What Do I Pray?

August 18, 2011 2 comments

Prayer is often defined as “just talking to God.”  While that is true as a simple definition, prayer is much more than talking.  To be effective, as in James 5:16,  “the effective prayer of a righteous man has great power,” our talking to our Heavenly Father must also be in communion with Him, must be tuned in to His way of thinking.  And what better way to communicate in this way with God than to use His own words?

One day during an extremely difficult time in our lives, with multiple crisis swirling all around us, my husband, knowing I prayed for him each morning, asked me, “What are you praying for me these days?” I shared with him I was only praying one prayer over and over for both of us.  It was what I called one of my Personalized Scripture Prayers, that is, the very words of God repeated back to Him.  By praying in this way, I could be assured that what I was expressing to the Lord was in keeping with His own heart, was expressing His own desires when we were so uncertain of our own motives and what we needed to do.

Here’s what I was praying for my husband from Colossians 1:9-11, “Father, I pray that he  may be filled with the knowledge of your will, with all wisdom and understanding so that he will walk in a manner worthy of you, to please you in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of you, strengthened with all power, according to your glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience with thanksgiving.” 

There are numerous passages like the one above that can be personalized and prayed back to God and can be used to “talk to God” in His own words.  Let me know if you have some favorite Scriptures which you pray often to our Lord.

Categories: Bible, Prayer Tags: ,

Bits And Pieces 8/13

August 13, 2011 1 comment

Here are a few random, but interesting (at least to me) items I’ve run across lately.  They don’t really fit together, so they are just bits and pieces.

An Interview With Paul In Jail:  Here’s a fictional account of one of the Apostle Paul’s old friends coming to see him while he’s locked up in a Roman prison.  He asks his friend, “Has Jesus Been Worth It, Saul?”

A Starry Sky From Joshua Tree:  Here’s a time lapse video of a meteor shower and the galactic core of the Milky Way as seen from Joshua Tree National Park.  See the heavens declare the glory of God through The Milky Way.

Evolution Refuted: Here’s an animated video from the website, Answers In Genesis, which offers insights and answers to the evolution debate.  It only lasts about two minutes and it’s simply called Evolution.

Categories: Bits and Pieces Tags: , ,

Will We Know Each Other In Heaven?

August 10, 2011 Leave a comment

A subscriber to my blog recently wrote to ask me that question after we shared with each other some feelings about our loved ones’ dying.  I’ve been asked this question before, so I know others often wonder about being able to recognize our dead friends and relatives once we enter into Heaven ourselves.  I do believe we will know and fellowship with each other in Heaven, although these relationships will be so different from what we experienced here on earth because they will not be tainted by the blackness of our sin nature, they will not be marred by our emotional weaknesses and they will not be limited by our lack of intellectual understanding and discernment.  In other words, our relationships with each other in Heaven will be just perfect! 

Here are some Scriptural reasons I believe we can count on knowing each other in Heaven.  In Genesis, each time one of these men died, it is noted, “he was gathered to his people.” When David’s child died (2 Samuel 12:23), he said, “I will go to him.” These were words to give comfort, and they wouldn’t have comforted if there was to be no recognition of each other in Heaven.  In the New Testament, there is the enlightening account of Jesus being transfigured (or showing a little bit of His pre-incarnate glory) before His disciples (Luke 9).   Moses and Elijah arrived from Heaven to talk to Jesus about His upcoming death, and the disciples easily knew who these men were.  I believe they “knew” in the same way we shall “know” each other in Heaven.  Paul mentions in several of his letters that he looked forward to seeing those who were his converts in Heaven. 

Besides our loved ones, we will also share our Heavenly lives with the millions of other believers who are called the “children of God” (John 1:12).  These descriptive words were chosen by God to paint the picture of Heaven as a family setting, to paint the picture of Heaven as a place of relationships.  Paul says we will “be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).  So, yes, I believe we will recognize those we have known on earth, and we will also know those whom we had never met while in this earthly life because we will all be in a perfect relationship with the One who brought us all together as a family.

“Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Categories: Bible, Devotionals, Theology Tags: ,

Our Childhood Bedroom

August 8, 2011 Leave a comment

I was intrigued recently by a new photography book entitled Where Children Sleep by James Mollison.  You can view about twenty of the pages here. There’s an obvious stark contrast between the children born into poverty and those born into an abundance (or over abundance in some cases). In fact, the project was undertaken by Mollison in order to represent needy children around the world.  Yet, he has approached this assignment in an insightful way.  He notes that each child’s sleeping area is “. . . your little space within the house.” 

So, where did you sleep at about 8 years of age?  My sleeping space was in a bedroom I shared with my two younger sisters in a church parsonage in Gideon, Missouri.  They had bunk beds, but I slept in a twin-sized bed with a headboard.  That was important, that headboard, because it held my “things.”  My things mostly consisted of books given to me by my grandmother who lived in Texas and who shared my love of reading.  There was also a radio, a stuffed black and white dog named Spotty, and a musical jewelry box that held only pens for writing.  As I think back on it now, those things still represent me.  I love technology (the radio), dogs (Spotty), writing (the pens) and, of course, good books.  Mollison is right, this was “my little space.”

Categories: Books, Personal Tags: ,

Bits and Pieces 8/02

August 2, 2011 Leave a comment

High Priest’s Golden Bell Discovered

During a recent excavation led by the Antiquities Authority in Israel of a drainage channel near the Temple Mount, a small golden bell was unearthed.  This is the type of bell that was to be sewn on the hem of the High Priest’s garment.  Exodus 28:33 says, “Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.”  Evidently, some 2500 years ago, as the High Priest made his way from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple, the little bell came loose and fell into the drainage canal that was built alongside the road. 

Is this significant to me today?  Yes, because it serves not just as a matter of interesting historical significance, but also as a reminder that we have a great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is more significant than any earthly High Priest, for as Hebrews 4 tells us, he is the Son of God. And, He didn’t just pass behind the curtains to the Holy of Holies, but He passed into Heaven itself to bring atonement to all who believe.  For more information about the finding of the golden bell, visit The Golden Bell.

A Heavenly Devotional

I am intrigued by the title of a new devotional book called The Heavens:  Intimate Moments With Your Majestic God by Kevin Hartnett.  The author is NASA’s Deputy Science Operations Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope.  I’ve always been fascinated by the mystery of the heavenly bodies and have often gazed in wonder at the incredible photos sent back to earth by the Hubble Telescope. 

This book sounds like an obvious way to come to know God.   Psalm 19 says,  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”  I recall one day studying for a lesson I was to teach on Genesis and creation and finding the Hubble Website.  I lost all sense of time and had a joyful worship experience as I looked at photo after photo of the world God created to declare His glory. 

Ponder This

A quote to ponder from John Piper:  “Do you feel loved by God because you believe he makes much of you, or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of him?”

Categories: Bits and Pieces, Devotionals, Worship Tags: , ,

His Glorious Word

July 31, 2011 2 comments

Tomorrow I’ll be teaching my Bible study class at Bethel Baptist Church for the last time.  I will have taught this class for the past 17 years, although the name of the class has changed several times as has its membership.  Throughout the years the attendance has remained pretty steady at 25-35 and has mostly consisted of married couples.  As I’ve taken inventory this past week, I’ve discovered that I have taught over half of the books in the Bible.  Genesis alone took almost two years to complete since my style of teaching is to go verse-by-verse, and it’s not been unusual for a chapter to take two Sundays to cover. 

For the past ten years, I’ve taught using PowerPoint, scanning in Bible story pictures and illustrations from children’s Bibles in order to bring the passage outline to life.  (Previously, I used transparencies and an overhead projector and when I first started teaching more than  40 years ago, I utilized  an old-fashioned flipchart.) Since I write my own lessons and make my own illustrations, the process of developing a lesson can easily take 15-20 hours each week. 

But the reality behind all these facts is the overwhelming blessing I have received from being given the privilege of teaching the Word of God.  To prepare each week I get to read commentaries by great Bible scholars like John MacArthur, John Phillips, James Montgomery Boice, John Piper and many others.  I get to meditate on one passage of Scripture all week long and decide how best to share it with others.  I must see how the passage applies to my life before I can make the application to others.  After a day of study, I often find myself singing the old hymn, “All day long I’ve walked with Jesus, it has been a glorious day.”  

Yet, even after all these years of learning and teaching, I feel I know next to nothing of the incredible treasures His Word contains.  As soon as I discover one nugget, I look up to see a whole mountain of gold waiting to be mined. My overwhelming desire for those I have taught is that I have created within them a thirst for His Word that will never be quenched.  I pray for them even as Paul prayed for the Ephesians, “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Categories: Bible, Personal Tags: ,

Thriving In The Vine

July 28, 2011 Leave a comment

Every year we plant sweet potato vines along our back fence.  We don’t plant many, maybe 15 in all.  But by August, they’ve completely covered the length of the fence and serve as a gorgeous backdrop to my backyard when seen from my living room window.

However, this year in Oklahoma the weather has been one for the record books.  Since early June, it’s been over 100 degrees almost every single day.  We’ve had sparse rainfall and yard watering is under mandatory restrictions in our city.  So, the vines have not been watered by human hands, having to survive on the moisture from the intermittent rainfalls.  Two weeks ago, I wasn’t sure they were going to make it at all.  However, here they are, thriving as if they had been watered and cared for every day.  In reality, all they really did was remain rooted to the main branch.

As I looked at the thriving vines, I was reminded of Jesus’ teaching from John 15 concerning vines.  He was teaching the necessity of the vine (or believers in Christ) remaining and not being cut off from the main branch (or Christ Himself).  A believer thrives spiritually by continually staying attached to his spiritual life source, to Jesus. 

No matter how harsh the conditions, if I remain in Him, I will thrive.  No matter how sparse the resources, if I remain in Him, I will thrive.  This beautiful truth is the reason I’ve used this phrase when signing my name to letters and emails:  Abiding in Him, Luana.

Categories: Bible, Bits and Pieces, Personal Tags: , , , , ,

A Gaming Addiction

July 26, 2011 Leave a comment

I’m a big Words With Friends addict.  For the few of you out there who may not know about this game because you have been living in a remote jungle, or taking care of three kids or actually working at your job, WWF is an app (read application) much like the game of Scrabble in which you have a certain number of letter tiles and you spell out words on a game board, each word having to connect to the next word at some point.  It’s made for the iPhone, iPod, iTouch, iPad or any other iTech gadget created by Steve “I AM RICH” Jobs.   I downloaded it on my new iPhone about two years ago through the urging of Michelle, a very good friend, who was addicted herself and wanted me to go down the road to ruin along with her.  A day has seldom gone by during these past two years that I have not played the game.  I even signed up on a tournament site called WordsWithFriends.net where I receive a daily opponent and play in monthly tournaments with players who are far better than I could ever hope to be.  That’s how badly I’m hooked.

Here are a few reasons why I enjoy this game so much:  (1)  It taxes my brain.  While looking at those letter tiles and putting together the different possibilities of words in my head, I feel those brain cells running around, bumping into each other, jostling each other around.  That’s good.  That’s what they were made to do.  God made us to think.

(2)  It introduces me to a variety of people.  The game’s developers so designed WWF that you can play it by passing the game back and forth between a person seated next to you or you can play it with a random opponent the computer chooses for you who may be located halfway around the world.  (Besides players in the USA, I’ve played games with people in Hong Kong, Australia, and London.)  There’s a built-in feature that allows you to “chat” by texting messages back and forth while you’re playing.  I’ve even been able to witness to one player who didn’t play for several days, came back to play and apologized because she had received a bad report about her health and was very depressed.

(3)  It’s fun to win.  Games are played because winning is euphoric.  We love to watch sports because we get to win vicariously through the team we choose to support.  That’s not the same as winning a game we’ve played in ourselves.  That’s part of the addictive quality of WWF.

(4) It’s a game of both luck and skill.  The luck part of WWF is fascinating  because, much like real life, you must work with what you’ve been given.  Sometimes that’s good, and sometimes that’s bad.  No matter how extensive your vocabulary,  it’s difficult to make a word without a vowel.

If I’ve piqued (a good word to know when you have a “q” to play) your interest, and you want to play me, my user name is “Riverwalker.”  Chat with me while we play, and I’ll tell you why I chose that name.

Categories: Personal, Words With Friends Tags: , ,

Help Wanted?

July 21, 2011 Leave a comment

There is much talk today about unemployment.  In my Bible study class, we often pray for people who need jobs, who are interviewing for jobs or who are changing jobs.  My husband is about to retire from a position, essentially becoming unemployed or about to have no job.  So it is probably not a surprise that I have been meditating on a recent devotional thought I received from author and pastor John Piper.  He noted that God’s message to us, that is the gospel of Christ, is “not a ‘help-wanted’ sign but a ‘help available’ sign.” 

When Paul was preaching to the Athenians in Acts 17, he told them, “God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything.”  If God cannot be served, that is really bad news to anyone trying to “score points” with Him by religious ritual or evangelistic zeal or by observing His laws.   The rest of verses 24-25 says, “He himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” Now this is really good news to anyone looking for the “help available” sign.  Jesus pointed out that he did not come to serve but to “give his life a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45)  That’s the help available for all who would come to Him for mercy and grace.  His arms are open wide.  His help is available.

Categories: Bible, Devotionals Tags: , ,

Musings on the Moment

February 22, 2010 Leave a comment

That’s what these are, just musings, just some thoughts, along my life’s journey. 

So, yes, I finally got an iPhone.  I can’t say I really wanted one when they were being hyped in the media or when I saw people standing in long lines to buy one, but when iPhone owners began to show me all they could “do” with their apps, then I began to at least wonder if I shouldn’t get one.  I mostly embrace technology, especially when it enables me to stretch beyond what I know, when it feeds me information and provides me with quick answers to all my “how” and “why” questions.

The actual moment of buying one came when my husband said he thought he needed one.  When it comes to technology we are opposites, so this announcement was a total surprise.  Why would he want such a technological marvel?  It was the technology that made it appealing to him.  It was the technology that made it easier for him to use his contact list.  It was the technology that made all the options easier to understand. than his old phone.  It was the technology that made navigating the phone as easy as touching a screen.  So we both got iPhones.

After two weeks of ownership, I’m faced with a spiritual problem.  There are so many things to look at, to read about, to laugh at, to play with that I find myself having to say “no” to picking up a cell phone!  And not because it’s ringing.  It’s the soft chime telling me someone has answered my challenge on Word With Friends.  It’s the desire to check out what kind of bird I just saw in the backyard by keying in a description on the Bird app.  It’s needing to know the word of the day from the Dictionary app.  As can happen with almost anything in our fallen sinful world, the iPhone had become a passionate distraction, drawing me away from a myriad of household, family and personal duties.

So, some self-control is definitely in order.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I discipline my body and keep it under control.”  In doing so, he’s seeking to glorify God.  Now that’s a passion I can live with!

Categories: Bits and Pieces, Personal Tags: ,