I read some sobering statistics this week about several different struggles we face as a nation. Let me give you a quick list:
Economically -
* 2011 was our worst year in history with 10 separate natural disasters costing over $1 billion each
* Currently, America has over $16 trillion in debt
Morally -
* 89% of the world's pornography is created in the United States
Family -
* 1.2 million babies were aborted in our country last year
* 4 in 10 babies born were born to unwed mothers
Spiritually -
* Only 3 in 10 Christians believe that the Bible is literally true
* Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans state that their faith is a top priority in their lives
(from material posted by Julie Hamner, Communications Director, If My People 2012)
All of this further enforced in me the need to pray for our country. Starting October 1st, that is what I want you to join me in doing. Each day for forty days, this blog space will become a prayer guide. We will pray over a variety of needs beginning with our own prayer lives as Christians during the first week. Then in each of the following weeks, I invite you to pray for:
-the family in America,
-the church in our country,
-our nation as a whole,
-our decision as voters (we will pray through the ballot)
-and finally the election and those we have elected.
It will not be an easy task; real intercession never will be. In the end, it's my hope that I will come out better equipped and committed to continue to pray for my country in the days and years to come. Will you join me?
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, September 28, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
40 Days of Prayer
Is there something good coming out of this tumultuous election season? I can point to at least one positive sign. In no other election have I seen so many prayer guides prepared by so many different Christian organizations. There is a 40 days of prayer guide prepared by Max Lucado. Another ministry has prepared a guide using numerous Christian authors like Ann Graham Lotz. Two other major ministries have produced a prayer guide for 31 or 40 days. People are preparing to pray for this important part of our nation's history.
With that list of prayer guides for our country, let me add one more - our own. "Forty Days of Prayer for our Country" will be a prayer guide just for us at Northside. I will be sending it out just like this blog so if you are reading this because you had previously signed up to receive my blog, you will receive it automatically.
So what is in this prayer guide? Each day will have a scripture for the day. There will be a quote or thought to go along with it then there will be a list of suggested prayer items for that day. Each week will have a memory verse that we will all work on together. Also each week there will be an individual challenge to complete or a group activity of which to be a part. I will quote freely from the fore mentioned prayer guides and I will give credit for the quotes. We will pray for specific candidates and races, the ones you will see on your ballot here in Victoria. The prayer guide will not be a place for campaigning for a specific candidate or party. It will not be an attempt to be a voter's guide to break down or critique candidates positions on issues but we will pray about specific issues. With it not being pre-printed we will be able to pray for current events, disasters or developments. We will start on October 1st and pray through the election and even a few days beyond the election for the newly elected. I hope you will join me.
These are busy, chaotic and tumultuous days with important decisions to be made. That means it is time for praying people to call out to God. Will you be one of those people?
For the journey...
Tim
With that list of prayer guides for our country, let me add one more - our own. "Forty Days of Prayer for our Country" will be a prayer guide just for us at Northside. I will be sending it out just like this blog so if you are reading this because you had previously signed up to receive my blog, you will receive it automatically.
So what is in this prayer guide? Each day will have a scripture for the day. There will be a quote or thought to go along with it then there will be a list of suggested prayer items for that day. Each week will have a memory verse that we will all work on together. Also each week there will be an individual challenge to complete or a group activity of which to be a part. I will quote freely from the fore mentioned prayer guides and I will give credit for the quotes. We will pray for specific candidates and races, the ones you will see on your ballot here in Victoria. The prayer guide will not be a place for campaigning for a specific candidate or party. It will not be an attempt to be a voter's guide to break down or critique candidates positions on issues but we will pray about specific issues. With it not being pre-printed we will be able to pray for current events, disasters or developments. We will start on October 1st and pray through the election and even a few days beyond the election for the newly elected. I hope you will join me.
These are busy, chaotic and tumultuous days with important decisions to be made. That means it is time for praying people to call out to God. Will you be one of those people?
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, September 14, 2012
Me and Reverend Moon
Reverend Sun Myung Moon died this week. The same Reverend Moon who founded the Unification Church or the "Moonies" as they are otherwise known. The Moonies were big back when I was in college. They were the "hot topic" cult of the day. Rev. Moon made headlines by the mass wedding in 1982 of thousands of couples that he had put together. Some of those couples met at their wedding. I wonder what their divorce rate is now? I also wonder what has happened to the Moonies, I have not heard anything about them lately but I also read 30,000 are expected at his funeral in South Korea.
The Moonies were on campus in my day and I remember clearly my encounter with them. Another student came to my apartment door right before Mother's Day. He was selling pretty flower arrangements door to door "for his church," he said. Since I was going home that weekend (as a good son should on Mother's Day) and since I was also a procrastinator who had not gotten a Mother's Day gift, this seemed like a perfect opportunity. When I asked who should I make the check out to, my salesperson said they had a stamp and would take care of it so I left it blank. It was only when my cancelled check came back with the blank filled in "Unification Church" that I realized I had helped the Moonies. I felt naive but also deceived.
Rev. Moon told his followers that he was the Christ sent back to earth. He did not try to imitate Christ or be Christ like; he said he was Christ. Too many people believed him even though it really sounds weird.
Paul calls all of us to "imitate God" in the book of Ephesians. The New Testament calls Christians to be Christ like. Not enough people believe that. Does even that sound weird in our day, to make it our goal to live a godly life? Perhaps those of us who do believe need to practice it more - to show the true nature of the true God through our lives. That is what we will talk about Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
The Moonies were on campus in my day and I remember clearly my encounter with them. Another student came to my apartment door right before Mother's Day. He was selling pretty flower arrangements door to door "for his church," he said. Since I was going home that weekend (as a good son should on Mother's Day) and since I was also a procrastinator who had not gotten a Mother's Day gift, this seemed like a perfect opportunity. When I asked who should I make the check out to, my salesperson said they had a stamp and would take care of it so I left it blank. It was only when my cancelled check came back with the blank filled in "Unification Church" that I realized I had helped the Moonies. I felt naive but also deceived.
Rev. Moon told his followers that he was the Christ sent back to earth. He did not try to imitate Christ or be Christ like; he said he was Christ. Too many people believed him even though it really sounds weird.
Paul calls all of us to "imitate God" in the book of Ephesians. The New Testament calls Christians to be Christ like. Not enough people believe that. Does even that sound weird in our day, to make it our goal to live a godly life? Perhaps those of us who do believe need to practice it more - to show the true nature of the true God through our lives. That is what we will talk about Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, September 7, 2012
Mad at Church
I sat in my car outside their home wishing to do anything but what I had to do right then, go into the home and talk to a family that had gotten hurt at church. A message had not been delivered, a key event in that family's life had gone unrecognized and unaddressed now they were upset, feelings were hurt. I could not blame them, it had happened but neither could I take on the burden of blame because I had not been involved in any of the problems. Things had happened before I even came to be their pastor but I was the one they wanted to talk to about why they were leaving the church.
I went in and things were pleasant but tense. I listened to their story. I recognized and acknowledged that what they were saying was correct. All the things they talked about had happened and they should not have. I told them I understood their anger. They responded that they were "not angry but hurt."
I recognized my self in those words, I had said them too at times in my life. Now hearing them said to me made me realize something about myself. If I am hurt, I am most likely angry but I do not like to characterize it that way. I did learn a lesson that night about that phrase and about myself. If I am hurt, I need to admit my anger and deal with it, not deny it.
After their story was done, I acknowledged that what they were saying was factual. There were no excuses or explanations to be given. I could see how they could feel that way. Then I asked them to forgive the church. There was a long pause. After a while, the sentiment was expressed that they were not holding a grudge but that what had happened was "too much" for them to come back to church. They wanted me to know they were going somewhere else. I thanked them, prayed with them and left feeling like I had done about all I could do. I appreciated their desire to be upfront with me and tell me why they were leaving. That was the right thing to do.
I have to admit there are times that I too have been hurt at church. There are times that I too felt like there was "too much" that had happened for me to stay but I did not have the option of leaving. I was the pastor. Now, I am so glad that I did not have the path to leave so easily, because I have had to stay, God has taught me so much about myself and my anger but also about His power to reconcile faulty, imperfect people to one another in His church. Do you have a hurt in your life that causes it to be "too much" to stay? Have you ever been mad at church? Mad at the church? Come on be honest.
There are two clear times in the gospels that Jesus, the perfect son of God, acted in anger. Interestingly enough, both incidents were in church - or I should say one in the synagogue and one in the temple. We are going to look at those this Sunday and try to understand the phrase, "be angry and sin not" in Ephesians 4:26 and beyond. I have much to learn about all this. Chances are you do too. Don't let something be "too much" for us to learn about it this week.
For the journey...
Tim
I went in and things were pleasant but tense. I listened to their story. I recognized and acknowledged that what they were saying was correct. All the things they talked about had happened and they should not have. I told them I understood their anger. They responded that they were "not angry but hurt."
I recognized my self in those words, I had said them too at times in my life. Now hearing them said to me made me realize something about myself. If I am hurt, I am most likely angry but I do not like to characterize it that way. I did learn a lesson that night about that phrase and about myself. If I am hurt, I need to admit my anger and deal with it, not deny it.
After their story was done, I acknowledged that what they were saying was factual. There were no excuses or explanations to be given. I could see how they could feel that way. Then I asked them to forgive the church. There was a long pause. After a while, the sentiment was expressed that they were not holding a grudge but that what had happened was "too much" for them to come back to church. They wanted me to know they were going somewhere else. I thanked them, prayed with them and left feeling like I had done about all I could do. I appreciated their desire to be upfront with me and tell me why they were leaving. That was the right thing to do.
I have to admit there are times that I too have been hurt at church. There are times that I too felt like there was "too much" that had happened for me to stay but I did not have the option of leaving. I was the pastor. Now, I am so glad that I did not have the path to leave so easily, because I have had to stay, God has taught me so much about myself and my anger but also about His power to reconcile faulty, imperfect people to one another in His church. Do you have a hurt in your life that causes it to be "too much" to stay? Have you ever been mad at church? Mad at the church? Come on be honest.
There are two clear times in the gospels that Jesus, the perfect son of God, acted in anger. Interestingly enough, both incidents were in church - or I should say one in the synagogue and one in the temple. We are going to look at those this Sunday and try to understand the phrase, "be angry and sin not" in Ephesians 4:26 and beyond. I have much to learn about all this. Chances are you do too. Don't let something be "too much" for us to learn about it this week.
For the journey...
Tim
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