Archive for the ‘Prayer’ Category

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Conversation With God

May 26, 2015

I sit and try to meditate opening up myself to an experience with God. My thoughts distract me. 

I refocus, breathe deeply and regularly. Focus on God (I repeat the word to maintain my focus). My thoughts distract me.

Eventually I think, “I’m having the same thoughts. They keep repeating on me.”

That’s when it finally dawns on me–maybe, just maybe, God is trying to tell me something. Perhaps I’d better explore those thoughts. Maybe he’s telling me to do something. Or call someone. Or prepare for an adventure.

Mostly, we are not taught to pray. Or, we are taught in the way of prayer during a church service, or the beginning of a class, or grace for meal. It is us talking, usually aloud, to God. We’re usually asking for something. Or complaining about something. Or ordering him around to get him to do what we want him to do.

But what if we listened?

There are people I have met who believe that God doesn’t talk anymore. It may have happened to Elijah. Maybe to Jesus. Maybe even to Paul. But, not anymore.

I feel sorry for those people. What is it that they are missing out on because they have not paused and listened.

What does God want from us in prayer? What he wants in general–a relationship. When you converse with someone with whom you’re in a relationship–unless you’re a complete narcissist–you expect the other to listen to you and you listen to them. That would be a conversation.

What will it be like when God says, “I’ve been telling you that for years!”

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Praying Your Way Out

February 19, 2015

There is one God, the Father,

From whom are all things, and we to him;

And one Lord, Jesus the Messiah,

Through whom are all things, and we through him.

–1 Cor 8:6 (The sh’ma rewritten by Paul)

One of the guys at last night’s Bible study asked about the situation when you aren’t as “on fire” in the spirit as you had been for a while.

There was a survey of 17,000 followers of Jesus where they asked that question. Did you ever feel away from the spirit, and, if so, what did you do to get back? More than 3,000 said yes. Reading the Bible daily and praying were the path back into the spirit.

We call those spiritual disciplines or spiritual practices. They are a means through which you can rekindle the fire of the spirit. They also should become so habitual that they form your character.

Paul, good Jewish boy and eventually Pharisee, no doubt prayed the Sh’ma every day. “Hear O Israel, The Lord, the Lord our God is one. And you shall love The Lord….”

Paul, after his meeting with the risen Jesus, “rethought” his Jewish teaching in light of the coming of the Messiah. Recorded in 1 Corinthians is a new prayer with which to begin each day. A new Sh’ma.

There was a man who lived in 19th Century Russia. He lost everything he had including wife and kids. All that was left was his Bible and a teaching from a priest quoting Paul, “You should pray without ceasing.” The priest taught him the “Jesus Prayer,”

Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

You can say that prayer with breath. Inhale Jesus Christ, son of God; Exhale have mercy on me, a sinner.

This peasant’s story is recorded in The Way of a Pilgrim. He tried to live praying without ceasing. And people kept coming into his life at just the right moment with just the right assistance.

The Jesus Prayer is powerful. I am now trying to memorize the “new sh’ma” and incorporate it into my life. It helps maintain focus when all around is chaos.

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Don’t Turn a Spiritual Problem into a Political One

December 2, 2014

My heart continues to break over the fallout of the Ferguson, MO events.

One thing that really affects me is the number of posts on Facebook from my “Christian friends” that perpetuate a meme making the situation a political one. It goes something like this, “If you are a true Conservative, then you will back the police officer. Only the nasty liberals back the black man.”

The situation is far more complex than that.

Sunday I worshipped at Willow Creek Community church. Senior Pastor Bill Hybels read a carefully composed statement about the situation. He noted that there are stories. These stories may not contain all the facts of the situation (many of which may never be known). But the stories are different for each of the actors in the drama.

He was correct. People tend to believe a story. Trouble is, there are usually many stories. Each person believes his or her own story.

It takes vast amounts of courage to step back and look at other people’s stories. See how they believe them. And then start the work of reconciliation of the various stories into a common one.

That is part of the work of the Spirit. Politics only constructs sides to an issue so that everyone can complain about the other. The Spirit draws together so that one side of the many can begin to at least see the other sides. And then see that they need not be enemies. They could be co-workers for good and growth in the community.

Those of us who want to politicize the issue should just stay out of it. If you don’t have a solution, you’re part of the problem.

For those of us far away, prayer is a powerful part of the solution.

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Prayer–Slow Down and Listen

October 16, 2014

“Most conversations are a monologue with witnesses.” (Attributed to Mark Twain.)

Is your prayer life like that?

Yesterday I wrote about meditation and contemplation. The foundation of both is to slow down our busy brains and focus. The direct or indirect focus is on God.

Jesus showed his followers an example at the Temple one time. There was a religious man standing in a conspicuous place praying loudly so as to assure that everyone knew that he was a religious man praying. Then there was a “sinner” who was kneeling alone apart from others, praying. Jesus said that those who pray with many fine words get their reward there. The other man got his reward from God.

Even if you don’t practice daily meditation or contemplation in the strict sense of the words, it pays great dividends to pause and sit quietly between all the words you say.

It’s not that it’s wrong to pray in words. Or to pray publicly when the occasion warrants. But as a daily practice, praying with no more words than necessary to the One who knows already what’s on your heart is much more freeing. Then to stop and listen heaps benefits upon the soul.

Often when I pray alone, I sit in silence and just picture the person or situation in my mind and focus my energy and attention on them. My heavenly Father knows. I’m just adding my spirit. Focusing on others.

It’s OK to focus on yourself, too. Just not exclusively. Once again a friend told me of the power that has come to him simply by praying that God lead someone into his life. Trust me, it’s uncanny.

I can think back over the past years of my life and identify many times when God eventually answered my prayers-usually when he knew I was ready and that the proper opportunity was presented.

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Prayer Is Not Difficult

September 17, 2014

Jude, the next-to-last book in the Bible, warns us about the dangers of trusting and following the wrong people. The writer advises prayer as the answer to building us up and keeping us on the right path.

When I first started on the meditative path many years ago, I was frustrated (I guess like the disciples) about the supposed lack of teaching about how to pray and meditate in the Bible. We are instructed to pray and to meditate and contemplate the Word.

Jesus went alone to pray, but we know nothing about his usual prayers. He did teach one time on the subject. The answer was not to pray like the religious people with big words and gestures and spectacle. He said to go by yourself and pray simply. He gave an example which we have turned into ritual–the Lord’s Prayer (or the Our Father).

This is basically just a conversation. Simple words. From the heart.

Last week at Willow Creek, Bill Hybels taught on the scene from ancient times when Elijah challenged the priests of Baal who had captured the official religious life of Israel. The priests of Baal prayed by shouting, dancing, cutting themselves. Elijah prayed just a simple prayer.

Sometimes in prayer, our focus may wander. So, we may repeat a phrase. Maybe one of the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer. Or a favorite verse. But this can be continually simplified.

It’s like when I first learned guitar after having been a percussionist. My friend said, remember that just two notes can be a chord. Just so, you can go to just one or two words. I repeat the word “God”. Others make like spirit. Or love. Just by sitting (or standing or walking or lying) and focusing on your word can calm your thoughts and cause you to enter into the presence of God.

Then you can focus your heart on what matters to you at the time. Even without words. Just focus on others, your ministry, yourself, whatever is a burden at that time.

Prayer is both simple and powerful. Try it sometime.

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Practicing Compassion

July 17, 2014

Conditions at home have reached an unbearable point. “I’ve got to get out of here,” they think. Someone says, there’s hope in America. The word spreads. Groups start the long and treacherous journey. Groups become thousands.

For the past five weeks I’ve either been traveling or deep into a research project. I get very little news in those times. But I know there’s something terrible going on at our border with Mexico.

After writing about gratitude and humility, compassion seemed to be the next logical topic.

Compassion is not feeling sorry for, it is feeling with. I have great compassion for those children seeking a better life. Every one of my American readers came from such stock–people seeking a better life by coming to America. Most of them found it. Our nation was built on that. It is somewhat unique in the world in that way.

Sometime we turn to politics to solve the problem. But most problems are not political, they are human. In politics, lines are drawn, people become things. We construct evil sounding labels for those we oppose. It’s easier to deal with people that way.

My dad would have never had a Japanese friend–not that he ever had the opportunity. There were no Japanese people within 50 miles of where he lived his life. The end of World War II found him on a ship in the Pacific. He was trained to think of Japanese people as less than human so that he could go over there and kill them.

I don’t speak German as a native because of two world wars fought against Germany. People stopped speaking German out of patriotism for America (or out of fear of being called a traitor).

My formative years intellectually came during the Civil Rights Era. I was moved by the treatment of black people–who were usually called names that made them less than human in the mind.

Let’s work to develop and practice our compassion “gene” and let it overcome our “fear” and “anger” genes. I do not know what I can do about that situation right now. But as the opportunities present themselves, I’ll jump on something. I know how easy it is to label people and write them off as less than human. It is a terrible thing.

Someone said in a situation, “Just pray.” But it’s not “just” pray. Prayer is a powerful tool of action. Pray with intention. Pray with expectation. Pray with compassion. That is one thing we can do–now.

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Prayer

July 2, 2014

Prayer

“Be careful what you pray for…you might just get it,” so says a friend.

She refers to praying for patience. You will be given many opportunities to live in patience until you absorb the lesson.

Sometimes you pray for removal from a difficult situation. You get it. Now what do you do?

Jesus told us to pray with intention and expectation.

We are to pray for specific things. We pray intentionally for God to bring people or situations into our lives. We pray intentionally for health, healing, peace, joy.

And we pray expecting that God will fulfill the prayer. Not weaseling the words such as “if it be your will.” We pray with the full expectation that it will happen. Now, like I said above, sometimes we may be surprised at what the answer is.

I’ve prayed for God to open me to a ministry. I expected something like a teaching pastor, which seems to fit within my personality and study. But no, God gives me a ministry in missions.

I’ve prayed for God to bring people into my life. I think I wasn’t specific enough. Most of the people have been helpful. Some are helpful in the negative by teaching me a lesson.

But, I still pray—with intention—with expectation.

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Prayer as an Action Verb

June 18, 2014

Prayer rightly understood and practiced is the most potent instrument of action. Gandhi.

Did you ever think of prayer as an instrument of action? Prayer seems so passive. You sit or you kneel and talk to God.

Maybe you’ve heard of the early Chrisitan mystics who also prayed while walking or preparing dinner. But that still seems passive.

Think about Gandhi. He led a revolution that freed a huge nation from the imperialism of another country. He did it without forming a guerilla army in the mountains and fighting a prolonged and bloody war. Essentially he did it through prayer.

Jesus said that prayer could move mountains. Is your prayer so feeble that you ask for something and then say, “If it be your will”? Jesus taught us to pray boldly.

Jesus prayed for his followers. They started a revolution that captured an empire. Without starting a war. I would say without bloodshed, except the blood of the followers was often shed.

Prayer toppled a godless Roman nation converting it to an officially Christian one.

What are you praying for? Make it a bold one! Change the world.

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Release Hidden Tensions

February 7, 2014

Neighbors called the rescue squad. There was something unusually quiet about the apartment of the old woman. They entered, found her in distress, and took her to the hospital. She had one hand tightly clenched into a fist. They could not get her to release. Finally, a doctor in the emergency room pried open her hand. Inside was a quarter.

Henri Nouwen tells this story in the beginning of his book “With Open Hands.” It is an image that has stayed with me for many years. The image of someone desperately hanging on to something valuable. So incredibly tensed up. Hanging on.

Jesus told stories about people trying to hang on to things. And he taught about the futility of that. Today I’m told there is a TV series (maybe more than one) about “hoarders” who can’t bear to throw anything away.

I’d like to relate this to the mindfulness discussion I started with this week. And prayer–which is where Nouwen took the story.

Part of being mindful is to open up. Become open to the world around you. Become open to God. You cannot walk around and really be with people if you are tensed up with worry about things which are of no value to God and actually impede your relationship with God and people.

In Yoga, I put people into positions where they hold a pose designed to stretch and strengthen a  particular muscle or muscle group. Then I will suggest that they do a mental scan of their bodies at that time. If we are working the upper leg muscle (say in Warrior pose), we discover often that we are holding tension in our shoulders. We should not be holding tension there. We should only be working the leg muscle. We remind ourselves to relax.

While warming up, I will have the class in sitting position cross-legged on the mat. We sit erect, stretch our arms out straight, then bring the palms of the hands together in front. Breathing deeply, we bring our arms back until we are pinching the shoulder blades together. We put the thought in our minds that we are opening ourselves up to greet the day. Then we bring our arms forward on the exhale and put the thought in our minds that we are releasing all the tensions of the day. Repeat about 4-6 times.

We have our minds and bodies intentionally working together alert to the moment–and only the moment. Now we can pray.

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Walking in Faith

January 22, 2014

Do you ever wonder about the people the writers in the Bible were addressing? Especially the New Testament letter writers?

One of my small groups is reading James. A marvelous little letter. But I started thinking–just what was that gathering of people like that caused James to write this letter to them?

His teaching included:

  • treating poor people just like you’d treat rich people
  • act out your faith, don’t just sit back and say you believe
  • watch what you say
  • be careful not to judge people as to their salvation
  • pray powerfully expecting results
  • if you’re rich, don’t hold it over other people

Picture this gathering of people. When they got together, they separated themselves among cultural lines just as if they were out in society. When things got tough, they whined. They were critical of each other, often saying mean things.

How many of these traits do we exhibit?

I remember long ago talking with a woman about coming to my church. She said, “I just wouldn’t fit in there.” What a powerful condemnation. She didn’t think our little Baptist church filled with middle class business people and teachers would accept a working person.

Even today, I can look across the 20 or more protestant churches in our town of 17,000 and see how often they are divided among income, cultural or racial lines. There is only one Catholic church in town, but there are several rural ones close by if people want to stay in the faith (protestants don’t seem to care about denomination very much any more, they just hop from church to church) and attend with people they feel comfortable with.

Wherever you are, do you try to live out some of these words of James?

  • make everyone feel equally welcome
  • speak kindly in the Spirit
  • perform acts of service in humility
  • pray powerfully with great expectation

I need reminding at times. Bet we all do.

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