1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 tells us to pray constantly. After I read that, I had to re-read to see if there was any fine print that said, ideally you would pray constantly but pray when you get around to it. But, alas, there was no fine print and the verses just say to pray constantly.
As I have been moving through the motions of life God has been speaking at the most interesting times, while I am driving, in the shower, while listening to people talk. Lately, I have been convicted that the majority of my thoughts are not centered around our Jesus, I mean who has time???? I have to think about how bad of a season U of M is having this year in football, and who will the Detroit Tigers trade in the off season, and what to order from Taco Bell. I have a lot to think about and dwell on already without centering all my thoughts around Jesus!
But then I remember...pray continuously.
Often we have trouble getting in our morning quiet time and once that is done it is off to the races with the rest of our days and every so often we stop for a moment and think I love you Jesus. When we stop and think about it, we really do not give God much of our time and thoughts at all. Break it down even more...we do not give God, the One who created us and who knows the very number of hairs on our head, much more than a courtesy prayer as we eat our food or go to bed!
When we were instructed to pray continuously, it does not mean we have to be on bended knee all the time. It does mean that we can be in constant communication with God though. We can thank Him for waking up, for our hot showers, our flushing toilets, our food, the sunsets, and our beds. We can go to Him all day and tell Him we are frustrated and mad and sad and lonely. We can tell God jokes and ask for direction in our lives. If we were more aware of our surroundings and all that God has created, we could not help but to constantly be communicating to God in words of thanks and admiration for all He has done for us and created.
Oh how I want to strive to have my thoughts centered on Him constantly! I mean God is instructing us in this because He knows that it is for our best lives. Will you join me on this journey of going deeper with our Lord and striving to fill our days and nights with thoughts of Him? I believe as we focus more on God, that everything else will be at peace within our hearts, mind and souls. God wants us to have peace and He wants to know us. Lets begin the journey together...
Dear God,
I come before you right now with a heart full of adoration for all that you have created and done for me. Thank you for being patient with me as I continuously struggle. Help me to pray constantly. To thank you more, trust you more, talk to you more. Help me to stop focusing on myself, and focus on You. Please forgive me for all the times I have taken things for granted and help me to truly appreciate all that is in my life. Thank you for being a gracious God. Thank you for being a constant, unchanging, unmovable God.
Amen
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
No Crying In Baseball
Everyone has watched the classic movie "A League of Their Own." One of the most famous quotes from the movie is when Tom Hanks says "Are you crying? There is no crying in baseball!" And I agreed with this until the Tigers lost in the World Series a few years ago, when I had to cry myself to sleep in the fetal position for about a week straight. However, did you know that crying was allowed in the Bible and that in fact Jesus cried at least three times that we know of? Yes, Jesus, cried human tears. He wept in sorrow over the city of Jerusalem, in the garden of Gethsemane and also when his good buddy Lazarus died.
To me, one of the best Bible verses in the entire Bible is found in John 11:35, where is says, "Jesus wept." Yup, that is the entire verse. Short and sweet and yet filled with so much information. Two words and a few tears really have led us to a wealth of knowledge and insight in Jesus. (If you aren't familiar with the story of Lazarus than check out John 11:1-44....I am way to lazy to type all of that and would lose way more cool points by typing a 5 page blog.)
As I was reading these verses I began to wonder why Jesus did cry. I mean, after all, didn't He already know that Lazarus was going to die and that in a few days He was going to raise Him from the dead?If Jesus knew these things, than why did He weep over His dead friend?
Jesus wept because He was human. The fact that Jesus wept in the presence of death shows that it really is okay for all of us to weep and grieve when we lose someone, that it is a natural human thing to do. The fact that Jesus loved His friend so deeply, again shows the great compassion and heart that He has for each and every one of us. Jesus, doesn't just love Lazarus, He loves all of us too. Jesus, left heaven, became human and that means He felt all of the same emotions that we feel too. Stop and think about that. No, seriously some of you are still reading and you did not stop and think about that. Think about the magnitude of love and compassion it would take to leave a perfect place, come to Earth, suffer and die...all for us...for you!
The events of Lazarus' death and Jesus calling him out of the grave were an essential part of a message whose time had come. Jesus was the Messiah. He was ready for everyone to know that. Martha and Mary already knew, but Jesus was ready for everyone to know at this point in time. No other man on Earth could raise a person from the dead. Satan could not do this. Jesus left no doubt that He was the Messiah when He called Lazarus from the grave, something only God could do.
The tears of Jesus were not just for Lazarus, today they are for us. His heart still breaks for us, because He loves us. It is part of being a good father, to weep and feel the pain of your children when they are hurting and struggling. But, the good news of it all, is that Jesus answers prayer. The same Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead can touch you wherever you are right now; can heal the sick, fix relationships, self esteems, and even raise the dead back to life. Jesus cries with us in the sad times and laughs with us in the good times. The thing to remember is that Jesus is always with us. We can always call on Him.
Dear Jesus,
I have faith that you are who you say you are, and I need you to do a miracle in my life right now. Hold me in your strong arms, comfort me with your gentle touch, let your tears wash my sadness and sins away.
Amen
To me, one of the best Bible verses in the entire Bible is found in John 11:35, where is says, "Jesus wept." Yup, that is the entire verse. Short and sweet and yet filled with so much information. Two words and a few tears really have led us to a wealth of knowledge and insight in Jesus. (If you aren't familiar with the story of Lazarus than check out John 11:1-44....I am way to lazy to type all of that and would lose way more cool points by typing a 5 page blog.)
As I was reading these verses I began to wonder why Jesus did cry. I mean, after all, didn't He already know that Lazarus was going to die and that in a few days He was going to raise Him from the dead?If Jesus knew these things, than why did He weep over His dead friend?
Jesus wept because He was human. The fact that Jesus wept in the presence of death shows that it really is okay for all of us to weep and grieve when we lose someone, that it is a natural human thing to do. The fact that Jesus loved His friend so deeply, again shows the great compassion and heart that He has for each and every one of us. Jesus, doesn't just love Lazarus, He loves all of us too. Jesus, left heaven, became human and that means He felt all of the same emotions that we feel too. Stop and think about that. No, seriously some of you are still reading and you did not stop and think about that. Think about the magnitude of love and compassion it would take to leave a perfect place, come to Earth, suffer and die...all for us...for you!
The events of Lazarus' death and Jesus calling him out of the grave were an essential part of a message whose time had come. Jesus was the Messiah. He was ready for everyone to know that. Martha and Mary already knew, but Jesus was ready for everyone to know at this point in time. No other man on Earth could raise a person from the dead. Satan could not do this. Jesus left no doubt that He was the Messiah when He called Lazarus from the grave, something only God could do.
The tears of Jesus were not just for Lazarus, today they are for us. His heart still breaks for us, because He loves us. It is part of being a good father, to weep and feel the pain of your children when they are hurting and struggling. But, the good news of it all, is that Jesus answers prayer. The same Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead can touch you wherever you are right now; can heal the sick, fix relationships, self esteems, and even raise the dead back to life. Jesus cries with us in the sad times and laughs with us in the good times. The thing to remember is that Jesus is always with us. We can always call on Him.
Dear Jesus,
I have faith that you are who you say you are, and I need you to do a miracle in my life right now. Hold me in your strong arms, comfort me with your gentle touch, let your tears wash my sadness and sins away.
Amen
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
total dork = negative 10 points
Ahhh I am entering into the world of blogging and officially turning into a dork. I will take one for the team, lose some cool points (1o to be exact) and blog with pride! This blog is a simple (well for those who read, I am the unfortunate one who has to do all the writing here and have already begun to develop a case of carpel tunnel due to this endeavor) of keeping in touch with people and on sharing lessons that I do with my youth group.
Normally, I never even write my lessons down and I go free style, but since some people decided to go to college instead of staying local (even though like a good youth pastor I discouraged that and tried to get them to live at home til they were 35) I am going to do my best to write all of my lessons on this blog so that people can follow them and share in discussions with us, etc.
So, make sure to check back frequently as this youth group is currently ranked #1 on Earth and #8 on Mars. I am blessed to work with such a great group and together we are putting all our faith and dreams in God and planning on exceeding expectations and on doing amazing things for God and with God.
So, with that in mind, read on bloggers read on. And if you did read this you just earned 10 points in the random point game.
Life is hard, but remember God is good.
Join us as we do a 180...leaving the old behind and running into the open loving arms of Jesus.
-Sis
Normally, I never even write my lessons down and I go free style, but since some people decided to go to college instead of staying local (even though like a good youth pastor I discouraged that and tried to get them to live at home til they were 35) I am going to do my best to write all of my lessons on this blog so that people can follow them and share in discussions with us, etc.
So, make sure to check back frequently as this youth group is currently ranked #1 on Earth and #8 on Mars. I am blessed to work with such a great group and together we are putting all our faith and dreams in God and planning on exceeding expectations and on doing amazing things for God and with God.
So, with that in mind, read on bloggers read on. And if you did read this you just earned 10 points in the random point game.
Life is hard, but remember God is good.
Join us as we do a 180...leaving the old behind and running into the open loving arms of Jesus.
-Sis
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