Praying for the Wrong Things?

I want to thank Michael Spencer for his post at Jesus Shaped Spirituality on Pray at the Pump. As I read Michael’s post, I thought that it corresponded to this past Sunday’s message in some ways. Using Paul’s defense before king Agrippa, we discussed the disparity between Paul’s wish that all who hear his voice become as he is (a Christian), but without chains, and our contemporary wishes to have our own needs, wants, desires, hopes, dreams, and aspirations met by God. The central point of Sunday’s message was our need to have our hopes transformed from inward-focused and selfish, to other/closure-focused. We ought to desire opportunities to share our witness of God’s grace toward us.

Paul, knowing the hardship that awaited him in Jerusalem (Agabus prophesied these things to Paul at Caesarea), did not hesitate to place the cause of Christ above his own comfort. How different a time we live in. For those who are interested, the article that touched off this dialogue on Michael’s blog and this one can be found at The Hilltop Online.

For those who won’t take the time to the original article, in essence a local activist in Maryland received a call from God to organize persons to pray for the lowering of gas prices at the pumps. A local radio station picked up the idea, and its host had the following response as quoted from the article,

“We had Rocky on our show a couple of times in April,” said Ethan Youker, executive producer and co-host of “The Buckethead Show,” which airs on WXTB 98 Rock in Tampa, Fl.
“Mostly to have fun with the whole concept of praying at the pump,” he said. Youker admitted the show’s hosts did not believe prayer would work in response to rising gas prices.

“We just thought it would be good radio, and it was,” Youker said.”

What are we praying for most often? Either individually or collectively, what are our prayer requests? Do our prayers betray what is in our hearts? How often are we praying for the opportunity to express the love of Christ to a friend, neighbor, family member, or stranger? Is our wish the same as Paul’s, or are we using God as some sort of cosmic Santa Claus? What do you think?

View From the Top

This is a picture of some of the brave men that made it to the top of Great North Mountain in Orkney Springs, Virginia. These men participated in the first men’s retreat conducted by Harvest Christian Fellowship. Twenty-two men spent three days and two nights at Shrine Mont; and what a time it was.

To a man, everyone shared that the retreat was a tremendous blessing. Men were able to develop relationships that they would not have otherwise developed. They were able to nurture and restore relationships that were already established or bruised. Above all else, was the sense that every man strengthened his connection to our Lord. Gone were the distractions of the city, business, and the mundane of everyday life. These men were free to spend as much time as possible with God, in his creation. What a great time it was!

Some of you may be asking–is that a cell phone I see in a man’s hand? Yes it is. Many pictures, including the one in this post, were taken with cell phone cameras. Also, the only place to ensure you could get cell phone service was on the top of the mountain (a one and one-half hour hike).

What a view their was from the top of North Mountain! What are some of the things you do to retreat, and nurture your relationship with the Lord?

Lessons from a Pit Bull

This past Sunday I shared an illustrative message, taken from the previous week’s events in the life of my family. During the previous week, we adopted an American Pit Bull Terrier from our local SPCA. It was amazing to view the reactions from friends, family, and strangers about this new addition to our household. All of the reactions were based upon general knowledge (right or wrong) of the breed, and the general appearance of the dog. No one took the time to actually see or know “Tasha”.

As I experienced the reactions of others during the week, I was reminded of the apostle Paul’s words to the Corintian church in his second letter to them. He informed them that we have been given a ministry of reconciliation, as though God were making an appeal through us to the world. This ministry requires that we no longer view anyone according to the flesh, but that we understand that if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation. Gone are the things of the past–the old person and nature.

How often, I wondered, do we treat people we don’t know, or with pasts that we have heard about like American Pit Bull Terriers. Rather than moving forward with the ministry that God has charged us with, we instead avoid them, opting to approach those we deem more “acceptable” to God and the church.

“Tasha” the Pit Bull Terrier, is a welcome new addition to our household. We endure the looks and comments that we receive because we have adopted her. We are more than willing to do this because we know what we rescued her from. As Christians, are we willing to go and rescue those that we and others would consider “Pit Bull Terriers” from the fate that awaits them? The choice is ours. What do you think?