Draw the Circle - Day 40 - Prayer Alphabet

"Lord, teach us to pray." - Luke 11:1

We did it!

40 days!

Not without tardy posts and slip ups, but 40 posts completed.  I hope this will be a resource even if you haven't gotten to day 40 yet.  I'll keep checking for comments.  I'm usually a fast starter but struggle finishing so I am thankful for your accountability.

It's been a roller coaster ride.  I've not always agreed with everything that Mark Batterson wrote, but I am thankful that he did write and prompted me to pray more.  Not that I have arrived.  I have many miles to go before I sleep. . . .

I want to encourage you to journal or blog when you read Scripture.  Processing by writing and reflecting has helped me take in more of what I've read.  It will do the same for you.  Even writing scripture helps you form spiritual memories.

And like jesus's disciples, let us pray that Jesus would continue to teach us to pray - continue to keep us hungry.

Hungry not for the tangibles (the "stuff") of prayer but for the living relationship with God that prayer provides.

And that is what it's all about.  If you read some of my early posts in Draw the Circle, that was what I wanted us to get to . . .

Intimacy with God

The "stuff" is all icing on the cake.

But I want the cake.

And as we partake of the "Cake of life," we'll discover ourselves aligning our prayers to the stuff that God wants us to have.

Stuff with which we can use to bless others.

But let us always strive in our prayer lives for the gift Giver over the gift.

Stay hungry my friend - for the Bread of Life
Stay thirsty my friend - for Living Water.

Keep drawing circles.

Amen and Amen.

Draw the Circle - Day 39 - Holy Ground

"Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground." - Exodus 3:5

Holy ground - the place where your life intersects perfectly with God's will - where God is present.

Moses found this moment is his calling at a burning bush - while tending sheep.

Gideon found holy ground while hiding in a threshing pit.

Peter when he went to meet Cornelius to share the Good News stood on holy ground when gentile Cornelius and his family spoke in tongues.

General Cecil Richardson stood on holy ground on a Saturday morning optical store.

Ken Gaub discovered holy ground at a pay phone at a rest stop near Dayton Ohio.

Have you had those moments?  When YOU KNEW you were exactly where God wanted you to be doing exactly what God wanted you to do?

If you haven't, you are missing out!  

Maybe you've stood on holy ground without realizing it.

Handing out water on tollgate?  or hot cocoa at Kohl's?  or giving away stuff at the library flea market? installing flooring?  hosting a birthday party?

My guess is that you've missed more burning bushes than you realize.

Because I have.  Sometimes I have the blessing of instant realization/revelation but often I find those holy encounters in reflection - after the fact.

I want more of them - in the moment.

I need to pray . . . and act.

Draw the Circle - Day 38 - Climb the Watchtower

"I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard-post." - Habakkuk 2:1

In the Hebrew testament, the Israelites often set up memorial stones/altars to mark a sacred event.  These sacred events became sacred places - a constant reminder of where they had met God in the past and how faithful God had been to them.  God would command them or they would know instinctively to pile up and alter of stones.   I can imagine how these memorial altars had an impact on anyone who made pilgrimage to them.

"This is where God provided a ram to Abraham."

"This is where God brought your ancestors into the Promised Land on a dry river bed."

"This is where Elijah whipped some Baal tail."

It had to bring their faith to life.

Think about how experiential the Passover meal is - taste - remember.

This Draw the Circle blogging has been good for me - it's reminded me of my calling and the visions/prayers that God has answered which fuels my faith for the future.  I've have several places where I put down a "pile of stones" to remind me that God has been faithful.

Do you have places or events that you embrace as major markers in your spiritual journey? your baptism?  a retreat?  a quiet walk? a birth?  a death?

Pile up some stones and pray. 

And be reminded that God is faithful.

Just look where He has brought you to this very day.

"This is where Jesus died for you."

"This is where he defeated death."

"This is where he promised he'd return some day."

Watch and wait and pray.

Draw the Circle - Day 37 - Prayer Contracts

"Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven." - Matthew 18:18

What space or place or property does God want to give the Vine?

It's a legitimate question.

For a season of indeterminable length, He's given us Emmorton Elementary School.  It's been far from perfect (how do you spell "broken AC?" but despite incoveniences it has been our home.

We've been nomadic for two years now.  Faithful Viners pull a trailer every week,  These Viners join others to set up and prep and pack up every week.

Could God have something else in mind for us?

One of our core values is that we want to stay simple - that we seek simplicity and that includes "traveling light" when it comes to property.  By God's grace, we've been able to use homes, and parks and restaurants and this school for a very small rental fee.  I think God loves this - it lets us put more resources into the Kingdom rather than in buildings.

But I also  love NCC's call to start a coffee house - Ebeneezer's.  Honestly, I had that vision way back when I was in Saint Mary's County - long before I heard of NCC and Ebeneezer's - and I haven't been able to shake it.  I too see a place where Viners rub shoulders with community.  I already have a name or two - Holy Grounds?  JUST(ice) Coffeehouse?  (don't moan)

Starbucks talks about wanting to become people's "third place."  the place after home and work where people gather.  Shouldn't the church be the third place - where faith is fused with fun, fellowship, food?

I know the perfect place, but it will take an act of God.  So I'll pray and circle.

Will you join me?

Draw the Circle - Day 36 - Senior Partner

"Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." - Matthew 6:20

First - apologies for missing the last few days - I was pretty happy I was able to keep this going through vacation, but actually slipped when jumping back into the swing of things.

Two great stories on generosity

Most of us are trying to get to an actual 10th!  Stanley Tam gave it all away - $120 million over his lifetime.  That's just staggering.  He ran a true NON-PROFIT business - using his business to fund the Kingdom of God.

I believe God is searching this planet for men and women like Stanley - people who have been generous with little - conduits of God's grace - blessing others with the blessings God has given them.  I wish I could say I had his faith - his heart.

At 50, I am still learning.  Gonna drop to my knees now.

Draw the Circle - Day 35 - The Longest Lever

"Do not despise these long beginnings." - Zechariah 4:10

(Praying for you today.)

This might be Mark's best chapter.

I can't add to it or detract from it.

When I get back, let's pick a time (or times) to pray together.

Our prayer walks of course and also an extended concert of prayer.

We might want to consider such time of prayer BEFORE we serve on SAS.


Any takers?

Draw the Circle - Day 34 - Raise Up a Remnant

"And the remnant shall yet again take root downward and bear fruit upward." - 2 Kings 19:30 (KJV)

30 And you who are left in Judah,
    who have escaped the ravages of the siege,
will put roots down in your own soil
    and will grow up and flourish. - 2 Kings 19:30 (NLT)

Can a promise made to a certain people be a promise claimed by all?

Should a promise made to a certain people, be claimed by others?

Scripture often claims a local truth and a universal principle.  Often but not always.

Often you can determine a universal principle because it keeps showing up - across Scripture and across history.

Make sense?  It's universal because it transcends the local.

The principle of revival coming through the prayers of a remnant is true and universal.

Scripture bears it out.  History bears it out.

The Moravians, the fifty students at the Argentine Bible Institute, the Methodists, the Asuza Street revival . . .

That God would work with and through only a handful of faithful prayer warriors brings me great hope.

There's hope for the Vine!

We don't need a misquoted promise to Israel to know in our souls that this is true.

People who humble themselves in prayer and who seek God's face will be lifted up.

Those who abide in Christ will "bear much fruit."

Let's lay a foundation of prayer upon which God can build a great church.

Anybody up for an all-night prayer watch?

Draw the Circle - Day 33 - Prayer Covering

"Aaron and Hur held his hands up - one on the one side, one on the other" - Exodus 17:1

Who do you have to support you in your faith walk?

Who is mentoring you? encouraging you? investing in you?

Who is PRAYING for you?

None of us are meant to do this faith thing on our own.

Who do you turn to for counsel and coaching?

If the answer is head scratching, then let's talk.  That's what the Vine is about - investing in one another.  And as your pastor, I'll help you get connected to the right person - possibly even me.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

We're all in this together.

Draw the Circle - Day 32 - Get a Testimony

" . . . and by the word of their testimony  . . ." - Revelation 12:11

What has God done for you?

This is the first question - a very important question to ask and to answer.

When you begin to list out the stuff God has done for you and the gifts He has given you, you've laid the foundation for your story.

Once upon a time, I was . . .  but then God . . .

Once upon a time, I didn't have  . . . but then God . . .

This isn't just one story, but multiple stories

Now comes the second big question.

Who have you told?

You have a story, really multiple stories, that need to be told.

The best time to tell them is right when they happen - when they are fresh, when you are excited about what God has done

But even when not fresh, your stories need telling.

They are the building blocks of our faith and they encourage others.

They encourage us and others to pray, to share, to give, to witness, to read God's Word, to serve  . . .

Viners need to hear your story(ies).  People who are not connected to God need to hear your story(ies).

And you need to tell them - for the benefit of your own soul..

I can't wait to hear your stories.

Keep drawing circles.

Happy 4th all!

Draw the Circle - Day 31 - Spell It Out

"What do you want me to do for you?" - Matthew 20:32

It's God's prerogative to answer prayer.  He doesn't mind us asking.

I still find it difficult - God has already given me life - it's hard for me to ask for more.

But God is generous.  And this is an ongoing learning for me.

God doesn't get angry when we ask - even when our asking is audacious - beyond God's desire for us.

God can use our asking to teach us.

Like Jesus told his disciples - "You really don't know what you are asking for."

When I was little my Dad took me to the general store - a Mom and Pop store in Cherry Run.  My best friend lived right behind the store.  When we got there, Dad bought me an orange "pop" but I wanted more.  I wanted to visit my friend, Craig, who lived in a house next door to the store.  My Dad kept refusing my request, but finally after pestering forever, he relented.  I was so happy.  Pop in hand, I ran out of the store and ran around the corner to visit Craig - Dad gave me a time limit.  It was dark outside the store and I forgot there was a set of steps leading into the private residence beside the store - concrete steps.  Well you guessed it.  I RAN into the steps - dropped my pop bottle and ended up with some major scrapes and bruises on my shins.  Dad came out gathered me up.  I felt so foolish. And home we went.

This event still forms me.  Sometimes we beg for want we don't need.  And God relents even though He wants better for us.

Maybe this event is part of my problem.  I don't know.

I just know Father knows best.

Draw the Circle - Day 30 - Abide in Me

"If my words abide in you . . ." - John 15:7

Are you spending time with God is His Word?

Do you have a daily reading plan?

There are a number of good plans both online and printable versions.

If you are task oriented, there is satisfaction in being able to check off the box and see the checklist grow as you read through the Bible.

But is is just as important to remember that reading God's Word is not task for the sake of task.  It is to bring us into relationship and intimacy with God.

Like reading this book together, I would love for us to "sync up" and all be reading and reflecting on the same text every day.  I always believe there is strength in numbers.

Please don't beat yourself up, if you don't have a plan.  Consider this encouragement to research and claim one.

And as you begin to implement an intentional plan to spend time in God's Word, don't beat yourself up when you miss.

One of the plans I have enjoyed has a built in safety net - five days of reading with two catch up days per week.

So if things get hectic on a day, you can catch up on the weekends or if you are caught up, you can explore other passages.

The whole key is to be able to celebrate that you are praying more than you did before and being formed by God's Word more than you did before.

These are the key building blocks for your faith - spiritual disciplines - God's Word, prayer and formation through ACTION.  We've touched on all these during this blogging series.

Here's some links to some excellent resources for Bible reflection

http://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/

http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/15074%20BRP.dj.pdf  (printable)

http://dailybible.americanbible.org/pdf/dbrg_2013_english.pdf (printable)

https://www.youversion.com/reading-plans

One of the plans that I really like is from the last in this list - The Cell Rule of Optina takes you through the New Testament in 89 days which seems just about right to me - reading the NT four times in a year.

Of course if you haven't read through the whole Bible, The Story, is a good way to capture the whole narrative of he Bible.

What do you use?  What works for you?  What are stumbling blocks?

Share below.

Draw the Circle - Day 29 - A New Prayer

"Sing to the Lord a New Song" - Psalm 96:1

Mark brings up a great point about going through the motions in your spiritual disciplines.

Are you able to sing "morning by morning new mercies I see."?  

Also fascinating that after singing a song 30 times, we stop paying attention to the word.

Kim?

I notice that on some songs, I do put less energy into thinking about the words, but often when I "put a song down" then pick it up later it becomes fresh again.

How can you stay fresh?  How can you keep from just checking of a box?  Critical to staying in tune with God is the pivot point of attitude and anticipation.

I'm talking about an attitude that anticipates God's presence.  How can devos or worship ever be boring when God shows up?  Well, the short answer is, it can't.  And that means that you must come into both private and public worship with a sense of anticipation.

I get to meet God this morning!  - in a prayer, in a song, in a piece of scripture that pops off the page when you read it. in a thought that just blows you out of the water . . .

I've been blessed with being able to help people on Sunday morning move from routine worship to remarkable worship - when the sense of God's presence is more than occasional encounter but a weekly expectation.  God is in the house!  I'm thankful for this gift - it's all God working on and using a country boy preacher.  It's amazing to me, when folk come and God always seems to touch someone.

Can you expect the same in your quiet time?  YES!  Try listening to music and really concentrating on the words. Grab a hymnal and read the text as poetry.  Put yourself in a new testament story.  Use posture - like the Quaker emptying and filling we practiced two Sundays ago.  Try fasting.  Go outside and focus on something in creation - something small you walk by every day.  Marvel at how God created it.  Listen to the birds greeting the day and picture them singing  their chorus to God.

If you are in routine mode, I and others can help.

Share some of what you do to get out of the rut.

(Anybody out there?)

Draw the Circle - Day 28 - Quit Praying

"Well done, good and faithful servant." - Matthew 25:23

Yesterday I was blessed to guide Eric and Silby Thomas into marriage.  They are a great young couple, amazingly compatible and teachable - hungry to learn.  I love learners.

At their wedding, I gave them one more teaching moment - Jesus' words at the end of his sermon on the mount in Matthew 7.  A the end of his message, Jesus said, "Whoever hears these words of mine AND [emphasis mine], and puts them into practice, is like a wise man who built his house upon rock . . ."

I think that's what Mark Batterson was getting at when he said, "There comes a moment when praying becomes a form of spiritual procrastination."  What a great line.

Jesus said that listening without acting is foolish.

Mark said that praying without acting is foolish - that there comes a time when we know what God wants us to do, but we keep stalling - even using prayer as a stall tactic.

Ready set, ready set, ready set . . . but never go!

How did we ever turn Christianity into a belief system that is disconnected from our behaviors?

Has God given you an answer to prayer, but you don't like the answer?

Are you praying for something that you can do readily without help from God?

Have you ever prayed and prayed because you really were scared to act?

Build a foundation on rock - the Rock.

Pray as if everything depends on God, but act as if everything depends on you.

Ready, set, GO!

Draw the Circle - Day 27 - Double Circle

"This kind can only be cast out be prayer and fasting." - Matthew 17:21

Okay, getting a little frustrated with Mark again.  He wins the annual Rick Warren proof- texting award.

First, he chooses the KJV of the text because it reads/aligns to the point he wants to make.

Second, there is a good chance that Jesus didn't say this, but that this verse was added later (only some manuscripts have this verse).

Third, the context, if Jesus did say it, is clearly about casting out a demon, not about any miracle from God.

Praying and fasting is not a double combination lock "to unlock the miracle."  And to make such a statement without offering the balance is disturbing.

Fasting is a gift to draw us intimately into the presence of God so that our prayers align with His will.  

It is not a magic formula to get God to do a miracle.

It especially is not the formula for attaining a miracle for oneself (financial breakthrough).

If anything, we fast as a sign of humility to ask God to move on behalf of another - like to seek healing or wisdom to bless others or for another to know Christ.

And we fast because it brings us closer into the Light of Christ's holiness thus revealing our spiritual imperfections - the thoughts and actions that God wants to heal in us.

God cannot be manipulated and while Mark would readily agree with this, his writing implies it on the back side.  

Mark lists all the things we can fast for and then casually adds at the end "Or we can fast simply to seek the heart of God."

Isn't this the PRIMARY reason to fast?

Sorry, but the more I read, the more disturbed I am by this.

I applaud Mark's call to fast - we need to be doing it - he is ramping up my desire to pray and fast - but we also need to come at it as selfless and humble as possible.

Fasting does not fast track "our prayer life like a hyperbolic chamber that speeds healing or a hyperlink that gets us someplace with one click."

In the wrong hands, a statement like this is sloppy if not dangerous.

Now the section on the flesh is well written.  Mark talks about the need to tame the flesh, to crave God more than food, to become weak so that God can make us strong.  YES!

(So skip pages 150-151 and start on page 153!)

The true power of fasting is to tune our souls to the living God, to rely on the Holy Spirit's power so that our prayers bring us closer to God's heart - so we can pray from that perspective.

Whole chapters if not books have been written about fasting so I understand Mark's desire to be concise in the five pages of this day's reading.  But concise does not mean sloppy.

At the same time, I don't want you to think that your prayers or your fasting has to be "perfect."  The antidote for perfection is humility.  Just practice prayer and fasting with humility.  God is God and you are not. And He knows that!

Pick one of the prayers you've been circling and experiment with fasting.  Maybe just skip lunch and use that hour to pray.  Or be brave and go a whole day - sun-up to sun-down.  Start small - drink fluids - juices too.

Here's some instructions from Dr. Bill Bright - Your Personal Guide to Fasting.  

Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me: For I cried to him for help, with praises ready on my tongue. He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins. But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!

Blessed be God who didn't turn away when I was praying, and didn't refuse me his kindness and love. - Psalm 66:16-20

Draw the Circle - Day 26 - Game with Minutes

"Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

This is the verse we use to introduce our prayer jar instructions. Our prayer jar contains names written on cards. We are praying for Bod's blessing.

We lift them up every Sunday.

I hope that as we pause for prayer, we distinctly remember each name we have written.  Some of them you might even name out-loud as we enter into Tongsung Kido (praying together out-loud) prayer.

But as I think about our cycle of prayer, I wonder if once a week is enough?

What would happen if we prayed for those in our prayer jar every day?

You know - pray without ceasing?

And I have to admit that I haven't been real regular in my prayers for those I pray for on Sunday.

And I know I need to repent.

I have to change.

If this series has taught me anything, it has reminded me that I must be more consistent and intentional in my prayers.

I'm still working on "the system" but am starting to use and like The Table more and more (great app for your smart phone or tablet if you have one).  If no one else is gonna use it - I am.  From my cell phone, it lists all the prayers that we have placed there online and I can add prayers or just acknowledge I prayed from my cell phone.  I'm also going to explore if I can create a personal page on the Table to keep track of my personal prayers.

Well better go pray -  my list is growing of those who do now know the love of Jesus Christ.  I will pray that God will bless them.

Keep drawing circles.

(Just close your eyes and listen . . .)

Draw the Circle - Day 25 - A Prophetic Voice

"I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets." - Numbers 11:29

A prophet speaks words of encouragement and comfort.

But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. - 1 Corinthians 14:3

By that definition, the Vine is filled up with prophets!  How many comforters and encouragers can one church have?!?

I think about Sunday when we let out a small cheer when Scott shared Chris' medical report or how you gathered around Lauren to send her and her family off with prayer to North Carolina.

Those are just the two most recent examples of what comes super-naturally to you.

Do you that when you speak words of grace, encouragement, and blessing into someone, you are speaking a future for them?

Our prayers should be blessing prayers - "Father, bless Emmorton Elementary School - the children, the teachers, the parents the staff . . ."

What's the greatest blessing?  To know the love of Jesus Christ and experience His grace.

The blessing that we have so eagerly and wonderfully shared with one another, must also focus outward to our community - our neighbors - our workplace.

So let us continue to be prophets.  Let us speak grace and encouragement into one another and our world and the love by serving.

(Couldn't find a song about being prophets so how about a song by Sidewalk Prophets?)

Keep drawing circles.

Draw the Circle - Day 24 - Find Your Voice

"The Word of the Lord came to me" - Jeremiah 1:4

God is calling you.

God will give you a passion that is beyond you and your family - a selfless love for other.

It could be a next door neighbor.

It could be a co-worker.

It could be a school or an organization or a people group or a city or a region.

It could be domestic or international, in the same hemisphere or across the international date line.

You have to listen and discern.  Most likely it will be visceral - a gut reaction - an emotional tug.

God formed you in the womb.

He made you for a purpose and the great adventure is discovering AND living out that purpose.

God calls us to love, but we can't love the whole world.  That's God's job.  Our job is to love the slice of it that he's created us to love.

Do you know your calling?  Have you heard His voice?

I'm here to help.

When you hear His voice, you'll find your voice.

Word of God, speak

Draw the Circle - Day 23 - Not Now

"Wait for the gift my Father promised." - Acts 1:4

Mark Batterson's story of having to wait a year to purchase their family's dream house is a great one.

Patience and waiting and discernment (fleece) are all key points but the greatest walk-away may be Mark's grasp that trusting God to provide meant that the house could not be more important than God.  Their dream was relinquished into God's providence.

So too, you and I must relinquish our dreams to God and have the patience to trust that God will provide what we need at just the right season.

Can you imagine waiting a whole year for a house?  I have my sights set on a certain grill, but I am waiting - a promise that it will go on sale.  But waiting has been tough.

Now think about something so much more important like revival to come to a faith community or healing or a city turning to God.

Waiting.  It does not come naturally and it's compounded by our cultural expectation of immediacy for everything.  Kids can't wait to grow up.  Couples can't wait for marriage.  Spouses can't wait and save for major purchases.  You get the point.

And it's expected that we would bring this immediacy blemish into our prayer lives. Expected but not desired.  The answer to any prayer must be relinquished to God who knows the perfect what AND when.

The beauty of waiting is that the longer the wait, the more cherished the birth.

May your prayers lead you into a simple trust that God knows the perfect what and when.  May He guide your content and increase your passion and strengthen your perseverance.

Draw the Circle - Day 22 - Prayer Fleece

"I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor." - Judges 6:37

God calls.

Not just pastors.  Not just Bible characters.

God calls you.

God is calling you.

Are you listening?

What makes your heart sing?

For some of you, the call may take you to an exotic locale.  For others, God is calling you to mission and ministry right here in Harford County.

When God calls, He also confirms.

He's not offended, when we ask for a double-check.  Gideon used fleece.  Anna, in today's devotional, used a talk dark Serbian.

So listen and discern.  Your life will not be complete until you are "laboring" in the Vineyard that God has planted for you.

Don't be afraid to listen.

You will find great joy when you align your life to God's will for you.

I asked - what makes your heart sing?

In science, I learned about something called "natural frequency."  Objects will begin to oscillate when a force is applied that matches the frequency with which they like to vibrate.

You have a spiritual frequency - to a place, to a people, to a task.  When you read or hear about this person, place or thing, your heart begins to vibrate, your ears perk up, maybe a tear comes.  

Don't ignore these moments.  They are signposts given by God.

Then put down a fleece. Confirm it. Then ACT.

Draw the Circle - Day 21 - Set Your Foot

"I'm giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on." - Joshua 1:3 (MSG)

Let's keep walking as we pray.

Most often we picture prayer as something we do in the morning in the quiet, before meals, at bed-time, during worship.

But praying and walking moves us.  Seeing what you are praying for or who you are praying for moves prayer from theory to practice.  The prayers that I have been praying for the people of EES are lodged in my brain in the steps I took and the doors I touched.

I still remember the prayers I prayed before retreats and worship when they were attached to a place or a feature.

(It also helps my ADHD!)

Next Saturday (June 29), we'll pick back up with our prayer walks.  We'll meet in the EES parking lot, but I think it's time to walk some neighborhoods. We've got to expand God's territory beyond this school.

Does God want to make the same promise to us that he made to Joshua?  - "You step on it and it's yours."  

If no other church is laying claim to all the people on Tollgate Road, then let's do it!

Will you join me?

This day's devotional from Draw the Circle should inspire us.  25 people in worship in a DC public school, then Mark took a prayer walk. . . .

Draw circles, but also walk them.

8:00 next Saturday.

Draw the Circle - Day 20 - Go. Set. Ready.

"He [Abraham] did not know where he was going." - Hebrews 11:8

Half way there!

Half way to a regular, intentional, daily, persevering prayer life.

Don't give up.  

Even if you've missed or messed up, keep at it.

Even if you feel awkward or unsure, stay with it.

Even if you don't notice anything different, rest assured you are changing and your prayers are being heard.

There is a promised land waiting for you.  You may not even have a picture of it yet, but God knows.  God wants to bring you into a deeper relationship where prayer and asking God are as natural as a conversation between long-time friends.

I'm a fast starter, not a great sustainer, but this blog and my call to encourage you is keeping me pressing on.

If this were the 1600 meter run, we'd be halfway to finish - two laps down, two to go -  a precarious place to be.  The oxygen reserves are gone - muscle cells start to fatigue.  There's a temptation to stop running because it hurts, but further down the track, with just a few more paces, you'll get past the struggle.  Some call it a "runner's high."  You'll start to zone, the outside world will fade and the rhythm of your shoes hitting the pavement will put you in a trance.  You'll stop thinking about running and just start thinking.

So it is with our prayer lives.  You won't great at this off the bat.  It takes time and perseverance and practice, but I guarantee, you will break through.

Break through to intimacy with God.

If you're struggling, put on some praise music.  Ponder the cross.  Start a list of things you are thankful for.  Read a Gospel story and put yourself in the narrative - be one of the characters.  Read Scripture and insert your name into the verses . . . "For God so loved Stan that he gave his one and only son . . . for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn Stan but that Stan through Jesus could be saved."

Distracted with the day's tasks?  Keep a pad nearby and "dump" your distracting thoughts there.  Use a prayer journal - writing will slow you down but also keep you focused.  Write your prayer requests on 3x5 cards and shuffle through them, writing notes on them if you receive a new insight or revelation or promise.

Kids interrupting?  Invite them to pray with you - a teaching moment - both modeling and participating.  Who knows?  Your child might teach you something about faith.

What obstacles to prayer are you facing?  Don't be afraid to share - here.  We can help one another with suggestions and encouragement.

Keep drawing circles.  Don't drop out.  Your're moments away from breakthrough.

Draw the Circle - Day 19 - Memorial Offerings

"Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." - Acts 10:4

One of my favorite stories.  Cornelius, a Gentile, is generous and devout  and God notices and God answers.  Jewish religion expected animal sacrifices to get God's attention>  God says He's more interested in the heart - that praying and caring for the poor is a true memorial offering.

I love that this is a man is doing the right thing without knowing the right Person.  If anyone doubts that God is just to those who live godly lives yet do not know His Son, look no further.  God showed Cornelius and his family mercy and orchestrated a life changing visit from Peter who shared the Good News.  While preaching, Pentecost 2 exploded on the scene!

Read here if unfamiliar with the story.

If anything is going to unlock the power of prayer, it's that we too devote ourselves to God AND care for the poor. "Your prayers and gifts to the poor . . ."

Now let's be careful here.  Motive is important.  You can't buy God's actions by giving to the poor.  Rather, praying and giving are a response to a love for God.  God notices those who love Him.

Love.

A loving God - who delights in His children who love Him, who gives good gifts to them and delights in their unwrapping.

17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. - James 1:17

I guess, I'm writing to suggest  . . . make sure you get your bearings straight.  Make sure you re-calibrate.  Determine if your compass heading is still pointing true North.

None of this can come from anywhere other than love of God.  Prayers and giving fueled by love.

I mean this love stuff is pretty basic, but in our finite-ness and sinfulness, we can still get more focused on the gift than the Giver.

Or we can turn our prayers into a religious to-do list and along those lines play the reciprocity game. "God, I'm praying a lot and giving a lot - when are you going to answer my request?"

So take your spiritual pulse.  Is your greatest desire to commune with God?

As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?- Psalm 42:1-2

Long for God and keep praying.