-
Prayer and lifting up the hurt in this world
Up to this point as I’ve read The Making of an Ordinary Saint by Nathan Foster, I’ve felt the unevenness of his writing. He is not as good in that skill as his father, Richard. He is incredibly honest and I have been refreshed by that honesty. The reading this week included a chapter on prayer. Richard Foster still has one of…
-
Who does Jesus rail against?
“I really like how Jesus never had a harsh word for the broken but railed, with very colorful language, on those who thought they had it all together. I wonder if the harsh words were what they needed to crack their pompous shells. The sinners knew their brokenness; the religious didn’t. I’m starting to think pride is the biggest hindrance…
-
The intolerance of the intolerant
The rise of persecution continues. Any excuse will do. From the Assemblies of God New Service: We have received reports from AG missionaries in Niger that, in spreading violence related to the attacks in Paris, Muslim extremists attacked and burned four AG churches and one parsonage in the town of Niamey and an AG church and pastor’s home were burned…
-
Pressing ahead
We face quite a few changes for our church this year. They are incredibly wonderful opportunities brilliantly disguised as frightening choices. It is a time to clearly hear the voice of the Spirit. We must be tuned in. I have invited our congregation to walk slowly through Matthew 5-10 in these next few weeks to see the pattern Matthew gives…
-
Saints
We celebrated the life of a saint today. A dear lady who went to be with Jesus at the age of 97. She was healthy to the end. The great witness she left behind was amazing. A woman of prayer, she prayed with joy throughout her life. There is a legacy of joyful prayer to carry on with her passing.…
-
The WHY of Fasting
There are a lot of reasons to fast and pray. What is needed most is to remember to add in “AND PRAY.” We don’t fast to “diet.” Sometimes it is necessary to fast to specifically ask something of God. Those are not always successful. We have expectations of what should “come out” of the process, and when it doesn’t we are disappointed.…
-
The engine for 2015
As I looked ahead this past week to 2015 and went through some good questions that help set up the next part of my journey, the one thing that kept showing up was the deep need for fasting and prayer. The engine to drive all that lies before me in 2015 is fasting and prayer. The engine. The fuel. All that…
-
Resolved: Be done with “fixing” people
As a pastor, the temptation is huge to “fix” people. They have a problem. They lay it out to you. You fix it. It is incredibly interesting to me that Jesus never “fixed” Peter. He let Peter know that Satan had asked permission to sift him as wheat, and Jesus said he would PRAY for Peter (Luke 22:31-32). As I…
-
Pray…until
I absolutely believe in raising up the next generation. I also believe the next generation has much to learn. Especially in prayer. I look at the example of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2. Old people! No one paying attention to them! And on that day in the Temple they held the very promise of God. We need those examples…
-
Longing for Messiah
May the earth be FILLED with the knowledge of the Lord! Let Advent longing rise up in each of us! A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of…
Tag: Prayer
