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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Can You Hear Him Now?

Lent is a time when many Christians acknowledge a need to “get back to praying”. This is such a strange notion when you put that thought beside what we say we believe, that daily prayer is “what Christians do.” This acknowledgment of having a pause or a break in your prayer life does recognize two important things. First, our human tendency to stray from our connection to God, and second, our concession that being connected to God is of vital importance to our lives. There are even those who don’t confess to be Christians, but have a longing in their very core for a connection to something greater than themselves. Many people throughout the world sense that God is out there, but may struggle with how to connect. Does God hear us? Does He care? In David’s Psalms, he cries out to God, “hear my prayer” (Ps 28:2, 39:12). David speaks to God knowing that God is there listening. God is always listening.

Part of the problem with prayer is that we leave it at that- talking to God. Whether it is daily and consistent prayer or just those “help me now God” prayers, we forget that we are to be in conversation with God. Prayer is not just giving God a shopping list of our needs, because God already knows what you need (Mat 6:8). Prayer is building and renewing your relationship with God.

When was the last time you heard from God? I’m not talking about a booming voice (remember when God spoke to Moses in the movie “The Ten Commandments?) coming down from the sky. God speaks to us in innumerable ways, such as in the storm and with His small still voice. He speaks to our minds, our hearts and our circumstances, but to hear Him, don’t we need to be actively listening for Him?

I’ve been reading a blog called, seekgodwithme.blogspot.com, which has been posting a series on “How to Hear God.” There are five posts that offer different ways to understand conversing with, not at, God. I hope you’ll time to mosey through these posts and perhaps gain a new or refreshed understanding of what it means to make time to listen to God.

How to Hear God, part 1

How to Hear God, part 2

How to Hear God, part 3

How to Hear God, part 4

How to Hear God, part 5

Monday, February 18, 2008

How Do I Pray to Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.

Ask the question, “What is prayer” and you will get a variety of answers. To some it is something you read from a book, and to others is must come from the heart. Some define it as having a formal pattern, or consider it to be more powerful if begins with praising God. Boisterous or gentle, full of beautiful words or silent, prayer is simply a way of connecting to God and participating in a relationship with the One who created and loves us.

Many of us have been in a meeting and heard the leader offer this invitation: “Who would like to start us off with prayer?” which was then met by prolonged silence. That is too familiar for comfort. Why are we sometimes afraid to pray? We are quick to console a friend with “I’ll pray for you” and but how often do we follow through?

I grew up in a home where prayer was regular: at meals and bedtime. Years later, as a young mother, I was at work and in need of prayer. I called my friend Terri to tell her about my situation and ask if she would pray for me. She listened and then said, “Sure… Dear Lord we come before you in prayer…” I’m sure I didn’t really hear the first line of the prayer because she had thrown me for a loop. No one had ever stopped what they were doing and prayed with me on the phone like that. The problem was not that it would have bothered my boss, as we were members of the same church, but that I was surprised by the immediacy of it. She didn’t just pray for me, she prayed with me and it gave me a feeling of comfort and a reminder of God’s presence.

The Bible gives many examples of prayer and occasions when we cry out, “hear my prayer!” Sometimes a prayer is pleading, meditating, interceding, or reflecting. The person praying is sometimes praying prayers of adoration or devotion, sometimes conversing, sometimes listening. There is no “best way” to pray, but prayer is definitely the best way to grow closer to the Lord and grow in our relationship with Him. Because He first loved us, He offers us His uninterrupted time to bend His mighty ear. In response to His love and as we learn to love Him more, we can accept the gift of prayer, recognizing it as a time of conversing personally with God our Creator.

Pray out loud. Pray without words. Use prayer books and spur-of-the-moment prayers. Use Lectio Divina and pray the Psalms. All of these have a purpose and a place in our prayer lives. Maybe your prayer life has become inconsistent or the same-ole-same-ole. If so, check out the UMC prayer site at www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/prayermethods and you will find links that may open up a new prayer experience for you.

Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into your daily time of prayer life during this time of Lent.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

WHAT IS LENT ANYWAY?

In the same way that Advent marks a time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas, Lent marks a time of prayer and reflection leading to the celebration of Easter. During Lent we face the reality of our sin and our need for forgiveness and new life through Jesus Christ. The forty days of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (see our homepage for service times) and ends the Saturday night before Easter. The Sundays during worship are celebrated as “little Easters” and not counted as a part of the forty days.

Daniel Benedict, the director of worship resources for the General Board of Discipleship for the United Methodist Church, describes the purpose of Lent in his article “Water and Ashes Do Not Mix!”

"Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. More and more congregations are including "The Imposition of Ashes" in their worship on Ash Wednesday. It makes sense to do this, given the name of the day and the service; but the truth is, many Protestant churches have held the service without the use of ashes. For many, it was seen as "too catholic." And many Protestant churches were intolerant of such symbolic gestures.

As we have moved into the post-modernism of the late twentieth century, we observe that a shift has occurred. There is growing trust and appreciation of ritual gesture and symbol in our culture. Baby boomers and baby busters who were raised in a world of television and technology are visually-oriented and sensually-oriented. Icons, like the Nike swoosh, help many people of those generations make sense of the world. Ashes on the forehead, lots of water at baptism, bread that is really bread, anointing with oil for healing, and hands raised in praise are increasingly familiar and comfortable to the people in our congregations.

Ash Wednesday is a time to begin a rich journey. The Ash Wednesday Service is a frank recognition that we are mortal people who have sinned against God and our neighbor. See The United Methodist Book of Worship, page 321. As the introduction to the service says: "Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The form and content of the service focus on the dual themes of sin and death in the light of God's redeeming love in Jesus Christ."


The people of Bellaire United Methodist Church invite you to take this journey of faith with us as we move into the season of Lent and look toward the celebration of Easter. If you would like more information please email us at
info@bellaireumc.org with your questions and we will be glad to respond.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Commercials That Preach

There are two insurance commercials out there right now that have caught my attention. They both speak volumes in such a short time frame and contain powerful messages. The first is a commercial that shows a person needing help and out of the blue, a stranger comes over and helps her. Standing nearby is a third person who just happens to see the act of kindness. Soon, this third person sees another stranger needing help and goes to their rescue with a quick act of kindness. Across the street a fourth person who has seen this act of kindness and in turn helps yet another stranger. This chain reaction of people offering help to complete strangers is repeated over and over again. A second commercial uses a tag line that caught my ear before it caught my eye: “Let’s treat people more like they’re in your home and less like they’re in your way.”

Remarkable. Are these two secular T.V. commercials really espousing the idea that we should actually jump in and help complete strangers? Are we to truly take that idea a step further and treat everyone we meet as more than just strangers- treat them as important and loved family members?

Most Christians can recite the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (found in Mat 7:12). Most can tell you that Jesus said the two greatest commandments were, to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22:37-38). How does our quickness in recitation compare to our resolve toward faithful action?

During this season of Lent (what is Lent? Click here) we should take time to consider the words and actions that fall short of glorifying God. Not to beat ourselves up, but to simply recognize that a course correction is needed- in our personal lives and in the lives of Christ’s church. How often do we justify our words of anger toward others and block out Christ’s call to love, even our enemies? Lent is a time to put an end to calling yourself a Christian and in the next breath speaking words that tear down instead of build up. Lent is a time to awaken from our tendency to sleep-walk though the journey of faith. It’s a time to commit senseless acts of kindness and a time to see people around you with new eyes, opened by Christ. It’s a time to make peace and mend fences. It’s a time to remember the joy of salvation and invite God to renew your spirit. Today I leave you with John’s words:

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:7-12)

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Super Fans

Superbowl Sunday is a day that a nation full of football fans look forward to with eagerness. In addition to those who tune in to see the game, there is the multitude that tune in just to see the commercials. That would be me. Sure the game is interesting, with the back story of the players and the question of the underdog versus the undefeated, but I know that I don’t appreciate the beauty of the game like some of my friends. I’ll see a long completed pass or run for the goal line and be wowed by the technical accuracy of it all, and then be satisfied briefly. It is an enjoyable experience, but my heart and mind aren’t focused on the game.

On Sunday, as I watched the game, I looked at the people in the stands and saw the excitement on their faces. They prepared for the game weeks and months ahead, making plans to be there. Calendars were marked, bank accounts checked, travel plans were made, tickets and reservations were paid for, bags were packed, and the game was attended and enjoyed. During the game, hands were waived, comments were shared, and shouts were lifted up. After the game, the trip was relived through telling the story to friends and family saying, “You have to go with us next year!” The crowd couldn’t help but show their excitement as they praised the team and showed awe and reverence for the game. Their zeal, focus and fervor sounds a lot like some scripture I’ve read:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Ps 100:1-2

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Ps 9:1-2

I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you. Ps 35:18

Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Ps 66:1-3

Just imagine those Old Testament folks, joining in with King David and others, rising up to praise God and “shout with joy.” Can you hear their songs? Can you see them so full of wonder that they sink to their knees and sing of God’s awesomeness? When was the last time you participated in praise and worship that unashamedly praised God and fully offered yourself in worship of your Creator? I’m not pointing to a style of service or asking when the choir or praise band was so animated and sounded so good that you felt it was safe to “let go” a little. I’m asking: When was the last time you went to worship prepared, with your mind set on hearing God’s word, with your lips eager to sing about God’s greatness, and with your heart open to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide you into awe inspired and joy filled celebratory worship?

As a society, we are quick to celebrate our celebrities, and proclaim our political opinions, claiming “free speech”, but we clam up when it comes to honoring God and celebrating His might. It’s a momentary bobble when we find that an office mate supports the other team, but that doesn’t stop both sides from openly discussing their “beliefs” about their team. But too often, Christians shy away from being just as open about their Christian beliefs. Too often, Christians arrive at church with little enthusiasm, expecting the preacher, the musicians, and the other members to put on a “good service”, with little input from the pews.

You, church… You, body of Christ… You, people of God, are here to respond to God’s love and His saving grace. Take time during this season of Lent to rediscover God’s greatness. Take time to read Psalms of praise and join the saints throughout history as they fill the eternal stadium, shout their unending praise, lift their hands in worship, and celebrate the One who is worthy of all praise.