We love you, O LORD, our strength. We lift the persecuted church up to you right now.

May they remember that the LORD is their rock, their fortress and their deliverer. May they remember that their God is their rock, in whom they take refuge. He is their shield and the horn of their salvation, their stronghold. May they call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and be saved from their enemies.

The cords of death entangle them; the torrents of destruction are overwhelming them. The cords of the grave are coiled around them; the snares of death are confronting them. In their distress may they call to the LORD; may they cry to their God for help. From your temple hear their voices; may their cries come before you, into your ears.

May the earth tremble and quake, and the foundations of the mountains shake; may they tremble because you’re angry. May smoke rises from your nostrils; consuming fire comes from your mouth, burning coals blaze out of it. May you part the heavens and come down; dark clouds under your feet. Mount the cherubim and fly; soar on the wings of the wind.

May you make darkness your covering, your canopy around you--the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of your presence clouds advance, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. May you thunder from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounding.  May you shoot your arrows and scatter [the enemies], great bolts of lightning and route them. May the valleys of the sea be exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

May you reach down from on high and take hold of the persecuted church; draw them out of deep waters. May you rescue them from their powerful enemy, from their foes, who are too strong for them. Their enemies confront them in the day of their disaster, but the LORD is their support. May you bring them out into a spacious place; rescue them because you delight in them.

May it be so, O Lord. May it be so. 

Amen & amen.


* Based on Psalm 18:1-19

a prayer for boldness in evangelism

Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?”

Indeed, there are those here in Indianapolis who are antagonistic toward your holy servant Jesus, those who either reject His deity and saving power, or who are simply indifferent.

These people are in our families, schools, workplaces and communities. They are all around us.

But how can they call on Jesus to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Our feet!

Now, Lord, consider their threats, rejections and indifference toward Jesus and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so we can speak the word of God boldly.

Stretch out your hand to heal the spiritually-hardened hearts among us through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

We thank you in advance for the mighty work that you’re going to do in us and in the hearts of those who do not yet believe. Thank you, thank you, thank you that you are going to use us to reach people for Jesus.

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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

a back to school prayer

FOR ADULTS INVOLVED IN THE EDUCATION PROCESS

Heavenly Father, we come before you, our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer. We lift these men and women before you and ask that you bless their efforts in the coming school year.

Lord, please remind them that:

·         Children are a reward from the Lord to their parents, thus they are of great value (Ps 127:3).

·         Jesus Himself said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

·         Whatever responsibilities they have, that they work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. It is the Lord Christ they are serving (Col 3:23).

Heavenly Father, please empower these men and women to do all that they can do to be a blessing to the children in their schools. Fill them with your Holy Spirit and give them wisdom, patience, perseverance and an uncommon love. May they be the epitome of a godly influence at all times, in all ways, and in all circumstances.

Now to Him who can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory, in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

FOR CHILDREN (AND ADULTS) GOING TO SCHOOL

Heavenly Father, we come before you yet again, this time with those who are returning to school with the goal of learning as much as they can.

Lord…

·         May they remember that you knitted them together in their mother’s womb (Ps 139:13). May the knowledge that you created them remind them of how special, unique and loved they are.

·         May they remember that you will never leave them or forsake them (Heb 13:5). May that promise fill them with confidence and assurance for the coming year.

·         May they remember that if they go up to the heavens, you are there. If they make their beds in the depths, you are there. If they rise on the wings of the dawn, if they settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide them and your right hand will hold them fast (Ps 139:8-10). May your promise to guide them and lead them be of great comfort.

·         May they remember that it’s important to learn as much as they can, and to graduate.

·         May they remember that what happens at school is preparing them to be responsible men and women.

Heavenly Father, please empower these children (and adults) to be eager to learn—may they be like sponges, soaking up information that will help them in adulthood. May they be attentive and good listeners, and may they be respectful and appreciative of those who are teaching them.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen (Rev 1:5-6).

immigration: one christian's response

1.       I believe immigration is a very complex and divisive topic.

2.       I believe the Bible does not have a passage that lays out the details of an immigration policy for the United States here in the 21^st century.

3.       I believe all human beings—including immigrants, both legal and illegal—are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27).

4.       I believe we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and that includes immigrants (Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:29-27 and Leviticus 19:33).

5.       I believe racism is repulsive and a sin (Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:29-27 and Leviticus 19:33).

6.       I believe we in the United States need to remember that we’re all immigrants or descendants of immigrants.

7.       I believe immigrants need to hear the Gospel like anyone else (Matthew 28:19-20).

8.       I believe government and the Church of Jesus Christ have different callings and purposes and we should be careful not to get them confused (Romans 13:1-7, Mark 12:28-31).

9.       I believe most illegal immigrants are here to better themselves and their families, not to hurt the United States.

10.   I believe migrating to another country is a privilege, not a right.

11.   I believe countries have the right to place restrictions on and limit immigration, especially in the interest of national security (Romans 13:1-7).

12.   I believe laws are made to be obeyed and those who break the law should be punished—illegal immigrants are not being punished as required by law (Romans 13:1-7).

13.   I believe countries have the right to secure their borders--It is their duty to protect the safety of their own citizens (Romans 13:1-7).

14.   I believe it is virtually impossible to prevent all illegal immigrants from crossing the border and to make those who have overstayed their visas return to their countries of origin.

15.   I believe “rewarding” illegal behavior with no negative consequences will spur more illegal behavior in the future.

16.   I believe deporting or punishing all illegal immigrants (an estimated 11 million people) is an impossible task, not to mention an expensive and messy one.

17.   I believe children of illegal immigrants, while undocumented, should not have to pay for the unlawful behavior of their parents (Ezekiel 18:19-20).

18.   I believe separating parents from their children should be avoided whenever possible in the name of mercy (Luke 6:36).

19.   I believe the United States needs to reform its immigration policy in an effort to protect the best interests of the country, especially in the areas of sovereignty and security. Secondarily, this policy should be fair, merciful and enforceable.

20.   I believe we should strongly encourage and motivate immigrants to learn English, but making it the country’s official language is unnecessary and without precedent.

a prayer for rain

Father, you know all things and you know that our region, our state and our city is facing a serious drought. Without rain our supply of drinking water is dangerously low; our crops, plants, flowers and trees are slowly dying; and there is a constant threat of fires.

If we have brought this drought upon ourselves because of sin we humbly ask for your forgiveness.  We repent in sackcloth and ashes and hereby make a commitment to be faithful to you, the King of Kings, to you, the Lord of Lords. May the gracious and forgiving God of all things cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Kings 8:35-36).

In the powerful and wonderful name of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…

• We ask that you, in your mercy, open the storehouse of your bounty and send us much-needed rain (Deut 28:12).
• We ask that you, in your mercy, bestow rain on the earth and send water upon the countryside (Job 5:10).
• We ask that you, in your mercy, say to the rain, “Be a mighty downpour” (Job 37:6).
• We ask that you, in your mercy, cut a channel for the torrents of rain and a path for the thunderstorm (Job 38:25).
• We ask that you, in your mercy, send rain from heaven so that it will water the earth and the land bud and flourish (Isaiah 55:10).
• We ask that you, in your mercy, give us abundant showers to refresh us (Ps 68:8).

Amen and amen. Let it be.

i love...

...coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in the morning

grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup at lunch

juicy cheeseburger with all the fixings and fries for dinner

anything chocolate for dessert

but her smile—the one that lights up a room—oh, her smile

to die for!

 

...football, hockey and occasionally baseball

gladiator, braveheart, to kill a mockingbird and anything bourne

johnny carson, jimmy stewart, bruce willis and russell crowe

Scripture, a tale of two cities and anything by Andy Stanley

but her giggle—the one that tickles me down to my soul—oh, her giggle

to die for!

...the purr of a kitten

the cocking of a crow

the mournful wail of a distant train whistle

the chirping of birds and rushing water

but the way she makes me laugh—like nobody else—oh, the way she makes me laugh

to die for!

...sunrise, sunset and everything in between

night sky in all its glory

woods and fields, fields and woods

walking, walking, walking 

but the way she calls me by name—spoken or written—oh, the way she calls me by name

to die for!

her—after all these years--her

to die for!

oblivious to the obvious

I went for a walk with my dog Charlie this morning and we saw five deer. Well, I saw five deer. Charlie was oblivious to them.

You see, despite being no more than 20 yards or so in front of us, Charlie never saw the does. That’s because he was doing, well, what he always seems to be doing: sniffing the ground like there’s no tomorrow.

Yes, he seemed to smell them once we reached the spot where they had crossed our path, and while it was no doubt a thrill for him, I can’t help wondering if it would have been more exciting had he actually seen the darn things.

Unfortunately, what happened to Charlie sometimes happens to us humans: we miss the obvious because we’re too busy to notice.

Me? I’ve missed the obvious fact that not taking time off has burned me out and contributed to a downward spiral in my mood. Even though I know intellectually it was foolish, I kept doing it. Pushing, pushing and pushing some more. So much to do and so little time. No time to take time off.

Wrong.

What about you? Are you too busy to notice the obvious in your life? What are you missing at home? Work? School? Everywhere else?

Are there warning signs right in front of you, but ones you’re oblivious to? (I know, I know, if we’re oblivious to things then, well, we haven’t seen them and aren’t even aware we’ve missed them.)

But here’s a thought: For the next few days, keep your head up and your eyes and ears open. Who or what needs your attention?

Maybe, just maybe you’ll find that you’re missing something obvious. Just ask Charlie.