Time to Pray

There have been times in my life when I have struggled with prayer. I struggled in the sense that I did not make time to pray in my everyday routine. Without question, a big reason for my struggle was selfishness.

In college, I had to make time for my studies. I was preparing myself to be a preacher after all. I also had to make time for my friends. Obviously, I had to see the sports report every day on TV. And I enjoyed reading a TIME or SPORTS ILLUSTRATED when I got the chance. When I was in student government, there were meetings to attend. There were also spiritual activities: church, daily chapel, Tuesday night devo... Many times I found myself doing no more than beginning a prayer as I lay down at night. Usually I fell asleep before finishing it.

Finally, I graduated from college. But guess what? I was still too busy to pray. A few years later, I moved to a foreign country to do mission work—still too busy to pray.

Finally, I had to get real. What I had was not a time problem. What I had was a priority problem. I had about 163 things that I wanted to do before I prayed. The issue was not that I needed more hours, more minutes, or more seconds in my day. The issue was that I needed more Jesus and less Mark in my day.

Today, spending time in prayer is still a battle. I often reflect upon the absurdity of that reality.

Think about it. When I spend little time praying in a given day, what am I saying? I’m saying with my attitude, “Excuse me, God. But I think I can make it on my own today. I’ll call you when I need you.”

I’m saying, “No offense God. But today, ‘Good Morning America,’ ‘The Dallas Morning News,’ five telephone calls, two appointments, two ham and cheese sandwiches, one ten minute nap, two hours of research, two more appointments, time with two of my kids, two phone calls, one visit with a neighbor, a conversation with my wife, playing with another child, putting my children to bed, and reading from a good book are more important to me than spending time talking with you.”

Take what I just said and apply it to couples and marriage. I know of too many couples that divorced because they allowed an aggregation of little things to prevent them from spending time with their mates. What is it about taking such a relatively minute portion of our day to talk with God that makes it so difficult for us?

I think one reason is that the god of this world has so much power. Satan has tremendous resources, one of which is our nature, which is predisposed to sin.

Another thing that Satan has going for him is that he is one of the most humble beings on this planet. Much more humble than we are. He doesn’t care if we realize we are serving him. What matters to him is that he’s got us. And if we are living to please ourselves, he’s got us.

Can you imagine if I treated one of my four kids like I do God? What if the standard that determined if I fed my kids was the same as the standard I have that determines when I pray—personal desire.

“What sweetie? You haven’t eaten all night? You want some breakfast? Well I’m watching ‘Good Morning America’ right now. How about after it’s over?”

After ‘Good Morning America’ is over: “What sweetie? You’re hungry. Well I’m reading the paper right now. How about if I get you some later?”

We have a name for parents whose quality of treatment for their children is based upon personal desire—child abusers. Obviously, a parent does not determine the feeding of a child based on what is personally most satisfying for himself. The fulfillment of the physical and nutritional needs of a child is based on a commitment. Personal desires and conveniences cannot be the priority.

I wish we took the nutrition of our spiritual needs as seriously.

             A good prayer life is a decision. It is not based upon when we want to do it. It is not even based upon when we feel like doing it. It is based upon a decision by our minds, by that special place called the will.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. What an exceptional TV Special by Diane Sawyer on the just released tapes of Jacqueline Kennedy. If you have not read about it, Caroline Kennedy recently released the audio tape recordings of interviews that historian Arthur Schlesinger conducted in early 1964. Having read many historical works on the Kennedys, I heard some insights I had never read. Very well done.

2. Just finished an audio book for the second time—BABE by Robert Creamer. It is a biography of Babe Ruth. Scratch that—it remains THE biography of Babe Ruth.

3. Next movie, see WARRIOR. I am not a fan of UFC fighting (although people occasionally confuse me for a UFC fighter), but this film is not about UFC. It is about family, including a dysfunctional family, and it is about people. UFC is the tool to tell the story. Mark my words; Nick Nolte will win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His portrayal of an alcoholic father is perfect. I especially love the added detail of his character listening to tapes of the book MOBY DICK. You will appreciate this movie.

4. I owe the Dallas Cowboys an apology. I pronounced them dead last night to my church. Season over, I said. Afterwards, one of our elders gave me the news—the Cowboys’ pulled it out and Romo’s a hero. Okay, rumors of the Cowboys’ death are exaggerated. Time will tell if the exaggeration was great.

5. Happy 78^th birthday today, Martha Edge. Much love to you.

Prayer Preoccupation

Have you ever been listening to someone pray and your mind wander? I can be in church, in a prayer group, listening to my wife or daughter pray, it makes no difference, and I struggle with keeping my focus on their prayers. Shoot, I sometimes have trouble keeping my concentration in my own prayers! Why is that?

I truly believe a major barrier to an effective prayer life is a preoccupation with self. It is selfishness.

I’m not proud to admit this, but when someone is praying in church I sometimes have a problem tuning in. I find my attention being naturally drawn to income taxes, or financial problems, or a family problem, or a Dallas Cowboy problem, or any problem that is important to my life in that moment. Sometimes, I find myself thinking about my sermon. Sometimes, something the guy mentions in his prayer causes me to stop and reflect on his point. Meanwhile, his prayer has left me behind.

In Argentina, a teammate and I use to meet with the college students of our church at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday mornings to pray. It so happened that because of scheduling difficulties, we had to choose that particular time and day of the week. Wednesday was my day off, but since the prayer session took place before my family awoke, I cheerfully went.

You might think my struggle there would have been to stay awake. It wasn’t. Instead I found myself making a massive effort to stay focused on what the person was praying. Time, however, would chip away at my concentration, and, at about the third or fourth person in the group, I would begin to struggle with the distracting thoughts. (“It’s my day off, what should my family and I do today?”)

Now, we can say that all of these struggles are human. And they are. And you can tell me that you struggle with this too. I appreciate your honesty. But the fact is, the reason this is a shared human experience is that our own selfish interests basically dominate us.

We want to talk about what we’re interested in. We want to focus on our concerns. Let’s face it. Sometimes it’s not fun to listen to what someone else is praying about. Sometimes, someone else’s problems don’t compare in our minds to our own.

We say we are God’s people, and we are. We say we are New Testament Christians. And we are. But, as God’s people, as New Testament Christians, we should pray along with other Christians in their prayers.

It is simply the right thing to do.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I read LARRY KING’s TRUTH BE TOLD. I got to tell you, it is a fun, fascinating, and quick read. Larry is the king (get it?) of anecdotes; nevertheless, there are some profound insights from his life and connection with his guests as well. Our local library has a copy—read it.

2. I think Brad and Colt McCoy’s new book is so impactful, I have decided to read it to my son—a little bit every night.

3. A friend of mine recommended we see SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA, so Judy and I saw it Labor Day. Good flick. Robert Duval basically plays a Christian “Yoda” to Lucas Black’s “Luke Skywalker.” It is a sweet movie with Christian and spiritual themes. My kids could have watched it. I recommend it.

4. It is hard to believe ten years have passed since September 11, 2001. I think few people have changed the world like those 19 hijackers did. Unfortunately, they have changed the world for the worse. When I think about the thousands of lives lost that day and in the wars to follow, all of the freedoms lost, all of the tens of billions of dollars that day has cost the world (the economic impact), I feel saddened.

5. Nothing worse than seeing the Cowboys almost win a game I expected them to lose, and, then,right at the very end--lose a game they should have won.

A Little Dab Will Do You

             I received good and interesting feedback on my thoughts on THE LORD’S SUPPER/COMMUNION last week. What I wish to do today is unusual for me; today, I wish to make an argument for the other side.

            It would go like this.

            There is no way we can replicate the Lord’s Supper/Communion experience of the First Century. First, for a substantial number of Christians, that meal was their biggest and best of the week. (This is one of the reasons Paul jumped on the more well-to-do Corinthians—they enjoying a relatively sumptuous meal; meanwhile, the poor had little to eat and left hungry.)

            Meat was not an item Christians could always afford. For Jewish Christians, a carry-over from some of the sacrificial meals under the old law was eating meat during sacred meals. Most of us regularly eat meat, and when was the last time you enjoyed a church’s potluck more than you did food from your favorite restaurant.

            Second, for some early Christians, the only time they would enjoy a full stomach would be after the agape meal (the meal experienced in the context for the Lord’s Supper/Communion.) Were we to eat our fill during the Lord’s Supper/Communion today, we would have to wait until—the next meal… before we would fill our stomachs again. Whether we desire to admit or not, most of us have enough food in our pantries to fill our stomach’s for a week or two.

            Most of us, Christians, in the U.S. are simply affluent. So why make a big deal about eating our fill during the Lord’s Supper/Communion?

            The fact is, we are not where we are going. We have not experienced heaven’s wedding meal with the Lamb. That is to come. Indeed, it says something about our present limitations that we can eat until our bellies are full, and yet we hunger again by the time the next meal rolls around.

            Why not partake of just a taste of heaven—a reign and an experience that is not fully consummated yet?

            Someday, that age will come—but not yet. The wafer of unleavened bread and the thimbleful cup size of grape juice remind us of our present existence.

            LIFE IS BETTER, NOW THAT WE KNOW THE LORD. However, we are not where we desire to be—or where we will be.

            Until then, we will eat portions influenced by a fallen creation to celebrate God’s work in Jesus, and encourage us to wait for what is to come.

            I am not saying this should be our regular practice. I am saying how we think could redeem our current practice.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Okay, I have read messages from some of my friends on Facebook—wonderful, spiritual, and godly reactions to Osama Bin Laden’s death. These included marvelous scriptures that really made me think.

            So now, I am going to offer my initial emotional reaction. I am not saying it was right. Indeed, in light of scripture, it probably was wrong. But here it is:

            Last night, my daughter, Haleigh, woke me up from a deep sleep. Excitedly, she said, “Dad, they just killed Osama bin Laden. The president is speaking.”

               This is one of the few times I can remember being awakened from a deep sleep, and feeling upbeat about the experience. Instantly, even as my mind was processing the news, I felt positive emotions.

            Entering our den, where Haleigh had the president's speech live on the computer, I saw and heard him talking to the nation, and to the world. By then, I was fully awake, and I felt deep joy.

            Ten years is a long time. The world is a different place.

            Recently, I began watching Tom Hanks’ mini-series, THE PACIFIC. Some of those soldiers experienced perhaps the closest humans will get to hell on earth. Suicidal enemies attacking them using island civilians as instruments to blow up and destroy American soldiers. I tend to give others the benefit of the doubt when they have to choose between two or more bad choices.

            I am blessed by the world those soldiers helped protect. It is hard for me to divorce myself from this country. I have lived in other countries; there is no place like this one.

            I like feeling safe. I like feeling free.

            I appreciate our policemen. I appreciate our military.

            When others risk much (including the possibility that they might be doing something morally wrong in the pursuit of doing what is right), with the result being I am safer and free, I cannot help but feel gratitude.

2. Someday, someone should write an updated theology of government. When you wake up and find yourself the most powerful government on earth, how do you handle that responsibility?

            I suspect it is similar to waking up and finding yourself receiving the responsibility of parenthood. You cannot serve without sinning; yet, to walk away from the responsibility is sinning.

3. Way to go Mavs! Way to beat Portland.

4. DeMarco Murray drafted by the Dallas Cowboys? Please! If he cannot stay healthy in college, how in the world will he in the NFL?

5. It was five years ago this week I began my ministry at Shiloh. I am grateful, and there is no other place on earth I would rather be.

            

Adventure with the Clock

Douglas Southall Freeman wrote two Pulitzer Prize winning works on the lives of Robert E. Lee and George Washington. Today, they are still considered the definitive biographies of these extraordinary Americans. Freeman was also the award-winning Editor for several decades of a major newspaper, the RICHMOND (VA) NEWS LEADER. Add to these responsibilities, two daily radio broadcasts, memberships to various boards and civic organizations, as well as, church and other extracurricular activities, and one must ask—how did Freeman do it?

            Part of the answer is found in the biography of Freeman written by his grandson, David E. Johnson. Johnson’s work included the typical daily schedule in Freeman’s later years, as witnessed by a writer from TIME magazine. Johnson called this chapter “Adventure with the Clock.” Here is the schedule:


2:30 A.M. Awake.

2:30-2:44 Dress, shave, devotional.

2:45 Downstairs to kitchen.

2:45-3:08 Prepare and eat breakfast, walk to car.

3:08-3:25 Drive to RICHMOND NEWS LEADER office.

3:25-3:29 Park, walk into building, up to office.

3:30 At desk, Associate Press wires in hand.

3:31-7:58 Read wire dispatches and morning paper, write editorials, mark items for index.

7:58-8:00 Walk to WRNL studio.

8:00-8:15 Broadcast.

8:15-8:17 Walk back to office.

8:17-8:32 Morning staff meeting.

8:32-11:58 Attend to duties of editor. Answer mail, receive visitors, attend meetings, check first edition of paper, block and set editorials. (In his later years, Freeman would, at times, take a brief nap at 11:00 A.M.)

11:58-12:00 Walk to WRNL studio.

12:00-12:15 Broadcast.

12:15-12:17 Walk back to office.

12:17-12:30 Complete last details of day ad prepare for next day. Walk to car.

12:30-12:47 Drive home.

12:48-2:00 Lunch with his wife, Inez, work in the garden, walk the grounds. A less structured time.

2:00-2:30 Nap.

2:30-6:30 Work in study on historical projects.

6:30-8:45 Dinner; evening with family.

8:45 Retire for the evening.


         I have known a number of people who have slept the same amount of hours per night as Freeman, but few have been so focused. Johnson’s book entitled DOUGLAS SOUTHALL FREEMAN, is a fascinating read of a marvelous historian, as well as, one of this nation’s most influential leaders in the media. Freeman died over fifty years ago, but his influence lives on.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. After what happened to the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns, and with TCU probably not even receiving a shot at the National Title, I refuse to become emotionally attached to a Texas team this football season. I cannot take the pain.

2. Jerry Jones is a nice George Steinbrenner.

3. At last, it feels like autumn.

4. No one wants to fulfill someone else’s vision.

5. Finally, and most importantly, the older I get, the more I love my wife.

Popular Science

[This week I am attending SUMMIT at Abilene Christian University. This is from a blog I posted on January 16, 2009. I “re-blog” in honor of Stephen Hawking’s latest and controversial book—THE GRAND DESIGN]

            Francis S. Collins wrote a book a couple of months ago called The Language of God.  You may remember Collins as the head of the Human Genome Project.  This book is Collin's apologetic where he seeks to harmonize faith in God and science. Collins talks about his conversion to Christianity and his walk with God.  However, what interested me was the fact Collins believes God created the world through a process of evolution. Careful.  Collins is not a proponent of a godless universe, but he does believe strongly in evolution as used by God and explains his reasons. I do not believe in making one's interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 a test for fellowship.  I know there are plenty of people who are Christians who believe God created the world through an evolutionary process.  Collins' book helps me understand how they think.

            As for me, I am somewhat in the middle.  Not being a scientist, I am not forced to align myself with a scientific theory.  As a student of Scripture, I definitely believe that the Bible is open for interpretation, especially regarding this subject.  For those who consider East Texas to be the backwoods of education, you might be surprised to know that I was raised in an environment and a church that was open-minded when it comes to the creation of the world.

            Instinctively, the members did not want to box themselves into either extreme.  On the one hand, I remember a Sunday school teacher quoting to us from Second Peter 3:8, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." She said who knew how long God took to create the world or what process he used to do so.

         On the other hand, I remember a different teacher in Bible class questioning how much we can know about the formation of the world based upon simple observation, especially when all parties agreed that we were many years removed from the process.  I think Copernicus affirmed this a few hundred years ago, when he noted that all previous observations of the world were incorrect-- the Earth revolved around the sun rather than the sun revolved around the Earth.  The teacher's point was science is an evolving process (no pun intended.)  Who knows what the scientists of tomorrow will discover?

         So, today, I find myself being careful about marrying a position. Science is not God; science can be wrong. Medical science killed more presidents than assassins.  (Examples include the case of the doctors, who bled Washington to death after he caught a cold. Garfield was killed by well-intentioned doctors, who thought they had to remove a bullet from his body.  In attempting to capture the projectile, they gave Garfield an infection that killed him.)

         Religion can also be wrong. Who can forget that Galileo was condemned by the Church for his discoveries?

         We have become comfortable in the church with sophisticated biblical interpretation. No one in Christianity accuses a meteorologist of being atheist because he describes the arrival of snow via a storm system. Even those of us in Christianity who believe that God sends snow do not believe he did so by reaching into his storehouse and sprinkling it on the world (Job 38:22). We know that Job expressed truth about God in chapter 38 using poetry. All of us are comfortable with the unromantic realities of meteorological science.

         What Collins is doing is something I would like to see more people attempted to do: find the intersection between science and religion.  If we can achieve this, not only will our minds benefit, but our souls will as well.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Read LEE AND GRANT by Gene Smith for the third time. I say I read it, what I did was listen to an unabridged, audio version. I own a hard copy, and when I hear something interesting, I will highlight it in my book as soon as I can.

            Gene Smith is one of my favorite writers. His books are popular works of history—easy to read. He is a good story teller. LEE AND GRANT offers the world a biography of two fascinating men—U. S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—two compelling subjects. You might guess since this is the third time for me, I really like it.

2. Sometimes, you experienced something in childhood you want your kids to experience. Typically, they are not impressed.

            When I was a boy in the 60s, a TV show came on, Saturday morning, called THE CHILDREN’S HOUR. They broadcasted movies for children made by filmmakers all over the world. I have always remembered one I saw as a boy—SKINNY AND FATTY.

            The story took place in post WWII Japan. It was about a large, obese boy, who entered a school. Other children made fun of him and tried to make him an outcast. He was befriended by a skinny boy, and together they had a series of adventures. In the midst of the action, a compelling friendship was formed.

            The movie was very touching to me, obviously. I found a copy on YOUTUBE and showed it to Judy and my children. They loved it.

            This gave me immense pleasure.

3. It is always good to return to places that impacted your life. Yesterday I attended worship services at the SOUTHERN HILLS CHURCH OF CHRIST in Abilene and the NORTH MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST in Winters. I love these churches and enjoyed catching up with some of their members. The churches are different in a lot of ways because their mission contexts are different. Yet both share a passion for taking Jesus to the people. Both do a good job doing so.


4. I heard Rick Atchley open SUMMIT last night. For thirty years this guy has been bringing it in the pulpit. He amazes me. Truly, he possesses a gift for preaching. Only the Lord knows how much of Rick's stuff I have appropriated through the years. I hope I have done a good job giving him credit when I do. Unfortunately, I am sure there has been way too many times when I either forgot to give him credit or forgot that I had gotten it from him.


5. Look out. The Cowboys may have constructed the one scenario that will take them to the Super Bowl. In the span of eight days, not only have they removed all Super Bowl expectations, many have eliminated the Cowboys from the playoff hunt. 16 games makes for a long season. There is plenty of time for the Cowboys to recover. (See the San Diego Chargers the past few seasons.) Wade Phillips' team performs best flying under the radar.