Gumption and Prayer!

The church I attend, Madison Campus, has been experiencing some very encouraging changes! Our new pastor has been emphasizing church fundamentals, has started a new "Teach Us To Pray" series and is emphasizing evangelism. To that I say HALLELUJAH!

Like many, I start my day with personal prayer and strongly appreciate the pastor's prayer challenge. I have accepted his challenge and have made a special effort to pray 'all day'. Don't get me wrong, it's not a continual mumbo-jumbo. It is a mind-set; a continual 'feed' and very specific. After all, the Bible tells us to "pray without ceasing." During my devotional prayer, I  ask... "Lord if I can help someone today, please send them my way." (Poetic huh?!)

The pastor also wrote some very encouraging words in a recent church-bulletin column. He said, "...maybe God is opening your [our] eyes to a more fulfilling prayer life."  I am convinced God is doing exactly that to all who are willing to pray. Recently, I was reminded that, as simple as it sounds, prayers ARE ANSWERED and that prayer warriors ARE NEEDED.

Last week, after completing a few errands with my wife, it was time for lunch! We decided on a restaurant (name withheld) that we hadn't visited in several months. As I entered, I prayed again,  "Lord if I can help someone today, please send them my way."

We entered, we were greeted, seated and provided menus. The waiter seemed a bit hurried but quickly brought us water. After some brief niceties he asked if we were ready to order. We weren't, so he scooted through the swinging kitchen doors. When he returned, my wife and I made our selections and we asked that the cheese and sour cream be omitted. "No problem." he said. "Will there be anything else?"  "No, that's it. Thanks." Suddenly the waiter's hurried demeanor seemed to melt away and he asked, "Excuse me but I noticed that besides omitting a couple of items, you both ordered vegetarian entrees. Are you Seventh-day Adventist?"

WOW!, I thought! That's quite a leap! Just because we exclude some items from our diet and are vegetarian (I'm attempting veganism), it doesn't mean that a person is Seventh-day Adventist. I know that, and you know that. In fact, I found his comment VERY surprising! I also felt that perhaps it wasn't any of his business. (My human nature often rise-eth within me!)

I said,  "Yes, we are. We attend the Madison Campus SDA church."

"Oh, I know where that is. I use to attend that church. I went to the elementary school and I also went to the academy. Well, I didn't graduate from there but I did attend. As soon as you ordered, I THOUGHT you were Adventist!"

He asked if we had kids and we determined that he knew them. "My sister works here too," he said. He called her over to our table and she chatted at length as well. (The restaurant wasn't as busy. We ate a late lunch.) They both revealed some VERY personal things about themselves, their hopes, aspirations, regrets and successes.

So there you have it, the variable of: 'Associative Adventism'. He knew of Adventism, we ordered like Adventists, 'quacked' like Adventists, we must be Adventists! Maybe a better coinage is: Familiarity breeds an AH-HA! factor!

Suddenly, I felt strongly compelled to ask both of them to come back to church. This is a big change for me. Although I believe people should go to church, asking someone to actually go to church is something I don't do. Well, lately I HAVE been asking but it takes some ....gumption and......prayer.. It scares me to ask. I use to be frightened. Now I'm frightened NOT to ask. I believe a strengthened prayer life has encouraged my new behavior.

"Have you considered coming back to church?", I said. "We have two services. Listen, there are a lot of things happening in this world. It's a crazy place. You NEED to come back to church!" I even pointed my finger at him. I couldn't seem to stop talking. I've seen other people do the same and it concerned me; even embarrassed me, now I hardly think anything about it.

"Yes, I know, I know", he said. "I do want to return. I actually get Friday night and Saturday off! I told my boss I'm Adventist." The waiter smiles, laughs and under his breath says, "It actually works out real well!.....  I am going to return."

Remember, I prayed that I would be able to "Help somebody in my path" and suddenly, during lunch, two people were standing at our table waiting/wanting/asking to be invited to church!

Like our pastor, I ask you to pray. People are SEARCHING for a connection. People are WANTING to come home. Still others are SEEKING for a home. If YOU have found a 'home', ask someone to come to it. If you haven't found a church-home, come to Madison Campus!

Be bold! Be brave! People are making some SERIOUS decisions; be a positive part of it!!! ~PRAY! /\

Bird, Chirped the 'Word'! (edited)

During the early morning, I opened both the front and screen door to allow the fresh cool morning air to sweep through the house. To encourage more of an air exchange I walked to the master bedroom and opened the rear window but left the screen down. Ahhhh! Exhilarating!  I sat down in a chair, opened my 'Moving Mountains' devotional from Amazing Facts and began to read a devotional about nature. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound in the living room!! Thinking my wife had returned early from her walk, I called out to her, "Is that you?" No answer.

The rustling persisted accompanied by an odd scratching sound. Scratching, scratching on my foyer floor.

I cautiously peeked from the bedroom, there it was...a bird walking across the wooden entry. Suddenly it was ME vs. BIRD (not Larry, for any 'old' Celtics fans). "Shoo!" I said, waving my arms and attacking to encourage its quick departure. The bird saw my antics and decided flying at me was its best option! Perhaps it sensed the air flow and wished to dart for an opening or maybe it saw through to the back patio. My tactics changed. My team (troop of one) retreated, (I swear I heard a little girl scream). I dodged any contact, made a quick scoot through the living room and into the kitchen. I instituted my only plan of CP: Covert Peering. Yup! You no doubt have heard of "Bond, James Bond". I was 'SPY, SUPER SPY'! 

Suddenly my cell phone rang.....from the bedroom. I weighed my options:

1. Get the phone and be exposed to a flurry of wings and bird-borne pathogens, (I know it's silly but I'm a bit of 'clean-o-phobe' A brief flash of microbiology class......Psittacosis!) Nah! It's just a bird.

2. Let my wife come home and find 'Larry'! Hmmm...

I dared to re-enter the bedroom, snatch the phone and say a quick, "Hello!" No response and my contender 'Larry' bird, a beautiful large Eastern Meadowlark, flails at the screen. I believe they fly south for the winter. I wasn't expecting his arrival and wish he'd leave. Another flashback: An old English literature class. Edgar Allen Poe and 'The Raven' that came "rapping, rapping on the door".

The phone rings again. I see my wife's pic on the phone.

In frustration, I quickly spat out a greeting, "Hello!" 

"Hey, WHOA! You sound stressed! What are you doing?" my wife asks.  

"I'm chasing a bird!" Silence......

"You're chasing a what? Did you say: A BIRD?!"

"Yes, A bird! It flew in the house and I am chasing it. Well,.... I'm trying to at least."

"OH! Well..... I'd better let you go." Click. I was on my own! It was me against 'Larry'. Hmmmm... maybe Edgar is a better name (I know for sure, it's NOT Lenore! Read the poem 'The Raven'). I suddenly grow concerned that in all the excitement, 'Edgar' might 'drop a message' for me to clean. If it does this ....smear tactic, he will be renamed 'Pooping Poe'! 

Edgar, still flailing at the screen, seemed to chirp a scream for an escape. I grabbed a shirt and successfully threw it on him, carefully scooped up both as Edgar continued chirping bird words. I quickly walked to the open door and released it too the wild. A good spy am I.

It suddenly dawned on me that I had started my devotional reading about nature, suddenly nature was scratching at my door and then staring at me? I glanced at my shirt and spied a 'message' from......Pooping Poe. 

Just because we find an open door, it doesn't mean we should fly through it. If we enter and find ourselves captured by circumstances and/or our poor choices, by all means, PRAY! Prayer reveals many awesome open doors. Very soon those doors will close and that shirt (robe) of 'escape' will someday no longer be needed. For now, the beauty is that Christ is waiting EVERY MOMENT to welcome us like a fresh cool morning breeze. He covers us with His robe of protection. Invite Him to 'fly' into your life and do some Spring cleaning! It will be a welcomed change. Stop sitting on the windowsill of life flailing at the screen of separation. You can fly to freedom with Christ one moment at a time. ~Pray /\

Spring Cleaning! Exhume! Make Room!

Occasionally, archaeologists unearth a new artifact and to their surprise, the discovery serves to verify Biblical history. When this happens, it's all I can do to contain my excitement! I intensely appreciate when God leads people to His hidden truths, removes the dust of history and proves the Bible stories. 

The Bible has truths hidden deep within its pages. Some believe that these truths are old fashioned and effectively dead; that the ONLY value of anything exhumed is because it MIGHT be a collectible. Everyday I am more fully convinced that, YES, every artifact is dead but only temporarily mute. It's as if they slumber, waiting for God's messengers (us), to give them a voice! 

Another hidden truth, yet to be discovered, are the Ten Commandments. As the Bible record indicates, the Commandments were written on stone tablets, they were kept in God's tabernacle and in a holy box called an ark. It's interesting to note that to this day, the expression, 'cut in stone' is still an effective metaphor to describe permanence. In fact, if our society were to disappear I doubt a hard-drive or the like, would stand the test of much time. I believe the actual stone Commandments will soon be rediscovered. However, God's Commandments can be seen today. We are a testimony to His temple. He lives in us. He engraves His promises and commands in our hearts. Christians are a testimony to His holy word; His Commandments. We need to keep telling ourselves, "I am God's chosen." 

In the Bible, in Romans 2:14 through 17, we read: "¹⁴ Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. ¹⁵ They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. ¹⁶ And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life." NLT

Even non-believers understand what is right and what is wrong. When we are receptive to it, we prove that ancient knowledge is alive and well!  As His children, we are drawn to follow the Word of God. We know that the Spirit of God is on the inside of us, guiding and directing us. Every time we follow His leading, our ability to hear and know Him is strengthened. Don't  choose to bypass the Holy Spirit's prompting, By doing so we effectively pick up the erasure of the world and begin to rub-out God's words from our heart; leaving our hearts empty. A blank slate, is an invitation to an artist to write new passages. Keep listening to God. Let Him write on your heart. Avoid a heart of stone!  

Have His Commandments become dusty in you life? EXHUME THEM! Breathe life into them! 

~Pray /\