:. let's talk .:

I enjoy listening to people pray. The best prayers, of course, are those that take you right into the very presence of God. But let's be honest: a lot of times when someone else is praying, the words, or the tone, or what-have-you makes it impossible to focus on anything other than the words, or the tone, or the what-have-you.


Some people pray rote prayers, taking Jesus literally when He taught us how to pray. [Think 'Our Father, who art in heaven . . . '.]
Some use thee's and thou's as if it were actually 17th century England.
Some go the other extreme, calling God 'daddy' and being all-familiar.
Others seem to think it necessary to use certain 'catch-phrases', hoping, I assume to 'catch' God's attention with the right words.
Some kneel, some stand, some bow, some fold hands, some speak in unknown languages, some pray with eyes open, other with eyes closed.


Some of the best prayers are unutterable; a mere inward groaning of our souls.


The great thing is, all of the above are beautiful ways to pray, if that is how you're comfortable talking to God.

Isn't it wonderful that it doesn't matter what words we use? It doesn't matter if we sit, stand, kneel or lay prone. The only thing that matters is our heart; our desire to communicate with the Father makes the 'technicalities' unimportant.

My favorite pray-er ever is my friend Juli R. The first time I ever heard her pray, I opened my eyes, fully expecting to see Jesus sitting right next to her. Her voice was so natural, her words were so free of 'holy talk'; it was evident she was talking to a very close and dear Friend who was, indeed, present. It was pretty cool to hear.

So, no matter how you pray, just be sure to take some time out today to actually do it.
The Father loves having a good conversation with His child.

:. baby basics .:

It's been a couple of years since we've had an infant around, so I thought it would be a good idea to brush up on the basics before July. Thanks to Katie for this important reminder!

:. no greater love .:

Dawn. A graveyard. A violent earthquake. An angel, lit up like lightning, sitting before a tomb. A woman approaches with spices and perfumes, prepared to anoint a corpse.

But the tomb is empty.

This devoted woman weeps. Turning, she sees someone she thinks is the gardener. He speaks one word. Gently. Tenderly. He calls her by name. "Mary".

She falls at His feet and worships.

Later the same day. A few miles from Jerusalem. The Emmaus road. Two men walking, discussing recent events. A third man joins them. They share their disappointment. The One they hoped would redeem Israel is dead. They admit bewilderment at news that He has been seen alive.

The third man explains what the Scriptures foretold. Their hearts burn as He talks. Their eyes are opened.

He disappears.

Mary. The two disciples. How did they not recognize their Lord?

How do we not?

How often have our hearts burned at the sound of His voice, but we keep to the road we're on? How often do we weep over circumstances, feeling He has deserted us, when He is standing right there?

The tomb is empty. He is risen, just as He said.

He calls you by name.

Fall at His feet and worship.

:. habakkuk 101 .:

Thought I'd share what's been rattling around in this old brain for over a month now.
(Yes, it all started before our Bad News. Hhhhmmm . . . seems as if the Holy Spirit was doing some prep work.)

First, some background:
Habakkuk was a prophet living in Judah just before the Babylonians swept in and wreaked their special brand of destruction. God had given Judah myriad opportunities to repent, yet they stubbornly refused to change their sinful ways.
God therefore told Habakkuk that He was about to use the Babylonians as His chastening rod on His people.
The Babylonians were feared, dreaded and ruthless.

So what was Habakkuk's response?
With pounding heart, quivering lips and trembling legs, he said:

"Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Do you see what happened there? Do you understand the state of Habakkuk's heart?

Yes, he felt some natural fear. Things were going to get pretty rough. There were hard times just ahead.

But his response is one of utter humbleness before His God. A statement of complete trust in God Almighty . . . No.Matter.What.The.Circumstances.

That's what's been rattling around in my brain.

:. shall we? .:

Saying it's been a life-changing week would be an understatement. First a diagnosis of a debilitating illness. A few days later, a decision to take early retirement.

Wow.

I'm pretty certain I'm still in shock; pretty sure I haven't realized the full magnitude of it all. We've had tears aplenty. We've also managed to laugh a bit. [Benny's new nickname? Parker. I know, I know. It's what is known as 'black humor'. And he laughed hardest of all.]

Through it all, though, I can't stop thinking of Job's words. He had absolutely everything taken away from him: his children, his wealth, his health . . . . everything except his nagging wife. And when his wife told him he should just curse God and die, Job said, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

Ah, that is a good question, isn't it?

Most of the time, usually without realizing it, we feel entitled to God's blessing. We don't rob, cheat or kill, so yeah, we deserve good things from the Almighty. We take it all in stride when God chooses to bless us. We might remember to give Him thanks, but we're really not all that surprised. We seem to forget that even our most righteous acts, when compared to a holy God, come out looking like filthy rags.

I have said, in another time and another place, "It seems to me that if we really understood our true condition, when something good came our way we would cry out to God and ask, "Why?" with the same intensity and perplexity we now use when things go wrong. Imagine that."

I stand by those words today. I don't like the news from last week. I don't like to think about how this will affect the future. But I believe with all my heart that a loving Father is completely in control.