Seeing each other the way God sees us (8/3/04)

On one of my recent flights, I was seated next to a young woman with her 2 year old daughter on her lap. Being as I have a little guy at home who will soon be 2, it was easy to start up a conversation. It wasn't long before the young woman shared that she was entering her senior year of high school. She looked young to me but I was shocked to realize how young (I suppose I'm now officially old enough to not be able to tell how old young people are :). It quickly occurred to me that this girl became pregnant as a 9th grader. This particularly struck me because my oldest is entering 9th grade this year. At this point in a conversation, sometimes our non-verbal communication can say 100 times more than our words. A look of shock, a smile that fades, an appearance of discomfort, or even an obvious attempt to go on to some other topic. I don't think I did any of these but I very well may have. If I did, the girl did not let on that she noticed. We talked for quite some time (it's a long flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia). She talked freely about mistakes she had made in the past. She felt she was now on the right path with school and relationships. She had direction and purpose. She even proudly shared her report card with me and pointed out the bad times and turn-around that was recorded in her grade history. She pointed to some bad grades and said "I wasn't such a good kid back then".

I remember an old Bob Myers that might have immediately judged this girl upon finding out she was such a young mom. "Oh how awful that is…" "What a shame…" "You're one of those??...". In our smallness, we categorize, classify, and judge people to make it simple for ourselves (and perhaps to make ourselves feel bigger). The fact is, we are all so wonderfully complicated. The only one who really knows us through and through is Him. He knows me better than I know me. Yet He still loves me. He loves each of us so much that we can't even fathom His kind of love. He doesn't see us as the mistakes we've made - so why do we see each other that way. He sees us as the finished work that He is doing. We make mistakes and learn and grow in the process.

As we fast this Wednesday, let's pray that we try to look at each other the way God looks at each of us. As a wonderful work in progress.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Hinds' feet (7/20/04)

A few months ago, I heard a sermon on the following topic. It was very interesting and struck me as a good fit for our fasting and prayer topic.

Psalm 18:33 in the NIV reads:

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights."

However, the King James translation reads:

"He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places."

So the question becomes: Is a "hind" a deer or is there more to it than that. In the sermon I listened to, the speaker was talking about horses and how they get labeled as having hinds' feet. Essentially, the term means that the rear feet track exactly where the front feet step. This is particularly useful to horsemen who are crossing precarious terrain. I looked up the term "hinds feet" on Google and got the following definition:

A hind is a mother deer that lives in the mountains. The hind is one of the most sure footed animals in the world. When she goes up the side of the mountain she uses her front feet to test for loose stones on the slope. When she finds firm ground she then places her back feet in the exact spot that her front feet were placed. If she did not test the rocky incline with her front feet, the loose stones would cause her to slip and fall down the mountain.

This week we are praying that we become like hinds' feet. We are praying that we (the rear feet) land exactly where Jesus (the front feet) leads. We are praying that we follow the example of Christ and land on His sure footing. Too often I find myself following the wrong things. Those wrong things are normally either my own pride or the ways of the world. Both lead to the loose rocky stones that only He can help us avoid. I think about this a lot and I've come to the following conclusion (you may not agree): It isn't easy but it is simple.

It isn't easy for me to look to Him in all things… but He is always there and He is the only answer. It isn't easy for me to look to His wisdom when all around me the world is screaming the exact opposite… but He is always there and He is the only answer. To quote Pastor Craig from this weekend: "As Christians, we realize we have a terminal illness called sin. That's why we want to cling so closely to the Great Physician." So this week we are praying that we follow in his footsteps. That we go exactly where he leads us. That we stop trying to "heal" ourselves.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Evangelism (6/21/04)

Last week, for a couple days, I was training the person who will be picking up my old responsibilities (Carol). During this time, the conversation rolled around to religion and it turns out that Carol and her immediate family are best defined as agnostic. We talked for a long time about it and she was voicing a lot of the same objections, questions, and criticisms that I had before I was saved. To quote Carol at one point in the conversation - "I just can't stand how self-righteous a lot of these Christians seem". It was tough to just listen and not defend but I think it was the right thing to do. I told her that I remember those same thoughts/feelings well and I suggested some books that helped me answer/address some of my own issues back then. I'm going to send her the books and pray that she reads them.

So the topic this week is evangelism. We are praying for evangelism throughout the world. We are also praying for ourselves - that we obey Christ and spread the word. A couple quick points:

1. If you're at all like me, you probably think it's fairly hard to bring up the topic of your faith in a casual conversation. I'm finding it gets easier the more I do it. So let's just do it.
2. Even harder than bringing it up is saying the right things after the conversation starts. It's hard to not come across as self-righteous or defensive because we do already believe. Just try to remember what it was like when you were on the other side. Listen and empathize.
3. It's important to follow-up and follow through. I need to get Carol the books I mentioned and I need to check in with her in a little while.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Prayer (6/15/04)

Being a part of this list has taught me so much. Probably more than I even know. But I'd have to say the biggest thing is that it has strengthened my prayer life immensely.

I've been thinking about that a lot… trying to understand why fasting does such a great job of strengthening prayer. The conclusion I came to is that it hinges on our selfish nature. The fact that I'm selfish at heart is what makes fasting work for me. If I start a normal day out saying "today I'm going to pray for missionaries in Haiti" I will probably remember to do so 3 or 4 times throughout the day. If I intended on praying for a week, the prayer times would slowly decrease over the week. By the last day, Haiti may not even come to mind at all. However, as soon as I link the prayer topic to my stomach, the dynamic changes dramatically. On a day of fasting, during the first few hours I might pray 2 or 3 times. By the end of the day, my stomach is reminding me to pray every half hour. Imagine what it would be like to fast and pray for a topic for a whole week.

Developing a strong prayer life and strong reliance on prayer is a critical part of our relationship with Christ. It takes that personal suffering to really put the fire under my prayer life. The second part of 2 Corinthians 12:10 says "… for when I am weak, then I am strong".

So this week we are praying for our fast. As we fast this Wednesday and allow hunger to hit us in that personal way, let's pray for our prayer lives. Let's pray that this group and this fast teaches us what it is meant to teach us - how to rely on prayer in all things.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob