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Devastation or Desperation

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I need to learn how to pray prayers of desperation. We as a country have no idea what it really means to be desperate; to pray desperate prayers. God calls us to desperation as one of only two ways to bring about transformation in this country. The only two ways are when we pray either desperation prayers or devastation prayers. We have already learned devastation prayer during 911. We learned that our country will certainly come together during devastation. When we were attacked, everyone came out to pray together to a God many of them never cared about before. But beyond those people were the Christians who had finally came together in a spirit of prayer, a unified prayer. But if that is the only way we pray in hopes of transformation of a country, I am not sure how much more we can handle devastating attacks on our country.

We have to learn to come to God out of desperation for him. How desperate are we for Jesus? How desperate am I for Jesus? We sing about it all the time, "I'm desperate for you. I'm lost without you." But how true is that?

Now when I say desperate for God, I don't mean desperate for him to help us and make things happen for us. I don't mean desperate for God to fix my back, get me a job, pay my bills, give me a car. I mean how desperate are we for GOD!!! Do we really want to be dependant upon God? Those kind of prayers bring transformation. God I am desperate for you. Not your actions...but desperate for YOU!!! We desire to be closer to your heart as people, as families, as churches, as communities, as cities, as a nation. Are we truly desperate for God? Are we seeking God's face or are actually just seeking God's hand?

We have to learn to pray desperate prayers. Ask God to teach us desperate prayer. We have to learn a LIFESTYLE of desperate prayer. This is not an annual event at the Day of Prayer or around the pole at school. We have to become people of prayer if we are to see our life transformed.

You're Welcome: Beautiful Eulogy

Musical obsessions come my way frequently. There is always an artist or band I just cannot get enough of. Right now, that band is Beautiful Eulogy. This is hip-hop group on the Humble Beast label. I have been really enjoying the mission, purpose, and product of everything coming out of Humble Beast. I have highlighted Propaganda already, but right now I cannot stop listening to Beautiful Eulogy. These guys, like all other HB artists, are not just good 'Christian hip hop". There is theology in here that we should all take in. This video is one of my favorite tracks on the album, but you should certainly got humblebeast.com and get the album free.

You're welcome!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz09EF4obYQ&w=560&h=315]

When you say "I don't want to gossip, but..."

When you say, "I don't want to gossip, but...." we assume you're about to gossip about someone.

Do not say this. It is like you think this precursor makes 'okay' whatever you are about to tell us about someone. You KNOW you are gossiping, but here it comes anyway. Just.stop.your.self! At some point, your inner-monologue must think, "oh no, words are coming out!!!"

Other variations: "I'm not trying to be a gossip, but..." "I hate to be a gossip, but..." "I told her I would not tell anyone else, but..." "Is it gossip if I tell you that...?" "I think we need to pray for..."

Usually followed by: "Oh, she would probably tell you the same thing." "This is just between you and me."

On treasure and heart

I fear I treasure too many of the wrong things in my life. If my treasure were where it should be, it would not seem so painful to think of separating from other less important things in my life. If my treasure were where it should be, I would be far less impatient and anxious about what might happen any given moment.

God, strengthen and teach me to change my heart to treasure what I should and far less of what I need not desire.

On integrity

Am I a man of integrity? I would say I am. Some others have and will say I am not. Still others who know me will say I am. How can this be? Is it really possible that one person can and cannot be a man of integrity? Is integrity that gray? That fluid? What then is integrity?

Integrity is not a place we come to. Integrity is not an end. It is a process. If integrity were not a process, there would less judgments of mine or others’ integrity or lack thereof. Not only that, it would be nearly impossible to actually be a man of integrity if it were the end we think it should be. In effect, integrity is more about the journey than it is about the destination. Stephen Carter writes that integrity is, “an effort to live according to one’s sense of duty rather than a sinlessness reserved for a handful of saints—precious few of them.” If integrity was the destination of perfection in word and deed, the integral life would be impossible to the normal person. Now if it really is the destination rather than the journey, how can anyone possibly say I am a man of integrity. Moreover, how could ANYONE claim anyone to be a man of integrity?

But what of the journey of integrity? What of the life of integrity? The process? If we look at Carter’s explanation of integrity, we have to understand what he means by ‘according to one’s sense of duty.’ Could integrity be so fluid as to depend on each person’s individual idea of duty, of right and wrong?

Yes and no! The important question is in how we come to this ‘sense’ Carter writes about. A life of integrity is exactly that, a LIFE. There must be a journey. Integrity is not just believing whatever our imagination can concoct. This sense we are to live according to must be acquired…not just made up. A life of integrity absolutely must be a LIFE of discernment. There must be a process, an active search for discernment. We must always be searching for the sense of duty…of right and wrong we are going to live by. Integrity is fluid in that it is a process, but it is not fluid in that we can believe whatever we really want to make up. There must ALWAYS and FOREVER be wrestling. A life of integrity is never a life of contentment.

What of those who do not believe I am a man of integrity? Well there’s one of two things at hand here. Those people, one, are understanding integrity to be about the end or the destination rather than the journey, and in so believing realize I am not sinless or perfect, and thus must not be a man of integrity. Two, they may understand integrity to be a process and a journey, but my sense of duty does not match theirs and thus I am not a man of integrity to them. Are either of these correct views? No!

The problem with the second option lies in the fact these people are making integrity still about a destination. The destination may not be perfection, but the destination they demand of ME is their own sense of duty…their own sense of right and wrong. If I am not meeting that sense of right and wrong, to them I am no longer a man of integrity. Carter calls it a trap we often fall into: “the trap of assuming that all the arguments were on my side, so that anybody who disagreed was not only wrong but willfully blind to the plain truth of the matter. We have to be wary in assuming that those who are not like us cannot possess integrity.”

Integrity is not a destination but a journey. Integrity is not making up a sense of right and wrong. It is always wrestling to refine and discern a sense. Integrity is not assuming those who disagree with you are not men of integrity.

Call me a man of no integrity, but not because I do not agree with you. Call me a man of no integrity, but not because I am imperfect and sinful.

If you must call me a man of no integrity, do so only because you do not see a man who always wants to discern and refine a sense of duty, right and wrong.

But I know myself a man of integrity.

Tongue [lost poem]

I do not know when I wrote this...I just found it in some old random scratched notes... --------

My sword is sharp and shiny. It is small and quick. My sword is sharp enough to cut the chains binding my brothers. Swift enough to sweep the feet of enemies.

My sword is a powerful weapon Worthy of worship through grace Flashed properly glorifies my King.

My sword is strong by preparedness Training has made my ability strong Striking foes I am summoned to attack

My sword is only a sword Capable of evil as much as good.

My sword is sharp and shiny It is small and quick Sharp enough to cut through the flesh of friends Swift enough to take a brother by surprise.

My sword is a powerful weapon Capable of destruction through spite Flung rashly kills fellow countrymen.

My sword is strong by preparedness No training leaves me weak Unable to control my powerful sword

My sword is a powerful weapon Used by a weak man But still a dangerously powerful weapon.

(Proverbs 12:6,18)

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When you say "I don't want to complain, but...."

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When you say "I don't want to complain, but..." we assume you're about to complain.

You love to complain. You love to make sure you are heard on the issue at hand. All of us, on some level, enjoy complaining. The hope is our complaints are on worthwhile things.

Let us no longer give the precursor of not wanting to complain when we cannot wait to complain.

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How to love as God loves

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"Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself." - Ozzie Chambers

The Bible reveals to me that I must learn to love people. I am not always very good at loving others. God has loved me not at all because I am worthy of it or that I am lovable in any way, but because it is His very nature to love. How can I actually love in a way that is GOD's nature? To love someone as God has loved me!?

God will likely bring people purposely into my life who I do not like much. He will bring people who are not at all easy for me to love.

God: the great patronizer? No, it is His love. That is His kind of love, which I am called to.

My problem is I most often try to force it and make this kind of love happen. I do not think this kind of love is going to happen within me overnight, but I also do not think God is forcing me into it. Yes, he has called me to it. He has demanded it of me, but I do not think he expects it so promptly that he pushes me forcibly into it either.

In fact, 2 Peter 3:9 tells me that "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." I cannot overlook Jesus' ability to wait for me. I cannot forget that Jesus knows I am incapable of loving as He does, and yet he patiently waits as I learn.

But it is that patience which should compel and drive me to be better. It is that patience, which should drive me to love more. I have to go to the hard to love and not only love them more, but love them as Jesus has loved me, which as I have revealed, is PATIENTLY!! There will always be irritating people who are very difficult for me to love, but the call still remains. Love others as Jesus has loved me. Love with patience!

But it all must be nurtured. It is not an overnight change. I must learn to grow that kind of love within me. I have to learn that kind of love as I daily learn to accept that kind of love.

It's just the Grand Canyon

What do we do when God seems distant and hard to see? There are those times when God seems so difficult to know. I find encouragement in Romans 1 verse 20.

“His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.”

We are able to see God in the things he has made. If we would take more time to notice these things we would come to see him and know him more clearly.

We would stand at the lip of the Grand Canyon unaffected.  A huge problem is that we have lost all wonder.  Nothing amazes us anymore.  We grow more and more numb to the amazing!  We forget how powerful God really is because none of these things amaze us anymore.

Remember being scared to death of a thunderstorm?  Remember when the Grand Canyon WAS amazing before seeing it in a million pictures?  We lose all the wonder when trees, natural running streams and crashing waves, enormous mountains are no big deal to us.  We see them every day, in pictures or as we walk outside.  But we forget the amazing things we learned in elementary school; about how trees grow, the details about how waves are created.  We forget all those things because we learn it and are no longer amazed.

We do our ability to praise a disservice!  We do God a disservice when we are no longer amazed by these things.  Praise is our amazement expressed!  The problem is that we simply are not amazed!

I must be climbing

There is a flaw for me in the whole “mountain and valley” analogy we so often use for our spiritual journey. We commonly make the mountain top that spot we desire and aspire to, and the valley those times when it’s the most painful and difficult to take on. Then we make the climb the journey in between.

Now let’s think of the literal in hopes of understanding the symbolic a little more. In reality, I have never been in a valley I did not enjoy. Often valleys are complete with rolling grassy hills and a cool breeze. It is not all that unpleasant.

I do love mountain tops. When you are the mountain top there is a powerful sense of accomplishment. The mountain top is refreshing and holds a beauty which is often spectacular.

So there is only one other element left to be grueling, painful, and difficult. The climb up the mountain is the painful part. I love climbing and hiking, but it is usually a grueling task to climb the face of a mountain. Your heart beats to the thinning air and physical exhaustion. You come around every bend and corner wondering if THIS one will be the last. But a hiker, climber and backpacker will continue to trek because they know one thing; they are climbing to get to the top. It is painful but it is worth it knowing your endurance gets you to the top. Your endurance comes with pain, but it all gets you to the top where the beauty, refreshment, and accomplishment await.

Chapter 1 of James starting with verse two reads, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The truth is we all face trials and will continue to face more. Something I am learning to do in my prayer time lately is to actively praise God for my trials of all kinds. It has really stretched my faith to watch trials come my way and to not only take them to God (which is a common Christian reaction) but to praise God for those trials.

1 Peter 1:6-7 reads, “In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Christ is revealed.”

This kind of reaction stretches our faith to points many of us have never been before. I am talking about actually praising God…thanking him FOR our painful trials.

Why is this so difficult for us to do? Because we have the mountain and valley analogy all messed up. We have convinced ourselves that the pain is the valley, and like literal valleys we are comfortable there. So we just stay there. We have seen our trials in the wrong light.

We have to remember the valley is not the worst part of the journey. The climb is the worst part of the journey. If I can keep myself from experiencing pain and saying, “I must be stuck in the valley,” and instead turn those moments into praise by saying, “This hurts! I must be on my way up. I must be climbing.” If we can turn our responses to that, we can find it easier to praise and thank God for the pain and trials. Because we climbing!