Don't have faith in your prayers, have faith in God

It was just last week that I entered the surgery center at Baptist East to pray with a dear church member who was about to have a procedure done to relieve her back pain.  As I entered the room, the nurse was  explaining that the surgery could not take place that day because her sodium levels were too low.  I could sense frustration and sadness filling the room.  "I just want to be relieved of pain. Isn't there anything you can do?" she asked.  The nurse replied that she would consult with the doctor but she was pretty confident that the surgery would not be able to take place that day. Laying there in the hospital bed, Ms Debbie (let's call her Ms Debbie) looked at me and explained with sadness how difficult it had been for her to even get there that morning and she shared that she was pretty hungry too.  I listened a little more and then I offered a prayer.  I prayed for a miracle and that her sodium levels would rise and that she would be able to have the surgery.  I left after offering a prayer and walked back to my car.  Within minutes I had received a text message from her daughter that said "Your prayer worked. The sodium levels are up enough for surgery, and they just took her back. Thanks for being here."

I sat in my car before driving away and I looked up to heaven and asked God, "Did my prayer really work?"  God spoke back to me with a verse of scripture from James 5:16 - the earnest prayer of a righteous person has power and produces wonderful results.  "Wait, God. I don't consider myself righteous.  I try my best to obey you but I definitely fall short."

I've struggled with this verse.  Me, righteous?  I grew up with an understanding that praying was for making a difference in me.  But something clicked that day for me.  The truth is - our prayers do produce wonderful results.  This scripture says that our prayers are powerful and effective when we are "right" with God.  To come to God in effective prayer, you must first come to Jesus by faith.  You must continually confess your sins and receive the righteousness of Christ that we have by faith.  1 John 3:22 says "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

I hesitated to write this blog because this verse can be intimidating.  Many times when we pray, we have faith in our prayers instead of having faith in an almighty God.  I realize that this still doesn't address the age old question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people.  I don't understand that but trust that God knows best.  In the meantime, however, my not understanding will not prevent me from fervently praying for the needs of my family and those around me.  I must trust this promise and know that if I strive to live a life of obedience, God does transform my prayers into wonderful results.

Make "it" happen

I am just loving the World Cup this year.  My youngest has developed a passion for playing soccer and we've tried to tune into almost every game thus far in the World Cup. Let's Go USA!  & Vamos Costa Rica! The World Cup reminds me that athletes understand the power of making it happen! 

Don't you want to be a capable leader that makes "it" happen?  What is your "it?"  My "it" is change - joining in the movement of God so that lives are transformed.  I want to care about the "its" that God cares about. Whether it concerns challenges with racism, education, heroine addiction or Louisville's homeless teenage population , I want to make "change" happen.

Our college connection ministry continues to be challenged in the ways we exhibit leadership and how we make a difference in our world! We as Christ followers should constantly be reminded of Luke 16:10 - those who are faithful with a little should also faithful with much!  

Those who are faithful with much rank high on my list of people I want to imitate! Yes, ultimately I want my life to imitate Christ but I also need leaders in my life who are constantly challenging me and raising the bar!

I'm thankful that I do have those leaders in my life! I also want to be a leader that constantly challenges others to raise the bar - to be faithful with little and to be faithful with much!

How have you been faithful with your little and your much?

Let Colossians 3:23 encourage you....Whatever you do - work at it with all of your heart! Be excellent in all that you do! Make "it" happen - whatever "it" is - make "it" happen!

Our College Connection will be talking about what it means to be a Capable Leader next week! The Catalyst Leader reveals 10 essentials for being a Capable Leader...

1.  Capable Leaders constantly push forward...

2.  Capable Leaders are team players...

3.  Capable Leaders own their mistakes...

4.  Capable Leaders take risks...

5.  Capable Leaders are constant learners...

6. Capable Leaders aren't entitled

7.  Capable Leaders are anticipators...

8.  Capable Leaders are persistent...

9.  Capable Leaders are trustworthy...

10.  Capable Leaders deliver

So....make "it" happen!

Commit to the Lord

Last night, I had the privilege of hosting a great group of college kids from Middletown Christian Church. We ate pizza, laughed, played volleyball and began our Tuesday summer discussions on what it means to be a Catalyst Leader in the world.

As we sat closely in our living room, I asked each person to write down 3 issues on a notecard that they would like to see changed in our society.  Then one student asked "do you mean our pet peeves?"  And I said, "no."  I further explained that I wanted them to think about society - to think about our world - to think about how people live and interact and to write 3 things down that have the potential to keep them up at night.  So, they started writing and so did I.  Then we gathered in small groups to discuss what was on our lists.  Here are a few that made the top of the lists:
1.  Education locally and globally
2. Environmental Issues
3.  Racism
4.  Criminal Justice System - Those falsely accused
5.  Food prices/Gas prices
6.  Child Abuse
7.  Treatment of Special Needs Children
8.  War/Veterans
9.  Affordable Housing
10.  Poverty
11. Homelessness/Hunger
12. Politics - Why can't the republicans and democrats come together?
13. Discrimination
14. Suicide
15. The Negative Impact of Social Media
16.  Distribution of Resources

Wow.  I was so impressed that our young college students care so deeply about people, society and the world.  I'm convinced that my group could have talked about education the entire night.

You see, we can't just keep talking about the things that bother us - we must begin to be the solution to some of these issues.  I know they are big issues but we must begin somewhere.  So, over the summer - we'll be looking deep into our hearts to discuss how we can become the catalyst leaders God desires for us to be in the world.  I closed the night with Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do and all of your plans with succeed.

Commit to studying hard in college.  If you want to be a teacher, be the best teacher you can be.

Commit to meeting with God daily. Seek your happiness in the Lord and he will give you your heart's desire. Psalm 37:4

Commit to making a difference in the area that will keep you up at night. Ask God to give you a vision of how you can begin to be a "change" maker!

I look forward to our summer together!

Hear Our Prayer, O Lord

These are some of my favorite prayers from The Book of Common Prayer:

Our Father, grow us slowly, persistently, and deeply, Lord, to be people who watch without distraction,   listen without interruption and stay put without inclination to flee. Amen

Lord, teach us to dwell in the corners and crevices, to find an abundance of your love in those pockets of our lives where the poverty of our abilities crowds out our pride and ego. Amen

Guide us, Lord, through the dark places of our day that we might trust you when shadows overcome the light. Remind us that darkness is as light to you. Amen

Lord, send us forth into the day to rejoice in all things, to trust you in all circumstances, and to proclaim your coming kingdom to all people. Amen

Lord God, grant us grace to be faithful witnesses to those we encounter today. May we share your love in a way that sparks others to catch your fire. Amen

Lord God, our hands are open to you. Our ears are listening to you. Our eyes are watching you. Our hearts are trying to beat with yours. Live in us and love others through us today. Amen

Almighty God, thank you for the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. Surround us with living saints who remind us of the sort of people we are trying to become. When we fall short of who we want to be, catch us in the arms of your grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

I'll Be Praying For You

Has anyone ever told you - "I'll be praying for you!"  How did that make you feel?  Encouraged?  Or did you think that it was just another line to make you feel better?  Is this a phrase you say often?  If so, why?

Recently I read an article from relevantmagazine.com that revealed 5 things Christians should stop saying - one of which was "I'll be praying for you."  This caught me off guard at first because there is no way that I will stop saying this to my friends, family and congregation at Middletown Christian Church.  Prayer is the greatest gift I can give someone because God is bigger than me and still works miracles.  The writer in this article says " Perhaps instead of just letting someone know we'll pray for them, we should offer up other practical ways to serve them in love. Are they sick?  Maybe we need a warm meal. Just got laid off? Maybe they can use extra cash to pay some bills.... It can become almost routine to throw out the prayer line whenever someone shares a concern.  Sometimes we follow through on it, often we don't."

While I agree that in addition to prayer we should offer ways to practically meet the needs of others - we cannot throw prayer out the window.  When I tell someone that I am going to pray for them - I mean it. I believe intercessory prayer (prayer for others) is a gift. This is why I pray with Max every night. I want him to see that prayer is a gift we give others in their time of need. James tells us to pray for each other so that we may be healed. The healing may not come as we hope but I believe healing will be found. The most powerful resource we have as Christ followers is communion with God through prayer.  It is not a last resort.

Evelyn Underhill wrote:  "Adoration, as it more deeply possesses us, inevitably leads on to self-offering. Charity is the live wire along which the power of God, indwelling our finite spirits, can and does act on other souls and other things, rescuing, healing, giving support and light. Such secret intercessory prayer (prayer for others) ought to penetrate and accompany all our active work.  It is the supreme expression of the spiritual life on earth. It moves from God to others through us, because we have ceased to be self-centered units, but are woven into the great fabric of praying souls, the 'mystical body' through which the work of Christ on earth goes on being done."

Imperfect Progress

For those of you who know me really well - you know that I hate tax season.  From Feb 15 through April 15, you may find me on any given day standing at my kitchen counter trying to decide if I am going to extend grace & laugh or come completely unglued.  It was just last year that I told myself that this year's tax season would not be as bad because I had learned by now (16 years) to manage work, kids, housecleaning, yard work, sport's schedules, band schedules, school schedules, meetings at work, cooking, making lunches, volunteering, laundry, folding clothes, grocery shopping, saying prayers with my kids every night, exercising, did I mention laundry?  - all the while being a great mom and a great wife.  But once again, I learned I couldn't manage it all and it's ok.  Yes. I am a CPA's wife. I like to think of myself as strong but I am not. I like to think of myself as having it all together but I don't.  I like to think of myself as never getting discouraged but I do. I like to think of myself as someone who never freaks out but that's not going to happen. However, this year I did make progress although it was imperfect - it was still progress. 

You see - I learned that when discouragement looms close, God's power moves closer. Despite the demands of an overwhelming schedule, God will step in.  Where I fall short, God's power fills the gap. 

I hope today that you can experience a fresh working of God's power in your life!  And the best way to tap into that power is gratitude.  Gratitude diffuses attitude.  May you see God in a new way today.

Can Skeletons Dance?

A response to Questions of the Soul - How Can These Bones Live?

Can Skeletons Dance?

Gosh!  I loved church camp as a kid!  I still find myself singing those church camp songs like "De toe bone connected to the foot bone. De foot bone connected to the ankle bone.  De ankle bone connected to the shin bone...." As we sang about "Dem Bones" we would be shaking and wiggling our whole bodies. That is about as wild as it got at the Baptist church camp - especially since dancing was forbidden.

Do you know about the story behind "Dem Bones?"  Maybe you don't.  It was a low point in Israel's history.  Their nation had become like a desert floor covered with dead skeletons.  And the skeletons were certainly not dancing.  The Babylonians had wiped out the total Israelite army and their bodies were not buried but just laid there to rot in the sun. The temple and the capital city were destroyed. The people were in total poverty.  Everyone was hungry or on the edge of starvation. I hate to even share this but Lamentations informs us that the people were so hungry that mothers boiled their own children for food.  And the Israelites who were alive were taken prisoners and dragged back to Babylonia with chains around their necks. The Jews began lamenting to themselves, "God can't help us! God won't help us!  There is no God! We are here to rot and die in the desert. We have become like dry bones." 

Then there was Ezekiel.  Today's scripture tells us that that Lord took Ezekiel out into the valley and the Lord looked around and asked Ezekiel "Can these bones live?"  And Ezekiel wisely replied, "you alone know."  Then the Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, to start preaching to the bones. God even gave Ezekiel the sermon he was to preach. 

So, here's Ezekiel, standing in the middle of this great valley filled with dead, dry, scattered bones.  Maybe he's thinking, '"I've preached to some pretty dead congregations before, but this takes the cake."  What does he say? "Good morning, uh bones, it's good to see so many of you gathered here today."  No, he tells the dead, dry scattered bones the message God gave him:  "Don't give up hope, dry bones! God is going to cause you to LIVE again. God will breathe life into you. You will enjoy life again.  You will know that God is God."

And the rest of the story - "the foot bones were connected to the ankle bones..." As Ezekiel preached, the bones were resurrected into a mighty army. 

A most important question for you to answer today is "Can God make the skeleton of your life dance?" Is your marriage ready to dance again?  Is your family ready to dance again?  The very essence of God is to take that which is dead and make it alive again.  Maybe things are good in your life and you need to open your eyes to the dead around you and ask "How can I help these skeletons dance?"  Maybe you can help someone dance again by providing food, by providing affordable housing, by providing mentorship.  The opportunities to let God breathe life through you are endless, really.

The God whose word and breath revived Israel's dry bones, the God whose living Word called forth Lazarus from the grave, the God who raised Jesus from the grave, is the same God whose living Spirit empowers and sustains us and gives us hope even now.  And He is the same God who will one day call all of us by name and give us life beyond life, life that will never, ever know death again.