Prayers need feet

I have heard this song by Josh Wilson for quite a while, and really liked it. This morning I heard the story of what inspired him to write it: the Nashville floods. He wanted to help, and not just say "gee, I should pray for those poor people".

The song is called "I Refuse", and really strikes a chord in me this week because we have just hosted the local Cold Weather Shelter (CWS) at our church. The CWS allows 25 homeless men,women and children the opportunity to sleep indoors during the coldest part of the year - the end of November through March.

To handle all the needs, and to serve our guests properly, takes a concert of people working nearly around the clock for the week they are with us. Incredible planning and organization goes into the process, and orchestration is like a symphony as the week unfolds. Meals are prepared and served by small groups; volunteers do laundry and pack bag lunches; activities and entertainment (videos, tv, books, newspapers) are made available; guests are able to take showers and baths and enjoy as much of a homelike environment as is possible in a church building. Every night four adult volunteers stand sentry - staying awake from 10pm through 7am - to ensure that guests are safe.

Having the guests with us at Christmas offered both challenges and opportunities. The holidays always mean those who might normally volunteer may be out of town or otherwise committed to other activities. By the same token, it meant the opportunity to create a wonderful Christmas for the guests. On one evening, Christmas cookies were baked and the guests were invited to help. One night Christmas trees were decorated (one large one in the main hall and smaller ones in each room). On Christmas the guests were allowed to sleep in a bit if they wanted, and a family-style breakfast was offered. Later a traditional Christmas dinner was served.

So where does the song come in? The people of our congregation could simply have chosen to pray for the homeless guests and their needs, or they could choose to act - refuse to utter another empty prayer, refuse to stand aside and let someone else do what God called them to do... Over 300 people - members of the congregation, their friends, members of the community - chose to be involved. Totally awesome.

But what about every day? I am struck by the willingness of people to pitch in when there is a special need, while remaining on the sidelines while the everyday needs of the church are unmet. Surely they realize that just praying about the roof (or the heat, or the salaries, etc) will not fix it. Money is required to pay for the cost. Just praying will not address the need for ushers or Sunday School teachers or people to paint a room; people need to heed the nudge of the Holy Spirit that results from those prayers. It is not just other people, or the people who have always done it, who will take care of the basic chores of the church. God calls us all to do something. We take care of our own homes, and God needs us to take care of His House too.

Prayers need feet. We must all refuse not to move.
Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuGqIqbO310

I'm beginning to think a lot about Christmas

It's that time of year again. I walked into Target and saw the decorations over my head. BJs has pre-lit trees and a giant snow globe thing that inflates... JCPenney has those red trees made from balls ... and it all makes me want to cry.

The thing that pushed me over the edge (and into this blog post) was a Facebook post this morning by one of the on-air personalities from our local Christian radio station. She used "Xmas" instead of Christmas!

Yes - this is officially a rant.

Last year I had the displeasure of driving home one evening about a week after Thanksgiving with that radio station on in the car, only to hear a familiar secular Christmas song that mentioned Santa. I was shocked and dismayed. The next morning, on the way to work, I again heard another secular holiday song mixed in with the beautiful songs celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. I wrote to the radio station, and their response was that they hoped to draw non-believers to the station and thus expose them to The Word.

Now I am all for meeting people where they are in order to lead them where they need to be, but this is dilution of the message and compromising beliefs,sending a mixed message. A whole different story in my book. I replied that I would be listening to CDs in my car until after the holidays. This year I have already sent an email to the station asking them to please reconsider their stance and to keep CHRIST in the Christmas music this Christmas season.

So here is my prayer under the palm tree tonight: a truly CHRIST-centered CHRISTmas. How to manage this? I have some ideas (you knew I would).

I pray that you, as a Christ-follower, will resist the secular intrusion into Christmas. I implore you to pray seriously about your views on Christmas and examine the way you celebrate. What is the focus of Christmas in your home? in your family? Is is Christ's birthday? or is it gifts and Santa?

First, eliminate Santa - yes, eliminate him. Go through all the decorations and wrapping paper and such in your house and get rid of this symbol of the secular Christmas. Yes, I know he is supposed to symbolize giving, but what he has come to represent is buying and getting. Children do not go to him and ask him to give things to other children - they line up by the score and read a litany of items they wish to receive in return for having been (allegedly) good all year. (I read an article the other day about some German Christians who are asking for "Santa-free zones" - I am of the opinion that all churches should be such places!)
[if your children still believe in Santa, if you have fostered this belief in your home up till now, I pray you will consider explaining the truth to your children now.]

Second, scale back. Each person give one gift to each person. We as Christians give gifts to one another at Christmas because God gave Christ to us as a gift. We are celebrating His birthday, not ours. So give one gift to each person - a gift that you want them to have, something that is meaningful to them and not just something they asked to receive. Be thoughtful. [oh, and referring back to #1 - this means no gifts under the tree from Santa. People give gifts to people.]

Third, give of yourselves to those who are in need. Give gifts to members of the family that also give to others - the Holstein Project for instance, or some other charitable donation. Serve at the homeless shelter or a church that is serving Christmas dinner for those who are less fortunate. With some planning you could adopt a family and buy gifts for them.

This year begin being different. Live your faith. Refuse to give this special day over to the secular celebration. So yes - my prayer for you this night: as we see more and more of the secular influence, stand firm and do not compromise. Do not stand quietly as others pollute the celebration of Christ's birthday, especially in our churches and on our Christian radio stations.

Are you with me? Then start praying... Pray about how YOU should celebrate CHRISTmas. And then stand your ground - firmly but politely, when you are enticed to follow the crowd.

Pray under the palm tree with me:
"Father, give me the strength to keep Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Your Son Jesus. Help me to be loving to others but to stand firm in my beliefs. Show me what I am to do and how I am to honor this day. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Right Place Right Time

Sunday was an interesting day, and it all started at church.

As I was maneuvering a cart of children's books and such from the church to the outdoor worship area, a young woman pulled into the parking lot and stopped me. She was meeting friends and wanted to know where to park. Noting my Lay Pastor name tag and the contents of the cart, she asked "Are you the Lay Pastor of Children's Ministry?" I laughed and assured her that I was not, but rather was called to prayer ministry.

"Oh, thank God I met you, because I really need prayer!"

She parked and I continued my journey with the children's cart.

A few minutes later she was taking a bulletin from me and we chatted about her visit: where she lives, why she was visiting the area, where she was traveling next, etc. She mentioned that she is Jewish by heritage and accepted Christ as Saviour just a few short years ago. Others joined our conversation, giving their impressions of the state she is about to visit and making her welcome. Eventually her friends arrived and she joined them for worship.

All morning I had felt it was important to have the annointing balm with me... Patting the little pot of balm in my pocket I prayed "Father, please lead me to the person who needs prayer today - or lead them to me." As we worshipped and prayed and as the message was shared, I continued to ask the same prayer, and was getting the same message: I already have.

Looking at each person gathered, in my head rang the young woman's words I really need prayer. Of course - God had connected me with this person on purpose.

After worship I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she had ever had anyone pray for her with laying on of hands and annointing. She said "Not in a long time." Assured that she indeed would like to have someone pray with her, I grabbed another Lay Pastor and we went to the church where it was peaceful.

This young woman was totally overwhelmed that people who had just met her would stop, listen to the concerns of her heart, annoint her (a young Jewish woman, and the annointing balm in my pocket came from Galilee last year with our pastor), lay hands on her and pray for her. Suddenly we became her new Christian sisters, sending her off on her travels and then back to her home with our prayers for God's blessing and guidance in her life.

We gave her our contact information and will all meet on Facebook soon. But we talked about how God sometimes gives us the opportunity to say or do something - perhaps sew the seeds and perhaps water them - in a one-time meeting. We may never again meet face-to-face before Heaven, but our lives are intertwined because our paths crossed for two hours on a hot summer morning on the lawn of the church.

So our lesson was this: follow those little nudges to do what God wants you to do ... when I asked her about prayer and annointing, she could have reacted in a totally different way. But my responsibility was to ask. The rest was up to God.

What is God leading YOU to do today? Where is He placing you? Who will He put in your path? I pray you are open to His leading. God will take care of the rest.

How shall we pray?

People will often ask how to begin a time of prayer. This is an interesting question with a seemingly easy answer.

Prayer is merely conversation. All the same things that apply to any conversation apply to prayer. The difference is that this conversation takes place between a human and God. But this is really the only difference.

Think of children waiting for Daddy to come home. The car enters the garage, the kitchen door opens, and the children run to greet the father who has just returned from a busy day at work.

"Daddy, Daddy! Guess what I found on the playground?!" "Daddy, look what I drew in school!" "Daddy, see this trick?" "Daddy, Joey got a new puppy - wanna go see it?"

Children don't stop to consider the importance of their news compared to the concerns of the father's career. They simply want to share everything with him. And that Daddy delights in every word. He wants to hear about their day.

Sometimes the child approaches the father a little differently... perhaps with "um, Dad, can I talk to you?" or "can I ask you something?" which precipitates a serious discussion. That father wants to hear these things too – to be approachable.

So it is with our Heavenly Father - He wants to hear all about our day and our concerns, whether it is something that excites and pleases us or something that hurts or burdens us.

Thus, we simply start by talking, just as we do with others with whom we have conversation every day.

Passing on the Legacy

Driving home last night from Costco, I was listening to a message on the radio about what we pass on from one generation to the other. The message got me to thinking about that very thing, especially on the day after Mother's Day.

The preacher was talking about the "stuff" we pass down from one generation to another: jewelry, china, trophies, furniture... all those things that collect dust and cause family squabbles.

On Sunday at worship we gave thanks for the ways that mothers care for their families and for others, and acknowledged the influence they have in our lives (both good and bad).

And the two together has me thinking about what we do pass down from one generation to another.

In addition to the recipe for macaroni and cheese and angel cake, we should be passing down the respect for the home arts and for the women who choose to stay at home to raise their children. We also need to pass along the respect for those who wish they could but cannot because of financial issues. Most of all we should be supporting the next generation of mothers by passing along lessons and love.

Rather than the jewels and furniture, we should be more concerned about the life skills and experiences we are passing down. When our children remember us will it be as understanding and caring? or absent and consumed with amassing those jewels and furnishings?

Sometimes an heirloom evokes memories that are clear and almost tangible. Will those be positive memories of fun and laughter with parents who were loving and fair? Or of parents who were too busy and too angry and too mean?

What will our children and grandchildren inherit from us? Will it be furniture and land and money? Things that will either be put in an attic or cabinet for fear of being harmed, or eventually fall apart from use and be tossed away?

Will they inherit a world that we have used up? or will they inherit our respect for God's creation and our attempts to do less harm than good? Will they inherit high blood pressure and obesity and addictions? or will they inherit our desire to eat organically and be active and lead a healthy lifestyle?

Rather than passing down the family Bible, we should be more concerned about passing down the family faith - a faith that will still be fresh and strong for generations to come. We should be raising them to believe and trust in God - to look to Jesus for salvation and the Holy Spirit for guidance - and how to discern the teachings they hear, rather than passing along the family pew in what we consider the "right" denomination. We should be leaving them the power of prayer, that they can be in continual conversation with a Father who will be the perfect parent even though we weren't.

So I ask you today, as you are praying about your family and all those of the next generation in your sphere of influence, to pray how you would be used to leave a legacy - an inheritance - of faith and salvation.

prayers for children

Two very brave and wonderful people I know are making a pilgrimage - a mission trip - to Tanzania. As I write this Karen and Jim are in Mbeya, being hosted by Father Robert Mbinda and his wife Mariam. The Mbindas oversee the Good Samaritan Orphanage.

The children at the orphanage have lost their parents to AIDS - it is epidemic there. There is often a shortage of medical assistance, and in an emergency there is no 9-1-1.

As we sit in neat clean houses and eat healthy food (I hope you are eating healthfully) washed down with clean water, these little ones are carrying water great distances which is not as pure as it could be and their meals are often the same each day and are meager.

Children in the United States and other "developed" countries are suffering from the opposite problem: they are over-fed and under-active. While the Tanzanian children schlep water great distances and gather sticks for fires, the children in the U.S. are munching high-calorie snacks while sitting for hours in front of a tv or computer. They will have shortened life spans not because of AIDSand diseases from unclean water but from diseases borne of obesity: heart disease and diabetes.

Please pray for our children - the children of Tanzania and the children of the United States... pray for their health and their futures. And then pray for inspiration for ways that you can help them all.

Praying for families with children

My children are adults. We enjoy one another's company as adults - we do things together and are friends on Facebook. I am not a mother who regrets not having young children in the house - I enjoy being able to pursue my pastimes without concern for the schedules of little league, choir and youth group.

That being said, I must tell you that I enjoyed all of the years when my children were, well, children. And it is no secret that my favorite demographic group is teens...

What prompts this missive today is reading the Facebook posts by mothers (and fathers) who are complaining about having been snowbound for much of the past two weeks. For those of you not in the mid-Atlantic area, we have had two blizzards in a single week and schools have been closed for over a week with delayed start since they opened Wednesday.

First, before you mutiny, let me say that it is understandable for those who need to make alternative child care arrangements so they can work to be somewhat upset. Not everyone can work remotely and not all businesses were closed the entire time.

Then let me say that what does bother me is the complaining tones of parents who seemingly have no idea how (or no interest) to engage and have fun with their kids. Each day that school was canceled was met with "I can't stand another day in the house with my kids" followed by a chorus of "Hooray they are gone and the house is quiet!" on the first day back.

We noticed on the days when our road was still unplowed that there were no children out playing and laughing and no one flying down the two fabulous sledding hills created by the accumulation. [The last time that my kids were young enough to be home for such a snow event was 1983, and every kid in the neighborhood was out there (yes, they are streets, but when they are under 20+ inches of snow they are sledding hills!) with quite a few parents.] We did see several teens tromp through the hip-deep snow to meet rides at the top of the road where the state road had been plowed - I did not see them (or any other children) assisting elderly neighbors get shoveled.

Exciting were the posts by parents who were out sledding, snowballing and such with the kids as well as having the kids help shovel snow. I love reading posts by parents baking cookies and making meals with the kids. It's great to see that there are families who can work and play together and have fun doing both.

So where is the prayer here?

I pray that parents and children will learn to laugh together, chase lightning bugs together, build snowmen together and play games together (board games as well as video games).
I pray that parents and children will learn to vaccuum and dust together, bake cookies together, shovel snow and clean off cars together, clear a neighbor's walk together, weed a garden and plant flowers together.
I pray that parents and children will go to church together, pray together, share concerns with one another, care about one another, talk to one another, listen to one another.
I pray that parents and children will serve at a shelter or soup kitchen together, take things to the Salvation Army together, walk/run/bike for a cause together, recycle together.
I pray that parents will have the wisdom needed when it is time to set boundaries and to discipline, and that these will be done in a loving and teaching manner.
I pray that children will see discipline as a way to help them learn and grow and to keep them safe.
I pray that parents always remember that they are not raising children, but rather guiding and preparing the next generation of adults - the next generation of parents.
I pray that parents will have the wisdom and strength to know when to let go and simply stand ready to support appropriately (and when not to do anything).
I pray that when the children are grown, both the parents and the children can still laugh and talk and play games and serve and work together.

Will you join me in these prayers? What prayers would you add?

Prayers in WInter

How has your winter been? Where you live has the weather been typical?

Here in Maryland we have had an atypical winter. We have had more snow here this winter than any on record, and more snow than cities that usually get lots more.

Friends in other areas though have reported unusual winters too - snow in Dallas and Charleston, warmer temps in Maine and less snow in Rochester....

Climate shifts (a term I like better than global warming) seem to be more common, and many are pointing to the end of the age when they talk about it.

How shall we pray? Come Lord Jesus Come!

And of course, we need to pray for the here and now - the weather provides opportunities to pray for safe travel, for shelter for the homeless, for warmth and food for all, for power lines that will remain up and functional... the list goes on and on.

What are your "winter prayers"? What requests show up in your prayers that would not be there in other seasons?

and what about the winter of life? those seasons we go through that make us feel bleak and cold? are there prayers then too that are different than other seasons of our life?

Share them here - share them most of all with God - He is always listening, in every season.