Zero-point faith

Contained within a barrel of water is enough static energy to fuel the U.S. economy for a year. Contained within in every CC of the universe is the Zero-point energy equivalent to 100,000 of our suns burning for 1 million years. The trouble with these energies is how to liberate them.

Contained within a common Christian is enough prayer power to bring the U.S. to revival. Contained within in every CC of the church is prayer point power equivalent of Book of Acts Revival world wide. The trouble with these energies is how to liberate them.

In the case of static or Zero-point energies, principles of physics impede their unleashing — at least, for now. In the case of  individual or group prayer, principles of laziness and carnality impede their release — at least, until somebody really decides to lay a hold of God.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you — John 15:7 NIV.

Berlin wall faith

When Jessica was a girl, she prayed earnestly that God would tear down the Berlin Wall, a token of the Iron Curtainand the Cold War. As he listened to her, her dad, my pastor, a former congressional candidate,

Not Jessica

wondered if he should explain to her the cold, hard facts of life. Should he re-direct her prayers to something more realistic?

Hahahahaha! Kids today don’t even know what the Berlin Wall was. To describe to them the “threat” of communism makes them laugh. They have new issues (terrorism, overpopulation).

In 1990 Soviet bloc liberalization allowed citizens of both sides to demolish the wall amidst reunification euphoria. Jessica never doubted that it was her prayers that did the trick. Her dad just was amazed.

So… you either get Jessica to pray for your needs… or you get childlike faith yourself (Matt. 18:3).

Aaron’s high point

About the only thing good that Aaron did was stop a plague with incense, a symbol of prayer.

So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. — Num. 16:47-48 NIV.

Not too much else would make him a hero. (Remember how he made a golden calf idol?) But here, he has a good entry on his resume: a frantic scramble in an emergency rescue. The prayer warrior frequently must marshal emergency prayers to offset a judgement, bring about repentance, set up a move of God.

This is Aaron’s high point. Let it inspire you to immediately effective prayers.

Hasta la victoria, siempre

For decades, Che Guevara was the most maligned figure by the CIA. An Argentine instrumental in Castro’s Cuban revolution, Guevara stood for communism, the toppling of governments by “popular uprising,” even the overthrow of the USA. To be honest, his picture struck me with fear back in the day when I was a teenager. But the Cold War has gone, well, cold. A re-evaluation might be permitted without war-whipped paranoia.

“El Che” was an inspirational personage. Free from the weight of wanting materialistic comforts, he fought unreservedly. His slogan, in Spanish in the title, is translated: “Towards (unto) victory, always.” Not even death would deter him from trying for triumph.

You may not like his atheistic humanism, but you ought not to dismiss his life — such sacrifice, such fearlessness, such passion. Where’s the Christian nowadays who matches his commitment?

For Guevara, self-denial meant dying, executed by Rangers in Bolivia, where he had tried to spark revolution. For us, “sacrifice” means getting out of bed to go to prayer. It means turning off the TV to read the Bible. Are we willing to go to the most God-forsaken lands to bring a revolution of Christian truth?

Nowadays, the insignia of Guevara has become watered down, a harmless symbol for adolescent rebelliousness. He’s become as mild as Pancho Villa or Bob Marley. My hope would be that our Christianity would retain its edge and not go mild.

From BradStanton.com

This prayer warrior, Brad Stanton, has some really good stuff. I reposted this from his blog. I recommend you check it out! I can’t wait till his book arrives The Amazing Power of Prayer

F Faith and Find a Bible verse to stand on.
A Ask
I Imagine the answer
T Thank God for it
H Hold on to your faith and be Happy while you wait

1. Faith. Have faith when you pray and Find a Bible verse to stand on.
Matthew 9:29 “According to your faith will it be done to you
Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Mark 11:23, 24 “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Find a verse in the Bible that applies to your prayer request. At first, that seems restrictive and difficult, but there are so many promises in the Bible, you will surely find one if your desire aligns with God’s will. For example, if you are praying for money, get a concordance and look up verses that speak of wealth or prosperity. Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 are a few of many good verses about wealth. If you are praying for a relationship, look up verses on love. If you are lacking something, think of Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing.”

Find scriptures that promise you an answer to your prayer. It is a good idea to memorize a verse or two of those promises. Many times you will not find a specific verse that promises you what you are asking. That is okay. Just have faith and pray for it.

2. Ask God for it in faith.
Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Simply put, ask God for what you need. Another “A” in our FAITH acronym might be “Agree.” It is good to find other people to agree with you in prayer. Matthew 18:19 tells us, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”

3. Imagine the answer to prayer in your mind.

Imagine it like you already have it. If you are praying for a relationship to get better, imagine that it is. Your optimistic attitude will help change the relationship. That is the way God created faith. On the other hand, being pessimistic, lacking faith, and thinking about negative things, will cause problems in the relationship. When a person thinks about the negatives of the relationship, he will be more likely to get angry or do other things that are not good for the relationship. I have seen this happen many times in my own life and in the lives of others.

It is important to imagine you have already been given the answer to your prayer, because if you have faith and you pray in God’s will, you do already have the answer. I will explain this more in the chapter on Daniel.

4. Thank God for it.

In Mark 11:24 we read, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Notice it says “…believe that you have received it…”. This means that at the moment you ask God for it, you receive it. However, it may take some time for it to materialize or to become substance Some translations of Hebrews 11:1 read, “Faith is the substance (my emphasis) of things hoped for…” Daniel prayed in Daniel 10, but the powerful angel that came to give him the answer to his prayer was detained by Satan or a demon. There was apparently a wrestling match in the unseen world. Paul said we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the powers in the heavenly realms. These powers will do everything possible to damage our faith and prevent us from getting an immediate answer to our prayer. From the book The Amazing Power of Prayer

You can find his book here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EOCODK

Prayer is unamerican

 

The soul of America is do-it-yourself. From the pioneers to the engineers, from the entrepreneurs to the politicians, the self-made man is the highest ideal. Rambo personifies the one-against-all, triumph-by-my-own-resources mentality. In the 1800s Horatio Alger Jr. promoted the “rags to riches” storyline in his popular novels, always of a character who was amply rewarded for his self-reliance and hard work. Whether it be defeating infectious diseases or inventing military drones to bomb terrorists, Americans know we can do it all — by ourselves.

No wonder prayer enjoys such small popularity: its essence is to rely on God. Throughout the classroom, the media and circles of friends, we are told directly and indirectly to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Then in church, we are told to let God pull ourselves up. Depending on another — even if that other is God — runs contrary to our common sense.

Consider the marvels of prayer! How much do you depend on yourself? How much on God? Chuck Colson, President Nixon‘s hatchet man, was shocked when he read the Bible for himself and discovered that his favorite “verse” actually is NOT in the Bible: “God helps those who help themselves.”

People who live off of handouts get scorned. But what about if the handout is from God?

 

The prior enemies

The LAST enemy to be destroyed is death — 1 Cor. 15:26 NIV (caps mine). It should be obvious that if there is a LAST enemy, then there are PRIOR enemies.

The last of the unholy horde, death will be killed. Before that — in other words, NOW — other enemies need to be eliminated: scarcity in your ministry, stingy giving, doubtful offering, poverty mentality. These are enemies of your ministry because they are holding up, limiting, blocking the advancement of God’s kingdom.

We need to proceed against these enemies now — in prayer. They should be destroyed with no further waiting. The Bible specifies that we should NOT subdue death because that is reserved for the End. But we mustn’t hold off the rough treatment of other enemies that must be defeated before the end. Be violent in your upper room with these spirits that are strangling the flow of money.

God likes it hot

 

Not all chili sauces are equal. Some are extremely hot. Others are muted; they specialize in flavor from non-pepper ingredients like vinegar. Chiliheads are the studs who boast about how much heat they swallow without throwing up. Some chili peppers are so hot they can burn a hole through metal (JK). There actually is a scientific scale for measuring heat potency.

Not all prayers are equal. Some are duds. Jesus Himself prayed fervently, not  half-hearted mumblings. During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission — Heb. 5:7 NIV.

Think of the reverent submission as the vinegar, the loud cries as the heat level. For Jesus, prayer was not mechanics; it was pure passion. It was not a boring routine or requirement; it was His lifeblood. We need to imitate Christ in our prayers. I appreciate poetic prayers, but those who espouse too much theological correctness sometimes lack spice.

Turn up the heat!

 

Wimpy blog

 

I checked on my mountain of gum that I am secretly building under the pew in  church, and I’m happy to report that it still has not been discovered and removed. I have been working on it for five months — one piece of gum every Sunday.

I call it my volcano, but I suppose that’s not the best term because it’s upside-down. Maybe I should call it a stalagmite — or stalactite. I forget which. In any case, this is my secret project. Only a few friends know about it.

What surprises me though is that no one has found it. I mean, the pastor is always going on about how everybody needs to serve in the church. So I guess they’re not doing very well.

It’s getting to the point where I am thinking about actually measuring it, so its progress could be scientific — you know, like they do with the global warming and the disappearance of polar ice. But the problem is: How to do it without getting caught? I guess it’s easy to stick a wad of freshly chewed gum. But if I pull out a ruler and stoop under the pew, it would draw too much attention. I spent over half of the sermon thinking up a way to do it. Before I knew it, the service was over, and I didn’t even get bored.

 

A stage call: powerlessness II

 

Hannah bore the misery of powerlessness. Childless, she cringed under the withering scorn of those around her and even doubted the love of her husband. There was nothing she could do about it — no fertility doctors back then. In prayer, her lips quivered so bad that the chief priest mistook for a drunk woman.

Powerlessness is the story of salvation. We are absolutely powerlessness to fulfill the law and earn our way to Heaven. So Christ came down from Heaven to do it for us as a man. Powerlessness, then, is the essence of Christianity.

So don’t be overly distressed in a moment of utter powerlessness. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong — 2 Cor. 12:10 NIV. Powerlessness is the stage call the Powerful One. He will appear on scene and vanquish all things that have cornered us and deprived us of our dignity.

Hannah’s prayer got answered. Silencing her rival, she gave birth to Samuel the prophet — and a few more kids afterward. Her rancor turned to rapture.

 

Powerlessness

I used to dismiss the notion of powerlessness. I had heard it in terms of sociologists who described people trapped by poverty. They’re just making excuses, I snorted.

Then, I grappled with powerlessness myself. When I was a missionary, an extortionist falsely accused me of a crime. I was the victim, but I feared the corrupt justice system coupled with anti-gringo sentiment would conspire to send me to the hellhole of jail in Guatemala. I fasted five days a week. I went to bed thinking about jail and woke up thinking about jail. I was gripped by the claws of  powerlessness.

At the end, God vindicated the innocent. I learned to trust Him even in the ugliest of scenarios. And I no longer scoffed at powerlessness. It is a huge and terrifying force.

When you’re facing cancer, you can feel powerless. When the recession closes all doors to you. With your prodigal child. With your unfaithful spouse. Addiction can render you powerless to stop abusing drugs. A hurricane is coming, and you can’t stop it or escape. You cannot take control of your future. There is nothing you can do. It is out of your hands. Anyone can belittle your struggle, but only you face these demons alone.

Being powerless is good. It throws you on God entirely. It arouses faith like nothing else. Your moment of powerlessness will be hellish anguish. But it will also be sweetest fellowship with the Lord. (Praise and worship was my only relief from my living nightmare!)

When you are powerless, He remains powerful.

Heights of slavery

Nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter your educational level, the economic level of your city, how supportive your spouse is, what side of the railroads tracks your on, or even what color of pajamas you wear at sleepy time. God can prosper you irregardless.

The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master — Gen. 39:2 NIV. Joseph prospered in SLAVERY. (I doubt your circumstances are so bad.) The key was God, not all the accouterments that we commonly attribute to success.

Since God is no respecter of persons, anyone can have Him. You just need knees. In other words, bend your knee to cry out to God in prayer. God can prosper you anywhere, anytime, anyhow, anyway, any whatever. If it hasn’t happened yet, just keep praying. It will.

If a slave could fly high, so can you! God can bring lushness to the most unlikely of places!

Nothing less

With phenomenal power, God resurrected Jesus. No lesser power is at your disposal when you pray.

He has called you (to) … his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. — Eph. 1:18-20 NIV.

Ephesians makes it plain. Your prayers have access to NOT an inferior power but the very same might of the resurrection. Now, here on Earth. Is there anything impossible for this power that even undoes the ultimate finality? Devils are dismayed. That’s why they sweat the overtime furious workload to keep you out of prayer — at all costs!

As soon as you prayer, the same power that resurrected Jesus will be channeled toward your needs. Hell trembles at the thought! I’m no historian of revivals, but what I know is that they were fueled by prayer. Do you want revival? Pray.

Do you want finances? Pray. Do you want healing? Pray. Do you want deliverance? Pray. The only thing that can stop prayer is YOU (if you stop praying).

Christ the builder of the church

 

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. — Matt. 16:18 NIV.

Blood has been shed needlessly over this verse. Contention is so sharp wars have been waged. Was the rock Peter? Catholics say so in their argument for Papal succession. Was the rock his confession or revelation of Jesus Christ? Evangelicals say so.

I wish to sidestep the debate completely and focus on the main point. The central idea here is that Christ will build his church, not man. When you are a ministerial leader, you get the sensation that you are building your ministry. That sensation is strong until you fail. When you are fighting a war of attrition, then you want to reach out and find some sort of help. You remember that it’s God’s ministry, not yours. He will build.

Prayer focuses the True Builder of his church, although we humans wrongly feel we are building. In other words, get more involved the Guy who really does, and get yourself less involved (I was a ministerial work-aholic). Pray more.

 

Amazing Granada

Granada at night

Granada is the most enchanting place. The Alhambra citadel complex with vast gardens and huge medieval structures graces this Southern city in Spain. It was here that I first met Europe. It was here also that God taught me about prayer.

As a penny-pinching missionary, I never thought I

Part of the Alhambra complex

could visit the Old Continent. By preaching for Bro. Gregorio Ponce, I got housing, transportation, and tour for free. There I saw Carlos V’s palace, a circular structure with an amazing echo when you’re in the exact middle.

There I learned once again how to pray. You see, I was worried. For some reason, I feared that

Part of the Alhambra complex

while I was cavorting in Spain, my church back in Guatemala would go to pot. So I prayed like crazy. When I got back to my church, it was better than ever. Not only had it not crumbled from within, it had blossomed in my absence.

So I didn’t need to be there in person because God was there in person. His Holy Spirit was tending the sheep in my absence. All I did was pray. Prayer is amazing stuff. You can accomplish much more with prayer than you can with your own strength.

Carlos V’s palace

I cherish the memories of Granada — the beauty of the city AND the beauty of prayer.

Strategic planning and the unexpected

The strategic planning classes in seminary were the most useful and useless I took. “Useful” because they helped me to understand business planning applied to the church. That avoids the church-adrift syndrome.

“Useless” because you can’t plan God. You cannot anticipate what He is going to do, or what he is NOT going to do. You cannot tell Him what your plan is and expect Him to fulfill it. And it’s darn hard to hear what His strategic planning is. Generally, God does whatever He darn well pleases and brings the growth He wants.

So we see Paul trying to go to Asia, but he can’t. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, HAVING BEEN KEPT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM PREACHING IN ASIA — Acts. 16:6 NIV (caps mine). In the strategic planning meeting with his buddies, Paul PLANS to go to Asia. But God has another plan that even Paul could not anticipate.

Hence, the Christian life is both exciting and difficult. It is exciting because God is always pulling out surprises. It is difficult for the people who want to control the future.

Prayer is expecting the unexpected. God comes through always but almost never in the way we expect. So don’t try to figure out what God should do. If you have a church, don’t flout strategic planning. If you plan, don’t try to twist God’s arm to do your plan.

After taking the seminary class, I remember laying down on paper an ambitious five-year plan. Then God did things completely different. The goals I put as attainable, were not. The goals I didn’t try to attain were the ones He did. In a way, it was funny. Prayer, then, is fun and funny.

Invisibility

Science fiction has toyed with invisibility. I’m no science fiction nut, but I’m a fanatic for the invisible.

Star-Trek had the cloaking device. H.G. Wells made the Invisible Man. Nature has camouflage, and the military has radar-evasion.

The Invisible Man

Christianity has prayer. We pray not for things that can already be seen. Things that can’t even be conceived by the human brain. Wow!

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope. — Rom. 8:24 NIV. What’s important is to notice that hope is the motor of prayer. What Romans says is that we cannot see the answer. But we can know that God will respond.

We cannot plan for His response. We cannot conceptualize it. We cannot see it even in our mind’s eye. If you’re desperate today because you can see NOTHING on the horizon to meet your need, then that’s where faith kicks in. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Don’t waver, keep trusting, keep praying. God’s got an invisible answer that he will bring into visibility.

If I can see it, it’s not faith. If it’s invisible to me, then it is what God will do. To be a Christian, you must have hope

You’re not disqualified

Intriguingly, Jesus employs racism to make a point. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast [it] unto the dogs. — Mark 7:27 KJV.

He addresses a Syrophenician who requests freedom and healing for her demon-possessed daughter. A lot of people miss the subtleties of the Bible. When Jesus offered living water to the Samaritan woman (John 4), at least she was half Jewish. But the Syrophenician is completely gentile, utterly excluded from the kingdom of God (under the old scheme of things). The Jews called them “dogs,” and Jesus testing her faith employs the same ugly, unacceptable term.

In other words, He says, “Don’t you know you’re supposedly disqualified from a miracle?” Whether it was hyper optimism or simply desperation, this lady would not be discouraged and the word “disqualified” was not in her lexicon.

Ok, she says, I don’t care if you insult me. Call me a dog, but even the dogs get crumbs from the table. Jesus’ subsequent reaction dispels the notion He’s a racist: “For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.” — Mark 7:29 KJV.29

It’s necessary to understand you’re not disqualified from receiving a miracle. That is faith. When you pray, banish from your mind that you are disqualified from receiving a miracle. A lot of preachers try to put requirements on a miracle. They’re trying to explain why some people don’t receive a miracle. I say, Let’s get rid of the requirements and bolster people’s faith.

George Washington Carver

Liberated from slavery when he was only a tyke, George Washington Carver slept in a barn to get an education. He was denied entrance into several colleges because he was African American but eventually graduated in botany from Iowa State Agricultural College. He was the first black student and, because of his brilliance, first black faculty.

The national monument

But he transferred to the Tuskegee Institute, to help other struggling African Americans, where he stayed for 47 years, developing a strong agricultural department. Seeing the soil depletion of cotton, he urged farmers to rotate crops and developed hundreds of uses for the peanut, which up until then was employed only to fatten pigs. (Thanks to Carver, we have peanut butter!)

The stamp honoring him

A devout Christian, he preached Christ as mediator of racial harmony and social equality. He was inducted into the Royal Society of Arts in England, one of only a few Americans to be bestowed that honor. He was consulted by three presidents and car-maker Henry Ford. In Diamond, Missouri, stands a monument in his honor.

He is an inspiration not only to African Americans, but to anyone who must overcome immense opposition to do

Being in his laboratory, what he loved most

good and attain heights. By patient hard work, achieve your God-given destiny. Don´t  be dismayed by setbacks.

The difference

The difference between the USA and Guatemala can be seen in flyers posted:

In the USA: Reward offered to help me find my dog!

In Guatemala: Reward offered to help me find my daughter!

Maybe you should count your blessings today and not your complaints.

Soon enough

 

If you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, it may just be a long tunnel. Don’t despair and tap out. God is not pummeling you. He’s not your enemy, laying mines to blow you up along the path. The picture of the angel of the Lord with sword drawn ready to strike Balaam is not you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” — Jer. 29:11 NIV. In all of the canon, this verse echoes into the future and into the past. From Genesis to Revelation, this one scripture rings forth. Its context: God had just punished the Jews, sending them into Babylonian captivity.

They’re confused, bewildered, overwhelmed. The punishments seem unbearable, the virtual extermination of God’s people on Earth. When they have no hope, God delivers this prophecy: Have hope. In the captivity, God prospered and favored the Jews (look at Mordecai and Esther). Then, God returned them from captivity (look at Ezra and Nehemiah).

God’s thoughts for us are likewise to prosper us. When you feel shell-shocked, look up to God with hope in prayer. He will prosper you soon enough.

 

Manuel’s blog

I even wore a tie on Sunday, but Rose didn’t notice.

Oh, hi. My name is Manuel.  My dad told me I need to write on his blog once a week. He said I should write about my relationship with God. I’m gonna name this the Blog of the Wimpy Christian because that is like my favorite book. My dad’s favorite book is the Bible.

So I was telling you, I’m praying for Rose. She’s the hottest girl in the church. But she doesn’t even know I exist. So I don’t know much about this prayer thing.

As I was saying, I even wore a tie, which is really uncool for a teenager. You see, Rose likes this guy Walter, who is one of those teenagers who says “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!” when the pastor preaches.

I would never say, “Amen!” or “Hallelujah!” during the sermon or all the teenagers would stare at me like I was from another world. That would be the end of me. I’d be excluded from friendships. Once you say “Amen!” during a sermon, you get classified as “One of Strange Church Members.”

Putting a tie on was already a huge risk all by itself. A few of my friends pointed at me and snickered. I like took this huge risk for her, and she didn’t even turn her head. So since it didn’t seem to work, I won’t do it again.

Your family is your special treasure

 

Rob also just completed “Hell week” for Lighthouse Christian Academy football

When we were missionaries with no money, I tried to take my daughter (now 16) on a Daddy-daughter date. I’m afraid to say it was extremely infrequent, but this was due to lack of finances. My son, Rob, wanted in on the fun. So I said that I would take him on a Daddy-son fun day. I never got around to it. The billfold was extremely tight.

Rob, who plays defense, is streaking to fill the hole. I had a blast watching him play for Santa Monica United club.

Now God has seen fit to bring us to the U.S., and I can at last do these things! I took my son to a soccer tournament with his club, and we spent the day together. Between games, we saw the “Amazing Spiderman.” At the end of the games on both Saturday and Sunday, he pigged out on In-n-Out burgers (in two days, he ate 10 patties!). I told him God was helping us to make up for lost time.

He likes to make funny faces for the camera

Ministry always demands our time, and it appears that God wants us to neglect our families to take care of so many needy sheep. BUT, we don’t want our families to convert in the needy and lost sheep themselves because of our negligence. I thank God He brought me back to the States, and lessened my ministerial burden, so that I can minister to my family.

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse. — Mal. 4:6 NIV. Find time and money for your kids.

 

Be brave

Contrary to pulp flicks, being brave is not a matter of being feisty, having an untameable shock of flaming red hair and shooting arrows. No, being brave has to do with being in ministry without any finances — and staying in ministry.

You have to be brave to stick with it! Man, you know you could chuck it all and go suck on the udder of some cash cow somewhere. I mean, this is the United $tate$. This is not the Third Wor:(d.

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. — Psm. 27:14 NLV. When you can’t take your kids out for even an ice cream, you gotta be brave to get behind that pulpit. When their shoes are worn out… When the last date you had with your wife was when her hair wasn’t turning gray…

The Bible exhorts patience — and bravery. Did you ever think patience was bravery? Well, it can be. Be still, trust, wait on the Lord. He will be your deliverer.

So don’t just laugh watching a princess be brave. Be truly brave in what is no laughing matter.

Not your typical graffiti artists

Instead of spray-paint, they use flashlights, traffic batons, led lights, roadside flares, Xenon lights and spotlights. Their artwork shows only on long exposure film, so it doesn’t deface property but creates a work of whimsy, of beauty, of calligraphy or of science fiction.

They’re called light graffiti artists or light painters, and their work is enchanting. Pablo Picasso experimented with this art in his waning years. A new generation of  avante garde artists, now armed with the latest technology, are giving full rein to their imagination. The artist doesn’t appear, only the light, because he moves quickly in the dark and doesn’t get caught on the long exposure setting. Sometimes they stay still and show up in the photo. You can do it too, if you get the right equipment!

Shouldn’t the light be beautiful? Let your light shine in such a way today that it makes someone pause and take notice. May they admire the Author of Lights.

 

Concentrating a force

A helmet works by a physic’s principle called distributing a force. The hit is spread out over the plastic shell so that it doesn’t affect one place of the cranium directly.

Pushing a thumb tack in is the opposite. This is called concentrating a force. Your finger applies pressure over a wide surface that is concentrated into the pin and even more into the tip. So it slides into the corkboard and not your finger.

When we all come together to pray, it is concentrating a force. When we rally behind a needy brother, we distributing a blow. Some think there’s no longer any need for the church. They are missing out on the power of unity.

He was whipped

 

His dad beat him severely to force him into a banking career and a sure income instead of music. But Johann Strauss II would not quit his passion, continued studying violin in secret and went on to become the king of waltz in the later 1800s to even surpass his father’s fame in Vienna, Austria.

When you decide to serve God, it doesn’t come with a promising retirement plan. The perks are few and not

His statute in Vienna

usually monetary. No doubt family and friends shark-attack you and rail against the “unwise financial career path.” But if you pursue your calling, God will eventually take you unawares with blessings.

Despite his dad’s

Even this tulip variety is named for him!

whipping, Strauss continued to believe in himself and pursue his love. Eventually he did quite well economically, composing over 500 waltzes and other pieces, including the famous Blue Danube. Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTYymbbEL4.

He inspired Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner.

Go for the legacy, not the loot.

 

… or you can use your machete.

 

You can find an easier way of doing things…

When we moved into the big, colonial building just off Guatemala City‘s main square, we had to remove a 70+ year-old tree with a termite-hollowed trunk. If not, tons of branches would one day fall on the kids in the school.

City workers took down most but left the stump and roots. We didn’t even have a chain saw, so we got to work with machetes, an axe and a pick. It took us church members two months of 12-hour days to chop, dig, pry, whittle, pull and otherwise extract it. The patio now has a nice fountain and garden in its place.

Pastor Ludving hams it up when the biggest piece of stump was removed. Thanks Tino, Mario and Banner for all the hard work!

As a gringo, I may not have the best machete technique, but it seemed like a fun, macho-man thing to do, at least at first. The sweat dripped after only minutes of whacking. Some of the men went through blistered into bloodied hands from the work. I was too much of a wimp to bloody my hands.

Boo-hoo! There has to be an easier, more efficient way!

There was. It’s called power tools. But as I said before, we didn’t have any power tools.

Now, if you are a Bible-believing Christian, you have at your disposal power tools. It’s called prayer. It’s a power tool because it’s God’s power at work for you. But some people like doing all the work themselves, so they don’t pray.

 

 

Surviving a lightning bolt

A bolt can measure three times hotter than the surface of the sun, yet a man can survive a strike.

Jerry LaDoux got knocked 20 feet away when he was hit in August 1999 and went unconscious for half an hour. His two-way radio had exploded and teeth shattered. A medical tag around his neck melted.

Survivor Jerry LaDoux

When lightning lets a man live, it tampers with his nervous system, much like a shock can alter the software on a computer. LaDoux experienced short-term memory loss. Others suffer tremors, mini-seizures and sleep disorders. As many as 1,000 become lightning survivors each year; 67 die.

Far greater power surges through you when you pray. So it’s no wonder Samson‘s dad, upon seeing the Lord, feared: “We shall surely die, because we have seen God” — Judges 13:22 KJV.

When you pray, you’re harnessing tremendous power — more than a mere thunderbolt! The only way you can lessen that power is by limiting your faith. While in the Old Testament, it was a fearful thing to come into contact with the Supreme Being, the New Testament encourages us without fear to “boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus” — Heb. 10:19 NLT.

We ought to realize the power available to us. We ought to make use of it. When His power pass through you, it will alter you (for the good, of course!).

** Thanks to Slate for the article on lightning strike survivors. The international conference of lightning-strike and electric-shock survivors provides support for survivors.

Sowing and reaping

 

Nothing good will come from prayerlessness. But prayerfulness cannot fail but bring only good. The reason? The law of sowing and reaping.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. —
Gal. 6:7 NIV.

Most often, this verse is applied negatively, that is, as a warning against sin. You will accrue some bad consequences, a curse, if you persist in willful sin. But the positive applies too. If you practice Bible study, church attendance, etc., then you cannot fail to attain blessings.

If you sow prayers, then you WILL UNFAILINGLY reap answers.

Don’t give up prematurely on farming. It takes work, time, care. It wouldn’t be wise to walk away from the crop before it grows to maturity. A harvest on an actual farm has its established growth period (months for quick-turn-around crops, years in the case of some fruit trees). But we don’t know the maturation date of most of our prayer requests; only God knows that. So hang in there and don’t abandon the harvest! Keep praying!

 

The ‘tent of meeting’

 

The child cries terrified alone at home as the thunderclaps explode. When Daddy comes home, he crawls up into his lap, into his hug, and the sobs subside. His fears erase because Daddy protects him.

Prayer is more than making requests. It is being with God. We are children; He, our Father. Remember that part of the Tabernacle was called the “tent of meeting,” meeting with God. Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp — Ex. 33:7 NIV.

Climb up into the Lord’s lap and your fears will subside. Just be with Him and forget about your troubles here on Earth. Forget about the thunderclaps that strike unknown terrors in your heart. You’re with Daddy; nothing is horrifying anymore. Rest and trust, embraced by His love. This, too, is prayer.

 

Glow sticks and the gospel

 

By heating a glow stick, you can make it brighter. By chilling it, it will last longer (but be dimmer).

Glow sticks work by containing two separate chemicals that are mixed together when the flexible outer container is bent, breaking an inner ampoule.

When diphenyl oxalate reacts with hydrogen peroxide, it emits light.

Inventors thought it would safer than the flare to cordon off highway hazards. But carnival hawkers have made a killing selling them at nighttime events.

When the Christian allows himself to be broken inside, and when he mixes Bible with prayer, the resulting faith emit lights. Heat it up, and it will be brighter. But you need to keep adding the ingredients or it will die down.

The Inventor of Gospel light intended it to save people from the hazards of sin.

Mexico was hungry

 

To say Brazil was HEAVILY favored to win Olympic gold is an understatement. Mexico had never won a major soccer tournament. Never.

And Brazil? The five-time World Cup champions only lacked this one accolade. So Brazil was playing to pick up its only missing piece of silverware while Mexico was playing to get its only trophy of significance.

But Mexico played hungry. The under-23 squad played with heart. The underdogs were sharper, quicker, more self-demanding than their overlords. So on Sunday, Mexico shocked the world with a 2-1 win. I’m not surprised.

Hunger outweighs raw talent, speed and tactics. Hunger drives you. It compensates for everything.

When you pray, pray with hunger. Don’t worry about fine-sounding words. Fret not about theological correctness. Don’t waste your time with grammar and syntax. What counts is that you pray with hunger!

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions WITH LOUD CRIES AND TEARS to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. — Heb. 5:7 NIV (caps mine).

 

Living in Lotus Land

Odysseus‘ sailors landed on a Mediterranean island whose inhabitants feasted on the lotus fruit that was immediately addictive. Whoever savored its flavor, fell into a peaceful narcotic bliss, lay down by the ocean, and wanted nothing more than to consume lotus and forget family, future and fortune.

When I lived in Guatemala, we ate beans, rice, eggs and tortillas most of the time. Once a month, we ate meat. We had one car and worried about when we could afford new shoes. With this poverty, we lived on the edge — and that edge reflected itself in ministry on the edge, prayer on the edge. God moved powerfully.

Then we were forced to come back to Lotusland, I mean, the USA. And I have tasted the fruit of its  luxury. Definitely, our standard of life is higher (even though we live currently at the poverty level!!!) At the same time, I can note that my standard of prayer has dropped. I pray, but with not the same intensity. The edge is gone.

I wonder if America’s Lotus life, whose effect I can perceive in myself, dilutes the prayers of other Christians  as well. I wonder if the work of God is hindered by our lackadaisical praying.

Writing this blog has been harder than any other so far. They all brim optimism. This one feels like a confession. Before I struggled with prosperity; now, I struggle with prosperity. Can these musing stirs us to recapture the flame?

After some of his sailors ate the fruit and fell under its spell, Odysseus stripped them away with force and tied them to their benches until they could sail far enough away and his men returned to their senses. What will it take for us to pray passionately?

Early flailings

I first started praying — really praying — when I got involved in the Lighthouse Church in Santa Monica. They had 6:00 a.m. prayer for an hour every morning. I went because 1) it was expected of rising disciples, and 2) in theory, I knew prayer was effective.

However, my first prayings, I am ashamed to admit now, lacked faith. The first real answer to prayer surprised me. I was praying for Blanca, the middle of three sisters, who was in the world. I prayed six months for her to get saved. When she walked into the church, my jaw dropped to the floor. In my head, I said, “Blanca, what are you doing here? I thought you wanted to be in the world.”

To which, the Holy Spirit responded: “Weren’t you praying for her? Why now are you surprised by the answer?”

That’s when I stopped going to prayer out of obligation. From then on, I went because of conviction. I knew that prayer worked! Since I have seen thousands of similar answers. I am addicted to prayer like the junkie to drugs. I only wish I could help people to get the revelation for themselves. That is the purpose of this blog.

Gone with the wind

The fact that climatologists can now predict and explain wind should not confuse the meaning of John 3:8’s metaphor.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. — John 3:8 NIV

The wind (same word as “Spirit” in Koine Greek) appears inexplicably (to the First Century observer). It is invisible, unannounced, unanticipated. It can be powerful (think of a hurricane). It scatters seed. No where is beyond its reach on the face of the planet. You can’t stop it.

So are our prayers. We cannot guess what God is going to do. We should pray generally and specifically, but we should not boast about knowing what God has up His sleeve. We should believe for huge and impossible things, both close and far. We should not be surprised when the Iron Curtain falls or when the vilest of sinners gets saved. We should know our Lord uses His Spirit and can reach where spy satellites and drones cannot. He can get into people’s minds. Even the devil is blind-sided. That is the nature of the Spirit’s move.

Our prayers should take into account His ability to do anything, anywhere, any time. He’ll do what we least expect, so we should expect it. He’ll move anywhere, so we should pray for nations closed to the gospel. He’ll hit tomorrow, so we should pray today.

Opposition will switch to ally when the Spirit moves. All resistance will be “gone with the wind.”

Breaching enemy lines

Natanz plant

Stuxnet initially breached Iran‘s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz by simply agents dropping an infected thumbdrive in the parking lot. Some knucklehead picked it up, connected it to a work computer, and the virus was in — and it throttled thousands of centrifuges out of commission before and after it was detected.

To avoid cyberwarfare attacks, the plant had been isolated by a “cyber moat” from the Internet. As it turns out, it wasn’t so difficult for CIA agents to leap the moat.

I know how to get behind enemy lines and thwart their plans even better. It’s called prayer. The Spirit, Jesus said, comes and goes without anybody being aware. It is the ultimate stealth weapon. When an outsider report from the 1980s affirmed no visible vestige of Christianity in China, still revival flames were burning, and no one was never able to snuff it out.

The devil suppresses our spiritual warfare when he lulls us into a drowsy contentedness and lotus satisfaction. He hypnotizes us with materialism, success and the good life. We are full and busy pleasing ourselves, so we neglect prayer. Who will win the war? It depends on IF Christians pray.

Spike the guns

Spiking the artillery is the process of jamming a nail or prong into a cannon’s touch hole to render it inoperable for an enemy.

Retreating troops often did this so that captured canons could not be turned on them.

Sometimes attacking troops did this to enemy guns if they believed their charged would be reversed.

Part of the blame for Napoleon’s loss at Waterloo was his troops failed to spike the British artillery, which was repossessed in a British charge and trained on the French.

The devil has spiked Christian guns when he gets us out of prayer.

Seeking the new

So God moved in your life? That’s well and fine. But what is He doing today?

That’s the question. The reason is because too many Christians are stuck in the increasingly distant past. They no longer seek God for miracles today. If your last miracle was a year or so ago, be worried. You need a miracle now!

Lamentations teaches us this (yes, there actually is something good in Lamentations (JK)). The Lord’s mercies are new every morning — Lam. 3:22-23 (paraphrased). If His mercies are new, then we need new miracles, new directions, new hopes, new challenges.

Christianity must be forward-looking. Some Christian glory in a spectacular past. Their testimony is always the same and about a past that keeps getting further into the past. While it is great to remember the testimonies of the past, we need to always be adding to our resume of God’s move in our lives. Pray for a miracle today!

Football helmets of salvation

 

Rob’s team’s football helmets just arrived. They cost $200 each. One special helmet, for a high school student injured last year, cost $1,000. That’s a lot of money for sports equipment. Then again, when it comes to your head, you don’t want to tight-wad. A head injury, almost more than any other part of the body, can cause death, so maximum protection is imperative.

Ephesians exhorts us to protect our spiritual cranium. Put on… the helmet of salvation. — Eph. 6:13,17 (entire verses are not cited). I understand that when we are “born again,” we cannot be “unborn,” to follow Jesus’ metaphor. So I don’t think salvation is like a light switch that you turn on and off depending on your behavior. However, this scripture certainly gives us the idea that you need to “put on your salvation” daily. Undeniably, there is a daily element of renewing relationship with Jesus Christ, and that is salvation.

I don’t mean to settle or even get into a centuries-long debate about salvation here. I only mean to inspire Christians to the daily act of prayer — preferably in the morning — as part of protecting your relationship with Jesus. It’s worth the investment to protect your head: make time to pray.

Solomon gets rich

Young King Solomon asked for wisdom — in order to benefit the people, not himself. This so pleased God that He granted Solomon riches and long life also — for himself.

Solomon made golden angels inside the temple

Here’s an outlandish key: pray for others more than for yourself. When God sees your heart, He’ll give even what you haven’t asked for.

So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for!… And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! — 1 Kings 3:11-13 (New Living Translation).

Solomon’s palace was a marvel of luxury

The whole nation prospered so much that silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. — 1 Kings 10:21 NIV.

Anybody would like such prosperity! But not just anybody understands the Great Paradox! Solomon got what he didn’t seek. He sought the good for others, and God gave him good. Make sure your prayer life is sufficiently others-oriented. Cut down on “me, me, me” because it may be the reason why “you, you, you” are not receiving from God.

A new kind of shield

 

Even if you gash through a galvanized surface, the exposed metal below won’t rust. That’s because the adhering zinc that constitutes galvanization blocks the electric activity in steel that is part of the oxidation process. So it can’t oxidize, and thus no rust.

Paul described faith as a shield, which invoke images a heavy metal disk held aloft to block arrows, spears or sword blows. With modern metaphors, we could enhance our understanding of faith. Maybe it’s more like galvanization. Even if it’s not covering perfectly, it prevents corrosion.

Prayer, Bible study and fellowship are like galvanizing your spiritual interior.

Learn to fall

As I was training for the triathlon this week, I stumbled and tumbled. A few years back this belly flop would have been bloody and banging: scraped hands and knees, bone jarring. I have perfected klutziness.

But this time I didn’t gush O+. On an uplifted sidewalk section, I tripped. But as I fell, I rolled, wasted my momentum, got up and went back to jogging without so much as a scrape. I had learned to fall in soccer.

My previous technique — the one that leads sidewalk carnage — was like a body shriek. My mind panicked, muscles tightened, limbs extended themselves to shock-absorb. Every pound of body weight took the hit.

Then I copied the boys who played soccer with me. When tripped, they curled their bodies up and let themselves roll freely. They didn’t try to “stop” the fall. It saves you a trip to ER.

Christians need to learn to fall. A fall should not injure badly. You should roll out of it quickly, gracefully and without abrasions. Get up and keep running. As you walk with Christ, there will likely be a few stumbles through the years. Christianity is not living in perfection, but constantly aiming at perfection. Learning to get back up after a fall is part of that.

Estate planner: Give it away

As an estate planner formerly, my pastor would counsel people how to handle their retirement money: Give it all to your children now, before you die, because if you wait, the government is going to get a bunch of it.

As much as people didn’t want Uncle Sam to gobble his unfair share, they would always balk. They want to make sure they have enough in case they get sick. Or whatever. Inevitably, the IRS trundles away with the kids’ inheritance.

There is a lesson for us Christians: don’t hold back on giving to God. Only what you give is credited to your account in Heaven. Don’t wait for another day, a better offer, a wider safety margin. Because the devil is going for his oversized slice of the pie. Give it recklessly (that is, with faith). Throw caution to the wind and your money to the offering plate. God is able to keep you from the rainy day for which you are saving.

Christian volcanoes

“Let’s get off this volcano! She doesn’t want us here!” said our guide.

I hadn’t worried about the golf-ball-sized rocks that came skudding down the cone, hiccupped from the top of the cone. We had hiked up Pacaya Volcano, one of the few active spewers among the 36 volcanoes in Guatemala. We could feel the warmth of months-old lava flow underneath our feet, its crust just hardened into rock. We could peer in the cracks at the welding red glow of lava. This was all part of the attraction of Pacaya.

But our guide didn’t see the falling projectiles as uneventful. We hurried down the red rock, over the black sand path, and then through the jungle path, to safety. Months earlier, a news crew, wanting to capture gripping footage, died.

Pacaya Volcano

Christians are volcanoes. Explosive power lies within. Some are dormant. They need to be awakened by faith. Others are rumbling, energized by faith, ready to explode with some miracle (of healing, finances, salvation, deliverance, whatever). Some are waking up (in prayer), others are dying down (they don’t pray anymore).

Some people underestimate the power within a volcano. The devil doesn’t. That’s why he works overtime to make us dormant.

The window and the mirror

The reason why God doesn’t help us is because we aren’t helping others. My pastor said it this morning: the reason why a man was backsliding so much is because he was obsessing on himself.

God has called us to the Great O-word: Others. Christianity must move beyond yourself, your feelings, your blessings. It must account ever-increasingly for others. How to serve them. How to aid them.

Stop looking at the mirror, and look out the window. It’s amazing how when we solve other people’s problems, we solve our own! Depression is simply anger turned inward. Turn it outward and project into positive action to help others.

Don’t just survive, thrive!

 

What’s your problem? Paul was in jail. He sang songs. He wrote letters. He grew in God. It didn’t seem to bother him a bit. His outward circumstances were irrelevant. We have a significant portion of the New Testament because he went to jail.

Marco Polo too. If he hadn’t been imprisoned by rivals Genoese, he probably would not have written about his travels to China. This, in turn, opened up trade, interchange of goods, discoveries of paper, noodles and gun powder to Europe.

Maybe God has brought you to bad circumstances for a later good purpose. Don’t mope. Enjoy, burst with optimism, bound out of the gate, the world is yours! Your current challenges are tomorrow’s triumphs! The desert precedes the Promised Land! If you pass the test, you pass the course. God has not brought failures upon you except to bring later successes. So in your struggles today, pray and look up.

 

The bad attitudes

Blessed are those who have iPhones, for they are chill.

Blessed are those who have more than 1,000 “friends” on Facebook, for they can feel popular.

Blessed are the beautiful, the handsome, the athletic, for they will be desired everywhere.

Blessed are the lukewarm, for they shall not be called intolerant.

Blessed are those who hunger for good food, for they shall be filled (here in the United States).

Blessed are the texters, for they’ shall miss Sunday morning’s text and any resulting conviction.

Blessed are the pluralists, for they shall coexist in peace even when no one they know gets to know the Prince of Peace.

Blessed are the compromisers, for they shall not be viewed as fanatical.

Blessed are those who make no real sacrifice for God’s kingdom, for they shall enjoy the abundant life here on Earth. Your treasure is here.

Rejoice only if you have everything you could possibly want. Weep and mourn if someone else has something you don’t.

(based on the “Beatitudes” from Matt. 5:3-12) What is the base for your faith?

The outer edge of the envelope

While the engineers calculate mathematically the performance capabilities of a new aircraft, it is the test pilots who hazard their lives finding the “outer edge of the envelope,” the real limitations of a plane. Go behind that limit, and you die.

Of course, the cocky cadre of test pilots are always trying to go beyond the established “outer edge of the envelope” in typical male bravado and one-upmanship. There’s the drive to go beyond the extreme, to set a record, a new edge to the envelope.

Chuck Yeager, a foremost test pilot

Paul does this. He is searching for the most extreme pronunciation of God’s capabilities, he is pushing the outer edge of the envelope, the limitations of language, to most emphatically express the overwhelming power of God, when he says: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. — Eph. 3:20 NIV

The same verse in New Living Translation: Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish INFINITELY more than we might ask or think. (caps mine)

When I was studying Koine Greek, I realized this. Paul can’t find words to measure up to the reality. He employs multiple superlatives and still comes short. God’s power is far greater than any language can express.

Because of the limitations of language, do we limit our faith?

Hope Solo’s overcoming spirit

 

Goalkeeper Hope Solo knows how to rise above adversity. Her father abandoned the family, went to jail multiple times, lost touch with her for 10 years, and then died before he had a chance to watch her star on the U.S. national team. Never the victim, she’s the most feared goal-stealer inside the box.

In her autobiography, she states: “It’s a complicated thing, knowing how much pain my father caused in my life and the lives of others whom I love, yet still holding love for him in my heart. No matter what he did, he was my father. He helped create the person I am. He just didn’t know how to be a husband or a father or a responsible member of society.”

Focus on the good, let the bad fall by the wayside, and shut out your opponent. Hope is by no means a Christian, but she’s learned some very Christian lessons. Overcoming is the essence of Christianity.