Seeking God's Face

Read a blog by Piper about seeking the presence of God. He's been convicting me lately about prayer. I can read the Bible (or books to help me understand the Bible) all day long, but it's hard for me to seek God in prayer. Now I can pray ABOUT something or FOR someone, but to pray, just to get closer to God?...That is not a habit I have developed, but I believe He wants me to. I'm gonna go pray now...I don't know what I'm going to say, but the song "Draw Me Close To You" comes to mind.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Is nothing sacred?

I read a blog about sarcasm in society and in the church. In it Phil Vischer was quoted:

When we were very young, our parents broke their promises. Their promises to each other, and their promises to us. And millions of American kids in a very short period of time learned that the world isn’t a safe place; that there isn’t anyone who won’t let you down; that their hearts were much too fragile to leave exposed.

The blog author follows this with these statements:

With no where to turn for safety, our fears ferment under the surface into anger. But this toxic brew cannot stay there. It must find a release. Some of us find very destructive ways to alleviate that pressure. The rest of us let it out by mocking things previous generations took seriously—government, work, family, relationships, leaders, and the future. We are a generation that believes nothing is sacred. And if nothing is sacred, everything becomes profane.

I am left to consider the teenagers and children that I work with at church. Could it be that if their parents believe nothing is sacred, they themselves are unaware that such a category even exists? Could it be that they do not respect the sermon, the lesson, the teacher, the music, the worship, the building, each other, or (apparently) themselves because they do not understand that anything at all is worthy of respect? Is it possible that consequences and punishments can motivate them to specific behavior, but that speaking to them of reverence is speaking to them in language they do not comprehend?

Perhaps not. They have been trained (more than not) to be "reverent" during prayer in our children's ministry time. But whether they are merely obeying specific instructions to be still and quiet or whether they grasp the concepts involved, I cannot say.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Blogger posts

I don't know why Flock hasn't been able to do my blogger posts lately. I'm trying this one as a test to see if it's working again.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Whoa, Gabriel, that's not fair!

So I'm reading in Luke, and the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah his wife would have a baby, etc., and Zechariah asks a question and the angel makes him mute till the birth. Then Gabe scoots over to Mary and tells her she's gonna have a baby. Mary asks a question, and the angel makes her mute--no, wait, he doesn't! That's not fair, is it?! Look at their questions:

Zechariah: How can I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years?

Mary: How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?

Both questions take the form: Explain this, because I have this reason it won't work.

So why does Zechariah get punished and Mary doesn't? Obviously, God likes men better than women. No, wait, He says later there is neither male nor female, and He made them both in His image, so I don't think that's it... Does Mary get a pass because she'll be carrying Jesus and God wants His baby to hear lullabies during gestation? Maybe, but I doubt it. (It's at this point as he reads over my shoulder that my son pronounces my weirdness.)

Here's what I think. THINK! That's important, because this is just a guess, but it makes sense to me. I think that the Bible DOES teach that spiritual leaders are held to a higher level of accountability. I think for a young Jewish girl to struggle in her faith at a bizarre angelic decree is one thing, but for a priest of Israel, in the very service of the temple, to display a weak faith is another. I take this as a lesson to me, as a pastor-type. Yes, I'm only human, but as a spiritual leader, I need to be ready to respond to God when He moves in unexpected directions!

What do you think? Am I on the right track here?

Word Contest

Can you figure out what the following words have in common? A free can tab necklace to the first correct answer! Spenser makes these from cleaned soda can tabs, which are cut and popped together in links four tabs thick. Everyone who sees them thinks they are really cool!

abet
act
ant
box
chill
chilly
chip
clot
cot
dim
egg
first
ghost
hill
hilt
hip
imp
in
jot
lost
mop
most
not
oops
pry
sty