A Fulfilling Prayer Life

What prayer has the Lord answered in your life recently? Do you pray in such a way that His answers are recognizable? Is your prayer life fulfilling? Does it lift you up not only because you give your cares to him, but also in knowing that He has provided.

We've read the Ask-Seek-Knock section of the Sermon on the Mount numerous times. Do we really look to God with faithful expectation? Do we truly believe that he will provide what we ask for?

Earlier this year I read Grant Edwards' book, Swimming Lessons. This book gives a background on the First Steps discipleship material. Edwards provides four basic accountability questions that reveal our commitment to fundamental Christian Discipleship:

1) How fulfilling is your prayer life?
2) What are you currently studying in the Bible?
3) How are you serving in the church?
4) Who have you led to the Lord lately?

Edwards' exhorts the reader, if our prayer life is going to be fulfilling, you must pray with specificity. How will you know he is answering you, if you do not ask for something you know will be true or not true at a future point in time. How will you praise Him specifically, if you do not pray specifically.

I'm oft guilty of speaking general prayers, "O Lord, heal the sick". Let is become crystal clear, and let us look in faithful expectation of what the Lord is going to do in these days.

Remember the Two Titan Coaches

If you like Denzel Washington, surely you remember the two Titan coaches. If you love football, surely you "Remember the Titans". This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Awesome drama, rivalry on many fronts, love, hate, victory, defeat, fun, sadness, harassment, encourgement, genuine caring, bigotry, true love and eventual acceptance; Excellent acting! This movie is a landmark film in my mind.

One element that stands out is the different tactics of the two coaches. African-American Coach Boone (Denzel Washington) replaces Coach Yoast (Will Paton), when T.C. Williams High School undergoes racial integration. Yoast agrees to the assistant role of defensive coordinator, being demoted from head coach. The coaches have markedly different styles. Coach Boone is black and white, hard-line, nothing but perfection on the basics. Yoast is more likely to coddle the players, and run trick plays. He is much more subtle and fancy than Boone. The two coaches clash time and again, but they both come out victorious.

Which coach best represents American culture, versus the model of Jesus? Was Jesus subtle and coddling, or was He crystal clear and demanding?

Today, in our men's Bible Study, we talked about Matthew 7:1-6 (ESV) ...

"Judge not, and you will not be judged ..."

What do you think? What's the main point? Are we to keep our mouths shut, let people make their own mistakes and learn their own lessons? Or is there a time and a place to get in the middle of someone?

End in the end, Yoast has the title quote of the movie, "You make sure they remember, FOREVER, the night they played the Titans!" Coach Yoast eventually stiffens his back, and even stiffens on a young African-American player that he had previously coddled.

Is America coddling sin? Are we allowing wrong to ruin our nation? Does true love let people fall or sternly warn them? Let me know what you think...

You may also want to read a similar post I made regarding Jillian Michaels and "The Biggest Loser" on the Political Hope blog.

America Bless God

The First Concern

What are you worried about? What concerns you most?

As we walk through this life our priorities, our first concern, changes with the seasons of life and with culture and technology. As a child your first concern maybe playtime. Teens maybe concerned primarily with the latest trend in clothes or electronic games/gadgets. Parents maybe concerned with paying for college.

Our first concern is manifest in a couple of ways. One, in the plagues of the mind ... what worries us, what are we thinking about? Two, in how we spend our time and money. Sometimes our first concern is not reflected in our actions and our priorities. And sometimes the first concern that plagues our mind, is not what we intellectually know it should be.

In the Sermon on the Mount Christ said, "... do not be anxious about your life ... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matt 6:25-33 (ESV)

As believers, our first concern should be His Kingdom and righteous. Reality says, we do not do this. So, let's have a venting session....

What is really the first concern that is standing in the way of you seeking first His Kingdom and Righteousness?

The Parable of the Good Juan Martinez

Have you heard the parable of the Good Juan Martinez? In Jesus' day it was a no name from Samaria. In your case, maybe it was was Sam Martin from Austin. In some future era, it could even be the Good Sam Martian, as your space ship crash lands on some distant planet. In my most recent episode it was a bad alternator and the good Juan Martinez, from Memphis, Texas.

When you turn on the blinker and the speedometer starts bouncing in rhythm, you might have a hint that something is wrong. The voltage gage is showing about 10 volts and fading quickly. The air conditioner is slowly dying, but our good 'ole suburban is still running fine. We cruise into town, looking for a parts store. I know there's one here somewhere, but I push it too far. As we turn around on the far edge of town, we've seen no parts store, and the suburban dies there in the median.

I start hoofing it back toward town just in time to catch Juan and his helper leaving the local trash dump. They stop and offer me a ride to the parts store, take the time to go by his house for booster cables, and help install the new alternator. All told, Juan and his helper spent well over 45 minutes working to get our suburban back on the rode to Austin. As I repeatedly thanked him, he just said you're welcome, and I've been there myself.

Some would say it's mere coincidence that Juan was leaving the dump just at my time of need. I say that's is God's perfect timing. In those first 30 minutes of the suburban sitting in the median with no help in sight, well over 150 vehicles passed by. Two others stopped to offer help, but our appointment was with Juan.

This morning as I come to work on a Sunday School lesson, there was another appointment that I was unaware of. This appointment was with a letter dated November 11, 1995. Honestly, I had forgot all about it, and certainly didn't know I still had a copy on my PC. It was a letter to Dr. D. James Kennedy. It was a letter marking a key benchmark in my life. A benchmark that Dr. Kennedy helped establish. It was a benchmark that I desperately needed reminding of.

You see I didn't know about these two appointments, but someone did; Someone that knows me better than I know myself; Someone that knows me better than mother, father, or wife; Someone that exists outside the boundaries of time; Someone that told the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Praise God! He comes to my rescue, just at my time of need!