Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Deep Water Faith

I'm turning 49 tomorrow and I can't help but think about how I might be caught in the middle ....
As lyrics to "Somewhere in The Middle" by Casting Crowns echo in my head, I pause to ponder my life. At least half of it is over and yet I feel like I'm just getting started -- just getting started grasping "deep water faith" and just getting to the place where I think I could let go and jump in with everything I am and not look back to see who might be watching. I gotta do this thing now; time is running short; we gotta take this city for the Lord; passion for His House burns within me. I think I've left the cold, and the old, and who I used to be. I'm ready for the hot, and the new, and who I am in HIM. Deep water faith cannot be tested in the shallow end. I'm diving in. :)

"Somewhere In The Middle" by Casting Crowns


Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

Thursday, May 21, 2009

OHOP

"My house shall be called a house of prayer..." Mark 11:17

I attended a workshop at C-HOP (Cincinnati House of Prayer) last week and one thing (among many) really stuck with me. Core Values. What are the core values of Oxford House of Prayer (OHOP)?

#1 - You will become what you gaze upon. Participating in OHOP will cause you to focus on the King -- in prayer -- in worship -- in surrender. The more you focus on HIM the more you will become like HIM and everything else will begin to fade away (sin; bad habits; meaningless noise; misguided priorities).

#2 - Praying together brings about unity. We are all encouraged to pray alone in our prayer closets and that's a vital part of prayer. But when we join together in prayer; our voices combine into powerful prayers. The Bible says (Deut. 32:30) that one can put a thousand to flight (or subdue a thousand enemies) and two can put ten thousand to flight. Now that's the kind of multiplication I like. Prayer will crush the enemy. Also, praying with others will challenge you; just like iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17); God will cause the rough edges to get smoothed out. You will be challenged; even uncomfortable at times; and that's a good thing. If you're comfortable with prayer in your prayer closet; the HOP will seem familiar to you -- but, if you're not spending time in prayer when you're all alone; HOP will seem foreign; maybe even make you feel like you just visited another world -- and the truth is YOU HAVE.

#3 - OHOP is a discipleship/training program. If you hang out at the House of Prayer you will hear prayer modeled; see prayer in action; hear the WORD being lifted up in prayer; learn to pray. It's a learning tool. Want to have a powerful prayer life? Hang out at the House of Prayer. Prayer can be taught; but more often it's "caught." The anointing is transferrable.

#4 - Prayer changes things. God does nothing but in response to prayer. And, when He wants to act, He sets his people to praying. When you grasp that your prayers are making a difference; that your prayers are changing your city or region; that your prayers are being heard by God; that you just saved someone's life in prayer; you will NEVER be the same. You won't be able to stay away!

#5 - Prayer is exciting. God loves to talk (more than we love to listen). God even calls us His friends (John 15:15) and He enjoys sharing His secrets with us. His thoughts toward us are innumerable (Psalm 139:17-18); ask Him and He will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3).

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Edit / Prune

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:2)

"I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3)

I'm in edit mode these days, which I liken to self-pruning. God has given all of us a great work to do and we cannot afford to stop that work and come down or slow down for anything that distracts from that high calling. Of late, I've wrestled with commitment overload; information overload; and possession overload, just to name a few. I recently attended a Ministry Board meeting and as I listened to each Director describe exciting opportunities, I began to say to myself, "Wow, that sounds good. I should do that." But I can't. There are not enough hours in the day to participate in everything. Don't get me wrong. These are all good things; great things, but not everything good is God's best for ME. I've vowed to slow down and think and pray through each new request; and I've also begun the hard work of pruning and editing things out of my life and schedule. I just wish it was as easy as hitting the 'delete' key on the keyboard. :)

Today's prayer: "God, show me how to empty my hands of things I shouldn't have grabbed hold of. Help me prune and edit with excellence and integrity; truly giving up the things that are not your best for me; and yes, keeping the hard things if they are my calling. Your WORD cuts like a knife through the darkness. I need that precision-type pruning! I don't want to leave ragged edges for others to stumble on. I vow to help with the process; to do so willingly; and to allow you to do a thorough work in me. Thank you for your patience with this child."