John Pipers Prayer For the Church

O Lord, by the truth of your Word, and the power of your Spirit and the ministry of your body, build men and women at Bethlehem . . .

Who don't love the world more than God,
who don't care if they make much money,
who don't care if they own a house,
who don't care if they have a new car or two cars,
who don't need recent styles,
who don't care if they get famous,
who don't miss steak or fancy fare,
who don't expect that life should be comfortable and easy,
who don't feed their minds on TV each night,
who don't measure truth with their finger in the wind,
who don't get paralyzed by others’ disapproval,
who don't return evil for evil,
who don't hold grudges,
who don't gossip,
who don't twist the truth,
who don't brag or boast,
who don't whine or use body language to get pity,
who don't criticize more than praise,
who don't hang out in cliques,
who don't eat too much or exercise too little;

But

who are ablaze for God,
who are utterly God-besotted,
who are filled with the Holy Spirit,
who strive to know the height and depth of Christ’s love,
who are crucified to the world and dead to sin,
who are purified by the Word and addicted to righteousness,
who are mighty in memorizing and using the Scriptures,
who keep the Lord’s Day holy and refreshing,
who are broken by the consciousness of sin,
who are thrilled by the wonder of free grace,
who are stunned into humble silence by the riches of God’s glory,
who are persevering constantly in prayer,
who are ruthless in self-denial,
who are fearless in public witness to Christ’s Lordship,
who are able to unmask error and blow away doctrinal haze,
who are tough in standing for the truth,
who are tender in touching hurting people,
who are passionate about reaching the peoples who have no church,
who are pro-life for the sake of babies and moms and dads and the glory of God,
who are keepers of all their promises, including marriage vows,
who are content with what they have and trusting the promises of God,
who are patient and kind and meek when life is hard.

Pressing for all there is in Christ,

Pastor John Piper

Ever Have One Of Those days?

You know, the ones where…

The driver in front of you feels a steady 16-17 miles per hour will get them where they want to in plenty of time for the New Year’s celebration?

The people standing in line in front of you aren’t really sure why they are in line, but imagine they’ll figure it out, once they get to the front.

In the drive-through behind someone who just ordered lunch for their 32 co-workers, then has to change 9 of them at the second window?

Ah …. Today is a new day ….

I said a silent prayer in the middle of the night ...

I said a silent prayer in the middle of the night
I needed to know if you could hear me,
I needed to stand within your light.
I need rest within your arms
to feel tranquility and hope
I need you, Lord, within my life
to aid my struggle and help me cope
I would like to know if you can hear me
when I'm praying in the night
Sometimes I feel so alone
and want to give up the fight
I need to know if you can hear me
in the middle of the night
To know if you can hear my prayers
to rest within your loving light
And when I feel all is lost
and am tempted to give it up
I feel your loving sweet caress
I feel you holding me up
You pick me up and dust me off
and wipe my tears away
You tell me not to fear a thing;
You're with me throughout the day.
I know you have surrounded me
with your angels, saints and light
and because you have surrounded me
I can endure the lonely night
I know sometimes my faith may slip
and I begin to doubt
But then I feel your sweet caress
and your love washes my fear right out
When I say a silent prayer
in the darkness of the night
I know that you can hear me
and I can rest within your light.

~Patrick Stalinski

Baloon Boy: Aftermath

I have to admit I was all taken in on the balloon boy thing. What a story .... With the happy ending we all love to see! I believed in Balloon Boy. Or, rather, I believed that his parents believed that he was in the balloon. And I hoped that they were wrong, that he was hiding under the bed, or in a box. And I was happy - genuinely happy - when I learned that, in fact, he was. Alas ....

IT WAS A HOAX!!!!!!

How naive could I have been? Undoubtedly, my own fond childhood memories coupled with a pretty good set of parents has mislead my thinking on the aims of other families. Did I actually think that lil Falcon Heene was throwing up for no reason on the morning show? (Just nervous I suppose ...) However ... The lies and scam that his parents perpetrated would make anyone vomit. It makes me sick thinking about it. So much for the piety of parenthood. Fame, money and the lure of reality television trumps holding a regular job any day of the week.

Heaven help us. But most of all, help Falcon Heene and his brothers.

Morning Poem

Morning Poem

Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange

sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches —
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it

the thorn
that is heavier than lead —
if it’s all you can do
to keep on trudging —

there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted —

each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,

whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.

-Mary Oliver

Cannot Do This Alone

In the world of mystics and mysticism, these virtues set Christian mystics apart: mourning and the perseverance of suffering. Much of “pop-mysticism” is about avoiding suffering and “thinking happy thoughts”, while Christian mysticism takes a more head-on approach. The perseverance of suffering is required because much suffering is caused by our own misplaced desires and worldly attachments, so therefore, much suffering takes place as God purges us of those attachments.

As St. John of the Cross would explain, the darkness is not from God but from the light of God exposing our own darkness. The Dark Night of the Soul is the point at which most people give up, and usually take medication. For those who preserver, God rewards them with the secrets of His Kingdom.

The world tells us that sadness and pain is an unnatural state of being that we must escape at all costs (Prozac anyone?). The mystic heart knows that sadness and suffering are often the gateways to discovering the light of truth. Do not run from the darkness, for it brings the light.

With that ... Allow me to share this poem/prayer by Dietrich Bonhoeffer ...

Cannot Do This Alone O God,
early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and double-minded. your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” - James 4:8-10

A quiz I just had to check out ...

Click here: Blogthings - Are You a Tortured Genius?

My result:

You Are 64% Tortured Genius

You are smart. Brilliant in fact. And while it's a blessing, it's also a curse.

Your head is filled with everything - grand ideas, insufferable worries, and a good deal of angst.