Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God
Have mercy on me, a sinner.
This prayer is very short and simple but can do wonders for our prayer lives. This is a prayer of repitition. It takes some time to really experience the shalom (peace-ish) that only God can provide. A quiet place is a MUST. Just let the words seep into every part of your life and let this prayer be the true cry of your heart. You can also pattern your breathing after this prayer for a more peaceful and centering overall experience.
(breate in) Lord Jesus Christ
(breathe out) Son of God
(breathe in) Have mercy on me
(breathe out) a sinner
This prayer is amazing and so encouraging especially if you think you don't hav etime to pray...Give it a try!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wow
"Where there is pain, let there be grace
Where there is suffering, bring serenity
For those afraid, help them be brave
Where there is misery, let us bring them relief
Surely we can Change
Surely we can change something
I don't know what to do with a love like that.
I don't know how to be a love like that."
- David Crowder, "Surely we can Change"
- The Remedy
Where there is suffering, bring serenity
For those afraid, help them be brave
Where there is misery, let us bring them relief
Surely we can Change
Surely we can change something
I don't know what to do with a love like that.
I don't know how to be a love like that."
- David Crowder, "Surely we can Change"
- The Remedy
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Velvet Elvis - Movement Two - "Yoke"
In our small group time on Wednesdays, our high school guys have been going through Velvet Elvis, a book by Rob Bell that re=examines the Chriistian faith from all angles. In the second chapter, Bell introduces a fresh insight on the relevancy of teh Bible in modern times. He accurately points out that the Bible is more than ancient stories from ancient times that don't pertain to modern issues that are occuring in today's society. The Bible is a book filled with accounts of God working through people who are passionate and desperately hungry to experience the Almighty God.
Bell also presents the view that we are the characters in the Bible as much as the actual characters are. The amazing, fantasmical fact about the Bible is not that the stories happened, it's that they actually happen. We all face the same decision as Adam and Eve did and just like them, we choose to partake from the forbidden fruit, whatever that may be for each of us. The point is that the Bible is a collection of Scriptures that are alive and happening today. They are still pertinent in today's culture just as they were in the times they were written.
The thing that stuck out to me the most out of the second chapter was towards the end of the chapter. Bell is writing about a group of rabbis in ancient times. He describes the mixed feeling of confusion and hope that they feel when they read a Scripture they cannot even come close to understanding. The rabbi is confused because he doesn't understand this important part of God's word but he also has hope because he knows that God will reveal to him the true meaning of this particular passage. Then teh rabbi would say a prayer that would go something like this, "Thank you God that, at some time in the future, the lights are going to come on for me." God is good.
Bell also presents the view that we are the characters in the Bible as much as the actual characters are. The amazing, fantasmical fact about the Bible is not that the stories happened, it's that they actually happen. We all face the same decision as Adam and Eve did and just like them, we choose to partake from the forbidden fruit, whatever that may be for each of us. The point is that the Bible is a collection of Scriptures that are alive and happening today. They are still pertinent in today's culture just as they were in the times they were written.
The thing that stuck out to me the most out of the second chapter was towards the end of the chapter. Bell is writing about a group of rabbis in ancient times. He describes the mixed feeling of confusion and hope that they feel when they read a Scripture they cannot even come close to understanding. The rabbi is confused because he doesn't understand this important part of God's word but he also has hope because he knows that God will reveal to him the true meaning of this particular passage. Then teh rabbi would say a prayer that would go something like this, "Thank you God that, at some time in the future, the lights are going to come on for me." God is good.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Spiritual Prayer Journal
In my quest to pray for more than just physical healing for the ones I love, I have decided to start a spiritual healing journal. Each new entry will feature a detailed situation that requires many prayers for many different things. Some will be for a renewal of desire for Christ. Some will be for a removal of spiritual apathy. Many, many others will exist as well. Since I remeber and learn largely from writing stuff down, I think this will help my personal prayer life immensely so...hear goes.
This amazingly humble lady Janet that I work with takes care of her Mom, Severina Manglapus. Severina is very old and has lived her life to the fullest. She is near death and grows weaker each day. Janet takes care of her mom during the day and works at night while her husband works days and takes care of Severina while Janet is at work during the night. My prayer is that Severina is thankful to God for the lovely angels He has given her to take care of her throughout the day and into the night. My prayer is that Janet and her husband will be given the spiritual strength needed to take care of Severina without growing tired or weary. My prayer is that this strengthens their marriage instead of placing a large burden on it. My prayer is that God will continue to be glorified in this situation as He already has. Janet is a perfect example of what the love of Jesus Christ looks like, lived out completely everyday. My prayer is that when Severina does pass over and goes to be with her Lord and Savior that Janet and her husband seek spiritual strength first from God and then from each other. My prayer is that when this sad day comes that Janet will continue to have the heart of a slave with everyone she comes into contact with. My prayer is that Janet continues to show me what Christ looks like everytime I come into contact with her.
This amazingly humble lady Janet that I work with takes care of her Mom, Severina Manglapus. Severina is very old and has lived her life to the fullest. She is near death and grows weaker each day. Janet takes care of her mom during the day and works at night while her husband works days and takes care of Severina while Janet is at work during the night. My prayer is that Severina is thankful to God for the lovely angels He has given her to take care of her throughout the day and into the night. My prayer is that Janet and her husband will be given the spiritual strength needed to take care of Severina without growing tired or weary. My prayer is that this strengthens their marriage instead of placing a large burden on it. My prayer is that God will continue to be glorified in this situation as He already has. Janet is a perfect example of what the love of Jesus Christ looks like, lived out completely everyday. My prayer is that when Severina does pass over and goes to be with her Lord and Savior that Janet and her husband seek spiritual strength first from God and then from each other. My prayer is that when this sad day comes that Janet will continue to have the heart of a slave with everyone she comes into contact with. My prayer is that Janet continues to show me what Christ looks like everytime I come into contact with her.
World Religions - Part 1 - Islam
Tonight we started a 5-week series on world religions. These religions do not all parallel Christianity but we can learn and develop our faith more fully from learning about these other religions.
Tonight was Islam and it is scary how many parallels exist between Islam and Christianity. I learned so much tonight. Not to brag, but I never did stereotype Muslims as "terrorists" but tonight did clear up many questions I had about these ultimately devoted people.
In Christianity, we have a very positive outlook on our lives, especially from a spiritual aspect. We are "saved" from the fires of hell and more importantly, eternal separation from God. We are a new creation in Him. The atoning blood of Christ forgives all sins. All of these things add to the overall positive outlook on our Christian lives.
Islam actually directly contrasts with this view. It is a very negative outlook on the actions of Muslims. Muslims focus on not necessarily beliefs as much as correcting the wrongs committed in their never-ending pursuit to worship Allah. This is the concept behind "jihad." Jihad means "struggle." It is commonly mistaken for a "holy war" and although there is some aspect of holy war in the Lesser Jihad Greater Jihad is where Christians could draw something.
This Jihad is the inner struggle one has with his/her sins. It is not a guilt trip but more like a permanent attitude of repentance and mourning over the sins committed.
We as Christians can take 3 major things from the Islamic faith and apply it to our faith to help us grow.
1.) Develop an attitude of respect for God similar to the respect Muslims have for Allah. (Muslims have an immense amount of respect for Allah. Their attitude is one of complete reverence and humbleness.)
2.) Consistently engage in jihad inside ourselves as well as with God. (Through this wrestling with ourselves and with God we will ultimately grow closer to Him and develop our own faith more and more.)
3.) Develop a prayer life as dedicated as Muslims. (They stop everything they are doing, no matter what it is, and pray to Allah 5 times a day.)
Tonight was Islam and it is scary how many parallels exist between Islam and Christianity. I learned so much tonight. Not to brag, but I never did stereotype Muslims as "terrorists" but tonight did clear up many questions I had about these ultimately devoted people.
In Christianity, we have a very positive outlook on our lives, especially from a spiritual aspect. We are "saved" from the fires of hell and more importantly, eternal separation from God. We are a new creation in Him. The atoning blood of Christ forgives all sins. All of these things add to the overall positive outlook on our Christian lives.
Islam actually directly contrasts with this view. It is a very negative outlook on the actions of Muslims. Muslims focus on not necessarily beliefs as much as correcting the wrongs committed in their never-ending pursuit to worship Allah. This is the concept behind "jihad." Jihad means "struggle." It is commonly mistaken for a "holy war" and although there is some aspect of holy war in the Lesser Jihad Greater Jihad is where Christians could draw something.
This Jihad is the inner struggle one has with his/her sins. It is not a guilt trip but more like a permanent attitude of repentance and mourning over the sins committed.
We as Christians can take 3 major things from the Islamic faith and apply it to our faith to help us grow.
1.) Develop an attitude of respect for God similar to the respect Muslims have for Allah. (Muslims have an immense amount of respect for Allah. Their attitude is one of complete reverence and humbleness.)
2.) Consistently engage in jihad inside ourselves as well as with God. (Through this wrestling with ourselves and with God we will ultimately grow closer to Him and develop our own faith more and more.)
3.) Develop a prayer life as dedicated as Muslims. (They stop everything they are doing, no matter what it is, and pray to Allah 5 times a day.)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
A Heart to Love
Lately I have been dealing with some problems with letting stuff go and forgiving people. This week especially, God has really been giving me a heart to forgive, a heart to let go, and a heart to truly love those who have hurt me in the past. I am so thankful for this gift from God and I hope my heart to love others is but 1/2 the heart I have to love Him. I am finding that it is so much easier to show the love of Christ to people who used to get so far under my skin now than a month ago.
I believe that God has changed me for a purpose and this purpose is to show the love of Jesus Christ to everyone I encounter everywhere I go. My desire is for people to look at me and see my Savior. I want them to see a life of humility, a life of service, a life of compassion, and a life of love. I want them to see the life of who Jesus was and who He is for me everyday.
I believe that God has changed me for a purpose and this purpose is to show the love of Jesus Christ to everyone I encounter everywhere I go. My desire is for people to look at me and see my Savior. I want them to see a life of humility, a life of service, a life of compassion, and a life of love. I want them to see the life of who Jesus was and who He is for me everyday.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Scholarships
So, I was writing this essay for an Educators Credit Union Scholarship today and the prompt was to write about your future aspirations in at least 250 words. This got me thinking...what is an aspiration? Why can't they say future goals or plans or write about how you have no plan for the future? Well I looked up this word and according to Merriam-Webster it means " a desire to achieve something high or great."
An aspiration is not actually achieving something high or great, but only desiring it. Simply have a want for it. I have a desire for a mega-hot wife, loads of money and a big boat. Unfortunately, I may never obtain any three of these things in any specific order. This got me thinking, of course not on the essay at hand (which is due tomorrow) but about our Christian lives.
Do we as Christians have just an aspiration to seek God, to truly seek after God with all we have, totally devoted to Him? I think a lot of times this is true for most Christians, myself included. We remember what it was like when we had the heart to honestly love and to run to God as well as show love to everyone around us. We remember these times that did actually happen and long for these times when we were the closest to God we have ever been. We remember these times and instead of being truly convicted and spurred to action, we long for these times, do nothing about getting back there, and say we "aspire" to meet with God.
Aspiration is a key element in seeking after the love of our lives daily. A true longing, deep-rooted, genuine desire to seek after God is essential for us to have that amazingly intimate relationship with Him that He so graciously allows us. But aspiration and desires without action mean nothing. If I want to be the best high school baseball player ever, I don't just sit and dream about how cool it would be. I go and practice, practice, and practice and let that deep longing consume my actions to focus on reaching that goal.
I am truly amazed that God worked in my life today through an essay prompt that I have probably seen at least twenty times. I can only pray that I do not remain stuck in the melancholy, drab, lukewarm waters of "aspiration" but that God will give me a heart to love Him, and act on this love.
An aspiration is not actually achieving something high or great, but only desiring it. Simply have a want for it. I have a desire for a mega-hot wife, loads of money and a big boat. Unfortunately, I may never obtain any three of these things in any specific order. This got me thinking, of course not on the essay at hand (which is due tomorrow) but about our Christian lives.
Do we as Christians have just an aspiration to seek God, to truly seek after God with all we have, totally devoted to Him? I think a lot of times this is true for most Christians, myself included. We remember what it was like when we had the heart to honestly love and to run to God as well as show love to everyone around us. We remember these times that did actually happen and long for these times when we were the closest to God we have ever been. We remember these times and instead of being truly convicted and spurred to action, we long for these times, do nothing about getting back there, and say we "aspire" to meet with God.
Aspiration is a key element in seeking after the love of our lives daily. A true longing, deep-rooted, genuine desire to seek after God is essential for us to have that amazingly intimate relationship with Him that He so graciously allows us. But aspiration and desires without action mean nothing. If I want to be the best high school baseball player ever, I don't just sit and dream about how cool it would be. I go and practice, practice, and practice and let that deep longing consume my actions to focus on reaching that goal.
I am truly amazed that God worked in my life today through an essay prompt that I have probably seen at least twenty times. I can only pray that I do not remain stuck in the melancholy, drab, lukewarm waters of "aspiration" but that God will give me a heart to love Him, and act on this love.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Blah
Lately I have been struggling with maintaining a well-rounded, intimate relationship with God. I have found that my quality times with God have become sporadic to say the least. Once I start getting more and more in God’s word, I find my prayer life slipping, or my prayer life is limited to the time I spend in semi-silence driving to and fro. Once I start talking to God more in prayer about anything and everything, really trying to hear God’s still, small voice, the times I spend in the word decrease drastically. Why is this so hard for me? I feel that I am the only one who experiences these problems but I know I am not. Its not that I don’t have the time, it’s just that I find myself not being able to focus on maintaining a well-rounded relationship with the love of my life. I feel like I’m letting God down by going at this whole thing half-heartedly...I can't even focus enough to pray that God will help me out with this. I don't want to pass this off on school, friends, the girlfriend, work or whatever. I feel like I am stuck spinning my wheels with a one-track spiritual mind.
However, I know that God is Sovereign God and he has a purpose for this challenge and that I will glorify him because of this situation somehow.
However, I know that God is Sovereign God and he has a purpose for this challenge and that I will glorify him because of this situation somehow.
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