Christian Screensaver: Time to Retreat

I'm going on a three day retreat tomorrow in the Cherokee forest...



This is my visualization of my prayer time.

Sleeping in Church

I love the story of Eutychus because he reminds me of myself. When I first became a Christian, I was a ‘twicer,’ which meant that I used to go to church services twice each Sunday. I went to my Presbyterian Church in the morning, and then worshipped at an evangelical church in the evening. The preacher usually spoke for about an hour, and I always ended up sleeping against the church wall. I made sure that my seat was against the wall in order to do this.

Podcast version here

Bible Verse of the Day


Acts 20:9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.



Of course, it wasn’t the preacher’s fault. It was mine. I had a great big Sunday dinner just before the service, so by the time I reached the church, I was ready to snooze. I tried everything to stay awake. I would grip the pew in front of me until my knuckles were white. Sometimes I blinked my eyes really fast or opened them as wide as I could to keep awake. Other times, I would move my toes within my shoes in order to be attentive. Eventually, all of my efforts would fail me, and I would nod off to sleep. Thankfully, I didn’t snore; otherwise someone would have woken me up.

God has a great sense of humor. When He saw the Eutychus in me, He was also busy planning to make me a preacher. Now, on Sunday mornings, I get to look at the congregation and sure enough, during the sermon, someone’s fighting and fidgeting to stay awake. If they end up sleeping, I don’t mind. Perhaps they’ve had a busy week, or were up late, or the sermon is boring. Whatever the case, to sleep in the House of the Lord is a good thing. It’s the one place where peace and love, comfort and security are meant to be experienced.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing us to sleep in church and for quietly refreshing our spirits in Your Presence. Some of us come to church looking for answers, needing encouragement, and seeking rest from all our worries and busy-ness. Grant us the blessing of Your Love, and enable us to become all that You need us to be. In Your Holy Name, we rest and pray. Amen.

By the Spirit

Today, we will all experience situations that will cause us to react badly or respond spiritually, The choice is ours. Paul gives us guidance for those frustrating moments in his letter to a young church.

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Do you ever get the feeling that the first group of Christians must have been a bunch of really hard-to-please people? In my head, I’ve got this nostalgic notion that the New Testament Christians were holy saints, who peacefully, nobly, and humbly went to their deaths in the Coliseum. I’ve thought about them as being incredible saints and holy people, whose perfection is the ideal that we lowly 21st century Christians must attain.

However, when I read some of Paul’s letters, I get the impression that their churches were full of ordinary people, whose personalities and characteristics often caused conflicts or dysfunction in the family of faith. Why on earth would Paul have to implore the church at Galatia not to be conceited, aggressive, and envious, if it wasn’t already there in the life and work of that church?

Initially, it makes me feel better because I realize that Christianity is always going to be imperfect and that conflict is inevitable in any faith community. Envy, pride, and belligerence are human traits that we try to master and control, but we cannot do it on our own. That’s why Paul urges the Galatians to live by the Spirit, and not by human weaknesses. I may feel better because I am no better than the first Christians, and vice versa, but both they and I have a need to try to be better Christians. And the only way that is going to happen is by surrendering our pride, envy and antagonism to the Spirit, in order for those weaknesses to be replaced with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

As far as applying this is concerned, there are going to be moments today where we will either react humanly to a situation or respond spiritually. The choice is ours. Hopefully, we will all decide to surrender ourselves to the Spirit’s bidding.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, You bring us great comfort and strength, wonderful guidance and godly counsel. Restrain our pride and capacity for wanting to get mad and even with those who displease or dislike us. Grant us patience and self-control in those frustrating circumstances that we may face today. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Rescue

Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.(NIV)

I was talking to someone the other day about my struggle with alcohol when I was a teenager. I grew up in the West of Scotland where the culture imposes a lot of pressure on young people to get as drunk as often as they can, just to prove that they are normal and can handle liquor. I started drinking when I was thirteen and five years later, I became addicted. I honestly cannot remember going more than a day without drinking beer, vodka, or whisky from when I was eighteen to twenty.

Typically, there was a great shadow or sadness over my soul and the only way that I could find to get rid of the darkness was to brighten up my spirits with intoxicating spirits. But alcohol is a depressant and when my ‘spiritual’ high was over, I was worse off than before.

People who loved me hinted that I had a problem, but no one really confronted me or intervened. It’s not that they didn’t care – I’m sure that my parents and some of my friends wanted me to stop – it’s just that I was so strong-willed and stubborn, they didn’t know what to do or say. My addiction made me powerless to give it up; and it paralyzed my loved ones who wanted to help.

It took intervention to rescue me – divine intervention. God got a hold of my attention and when I pleaded for help, He heard my prayer. I had to hit rock bottom before I could start on the road to recovery. I had to fall on my knees and ask for help before any turning point could begin in my life.

Since those dark days, I’ve known others to be in the same predicament, who have wrestled with the dark demons of addiction. Some of them have lost that battle and died prematurely, but I’m glad to say that there are others who have found God and conquered their dependency on alcohol. They have also experienced that precious moment of divine rescue in their lives when God has saved them from themselves.

Perhaps some of you who are reading or hearing this are struggling with an addiction. Maybe you have a loved one who is wrestling with nicotine, alcohol, drugs or pornography. Ask God to intervene; pray for divine rescue; plead for deliverance from the darkness. He has the power – all you need is the prayer for perseverance.

Prayer: Lord God, when we do damage to ourselves through solvent abuse and chemical dependency, rescue us. When we try to overcome addiction and obsession from things that harm our bodies, minds, and souls, deliver us. And when we or our loved ones have taken the wrong path, made foolish choices, or have slid back into fallen ways, restore us, O God, to Your light, Your life, and Your love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Weekend Screensaver- Healing the Gerasene

Stained Glass design of Christ healing the demon-possessed man from Gerasene, as described in Luke 8:26-39

Peace and Security

Scottish audio version here

Jeremiah 33:6 Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (NIV)

Explosions in Afghanistan. Fighting in the streets of Baghdad. Brutal slayings in Gaza. And genocide still going on in Darfur. When, o when will all this warring madness end?

We all want abundant peace and security, but the forces of greed and evil, pride and power are corrupting the earth.

We all want wars to cease and killing to stop, but men with guns in their hands and leaders with hatred in their hearts want to obliterate their enemies, opponents, and competitors.

The old prayer of Jeremiah falls upon deaf ears – when was the last time we heard that the UN was getting involved? When did they last reconvene to hold emergency meetings over these current crises? When did they send out people to bring about a lasting peace?

And what about our churches? We’re so tied up with our own theological problems, issues, and divisions that our voice is no longer heeded, heard or hoped for. We’ve become so insular that we forget there’s a world out there full of starving and suffering men, women, and children.

We need to do something more than just hoping for the best and praying for peace. We have to tear down the walls of indifference in our hardened hearts and begin to care about these issues. We cannot let another day go by just being thankful to get through it. We must begin to apply Christ’s message in our lives, so that, instead of ignoring these problems and switching off our compassion, we get agitated about the injustice, indifference, and inhumanity that billions are experiencing in our world today.

For too long, we’ve become cozy Christians who seek comfort in our own isolated world. Christ didn’t come to be among us just to set up a private faith and personal spirituality. He came to call us to be servants of God’s Kingdom, to agitate the world, to confront evil, and to bring a healing across the nations.

We all want abundant peace and security – so what are we going to do about it?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace and we are Your servants, therefore we are called by You to be instruments of peace, reconciliation, and compassion. Shake us from the tree of coziness that we shelter in. Take us out of our comfort zone and make us into the peacemakers that You want us to become.

And at the end of this day, may our hearts and minds be open to what’s going on in the world, instead of casting it aside as just another day. In Your Holy Name, we seriously pray. Amen.

Do Not Lose Heart

Scottish audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. NIV

At this time last year, our church underwent some serious trouble. One of our staff members had terrible personal problems, which in turn affected the whole congregation and created a small division. It took a great deal of focus, energy, and determination to endure and overcome the fall out. A lot of prayer was said and eventually the tide turned. We lost eight members, but by the end of the year, we still managed to have an overall gain of eighteen people. God’s mercy enabled us to carry on our ministry and mission at Erin Presbyterian. Through His grace, we did not lose heart.

Since then, we’ve undergone recovery. We’re still picking up the pieces and are only beginning to restart some projects that fell by the wayside. For the first time in a long time, we’ve let God carry us, as well as lead us. It’s been a humbling experience, but in the end it will prove to be a worthwhile one.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians so long ago, he was addressing them as someone who had been through a lot of trouble, grief, and pain. He had been beaten up for his faith, cast out of different cities, shipwrecked, and almost lynched on several occasions. He had also been arrested, thrown into jail, and was now awaiting trial. If anyone had a right to lose heart, it was Paul, but he also relied upon God’s mercy to get him through the bad times, as well as the good ones.

He was also writing to a church that had its share of problems. The Christians at Corinth were going through a cultural war, where members of the congregation were struggling with adhering to Christ’s demands, as opposed to accepting the world’s ways. They wanted to be holy, but not different; they aspired to be faithful, but not unfashionable. Paul reminded them of their special calling in order to help them get back on the right track. And even though he was hundreds of miles away from them, Paul embraced them in his heart and loved them back to the Gospel.

Today, you may be doubting yourself, your faith, your church, your purpose, your personal ministry and mission. Remember that God is merciful and that through Christ, He will sustain you. Do not lose heart, for remember, He who called you to do His will is patient, gracious, faithful, and forgiving.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we feel so unworthy, so unprepared, and so faithless at times to fulfill the ministries that You ask us to undertake and accomplish. We get frustrated and impatient, bedeviled and beguiled by our fears, our doubts, and our problems. Grant us Your grace to sustain us through our worst experiences and most troublesome of times. Lead us by Your love, so that we will not lose heart, nor let go of our calling. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Halfway Healing

Scottish audio version here

Mark 8:25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (NIV)

I almost died of hepatitis in my last year of college. Somehow I had contracted it which was either the result of the lack of food hygiene in the university canteen, or a chemical chlorine reaction to some prescribed medication. Whatever it was, I was at death’s door and couldn’t do anything to save my life.

I remember that my minister and an elder came to visit me. They were shocked when they saw me and consoled Evelyn when the visit was over. They believed that I didn’t have any chance of recovery, and I could hear the hopelessness in their voices when they prayed with me.

But recovery did come after three grueling months. It was a slow process and I owed everything to Evelyn and God for taking care of me. Healing came in stages, but not overnight. By the end of that summer, I was ready to begin work as an assistant minister.

Sometimes healing comes in stages, even with Jesus helping you. Take this blind man, for instance, in today’s gospel passage. He has to experience three stages before being cured. First of all, Jesus isolates him. Secondly, He makes some sort of mud paste to re-hydrate his eyes. Finally, Christ touches his eyes and that’s when the man can perfectly see. It’s like a Trinitarian process of healing, not an immediate one.

We all have people to pray for. We all have loved ones that we want Jesus to heal. Sometimes it looks as though nothing is happening, but given time we may see the long term results of healing, recovery, and cure come back into other people’s lives. We cannot give up on faith and give in to frustration. We need to hold onto hope and see healing as a process, as a package of recovery, and not some instantaneous divine reaction to our anxious prayers.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there are some situations in which we feel powerless and have no control. When we, or our loved ones, are suffering from illness, injury, or even addiction, we wish that everything would clear up quickly and completely. Grant us the patience to wait for healing and to remain hopeful in our hearts, especially during those moments and times when our anxieties, impatience and frustration threaten to wear us down. In Your Holy Name, we make these prayers. Amen.

Letting Go

Scottish audio version here

Colossians 1: 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. (NIV)

Part of my seminary training was spent dealing with people who had emotional problems. A group of our seniors students were tutored by professional social workers who were attached to a local hospital. The purpose of the tutoring was not to show us how to help people with problems, but to learn that there are some situations where people cannot be helped.

This was not something that we accepted readily. As would be ministers and zealous servants for the Lord, we believed that everyone could be helped, cured, and saved. There was no emotional problem that prayer could not overcome. There was no person who would end up being left behind. We had the power of the Spirit within us and we were ready to save the entire world.

One of the senior social workers kept telling us that we had to accept our limitations. If people had severe emotional and mental issues, we had to learn how to let go and refer them to a specialist. Time and time again, he admonished us on how important it was to let go of our pride and zeal when people were beyond our help. Too many pastors held on to people in counseling captivity instead of referring them to specially qualified counselors.

One of our group wouldn’t accept this. And when we were each assigned different patients to counsel, he went on a one-man mission to rescue, save, and cure the person under his care. He even visited the patient at her home, which was strictly taboo.

Well, to cut a long story short, the patient ended up taking an overdose whilst he was at her apartment. The paramedics rushed to her home and managed to save her life. A couple of days later, we were all ushered into the presence of the senior social worker. He plainly told us about the situation and this time admonished us to remember the event and to recognize there were limits to what we could do to help people as pastors. It’s a lesson I have tried to put into practice throughout my years of counseling. There are just some people that I personally cannot help. There are limitations in some situations to what I can do.

Sadly, the student who over-stepped his boundaries only remained a pastor for a couple of years. He never learned this lesson and took a nervous breakdown because of what we call “Savior Syndrome” in the ministry. He just didn’t accept his limitations. He just wouldn’t refer people to other specialists.

Perhaps your trying to help someone in a severe situation. Maybe you’ve been carrying that person for years, but your support has only enabled her or him to continue in their personal crisis. Sometimes the best help we can give to others is to offer no help at all by letting them go and saying “no.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, even You could not heal everyone or solve all of their problems. There were times when people rejected Your advice or ignored Your admonitions. You healed many, but not all. Help us to understand this hard lesson and grant us the courage to let go of those whom we cannot help. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Restoration

Audio Version here

Isaiah 57: 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him (NIV)

Two weeks ago, I spent five days at a Clergy Coaching Center in Columbus, Georgia. I had some past issues that I had to deal with because they were beginning to affect who I am and how I minister to other people. I dreaded going to the center, mainly because of my mother’s horrifying experiences with psychologists and psychiatrists. I was worried that perhaps I was heading down the same tormented path.

I almost didn’t get there, for my car nearly broke down outside of Atlanta. For seventy miles, I was completely stressed out through franticly praying to God to keep the car going until I reached Columbus. When I arrived at my hotel, I was totally exhausted – physically, mentally, and spiritually. I just wanted to get my car fixed and head back up the road. As far as the counseling and coaching was concerned – forget about it!

However, the people at the Turner Pastoral Institute were very understanding and, after taking a whole battery of tests (I’m an INTJ, by the way), the coaching sessions began. My anxiety and apprehensions were considerably reduced. My fears were set aside and my faith was restored. After a whole week of counseling, I felt renewed, refreshed, and restored to God.

In the middle of the week, my coaches honed in on something that I had suppressed for decades - my lost childhood. During my formative years, I had tried to help my mother overcome her mental illness and multi-personalities, but to no avail. I carried this failure within me and attempted to anaesthetize the pain with alcohol. I spent years battling with the guilt and grief.

As my counselors explained, those lost years were still hurting me, but they may have led me into ministry – how? Well, churches are full of multi-personalities – I’m still trying to fix, heal and restore people that I love.

This was an epiphany for me – both shocking and surprising. I came away from Columbus thanking God for my mother’s schizophrenia. I had never done that before, but then I had never realized how much her illness has shaped who I am today.

I realize that this is just the beginning of a new journey for me. God has seen my ways and is healing me. He is guiding and restoring me. And if He can do that for someone like me, I know that He can do the same for you and your loved ones.

Prayer: Loving God, You know the troubles of our lives and the worries of our hearts. You see issues that we are facing and the problems that confront our loved ones. Hear the unvoiced cries of our hearts and the burdens on our minds. Help us and heal us. Encourage and embrace us. Renew us and restore our loved ones. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Finding Forgiveness

Audio version here

Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (NIV)

It’s amazing how much emotional baggage and physical damage we endure simply because we will not let go of our guilt or own up to our mistakes. Last week, I was at a coaching-counseling center which primarily works with pastors. It was an intense time, but also a liberating one because I was able to unburden my soul, whilst expressing my weaknesses and fears, mistakes and doubts. I came away from the center feeling lighter, stronger, and better. It was a remarkable time and one that was centered upon the forgiving nature of Christ.

We tend to cling to our regrets and mistakes because we don’t want to disclose our foolish and fallen ways. It’s a matter of pride, mixed with fear and resentment. On the surface things may appear to be calm, but beneath our skin, a lot of damage is being done to our vital organs, immunity system, and muscles. The mind and heart do not function separately from the body and soul. Whatever troubles our spirits affects the whole person.

This is why believing and experiencing Christ’s forgiveness is both good news and vitally important to us. When we take time to confess our mistakes to Him, we are embracing His fullness, strength, and love. When we place our bitter regrets and foolish choices into His Hands, He can heal us of the past, restore us to God’s favor, and lead us to a better life. We call that peace; Christ calls it love.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, each day we battle with regrets and bad choices. Sometimes, at the end of the day, we can’t sleep because of foolish mistakes and fearful consequences. Lead us to Your throne of grace and help us to humbly bow before You, so that we may seek Your forgiveness and rediscover health, healing, and wholeness in the process. In Your Holy Name, we confess and pray. Amen.

God Remembers

Exodus 2:24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.

Years ago, one of my best friends was diagnosed with a terminal condition. It was completely unexpected and the doctors told him that he had only months to live. I was shocked when I heard the news and couldn’t accept what was happening. For a whole weekend, I fervently prayed and wrestled with God, asking for healing and mercy, restoration and grace to be given to my friend. It was one of the most intense weekends of prayer that I have ever experienced.

In the middle of the night when I awoke, I got up to pray again. I was already fatigued and exhausted, but I felt that my friend needed more prayer. I can remember praying for about ten minutes and then a great feeling of peace came over me. It was as if God was saying, “I’ll take over from here. Go back to bed.”

The next day, I visited my friend in hospital. He was due to get some sort of surgery as a temporary relief from his cancer. When I went into his room, he was sitting up and smiling. He then told me that his surgery was no longer taking place and when I asked why, he told me that the cancer was gone. His doctors were amazed. That very morning, when they took an x-ray, they could not find any sign of the cancer. Ten years later, he is still cancer-free.

God remembers His people and He hears our prayers. For the Israelites, it took several generations to restore their freedom. God raised up a leader in Moses as the perfect answer to their groaning and prayers. The promises and covenants that He made with their forefathers were not forsaken; instead God fulfilled them and brought His people back to Canaan. He answered their prayers.

Perhaps we are struggling with something and are worried about the future. Perhaps we’ve tried everything we know to remedy the situation or to resolve our problems, but nothing seems to work. I think that the answer to what we need is found in how sincerely we pray, how much we focus on God, and how often we wrestle with Him. He hears our prayers and groaning; He remembers His promises.

Prayer: Lord God, You know our hearts and minds. You know all our anxieties and concerns. Help us to really bring our prayers to You. Enable us to wrestle with You. Empower us to boldly ask for help and healing, restoration and strength. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stingers

Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

Have you ever been in an internet chat room and taken part in a cyber-space discussion? When I first started using the internet, I used to visit Christian chat rooms in order to talk about current theological and political issues. It was amazing to interact with so many minds across the world. The discussions were usually quite civil, but then when people began to dispute hot topics such as abortion, fundamentalism, and life-style choices, the conversations became animated, agitated, and even hostile.

Every now and then, someone would offensively sting other people, and a moderator would block the offender with a time out. This let the discussions flow without becoming personal. This led to a real sharing of ideas without hostility and competitiveness taking over. A good chat room moderator knows when to use the time out. A bad one just lets the hostility grow.

After the time out ended, the offender had to request permission to get back into the chat room. Most people did that, but sometimes some chatters just left the room altogether. They couldn’t bear being blocked, nor could they bring themselves to ask to be let back in. I guess they just nursed their wrath and fed their pride.
Instead of patiently waiting and bringing something positive back to the whole community, they went away, probably to find another chat room, where they would perhaps experience the same.

When the leper in today’s story asks Jesus if He is willing to make him clean, he’s really asking, “Can I come back into the community?” Lepers in those days were complete outcasts, abandoned by their families and ousted by their neighbors. They had no rights, no blessings, and no hopes. Leprosy meant isolation, and isolation meant you were cut off from the community of faith.

The great thing about Jesus is that He is willing to make the leper clean. He recognizes both the pain and humility in this request. The man is asking for his body to be made clean, so that he can rejoin his family and friends. He is pleading with Jesus to redeem and restore him at the same time. And the wonderful thing is this: that’s what Jesus is all about. He came to redeem and restore.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes we do or say things that cut us off from other people. Sometimes we allow anger and pride, bitterness and pain to fill our minds and wound our hearts. Help us to come to You with those things that give us pain, with those thoughts that bruise our souls, and with those memories that harm our spirits. Savior, redeem us from self-righteousness and restore us by Your grace. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.