Holiness

Lord God, please make me holy today.  Like you. 

Amen.

Talk about the Power of Prayer

I just read this from Acts 4:

^23-26As soon as Peter and John were let go, they went to their friends and told them what the high priests and religious leaders had said. Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer: "Strong God, you made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. By the Holy Spirit you spoke through the mouth of your servant and our father, David:

Why the big noise, nations?
Why the mean plots, peoples?
Earth's leaders push for position,
Potentates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers!A ^27-28"For in fact they did meet—Herod and Pontius Pilate with nations and peoples, even Israel itself!—met in this very city to plot against your holy Son Jesus, the One you made Messiah, to carry out the plans you long ago set in motion.
^29-30"And now they're at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus."
³¹While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence.
Gotta be kidding me. There was an earthquake while they prayed? I want faith like that!
^32-33The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.
^34-35And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need.
And although it's hard to admit -- this may be true democracy AND communism when they actually do work. Pretty amazing stuff.
xoxox

Zen and the Art of Painting the Kitchen

I have to paint my kitchen this weekend. It's all white -- walls, cabinets, appliances. My realtor says there's just too much white in there, and it needs some color. Neutral color, of course.

My house seems to be turning varying shades of brownish taupe-tan-beige. It is fading into the impersonal.

So anyway, I had several paint chips up on the wall yesterday, and because I couldn't decide, I asked Hunk 'O Man what he thought. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "So, which one do you like?"

HOM: "Ummmmm..."

Me: "You can't tell any difference between them, can you?"

HOM: "Ummmmmm..."

Me: "They all look exactly alike to you. Never mind."

HOM: "Yep. See ya."

Typical man.

Because I couldn't think of what else to do, I prayed about it. And I felt really ridiculous praying about it -- it's paint color, for crying out loud! Jeesh, Jen, just pick one already! I couldn't believe that something so insignificant could paralyze me. I felt really stupid. "Dear God, I know this is really dumb, and I know it probably doesn't even matter, but could You please guide me to the correct paint color?"

And then suddenly -- I realised this: when I pray, I break the grip of worry. Exactly like what Rick Warren said -- when I give, I break the grip of materialism. It's a universal principle.

So in this case, the paint wasn't the thing. The going back to my Father to ask for help was the thing. Paint really had very little, if anything, to do with it. Even when it is something so inane as a paint color, I still need to pray. I need to break that grip that paralyzes me from action.

And this is true no matter the thing. We tend to think that tiny specks of things in our lives don't matter to God. In all honesty, they might not. But the fact that we go to Him and ask for help because of those things -- this He cares about deeply.

So I finally broke down and chose one of the many taupe/brown/tan colors tonight.

(Hunk O Man was right. They all do look the same. God is laughing at me.)

Hopefully we won't have some kind of butterfly effect thing where the sale of the house hinges on the color in the kitchen. But then again, you never know.

So I'll be praying about that too.

xoxox

You Talkin' to Me?

From Proverbs 28:

⁹ God has no use for the prayers
of the people who won't listen to him.

Can't really argue with that.

xoxox

Go Jump in a Lake

From Mark 11:

Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins."

Hunk O Man and I had a nice lunch today. We try and do that on Fridays when we can -- have that small bit of time to get back in touch after a busy week. Today was a little different, because we talked about our future, and ultimately what we want in life, our children, and generally the "big things."

Some of the things we discussed are just too much to expect. Too much in this economy, too much in terms our ages, too much in terms of human nature. But then it occurred to us -- don't we serve a God who made everything? And can do anything? Why not pray for the impossible, and just see what God does?

I love the way Jesus qualifies this bigger-than-regular-faith kind of prayer. We can't even begin to go to God until we've forgiven everyone and He's forgiven us. It's the amazing economy of God once again, building in the protection so we don't get spoiled.

So what does the future hold? Lots of praying -- not that mountains will jump into the sea, but rather that God will lead and we will have the good sense to follow. We'll see.

xoxox

I just, I just,

I just can't keep up. I'm still here but barely keeping my head above water. God is still good and if there's anything I can be praying for you, please let me know. Prayer doesn't add any stress -- it relieves it!

xoxoxox

Get Out Those Bath Crayons

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
4-7He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

Do you ever wonder what your purpose is, why you're here? Well, there you have it, plain and simple, right from Paul to Timothy and straight from the voice of God to our eyes and ears.

When I got home from vacation, I got a fresh look at my shower wall. I think I need to add some names. How about you?

xoxox

The Tip for Today

While I do pray all the time as I see needs, I like the idea of having a specific list of people and things for which to pray. "Arrow prayers" or prayers-on-the-spot have a great impact, but then there are those long term things you always want to mention to God.

The trouble is, I can't keep track of a list, usually.

I learned this from my friend JoJo, who is a genius: Buy or borrow a kid's bath crayon, the kind used for drawing on the walls of your shower or bathtub. Write down all the stuff you pray for on a long-term basis on your bathtub or shower wall. You can even colour-code them.

This way, everytime you get into the shower or bath, you're reminded to pray.

Like I said, JoJo is a genius.

xoxox