Are You Done?

As most know, Mary and I are big advocates of prayer, it’s been a staple of our ministry from its outset. Prayer, in its simplest form, is simply communicating with God. In some ways prayer is easy but in other ways it can feel very complex. Prayer involves intellect, emotion, and faith. Most often it is done in our normal language, but some have learned to pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is one of the most powerful forms of praying because the Spirit takes our flesh out of the picture, and we begin to pray and intercede in ways we wouldn’t have the courage to by ourselves. Another critical element to having success in prayer, yet is often undervalued, is the importance of listening.

We must remember that effective communication, whether interpersonal or with God, is two-way interaction. While many are good at interpersonal relationships, I am afraid that it’s a lost art when it comes to communicating with God. When we pray, many mark out a time, find their prayer place, and whether kneeling, setting, or walking, begin talking. We give thanks, make request, worship, but once we’ve finished our conversation, we feel as though we have given God His allotted time, we move on. There are two problems with this form of communication or prayer.

First, real communication isn’t giving someone an allotted amount of time, it is ongoing. If I scheduled only fifteen minutes, a half-hour, or even an hour with my spouse and then I moved on and didn’t communicate with her for the rest of the day, it would be disastrous. It’s cold, empty, and selfish. Healthy communication is ongoing communication. This is an imperative in personal relationships, and it is critical to having a successful relationship with God. If a relationship is going to be vibrant and healthy there must be ongoing access to one another. I encourage you today, do this with your spouse, make it a priority with your kids, but also make it a precedent that God and prayer will be more than an appointment on your daily schedule. Begin giving Him access to your mind and heart throughout the day.

The second issue of importance when it comes to having healthy communication is that it is two-way interaction. It takes both talking and listening and when it comes to prayer, way too often, it is a one-way conversation. Too many of our prayers involve simply acknowledging God, telling Him we love Him, giving Him our list, and then we’re done, off to the tasks of the day. May I ask this? When is the last time you have given God space in prayer to talk to you? When is the last time you’ve simply set quietly and listened? Would it probably not be good to give God as much time to talk to you as you talk to Him? How weary do you become when you meet with someone, and they do all the talking? They talk and talk, and when they’re finished, the meeting is over. Do you ever wonder if God feels that way about you? You do all the talking, and then you are off about your day, this is not spiritually healthy. Take time to invite God to speak to you and listen.

I am reminded of Job, a godly and righteous man, a man of prayer, a person much like many who are reading this. He made time for God, acknowledged Him, sacrificed, prayed, worshipped, but it appears his relationship with God was a one-way one. It wasn’t until trouble hit his life that Job had time to listen to God, and even then, it took nearly forty chapters before God was allowed to speak. Notice, when chaos hit his life, he talked to his wife and his friends. In fact, he talked, counseled, maybe some would call it having therapy sessions, with four men for most of the book. They would advise, he would respond. This went on for days! Finally, after all the banter from the so-called experts, Job allows God to speak. It doesn’t take God long to get Job’s attention, to clarify the situation. A couple of chapters, 77 questions, and Job has a new perspective of who he is, the purpose of his trial, and who God is. What couldn’t be fixed by counseling, his wife, his friends, and thirty-seven chapters of human discourse is solved by God in less than an hour.

I mention all of this because the past few years have been some of the most challenging in my life. I knew my default. When trouble came, I knew to go to prayer, to ask God, to trust Him, pray the scripture, speak in faith, and wait for answers. Days turned to weeks, weeks into months, and I found my prayer time had become repetitive, monotonous, and empty. Same prayer, same faith, and the same silence. It was only one day when I quieted myself that I felt God speak to my spirit, he simply said, “are you done?” My prayers had been one-way, I had spoken much, but listened little. Much like Job, I had talked and talked, but not given God any space to speak. In that moment, my prayer stopped, or at least I stopped talking. No more asking, faith speaking, or empty worship, just listening. I picked up my Bible, and He spoke. I listened to music, and He spoke. I sat quietly, and He spoke. I listened in my spirit, and I sensed Him leading me, suggesting books to read, and when I did, He spoke. I’m in a season of prayer right now where prayer looks very different. My mouth is shut but my heart, mind and ears are open. I am listening, and like Job, I am hearing and seeing God in ways like I’ve never experienced.

As I close, may I ask, how is your prayer life? Does it feel empty and void of life and passion? If so, maybe God is asking you what He asked Job, and what I feel He asked me, “are you done? Are you ready to listen?” If you are, and if you are willing, get ready to see a completely new perspective of who you are, what is going on in your life, and how amazingly awesome God is.

What is Important

Labor Day. The unofficial end of summer and the beginning of fall. It’s when we move from t-shirts to sweaters. We put away the sandals and bring out the boots. We’re already starting to feel a few of those crisp fall nights. Soon mums and pumpkins will be on the front porch, and we’ll be raking leaves. At Life, fall is when we turn our focus to our families, we call September, “The Month of the Family.” The idea comes from the Old Testament when Israel would gather as a nation. These gatherings were so important that they did them three times a year. These get-togethers focused on the families of Israel recommitting their lives and families to God, remembering God’s goodness, and celebrating life with good food and friends. Important values then, important values still today. So, what should we focus on during the Month of the Family? The same things that Israel did. Reconnect to God. Make sure you, your spouse and children are committed to God first, that we remember that He is our priority and source of our successes. Second, reconnect to each other. This means being intentional, it is saying my family is my priority. Spend time, talking listening and laughing. Ride bikes, take walks, play games. It is all about saying life gets busy, but you are the most significant part of my life. Finally, it’s connecting with your church family. There are co-workers and acquaintances, but then there are those who will be with you in tough times, that’s your church family. This month FSM will be going to Top Golf, we’ll have special men’s and ladies only evenings, and it will culminate with our annual Chili Cook-off, the one event you don’t want to miss. Plan to reconnect to God, your family, and your church. Join us this September as we celebrate family.2

Little Moments Are Big

His name is Judah. He comes from good stock. David and Keah Cuautle have been with us at Life from its inception. Wednesday, after bible study Judah ran up to me, we fist bump, and he says, ‘my name is in the Bible.” Walking down the aisle we continue to talk and sensing he is really wanting to connect; I sat down and continued the conversation. He continues telling me about his name, he lets me know that the tribe he is named after, nearly wiped out the entire tribe of Dan. He was very impressed by this fact. I asked, “did you know Judah led Israel into battle? You’re a leader.” His response was classic. He said, “well, I don’t know about that, not too many people seem to listen to me.” I followed up with, “when you’re at school and it’s time for recess and you suggest something, do people do it?” Now seeming rather frustrated and agitated, he responds with, “well I’m always telling people what to do but no one seems to listen.” I couldn’t resist, it just came out, I said, “welcome to leadership Judah, welcome to leadership.” By this point he was finished and off to another person. I hear his next conversation and it starts the same way, “hi, my name is Judah, my name is in the bible…” So, what’s my point? Don’t miss important people and moments. I nearly missed the moment, but a small voice said, stop and listen. I’m glad I did. He got to share something very important about himself with me and I got a reminder of the challenges of leadership. Simply put, don’t miss big moments that seem small, you might miss something important.