So my brother and I were talking about our prayers the other day. He gets bogged down in "lists"; I'm not a "prayer lister" at all. Here are some of our thoughts on how prayer plays a part in following God.
Greg: I was wondering after I talked to you if I really pray enough about my church, ministry, people, etc, etc. I'm sure really I don't pray enough at all. But that doesn't have to do with the question...I don't think...
You know Paul talks about working with "all His power" (that is GOD's & not his own - and that is paraphrased). And I sure don't want to be just "doing ministry" by MY power and getting results that I can get on my own. We preach that God should be involved in ministry. There's the old "joke" - "If the Holy Spirit left your congregation would anyone even notice.
My question is HOW do we make sure we are "ministering" "working" "striving" - however you want to say it - with HIS power.
I think that I always assumed - for some reason - that means that you have to "pray God's power into stituations/guidance, etc.". And that may well be true - or at LEAST a part of it....However... is there more to it?
Is prayer a part of it at all? If so, how much? Like 75% of it - 25% of it?
Could it be that just HAVING the Spirit "makes" us operate in it?
If not, what do we "feed" that direction if the Spirit does not operate in us "by default"?
Could it be that, as you said, just KNOWING God by relationship - spending time with him as our father - sharing concerns and ideas and thoughts with Him (and He with us thru the Word) - rather than praying down a "list" of "needs" is what is necessary to walk in the Spririt and operate by His power. Which then, of course, IS prayer... yet not what we usually believe "moves" God to "work for us" (like we are going to goad God into moving).
Chris: You bring up a good point.
If the Holy Spirit is with in us, which I believe He is, then I think we would work with him or he work in us by just some sort of default. But obviously we can work against the Holy Spirit. If we couldn't, then we would never sin or see people walk away from God. So I think that is part of it.
I think it is a "all of the above" answer. It is the Holy Spirit, it is praying, it is building the relationship with God. When we pray out of relationship instead of laundry list of things I want/need, then I begin to do things with Him in mind.
My laundry list prayer, while prayer, is all about me.
Its been said that prayer has more to do with changing me than it does God. It reminds me that I am not the most important person in the universe. It reminds me that The Church is His not mine. I can plan and try to grow it and maybe it will because, with good intentions, we are still preaching the gospel, still praising the Lord, still helping people. But when we come to it with a mindset of working with the Spirit and seeing what he is already doing in the lives of people, I think it makes our plans more effective because it builds off God's plan.
For instance, looking around, I see a lot of people in our church that have lost their job. So I might think about preaching on faith, eternal security, instead of preaching a sermon about holiness. Not that the holiness series would be bad or ineffective but maybe looking up for minute I can see needs that my church has. That is probably an over simplistic illustration.
Greg: I think...you're right!
Chris: That may be a first!
What do you think? (I mean about the subject - not Chris finally being right!)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Heart of a Champion
For the sports fan, at least the one who enjoys football, this is the ultimate week. It’s the week of the big game – the Super Bowl. The name says it all. Originally a game between two rival league champions, the Super Bowl crowns the best of the best in what Americans call football. Even more than that, this week’s game is not just about a game. It’s about having the heart of a champion.
Kurt Warner, this week’s starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, was a third-string, bench-warming quarterback at the University of Northern Iowa for most of his college career. Finally, in his senior year at UNI, his coaches believed he could lead them team. Lead them he did. He was the Gateway Conference offensive player of the year.
However, that performance wasn’t enough to impress the pros. After attending pre-season camp with the Green Bay Packers, the Packers released him. Kurt went back to Iowa and worked stocking shelves for minimum wage at a Hy-Vee grocery store.
But you can’t keep a good man like Kurt Warner down. Kurt got a second chance at the pros when he started racking up the stats as a quarterback in the Arena League and NFL Europe. His performance caught the attention of the St. Louis Rams. After the Rams quarterback went down with an injury in the 1999 season, Kurt led them to the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory. He was the league MVP twice while playing for the Rams. But it still wasn’t enough.
After an injury, some less-than-impressive games, and a few trades, Kurt Warner again found himself on the bench. He was now in Phoenix, Arizona – where the win column is usually as dry as the climate. Yet, once again, after a few years of on-and-off play for the Arizona Cardinals, Warner is now performing and leading his team, and they will appear in next week’s NFL Super Bowl. Between his NFL play, his personal life, and the many charitable actions with which we as Missourians are well-acquainted, it is obvious that Kurt Warner has the heart of a champion. Whether the Cardinals win Sunday or not, Kurt Warner has already won.
When you think about Warner’s story, it is obvious that he has been the recipient of a 2nd chance (and a third, and a fourth, etc.). There are many times when we wish we were so blessed. We struggle to overcome past mistakes. People don’t let us forget the past. And if it weren’t enough, we come to believe that even God “has it in for us”. After all, we know. We know we’ve failed so many times.
Yet, God actually calls us to get up off the bench and come back into the game. Far from “writing us off”, God offers as many chances as we will take to be winners in life. The question is whether or not we have that same heart of a champion - the one that never quits - the one that has faith.
What do you think?
Kurt Warner, this week’s starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, was a third-string, bench-warming quarterback at the University of Northern Iowa for most of his college career. Finally, in his senior year at UNI, his coaches believed he could lead them team. Lead them he did. He was the Gateway Conference offensive player of the year.
However, that performance wasn’t enough to impress the pros. After attending pre-season camp with the Green Bay Packers, the Packers released him. Kurt went back to Iowa and worked stocking shelves for minimum wage at a Hy-Vee grocery store.
But you can’t keep a good man like Kurt Warner down. Kurt got a second chance at the pros when he started racking up the stats as a quarterback in the Arena League and NFL Europe. His performance caught the attention of the St. Louis Rams. After the Rams quarterback went down with an injury in the 1999 season, Kurt led them to the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory. He was the league MVP twice while playing for the Rams. But it still wasn’t enough.
After an injury, some less-than-impressive games, and a few trades, Kurt Warner again found himself on the bench. He was now in Phoenix, Arizona – where the win column is usually as dry as the climate. Yet, once again, after a few years of on-and-off play for the Arizona Cardinals, Warner is now performing and leading his team, and they will appear in next week’s NFL Super Bowl. Between his NFL play, his personal life, and the many charitable actions with which we as Missourians are well-acquainted, it is obvious that Kurt Warner has the heart of a champion. Whether the Cardinals win Sunday or not, Kurt Warner has already won.
When you think about Warner’s story, it is obvious that he has been the recipient of a 2nd chance (and a third, and a fourth, etc.). There are many times when we wish we were so blessed. We struggle to overcome past mistakes. People don’t let us forget the past. And if it weren’t enough, we come to believe that even God “has it in for us”. After all, we know. We know we’ve failed so many times.
Yet, God actually calls us to get up off the bench and come back into the game. Far from “writing us off”, God offers as many chances as we will take to be winners in life. The question is whether or not we have that same heart of a champion - the one that never quits - the one that has faith.
What do you think?
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