Monthly Archives: June 2015

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United vs Divided

WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: United we stand, divided we fall. We are divided. Will we fall? What is our current reality and how will we approach this diversity of opinion?

We as a nation have entered a new era. First, there must be an acknowledgement of our differences and why the recent decision of our nation’s Supreme Court has repercussions for us all. There is a major shift in public opinion which is shaping a whole new generation of people. The court’s decision impacts everyone in this country. Will there be an allowance for people to conduct business according to their conscience? How will this play out for those who support gay marriage and also for those who don’t support gay marriage?

My thoughts on the changing scene:

This past week the people of the USA found themselves positioning themselves in one of two groups. When the Supreme Court decision came down, legalizing gay marriage, on one side there was great celebration. Our president was in this group. This group saw the the decision as a progressive movement toward freedom for all of its people. Those in this group were elated because of what this represents to them and their beliefs toward what they perceive as for the better good of society. What they had worked for long and hard was now a reality they could celebrate and enjoy.

On the opposite side is the other group, those who believe in marriage as only between a man and a woman, people who saw the decision as a repressive movement with moral consequences leading to confusion and the compromise of spiritual principals, which promotes something they see as detrimental to its people. In this group there was a pervasive sadness that was deeply felt while they were watching America’s icons being lit up in rainbow color in support of something that went down like an in-the-face affront and shocking to their sensibilities. It was hard for them to see those in leadership, who represent everyone in our nation, choose to represent one segment of the populace in American’s landscape in a way they’ve never seen before.

The way I see it, it seems to me that America is divided on some things which relate back to its people’s beliefs. Five people decided and changed the direction of our future as a nation and through this action they have changed the way we will live out our freedoms. You are either celebrating this or you are grieving this. These judges will be responsible for their decision and their interpretation of the law of our land.

I remember the Roe vs. Wade decision. That was and is a divide that separates us as citizens, which also comes down to our personal belief systems and our views concerning the rights of the unborn. We are what we believe, and our beliefs differ…sometimes greatly differ. But we are also a civil society. We must think of our people and our future. Somehow we must not lose our ability to be true to our own consciences.

We are a country that has prided itself on its liberties and its independence. But these same rights and liberties can be abused and used for the bad. Yes, I have an opinion, and it relates to my spiritual beliefs. I will not compromise what I believe because it goes deeper than just an opinion. My belief in God comes first as it should. I follow His ways and desire to walk as Christ walked. This frames my belief system. We are three dimensional beings. Our beliefs define us. Everyone has a belief system. We act from out of our beliefs.

I will be kind. I choose to be kind. I only ask that you be kind in return. I ask that people on both sides be gracious. Don’t call each other names. That is counter productive. Don’t put someone down because you feel superior to them; that speaks of arrogance. None of us are superior people.

This is not about winning, how can you win or lose if something is a belief system? We don’t need the anger. Please refrain from commenting on this post unless your comment is one that is graciously presented. I desire to make my own statement and not hear the venting.

My motto: Stand up for what you believe is right even if you have to stand alone.

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Love-Based Prayer is Life-Giving

What is it about prayer?

I was sitting in a meeting and the subject was prayer within the context of small cell groups. Someone commented that if the prayers are not being answered then people may get discouraged and lose interest altogether in attending the prayer cells.

That could be a problem.

Others began to respond to this person’s comment, as well they should. It is quite important to have a right understanding about prayer. 

Could it be that we see prayer from a needs-based perspective when it is much, much more?  Shouldn’t prayer also be love-based, an expression of our desire and love for God? Prayer that has depth and spiritual insights is about communing with God, thanking Him, praising Him, loving Him, listening to Him, pleading, asking, desiring “more” while we wade into the Presence of Divine power.

Meaningful prayer is life-giving to the soul.

It is interesting.  I discovered the joy of praying many years ago. It was during a difficult season. My life had been turned upside down. There were so many problems that I was drowning in them. Emotional wounds were causing a deep cut on my heart.

But I didn’t dodge or run. Honestly, I looked to God for answers.

My human relations could not give me what I needed. The need was too great. Routine praying, the way I had been praying for years, no longer interested me.  I began praying with an air of expectation, seeking God for answers, opening my heart up to greater understanding. I knocked on Heaven’s door with all my might. My open way of praying went in this new direction because my heart longed for greater intimacy with God, and I needed Him so much. Praying that seeks God to find Him means we must listen and not do all the talking. Time for this type of prayer was in short supply.

So I determined to make it happen.

For many years I was a full-time, single working woman with two jobs, the busy, hands-on mother of five children, and active, involved church member and leader. Saturday mornings became the opportune time for me to get alone with God. By rising extra early before the children would awaken for their breakfast of homemade waffles or pancakes, I would devote myself to a long period of interactive prayer with God. I contemplated His holy Word, sought Him, listened for Him, and absorbed His presence.

Often times I watched the sunrise over the creek with the curtains drawn back, thinking many thoughts as I pondered God’s Word, wrote down my thoughts in a journal, and considered what He seemed to be saying to me or emphasizing  as I made my way through reading of Scripture. The following day another block of time opened up to do more of the same after the hearty Sunday roast dinner was consumed and the children were off entertaining themselves.

Those periods of time alone with God, fully focused on Him and what He wanted to increase in me, were the highlights of my weeks and the joy of spiritual life.

Something happened to me through this new way of spending time with God. I began to learn of God and to feed at His table. Such delight. I began to heal and become whole in my person. I experienced renewal and hope, health and joy. The more I sought Him, the more He showed up and ministered to my inner need. It was amazing, life-changing, real.

I soon realized that my experiences with God in the interior parts were not the norm. Others did not talk of having these precious times alone with God. The confusing part to me at the time was how little I heard of others seeking God in this way or of hearing His quiet, still voice in answer to their heart’s longing. Most seemed to speak of prayer lists and God’s answers to those prayers, devotionals and quiet times, scripted readings, not bad in and of themselves, but routine, predictable, and lacking in the joy of personal discovery and communion with God.

I felt alone in my pursuit of God.

Christian people seemed to know about God intellectually, cerebral head knowledge, but not so much in the sweetness of vital relationship. Later on, through some of my reading, I became sensitive to historical authors, many of them Catholic, who experienced God in the unity of close fellowship and caring relationship.  Commonalities began to jive and solidify as I noticed some remarkable trends in the authors I was reading. I would find tears welling up in my eyes as my heart recognized an understanding of God and His love that we shared as brothers and sisters in love with our Savior and God.

Writers who have experienced God in the closeness of unity of relationship write differently than those who don’t. I find their writings to have a softness of expression, and their love for God leaps off the pages of their writings. Their opinions seem less opinionated, less rigid, more loving, kind, and respectful of God and His mysteries. They write with gentle passion and with an awe for God and His truths. Such joy.

There is a term used to set these people apart, a strange term to an evangelical Protestant. It is the way of the Christian mystic, spiritually sensitive people who gain strength from the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

But one doesn’t realize this, what it is that these people have found, until you yourself have also entered that realm of deepening unity with the Father. Deeper prayer, where one focuses their thoughts on God, is like opening up your spirit to a greater, holy realm of inner peace and joy.

It is like becoming more alive.

A small disclaimer may be in order. There is a great fear among evangelicals concerning such things, of anything that seems mystical in nature or seems somehow related to a new age concept. I understand this. We must be careful and we must rightly divide the Word of God. But I have realized that some of this feared danger is misplaced for it is always the object of one’s faith that holds the key as to whether it’s a right or wrong objective.

Prayer is both the starting and the ending place.