This post never got published, even though it was written in 2014, when we lived in Costa Rica. I wanted to write a post from my perspective as a international traveler to you who live in the US. I wanted to let you know what my experience was like so that you could better understand the international people in your community.
Living in a country where I didn't speak the language fluently has opened my eyes to the experience of being a foreigner in a strange land. Here are some of my thoughts which can hopefully be applied to the internationals in your communities.
*disclaimer* These statements are true for me, but they won't apply to every international you ever meet.
1. Just because I don't initiate conversations does not mean that I do not want to talk. It's just that talking is highly intimidating. I'm learning about indefinite past tense, imperfect past tense, perfect past tense, pluperfect past tense, present tense, present progressive, simple future, compound future, conditionals, and new vocabulary every day. I get them mixed up and I get confused sometimes, which makes communicating difficult.
2. Just because I don't speak your language well, that does not mean that I'm stupid. I'm working on my second language, which means I make a whole lot of errors, but just because I speak like a four-year-old does not mean that I have the intelligence of a four-year-old. (Side tangent: I haven't faced this problem in our host country, but many Americans have this mindset. Some international students are learning English as their second, third, fourth+ language. They are intelligent. Saying that foreigners need to speak English in America does not help them learn it any better, but having conversations with them does.)
3. I need your patience. It takes me a while sometimes to get the correct words together in the correct order with the correct conjugation (I hope). Please be patient with me as I try to express myself in another language.
4. Please speak slowly, clearly, and without slang or idioms. Each word you say needs to be translated in my mind. Please use simple words that are clearly enunciated. I probably won't understand slang or idioms. Abbreviations, acronyms, and slang are very difficult for me to understand.
5. Please talk to me. I desperately want conversations in the language I am learning. I want to connect with people. It's just that I'm equally terrified of having these conversations.Talk to us after church. Conversations are nice, even if we don't initiate often.
6. Invite me into your home. Invite me to the store with you. Invite me over for a meal of your typical food. It will make my day to know that you want to spend time with me.
7. Encourage me. The task of learning another language is sometimes overly-daunting. I don't always feel like I am progressing. To hear a native speaker (sincerely) telling me that I am doing well is very encouraging to me.
8. I don't repeat back things you say to be annoying or talk more, but to make sure I understand. There is a strong temptation to just nod my head and agree with whatever you say. When I try to rephrase what you just said back to you, I'm trying to make sure that I heard, translated, and understood correctly. Please be patient as I check for understanding.
9. That look of panicked confusion is genuine, especially if we are in a noisy environment. The noisier it is, the more difficult it is for me to hold a conversation in another language.
10. I am exhausted. Learning a new language, especially by immersion, is exhausting. If I withdraw a bit, it's nothing you did, but rather, my brain is full at the moment.
11. If I understand a joke in your language, celebrate with me because it is a big deal. I don't catch many jokes, but the few I do, I'm happy for hours & hours.
12. I get my social cues from you locals. Please don't send me through the line first or what-have-you. I want to watch you to know how I should behave.
13. There is a delay between when you speak and when I comprehend. If you use a lot a gestures, my comprehension probably will go up.
14. Subtitles for movies, even if they are in the language I am learning, will really help my comprehension.
15. We are not snobs or stuck-up people too good to associate with you. When we hang out in a group of people with the same native language, it's because they are like security blankets & it's comforting to know that if I can't understand what you just said, maybe my friend would have understood and could help me. Many times, when I hang with "my people" I do so because I am just scared and intimidated. I don't always have to courage to leave my friend who speaks my language.
16. If I make silly errors with word placement, it could be because in my native language, that is the word order.
17. If I stumble over the names & places in the Bible, or countries of the world in general, it's because I'm learning every name, place, & country with my new language's pronunciation. It is hard when suddenly Jesús is Jesus, Moisés is Moses, Belén is Bethlehem, and so on. I am relearning everything in these categories.
18. Please don't judge me for using a paraphrase Bible or a different translation than you. KJV has hard words that aren't in our common vocabulary. I'm just want to understand what I'm reading. God speaks through His Word, regardless of the translation.
19. Hug me (if I am a hugger). I don't get hugs from my family.
20. Write it out for me. I read better than I speak.
21. Let me tell stories about my traditions.
22. I'm less intimidated by being asked to read aloud than to answer questions on the spot. It's a great way to include me without fear. I may not follow the discussion or the lesson, but I can read aloud.
23. Sometimes I will completely blank on a word in my new language. I will be explaining something and then bam...I don't know the word I want. I will then proceed to skirt around the word & use many more words than necessary to describe the word I lack.
24. I will stammer and stutter my way through pronouncing words in my new language. I'm not stupid, your language is just hard to pronounce.
25. Call me by name. It makes me feel a part of your group.
26. Take me under your wing. Invite me with you to the store, on errands, shopping, especially if I'm car-less.
27. Make an effort to learn or speak my first language. Even a few words can brighten my day.
28. I will have hard days when I don't want to deal with my new language. On these days I will seek out those in my language group to de-fry my brain.
29. Some parts of the day are easier or harder to speak or understand my new language.
30. I don't catch jokes. If you joke with me, I will take you seriously.
31. In church, if you want us to participate, say our name & then ask us your question. We aren't opposed to participating, but we are intimidated. Sometimes we don't translate if we think you are addressing someone else.
32. In church, it's alright to ask us to read (it's more comfortable than answering a question point-blank!).
33. Compliment our grasp of your language. We don't feel like we're making progress. We are painfully aware of our errors & the words we don't understand. Tohave a native speaker tell us we're doing good (as long as it's a truthful statement) means a lot. Just don't be surprised if we deny it.
...For
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me....Matthew 25:31-46
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Saturday, January 13, 2018
The Spiritual Discipline of Worship
Foster describes the Spiritual Discipline of Worship as our human response to the love God shows us.
There are different practices, approaches, and styles of worship, but worship is more than just our way of singing, praying, or praising God. It is responding to God. We can worship God in many ways. For instance, one can pray silently, with a partner, corporately, standing, sitting, flat on the ground, or in many other ways. One can sing acapela, with piano &/organ, with guitar &/worship band, inside, outside, alone, or with others. The focus of this chapter is not to prescribe the one "perfect" way of worship, but to show how our acts of worship can be offered up to God as a Spiritual Discipline and sacrifice.
We worship God's character (who He is and the traits that He has). We also worship God because of what He has done. Worship isn't (or at least shouldn't) be limited to 1-3 hours per week. Worship should be a thread throughout our days and lives that is present more than it is absent. It should take priority over non-essential activities and is the well from which our acts of service spring.
When we practice worshiping God, we become attuned to talking to Him (prayer) and worshiping Him throughout our days. We can praise Him, give thanks to Him, adore Him, even as we bring our requests before Him.
In the Bible, when people gathered to worship, (most of the time) they expected God to show up. Foster challenges us to enter our times of worship with a sense of Holy Expectancy.
We go about our day, do our tasks, and interact with people, all while listening for God and expecting Him to guide & teach us. When we do this throughout our week, we are able to walk into our designated corporate worship time (aka the church service) and expect to meet God there. Foster recommends that we go into our services early to adore God and contemplate who He is. We can pray for our worship leaders and pray for the people coming into the service. We can reflect on Christ's character, roles, and titles.
Foster considers worship a Spiritual Discipline because it involves bringing an order to our actions and lives so that we spend time in God's presence. God can and does speak to us through this Discipline. Foster outlines some of the "avenues" or methods that we can worship God.
*Be still. When our hearts and minds are churning, busy, and active, it is hard to hear God's quiet voice. By being still and listening intently, we can let the Spirit guide our actions and words. Sometimes, this looks like total silence, but other times, it looks like less noise.
*Be full of praise. We are told to offer up a sacrifice of praise. In the Book of the Psalms, the call to sing, shout, dance, rejoice, adore, and praise is a frequent message. Praise allows our emotions to enter into worship along with our minds, hearts, and bodies. We can kneel, raise our hands, clap, bow down, dance, and do so much more to worship with our bodies as well. Sometimes, we are called to worship God through praise with our bodies; other times, we use our bodies to express the spirit of adoration or humility.
*Be mindful of God's presence. Paul told believers to pray without ceasing. Those prayers can be our method of adoring, praising, and giving thanks to God. We can worship God one-on-one throughout the week and corporately in a weekly service.
*Be open to different methods and styles of worship. We can worship alone, in small groups, and in larger worship services.
*Be prepared for corporate worship services. Get ready for the corporate worship service by preparing for it the night before. We can set out our clothes and other tangible things. We can also, with the Spirit's guidance, examine ourselves and our past week, taking time to confess and repent when necessary. We can review our church's hymns and Scriptures for the service. We can go in early to church to prepare our hearts and minds for worshiping God.
*Be willing to let go of our agendas, plans, worries, and preferences. In times of worship, we not only submit to each other, but also to the Lord. We are seeking God corporately (together as the Body of Christ) and expect to see Him move in the service.
*Be dependent on God, especially in worship. God is the source of everything good and holy. When we worship Him, we are coming before Him and keeping Him as the center of the experience.
*Be thankful for distractions. If we idolize the perfect worship service, we are missing the point. Thank God for the noises, interruptions, and other distractions. Ask God to accept the ideal and the non-ideal in the worship setting, as well as in life in general.
*Be sacrificial in worship. We don't always "feel" like worshiping. We don't always like or prefer the songs or styles in corporate worship. We don't always like everyone we worship with. Worship anyway. Worship is not about us, but about praising the Holy Lord.
*Be obedient as the service ends. If we are exactly the same, service after service, we might be in danger of seeking after the thrills of worship without seeking to be made more Christ-like through each God-guided encounter. When we enter God's presence, we are changed by it. We receive instruction in following God's way more and more each service.
Worshiping God is not about my preferences or my comfort zone, but about pouring my heart, my mind, my image, and all of myself into the act of worship. It is important to keep in mind that people worship God in different ways. There is diversity in how people worship God in a service and throughout one's life. In a service, we may see people standing, kneeling, or sitting as they worship. Sometimes I must worship through boisterous singing; other times through being still. There are many ways to worship the One True God.
These are ways we can enter into God's presence, but as always, the means and methods are just that. We can go through the motions or choose to fully seek after God.
May we worship God fully as we learn to do so more each day.
There are different practices, approaches, and styles of worship, but worship is more than just our way of singing, praying, or praising God. It is responding to God. We can worship God in many ways. For instance, one can pray silently, with a partner, corporately, standing, sitting, flat on the ground, or in many other ways. One can sing acapela, with piano &/organ, with guitar &/worship band, inside, outside, alone, or with others. The focus of this chapter is not to prescribe the one "perfect" way of worship, but to show how our acts of worship can be offered up to God as a Spiritual Discipline and sacrifice.
We worship God's character (who He is and the traits that He has). We also worship God because of what He has done. Worship isn't (or at least shouldn't) be limited to 1-3 hours per week. Worship should be a thread throughout our days and lives that is present more than it is absent. It should take priority over non-essential activities and is the well from which our acts of service spring.
When we practice worshiping God, we become attuned to talking to Him (prayer) and worshiping Him throughout our days. We can praise Him, give thanks to Him, adore Him, even as we bring our requests before Him.
In the Bible, when people gathered to worship, (most of the time) they expected God to show up. Foster challenges us to enter our times of worship with a sense of Holy Expectancy.
We go about our day, do our tasks, and interact with people, all while listening for God and expecting Him to guide & teach us. When we do this throughout our week, we are able to walk into our designated corporate worship time (aka the church service) and expect to meet God there. Foster recommends that we go into our services early to adore God and contemplate who He is. We can pray for our worship leaders and pray for the people coming into the service. We can reflect on Christ's character, roles, and titles.
Foster considers worship a Spiritual Discipline because it involves bringing an order to our actions and lives so that we spend time in God's presence. God can and does speak to us through this Discipline. Foster outlines some of the "avenues" or methods that we can worship God.
*Be still. When our hearts and minds are churning, busy, and active, it is hard to hear God's quiet voice. By being still and listening intently, we can let the Spirit guide our actions and words. Sometimes, this looks like total silence, but other times, it looks like less noise.
*Be full of praise. We are told to offer up a sacrifice of praise. In the Book of the Psalms, the call to sing, shout, dance, rejoice, adore, and praise is a frequent message. Praise allows our emotions to enter into worship along with our minds, hearts, and bodies. We can kneel, raise our hands, clap, bow down, dance, and do so much more to worship with our bodies as well. Sometimes, we are called to worship God through praise with our bodies; other times, we use our bodies to express the spirit of adoration or humility.
*Be mindful of God's presence. Paul told believers to pray without ceasing. Those prayers can be our method of adoring, praising, and giving thanks to God. We can worship God one-on-one throughout the week and corporately in a weekly service.
*Be open to different methods and styles of worship. We can worship alone, in small groups, and in larger worship services.
*Be prepared for corporate worship services. Get ready for the corporate worship service by preparing for it the night before. We can set out our clothes and other tangible things. We can also, with the Spirit's guidance, examine ourselves and our past week, taking time to confess and repent when necessary. We can review our church's hymns and Scriptures for the service. We can go in early to church to prepare our hearts and minds for worshiping God.
*Be willing to let go of our agendas, plans, worries, and preferences. In times of worship, we not only submit to each other, but also to the Lord. We are seeking God corporately (together as the Body of Christ) and expect to see Him move in the service.
*Be dependent on God, especially in worship. God is the source of everything good and holy. When we worship Him, we are coming before Him and keeping Him as the center of the experience.
*Be thankful for distractions. If we idolize the perfect worship service, we are missing the point. Thank God for the noises, interruptions, and other distractions. Ask God to accept the ideal and the non-ideal in the worship setting, as well as in life in general.
*Be sacrificial in worship. We don't always "feel" like worshiping. We don't always like or prefer the songs or styles in corporate worship. We don't always like everyone we worship with. Worship anyway. Worship is not about us, but about praising the Holy Lord.
*Be obedient as the service ends. If we are exactly the same, service after service, we might be in danger of seeking after the thrills of worship without seeking to be made more Christ-like through each God-guided encounter. When we enter God's presence, we are changed by it. We receive instruction in following God's way more and more each service.
Worshiping God is not about my preferences or my comfort zone, but about pouring my heart, my mind, my image, and all of myself into the act of worship. It is important to keep in mind that people worship God in different ways. There is diversity in how people worship God in a service and throughout one's life. In a service, we may see people standing, kneeling, or sitting as they worship. Sometimes I must worship through boisterous singing; other times through being still. There are many ways to worship the One True God.
These are ways we can enter into God's presence, but as always, the means and methods are just that. We can go through the motions or choose to fully seek after God.
May we worship God fully as we learn to do so more each day.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Practicing Spiritual Disciplines: The Back Story
I talked to my pastors at the end of last year about Spiritual Disciplines. (I always speak of this topic in capital letters in my mind). I was wanting to learn more about them and how to practice them, but I didn't quite know where to start.
They lent me several exceptional books on the subject. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard is a phenomenal book that focuses on the What and Why of Spiritual Disciplines. The Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster focuses more on the How behind the Spiritual Disciplines.
In fact, I blitz-read Foster's book last fall, with a plan forming in my mind. I asked for an e-book version of The Celebration of Discipline so that I could return the borrowed book and still be able to go through it again more slowly in order to put what I read into practice.
My plan for this year is to focus on a different Spiritual Discipline each month. I will reread its chapter and focus on worshiping God through the practice of each additional Discipline.
Richard Foster's book divided the Disciplines into 3 groups, with 4 Disciplines in each section:
1) Inward Disciplines-meditation, prayer, fasting, study
2) Outward Disciplines-simplicity, solitude, submission, service
3) Corporate Disciplines-confession, worship, guidance, celebration
This layout allows me to select a different Discipline for each month. These aren't the only Disciplines out there, but these are the ones I am starting with.
Each month, I will hopefully have a little devotional thought to share on the different Disciplines.
Why, Liz? Why are you studying the Spiritual Disciplines? The simplest answer I can articulate is this: "Jesus practiced them and I must follow my Lord's example."
Jesus commanded His disciples, His followers, to obey Him and keep His commands. Did I mention that disciple and discipline come from the same root word, by the way?
Two questions keep popping into my mind as this new year opens:
*If someone casually observed me, would they come to the conclusion that I am a Christian?
*If someone came to that conclusion, would they be intrigued to know more about my Savior or would they be repulsed?
The hard truth is that my life looks all to similar to a moral non-Christian's life.
I present a frazzled, harried picture of a Christian's life far more often then I care to admit.
I won't be going out and joining a convent (I'm pretty sure that I'm ineligible as a wife), but the Spirit is serenading me to come and learn from Him. Come and follow the path He laid out in His Word and His inspired traditions. Then I will meet with Him as I go about my life in His world. Then the answers to the questions in my mind will be yes instead of no.
They lent me several exceptional books on the subject. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard is a phenomenal book that focuses on the What and Why of Spiritual Disciplines. The Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster focuses more on the How behind the Spiritual Disciplines.
In fact, I blitz-read Foster's book last fall, with a plan forming in my mind. I asked for an e-book version of The Celebration of Discipline so that I could return the borrowed book and still be able to go through it again more slowly in order to put what I read into practice.
My plan for this year is to focus on a different Spiritual Discipline each month. I will reread its chapter and focus on worshiping God through the practice of each additional Discipline.
Richard Foster's book divided the Disciplines into 3 groups, with 4 Disciplines in each section:
1) Inward Disciplines-meditation, prayer, fasting, study
2) Outward Disciplines-simplicity, solitude, submission, service
3) Corporate Disciplines-confession, worship, guidance, celebration
This layout allows me to select a different Discipline for each month. These aren't the only Disciplines out there, but these are the ones I am starting with.
Each month, I will hopefully have a little devotional thought to share on the different Disciplines.
Why, Liz? Why are you studying the Spiritual Disciplines? The simplest answer I can articulate is this: "Jesus practiced them and I must follow my Lord's example."
Jesus commanded His disciples, His followers, to obey Him and keep His commands. Did I mention that disciple and discipline come from the same root word, by the way?
Two questions keep popping into my mind as this new year opens:
*If someone casually observed me, would they come to the conclusion that I am a Christian?
*If someone came to that conclusion, would they be intrigued to know more about my Savior or would they be repulsed?
The hard truth is that my life looks all to similar to a moral non-Christian's life.
I present a frazzled, harried picture of a Christian's life far more often then I care to admit.
I won't be going out and joining a convent (I'm pretty sure that I'm ineligible as a wife), but the Spirit is serenading me to come and learn from Him. Come and follow the path He laid out in His Word and His inspired traditions. Then I will meet with Him as I go about my life in His world. Then the answers to the questions in my mind will be yes instead of no.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Producrastivination: Productively Procrastinating
The title of this post is not a typo, but rather it is a weird mash-up of Productivity and Procrastination: hence Produ-cras-tivination. (Pronounced: Pro-duh-crass-tiv-ih-nation)
I have the reputation of being an achiever, a go-getter, a highly productive person, but my dark secret is that I do procrastinate like the rest of humanity. I just justify and rationalize it through productivity.
Here's an example to show what I mean: I'm giving a mission lesson at my church. Today is Saturday and I teach on Wednesday night. My lesson will be based on a series of blog posts (on the Advent Conspiracy)...but I hadn't finished writing the third post...or reading the last two chapters of the book...or reviewed my former posts to see how they would flow together as one lesson. So today, I updated my scrapbook, pre-sorted pictures with my husband for his scrapbook, did 2 loads of laundry from dirty clothes basket to folded & put away, I took an hour-long walk, caught up on dishes (twice), and my list goes on.
You see, my brain resists mindless procrastination, where I binge watch shows or spend all day on facebook, but it is much more willing to accept a delay of an important task if I am doing other necessary tasks. I still procrastinate, but I do so productively.
Sometimes I find that a little bit of Producrastivination can help me along quite nicely with my to do list. By avoiding that one thing I'm not eager to do, I get a lot of other things done. Getting things done feels great! But the sweetness of accomplishment has a bitter drop in it: even while I am doing all these other things, the task I'm avoiding is hovering in the back of my mind, waiting.
Typically, I am using Producrastivination to avoid the most important thing for me to get done, while I am checking off good, but small, tasks off my to do list.
It feels good to get a lot done, but it feels better to know that I am spending my time on what is most important. Producrastivination is entertaining, but learning to prioritize is far more critical. Learning to stay focused and on-task will help combat Producrastivination.
Why is this an important topic? Ephesians 5 contains a warning about how we use our time. This link will take you to 4 parallels of Ephesians 5:15-21: the Message, NIV, KJV, and NASB. We're going to zero in on verses 15 and 17 below:
Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness...Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. (MSG)
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil...So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (NASB)
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil...Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.(NIV)
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil...Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (KJV)
Far too often, we as the Church majors in minor things and leave the major things undone. We waste our time on useless work and busywork. We are careless and don't think about our lives in an eternal perspective. Harsh? Yes. Too harsh? I'm not sure. When you listen in on church conversations and board meetings, how much time is focused on earthly things versus heavenly tasks? We form committees to discuss carpet colors, but fail to train our church members in sharing our faith. Lord, forgive our Producrastivination!! Teach us to prioritize and do Your work!!
Do we understand what God wants from us?
Are we doing it?
Are we making the most of our time here on earth?
Are we making the most of the opportunities God is giving us?
Are we redeeming our time in a wise manner or are we foolishly squandering it?
There will be the Judgment Day. Every day brings it closer. Jesus tells us that we will have to give an account for every empty word that we speak (Matthew 12:36). When we face judgment, I don't want to admit that I was an expert Producrastivinator, accomplishing earthly things at the expense of heavenly tasks.
What about you?
Do you use Producrastivination to get little things achieved while avoiding the important things?
How do you combat Producrastivination?
I have the reputation of being an achiever, a go-getter, a highly productive person, but my dark secret is that I do procrastinate like the rest of humanity. I just justify and rationalize it through productivity.
Here's an example to show what I mean: I'm giving a mission lesson at my church. Today is Saturday and I teach on Wednesday night. My lesson will be based on a series of blog posts (on the Advent Conspiracy)...but I hadn't finished writing the third post...or reading the last two chapters of the book...or reviewed my former posts to see how they would flow together as one lesson. So today, I updated my scrapbook, pre-sorted pictures with my husband for his scrapbook, did 2 loads of laundry from dirty clothes basket to folded & put away, I took an hour-long walk, caught up on dishes (twice), and my list goes on.
You see, my brain resists mindless procrastination, where I binge watch shows or spend all day on facebook, but it is much more willing to accept a delay of an important task if I am doing other necessary tasks. I still procrastinate, but I do so productively.
Sometimes I find that a little bit of Producrastivination can help me along quite nicely with my to do list. By avoiding that one thing I'm not eager to do, I get a lot of other things done. Getting things done feels great! But the sweetness of accomplishment has a bitter drop in it: even while I am doing all these other things, the task I'm avoiding is hovering in the back of my mind, waiting.
Typically, I am using Producrastivination to avoid the most important thing for me to get done, while I am checking off good, but small, tasks off my to do list.
It feels good to get a lot done, but it feels better to know that I am spending my time on what is most important. Producrastivination is entertaining, but learning to prioritize is far more critical. Learning to stay focused and on-task will help combat Producrastivination.
Why is this an important topic? Ephesians 5 contains a warning about how we use our time. This link will take you to 4 parallels of Ephesians 5:15-21: the Message, NIV, KJV, and NASB. We're going to zero in on verses 15 and 17 below:
Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness...Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. (MSG)
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil...So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (NASB)
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil...Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.(NIV)
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil...Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (KJV)
Far too often, we as the Church majors in minor things and leave the major things undone. We waste our time on useless work and busywork. We are careless and don't think about our lives in an eternal perspective. Harsh? Yes. Too harsh? I'm not sure. When you listen in on church conversations and board meetings, how much time is focused on earthly things versus heavenly tasks? We form committees to discuss carpet colors, but fail to train our church members in sharing our faith. Lord, forgive our Producrastivination!! Teach us to prioritize and do Your work!!
Do we understand what God wants from us?
Are we doing it?
Are we making the most of our time here on earth?
Are we making the most of the opportunities God is giving us?
Are we redeeming our time in a wise manner or are we foolishly squandering it?
There will be the Judgment Day. Every day brings it closer. Jesus tells us that we will have to give an account for every empty word that we speak (Matthew 12:36). When we face judgment, I don't want to admit that I was an expert Producrastivinator, accomplishing earthly things at the expense of heavenly tasks.
What about you?
Do you use Producrastivination to get little things achieved while avoiding the important things?
How do you combat Producrastivination?
Sunday, January 7, 2018
31 Ways to Pray
We sometimes get stuck in a rut. We create our routine and then go on auto-pilot. This can be a good thing, but it can be harmful to our prayer times.
When it comes to praying, it is good to branch out and pray big prayers that encompass the world. Our God is a big God, capable of doing great things, but we don't ask for His help for a lot of things.
Perhaps a far worse charge against us is the smallness of our prayers. We pray for those we know and for those close to us, but we fail our global brothers & sisters by neglecting to pray for them. God cares for all of the world, but most of our prayers center around us and maybe 100 miles around us.
How did we get to the point where we don't care enough for our global family to faithfully intercede on their behalf? When is the last time that you prayed for your city? State? Country? Continent? World? How often do you pray for things that happen in Europe, Africa, or Asia?
Here is a list of ways to pray that may stretch your prayers and grow your faith. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself.
1. A.C.T.S. Prayer: This acronym stands for Adoration (Praise God for Who He Is), Confession (Admit Your Faults & Sins to God), Thanksgiving (Thank God for What He Had Done), and Supplication (Ask God for What You Need). By taking time to adore God, confess our sins, and thank God BEFORE we state our requests, our focus is taken off of ourselves.
2. Pray on your fingers. If you google 5-Finger Prayer printables or handouts, you will see a variety of these prompts. Essentially, you use each finger as a reminder to pray for a certain group of people.
*Thumb: pray for your family & friends (those who are closest to you)
*Index Finger: pray for your parents & teachers (those who point the way)
*Middle Finger: pray for leaders & authorities (those who stand the tallest)
*Ring Finger: pray for the weak, sick, or needy (this is your weakest finger)
*Pinky: pray for yourself (this is your last finger and the smallest one too)
3. Pray the Scriptures: Use actual prayers in the Bible and pray along with the speaker of the prayer or find another type of Scripture and pray it too. Pray for prophesies to come to pass. Pray for believers to follow God's commands. Pray for tragedies in Scripture to not be repeated again.
4. Pray with a Journal: Write out your prayers. Track when you started to pray for something to happen and leave space to record how God answered that prayer!
5. Pray for the Persecuted: Sign up to get email reminders from groups like the World Watch List to pray for the persecuted church around the world. Learn about countries where persecution is rampant.
6. Pray for Your Enemies and Persecutors: Pray for those who dislike and even hate you. Pray for those who consider themselves your enemies. Pray for your country's enemies. Pray for those who are persecuting the church.
7. Pray the Lord's Prayer: Take the familiar words of the Lord's Prayer and pray through different translations and Bible versions. Pray it slowly and meaningfully.
8. Pray while Walking: Prayer walking ties exercise with letting the sights of your community drive your prayer requests. Pray for the family who will move into the empty house. Pray for the person who lost their shoe somehow. Take what you see and offer it as a prayer to God.
9. Pray the Hours Away: It is called many different names, but you can look up the Divine Hours, the Divine Office, Praying the Hours, or Fixed Hour Prayers. Set alarms to remind you to pray throughout the day. Traditionally 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm are observed, with monks and nuns sometimes even praying at 12 am and 3 am as well.
10. Pray Without Speaking: Prayer is called a conversation, but a lot of times, we preform a monologue before God and then leave without waiting for His response. Take time to wait silently before God. Take time to listen to what He is saying. Be still and know that He is God.
11. Pray Through the News: Pray through the newspaper, news report, or news article. Pray for those arrested. Thank God for the good. Ask Him to intercede in the different events. Pray for the victims and the perpetrators.
12. Pray with the Words of Those Who Have Gone Before You: Find prayers that you think are beautiful and pray them. Pray with the Book of Common Prayer and Daily Prayer Books.
13. Pray for Those on the Margins of Society: Pray for the widows, the orphans, the stranger (refugee, immigrant, legal or otherwise). Pray for the single parents and the addicts. Pray for the homeless.
14. Pray with a Friend: Go before the throne of God with another believer. Pray together and pray faithfully for lives to be changed.
15. Praise God for Your Blessings: Thank God for everything that you can think of. Praise Him for all the good you have in your life and thank God for all the evils that are not in your life.
16. Pray for the Lost: Pray for missing children, prodigal children, and those rebelling against God. Pray for them to be found and to be submit to Jesus' lordship.
17. Pray by Percentages: Research how much of the world is in Asia, Africa, Europe, Central & South America, the Middle East, and North America. Take an hour and for every population percentage, spend a minute in prayer for that world region. Pray for countries, cities, people groups, religions, leaders, and events that you look up.
18. Pray for God's Promises to Come to Pass: Pray for us to fulfill our part of God's promise and humbly ask God to fulfill His part. Pray for His prophesies to come to pass (see Daniel and the end of the exile) or to be averted (see Jonah and Nineveh).
19. Pray for People in the Places You Know: Pray for the people in the cities in your county, the people in the states in your country, and the people in the countries in the world.
20. Pray for those who Practice Different Religions: Pray for Jewish, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, and others to come to faith in Christ.
21. Pray for Missionaries: Sign up for emails to get global prayer prompts from missionaries around the world.
22. Pray about Upcoming Events: Pray for tests, travels, birthdays, holidays, and more!!
23. Pray for the Displaced: Pray for those who are displaced by war, persecution, or violence. Pray for the refugees and those who drive them away.
24. Pray for the Things on God's Heart: Pray for Justice, Repentance, and Restoration to take place. These are only a few of the things that God is passionate about.
25. Pray for the Rich and the Famous: They need prayers too. Pray for celebrities, politicians, and other people who are in the news. Pray for them to realize their need of God's saving grace.
26. Pray for the Children: God has a special place in His heart for children. Pray for their safety, protection, and salvation. Pray for those in troubled homes and empty homes.
27. Pray for God's Word to be Spread: Pray for the Gospel to be heard by all people. Pray that they repent of their sins and follow Jesus. Pray for people to have access to the Bible, even if it is illegal in their country.
28. Pray for Stateless People: Pray for people who are rejected by their countries of origins. Pray for those who made it to refugee camps, but have no citizenship status. Pray for them to find their home in Heaven.
29. Pray for Those Facing Troubles: Pray for those who are facing physical, financial, or emotional troubles. Pray for the depressed, the lonely, the empty. Pray for the poor, the rich, and the greedy. Pray for those in pain.
30. Pray for God's Kingdom to Come: Pray that His church will live out His teachings. Pray for His Kingdom to come soon.
31. Pray for the Sick. Pray for those who are newly ill, chronically ill, and those who are baffling their doctors. Pray for those with bad knees, backs, and hearts. Pray for physical healing, but pray for their sin-sick hearts to be healed more.
What other prayer prompts can you think of?
What else should we be praying for?
This list gives ideas for a month of prayers, but it only scratches the surface. Let us be faithful in praying for the world in this digital age that lets us know prayer prompts (in the form of news) almost instantly. We have the information at our fingertips. Will we use it to pray not only for those we know, but for those we don't know?
When it comes to praying, it is good to branch out and pray big prayers that encompass the world. Our God is a big God, capable of doing great things, but we don't ask for His help for a lot of things.
Perhaps a far worse charge against us is the smallness of our prayers. We pray for those we know and for those close to us, but we fail our global brothers & sisters by neglecting to pray for them. God cares for all of the world, but most of our prayers center around us and maybe 100 miles around us.
How did we get to the point where we don't care enough for our global family to faithfully intercede on their behalf? When is the last time that you prayed for your city? State? Country? Continent? World? How often do you pray for things that happen in Europe, Africa, or Asia?
Here is a list of ways to pray that may stretch your prayers and grow your faith. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself.
1. A.C.T.S. Prayer: This acronym stands for Adoration (Praise God for Who He Is), Confession (Admit Your Faults & Sins to God), Thanksgiving (Thank God for What He Had Done), and Supplication (Ask God for What You Need). By taking time to adore God, confess our sins, and thank God BEFORE we state our requests, our focus is taken off of ourselves.
2. Pray on your fingers. If you google 5-Finger Prayer printables or handouts, you will see a variety of these prompts. Essentially, you use each finger as a reminder to pray for a certain group of people.
*Thumb: pray for your family & friends (those who are closest to you)
*Index Finger: pray for your parents & teachers (those who point the way)
*Middle Finger: pray for leaders & authorities (those who stand the tallest)
*Ring Finger: pray for the weak, sick, or needy (this is your weakest finger)
*Pinky: pray for yourself (this is your last finger and the smallest one too)
3. Pray the Scriptures: Use actual prayers in the Bible and pray along with the speaker of the prayer or find another type of Scripture and pray it too. Pray for prophesies to come to pass. Pray for believers to follow God's commands. Pray for tragedies in Scripture to not be repeated again.
4. Pray with a Journal: Write out your prayers. Track when you started to pray for something to happen and leave space to record how God answered that prayer!
5. Pray for the Persecuted: Sign up to get email reminders from groups like the World Watch List to pray for the persecuted church around the world. Learn about countries where persecution is rampant.
6. Pray for Your Enemies and Persecutors: Pray for those who dislike and even hate you. Pray for those who consider themselves your enemies. Pray for your country's enemies. Pray for those who are persecuting the church.
7. Pray the Lord's Prayer: Take the familiar words of the Lord's Prayer and pray through different translations and Bible versions. Pray it slowly and meaningfully.
8. Pray while Walking: Prayer walking ties exercise with letting the sights of your community drive your prayer requests. Pray for the family who will move into the empty house. Pray for the person who lost their shoe somehow. Take what you see and offer it as a prayer to God.
9. Pray the Hours Away: It is called many different names, but you can look up the Divine Hours, the Divine Office, Praying the Hours, or Fixed Hour Prayers. Set alarms to remind you to pray throughout the day. Traditionally 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm are observed, with monks and nuns sometimes even praying at 12 am and 3 am as well.
10. Pray Without Speaking: Prayer is called a conversation, but a lot of times, we preform a monologue before God and then leave without waiting for His response. Take time to wait silently before God. Take time to listen to what He is saying. Be still and know that He is God.
11. Pray Through the News: Pray through the newspaper, news report, or news article. Pray for those arrested. Thank God for the good. Ask Him to intercede in the different events. Pray for the victims and the perpetrators.
12. Pray with the Words of Those Who Have Gone Before You: Find prayers that you think are beautiful and pray them. Pray with the Book of Common Prayer and Daily Prayer Books.
13. Pray for Those on the Margins of Society: Pray for the widows, the orphans, the stranger (refugee, immigrant, legal or otherwise). Pray for the single parents and the addicts. Pray for the homeless.
14. Pray with a Friend: Go before the throne of God with another believer. Pray together and pray faithfully for lives to be changed.
15. Praise God for Your Blessings: Thank God for everything that you can think of. Praise Him for all the good you have in your life and thank God for all the evils that are not in your life.
16. Pray for the Lost: Pray for missing children, prodigal children, and those rebelling against God. Pray for them to be found and to be submit to Jesus' lordship.
17. Pray by Percentages: Research how much of the world is in Asia, Africa, Europe, Central & South America, the Middle East, and North America. Take an hour and for every population percentage, spend a minute in prayer for that world region. Pray for countries, cities, people groups, religions, leaders, and events that you look up.
18. Pray for God's Promises to Come to Pass: Pray for us to fulfill our part of God's promise and humbly ask God to fulfill His part. Pray for His prophesies to come to pass (see Daniel and the end of the exile) or to be averted (see Jonah and Nineveh).
19. Pray for People in the Places You Know: Pray for the people in the cities in your county, the people in the states in your country, and the people in the countries in the world.
20. Pray for those who Practice Different Religions: Pray for Jewish, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, and others to come to faith in Christ.
21. Pray for Missionaries: Sign up for emails to get global prayer prompts from missionaries around the world.
22. Pray about Upcoming Events: Pray for tests, travels, birthdays, holidays, and more!!
23. Pray for the Displaced: Pray for those who are displaced by war, persecution, or violence. Pray for the refugees and those who drive them away.
24. Pray for the Things on God's Heart: Pray for Justice, Repentance, and Restoration to take place. These are only a few of the things that God is passionate about.
25. Pray for the Rich and the Famous: They need prayers too. Pray for celebrities, politicians, and other people who are in the news. Pray for them to realize their need of God's saving grace.
26. Pray for the Children: God has a special place in His heart for children. Pray for their safety, protection, and salvation. Pray for those in troubled homes and empty homes.
27. Pray for God's Word to be Spread: Pray for the Gospel to be heard by all people. Pray that they repent of their sins and follow Jesus. Pray for people to have access to the Bible, even if it is illegal in their country.
28. Pray for Stateless People: Pray for people who are rejected by their countries of origins. Pray for those who made it to refugee camps, but have no citizenship status. Pray for them to find their home in Heaven.
29. Pray for Those Facing Troubles: Pray for those who are facing physical, financial, or emotional troubles. Pray for the depressed, the lonely, the empty. Pray for the poor, the rich, and the greedy. Pray for those in pain.
30. Pray for God's Kingdom to Come: Pray that His church will live out His teachings. Pray for His Kingdom to come soon.
31. Pray for the Sick. Pray for those who are newly ill, chronically ill, and those who are baffling their doctors. Pray for those with bad knees, backs, and hearts. Pray for physical healing, but pray for their sin-sick hearts to be healed more.
What other prayer prompts can you think of?
What else should we be praying for?
This list gives ideas for a month of prayers, but it only scratches the surface. Let us be faithful in praying for the world in this digital age that lets us know prayer prompts (in the form of news) almost instantly. We have the information at our fingertips. Will we use it to pray not only for those we know, but for those we don't know?
Friday, January 5, 2018
Something Greater than My Rights
Independence.
Freedom. Of Religion. Of Speech. Of the Press. Of (peaceful) Assembly.
My Rights. To Bear Arms. To Vote. To a Speedy Trial.
Suffice to say, Americans value Independence, Freedom, and their Rights. We have gone to war over these values. We lived through a polarized era known as the Cold War that pitted American values against Communistic values. We take each other to court to protect our rights and get revenge for perceived slights.
We take our preferences, our view of the world, our values, and say that anyone who contradicts these things is threatening us and stepping on our rights.
What if our rights, freedoms, and independence were never meant to be the hill we stake our claim on and are willing to die on? What if there is something (or rather Someone) who is greater than our rights?
I do not like to make or take phone calls, but I will for the good of the places I work and volunteer at.
I do not like to run, but I will if someone's life is in danger and I can somehow help.
I do not like cucumbers, papayas, haggis, or cinnamon candy. I will never seek these out on my own, buy them for my consumption, or order them at a restaurant. But if you make a cucumber salad, that goes along with your haggis entree and papaya cobbler, before we adjourn to the living room to snack on cinnamon candy, I will eat a Liz-sized portion of everything. Why? Because you made it for me.
The (unofficial) motto of the mission field is "Where He leads me, I will follow. What they feed me, I will swallow."
America teaches us to value our independence and our rights above all else, but sometimes, especially when a friend from another culture makes us a meal, we eat anything we're not allergic to because we value our relationship with other people. That is how I ended up eating cow-stomach-soup. It's surprisingly chewy.
Life is a tricky mixture of knowing when to stand your ground and when to yield.
Paul kept teaching the Corinthians that as Christians, they (and we) have the right to do anything (1 Cor. 6:12 & 10:23), but not everything is beneficial.
To paraphrase Jesus (Matt. 12:6), we value our rights, but something great than our rights is here.
We have the right to demand our rights, but this is not always beneficial. One of my favorite passages of Paul's epistles is Philippians 2. This is probably a familiar passage, so see if these key phrases stir your memory: be like-minded, value others above yourselves, look to the interests of others, have the same mindset as Christ.
I have the right to demand my way, but I think to follow Jesus' and His path, I must lay down my rights and surrender my freedoms. The call to follow Christ is a call to die to ourselves, so we can fully live in Him.
Freedom. Of Religion. Of Speech. Of the Press. Of (peaceful) Assembly.
My Rights. To Bear Arms. To Vote. To a Speedy Trial.
Suffice to say, Americans value Independence, Freedom, and their Rights. We have gone to war over these values. We lived through a polarized era known as the Cold War that pitted American values against Communistic values. We take each other to court to protect our rights and get revenge for perceived slights.
We take our preferences, our view of the world, our values, and say that anyone who contradicts these things is threatening us and stepping on our rights.
What if our rights, freedoms, and independence were never meant to be the hill we stake our claim on and are willing to die on? What if there is something (or rather Someone) who is greater than our rights?
I do not like to make or take phone calls, but I will for the good of the places I work and volunteer at.
I do not like to run, but I will if someone's life is in danger and I can somehow help.
I do not like cucumbers, papayas, haggis, or cinnamon candy. I will never seek these out on my own, buy them for my consumption, or order them at a restaurant. But if you make a cucumber salad, that goes along with your haggis entree and papaya cobbler, before we adjourn to the living room to snack on cinnamon candy, I will eat a Liz-sized portion of everything. Why? Because you made it for me.
The (unofficial) motto of the mission field is "Where He leads me, I will follow. What they feed me, I will swallow."
America teaches us to value our independence and our rights above all else, but sometimes, especially when a friend from another culture makes us a meal, we eat anything we're not allergic to because we value our relationship with other people. That is how I ended up eating cow-stomach-soup. It's surprisingly chewy.
Life is a tricky mixture of knowing when to stand your ground and when to yield.
Paul kept teaching the Corinthians that as Christians, they (and we) have the right to do anything (1 Cor. 6:12 & 10:23), but not everything is beneficial.
To paraphrase Jesus (Matt. 12:6), we value our rights, but something great than our rights is here.
We have the right to demand our rights, but this is not always beneficial. One of my favorite passages of Paul's epistles is Philippians 2. This is probably a familiar passage, so see if these key phrases stir your memory: be like-minded, value others above yourselves, look to the interests of others, have the same mindset as Christ.
I have the right to demand my way, but I think to follow Jesus' and His path, I must lay down my rights and surrender my freedoms. The call to follow Christ is a call to die to ourselves, so we can fully live in Him.
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