Close Encounters

On my mind today is a memory of one of my first Close Encounters with God. I was about 10 and had recently made my choice to follow Christ. I had a precious Sunday School teacher (Sandy) who was teaching us about praying. Now I don't remember all that she said but I do know that she prompted me to take the things that concerned me to God in prayer.

With that in mind I lay in my bed one night fighting my usual fears. (I was terribly afraid of the dark and seemed to always be afraid of what might happen.) So, I decided to pray. I prayed about the things I feared and then a picture came to my mind that I instantly knew was God answering me.

I could see my house and coming out of the sky was something that resembled a glass cake topper and it covered my house. Some how I understood this as God protecting my house from anything "bad". In that moment I was reassured and confident that God had answered my prayer and I drifted off to sleep with no fear.

I will never forget that, (well, I might when I'm 80 something) it was just the beginning, but it is a point that I can go back to time and time again and remember that God cares about the things that concern us, even if in the scheme of things they are "big" things.

So, are you faithfully taking your cares (big and small) to your Heavenly Father? How has he demonstrated his love for you lately?

What's the big deal about prayer?!

Why in the wide world are there SO many books, sermons & lessons written and delivered over how to pray!? We don't have books to teach people how to speak. There are books that teach correct grammar in school, there are books that are written to teach us new languages, (to some prayer seems like a new language...keep reading) but parents aren't flying to the book store to find out how to teach their new baby how to talk, it is simply understood that a child learns how to speak by listening to us speak. The more we talk to our children the more they learn and we don't HAVE to dumb it down for them (though we often do) they learn from us by listening to us. Even Jesus taught his disciples to pray by example more than instruction.

Parents, you teach your children to pray the same way you taught them to talk. You pray with them and around them, daily and often. Don't just pray at dinner or at their bed side when they are little and you're tucking them in at night. Pray over them when they are sick, pray with them for teachers, friends and the needs that they are very aware of already. Pray for them and with them when they have bad dreams or a bad day. Teach them by example that YOU trust God with all of these things and they can too. Teach them that speaking to God doesn't have to be scheduled or formal, it can be as simple as praising God out loud for a beautiful sunrise or bringing you home safe through traffic. They will pick it up and before you even realize time has gone by your teenager will be praying over you when you're sick and you will be absolutely in-awed with them and wonder to yourself; "where did he learn to do that?". 

Those that have not been exposed to such examples are often overwhelmed by Church "Instructions" regarding prayer. "Your prayer needs to include A. B. and C". or some other cute little anagram. Honestly I think somehow in all our religiosity we accidentally plant fear and anxiety in peoples hearts over something that should be as natural as our everyday conversations with people. When we are first getting to know someone conversation can be rough, strained and uncomfortable, but once we begin to know that person better, words are easier; we begin to trust them with "real" thoughts and the deep things of our hearts. It is the same with God. Mr & Ms Long Time Church Goer, when someone asks you how to pray; encourage them to simply talk to God about whatever comes to mind and either take time to help them get to know God better or help them get connected to someone who will.

Beloved child of God, don't be afraid of prayer, it's not one of those things that you can do so terribly wrong that it isn't going to count or God is not going to listen to you. All God wants is for you to sit down next to him on the couch or across the table at Starbucks and talk. Ask Him questions, listen, and trust him with what is on your mind. Pick up your Bible and learn as much about Him as you possibly can, pester other people who know Him to tell you more about Him. Unfortunately He doesn't have a Facebook page where you can "creep on him" :-) but there are plenty of other ways to get to know him. It may start off awkwardly but it will get better, just keep at it! You will never be the same again!

It all Boils Down to...(Part 1)

I suppose it's rather simplistic, maybe even naive, to think so but it seems to me that most every difficulty we encounter in life (if not everything) boils down to faith, or the lack thereof. Part 1 of this essay will tackle just one example, for the sake of brevity.

Though I don't recall how long it lasted, I think maybe a year or two (maybe more), there was a point in my marriage where I was sorely discontent. I blamed Gary for our financial discomfort, for my life and family not being what I had imagined it to be. I (in my mind) criticized his Spiritual leadership, and many other things. Even though I never verbalized my frustration and disappointment I know it showed it my attitude and interactions with him. I let these thoughts run unchecked in my mind and they drove me into a deep depression. I don't know how successful I was at hiding it but no one every confronted me about it. I had myself pretty fooled too, I could handle this, I could adjust, I could ignore my feelings and just keep chugging along.

Thankfully, God was not content to let me continue on this way and I continued to worship him as best I could, I refused to walk out on God or my family, no matter how hard the temptations came at me. I'm not saying that was my own will that saved me from temptation but God faithfully at work in me.  (It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Phil 2:13) Over time and through a number of different books I read during that time I realized that my discontent or anger wasn't with Gary at all, but God. How dare I be angry with God? I couldn't admit that to be true so I had to blame Gary. Either him or me. Gary was more convenient so I continued to direct my frustration at him. Still, God faithfully, tenderly worked in my heart to show me that I wasn't having a marital issue, I wasn't even having a depression issue, I was in fact, having a faith issue.

I was having a "crisis of faith" as Henry Blackaby calls it in his book: "Experiencing God". I had to come to grips with the fact that I was looking to Gary to do what only God could do and I was blaming Gary for things that God was fully in control of.  God had taken us where He wanted, we were care for by God alone and while Gary and I both had a responsibility to be obedient to God's leadership ultimately God was at the center of everything in my life. God is Sovereign. God is my Provider. My anger stemmed from not truly believing that God was at work in Gary, in me, and in my family. If I wanted to move forward out of this darkness of temptation, fear, anger, frustration, and depression I had to hold fast to my vows to Gary on our wedding day and to the truth that God both could and would work all these things together for his good.

I don't think it any mere consequence that during this time of darkness that our church  had a vow renewal service on Valentine's Day. I couldn't very well wiggle out of that and admit to Gary and everyone else that I really didn't want to. So I did and I think it was the best thing I could have done, even though I didn't think so at the time. I realized, after God had worked sufficiently in me ,that by renewing those vows when I didn't really FEEL "in love" I cinched up my heart to be obedient and TRUST God with my fears and doubts. (Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path...Proverbs 3:5&6).

So what is your fear? What are you projecting on to a loved one that truly belongs to God? What do you really believe to be true about God? Are you acting accordingly?

The more I know God the more I trust Him; the more I trust Him the more I learn of Him and trust him more...