The presence of prayer

“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 CEV

Can you imagine what it would be like to be imprisoned because of your faith in the Lord?

I recently read an interview of two Christian women who were jailed in a notorious foreign prison. One of the things that spoke to my heart was the fact that many people sent letters to these women to encourage them but the women never received the letters. Their captors read the letters, then taunt the women by refusing to let
them see the mail.

According to one of the women, even though they never saw the letters, they were encouraged because they knew many were praying for them. They knew that the Bible verses in those letters were being read by their enemies and were impacting the lives of their captors.

It would have been easy to succumb to discouragement and defeat, but the women were able to stay strong, because they sensed the very real presence of all these prayer warriors with them in their cells, holding them up and keeping them strong.

WOW! Prayer is so necessary and important - so much more than a bedtime ritual. Through prayer, those women actually felt the presence of other believers with them in their suffering. Now, that's powerful.

Prayer is a lifeline, a palpable presence, helping those who are suffering to stay strong in their faith.

Do you know someone in prison or who is suffering for their faith? Commit to pray for them today!

Giving Blood

“Let us thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was through His loving-kindness that we were born again to a new life and have a hope that never dies. This hope is ours because Jesus was raised from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3 NLV

A missionary told the story of an orphanage that lay in the middle of a war-torn area. During an attack on a nearby village, the orphanage compound was hit, killing several missionaries and children, injuring many others.

As soon as they were able, a medical team arrived in the area. They assessed the injuries of the children who had survived the attack and found one child in critical condition who needed a blood transfusion right away. The doctors asked for volunteers to donate blood among the surviving children, but their requests were met with frightened stares.

Finally, one little boy reluctantly volunteered, because the child needing the transfusion was his friend. But the entire time the nurse took his blood, he lay there crying.

As the nurse removed the needle, he stopped crying. He had misunderstood the nurse's request. He thought he had to die - to give every drop of his blood for his friend to live.

In an act of loving kindness, Jesus Christ gave his blood and his life, so that we might have a new life. But even more than that, his resurrection from the dead gives us a hope that never dies!

Thank you Lord!

God is...

It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6MSG

"How do you convince an atheist that Jesus exists?" Two teens in my Sunday youth Bible class recently asked this question because they had a family friend who refused to believe there was a God.

Their question led to a discussion of the ways we know Christ is real:

• Personal experience - I know Christ exists because I had a real, up-close and personal experience with Him when I was a child, following an abusive experience.I knew Him as a big brother while growing up and I've known Him as a Father since I became an adult. I can't imagine living without Christ in my life because of all the times I 've sensed, known, felt His love and presence with me.
• The experiences of others - When I hear the testimonies of others, my faith is strengthened. In some cases, their stories help me to know I'm not alone - not the only one wh has ever felt a certain way. Other times, I am awed by the things God has done for them.There are simply to many valid experiences by others to say that God isn't real.
• Nature- the development of a baby in the womb and feeling it move for the first time. The Grand Canyon, The intricacies of a snowflake and the fact that there are no two alike. All I have to do is look around and I can see Him everywhere.
• Miracles - How a person with cancer becomes cancer-free and the doctors can't explain it. How a migratory bird finds its way thousands of miles to a seasonal nesting area for the first time, even though it's never been there. How situations line up just right for the perfect outcome, even though it looked impossible in the beginning. Even "coincidences" or God's little miracles incognito are evidences of his reality around us. I've seen too many "God-incidences" not to believe.
• Because the Bible says it's true.The Bible is a life-changing book. When a person sets out to disprove God by discrediting the Bible and ends up believing instead - wow! Now that's a powerful testimony of the truth of God's word and his existence.

While they cannot change their friend's mind, they can pray for him and live their lives so that he will see the reality of Christ in them - then trust God to do the rest.

Lord, help us to live every day so others will see your reality in us and believe! Amen.

Stone Soup's On

One of my favorite stories from childhood is the folk tale of Stone Soup. A poor man becomes hungry on a long journey and stops to fix himself a meal. He has no money to purchase the ingredients for a pot of soup and no one will share their food with him.

So he gets creative. He places a large stone in his pot with some water over the fire. As the water starts to boil, he sniffs at the steam, pretending it is the most delicious pot of soup ever.

At first those passing by scoff at the man. But finally one person stops to stare at the man and his pot of rocks. The man makes a show of tasting his soup and smacking his lips. “Ah such wonderful soup, but it would be even better with an onion.”

The passerby roots through his pockets and finds an onion which he contributes to the soup in exchange for a bowl when it is done. And so the story goes as another person stops, watches the traveller taste his soup and contributes another vegetable. Soon the soup fills the pot to overflowing and the wonderful aroma thrills the  travellers and the locals alike. It has become a feast they all can share.

Today, I thought about this story as I put a BIG pot of soup on the stove. It reminded me of the work Jesus does in our lives. He takes our hearts of stone and simmers them together with all of heaven’s good ingredients like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Soon He creates lives overflowing with His love – fragrant offerings which draw the spiritually starving people of the world to Himself. One thing about the Lord – He never does things in a small way. He wants to fill our lives so full of His goodness, that there’s plenty of His love to go around.

Truly, the best part of being a Christian, like making a big pot of soup, is sharing with friends and family. So come on over, there’s plenty to go around. But you might want to bring a loaf of bread or some dessert to make it taste even better LOL!

Frugal Living - Learning the art of giving

Like most people, I have a "wish list" of things I'd like to have someday. But it's just that - a wish list. Most of the things on that list aren't really necessities. As I look around, I have what I need to live comfortably, especially when compared to others.

A friend recently forwarded an e-mail that contained the testimony of a 70 year old widow living in an African nation. This woman not only lost her husband, but her home when he died. Once she lived in comfort, but with his death, everything changed.

Since she didn't receive any inheritance, she survived by selling what she could - all the remaining household furniture and even the precious gifts her husband had once given her. Medical and dental care are non-existent for this woman so she pulls her own teeth and stitches up her own wounds with a needle and thread. She supports herself by painting and selling her work, gardening and limiting herself to one meal per day.

Yet somehow, in the midst of her own need, she has found a precious secret - that of giving to others, even when she doesn't really have it to give. She banded together with another family of seven, even more destitute because they have no income at all. A small family of four with two infants and a young man with limited resources also comprise her "family." Together they look out for each other, doing what they can to survive.

In the midst of her loneliness, she finds her joy by helping others - at 70, she hopes to share her nursing skills in areas of the country where cholera runs rampant, but government officials think she is too old to help and refuse to allow her to go.

"I am still here and refuse to let go. There are too many people left in this country who need compassion, care and hope to go on. Although there are organisations and charitable groups who try to help, there aren't enough of them. But the solution lies with all of us here - black , white and coloured, to start caring for each other. It takes more than courage, it takes fury and grief to explode into action," she writes.

"To all those who live elsewhere and who have never experienced this deprivation, let me tell you, it is a testing experience. Above all, learn from it, because - but for the Grace of God there goes You."

Father, help me learn to live frugally so I may give to others - not only sharing Your words which are rich beyond measure, but also to give tangibly, doing what I can to ease their hurts and desperate needs. Amen!

Healer of broken dreams

At the close of the campfire service my hand flew up, almost of its own volition. I had to answer the tug of God on my tender 14 year old heart. I wanted to dedicate my life to serve Him in some full-time capacity.

"What do you want me to do with my life?" I prayed that prayer each day, hoping god would drop some direction out of the sky right into my lap. And He did.

We were required to study a language beginning in 8th grade so I chose Spanish. From the start, I loved it - the rhythm and flow, the romantic sound of it. Shortly after the semester began, a special guest came into the class. He was a pilot, contracted by Wycliffe Bible Translators, to fly missionaries and supplies all over South America.

I can't remember what he said. I only remember the soaring of my heart as he spoke. "I'm going to be a Wycliffe Bible Translator someday." I knew it in the depths of my heart.

Time passed. My missionary dream kept me from yielding to the temptations of drugs and sex as a teenager in the late 60s. I needed to attend college but was told there was no money for that so I prayed and my heavenly Father made a way. My heart rejoiced as I took one step closer to my goal.

During my last year of Bible college, a well meaning professor felt the need to counsel me about things he saw in my life - my Martha syndrome (the need to please Jesus through "doing" and an inability to just "Be" in His presence.)

What he said was true, but I misinterpret ted the impact of it. I suddenly felt inadequate to become a missionary. I felt my motives weren't pure enough and that God was gently trying to tell me He couldn't use me as a Bible translator. I wept all night and closed the door on my dreams.

Thankfully, God kept His hand on me. I met and married my husband who desired to become a pastor. I plunged into ministry with him, often over-extending myself with three children, a part time job and doing everything I could in church. Meanwhile, my dreams lay in a gangrenous heap at the bottom of my heart.

Looking back, I understand more now. There were other things eating away at me too - including damage from an abusive childhood; things God needed to heal and remove from my heart before I could be ready for the fulfillment of my dreams. In the meantime, He worked on other things like teaching me how to be a writer.

As God began to work a healing in my life, I shared my lost dreams for missionary service. Several friends encouraged me by saying, "Just wait - God will open up a door for you. He cares about your broken dreams."

I wanted to believe them - I wanted to think someday I could go on a short-term missions trip or do something missions related. But I never really expected more than that. Yet, today I am convinced that God is a mender of broken dreams. No, I haven't seen what He will do with my teen-aged dream, but it's coming - I sense it inside like the anticipation of rain when I can smell it in the air and the clouds start building.

A few days ago, I blogged about praying for tribes of people who have never been contacted by outside sources. Three days later, I was contacted by the VP of prayer ministries at Wycliffe who had somehow found and read my blog. She introduced me to the Bibleless People Prayer Project and helped me to get signed up. I'll be blogging more about that in the near future.

Coincidence? NOT! The God who loves teenagers and cares about their broken dreams is still working to line things up as only He can to bring about a heavenly ending to His child's life-long dreams. I can't wait to see what my Father does next!

Are you using the right cup?

A young man struggled to breathe the stifling air of the overcrowded train car in Dehli. It was hot outside, causing the temperature inside the railway car to reach 120 degrees. Around him, several passengers suffered from varying degrees of heat exhaustion. From the front of the car, a voice cried out, "Will someone bring a cup of water? There is an ill man here."

The young man made his way to the water fountain and drew a cup of water, then made his way to the prostrate man at the front of the car holding out the much needed water. He noticed the ill man was a Brahman, a member of the highest caste in India. Though the young man held out the water cup, the Brahman man ignored it. It was as though the young man wasn't even there.

Someone nearby suggested, "You must use the Brahman's cup."

Once more the young man made his way to the fountain with the Brahman's cup and filled it. This time when he held the cup out to the ill man, the Brahman reached for the cup, gulping the water down.

"Thank yo so much." the man said. "I was so thirsty. I really needed that. "

The young man made his way back to his seat, saddened by what had occurred. His neighbor leaned over to him and said, "Don't be upset. Yes the Brahman man needed the water you offered and your help was appreciated. You just used the wrong cup."

After hearing that story, the Lord spoke to my heart. There are so many who need to hear the message of the unconditional love of Christ. It is the cup of water which will save their lives. Yet even when He is held out to them, they act like He isn't even there. It is as though He is invisible.

Perhaps it's because I am handing Him to them in the wrong cup. As a writer, do I use "church-ese," a language commonly understood by believers - or do I present the Gospel in words those outside the church can relate to? What type of writing do I use to deliver His message - devotions which appeal to Christians or other genres which will capture the attention and imagination of all who read it? Am I blogging on Christian sotes or on other networks where the thirsty can read it?

We have a life-giving message for those around us. We just have to use the right "cup" to deliver it!