Bob's Blog

Insomniac's Reading & Play List

2009-06-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Psalm 119:148

When I have trouble sleeping, which is pretty often, here are some of the things I do to get me through the watches of the night:

*Listen on my ipod to an oldie, but great Vineyard worship CD called Isn't He. The CD is from the ole acoustic worship series. I am sure I've listened it now since the late 1990's (when it was just a cassette tape) thousands of times.

*Read the Scriptures. Recently I am reading through a several hundred page commentary on Romans by N.T. Wright. (Great stuff but after an hour or two of reading it can make you pretty sleepy!)

*As the Psalm above states, "meditate on God's promises." It's amazing how much the Spirit can speak to you out a passage that you have memorized and meditate on in your mind repeatedly over and over again. Some of my favorites are Psalm 1, 23, 34, and of course, the Lord's Prayer.

sweet dreams.

The Sermon on the Mount

2009-06-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

As I read, meditate, study the Sermon on the Mount, I have a new and growing appreciation for Jesus' teaching on what it means to live within the Kingdom of God (God's Rule and Reign). Certainly the Sermon reflects the values and ethics of the Kingdom. (By the way, even though Matthew puts it in a sermon format that can be spoken in 15 minutes, scholars agree that it was a compilation of Jesus' teaching). It seems to me that anyone one who calls themselves a follower of Jesus Christ, must take the Sermon on the Mount seriously. By that I mean, a student of Jesus will read it often, meditate on it regularly and pray that by God's Spirit she might live it out daily and be the salt and light Jesus intends for us all to be.

Random thought: "You write what you read" someone said.

The Fruit of Discipleship

2009-04-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

I received an email from a friend I hadn't spoken to in over 20 years. My friend expressed his appreciation for me and the time he served as my "intern" in student ministry back in the 80's. This young man took a year off from college and from pursuing his law degree to be discipled and to assist us in discipling high school students. In an exchange of emails he wrote:

I am confident God used you to help introduce me to serving his children and I will always be thankful for the time you took to mentor me. By the way, I'm currently in a discipleship group at my church and have been for 3 years. God used the group leader, my pastor, to give me the courage to quit practicing law and start working with kids. I have also started a discipleship group with my high school guys. Isn't God incredible!!!

My email response to him was:

Awesome, brother! What a surprise to hear from you:) Thank you so much for taking the time to look me up and connect. Hearing from you brings back a lot of great memories and confirms my efforts over the years to "make disciples." My life verse is 2 Timothy 2:2 and hearing your story and what you're now doing encourages me in this regard.

God's timing and sense of humor cracks me up. I am in preparation this week to start a new series on discipleship this Sunday called Following the Jesus Way. Hearing from my friend has given me renewed commitment and passion for discipleship.

Getting the Big Picture

2009-04-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

The theological equivalent of supposing that the earth goes around the sun is the belief that the whole Christian truth is all about me and my salvation. I have read dozens of books and articles in the last few weeks on the topic of justification. Again and again the writers, from a variety of backgrounds, have assumed, taken it for granted, that the central question of all is, 'What must I do to be saved?'' or (Luther's way of putting it), ''How can I find a gracious God?' or, 'How can I enter a right relationship with God?''

Now do not misunderstand me. Hold the angry or fearful reaction. Salvation is hugely important. Of course it is! Knowing God for oneself, as opposed to merely knowing or thinking about him, is at the heart of Christian living. But we are not the centre of the universe. God is not circling around us. We are circling around him.

God made humans for a purpose: not simply for themselves, not simply so that they could be in relationship with him, but that through them, as his image-bearers, he could bring his wise, glad, fruitful order to the world. And the closing scenes of scripture, in the book of Revelation, are not about human beings going off to heaven to be in a close and intimate relationship with God, but about heaven coming to earth. The intimate relationship with God which is indeed promised and celebrated in that great scene of the New Jerusalem issues at once in an outflowing, a further healing creativity, the river of the water of life flowing out from the city, and the tree of life springing up, with leaves that are for the healing of the nations. We are in orbit around God and his purposes, not the other way around. (Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision by N.T. Wright)

Babies Dedicated, God's Good News, Children of the Taliban

2009-04-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Baby Dedication: It was a special time this past Easter Sunday celebrating and dedicating three precious children to the Lord. Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 1:27 took on extra special meaning for me as I had the opportunity to dedicate our only grandchild, Cora Danielle. Hannah presented Samuel in the Temple and said, "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now, I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he (Samuel) worshipped the LORD there.

Presenting the Gospel: I found it exciting and deeply humbling to present God's Good News (Romans 1:1-8) to so many guests on Easter Sunday. I was reminded of James Packer's thoughts about our dependence on the Spirit of God in any effort of evangelism: However clear and cogent we may be in presenting the gospel, we have no hope of convincing or converting anyone. Can you or I by our earnest talking break the power of Satan over a man's life? No. Can you or I give life to the spiritually dead? No. Can we hope to convince sinners of the truth of the gospel by patient explanation? No. Can we hope to move men to obey the gospel by any words of entreaty that we may utter? No. Our approach to evangelism is not realistic till we have faced this shattering fact, and let it make its proper impact on us."

Chilling Story about Children of the Taliban: Joyce and I saw this news story on PBS on Tuesday evening. You can see it on pbs.org/frontlineworld. So opposite to Jesus' radical approach and love for children. Imagine: children viewed as instruments of God (Allah) to kill others as suicide bombers. May God have mercy!

Community and the Cross

2009-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Christianity is all about relationships: with God and with others...The true basis for all fellowship is when two or more persons kneel at the foot of the Christ's cross, trusting only in his mercy and love. At that point of reality, we come to see how our sins crucified Christ and how they wound his body, the church, today.

The cross is the heart of all fellowship, and it is only through the cross that fellowship is deepened and matured. This will involve the frequent and painful crucifixion of self in all its forms--self-seeking, self-centeredness, self-righteousness--and the willingness to remain vulnerable in open fellowship with other Christians. (Called and Committed by David Watson)

Transformational Discipleship

2009-04-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

It is time to commit to going deep with God and to believe that depth of personal transformation will bring fulfillment of the Great Commission. (Quote from The Complete Book of Discipleship by Bill Hull)

The Lord knows we've tried going superficial, shallow, syrupy, and seeker-sensitive and while it has draw a crowd in many places, it has not helped us fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples. I might quickly add that this is not just my opinion, but an unfortunate reality that is born out by the facts.

Great Omissions from the Great Commission

2009-04-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Christian church of the first centuries resulted from following this plan for church growth--a result hard to improve upon (Matthew 28:20). But in place of Christ's plan, historical drift has substituted "Make converts(to a particular 'faith and practice') and baptize them into church membership." This causes two great omissions from the Great Commission to stand out. Most important, we start by omitting the making of disciples and enrolling people as Christ's students, when we should let all else wait for that. Then we also omit, of necessity, the step of taking our converts through training that will bring them ever-increasingly to what Jesus directed ("teach them to obey everything I have commanded you").

These two great omissions are connected in practice into one whole. Not having made our converts disciples, it is impossible for us to teach them how to live as Christ lived and taught (Luke 14:26). That was not a part of the package, not what they converted to. When confronted with the example and teachings of Christ, the response today is less one of rebellion or rejection than one of puzzlement: How do we relate to these? What have they to do with us? Isn't this bait and switch? (Quotes taken from The Great Omission by Dallas Willard)

Facing Reality with Jesus

2009-04-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am preparing for our Study Group that will meet tonight. We are using David Watson's classic and blockbusting book on discipleship, Called and Committed. One of the chapters we are looking at tonight is Called to Community. David writes,

Jesus calls his disciples today to a life of realism, openness and honesty. Only when we take off our masks, when we are real with one another, when we walk in the light, as he is in the light, can we have true fellowship with him and each other....There is probably nothing which so shatters our fantasy dream world, helps us to come to terms with our true identity, and enables us to be real with each other, as genuine Christian community.

David goes on to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer(1906-1945), a German pastor, writer, and theologian, who spent the last two years of his life in a Nazis concentration camp before he was hanged in Flossenburg. David says some people join a fellowship with a fantasy dream about Christian community. About this, Bonhoeffer wrote:

God's grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves...God is not a God of the emotions but the God of truth. Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight...When the morning mists of dreams vanish, then dawns the bright day of Christian fellowship."

The Power of Relations in Discipleship

2009-03-31T04:10:00.000-07:00

John Wesley (1703-1791), along with his brother Charles, formed a group with two other friends at Oxford in 1729. Among other things it was called the Holy Club. Below is some the reasons why these young men learned meeting together weekly was so important:

1. Because we are ignorant and short-sighted...and often unable to discern things that are excellent. But God reveals to one what is good for another: so that, in a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom.

2. Because we are lovers of ourselves...unwilling to see our own errors, therefore unlikely to amend them.

3. Because we are weak and irresolute...let go our integrity upon any opposition. But a band of friends who are like-minded, inspire us with courage and confidence.

4. Because we are lukewarm in religious duties. But a holy fellowship will kindle and keep alive a holy fervour.

Christianity without Discipleship

2009-03-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Below are quotes from Bill Hull's book, The Complete Book of Discipleship:

The church culture has largely accepted the idea of non-discipleship Christianity: People can be Christians without making any effort to submit and follow Christ.

1. The American gospel limits grace to forgiveness of sin. We place the focus of grace on conversion instead of on the whole journey. (See Eph. 2:8-9 including v. 10)

2. The American gospel separates justification form sanctification. Discipleship flourishes when we present the gospel as a seamless journey of transformation that begins with new life given by God and moves right along with the joy of following Christ every day.

3. The American gospel teaches that faith equals agreement with a set of religious facts. Believing in Jesus has no meaning if we don't follow him in discipleship. Believing without discipleship isn't believing, it's agreeing to a set of facts about a religious figure.

Paul's Response to the Thorn in the Flesh

2009-03-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

For several weeks now we've been teaching through 2 Corinthians in a series I've called Real People, Real LIves, Real Spirituality. Recently we came to the famous passage in chapter 12 where the Apostle Paul writes about his infamous "thorn in the flesh."

A friend afterwards sent me an email with the following comments and question:

As we were together this morning, it occurred to me, at some point [i.e. after 3 requests], it appears Paul "got" his answer about his "thorn" and made a definitive decision to quit asking and accept the situation.

Is that how you see things? Just wondering vs. a person persevering (patience?) in continuing to ask for something God has answered in the negative. Its my belief that God ALWAYS answers prayer with a "Yes," "No," or "Not Now."

My answer:

I think that Paul rightfully kept pleading for the Lord to remove the thorn and would have kept praying/believing for the Lord to remove it. Why not? We are in the midst of spiritual warfare and unless given specific directions or revelation otherwise, we must continue to resist the enemy and believe that all things are possible with the Lord. But the Lord spoke to Paul clearly that even though this thorn in the flesh was from Satan, it was something the Lord would not remove, but that he would give him grace to deal with it. Some might even say this was a lack of faith on Paul's part. Paul didn't think so. Paul understood God's answer in this case to be, "No." However, what I don't think I said this morning, is that we should not assume that the answer will always be, "No." Unless, of course, we are confident that the Lord has spoken a clear, "No."

In Paul's case, the Lord revealed to him that he was going to use this thorn to keep Paul from becoming conceited because of the "surpassingly great revelations" he had received. What a deal! The visions and the thorn! Paul paid a huge price as a recipient of these glorious visions and revelations. Of course, I think he would be quick to add that, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth compared with the glory we that will be revealed in us." I am sure he had a pretty good idea of what he was talking about esp. in light of the visions and revelations he had received while in the "third heaven."

A.D. 2009: The Year of Our Lord Jesus

2009-01-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

This year is going to bring many crises, challenges and opportunities. It already has! People are going to be forced to make painful and profound choices this year. Naive optimism believes "things" will change and get better. Biblical hope believes God is greater than the circumstances and that his promises are true. True hope trusts God with the future, and therefore is able to have a joy that sees God working his purposes even in the present.

I was thinking, actually worrying, about things this morning. I was worrying about how the things that have already happened or that might happen would effect me, my family members, my friends, our fellowship. I pushed through the worry that was choking off my joy and chose to pick up the Bible and read the scheduled New Testament reading for today. Actually I missed yesterday's reading, so I read both yesterday and today's reading. As a fellowship we've declared this is the Year of the Bible and were going to read through the New Testament together.

I read in Matthew 6 where Jesus said things like,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where

thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...

You cannot serve both God and Money.

I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; about your body; what you

will wear.

But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as

well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

I believe this year, above everything else that happens, will be the Year of the Lord Jesus. This will not just be the "Year of the Bible" because local churches decided to make it their theme. This will be the "Year of the Lord Jesus" because God is going to bring people, nations, churches, families to a crossroads, to a place of decision. This will be a year filled with "decide- this-day-whom-you-will-serve" moments. I read that recently ole' Bob Dylan performed one of 45 or 50 concerts he has given over the years in New York City. He finished the concert with his song, "You Gotta Serve Somebody".

I heard Bert Wagonner, national director of the Vineyard Community of Churches, say this week, "Materialism is the strongest god in America opposing the Lordship of Jesus Christ." Jesus said clearly, "You can't serve God and Money at the same time." We Americans don't really believe that. Many Americans believe that God and Money are actually the same thing. Many have actually come to believe that living for God is just a way to "be blessed" or to get Money.

I was impressed earlier this week, when in the scheduled reading in Matthew 4, that Jesus called on the sons of Zebedee to follow him. It says, "They were in a boat with their father, Zebdee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him" (Matthew 4:21-22). I don't know all the implications that must have had for those two young men, but I know it was a radical decision.

By God's grace, let's not go through this year reacting to circumstances with shock, surprise, anxiety, anger, and doubt. Let's not go through this year complaining and blaming others. But let's choose to make this the Year of the Lord Jesus. Let's commit to follow him in all that we do. Let's recognize for those who believe that "now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). A.D. 2009: The Year of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Have a courageous and brave New Year!

Gracias from Costa Rica

2008-08-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture and letter of thanks (See Below) from Roseibel Calvo, the school counselor and director of the Seeds of Love ministry in Costa Rica. We painted the back of the school building, donated the play ground equipment, installed it and laid grass sod on the playground.

Dear Church of Kingwood:

Receive from the ministry of Semillas de Amor, of Vina Comunidad de Amor y Restauracon, an immense gratitude for your offering of love.

At school San Jeronimo, Desmparados, the boys, girls, their families, and the administrator-teaching staff, are sorprise for your work and donation provided. I ask myself...why come from so far away to show your affection, sacrificing vacations, families, pockets, and other things?

Truly it's through your actions that the gospel of JesusChrist reach people who do not understand differently. Your kindness, commitment and passion left footprints in the hearts of many children, as well as many people at Torremolinos.

We pray for you in thanksgiving to the Lord, and we appreciate your prays for the ministry and the vision to go ahead with the Great Commission...

In the Love of the Lord,

Rosibel Calvo

Seriously Disturbed, Gloriously Ruined Club

2008-07-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

The following is a quote from Kay Warren's book, Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes To God.

When I speak nowadays to small groups getting ready to go on a short-term mission trip, I half jokingly invite them to become members of the Seriously Disturbed, Gloriously Ruined Club. Some of them look at me as though I'm nuts--they can't imagine what I'm talking about, but they seek me out when they return from their trip and say, "Now I get it; I'm ruined." They are no longer content to live with the focus of their lives being on their world--themselves, their problems, their family, their career. Their eyes have been opened to new realities. They have seen how the suffering world lives, and it is now real. They cannot ignore the suffering or pretend it doesn't exist. They are compelled to do something about it. They are now willing to live in three worlds, as I do--as seriously disturbed and gloriously ruined people.

Costa Rica Trip-08

2008-07-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

Here's a pic of DeLynn Hoover and myself. DeLynn and Gloria are the founders and directors of Pura Vida Missions in Heredia, Costa Rica. This pic was taken right before I just about knocked my head off on a steel gate as I was walking up to the bus to head for the airport. I can laugh now:) Bumps, bruises, and sleep deprivation aside, it was a inspiring and disturbing trip. My heart's desire is to see students (and adults) transformed as they work together as a team to serve others and give away what God has freely given them. Thank God, we saw that happen once again on this mission trip.

I was struggling with sleep deprivation (what's new?) and another sinus infection on the "vacation day." So I didn't go with the students zip lining and white water rafting. No big deal! I did all that last year. DeLynn invited me to go with him and some others to downtown San Jose and then to see another neighborhood that he wants us to consider working in the future. Wow! I didn't take any pics because it was raining and it just wasn't appropriate. I had my umbrella up until a 6'7" Canadian who was with us pointed out the live electrical wires that had been hotwired just above our heads. Unbelieveable poverty. Predominantly Nicaguaurans living in this area. Almost 30 percent of the Costa Rican population is Nicagurans. Nicaguragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

The Online Generation

2008-07-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

"Who is God?" was one of the top 3 sentences googled in 2007, according to Google Zeitgeist. According to Alexa, the top 2 religious website are Muslim, with Bible Gateway (see the link on our website under Resources) coming a close third. Obviously, there's a spiritual hunger among millions of the "online generation." God's Good News is that we can know who he really is through Jesus Christ. According to Jesus himself, we too can show people who God is. He said, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

The Online Generation

2008-07-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

"Who is God?" was one of the top three sentences googled in 2007, according to Google Zeitgeist. According to Alexa, the top two religious websites are Muslim, with Bible Gateway coming a close third.

Busyness is not of the Devil, it is the Devil!"

2008-06-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

A Spiritual Growth Survey studied 20,000 Christians in 139 countries over 5 years to discover how busy they are. They discovered that the levels of busyness were extremely high in the lives of Christians, particularly in countries like the US and Britain... Dr. Michael Zigarelli, at Charleston University School of Business, described the problem as "a 'vicious cycle' prompted by cultural conformity." He added that this extremely high level of busyness results in God being marginalized in our lives and "Christians becoming even more vulnerable to adopting secular assumptions about how to live, which leads to more conformity to a culture of busyness, hurry, and overload. And then the cycle begins over again."

(The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, by Tom Sine)

A Gift from Padre

2008-04-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last week I was sitting on the beach in S. Padre, enjoying the moment, with my journal in hand. While enjoying that moment, I began to also reflect on the sad news I had received over the last few days about two separate situations of "fellow ministers" suddenly and tragically being either killed or dying. I wrote the following:

A Gift from Padre

Sitting on a sand barge making foot prints in the cool, wet sand--watching/feeling/listening to emerald green waves rolling in from the Gulf,

You would think that absorbing this solitudinous, glorious moment would be enough.

There's so much pain and ugliness on this planet, but today I, for some unknown reason have been given this fleeting grace.

And like others, with the receiving of such a grace,

There comes springing forth, a creative force,

That seeks to give grateful expression through a painting, a song, a poem--to such a holy moment and sacred place.

What Padre has given me in this blessed day is so far beyond what I can really say or fully comprehend,

But hoping to wrap the beauty of this rich gift in the ribbons of a few colorful lines, I send...

It along to a few of my friends.

Costa RIca Fundraiser

2008-04-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Awesome job! Thanks to Mark and Terri Pyle, who coordinated the event, and everyone who worked so hard to make the car wash and bake sale at the Wal-Mart such a success! The team raised over $2,000.00! It may take some time, but Wal-Mart will now match that. So, if you shop there, be sure and let the management know how much we appreciate their help. Also, check out the very creative photo display from last year's trip that Tammy Zeintek put together. It is on display at the church building. Pura Vida!

The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson

2008-04-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Probably most of you know that Eugene Peterson is the author of The Message, along with many other wonderful books. Below are some quotes from his new book The Jesus Way: a conversation on the ways that Jesus is the way. Before I give the quotes though, here's a funny story about Peterson. Not too long ago, he was invited by the rock star Bono to meet with he and the other U2 band members backstage and do a Bible study with them before a concert. U2 liked the The Message so much, they wanted to spend time with Peterson and have him share with them. Unfortunately, Peterson had no idea who they were, and besides he already had a previous engagement, so he politely turned them down:) With that, here's some quotes from his new book:

"A Christian congregation is a company of praying men and women who gather, usually on Sundays, for worship, who then go into the world as salt and light. God's Holy Spirit calls and forms this people. God means to do something with us, and he means to do it in community. We are in on what God is doing, and we are in on it together."

"The great American innovation in congregations is to turn it into a consumer enterprise. We Americans have developed a culture of acquisition, an economy that is dependent on wanting more, requiring more. We have a huge advertising industry designed to stir up appetites we didn't even know we had. We are insatiable.

It didn't take long for some of our Christian brothers and sisters to develop consumer congregations. If we have a nation of consumers, obviously the quickest and most effective way to get them into our congregations is to identify what they want and offer it to them, satisfy their fantasies, promise them the moon, recast the gospel in consumer terms: entertainment, satisfaction, excitement, adventure, problem-solving, whatever. This is the language we Americans grow up on, the language we understand. We are the world's champion consumers, so why shouldn't we have state-of-the-art consumer churches?

Given the conditions prevailing in our culture, this is the best and most effective way that has every been devised for gathering large and prosperous congregations. Americans lead the world in showing how to do it. There is only one thing wrong: this is not the way in which God brings us into conformity with the life of Jesus and sets us on the way of Jesus' salvation. This is not the way in which we become less and Jesus becomes more. This is not the way in which our sacrificed lives become available to others in justice and service. The cultivation of consumer spirituality is the antithesis of a sacrificial, "deny yourself" congregation. A consumer church is an antichrist church."

"If we want to participate (and not just go off in a corner and do our own thing), participate in the end...the kingdom of God, we must do it in the way that is appropriate to that end. We follow Jesus...I am interested in the ways Jesus leads because they are necessarily the ways by which I follow. I cannot follow Jesus any which way I like. My following must be consonant with his leading."

North American Christians are conspicuous for going along with whatever the culture decides is charismatic, successful, influential--whatever gets things done, whatever can gather a crowd of followers--hardly noticing that these ways and means are at odds with the clearly marked way that Jesus walked and called us to follow. Doesn't anybody notice that the ways and means taken up, often enthusiastically, are blasphemously at odds with the way Jesus leads his followers? Why doesn't anyone notice?"

The Importance of Prayer

2008-04-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

Start the day, even before you get out of bed, connecting with God. That's conversational prayer. Jesus is our Lord, our Leader and our Example. He was a person of prayer. His disciples were so impressed with his lifestyle of prayer, that they ask him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11). "Jesus told his disciples {parables} to show them that they should always pray and not give up..." (Luke 18:1). The Apostle Paul speaking about spiritual warfare wrote that we should "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers..." (Ephesians 6:18). In another place he said, "pray continually."

"Our praying needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails." E.M. Bounds

"Prayer is not begging God to do something which he is loath to do. It is not overcoming reluctance in God. It is enforcing Christ's victory over Satan. It is implementing upon earth Heaven's decisions concerning the affairs of men...Therefore, prayer is where the action is."

(Paul Billheimer, Destine for the Throne).

I know how important it is to pray, but, honestly, I have trouble staying focused when I pray. My mind begins to wander. So as foolish and simple as it may seem, over the years I have followed different acrostics to help me to stay focused. For example, I don't use it much anymore, but I used to follow the A.C.T.S. format: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. When I am struggling I will often begin by using the C.H.R.I.S.T. acrostic. This simple tool gives me a jump start to focus on the Lord and to worship him: Creator God, Holy God , Redeemer God, Immanuel (God who is with us), Sending God, Triune God. But, what I have really found helpful to help me remember the things I am committed to pray for is the F.O.C.U.S. format:

Family & Friends
Others (Important requests from others.)
Community (Lord, how can I/we serve and reach this community? )
Unbelievers (I keep a card in my Bible with their names listed.)
Send (Lord, send me and give me a special opportunity today share your love.)

Lord, help us by your Spirit, to pray throughout this day. Help us to practice your Presence as we go about the day. In Jesus' name, Amen.

2008-03-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hey, out there in the blogosphere. This is a trial run.