"Halloween"
The Psalmist cries out to God: “Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not Thy face far from me.” Psalm 27:8-9
I’m thankful that my eight grandchildren rejected the usual Halloween horror stuff, including scary masks and dark activities. They did enjoy the candy, however, and the cakes, cupcakes and candy corn found in my kitchen and the church activities in which they participated.
Years ago as I drove to work one Halloween morning, the car in front of me caught my attention. In the front seat sat a man and his companion. The man turned frequently, laughing with the person. My impression, at first, led me to believe the partner to be female because of the so called ‘coif’. As I continued to observe the frazzled head, I noticed that it never moved in response to the driver’s attentions. Upon closer observation, my discovery caused me to laugh out loud (to my empty car).
The companion riding shot-gun was a dummy…a Halloween mask and wig propped to give an illusion. The driver received his intended reaction when passing cars did a double take at what they saw. My thirty minute drive to work through rush-hour traffic took on a festive albeit weird turn just observing the reactions that took place.
Halloween brings out masks of all sorts to parade before the public. We may tell ourselves that we don’t participate in ghoulish Halloween fantasies, but each day we practice a little of Halloween by the illusions we present to others when we fail to pull off our masks and reveal our real selves.
I’m not advocating wearing your feelings on your sleeve, but honesty and openness in our relationships would serve us more effectively when appropriately demonstrated with tact and love.
Who do people perceive you to be on a daily basis? Would they watch closely as they pass you by on their way to living life? What would their response be when they found out the truth? Do you think they would laugh out loud (LOL) or be intrigued by your demeanor to ask “Are you for real?”
Hide not Your face far from me, o Lord. Thank You for Your transforming power to change me into Your likeness, not the likeness of the world, no matter how much ‘fun’ it seems to be.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Reflections for November 4, 2009
"The Need For Gratitude"
If things were the answer to happiness, the people of the United States would be among the happiest people in the world. Instead, the opposite appears to be true. As a nation we lead the world in most of the statistics that are not complimentary of a nation. Divorce, addictions of all kinds, incarceration per capita, mental illness, and abuse of prescription drugs are just a few of the unflattering categories that we either lead or are near the top. None of these things reflect a happy image. The obvious question is, “Why in a country that has so much is there so much unhappiness?”
The mental health professionals and sociologist write volume after volume addressing the problem. Apparently, their efforts are not getting us any closer to the answer. At the risk of being simplistic, I would like to submit one important factor that is often ignored. It can be described in three words, lack of gratitude. We have become a nation of people who expect much and appreciate little. Our want list seems to always exceed our thanksgiving list. Oh, we give lip service to gratitude but our actions show that we are not really as grateful for what we have as we are covetous toward the things we see other have and we want. A simple test of our attitude of gratitude would be to time the moments we spend giving God thanks and the time we spend asking God to give us something.
It appears to me that a new word has taken the place of gratitude in our vocabulary. It is often spoken but it is reflected in our attitude toward life. The word is entitlement. This sense of entitlement can be seen in every level of our society. The problem with entitlement is it leaves no room for gratitude. Why be grateful for something that is rightly yours to begin with?
One of the clearest places to see where a sense of entitlement does damage is in the government. Most people I know say that they would like to see the government stop wasting so much of the taxpayers’ money. Every year we hear cries to cut the pork out of the national budget. It rarely happens because the voters at home see money spent on projects that benefit them as entitlements and money spent on things that benefit others as waste.
By now, you probably think I have completely lost sight of the topic of my article but not so. The point is we have little for which to be grateful when we assume we are entitled to everything. If we are not grateful for what we have, our chances are extremely high that we will not be very happy. I am not sure where the following statement originated but it expresses well the problem of unhappiness in America: “There is a secret to happiness and it is gratitude. All happy people are grateful, and ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that it is being unhappy that leads people to complain, but it is truer to say that it is complaining that leads to people becoming unhappy. Become grateful and you will become a much happier person.”
Paul understood this concept when he wrote, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:6-18 NASB) Paul’s point was that we should always look for the things we can be thankful for in whatever situation we find ourselves. I do not know where you are today. It may be a really difficult time for you. Whatever your situation take a moment and go to God and ask Him to show you all that you have to be grateful for. It will help to replace a frown with a smile.
If things were the answer to happiness, the people of the United States would be among the happiest people in the world. Instead, the opposite appears to be true. As a nation we lead the world in most of the statistics that are not complimentary of a nation. Divorce, addictions of all kinds, incarceration per capita, mental illness, and abuse of prescription drugs are just a few of the unflattering categories that we either lead or are near the top. None of these things reflect a happy image. The obvious question is, “Why in a country that has so much is there so much unhappiness?”
The mental health professionals and sociologist write volume after volume addressing the problem. Apparently, their efforts are not getting us any closer to the answer. At the risk of being simplistic, I would like to submit one important factor that is often ignored. It can be described in three words, lack of gratitude. We have become a nation of people who expect much and appreciate little. Our want list seems to always exceed our thanksgiving list. Oh, we give lip service to gratitude but our actions show that we are not really as grateful for what we have as we are covetous toward the things we see other have and we want. A simple test of our attitude of gratitude would be to time the moments we spend giving God thanks and the time we spend asking God to give us something.
It appears to me that a new word has taken the place of gratitude in our vocabulary. It is often spoken but it is reflected in our attitude toward life. The word is entitlement. This sense of entitlement can be seen in every level of our society. The problem with entitlement is it leaves no room for gratitude. Why be grateful for something that is rightly yours to begin with?
One of the clearest places to see where a sense of entitlement does damage is in the government. Most people I know say that they would like to see the government stop wasting so much of the taxpayers’ money. Every year we hear cries to cut the pork out of the national budget. It rarely happens because the voters at home see money spent on projects that benefit them as entitlements and money spent on things that benefit others as waste.
By now, you probably think I have completely lost sight of the topic of my article but not so. The point is we have little for which to be grateful when we assume we are entitled to everything. If we are not grateful for what we have, our chances are extremely high that we will not be very happy. I am not sure where the following statement originated but it expresses well the problem of unhappiness in America: “There is a secret to happiness and it is gratitude. All happy people are grateful, and ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that it is being unhappy that leads people to complain, but it is truer to say that it is complaining that leads to people becoming unhappy. Become grateful and you will become a much happier person.”
Paul understood this concept when he wrote, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:6-18 NASB) Paul’s point was that we should always look for the things we can be thankful for in whatever situation we find ourselves. I do not know where you are today. It may be a really difficult time for you. Whatever your situation take a moment and go to God and ask Him to show you all that you have to be grateful for. It will help to replace a frown with a smile.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
HEART THOUGHTS from Helen
"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight. For I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16
My momma's kitchen warms my memory as an oven warms to bake the fragrant bread that nourishes our bodies and souls. The amiability, the smells, the goodness, the comfort, the joy fills me as much as the Word of God fills my heart today when I read it. Not only did Mother provide food for the body but she regularly ladled out wisdom, and the joy of my childhood and adulthood. Coming home meant heading straight to Momma's kitchen. I'd sit at the bar and help Momma prepare myriads of meals. She would instruct me in life's challenges while we chopped, cut or sliced. I learned from her how to roll dough, cut biscuits and she'd let me taste the first piece of cornbread as it came from the oven. The hot crust was always the best part. I can see her as she turned from the yellow countertop to the stove hundreds of times.
Bread dough, salads, desserts, roast beef, squash, beans and 'norn '(corn) as the grandchildren called it, fed us physically while love and instruction from God's Word fed us spiritually.
Fragrant aromas from roasts cooked slowly in the Crockpot permeated the house. Momma liked to name the cows that Daddy raised for our personal beef supply. Our own private pigs also found their way into our freezer and homemade sausage stands out as a breakfast staple, along with grits and eggs. The squash, beans and corn from Daddy's garden compare to none. Cutting up squash, shelling beans and shucking corn came as natural to me as breathing. Whenever you sat down at Momma's in her old green rocker, you automatically picked up a basket of beans to shell. Any culinary skills that I acquired come from Momma's kitchen classroom seasoned with her practical and spiritual wisdom.
O Lord, no wonder your Words were found to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart and I ate them in my Momma's kitchen just as surely as I ate her food, drank in the warmth of her love and comfort and knowledge as she shared your faithfulness with me and mine. Thank you for feeding me from my Momma's hand food that satisfies and sanctifies. I rejoice in my memories of Your blessed provision in Momma's kitchen.
"Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."
My momma's kitchen warms my memory as an oven warms to bake the fragrant bread that nourishes our bodies and souls. The amiability, the smells, the goodness, the comfort, the joy fills me as much as the Word of God fills my heart today when I read it. Not only did Mother provide food for the body but she regularly ladled out wisdom, and the joy of my childhood and adulthood. Coming home meant heading straight to Momma's kitchen. I'd sit at the bar and help Momma prepare myriads of meals. She would instruct me in life's challenges while we chopped, cut or sliced. I learned from her how to roll dough, cut biscuits and she'd let me taste the first piece of cornbread as it came from the oven. The hot crust was always the best part. I can see her as she turned from the yellow countertop to the stove hundreds of times.
Bread dough, salads, desserts, roast beef, squash, beans and 'norn '(corn) as the grandchildren called it, fed us physically while love and instruction from God's Word fed us spiritually.
Fragrant aromas from roasts cooked slowly in the Crockpot permeated the house. Momma liked to name the cows that Daddy raised for our personal beef supply. Our own private pigs also found their way into our freezer and homemade sausage stands out as a breakfast staple, along with grits and eggs. The squash, beans and corn from Daddy's garden compare to none. Cutting up squash, shelling beans and shucking corn came as natural to me as breathing. Whenever you sat down at Momma's in her old green rocker, you automatically picked up a basket of beans to shell. Any culinary skills that I acquired come from Momma's kitchen classroom seasoned with her practical and spiritual wisdom.
O Lord, no wonder your Words were found to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart and I ate them in my Momma's kitchen just as surely as I ate her food, drank in the warmth of her love and comfort and knowledge as she shared your faithfulness with me and mine. Thank you for feeding me from my Momma's hand food that satisfies and sanctifies. I rejoice in my memories of Your blessed provision in Momma's kitchen.
"Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."
Reflections for October 28, 2009
Power of Purpose
A Peanuts cartoon had Charlie Brown shooting his new bow and arrow. Each time he shot it; he would run to the fence and draw a bull’s eye around the arrow. Lucy saw what he was doing and informed him that he was not doing it correctly. His reply to her was, “It works. I always hit the target.” Many people are like Charlie Brown. They are shooting their arrows into the air and drawing a bull’s eye around wherever they land. They operate under the old idiom, “If you aim for nothing you will hit it every time.” The problem with this philosophy is that it accomplishes little and it leaves the individual feeling empty and unfulfilled.
God did not create man to wander around without any sense of direction or purpose. He has a purpose for each one of us. When we discover the purpose God has for us and we commit ourselves to achieving it, our lives become meaningful and exciting. There are ups and downs but the sense of purpose we have gives us the strength to continue. The Apostle Paul was a man with a purpose. God explains his purpose to Ananias in Acts 9:15: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;” (NASB). Paul accepted this purpose and dedicated his entire life following his conversion to carrying the name of Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul understood that God does not give a purpose without providing the power to fulfill it. Paul’s sense of purpose gave him the capacity to carry on even in the most difficult circumstances.
John Maxwell addressed the affects of a sense of purpose on the ministry of Paul in a sermon titled “The Power of Purpose”. He suggested that purpose provided seven important benefits for Paul. Listed below are the seven benefits he demonstrated purpose brought to the life of Paul.
-1- Purpose motivates.
-2- Purpose helps one set proper priorities.
-3- Purpose helps one reach his/her potential.
-4- Purpose provides the power to live in the present.
-5- Purpose helps one maintain a high moral.
-6- Purpose enables one to minister more effectively.
-7- Purpose gives one a way to measure progress.
It was Paul’s commitment to God’s purpose in his life that gave Paul the strength to overcome the many obstacles in his life. It was his commitment to God’s purpose in his life that enabled him to write, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (II Corinthians 4:7-10 NASB)
While we may not be like Paul, we all do have a God given purpose. He does not wish to hide it from us. He is waiting for us to simply ask Him to show us. If we will ask, He will show us. It may not be an immediate response but He will show us. Once we have a sense of His purpose for our lives; once we commit our lives to fulfilling that purpose, we will find that it provides the same benefits to us as Paul’s purpose did for him. Isn’t it time that we stop shooting our arrows into the air and drawing a bull’s eye around where they land? Isn’t it time that we start to focus on the purpose God has given us and commit our lives to achieving it? Isn’t it time we step out of the world of aimlessness into the world of meaning and fulfillment? God waits patiently for each one of us to make that step.
A Peanuts cartoon had Charlie Brown shooting his new bow and arrow. Each time he shot it; he would run to the fence and draw a bull’s eye around the arrow. Lucy saw what he was doing and informed him that he was not doing it correctly. His reply to her was, “It works. I always hit the target.” Many people are like Charlie Brown. They are shooting their arrows into the air and drawing a bull’s eye around wherever they land. They operate under the old idiom, “If you aim for nothing you will hit it every time.” The problem with this philosophy is that it accomplishes little and it leaves the individual feeling empty and unfulfilled.
God did not create man to wander around without any sense of direction or purpose. He has a purpose for each one of us. When we discover the purpose God has for us and we commit ourselves to achieving it, our lives become meaningful and exciting. There are ups and downs but the sense of purpose we have gives us the strength to continue. The Apostle Paul was a man with a purpose. God explains his purpose to Ananias in Acts 9:15: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;” (NASB). Paul accepted this purpose and dedicated his entire life following his conversion to carrying the name of Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul understood that God does not give a purpose without providing the power to fulfill it. Paul’s sense of purpose gave him the capacity to carry on even in the most difficult circumstances.
John Maxwell addressed the affects of a sense of purpose on the ministry of Paul in a sermon titled “The Power of Purpose”. He suggested that purpose provided seven important benefits for Paul. Listed below are the seven benefits he demonstrated purpose brought to the life of Paul.
-1- Purpose motivates.
-2- Purpose helps one set proper priorities.
-3- Purpose helps one reach his/her potential.
-4- Purpose provides the power to live in the present.
-5- Purpose helps one maintain a high moral.
-6- Purpose enables one to minister more effectively.
-7- Purpose gives one a way to measure progress.
It was Paul’s commitment to God’s purpose in his life that gave Paul the strength to overcome the many obstacles in his life. It was his commitment to God’s purpose in his life that enabled him to write, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (II Corinthians 4:7-10 NASB)
While we may not be like Paul, we all do have a God given purpose. He does not wish to hide it from us. He is waiting for us to simply ask Him to show us. If we will ask, He will show us. It may not be an immediate response but He will show us. Once we have a sense of His purpose for our lives; once we commit our lives to fulfilling that purpose, we will find that it provides the same benefits to us as Paul’s purpose did for him. Isn’t it time that we stop shooting our arrows into the air and drawing a bull’s eye around where they land? Isn’t it time that we start to focus on the purpose God has given us and commit our lives to achieving it? Isn’t it time we step out of the world of aimlessness into the world of meaning and fulfillment? God waits patiently for each one of us to make that step.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
HEART THOUGHTS ... from Helen
Sadie, our Golden Retriever pup doesn’t always want to go where I want her to go nor do what I want her to do. Nor does she want to stop doing what I want her to stop doing. She’s a year old now. She’s behaved this way since we brought her home on Halloween last October.
My goals for this beautiful bundle of boisterous energy are designed for her good and my enjoyment. She wants to play; I want to discipline and train.
She wants to jump all over me and chew on my hands and arms and feet. I want to love on her and pet on her and nurture her and have her mind me—to sit at my feet, look into my face with those gold flecked brown adoring eyes Now, she does that sometimes, usually when she’s exhausted and worn to a frazzle from exercise or, when she’s been disciplined.
Her goal ultimately is to please me and be with me but often she doesn’t keep her eye on that goal and gets distracted. My goodness! How like Sweet Sadie I am with my Master. I want to please Him; I want to know Him; I want to walk where He wants me to walk, do the things He wants me to do. Everyday He gives me ‘treats’ from the vast storehouse of His Word when I listen to Him.
Father, I want to press on toward the goal for the prize, the treat, the ultimate treat of Your Everlasting Presence. I want to sit at your feet and look with adoring eyes into Your face. Help me to be obedient, to go where you want me to go without balking and stubbornly refusing to move forward, no whining.
Help me to ‘run with endurance the race set before me’ (Hebrews 12:2) looking unto Jesus, my Master, my Friend.
My goals for this beautiful bundle of boisterous energy are designed for her good and my enjoyment. She wants to play; I want to discipline and train.
She wants to jump all over me and chew on my hands and arms and feet. I want to love on her and pet on her and nurture her and have her mind me—to sit at my feet, look into my face with those gold flecked brown adoring eyes Now, she does that sometimes, usually when she’s exhausted and worn to a frazzle from exercise or, when she’s been disciplined.
Her goal ultimately is to please me and be with me but often she doesn’t keep her eye on that goal and gets distracted. My goodness! How like Sweet Sadie I am with my Master. I want to please Him; I want to know Him; I want to walk where He wants me to walk, do the things He wants me to do. Everyday He gives me ‘treats’ from the vast storehouse of His Word when I listen to Him.
Father, I want to press on toward the goal for the prize, the treat, the ultimate treat of Your Everlasting Presence. I want to sit at your feet and look with adoring eyes into Your face. Help me to be obedient, to go where you want me to go without balking and stubbornly refusing to move forward, no whining.
Help me to ‘run with endurance the race set before me’ (Hebrews 12:2) looking unto Jesus, my Master, my Friend.
Reflections for October 21, 2009
"All Things Means All Things"
My evening began with an opportunity to celebrate with a family in our church over the great news that they received at the end of a medical procedure. It was expected to end with a night of food, fun and fellowship at the home of one of our church members. However, the night was extended way into the morning by the phone call awaiting me upon returning home.
The call was in reference to a private plane crash in a nearby community. Farther investigation revealed that the crash involved a family from our church. As I approached the scene, it immediately became clear that the news was not good. The family of four, the father and mother and two teenagers, had been killed in the crash.
The family was not only a pillar of our church; it was a pillar in our community. The father and mother were active in church and community affairs. The children were active in our church youth group. Like everyone else in our community, my mind was faced with the question we so often raise in situations like this. The question was one big word, “WHY?”
As I pondered the question, my mind was directed to Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB) In the moment, I could not see how anything good could come from this tragedy. The verse clearly states, “God causes all things to work to good for those who love God.” Notice, He did not say all things that happen to us are good. Bad things happen to good people everyday. He does say that no matter what happens, He can use it for good.
The challenge for me and all those who were grieving was to believe in faith that God would keep His promise. In the months that followed our church took comfort in knowing that this family we loved was in the presence of their heavenly Father. There is no greater good than that. But God did so much more. The summer before the tragedy, the daughter had gone on a mission trip to Costa Rico. Her experience was life changing. She came home with a desire to become a missionary. In her memory, friends and family started a camp for underprivileged children in Costa Rico. The camp was named Camp Brittney in her memory. Now, each summer, hundreds of children have an opportunity to escape for a week and attend a camp where they experience a week of food, fun and fellowship in a safe environment. More important, they experience the love of Jesus. As a result many have come to know Him as Lord and their lives have been changed forever.
While most of us have not had to experience a similar tragedy in our own lives, we all have had to deal with adversity. Some of you who are reading this article are going through your own difficult times. Whatever your difficulty might be, remember that the “all” in Romans 8:28 covers it. If you will trust Him, God will take whatever trial you may be enduring at the moment and use it for your good. In the meantime, He will give us the strength we need to endure.
My evening began with an opportunity to celebrate with a family in our church over the great news that they received at the end of a medical procedure. It was expected to end with a night of food, fun and fellowship at the home of one of our church members. However, the night was extended way into the morning by the phone call awaiting me upon returning home.
The call was in reference to a private plane crash in a nearby community. Farther investigation revealed that the crash involved a family from our church. As I approached the scene, it immediately became clear that the news was not good. The family of four, the father and mother and two teenagers, had been killed in the crash.
The family was not only a pillar of our church; it was a pillar in our community. The father and mother were active in church and community affairs. The children were active in our church youth group. Like everyone else in our community, my mind was faced with the question we so often raise in situations like this. The question was one big word, “WHY?”
As I pondered the question, my mind was directed to Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB) In the moment, I could not see how anything good could come from this tragedy. The verse clearly states, “God causes all things to work to good for those who love God.” Notice, He did not say all things that happen to us are good. Bad things happen to good people everyday. He does say that no matter what happens, He can use it for good.
The challenge for me and all those who were grieving was to believe in faith that God would keep His promise. In the months that followed our church took comfort in knowing that this family we loved was in the presence of their heavenly Father. There is no greater good than that. But God did so much more. The summer before the tragedy, the daughter had gone on a mission trip to Costa Rico. Her experience was life changing. She came home with a desire to become a missionary. In her memory, friends and family started a camp for underprivileged children in Costa Rico. The camp was named Camp Brittney in her memory. Now, each summer, hundreds of children have an opportunity to escape for a week and attend a camp where they experience a week of food, fun and fellowship in a safe environment. More important, they experience the love of Jesus. As a result many have come to know Him as Lord and their lives have been changed forever.
While most of us have not had to experience a similar tragedy in our own lives, we all have had to deal with adversity. Some of you who are reading this article are going through your own difficult times. Whatever your difficulty might be, remember that the “all” in Romans 8:28 covers it. If you will trust Him, God will take whatever trial you may be enduring at the moment and use it for your good. In the meantime, He will give us the strength we need to endure.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
HEART THOUGHTS from Helen
A couple of weeks ago I listened as the mother of a soldier requested prayer for her son who serves in Afghanistan. Not only did she request prayer for her son but for all our military in harm's way. She wore an American flag as a pin on her shirt. My mother's heart went out to this mother whom I know personally. Mother's who send their sons off to war as well as wives/husbands who send their spouses off to war must hold a special place in the heart of God. How many wars must be fought before we see the face of the Prince of Peace?
There is a story of a soldier who thought he was the only Christian in his barracks. For years it had been his custom to kneel in prayer each night before retiring. He was reluctant, however, to do so in front of fellow soldiers fearing their harassment. So he talked with his Chaplain who gave him this advice: "Just pull the blanket over your head and pray anyway."
The young man attempted this spiritual communication 'cover-up' but felt deeply ashamed. How could he stand to fight and die for his beloved country and not be brave enough to pray openly to his Lord?
In the midst of another agonizing night of the subterfuge, he threw off the blanket and fell on his knees in front of the whole barracks and prayed unashamedly.
Not too many nights later, when he rose from his knees he noticed that he was not the only soldier following Divine Orders. Soon, many of the men began sharing prayer requests and finalizing their day kneeling to pray.
The Apostle Paul served as a prime example of demonstrating corporate prayer in Acts 21. As he left Tyre, he was followed by a procession of prayer warriors onto the beach. He then headed toward Jerusalem and the battle of a life time.
"But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray." Acts 21:5
There is a story of a soldier who thought he was the only Christian in his barracks. For years it had been his custom to kneel in prayer each night before retiring. He was reluctant, however, to do so in front of fellow soldiers fearing their harassment. So he talked with his Chaplain who gave him this advice: "Just pull the blanket over your head and pray anyway."
The young man attempted this spiritual communication 'cover-up' but felt deeply ashamed. How could he stand to fight and die for his beloved country and not be brave enough to pray openly to his Lord?
In the midst of another agonizing night of the subterfuge, he threw off the blanket and fell on his knees in front of the whole barracks and prayed unashamedly.
Not too many nights later, when he rose from his knees he noticed that he was not the only soldier following Divine Orders. Soon, many of the men began sharing prayer requests and finalizing their day kneeling to pray.
The Apostle Paul served as a prime example of demonstrating corporate prayer in Acts 21. As he left Tyre, he was followed by a procession of prayer warriors onto the beach. He then headed toward Jerusalem and the battle of a life time.
"But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray." Acts 21:5
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