References:
• “Revenge of the Sith,” Anakin and Obi-Wan vs. Grievous
• Galatians 2:1-10 NAS
• Proverbs 3:1-8 NAS
• Importance of a Reputation article
I am sure that many of you out there have heard the phrase, “your reputation precedes you.” But, have you taken time to think about what it really means. And especially, have you thought about what it might mean for you?
A reputation is something you build with other people, and with society as a whole, throughout your life. It is something that is based on the decisions that you make, whether good or bad. As we all make choices in our lives, we develop habits. Over time, other people see our habits and come to expect certain things from us. Even though a person may change over the years, a reputation that someone has can hinder a person from seeing those changes.
Word of mouth can be a very powerful thing. For example, a restaurant or business can gain a good or bad reputation based solely on the opinions of a few people who are very vocal or influential. If a lot of people had a good experience someplace and talk excitedly about it with their friends and family, then other people will become interested and try it. But, if a number of people have a poor experience and freely share that, then many people may not even try the business.
As this ‘word of mouth’ spreads, a person or business’ reputation will ‘precede them.’ That is, people will hear more and more about the experiences that others have had. As they hear these differing opinions and experiences, they will develop their own opinion before ever meeting the person or visiting the business. It is here that the reputation of the person or place ‘precedes them.’
Let’s take a reputation of a public speaker as an example. Let’s say that ‘Author’ is an energetic, thoughtful, and funny public speaker on motivation. When this person speaks in public, other people report that they enjoyed the lectures, found them encouraging and thought provoking, and left with a different frame of references for how they do things. Let’s also say that this person also is very warm and friendly while talking with people during a one-on-one setting.
As the person prepares to do a lecture in a new place, many people will read about or talk with friends about their experiences. Because so many people had such a good experience in the past, people will be interested in hearing this person’s lecture for themselves. Even though they may have no person experience with this person themselves, they have already developed their own opinions and personal expectations based on the experiences of others.
This can also be a very negative thing. Let’s say that a has worked for years as county prosecutor for years. This person develops the reputation of cutting corners at times with how he/she does their work, is very difficult to work with, often comes across as very mean towards people that are being prosecuted, is extremely argumentative with everyone, etc. Over the years, he/she sets their eyes on working for a prestigious law firm in a major city. Though this prestigious law firm wants aggressive people working for them to protect their interests, thus law firm has developed a reputation for being stern but not rude or obnoxious. They want to win their court cases, but they want to maintain a positive image for themselves and their clients. Even if the small county prosecutor may have tempered how he/she did things over the years, his or her reputation will probably go before them and either hinder their application, or even prevent them from having a chance.
As those of you who have been following my blog for a while know, I work as Custody Staff for the Nebraska Department of Corrections. It is a job that I have had for over 8 years. During that time, I have developed quite a reputation with many of the Inmates and staff there. This reputation is that I take my job very seriously, will enforce the rules, seek to treat everyone the same, and genuinely care about others. This reputation has greatly helped me on many occasions. I want to share a few of those with you.
Since I am trained to work in the Special Management Unit (SMU) and do my job well, I work there a lot. One particular day, I was working the Upper E Gallery. Because the co-worker who worked on the Upper F Gallery was busy taking care of things someplace else for several hours, I was responsible for two galleries, each of which had at least 15 Inmates. This particular day had a lot going on, so I was very, very busy.
The Inmates on the Upper F Gallery were accepting of this, but many on my Gallery wanted their (felt needs) taken care of immediately. They could care less about the many responsibilities that I had. They wanted me to do what they wanted, when they wanted. Needless to say, this led to many of them being extremely angry.
After a few hours, not only were they yelling at me at the top of their lungs, kicking and hitting their metal doors, making threats to flood the Gallery, threatening physical harm to me, etc. And, with the concrete walls and confined space, the loud echoes intensified everything. During count, the Case Worker assigned to our side of SMU pulled me aside and let me know of his concern. I simply told him I was aware of their anger and threats, and that since I was the only Custody Staff up there taking care of two galleries, I was doing everything that I could.
Not long after that, I was on the Gallery. As earlier, that was a lot of yelling, banging, threats being made, etc. Out of nowhere, I heard one Inmate yell very loudly, “Hey, I know this guy from when I was on the Incentive Gallery! If you give him a chance, he will work with you! But, if you continuously piss him off, he will start ‘writing you up’ (write a Misconduct Report) for every little thing!!” I completed what I needed to do at that time and walked off the gallery. As I did, I remember thinking, “That was weird…”
A little while later, I walked back onto the Gallery and found it oddly quiet. No yelling and screaming, no banging, just quiet. As I walked by one cell door, the Inmate said, “Corporal Underwood, I know you are really busy, but could you….” and he named his request. I took some notes and continued on with my gallery check. It struck me as very odd that the particular Inmate had been extremely vocal in his displeasure with me not even 30 minutes earlier. Now, he was talking to me in a normal tone of voice. As I continued with my gallery check, two other Inmates very politely asked me for something. I took notes and then left the gallery.
Because of the dramatic turn of events, I went through my lists of requests, got what I needed, and then returned to the Gallery. Once again, it was extremely quiet (compared to how it had been). As I talked with each of the different Inmates, they thanked me for their time and addressing what they needed, and let me continue with my work. The rest of my shift, over five hours, was like that.
My shift started with me working two galleries because my co-worker had other responsibilities at the time. For the last hour or so of my shift, he was offered the chance to go home early (something we could do at the time due to good staffing). Because of how quiet and cooperative my Gallery was now, I told him to take the time off, I could handle both galleries without problem. And it was a very relaxing night for me. Because of the reputation I had with one Inmate, who chose to share his experience, things were defused and we all had a better night.
Not long ago, I was working in visiting. As per procedure, I had to strip search each of the Inmates before they went in. This particular night, there was at least 10 Inmates waiting to go into visiting and I was the only one there to do the strip searches. As I was getting ready to start, they were getting very vocal about this displeasure that I was the only one doing the searches, that they were not going to get ‘all of our time’ with their friends and family, etc. Then, one Inmate said, “Hey, I know Underwood. He’s cool… He has a job to do, we need to let him do it. He will get us through as fast as he can.” I could literately feel the tension of the room drop. I opened the door to the room where I did the strip search and this Inmate volunteered to go first. Again, my reputation preceded me, in a way, because of the rapport I had with one or two individuals.
On many other occasions, this has worked to my advantage. Because of the rapport that I had with one or two individuals, or because of my reputation in general, I am often able to get the cooperation of other Inmates. They may not want to obey, and they may even vocally refuse what I instruct them to do, but they still do it.
As a Body of Christ, we as a local church and as individual members create a reputation with other people and with the community that we live in. As Christians, we are Christ’s ambassadors to the world around us. How we choose to interact with others within the Christian community, and with those outside of the local church, can make or break our witness. Because of choices that we make and how we act, people will either be willing to listen to our testimony about our relationship with Christ, or disregard it.
Have you ever stopped to consider what your reputation is? Have you thought about how it is preceding you? Although I know I had thought about it from time-to-time, I never appreciated its importance until I started working with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. In the 8+ years working at the same prison, I have seen how one’s reputation can escalate or deescalate a situation. I have seen situations where no force had to be used because of one or two individuals with good rapport were involved. But, I have seen situations quickly escalate from bad to worse because of a person’s reputation.
A reputation can be very helpful or very harmful. It can also be changed, though changing a bad reputation can take a lot of energy and a lot of time. It is very much easier to destroy a good reputation with one or a few bad decisions. But, what we say and what we do are important. People are listening and they are watching. And these people are forming their opinions. Not only that, but they are sharing their opinions, experiences, and observations with others. This word of mouth can travel very fast and very far. We can easily walk into a situation tomorrow, or even years from now, and things will either go well or poorly solely on the reputation the precedes us now. Something to think and pray about…
Monday, April 25, 2016
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Dangers and Protection
References:
• Matthew 10:16-23 NAS
• Psalm 91 NAS
• Psalm 23 NAS
• שּׂבּﬨ (shay'-bet)
• משענה (mish-ay-naw')
• Our Daily Bread: Refuge
This past week has seen two assaults upon staff by inmates in two different state prisons. This is not the first time that such an assault has taken place within one of the several Nebraska Department of Corrections prisons. In fact, almost a year ago, there was a major riot on Mother’s Day in 2015. Our work is an inherently dangerous one because of the people that we work with. Every day, we go to work with a cautious and alert attitude, knowing that anything can happen.
Over my 40+ years, I have worked many different jobs. Ranging from camp counselor at a Church Camp, to being a student pastor at a church, to doing ministry to children at an inpatient treatment center (while in seminary), to being an Airborne paratrooper, to being a MP with the Nebraska national Guard. With each of these different jobs, I faced rewards and challenges unique to each environment. Between my almost 15 years with the US Army, between Active Duty and time with the Nebraska National Guard, I have been deployed four times. Three times to Iraq and once to Qatar. Of course, there were significant dangers with each of these deployments. Facing danger definitely isn’t new with me.
To be honest, each of us face dangers of one sort or another. Whenever we wake up each day and go to school or work, walk around town, go to church, go shopping, etc., there are always risks involved. There is always the chance that a we could get into an accident, slip one something, large branch could fall from a tree upon our head, be bitten by some dangerous insect or animal, have a severe allergic reaction to something, etc. We live in a fallen world, plagued with decay and death. But, some jobs seem to have more risks and dangers than others.
When I joined the military or joined NDCS, I went through training to prepare my physically and mentally for the challenges and dangers that I might face. Though all of the training is helpful and absolutely necessary, things always seem different when you are faced with a dangerous situation in real life.
While I drive to work each morning, I prayerfully put on God’s spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) and ask God watch over and protect myself and all of my co-workers. Along with that, I ask God to help us to be aware of things around us. Being alert is paramount!
I know that everyone prays to a god of whatever religious persuasion they follow for help, guidance, protection, etc. Whenever I do, I always remind myself that God always answers prayers, but not always the way that I expect.
Many Soldiers over the decades have found Psalm 91 to be exceedingly comforting. It is sometimes referred to as “The Soldier’s Psalm.” I have found comfort and encouragement in this particular Psalm on several occasions. But, Psalm 23 comes to my mind more often.
Almost 20 years ago, I was in seminary and took a Hebrew reading class. It was one of the few classes that I did extremely well in. Throughout the short semester, we would take various passages from the Old Testament and carefully research the Hebrew text. Afterwards, we would then translate the passage. As long as we could justify the word choice, the professor would accept it. While I was working on Psalm 23, something very interesting stood out to me. The words that are typically translated as ‘rod’ and ‘staff’ very interesting meanings. The first word, שּׂבּﬨ (shay'-bet), can mean ‘staff’ or ‘club.’ The other word, משענה (mish-ay-naw'), does mean ‘staff.’
Since I have a very vivid imagination (one of the strengths of being an INFJ), I pictured in my mind how this might look. In my mind, I saw a flock of sheep with a shepherd or two mingling amongst them. The shepherds watched the sheep, guiding them from place to place. They showed them where to graze on healthy grass and drink from clean water. Then I pictured a wild animal, let’s say a wolf, approach the flock. At first the shepherd would ‘reach out’ to the wolf with the sling and stone if they could. If they missed or there wasn’t time to get a stone ready, they would attack the wolf with the long staff. If that missed, or if the wolf was too close, the shepherd still had the rod (or club) to defend themselves and the sheep with.
That got me thinking just how God might protect me and others, from dangers that may be far away or those that may be right next to us. Just like any protective armor or weapon used for self-defense, they do not always work. Some people, though very highly protected, still get injured or killed. Though a person goes through years of training and become very skilled in protecting themselves and others, it doesn’t always work that way.
In both Psalm 23 and Psalm 91, we see that God is there to protect us, strengthen us, guide us. But, in real life, we also experience pain and death in spite of all the draining and safety precautions that we take. Sometimes we are in awe with how God miraculously saved us or someone else from harm when they should have been hurt or killed. But yet, not always.
It is a struggle when we so earnestly plead with God for safety for ourselves and others, but they are injured or killed. It is painful to see someone train hard for years, do everything right, purposely are careful, and still get hurt or die. We often wonder, “Why?”
What is comforting to me is, that no matter what the outcome will be, God will be there with me. I have been in several situations where I could have been seriously hurt or killed, but yet God miraculously protected me. But though God has done incredible things for me, He has also allowed pain and suffering to happen to myself or those around me. In 2006, a very good friend of mine died in Afghanistan from a IED (improvised explosive device). Several friends of mine within the Nebraska Department of Corrections have been injured while at work.
We all face danger each and every day. We all have a responsibility to think carefully, get the education and training that we need to be safer, to be aware of what is happening around us, etc. But in spite of all we do right, there is no guarantee that the outcome will be what we want. God never promised that. He only promised that He would be there with us, guiding us as we let Him. Just knowing that God will be with me, no matter what I go through, is great encouragement. I do not know what God will allow me to experience in the future. But, I know that God will be there with me, no matter what.
With whatever you are experiencing today, I encourage you to seek God’s help, His blessings, and His protection. Trust that He will answer your prayer. Just understand that His answer may not be what we are hoping or wanting. Let us remember that God loves us more than we can understand. He sees the ‘big picture.’ And, no matter what happens in our lives, let us radically trust God to use our obedience to accomplish His will. Though we may never fully understand the ‘why,’ let us walk in faith that He does. And may God give us the knowledge we need to make decisions we need to make, may He give us wisdom with how to do them, and the strength and courage to do them. And, if necessary, the strength and courage to do it alone, or to lay down our lives.
• Matthew 10:16-23 NAS
• Psalm 91 NAS
• Psalm 23 NAS
• שּׂבּﬨ (shay'-bet)
• משענה (mish-ay-naw')
• Our Daily Bread: Refuge
This past week has seen two assaults upon staff by inmates in two different state prisons. This is not the first time that such an assault has taken place within one of the several Nebraska Department of Corrections prisons. In fact, almost a year ago, there was a major riot on Mother’s Day in 2015. Our work is an inherently dangerous one because of the people that we work with. Every day, we go to work with a cautious and alert attitude, knowing that anything can happen.
Over my 40+ years, I have worked many different jobs. Ranging from camp counselor at a Church Camp, to being a student pastor at a church, to doing ministry to children at an inpatient treatment center (while in seminary), to being an Airborne paratrooper, to being a MP with the Nebraska national Guard. With each of these different jobs, I faced rewards and challenges unique to each environment. Between my almost 15 years with the US Army, between Active Duty and time with the Nebraska National Guard, I have been deployed four times. Three times to Iraq and once to Qatar. Of course, there were significant dangers with each of these deployments. Facing danger definitely isn’t new with me.
To be honest, each of us face dangers of one sort or another. Whenever we wake up each day and go to school or work, walk around town, go to church, go shopping, etc., there are always risks involved. There is always the chance that a we could get into an accident, slip one something, large branch could fall from a tree upon our head, be bitten by some dangerous insect or animal, have a severe allergic reaction to something, etc. We live in a fallen world, plagued with decay and death. But, some jobs seem to have more risks and dangers than others.
When I joined the military or joined NDCS, I went through training to prepare my physically and mentally for the challenges and dangers that I might face. Though all of the training is helpful and absolutely necessary, things always seem different when you are faced with a dangerous situation in real life.
While I drive to work each morning, I prayerfully put on God’s spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) and ask God watch over and protect myself and all of my co-workers. Along with that, I ask God to help us to be aware of things around us. Being alert is paramount!
I know that everyone prays to a god of whatever religious persuasion they follow for help, guidance, protection, etc. Whenever I do, I always remind myself that God always answers prayers, but not always the way that I expect.
Many Soldiers over the decades have found Psalm 91 to be exceedingly comforting. It is sometimes referred to as “The Soldier’s Psalm.” I have found comfort and encouragement in this particular Psalm on several occasions. But, Psalm 23 comes to my mind more often.
Almost 20 years ago, I was in seminary and took a Hebrew reading class. It was one of the few classes that I did extremely well in. Throughout the short semester, we would take various passages from the Old Testament and carefully research the Hebrew text. Afterwards, we would then translate the passage. As long as we could justify the word choice, the professor would accept it. While I was working on Psalm 23, something very interesting stood out to me. The words that are typically translated as ‘rod’ and ‘staff’ very interesting meanings. The first word, שּׂבּﬨ (shay'-bet), can mean ‘staff’ or ‘club.’ The other word, משענה (mish-ay-naw'), does mean ‘staff.’
Since I have a very vivid imagination (one of the strengths of being an INFJ), I pictured in my mind how this might look. In my mind, I saw a flock of sheep with a shepherd or two mingling amongst them. The shepherds watched the sheep, guiding them from place to place. They showed them where to graze on healthy grass and drink from clean water. Then I pictured a wild animal, let’s say a wolf, approach the flock. At first the shepherd would ‘reach out’ to the wolf with the sling and stone if they could. If they missed or there wasn’t time to get a stone ready, they would attack the wolf with the long staff. If that missed, or if the wolf was too close, the shepherd still had the rod (or club) to defend themselves and the sheep with.
That got me thinking just how God might protect me and others, from dangers that may be far away or those that may be right next to us. Just like any protective armor or weapon used for self-defense, they do not always work. Some people, though very highly protected, still get injured or killed. Though a person goes through years of training and become very skilled in protecting themselves and others, it doesn’t always work that way.
In both Psalm 23 and Psalm 91, we see that God is there to protect us, strengthen us, guide us. But, in real life, we also experience pain and death in spite of all the draining and safety precautions that we take. Sometimes we are in awe with how God miraculously saved us or someone else from harm when they should have been hurt or killed. But yet, not always.
It is a struggle when we so earnestly plead with God for safety for ourselves and others, but they are injured or killed. It is painful to see someone train hard for years, do everything right, purposely are careful, and still get hurt or die. We often wonder, “Why?”
What is comforting to me is, that no matter what the outcome will be, God will be there with me. I have been in several situations where I could have been seriously hurt or killed, but yet God miraculously protected me. But though God has done incredible things for me, He has also allowed pain and suffering to happen to myself or those around me. In 2006, a very good friend of mine died in Afghanistan from a IED (improvised explosive device). Several friends of mine within the Nebraska Department of Corrections have been injured while at work.
We all face danger each and every day. We all have a responsibility to think carefully, get the education and training that we need to be safer, to be aware of what is happening around us, etc. But in spite of all we do right, there is no guarantee that the outcome will be what we want. God never promised that. He only promised that He would be there with us, guiding us as we let Him. Just knowing that God will be with me, no matter what I go through, is great encouragement. I do not know what God will allow me to experience in the future. But, I know that God will be there with me, no matter what.
With whatever you are experiencing today, I encourage you to seek God’s help, His blessings, and His protection. Trust that He will answer your prayer. Just understand that His answer may not be what we are hoping or wanting. Let us remember that God loves us more than we can understand. He sees the ‘big picture.’ And, no matter what happens in our lives, let us radically trust God to use our obedience to accomplish His will. Though we may never fully understand the ‘why,’ let us walk in faith that He does. And may God give us the knowledge we need to make decisions we need to make, may He give us wisdom with how to do them, and the strength and courage to do them. And, if necessary, the strength and courage to do it alone, or to lay down our lives.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Learning to Pray
References:
• Matthew 6:9-13 NAS
• Prayer Online
• The UMC Book of Worship
• PC USA Book of Common Worship
This blog entry is based on a Bible Study that I did with members of the church my wife and I attend. It is definitely not an exhaustive look at what prayer is. Whole books written by people who have spent much more time studying the Christian concept of prayer. Instead, this is simply an introduction to my understanding of prayer. If there is enough interest, I will be happy to go into deeper detail with different aspects of prayer.
Let me first emphasize something. It is my opinion (and experience) that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to pray. Just as learning new skills, learning a language, cooking, etc., everyone has their own style and preferences. Some styles of prayer are more appropriate for different situations. However, praying is as unique as the person saying the prayer and the situation that created the need/desire for prayer.
Growing up a Presbyterian minister’s son, I learned a lot of prayers over the years. Some of them were typical prayers said before meals, others were prayers typically said before bed. Two examples are “Now I lay me down to sleep….” and ‘God is great, God is good…” I also grew up seeing the Psalms are awesome examples of prayers. I don’t think I ever saw them as exhaustive examples, just some examples.
While growing up in the church, I also learned to pray for others. Whether for healing, strength, encouragement, safe travels, etc. Although I learned all of these different prayers, I did not develop a deep prayer life until many years later.
While in college and seminary, I was introduced to many styles of prayers. I was also given ‘formulas’ for ‘how to pray.’ While I believe that acronyms can be helpful for doing prayers, I don’t think that they are absolutely essential. One ‘formula’ (acronym) that I came across recently that can be helpful is ACTS. ‘A’ is for adoration, praising God for who He is. ‘C’ is for Confession, telling Him everything we’ve done wrong and asking for His forgiveness. ‘T’ is for thanksgiving, thanking Him for answered prayers and for helping us in our daily lives. And ‘S’ is for supplication, asking God for daily needs (http://www.prayeronline.org.au/how-to-pray).
But, for me, one of the most important things that I have learned is that prayer is to be a conversation with God. One way of looking at it is, we read Scripture to hear from God. And then we pray in order to talk with God. While I do pray this way at times, I more often do not. Instead, I will spend a large portion of time while walking, driving, or sitting in the house and reflect on things in my life while praying. Sometimes I might have a list of things that I want to make sure and pray about, but often I don’t.
On many occasions, I have gone for a walk and prayed for others. Things that I typically will pray about are my friends and family, the businesses and/or houses that I walk buy, up coming events in my life, etc. There rarely is a set agenda, I just pray about what comes to mind. I was first exposed to this idea of ‘prayer walking’ while in college. It is a good way for working on praying in a more spontaneous manner.
I do something a little different while driving to work. Over the years, I have developed the habit of spending at least 10 minutes of my commute to work (be it for the Department of Corrections, the Nebraska Guard unit, or something else). Typically, I will acknowledge my sinful nature, thank God for His healing and forgiveness, and transition to thanking Him for giving me His Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). Then I will often start praying about my upcoming day at work, things that I know I will experience, making the right decisions, that myself and all others in a leadership role will make the right choices, etc. Some days, I only spend 5-8 minutes in prayer. Other times, I have spent an entire commute in prayer. Either because of all the things that came to my mind to pray for, or because I was spending a lot of time praising and thanking God for things He has already done.
Some people like to keep a prayer journal. I have done this on occasion, but have not been very consistent with it. Probably because I typically prefer to pray while doing other things like walking or driving.
While I was at FT Bragg, and friend of mine and I decided to become prayer partners. We would call each other on a regular basis (frequently to daily, depending on our schedules). During our phone calls, we would share recent news, prayer requests, and then pray together. Since we would usually pray with each other while talking on the phone, we jokingly would say, “Do you want to dial and then I hang up?” That is, one of us would ‘dial,’ or start the prayer. Then, we would pray as we felt the Holy Spirit guiding us. Eventually, when the other person felt led to do so, he would ‘hang up.’ That is, he would close the prayer. It was something that worked really well for us.
Asides from the many examples of prayer in Scripture, two other good resources come to my mind. One is Chapter 3 of “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster. The other is chapter 15 of “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In both of these examples, the respective author spends times talking about their perspectives and experiences on prayer. There are many, many other resources out there that one can use.
In closing, I want to emphasize a couple of things. One is that how a person prays is really going to depend on who the person is and the particular situation that they are praying about. A person should always be learning and growing with how they pray. Try different ways of praying. Try keeping a prayer journal, pray by yourself and pray with others, experiment with praying for people while out walking, etc. Over time, God will help you learn ways to pray that honor Him and draw you closer into a deeper relationship with Him. In fact, that should be one of your goals with prayer, to experience His love and grace more, to walk closer with Him, and to be able to be more responsive to His guidance. Be ready to be surprised by Him as you do this. He has truly done that with me.
• Matthew 6:9-13 NAS
• Prayer Online
• The UMC Book of Worship
• PC USA Book of Common Worship
This blog entry is based on a Bible Study that I did with members of the church my wife and I attend. It is definitely not an exhaustive look at what prayer is. Whole books written by people who have spent much more time studying the Christian concept of prayer. Instead, this is simply an introduction to my understanding of prayer. If there is enough interest, I will be happy to go into deeper detail with different aspects of prayer.
Let me first emphasize something. It is my opinion (and experience) that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to pray. Just as learning new skills, learning a language, cooking, etc., everyone has their own style and preferences. Some styles of prayer are more appropriate for different situations. However, praying is as unique as the person saying the prayer and the situation that created the need/desire for prayer.
Growing up a Presbyterian minister’s son, I learned a lot of prayers over the years. Some of them were typical prayers said before meals, others were prayers typically said before bed. Two examples are “Now I lay me down to sleep….” and ‘God is great, God is good…” I also grew up seeing the Psalms are awesome examples of prayers. I don’t think I ever saw them as exhaustive examples, just some examples.
While growing up in the church, I also learned to pray for others. Whether for healing, strength, encouragement, safe travels, etc. Although I learned all of these different prayers, I did not develop a deep prayer life until many years later.
While in college and seminary, I was introduced to many styles of prayers. I was also given ‘formulas’ for ‘how to pray.’ While I believe that acronyms can be helpful for doing prayers, I don’t think that they are absolutely essential. One ‘formula’ (acronym) that I came across recently that can be helpful is ACTS. ‘A’ is for adoration, praising God for who He is. ‘C’ is for Confession, telling Him everything we’ve done wrong and asking for His forgiveness. ‘T’ is for thanksgiving, thanking Him for answered prayers and for helping us in our daily lives. And ‘S’ is for supplication, asking God for daily needs (http://www.prayeronline.org.au/how-to-pray).
But, for me, one of the most important things that I have learned is that prayer is to be a conversation with God. One way of looking at it is, we read Scripture to hear from God. And then we pray in order to talk with God. While I do pray this way at times, I more often do not. Instead, I will spend a large portion of time while walking, driving, or sitting in the house and reflect on things in my life while praying. Sometimes I might have a list of things that I want to make sure and pray about, but often I don’t.
On many occasions, I have gone for a walk and prayed for others. Things that I typically will pray about are my friends and family, the businesses and/or houses that I walk buy, up coming events in my life, etc. There rarely is a set agenda, I just pray about what comes to mind. I was first exposed to this idea of ‘prayer walking’ while in college. It is a good way for working on praying in a more spontaneous manner.
I do something a little different while driving to work. Over the years, I have developed the habit of spending at least 10 minutes of my commute to work (be it for the Department of Corrections, the Nebraska Guard unit, or something else). Typically, I will acknowledge my sinful nature, thank God for His healing and forgiveness, and transition to thanking Him for giving me His Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). Then I will often start praying about my upcoming day at work, things that I know I will experience, making the right decisions, that myself and all others in a leadership role will make the right choices, etc. Some days, I only spend 5-8 minutes in prayer. Other times, I have spent an entire commute in prayer. Either because of all the things that came to my mind to pray for, or because I was spending a lot of time praising and thanking God for things He has already done.
Some people like to keep a prayer journal. I have done this on occasion, but have not been very consistent with it. Probably because I typically prefer to pray while doing other things like walking or driving.
While I was at FT Bragg, and friend of mine and I decided to become prayer partners. We would call each other on a regular basis (frequently to daily, depending on our schedules). During our phone calls, we would share recent news, prayer requests, and then pray together. Since we would usually pray with each other while talking on the phone, we jokingly would say, “Do you want to dial and then I hang up?” That is, one of us would ‘dial,’ or start the prayer. Then, we would pray as we felt the Holy Spirit guiding us. Eventually, when the other person felt led to do so, he would ‘hang up.’ That is, he would close the prayer. It was something that worked really well for us.
Asides from the many examples of prayer in Scripture, two other good resources come to my mind. One is Chapter 3 of “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster. The other is chapter 15 of “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In both of these examples, the respective author spends times talking about their perspectives and experiences on prayer. There are many, many other resources out there that one can use.
In closing, I want to emphasize a couple of things. One is that how a person prays is really going to depend on who the person is and the particular situation that they are praying about. A person should always be learning and growing with how they pray. Try different ways of praying. Try keeping a prayer journal, pray by yourself and pray with others, experiment with praying for people while out walking, etc. Over time, God will help you learn ways to pray that honor Him and draw you closer into a deeper relationship with Him. In fact, that should be one of your goals with prayer, to experience His love and grace more, to walk closer with Him, and to be able to be more responsive to His guidance. Be ready to be surprised by Him as you do this. He has truly done that with me.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Hearing and Responding
References:
• Isaiah 6 NAS
• James 4:13-17 NAS
• “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” (with lyrics) from “The Prince of Egypt”
Over the years, I have often been challenged to listen to the directions that God is giving me and to follow where He guides me. Sometimes it is easy to be obedient. When you sense God directing you to do something that makes sense or makes sense, obedience is easy. Such situations as comfort a friend who is going through a rough time, volunteer in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, to sing during a worship service when you love to sing in front of people, etc. All of those are easy to do.
But yet, often times God will call us to do things that are difficult. For example, God may call a person who loves to study and research thing to teach a class. But while that person loves to learn new things, sharing them in a social setting may set them on edge. Or, sometimes God calls a person to take a stand against a socially accepted evil, like abortion, even though it will mean sacrificing his/her relationship with many friends and family members.
I have sometimes wondered what went through the minds of people like Paul, Isaiah, James, etc., when God called them to do something. Let’s take Isaiah’s experience as an example. Not a whole lot is known about him. He may have been an aristocrat, or maybe he just grew up in Jerusalem and was very knowledgeable with the religious and political leaders. No matter what his up bring was, we see in Chapter 6 that he was suddenly called by God to be His spokesperson to the nation of Israel. And, like Daniel and Jeremiah, it appears that he had a long ministry. And, according to Scripture, his ministry was often rejected.
When God calls us to do things that are unpopular, it can be very hard to want to obey. How many people do you know who enjoy going against the grain, calling injustices and evils to light, and taking a very unpopular stand? I have read about, and talked with, people who are very passionate about the cause they are leading. Though they are passionate about their cause, they often feel greatly frustrated with having to fight against the status quo. Though driven, they are often tired, exhausted, sometimes even become physically ill from the stress.
Sometimes, though, the challenges that God calls us to are not fighting major social injustices. Sometimes the difficult times that God calls a person to are working a job that they really do not enjoy, living in a community that they do not feel a part of, etc. I have been experiencing this myself for many years. It is very hard to work a job that does not come naturally to you, where you feel like a square peg in a round hole. But yet, sometimes God wants to use you in one place so that, when His timing is right, you can be placed in a different position where He can use you, and it feels more natural.
One of the things that I have noticed in Scripture is that God often calls people to follow Him and do things way out of their comfort zones. With people like Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, Saul (later Paul), amongst many others, God called a person from one life and profession to fulfill something totally different. Moses went from a Prince of Egypt to a shepherd somewhere in Canaan, and then to the leader of Israel. Saul was a zealous Pharisee until God changed his life. After his awesome encounter with God on the road to Damascus, Paul became a very influential person within the Early Church and a very effective missionary.
In many cases, the people who God called were not ‘qualified’ for what He called them to do. But, in spite of the fact that they didn’t have the training prior to what He was calling them to, God provided all that they needed as they walked in obedience. Some of those called by God to walk in faith in ways that were very challenging saw a lot of fruit for their labor. Some of them saw little in their lifetime. The same can be in our lives. Although God may call us to do something in faith, we may or may not see much fruit for our labor. And, that is a difficult thing to accept. But yet, accept it we must.
In this life time, we may see little of what God is doing through us. But, that cannot be an excuse to justify not being obedient. Even when it seems that walking in obedience means walking totally alone, we still need to follow. One song that has been a source of encouragement to me (and a challenge, too) is “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” from the movie “The Prince of Egypt.” This song reminds me of the fact that my perception of life is very, very limited. I can easily miss what God is accomplishing through my obedience. Or, it could even be totally hidden from me. But yet, I am encouraged with Ecclesiastes 11:1, that God will accomplish His will through what I do. I may not see it, but He will accomplish His will through my obedience. Is that not an encouragement?!
Whether God calls us to do something that is easy or exceptionally challenging, let us prayerfully seek to obey. Even if we might not see what God is doing through our obedience, let us strive to be obedient. Isaiah, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Fredrick Douglass, amongst many others, probably had little comprehension of what all God would do through them. The repercussions of their obedience is felt even to today. Though we may not be used like God used them, that’s not to say that God can’t do incredible things through us. On this side of Heaven, we probably will not fully comprehend all that God has accomplished through us.
I started this blog many years ago, walking in faith that it was what God wanted me to do. Although I see that many people have visited my blog (over 1300 to date), and people from all over the world have viewed it, I still don't know just how it impacts each person. I have had visitors from the Middle East, all over Europe, Canada, China, etc. (at least, that is where their ISP is registered at). But, though I know many people have visited my blog, I do not know how many stop and read through everything. I also do not know how I have impacted lives now, be it encouragement, challenge, or what not. Nor do I know what kind of seeds God might be planting in a person's heart when they stop briefly, read a few lines, and then go elsewhere. Though I don't know, I trust that God is accomplishing something. Just as when a stone is tossed into a pond and the ripples continue from one side to another, let us seek to do God’s will. As we pray for help to be obedient, let us trust God to guide those ‘ripples’ in the directions that He wants them to go. And maybe, just maybe, God will give us glimpses into what He is doing through us.
• Isaiah 6 NAS
• James 4:13-17 NAS
• “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” (with lyrics) from “The Prince of Egypt”
Over the years, I have often been challenged to listen to the directions that God is giving me and to follow where He guides me. Sometimes it is easy to be obedient. When you sense God directing you to do something that makes sense or makes sense, obedience is easy. Such situations as comfort a friend who is going through a rough time, volunteer in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, to sing during a worship service when you love to sing in front of people, etc. All of those are easy to do.
But yet, often times God will call us to do things that are difficult. For example, God may call a person who loves to study and research thing to teach a class. But while that person loves to learn new things, sharing them in a social setting may set them on edge. Or, sometimes God calls a person to take a stand against a socially accepted evil, like abortion, even though it will mean sacrificing his/her relationship with many friends and family members.
I have sometimes wondered what went through the minds of people like Paul, Isaiah, James, etc., when God called them to do something. Let’s take Isaiah’s experience as an example. Not a whole lot is known about him. He may have been an aristocrat, or maybe he just grew up in Jerusalem and was very knowledgeable with the religious and political leaders. No matter what his up bring was, we see in Chapter 6 that he was suddenly called by God to be His spokesperson to the nation of Israel. And, like Daniel and Jeremiah, it appears that he had a long ministry. And, according to Scripture, his ministry was often rejected.
When God calls us to do things that are unpopular, it can be very hard to want to obey. How many people do you know who enjoy going against the grain, calling injustices and evils to light, and taking a very unpopular stand? I have read about, and talked with, people who are very passionate about the cause they are leading. Though they are passionate about their cause, they often feel greatly frustrated with having to fight against the status quo. Though driven, they are often tired, exhausted, sometimes even become physically ill from the stress.
Sometimes, though, the challenges that God calls us to are not fighting major social injustices. Sometimes the difficult times that God calls a person to are working a job that they really do not enjoy, living in a community that they do not feel a part of, etc. I have been experiencing this myself for many years. It is very hard to work a job that does not come naturally to you, where you feel like a square peg in a round hole. But yet, sometimes God wants to use you in one place so that, when His timing is right, you can be placed in a different position where He can use you, and it feels more natural.
One of the things that I have noticed in Scripture is that God often calls people to follow Him and do things way out of their comfort zones. With people like Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, Saul (later Paul), amongst many others, God called a person from one life and profession to fulfill something totally different. Moses went from a Prince of Egypt to a shepherd somewhere in Canaan, and then to the leader of Israel. Saul was a zealous Pharisee until God changed his life. After his awesome encounter with God on the road to Damascus, Paul became a very influential person within the Early Church and a very effective missionary.
In many cases, the people who God called were not ‘qualified’ for what He called them to do. But, in spite of the fact that they didn’t have the training prior to what He was calling them to, God provided all that they needed as they walked in obedience. Some of those called by God to walk in faith in ways that were very challenging saw a lot of fruit for their labor. Some of them saw little in their lifetime. The same can be in our lives. Although God may call us to do something in faith, we may or may not see much fruit for our labor. And, that is a difficult thing to accept. But yet, accept it we must.
In this life time, we may see little of what God is doing through us. But, that cannot be an excuse to justify not being obedient. Even when it seems that walking in obedience means walking totally alone, we still need to follow. One song that has been a source of encouragement to me (and a challenge, too) is “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” from the movie “The Prince of Egypt.” This song reminds me of the fact that my perception of life is very, very limited. I can easily miss what God is accomplishing through my obedience. Or, it could even be totally hidden from me. But yet, I am encouraged with Ecclesiastes 11:1, that God will accomplish His will through what I do. I may not see it, but He will accomplish His will through my obedience. Is that not an encouragement?!
Whether God calls us to do something that is easy or exceptionally challenging, let us prayerfully seek to obey. Even if we might not see what God is doing through our obedience, let us strive to be obedient. Isaiah, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Fredrick Douglass, amongst many others, probably had little comprehension of what all God would do through them. The repercussions of their obedience is felt even to today. Though we may not be used like God used them, that’s not to say that God can’t do incredible things through us. On this side of Heaven, we probably will not fully comprehend all that God has accomplished through us.
I started this blog many years ago, walking in faith that it was what God wanted me to do. Although I see that many people have visited my blog (over 1300 to date), and people from all over the world have viewed it, I still don't know just how it impacts each person. I have had visitors from the Middle East, all over Europe, Canada, China, etc. (at least, that is where their ISP is registered at). But, though I know many people have visited my blog, I do not know how many stop and read through everything. I also do not know how I have impacted lives now, be it encouragement, challenge, or what not. Nor do I know what kind of seeds God might be planting in a person's heart when they stop briefly, read a few lines, and then go elsewhere. Though I don't know, I trust that God is accomplishing something. Just as when a stone is tossed into a pond and the ripples continue from one side to another, let us seek to do God’s will. As we pray for help to be obedient, let us trust God to guide those ‘ripples’ in the directions that He wants them to go. And maybe, just maybe, God will give us glimpses into what He is doing through us.
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