“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7 (NIV)
When did you feel forgotten by God? How did it make you feel? Were you really forgotten? Since sparrows are important to God, how important are people? What does that mean about how we treat people?
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus mentions that two sparrows are sold for a penny. Here he talks about five sparrows being sold for two pennies. Sparrows were the animals poor people could afford to buy for sacrifices. The rich people bought doves, and lambs, and other things that cost more, but the rich would never buy a sparrow. Sparrows were so insignificant that if four sparrows were bought a fifth was thrown in for free.
Jesus is saying that the sparrow that is thrown in, the left over sparrow, the sparrow not even worth half a penny matters to God. Then Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
This worth did not come from what we have made of ourselves. It did not arrive because we worked hard for it. Our worth comes from God because God loves us! Perhaps it is too simple to believe. We still try to come up with reasons why we can be considered important, or at least more important than others. We still take others for granted and fail to see the worth in them that God sees. We still dwell on our faults far more than our strengths.
Yes perhaps it is easier to believe in a God who requires us to make ourselves worthy, after all that is the way the world sees us. What would the church look like if it were a place where people rejoiced in others because God’s love makes them worthy? I do not know, but I am going to pray that I find out.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Monday, November 21, 2011
Prayer Changes Things
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
What does this image of Jesus standing and knocking mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is chasing after you? Have you opened the door to your heart and life? Are you willing to become a temple for the presence of God?
Last week I was attending a Presbytery meeting. After driving an hour and a half to the church where the meeting was being held I was not in much a mood to worship, but the first thing we do at such meetings is worship. My mind was wandering, I was thinking of things I had to do, I wasn’t worshipping God.
Then after the offering I went out to wash my hands and take a breather. Perhaps in the act of washing my hands some of my concerns washed away, or maybe it was that grace poured over me.
Whatever it was when I went back in the Prayers of the People started. People lifted up names that were heavy upon their hearts, and names that gave them reason to rejoice. They shared the reasons for naming each person and we held their names as a group. It felt holy.
The prayer itself wasn’t the normal kind of prayer prayer, as when a person stands before the rest of us and utters a prayer on our behalf. It was responsive where the leader read some and then the congregation read some. It also left time for silence after various groups of people were named. As we prayed for groups of people across the world I could feel them. Those people whose names I will never know and faces I will never see I could feel and I sensed them close in the Spirit. As I prayed for them I realized something else… I loved them.
In that moment I knew something had happened. Right then I was living in the heart of God.
Jesus pursues us hoping that we will open the door of our lives, so that he might enter into them and eat with us. In the Bible eating together is one of the highest forms of fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us so that we might experience life together. In our times of prayer and while we sit at the Communion table we open our hearts to God so that we might find ourselves living in the heart of God. It is there, within God’s heart, that we find out we can love as God loves. So pray on, it does in fact change things, it changes us.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this image of Jesus standing and knocking mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is chasing after you? Have you opened the door to your heart and life? Are you willing to become a temple for the presence of God?
Last week I was attending a Presbytery meeting. After driving an hour and a half to the church where the meeting was being held I was not in much a mood to worship, but the first thing we do at such meetings is worship. My mind was wandering, I was thinking of things I had to do, I wasn’t worshipping God.
Then after the offering I went out to wash my hands and take a breather. Perhaps in the act of washing my hands some of my concerns washed away, or maybe it was that grace poured over me.
Whatever it was when I went back in the Prayers of the People started. People lifted up names that were heavy upon their hearts, and names that gave them reason to rejoice. They shared the reasons for naming each person and we held their names as a group. It felt holy.
The prayer itself wasn’t the normal kind of prayer prayer, as when a person stands before the rest of us and utters a prayer on our behalf. It was responsive where the leader read some and then the congregation read some. It also left time for silence after various groups of people were named. As we prayed for groups of people across the world I could feel them. Those people whose names I will never know and faces I will never see I could feel and I sensed them close in the Spirit. As I prayed for them I realized something else… I loved them.
In that moment I knew something had happened. Right then I was living in the heart of God.
Jesus pursues us hoping that we will open the door of our lives, so that he might enter into them and eat with us. In the Bible eating together is one of the highest forms of fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us so that we might experience life together. In our times of prayer and while we sit at the Communion table we open our hearts to God so that we might find ourselves living in the heart of God. It is there, within God’s heart, that we find out we can love as God loves. So pray on, it does in fact change things, it changes us.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, July 18, 2011
Having Some Hope
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. – Romans 12:12
How’s your hope? Are you patient when the bad times come up? How do you cope? What does it mean to persevere in prayer? How’s your prayer life?
The following is by William M. Buchholz, M.D. and was e-mailed to me.
As I ate breakfast one morning, I overheard two oncologists conversing. One complained bitterly, "You know, Bob, I just don't understand it. We used the same drugs, the same dosage, the same schedule and the same entry criteria. Yet I got a 22 percent response rate and you got a 74 percent. That's unheard of for metastatic cancer. How do you do it?"
His colleague replied, "We're both using Etoposide, Platinum, Oncovin and Hydroxyurea. You call yours EPOH. I tell my patients I'm giving them HOPE. As dismal as the statistics are, I emphasize that we have a chance."
In the movie “Dumb and Dumber” Lloyd asks Mary what his chances are of being able to date her. She says, “Not good.” When he asks if they are about one in a hundred not good she replies, “More like one in a million.” After pausing for a second Lloyd says, “So you’re telling me there is a chance… YEAH!” Some might say he was being optimistic but what he was really being was hopeful. Hopeful that however small the light there is, that there is a light. Paul believed there is always a light, even when it appears nearly extinguished. In that light he always had hope. It is what allowed him while locked in a prison to sing hymns and to pray. May we hold onto that same hope! With it we can do so much more.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How’s your hope? Are you patient when the bad times come up? How do you cope? What does it mean to persevere in prayer? How’s your prayer life?
The following is by William M. Buchholz, M.D. and was e-mailed to me.
As I ate breakfast one morning, I overheard two oncologists conversing. One complained bitterly, "You know, Bob, I just don't understand it. We used the same drugs, the same dosage, the same schedule and the same entry criteria. Yet I got a 22 percent response rate and you got a 74 percent. That's unheard of for metastatic cancer. How do you do it?"
His colleague replied, "We're both using Etoposide, Platinum, Oncovin and Hydroxyurea. You call yours EPOH. I tell my patients I'm giving them HOPE. As dismal as the statistics are, I emphasize that we have a chance."
In the movie “Dumb and Dumber” Lloyd asks Mary what his chances are of being able to date her. She says, “Not good.” When he asks if they are about one in a hundred not good she replies, “More like one in a million.” After pausing for a second Lloyd says, “So you’re telling me there is a chance… YEAH!” Some might say he was being optimistic but what he was really being was hopeful. Hopeful that however small the light there is, that there is a light. Paul believed there is always a light, even when it appears nearly extinguished. In that light he always had hope. It is what allowed him while locked in a prison to sing hymns and to pray. May we hold onto that same hope! With it we can do so much more.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, November 18, 2010
God Knows
God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together.
God, you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out. – Psalm 30:2-3 (The Message)
Have you ever yelled for help? Had you fallen apart? When have you been down-and-out? Have you experienced God giving you another chance at life? Putting you back together?
This was e-mailed to me:
When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts... God knows how hard you have tried.
When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish... God has counted your tears.
If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by... God is waiting with you.
When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for a phone call... God is by your side.
When you think you've tried everything and don't know where to turn... God has a solution.
When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated... God has the answer.
If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope... God has whispered to you.
When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for.... God has blessed you.
When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe... God has smiled upon you.
When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to follow... God has opened your eyes and called you by name. Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are facing... GOD KNOWS!!
And maybe you are saying, “Yes, yes, I know all of this already!” Sometimes we get tired of hearing that God is with us because it just doesn’t seem to make a difference. Maybe that is because we haven’t yet yelled for help. “If God is with me, and God knows everything, why should I pray?” we have each thought. We pray because we are the ones who are down and out, we are the ones who need to be put back together, and because God knows but we don’t. So let us yell out to God, we might even be pulled out of a grave we didn’t know we were in.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Have you ever yelled for help? Had you fallen apart? When have you been down-and-out? Have you experienced God giving you another chance at life? Putting you back together?
This was e-mailed to me:
When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts... God knows how hard you have tried.
When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish... God has counted your tears.
If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by... God is waiting with you.
When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for a phone call... God is by your side.
When you think you've tried everything and don't know where to turn... God has a solution.
When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated... God has the answer.
If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope... God has whispered to you.
When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for.... God has blessed you.
When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe... God has smiled upon you.
When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to follow... God has opened your eyes and called you by name. Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are facing... GOD KNOWS!!
And maybe you are saying, “Yes, yes, I know all of this already!” Sometimes we get tired of hearing that God is with us because it just doesn’t seem to make a difference. Maybe that is because we haven’t yet yelled for help. “If God is with me, and God knows everything, why should I pray?” we have each thought. We pray because we are the ones who are down and out, we are the ones who need to be put back together, and because God knows but we don’t. So let us yell out to God, we might even be pulled out of a grave we didn’t know we were in.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Never Give Up!
Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. – 2 Corinthians 4:1 (The Message)
What has God let you in on? Have you started the work that Christians are called to do? What hard times have come your way? Did you want to give up? Have you given up? Has God given up?
The following is from a biography on Edward Bennett Williams by Evan Thomas:
In 1986, Mother Teresa came to [Bennett’s] office in the Hill Building to ask for a contribution from the Knights of Malta to a hospice for AIDS patients. “AIDS is not my favorite disease,” Williams told Paul Dietrich, a fellow member of the order who helped him raise funds. Williams and Dietrich rehearsed a polite refusal to Mother Teresa. Her head peeking over Williams’s enormous desk, the diminutive nun made per pitch, and Williams apologetically, but firmly, declined. “Let us pray,” said Mother Teresa and bowed her head. Williams looked over at Dietrich, and the two men bowed with her. When she was done, Mother Teresa gave exactly the same appeal. Again Williams politely demurred. Once more Mother Teresa said, “Let us pray.” Williams looked up at the ceiling. “All right, all right,” he said, and pulled out his checkbook.
When the things we do are what God wants done we can never give up! Sometimes it seems like all options are exhausted, but prayer is never finished. Prayer is as much action as it is conversation with God. So pray on when the work seems too hard. Pray on when the way seems narrow and path is dangerous. Pray on and know that as long you have breath in your lungs there is something you can do to help change the world for glory of God!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What has God let you in on? Have you started the work that Christians are called to do? What hard times have come your way? Did you want to give up? Have you given up? Has God given up?
The following is from a biography on Edward Bennett Williams by Evan Thomas:
In 1986, Mother Teresa came to [Bennett’s] office in the Hill Building to ask for a contribution from the Knights of Malta to a hospice for AIDS patients. “AIDS is not my favorite disease,” Williams told Paul Dietrich, a fellow member of the order who helped him raise funds. Williams and Dietrich rehearsed a polite refusal to Mother Teresa. Her head peeking over Williams’s enormous desk, the diminutive nun made per pitch, and Williams apologetically, but firmly, declined. “Let us pray,” said Mother Teresa and bowed her head. Williams looked over at Dietrich, and the two men bowed with her. When she was done, Mother Teresa gave exactly the same appeal. Again Williams politely demurred. Once more Mother Teresa said, “Let us pray.” Williams looked up at the ceiling. “All right, all right,” he said, and pulled out his checkbook.
When the things we do are what God wants done we can never give up! Sometimes it seems like all options are exhausted, but prayer is never finished. Prayer is as much action as it is conversation with God. So pray on when the work seems too hard. Pray on when the way seems narrow and path is dangerous. Pray on and know that as long you have breath in your lungs there is something you can do to help change the world for glory of God!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Good News at Bad Times
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. – Psalm 23:1 (KJV)
What does this verse mean to you? Have you ever uttered it before? When did you say this verse? Did you need comforting? Does this verse tell you anything about how to lead your life? If so what?
The following is a prayer first prayed by Thomas Merton:
My Lord, God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Life isn’t easy and we all know it. Sometimes in the midst of the pain and fear it seems as though everything is collapsing in around us, we all know this too. At such times it is good to recite that famous verse, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Those words are as powerful now as they ever were. They are filled with ancient comfort and incredible wisdom. Just like that prayer is. Now we’ve all prayed it. We have each prayed that our lives be filled with a desire to please God. And somewhere in the middle of praying that prayer and reciting that verse we discover that God is with us no matter how bad life might seem. Even if it is awful we aren’t alone, and that’s good news no matter what.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this verse mean to you? Have you ever uttered it before? When did you say this verse? Did you need comforting? Does this verse tell you anything about how to lead your life? If so what?
The following is a prayer first prayed by Thomas Merton:
My Lord, God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Life isn’t easy and we all know it. Sometimes in the midst of the pain and fear it seems as though everything is collapsing in around us, we all know this too. At such times it is good to recite that famous verse, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Those words are as powerful now as they ever were. They are filled with ancient comfort and incredible wisdom. Just like that prayer is. Now we’ve all prayed it. We have each prayed that our lives be filled with a desire to please God. And somewhere in the middle of praying that prayer and reciting that verse we discover that God is with us no matter how bad life might seem. Even if it is awful we aren’t alone, and that’s good news no matter what.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Promises of Something New
“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” – Revelation 21:5 (NRSV)
What does it mean to you that God still makes all things new? Have you ever felt like you needed to be made new? When was that? What was going on? Did you pray to be made new, for a new beginning?
I found the following prayer at this site:
http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/texts/topics/prayer/helpmetobelievebegin.shtml
God of history and of my heart, so much has happened to me during these whirlwind days: I’ve known death and birth; I’ve been brave and scared; I’ve hurt, I've helped; I’ve been honest, I've lied; I’ve destroyed, I've created; I’ve been with people, I've been lonely; I’ve been loyal, I've betrayed; I’ve decided, I've waffled; I’ve laughed and I've cried. You know my frail heart and my frayed history - and now another day begins.
O God, help me to believe in beginnings and in my beginning again, no matter how often I've failed before. Help me to make beginnings: to begin going out of my weary mind into fresh dreams, daring to make my own bold tracks in the land of now; to begin forgiving that I may experience mercy; to begin questioning the unquestionable that I may know truth; to begin disciplining that I may create beauty; to begin sacrificing that I may make peace; to begin loving that I may realize joy.
Help me to be a beginning to others, to be a singer to the songless, a storyteller to the aimless, a befriender of the friendless; to become a beginning of hope for the despairing, of assurance for the doubting, of reconciliation for the divided; to become a beginning of freedom for the oppressed, of comfort for the sorrowing, of friendship for the forgotten; to become a beginning of beauty for the forlorn, of sweetness for the soured, of gentleness for the angry, of wholeness for the broken, of peace for the frightened and violent of the earth.
Help me to believe in beginnings, to make a beginning, to be a beginning, so that I may not just grow old, but grow new each day of this wild, amazing life you call me to live with the passion of Jesus Christ.
If you have not prayed for a new beginning before you just did! Everyone has felt like we couldn’t get over our past, that somehow we have ruined ourselves beyond repair. However God is the God of new beginnings, and today we each have prayed for a new beginning. Today is the start of something new for us! God is making it so.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does it mean to you that God still makes all things new? Have you ever felt like you needed to be made new? When was that? What was going on? Did you pray to be made new, for a new beginning?
I found the following prayer at this site:
http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/texts/topics/prayer/helpmetobelievebegin.shtml
God of history and of my heart, so much has happened to me during these whirlwind days: I’ve known death and birth; I’ve been brave and scared; I’ve hurt, I've helped; I’ve been honest, I've lied; I’ve destroyed, I've created; I’ve been with people, I've been lonely; I’ve been loyal, I've betrayed; I’ve decided, I've waffled; I’ve laughed and I've cried. You know my frail heart and my frayed history - and now another day begins.
O God, help me to believe in beginnings and in my beginning again, no matter how often I've failed before. Help me to make beginnings: to begin going out of my weary mind into fresh dreams, daring to make my own bold tracks in the land of now; to begin forgiving that I may experience mercy; to begin questioning the unquestionable that I may know truth; to begin disciplining that I may create beauty; to begin sacrificing that I may make peace; to begin loving that I may realize joy.
Help me to be a beginning to others, to be a singer to the songless, a storyteller to the aimless, a befriender of the friendless; to become a beginning of hope for the despairing, of assurance for the doubting, of reconciliation for the divided; to become a beginning of freedom for the oppressed, of comfort for the sorrowing, of friendship for the forgotten; to become a beginning of beauty for the forlorn, of sweetness for the soured, of gentleness for the angry, of wholeness for the broken, of peace for the frightened and violent of the earth.
Help me to believe in beginnings, to make a beginning, to be a beginning, so that I may not just grow old, but grow new each day of this wild, amazing life you call me to live with the passion of Jesus Christ.
If you have not prayed for a new beginning before you just did! Everyone has felt like we couldn’t get over our past, that somehow we have ruined ourselves beyond repair. However God is the God of new beginnings, and today we each have prayed for a new beginning. Today is the start of something new for us! God is making it so.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, February 1, 2010
Minister's Minute from February Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
I went to pick my son up from day care the other day. When he saw me he threw his head back and laughed like he just heard the best joke. Then he ran toward me smiling the whole time and it was then I realized that the laugh was for me. As he got closer he put out his arms and ran right between my legs grabbing onto one and hugging me with all his might. He looked up at me with a face full of satisfaction and I thought for a moment he was going to say, “Daddy I am so happy to see you”… he never did, at least not with words, but I pray to my God that the memory of him laughing and running up to me never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
I had lunch with Doug McClure of the Salvation Army and David Blackwell of Mission Change recently. It was a good time. Each of us shared our joys of the ministry, our concerns, the ways we watch God at work, the miracles we see on a regular basis. Those two are incredible to be around because they love God and others so much they do not even seem to notice all the work they do. I once read that while faith makes all things possible, love makes them easy. Watching those two talk about planes going into Haiti, and mission trips being planned, and churches working together, and new social programs being implemented, and trying to get impoverished youth into a Christian camp I discovered the truth of that statement. Love does make things easy to do, because it makes all things worthwhile. As Doug talked about trying to raise money for kids who have never left Albany to go to a special camp where their lives could change David and I looked at each other. David said, “How much more do you need?” “$750.” I looked at David and said, “David, we can get that raised by next week right?” We agreed and told Doug he would have the money by the next week… it was then I knew with all that I am I was having lunch with friends God has given me, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Sometime last week I went to see some people in the hospital. As I spoke with one person in the waiting room outside the SICU she told me about a family in the waiting room that needed prayers. On the other side of the room was a sad looking family. I stared at them as I was told about their situation. A father and young son had been in a horrible car accident and taken to different hospitals. Neither was doing well. When they woke up their first question was about where the other one was, love is an incredible bond. I went to the family who gave me an update and then I asked if I could pray. Together we joined hands and I began to pray. As I prayed another woman came up and then broke into our circle of prayer. She just separated my hand from the woman’s I was holding and then grabbed onto our hands. After we finished the prayer I looked over at her and she said, “I figured that family needed all the prayer they could get so I joined in”… she was right, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Last Saturday a group of youth came from First Presbyterian Bainbridge to help feed the needy at the Saturday Samaritan Missions. There were maybe 20 kids here helping to move tables, and greet people, and feed the hungry. At one point I stood back and just watched. It was then I saw God. I saw God as a homeless person grateful for food. I saw God as a teenage girl from a different town grateful for a chance to serve. I saw God as members of different churches worked together believing that together we can do so much more than alone. For a moment I wondered if I would ever see God like that again… I am sure I will, but I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
God offers a world so full of beauty, a life filled with surprise, and moments of inspiration to each of us with the express intent that we in turn offer the world what God has given us, joy! Go find your fuel for joy and let joy abound.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
I had lunch with Doug McClure of the Salvation Army and David Blackwell of Mission Change recently. It was a good time. Each of us shared our joys of the ministry, our concerns, the ways we watch God at work, the miracles we see on a regular basis. Those two are incredible to be around because they love God and others so much they do not even seem to notice all the work they do. I once read that while faith makes all things possible, love makes them easy. Watching those two talk about planes going into Haiti, and mission trips being planned, and churches working together, and new social programs being implemented, and trying to get impoverished youth into a Christian camp I discovered the truth of that statement. Love does make things easy to do, because it makes all things worthwhile. As Doug talked about trying to raise money for kids who have never left Albany to go to a special camp where their lives could change David and I looked at each other. David said, “How much more do you need?” “$750.” I looked at David and said, “David, we can get that raised by next week right?” We agreed and told Doug he would have the money by the next week… it was then I knew with all that I am I was having lunch with friends God has given me, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Sometime last week I went to see some people in the hospital. As I spoke with one person in the waiting room outside the SICU she told me about a family in the waiting room that needed prayers. On the other side of the room was a sad looking family. I stared at them as I was told about their situation. A father and young son had been in a horrible car accident and taken to different hospitals. Neither was doing well. When they woke up their first question was about where the other one was, love is an incredible bond. I went to the family who gave me an update and then I asked if I could pray. Together we joined hands and I began to pray. As I prayed another woman came up and then broke into our circle of prayer. She just separated my hand from the woman’s I was holding and then grabbed onto our hands. After we finished the prayer I looked over at her and she said, “I figured that family needed all the prayer they could get so I joined in”… she was right, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Last Saturday a group of youth came from First Presbyterian Bainbridge to help feed the needy at the Saturday Samaritan Missions. There were maybe 20 kids here helping to move tables, and greet people, and feed the hungry. At one point I stood back and just watched. It was then I saw God. I saw God as a homeless person grateful for food. I saw God as a teenage girl from a different town grateful for a chance to serve. I saw God as members of different churches worked together believing that together we can do so much more than alone. For a moment I wondered if I would ever see God like that again… I am sure I will, but I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
God offers a world so full of beauty, a life filled with surprise, and moments of inspiration to each of us with the express intent that we in turn offer the world what God has given us, joy! Go find your fuel for joy and let joy abound.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
What A Friend!
I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. – Psalm 116:1 (NRSV)
Do you love God? If you do, why? How does that love show in your life? Have you called to God? Has God heard you when you called? How do you know? Do you live with the hope imbedded in the words of the psalmist? Read the rest of Psalm 116 and find out.
The following story is from – John C. Maxwell and Dan Reiland, The Treasure of a Friend (J. Countryman, 1999).
Jim and Phillip did everything together when they were kids. They even went to high school and college together. After college they joined the marines together. They were both sent to Germany, where they fought side by side in one of history’s ugliest wars.
During a fierce battle, they were given the command to retreat. As the men were running back, Jim noticed that Phillip hadn’t returned with the others. Jim begged his commanding officer to let him go after his friend, but the officer forbade the request, saying it would be suicide.
Jim disobeyed and went after Phillip. His heart pounding, he ran into the gunfire, calling out for Phillip. A short time later, his platoon saw him hobbling across the field carrying a limp body in his arms. The commanding officer shouted at Jim for his outrageous risk. “Your friend is dead,” he said. “There was nothing you could do.”
“No sir,” Jim replied. “I got there just in time. Before Phillip died, he said, ‘I knew you would come.’”
With God no matter how bad the situation, if we call out, we can be assured that God will come! Why would God come into any situation with us? Because God loves us! That is why we can love God, and talk to God all of the time. Too many of us claim we do not know how to pray, or worse yet do not have time to pray. The great old hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” says it best, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We must pray to our God, talking and sharing, because then we will be in a relationship and together all of the time. That same hymn needs to be quoted again, “Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our Refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer! Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.” If we are in any need, call to God, and when we discover God arrive we can with faith in our friend proclaim, “I knew you would come.”
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Do you love God? If you do, why? How does that love show in your life? Have you called to God? Has God heard you when you called? How do you know? Do you live with the hope imbedded in the words of the psalmist? Read the rest of Psalm 116 and find out.
The following story is from – John C. Maxwell and Dan Reiland, The Treasure of a Friend (J. Countryman, 1999).
Jim and Phillip did everything together when they were kids. They even went to high school and college together. After college they joined the marines together. They were both sent to Germany, where they fought side by side in one of history’s ugliest wars.
During a fierce battle, they were given the command to retreat. As the men were running back, Jim noticed that Phillip hadn’t returned with the others. Jim begged his commanding officer to let him go after his friend, but the officer forbade the request, saying it would be suicide.
Jim disobeyed and went after Phillip. His heart pounding, he ran into the gunfire, calling out for Phillip. A short time later, his platoon saw him hobbling across the field carrying a limp body in his arms. The commanding officer shouted at Jim for his outrageous risk. “Your friend is dead,” he said. “There was nothing you could do.”
“No sir,” Jim replied. “I got there just in time. Before Phillip died, he said, ‘I knew you would come.’”
With God no matter how bad the situation, if we call out, we can be assured that God will come! Why would God come into any situation with us? Because God loves us! That is why we can love God, and talk to God all of the time. Too many of us claim we do not know how to pray, or worse yet do not have time to pray. The great old hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” says it best, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We must pray to our God, talking and sharing, because then we will be in a relationship and together all of the time. That same hymn needs to be quoted again, “Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our Refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer! Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.” If we are in any need, call to God, and when we discover God arrive we can with faith in our friend proclaim, “I knew you would come.”
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Prayer and Gratitude
Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. – Philippians 4:6 (NCV)
What do you worry about? Do you worry about things you need or things you want? When did you pray to God last for everything you need? Why is it important to give thanks while asking for what you need?
A friend asked me once why we should pray if God knows everything. It is a question I imagine we have all asked at some point. Maybe one of the reasons we do not pray more is the belief that if God knows everything we do not need to pray. God knows I am happy; I do not need to pray. God knows I am angry; I do not need to pray. God knows I am in pain; I do not need to pray. God knows what I need; I do not need to pray.
Maybe God does know all of these things, but do we? Do we truly know what makes us happy? Are the things that make us angry things that should make us angry? What is the root of our pain? Do we have any idea what we actually need? The problem with my friend’s question as to our need for prayer is that it centers on us as individuals and is by nature selfish. Prayer opens us to God the eternal forever, the Word, the alpha and omega. Prayer moves us beyond ourselves to discover our God in whose image we are made. Prayer is not done out of God’s need to be communicated with, but of our need to communicate with God, discover who God desires us to be and what we truly need!
Maybe that is why we are told to pray while always giving thanks. There is something about people who are grateful. Grateful for the moment regardless of circumstance. Grateful for a kind smile from a stranger. Grateful for another day with breath flowing through the lungs. Grateful for a merciful God who is by God’s very nature love. Such people always seem to have what they need.
Meister Eckhart once said, “If the only prayer you ever said in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” Amen to that! Let us pray for everything we need, always giving thanks and perhaps all of our worry will disappear when we discover that somehow, we have everything we need!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What do you worry about? Do you worry about things you need or things you want? When did you pray to God last for everything you need? Why is it important to give thanks while asking for what you need?
A friend asked me once why we should pray if God knows everything. It is a question I imagine we have all asked at some point. Maybe one of the reasons we do not pray more is the belief that if God knows everything we do not need to pray. God knows I am happy; I do not need to pray. God knows I am angry; I do not need to pray. God knows I am in pain; I do not need to pray. God knows what I need; I do not need to pray.
Maybe God does know all of these things, but do we? Do we truly know what makes us happy? Are the things that make us angry things that should make us angry? What is the root of our pain? Do we have any idea what we actually need? The problem with my friend’s question as to our need for prayer is that it centers on us as individuals and is by nature selfish. Prayer opens us to God the eternal forever, the Word, the alpha and omega. Prayer moves us beyond ourselves to discover our God in whose image we are made. Prayer is not done out of God’s need to be communicated with, but of our need to communicate with God, discover who God desires us to be and what we truly need!
Maybe that is why we are told to pray while always giving thanks. There is something about people who are grateful. Grateful for the moment regardless of circumstance. Grateful for a kind smile from a stranger. Grateful for another day with breath flowing through the lungs. Grateful for a merciful God who is by God’s very nature love. Such people always seem to have what they need.
Meister Eckhart once said, “If the only prayer you ever said in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” Amen to that! Let us pray for everything we need, always giving thanks and perhaps all of our worry will disappear when we discover that somehow, we have everything we need!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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