Prayer: The Gate

This weekend was 50 days after Easter and marks another change for the beginnings of Christianity.  It is Pentecost.  I like the words in the song, “Come Holy Spirit like the wind.”  It is an amazing experience in prayer when the Holy Spirit is invited and comes like the wind.  It touches your spirit.  You are certain it has happened.  You are never the same.  Let the Holy Spirit touch your life, now and always.

I spoke about prayer recently at a small neighborhood church in Indian Hills Colorado.  The woman in the photo beside me, is my very dear childhood friend.  She had not been to this church for a number of years as she lives in a different town, but came to hear the talk.  She was looking forward to visiting this church again because it was the place she found God.  I didn’t know that about her and her history with this church.

It was the place I found God also.  I was excited to visit the church where I had met God so many years before, and started my own spiritual journey.

This is the real purpose of neighborhood church.  It is a place where people find God.  It is a place where they can pray.  It is a place to grow in their spiritual walk and to learn about redemption and forgiveness and those really big ideas that Jesus brought for all of us. (more…)

This plan or strategy,  is specifically for a small neighborhood church.  It is grass roots and doesn’t require much of a budget.  I say much, because I think there are a few things you will need to obtain, to let people know about your church and its image.  You will need to prime the pump (so to speak).

I am a speaker, and visit many small churches throughout the year.  I  have been a member of a small church, also a medium size church (which are rare these days), and I have been on staff at a large church. 

There are phrases I hear over and over from church members in my travels.  There are things we speculate, some are right and some are not.  I will elaborate on a couple ideas we need to consider.  The numbered entries are the phrases I hear frequently, and the indented green copy is a result of my thoughts and research on the subject. (more…)

Photo by Kathy King

 

Psalm 150:1 – 6

Praise the Lord!  Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre,

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;  Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe,

Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the Lord!

A friend of mine listed his 75 gallon fish tank on Craigslist to include pump, hoses, and all parts and accessories.  It was free and all you had to do was come and pick it up.  He was remodeling his home and cleaning out rooms and wanted the tank, which was fabulous to just go to a good home.  He wanted it to be a blessing to someone.

A woman answered with the first email in and asked the approximate dimension of the tank.  My friend supplied her with the dimensions.  Then in a few days she sent another email asking what it weighs and wondered if her teenage son would be able to lift it.  My friend replied and ask how “beefy” her kid is, also noting that most physically fit teenage boys would be able to help her load it.  In another day or two she sent another email asking if it would fit in the back of a certain type of vehicle.  My friend had sent dimensions and approximate weight info previously. 

So this continued on for another two weeks and every few days the woman would email with additional questions and some of the same she had already asked.  She at one point ask my friend to deliver the free tank.  He said he would not be able to do that.  She continued to send email questions.  She would not set a time and date to see or pick up the tank.  

Finally my friend responded to the second email from a soldier at our local base.  They young man asked a few questions, said he could borrow a pick up and would be there in 45 minutes.  My friend said, “Come and get it.”

An email was sent to the first woman letting her know the tank was no longer available.  She replied with a scathing, and angry, name-calling  email.  Wow.  She had two or three weeks to come get the tank.  Every other day, there was something that stopped her.  She never committed to simply pick it up.

Do we let this happen to the good in our lives?  Do we ask God for something and then never accept it?  Some people put things off.  Some people do things right away.  Maybe this is about personality type.  What is with the anger and telling someone off who spent two or three weeks trying to give you something that you wanted absolutely free?

The celebration of Easter has just passed.  God sent redemption and hope to an angry, hurting world.  It cost him dearly, but to us it is free. 

Do we find a reason every day to not accept the good he has for us, or this amazing gift of redemption?  Do we have questions about it we need to explore?