to you and never opening it. Sadly, most of the world is willfully ignoring the gift and the giver. Most of the world is living either in denial or ignorance of the moment when God shattered the power of death once for ALL people. Do you know that Jesus died for You and that He was raised from the dead in a moment of pure power and victory? 


I'm filled with joy and peace when I say that I have embraced that moment in my heart more this year than any other year. I pray that you will do the same.


"Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered himself."   Hebrews 7:27

This Is It

If there was ever a time to throw caution to the wind and throw your hands up in the air in adoration of our risen and reigning Savior, this is it.


If there was ever an opportunity to humble yourself and bow low to the ground in awe and wonder of our living King, this is it.


If there was ever a pivotal moment in your life where you knew it was time to let go of anything holding you back from fully surrendering to God, this is it.


If there was ever an instant to proclaim victory over the enemy, this is it.


If there was ever a week to contemplate ways you can change so that your whole life is one long response to the revelation of our everlasting Father, this is it. 


If there was ever a chance to sing with your whole heart and soul, crying out, shouting out, belting out His praises, this is it.


If there was ever a weekend where the power of God would be undeniably powerful, chain-breaking, heart-healing, life-saving... this is it.


Easter 2011...This is it. 




Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 
Psalm 95:6


You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,  that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Psalm 30:11-12


These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
Psalm 42:4

Is Someone Cutting Up an Onion in Here?

I am not, by nature, an extremely weepy person. I sometimes crumble and cry out of frustration or worry, but it's rare when I am moved to tears by something positive. Well, yesterday just brought on the torrent of tears... I am all misty eyed just writing this! 


First of all, we had the most awesome service at LCC yesterday. It's difficult to explain if you haven't been there, but from up on the stage, when you look out past the lights, the thing you see is a sea of faces. Usually during the first song, the faces for the most part are just a little distracted- kind of glancing around to see who's at church, or turning off phones, or looking at bulletins. But usually by the second song, people begin to settle in and their faces change. Yesterday, particularly in the second service, you could just see a hunger and a desire for God on the faces of the people. 


Almost a desperation. 


What a beautiful place to be- in a state of sheer desperation for God. When we break through to that stage, that's when God begins to move and break the chains. It was all I could do to not get caught up just staring into the crowd, at the faces of so many dear friends of mine, or faces of dear potential friends- there are so many new people I haven't met yet! Watching people seek and find God is an amazing experience. And that's what went down at LCC in many lives yesterday. So LCC was a beautiful place to be in the morning.


Then I played trumpet in a cantata at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Lancaster with a large orchestra. These people are good! The string section just always blows me away. Prior to the performance as they were just tuning up, I started feeling this beauty stirring in my soul. The sounds being produced, though seemingly discordant and jumbled, were absolutely stunning to me. And then the conductor called us to attention and a 60 member choir and large orchestra began to musically tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. It was heavenly. I had the thought- only God could have invented something so awe-inspiring as music. It's absolutely amazing that He has given us such a gift. And I am wired in a way that I have always perceived and processed music emotionally. It's almost like my language. There is not a moment in the day when a song isn't going on in my head. I asked my husband if that was normal the other day, but I think we've all come to the conclusion that I'm not normal :) That's a good thing though.


So even though I was blown away by the strings and the swelling voices of the choir, one little girl's pure innocent voice singing a solo that concluded the cantata just about did me in. She sang:


Come walk with me
Into the world
As we tell The Story through our lives
Though the road we travel will not end
Walk with me 
As we say Amen


And then this morning, the Pastor whose church I attended from Middle School into college- his mother passed away today. He told on Facebook of how she, in her 70's taught a Bible Club in a housing project until the group she was working with made her quit because of how dangerous the area was. She loved working with children and telling them about Jesus. As I was reading his status update about his Mom passing, I thought about what an awesome week it is to die if you're a Christian.


 I mean, think about it. We try on earth to pull off these impacting, powerful Easter celebrations at our churches, but this lady is going to spend Easter (if they even have a specific designation for Easter in Heaven- it's probably more like an everyday event to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus), right there worshiping the risen and reigning King of Kings! The picture in my head of all the people in heaven gathering around our loving Savior, singing out to Him and seeing His nail scarred hands reaching out, beckoning them to celebrate and adore Him just caused me to lose it. My kids are looking at me like, what in the world is WRONG with this woman? It's just Jesus. He's causing me to completely unravel and break down the walls we build up around our hearts. 


I hope you are encouraged and inspired to dive into this holy week with the realization that Jesus died for us and for His glory and He now lives and reigns on high in glory so amazing --we can't begin to fathom it. And what really chokes me up is that He's also, right here, right now in our hearts, showing us that He is our Way, our Truth, and our Life. 


May we all be open to Him this week and every week. 


Amen.

"And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him." John 12:24-26