Too Easily Pleased

Ben Patterson, in his book Deepening Your Conversation With God, and Paul Miller, in his book A Praying Life, both make the point that the vigor of our praying depends on our view of God and what He has to offer.

 Patterson quotes C.S.Lewis (The Weight of Glory) to make the point:

“[If] we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.  We are far too easily pleased.”

Exchange Schedules

Have each person write out their schedule. 

If the circumstance is a one-time meeting with no expectation of follow-up, then suggest a detailed calendar for the next week.  For longer lasting mentoring or prayer partner arrangements, it will be good to add a “usual” current weekly schedule.

Pair up and exchange schedules.  Ask a few questions and then pray through the other person’s agenda.  Encourage everyone to take their partner’s list home and pray regularly for the events of the day.

Even More Similies

Even more Winners of the “worst analogies ever written in a high school essay” contest. See the 8/24/13 and 9/14/13 posts for more.

Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph. (Jennifer Hart, Arlington)

 The politician was gone but unnoticed, like the period after the Dr. on a Dr Pepper can. (Wayne Goode, Madison, la.)

 They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth (Paul Kocak, Syracuse, N.Y.)

 John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met. (Russell Beland, Springfield)

 The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play. (Barbara Fetherolf, Alexandria)

 His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free (Chuck Smith, Woodbridge)

 The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red Crayola crayon. (Unknown)

But Even If

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar constructs a huge idol and commands all his people to worship it.  Anyone who didn’t would be thrown into a fiery furnace.  Daniel’s three friends famously refused in Daniel 3.16-18:

                “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is  able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image you have set up.”

The resulting actions include an enraged king, a super-heated furnace; guards ignited when they throw the three friends in the furnace, an angel rescue, and a miraculous display of God’s power.

The Battle of Dunkirk (June 1940), as described by Winston Churchill was “A miracle of deliverance, achieved by valor, by perseverance, by perfect discipline, by faultless service, by resource, by skill, by unconquerable fidelity…”   And all those qualities were present. 

But Duncan Boughton told me another feature.  At the beginning of the massive evacuation, a simple message was received from the trapped forces, to the effect that “the situation is very bad and we look to be overrun, but even if…”, interpreted as a resolute standing firm in the face of another God-less king. 

And so the Dunkirk deliverance included angel rescues in the form of hundreds of small boats and vessels braving stormy waters, inspired and helped by the hand of God.

 

Blogging

I find I like putting together this blog. 

The categories make it easy to capture previous and current thoughts that would formerly have ended up on a scrap of paper in some forgotten folder.  For several years I have been doing a Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year program (the first Year program took eighteen months, the second took 15, but I settled in after that to twelve-month years – PTL).  I had been taking short notes on 5×8 tablet pages, hoping to organize them at some point.  So I can pull out old notes and be pleased when a reasonable topic appears.

Last week I was worried that I was running out of jokes.  I asked God to bring along some more.  Shortly after praying I came across a file named “humor5” in my computer historical directory.  Turns out I had collected jokes and funny lists from the internet ten years ago.  I am finding out that funny remains funny, and most people forget a joke within a couple of years.  Recycling is a great thing.

The jokes thing worked, so when it seemed that Group Prayer ideas had dried up, I prayed for more of those. What a blessing that while sitting in the airport the next day, I jotted down a list of nine possibilities; the next day I added three more.  Cool.

Next week I am adding a second client in my regular data analyst work.  I am hoping the blog does not suffer too much!   

Warning Sign

A local priest and pastor were fishing on the side of the road.  They thoughtfully made a sign saying, “The End is Near!  Turn yourself around now before it’s too late!” and showed it to each passing car.

One driver that drove by didn’t appreciate the sign and shouted at them: “Leave us alone you religious nuts!”

All of a sudden they heard a big splash, looked at each other, and the priest said to the pastor ….. “You think we should shorten the sign to ‘Bridge out’ instead?”

Persevere

At the end of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, in verses 13-14, he sends a brief but robust encouragement to continue to follow the Lord, with confidence in his power.  The five phrases:

–          Be watchful

–          Stand firm in the truth

–          Act like men

–          Be strong

–          Let all that you do be done in love

Saul to Paul

Even the most antagonistic enemies of the gospel can be saved.  A well-trained Pharisee named Saul terrorized the early Christian church.  He watched as Stephan was stoned, holding other people’s coats so they could have a better throw.  He raided meetings and homes, dragging followers of “the Way” to prison.  He took his fervor on the road, traveling to Damascus to round up believers there.  But God had other plans for him.

In the miraculous conversion described in Acts 9.1-19, a light from heaven flashed and blinded Saul, he was knocked to the ground, and the voice of Jesus spoke to him.  While blind for three days, he had a vision of a man named Ananias laying hands on him so he would regain his sight.  When Ananias showed up, the prophetic vision event happened for real, and Saul was healed and baptized. 

Saul immediately began proclaiming the central truth that Jesus is the Son of God.  And he “confounded” the Jews by proving that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. Saul knew the Law and the Prophets better than most; he had been well trained; he proves to be an excellent debater.  But his best asset was the knowledge gained from meeting the risen Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. 

The Jews of Damascus were perplexed and then angry that the havoc-maker of Jerusalem had changed; at the same time Christians were fearful of subterfuge.  But the change was real and Saul, later called Paul, became the chief evangelist to the gentiles.   His Pharisee training and Roman citizenship were helpful, but his letters to the churches made it clear that the only important thing was Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2.2).