Unite my heart

   Teach me Your way, O LORD;
    I will walk in Your truth;
    Unite my heart to fear Your name.
                                     (Psalm 86:11)


It's easy to read over this verse, but it speaks to a very real spiritual issue in all of our lives: fragmentation.  If David beseeches God to "unite" his heart then there must be something going on there.  The NIV puts it this way:  Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.
Where are our hearts fragmented?  That is something each of needs to examine and address, but clearly this text speaks of a heart that doesn't wholly fear God.  Part of us runs after other things, other "gods" in our life and it fears them more.  Perhaps we fear man and others' opinions of us.  Perhaps we fear failure.  It could be a host of other things that we 'fear' more than God and His name--His glory.  I was listening to one of Francis Chan's book (yes, I do audiobooks) and he used an illustration of praying before going on a trip and the typical prayer is "Lord, give us safety in our travel, etc..."  Chan's (if I'm recalling correctly) critique of that is that it elevates safety and security to top priority and that isn't truly the highest priority.  There is nothing wrong with seeking to be safe, but his challenge was to pray "Lord, use our family and this trip for Your glory however You see fit."  Honestly that prayer is much more in line with the Westminster Shorter Catechism's first question: 

What is the chief end of man?  

To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

I think about this when I consider what our family is about to embark on in more full ways each and every day.  Planting a church.  What is my chief goal?  What am I 'fearing'?  Do I want to see success more than anything so that I have security, can feed my family, and I can say I was competent for this?  Surely (excepting the last one) those are good things but are they my focus or is it that God's Name would be glorified and that His church would be built up and many would come to know Him?!  

Please continue to pray for our family and me as we get further along in this process.  It is getting to be more and more exciting and we hope to have a location determined before the end of the summer. 

The Amazing Love of God

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

As I was reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible this afternoon to prepare to teach the young kids on Sunday morning I was reminded of this passage.  The story that I'm teaching from is about the little children coming to Christ after the disciples argue about who is the greatest.  In this great Bible for kids (and adults too!) the author writes of the disciples: "You see, Jesus' friends had started thinking they had to do something to make themselves special to Jesus--that if they were the cleverest or the nicest or something, Jesus would like them best."  How messed up can we get?!  And yet we (I) do so all too often.  We put something on us that we can never fulfill.  We think what we do will make God love us or get us in good with God.  As Christ said in Matthew 16:26: What shall a man give in return for his soul?  The answer is clearly--NOTHING.  We can do nothing to save our own sinful souls and yet so many in this world are trying to do just that with what they do--and yet it will fail. 
What the passage from John teaches us is to marvel at the love that God has given to us.  See, behold, wonder at what God has done in pouring out His love on such unlovable and unworthy people!  We are sinners who can do nothing to merit God's love, yet He loves us because He chose to do so for His own glory.  John makes it clear that it is God's love manifested in His Son that has taken care of the sin of His children (see 1 John 4:9,10).  Take some time and wonder at God's love and worship the One who has lavishly poured out love on His children. 

A different outcome...

Earlier this week, from Tuesday through Thursday, I was with about 35 other pastors and church planters at a Mission to North America Regional Conference in Naperville, Illinois.  I went with the expectation of getting to know people, learning some valuable principles/lessons and even some strategies that would be useful in church planting.  I thought that I would come back fired up and I would know how to do the proper demographic research and have the best evangelism strategies.  Or, at least that is what I imagined I would have received.  In actuality what I went through and learned was even better than I could have imagined.  

   Before moving from Florida I read a book by Paul Miller called A Praying Life.  I thought the book was excellent and it taught a "strategy" (for lack of a better word) of how to help our disabled prayer lives through using prayer cards.  I gave it a shot for a while, but then, as often happens, it tanked.  Crashed and burned.  However, one of the modules at this conference was a three part series on "A Praying Life"--based primarily on the book.  It was taught by a man named Bob Allums--who was a wonderfully humble, honest, forthright, and prayerful man.  We had a blast in the seminar.  I never thought I could have so much fun talking about prayer and being convicted of my prayerlessness at the same time.  But I did.  His teaching showed me, at least I think it did, how I was using the cards wrong.  Primarily that I was not taking the time to really observe (look at what's going on), think and feel it, and then act by praying.  I wasn't entering into the story God was weaving and I certainly wasn't hanging on through the more difficult times.  He showed how asking and abiding in Christ brings with it a great result--joy in Christ (John 15:1-17).   

    When I got home, though my voice was sore, I couldn't help but share what I learned with Erin and tonight I plan on sharing more while we are out to dinner celebrating her birthday (she loves it when I talk and share my heart).  I would encourage any of you, if you have any sway over your church's calendar--do a Prayer Life seminar and have Bob come and lead.  You will not be disappointed.  Before that--go get the book by Paul Miller.  Also, please be praying for me that I would implement the things I learned and that I would be freed up in my relationships and my vocation because I have learned to consistently go before my Father, who has all power and authority, in dependent prayer.  I desire to be a man of prayer--pray that God increases that desire as I learn to live in my helplessness and rejoice in it because when I am weak, He is strong.  

For more info on the seminars go to seejesus.net.