Tracy's Blog

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10b-11) This is the message proclaimed to shepherd the night Jesus was born. Did you notice that you were included in that message? The angel said that the good news "will cause great joy for all people". The coming of our Saviour is the source of our joy this season. As Christmas Day approached, I found myself wondering what kind of Christmas it would be as I wasn't really feeling the "Christmas spirit". I was content but there didn't seem to be anything special about the days. It got me wondering.... is that okay? As a follower of Jesus, shouldn't I be overjoyed celebrating His birth? Doesn't Christmas need to be extraordinary time? Or am I buying into a commercialized vision of Christmas with its' "Christmas Magic" and sentimentality? The questi...

Last week I set myself the task of reading Matthew 21-25 as a way to reflect on the important Advent theme of preparation for the return of Christ. What did I come up with? Well, I found this portion of Scripture is sobering, unsettling, and encouraging. Let me give one example of each. Sobering : The Parable of the Ten Virgins ( Matthew 25:1-13 ) tells of five wise virgins who bring extra oil along for their lamps and five foolish virgins who bring their lamps but no extra oil jars as they await the coming of the bridegroom. The foolish virgins end up missing the arrival of the bridegroom because they are off buying more oil. Jesus ends this parable with the words: " Therefore keep watch, becasue you do not know the day or the hour ." (verse 13). This parable is sobering because it calls us to personal responsiblity regarding our own preparedness for meeting the Bridegroom - Christ. We need to be wise in our life of faith. Unsettling : The Parable of the Wedding Banquet ( Ma...

I thought I'd take a break from the "Words We Speak" series to do some Advent and Christmas ponderings. This year, I did something that was remarkable for me. I made ginger cookies two days before the event I needed them for! For a person who has often been primarily motivated by deadlines and usually would be pulling the last tray out of the oven after midnight the night before the event, this was a little new. I wondered... what had changed? Well, a few things - I thank God that my life is not as busy as it used to be, I now actually like to bake, and I'm more realistic about the time that things take me. But underneath it all, I think there is something more. It's a bigger change in my perspective on life. I now see that waiting involves preparing. When I was a child, I couldn't wait for Christmas. I would fill my time looking at the Sear's Christmas Wishbook and planning my own Christmas list but it still seemed so far away and I wondered how it woul...

The other day I was visiting a friend. While we were chatting, an incident occurred amongst the children playing that needed some words spoken. First, "I'm sorry" was said. The reponse? A very matter of fact: "That's okay. We forgive you. Blah, blah, blah." I started laughing as it caught me so off guard. But as I started to think about it more, the child's response alarmed me. Yes, I was glad she had said "we forgive you" but the other two statements were concerning. Why? #1 It is not okay. When we're saying "I forgive you", we are not saying what the other person did was okay or fine. It wasn't. If it was, then forgiveness wouldn't be warranted. Forgiveness is for sin, for things done (intentionally or unintentionally) that go against God's ways, for things that are not okay. #2 "Blah, blah, blah..." When we extend forgiveness to someone, we are not engaging in some sort of psychobabble that doesn't rea...

The blog's current theme is “the words we speak” but today I want to deviate from that a bit and focus on something we may need to hear. In Matthew 9:1-8 , there is an amazing story of a paralytic who is healed by Jesus. He gets up,takes up his mat, and goes home. Wow! But that's not all..... Jesus also speaks to him the words we all need to hear, “ Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven .” (Matt 9:2) It's a very dramatic story with tensions rising between the teachers of the law and Jesus. The miracle of the healing is a validation of Jesus' authority to forgive sins (see verse 6) and the result is a crowd filled with awe (verse8). But what does all of this have to do with you? Well, two weeks ago (see November 14) I talked about confession of our sins. Now, here we are able to hear through Scripture, the proclamation of forgiveness of our sins. I don't know where you are at with God but I want to suggest an exercise. Read through the story of Matthew 9:1-8 ...

I'm involved in a Mom's group in Selkirk and last week I was trying to teach the group of preschool children about saying, “I'm sorry”. I really wanted to emphasize that saying sorry is not enough and that we need to make restitution as well. I defined it as doing the opposite action of the sin. As I wondered how to get this idea across, I decided to roll play. Another mom and I pretended that we were kids and I then proceeded to steal a toy from her. The kids were suppose to tell me what I needed to do - say sorry and give the toy back - but what did they do? Laugh. They wanted us to act it out again. Especially the children of the other mom. They didn't seem to take us seriously. Why would I (a grown-up) be stealing a toy? In the second scenario, I said something mean to my fellow actor: “I don't like you and I don'tlike your clothes.” The response of the kids? Silence and shock. They saw this as serious. Maybe it was because it was more feasible th...

The words we speak when we confess our sin to God (this week's topic) and others (next week's topic) are words that can be very hard to speak but they lead to life. Acknowledging our sin can be difficult but as Scripture says: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) Have you ever done that - been in a state of denial about your sin? I have and it is a terrible place to be (although I didn't comprehend it at the time). In retrospect, I realize that I was protecting my pride and nurturing my fear by denying the extent of my sin. What good did that do me? None. It left me stuck in repetetive patterns of sin, unable to access God's grace and redemption for that area of my life. So what does the Bible encourage us to do? "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Confession - the act of admitting and owning our s...

It's so routine. You walk through a door that someone has opened for you and you say, "Thanks". The gas attendant hands you back your credit card and without even thinking, the word "thanks" comes out of your mouth. While I'm a fan of people being courteous in our culture, I'm concerned that our "thanks" can just become a habit. And maybe this is ok with salespeople and drive-thru staff, but what about with our friends? our family? God? In the Bible, the phrase "give thanks" or "thanksgiving" is used alot. This got me thinking: we don't just say thanks, we give it. It is an offerring. When we receive a gift, "thanks" is the something we give back. It's our gratitude, our appreciation, our acknowledgment that the gift was significant, and our profession that the giver has been gracious to us. The passage on my mind this week is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in a...

I prepared my 3 1/2 year old for trick or treating today by explaining that everytime someone gave him candy, he was to say "thank-you". We practiced it and he seemed to understand - or so I thought. Apparently I was wrong. The lesson obviously didn't sink in because house after house I had to instruct him to say thank-you to the person who had generously given him candy. Why was this? Well, I can't go into Timmy's motives but I can think about myself. When do I find it hard to remember to say thank-you to others? to God? Often it is because my attention is so much on the gift and not the giver. Or I'm thinking of what is ahead now that the current obstacle is overcome. Luke 17:11-19 tells an interesting story about thanksgiving. It's a story of 10 lepers who cry out to Jesus for pity and he tells them to " Go, show yourselves to the priests ." (17:14) As they go, they are healed and one man - a Samaritan - upon realizing that he was healed, came...

One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His response? Luke 11: 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." The Lord's Prayer teaches us that when we come to God in prayer, we can ask for what we truly need: food and forgiveness. It also teaches us that when we approach God, we can call Him "Father" indicating a close, dependent relationship. The familiar prayer is followed by a story similar to the persistent widow (see Luke 11:5-8 ). This one is a little different. Food, not justice, is needed and it is to a friend, not judge, to whom the seeker goes. But what is similar is the boldness and persistence of the asker. So, as we think about the words we are to pray, don't lose sight of mode of prayer. Verses 9: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you...

Everyday I speak words to many different people: my husband and children, friends and aquaintances, supermarket clerks, telemarketers and even myself. But today I want to write about the words we speak to God - specifically petitions we bring to Him in prayer. For some of us, asking for things from others is difficult. We are independent or we are shy. We can feel we are unworthy to be making such a request or, if we hold the opposite perspective, we can feel that we shouldn't need to ask as others should "just know" what we need since they should be spending their energies attending to us! When it comes to praying our requests to God, our fear and/or pride can really get in the way. Here we are speaking to the Most High God who we are unworthy before. He is the one who does know what we need even before we ask. And it is before God that we are confronted most keenly by our independent spirit and pride when we must humbly come before Him and admit how needy we are. But wh...

I talked with a group of children about encouragement this week using part of 1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Encourage one another and build each other up." My inspiration was a Steve Green's kids' song "Encourage One Another" ( see lyrics ). We marched around to the song and then did a craft colouring a picture of a hammer. The hammer represented our words. Like a hammer, words can destroy or build. The Bible is clear: we are to build each other up with encouraging words. But what is it that we are to encourage each other with? What message brings strength to our souls? Let's take a look at 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul is writing to the church in Thessalonica as they are concerned about believers dying before Christ returned. What happens to them? Paul explains that no one knows when Christ will return but that they need to be ready whenever He comes. He goes on to explain that " God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Je...

Now that we are done with double-mindedness, I want to move onto a series about the words we speak. We talk all the time....well, some of us do!.... and what we say is a significant part of our lives. Over the next several months we will focus on topics and phrases that we are to speak as followers of Jesus. Today, it's encouraging words! Yesterday, my daughter and I were hiking through some beautiful forest when we got pretty tired. We had a goal to reach and we did! But when we reached it, we had to turn around and come back and that wasn't easy. So, I started to encourage her saying things like "keep walking", "you can do it"; and "we will get there". Then we started to think about words that would discourage us. A phrase she came up with was, "you should have known better than to push yourself so hard, now you aren't going to be able to make it back". Hopeless and condemning, discouragement drains the life out of us while encourag...

The title has two connotations. First, this is the last blog entry regarding double-mindedness. (Some of you may be cheering!) Second, and more significant, the whole point of this series on double-mindedness is to be done with it. To stop being double-minded, to purify our hearts and be totalled devoted to God. To encourage us towards this end, we are going to consider the show down at Mount Carmel between Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, and 450 prophets of Baal. The whole story can be found in 1 Kings 18 . Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, tells Ahab, the king of Israel who is a worshipper of Baal that there will be no dew or rain for 3 years. He then took off and hid. (see 1 Kings 17 ). Now it's the third year and Elijah comes to confront Ahab and proposes the meeting of all Israel and the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel ( 1 Kings 18:17-19 ) When they had gathered, "Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? (Double-mi...

I love the honesty of Scripture. When we find ourselves in disputes within the church today, we can be comforted (? is that the right word?) that struggles have been going on in the church since the early days. This gives me confidence that we can attempt to work things out as we seek the wisdom and direction of God through His Word, Spirit, and people in addressing our concerns. One passage that is very applicable to working things out in the Body of Christ is Romans 14. It also gives us some help in dealing with our own double-mindedness. It was Anna's comment to the August 29th blog that helped me formulate this blog. Romans 14:1-8 This passage talks about some of the areas of controversy in the early church: dietary restrictions (or not) and observing special days (or not). Paul's encouragement is to accept each other (vs 1) and to not judge God's servant (vs 4). In the next part, Paul tells the Romans that " Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ...

I just had a frustrating experience with our dog, Pepsi, due to his battling desires. Picture this: I'm walking in the backyard and Pepsi comes up to me with a dog toy in his mouth. He eagerly nudges the toy towards my hand because he wants me to play fetch with him. So I reach out to grab the toy but he won't let go of it because he loves having it so much. I tell him to drop it. He won't. I start to walk away but there is his at my side pushing the toy towards my hand. After a few more attempts to get him to drop the toy, I give up and walk back to the house irritated with my double-minded dog (and my lack of skill in training him)! But all is not lost as it gave me the motivation to sit down and re-write this week's blog! Now, in James 4 we come across some serious battling of desires.... between people and within people. James 4:1 asks the question: "What causes fights and quarrels among you?" and answers with a rhetorical question: "Don't they co...

Yes, we are still talking about double-mindedness..... for a least a couple more weeks. But this week's blog is going to be a bit delayed due to the fact that I accidently deleted the post I'd written. So, while you wait, I'll give you a heads up.... we are going back to James 4 . Talk to you soon! Tracy

Okay, so I'm realizing that the topic of "resolving internal conflict" is a big one. There are many different reasons for our double-mindedness. Today we will start with a major one for all Christians: the war between the flesh and the Spirit. I was a young adult when I first learned what it means to "walk in the Spirit". I had been a Christian for 10 years of so at that point but was often living a very frustrated existence of double-mindedness. It was similar to Paul's description in Romans 7:19: "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." I really had good intentions but would find myself slipping into thoughts and behaviours that were selfish and destructive. I hated this! Thankfully, some saint shared the Bible passage Galatians 5:16-18 with me. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is c...

I eagerly opened my NASB concordance yesterday to find all the references to "double-minded" in the New Testament to get more fodder for this blog. Was I in for a shock! James 1:8 and 4:8 are the only verses that use the Greek word "dipsuchos" in the NT and there is only one word in the Old Testament, "seeph", that is translated as "double-minded" and it is found once in Psalm 119:113 (NASB). This really surprised me because I thought there would be many more uses of the word (as I led you to believe in my August 8 blog ) because the concept of being wholly devoted to the Lord pervades Scripture. So does this mean our discussion ends here? Oh no! Today, I want to toss out an idea I have about double-mindedness and I'd love to hear your feedback on it. Obviously, being double-minded means "being of two minds". It's an divided mind. Essentially, it is a mind in conflict with itself. This led me to think a bit about the role...

To continue our look at double-mindedness, we will continue in the book of James. In the opening chapter, we come across the concept in a very familiar passage. James 1:5 (TNIV) "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously withough finding fault, and it will be given to you." We love this verse... or maybe we love to encourage others with it even if we find it hard to put into practice ourselves! It's an amazing promise - wisdom given to those who ask for it, to those who need it. And how we need this insight in so many of our life situations! The passage goes on: James 1:6-8 "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; they are double-minded and unstable in all they do." Did you see it? The person who doubts when they are asking God for wisdom is double-minde...

So, I hate to admit it but I forgot all about writing this blog today until I was laying in bed preparing to go to sleep. And then it hit me.... it's Monday and on Monday's I write my blog. "Oh, but I'm already in bed. I can't get up to do this." I thought. But then I remembered that I have a few faithful readers who would notice if I didn't write and wondered if I could actually do it. What a funny (or maybe pathetic) situation..... here I was being double-minded about whether or not I would write a blog about double-mindedness. When I realized that, I jumped out of bed to my computer and here I am! Somehow acknowledging that I was double-minded helped me choose to be single-minded and therefore act. And so that's where I want to start this discussion - the need to become aware that we are double-minded. James 4:6-10 is the passage that first helped me do this. I was drawn to this passage because of the promise that God gives grace to the humble (v...

One of the topics that I want to spend some time exploring in this blog over the next while is doublemindedness. There is so much said about it in Scripture and it is a significant hinderance in our devotion to God. One that I have dealt with myself. I thought I would start that discussion today but something happened this week that changed my mind. I found out in church last Sunday that John Stott died on July 27th. He was a very influential evangelical of the 20th century (and the author I quoted in my Oct. 18 blog.) I was googling him yesterday and two things I read about him in Christianity Today stood out to me: "Stott's ability to focus on completing God's work in a specific area and then move to the next without shortchanging previous work was just amazing. His influence on African pastors was unparalleled, but I am always amazed when I hear of his other work and remember, that was just Africa." from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/augustweb-...

I noticed I'm blogging based on incidents that have occurred this summer and this blog entry is no different. Wondering what I've been up to? Oh yeah, the title gave it away. So here goes... As I was sweeping my paint brush across the wooden planks of our deck, I thought about how amazing it is that the blood of Jesus covers all of our sins. I admired the exterior transformation that was taking place before my eyes (the deck REALLY needed to be stained) and a scripture came to mind: "You are like whitewashed tombs..." What? How does that fit with my previous thought? I had to look it up to see what Jesus was referring to. It's found in Matthew 23:27-28: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypo...

While driving back from Alberta last week, our three year old son asked several times, "Are we there yet?" It's a question I've heard many times while travelling but when I heard Timmy ask it, I started to think about how it relates to our spiritual lives. Are we there yet? Well, that depends on your destination. For Timmy, the destination was technically our home in Manitoba but I think he would have been satisfied with anywhere that he could get out of his car seat and run around. This morning when I woke up to a sink full of dirty dishes and a cluttered counter, I definitely wasn't where I wanted to be -in a place where all domestic duties were done! The agitation that began to rise up in me in response to my dishes prodded me to call into question my desired destination. The land where domestic duties are always done doesn't exist BUT there is a place of peace and joy that I can live in right now - the kingdom of God. If I'm "there", then I c...

Last Tuesday we took the Jasper Tramway part-way up a mountain. What a beautiful sight... and what a challenging climb to the summit! While we were hiking up the rocky path, my son, Noah, and I realized that we didn't actually know that name of the mountain we were climbing. We later found out that it was called "Whistlers" and while that didn't make much difference to us, it got me thinking about two mountains in the Bible and how important it is to know for us as Christians to know what mountain we are on. Wondering what I'm talking about? Please read Hebrews 12:18-29 . The two mountains are Sinai and Zion. The contrast is interesting. With Sinai, the people didn't want to hear the voice of God for " they could not bear what was commanded " (vs 20) and Moses is described as terrified and fearful (vs 21). With Zion, it is a " joyful assembly " with thousands of angels, the church, God, the Judge, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (...

We leave tomorrow morning for a two-week vacation (therefore there will be no blog next Monday) and I'm amazed at how challenging it is to maintain a good attitude when preparing for such fun. It doesn't really make sense does it? Why do we (well, I) get all stressed out as I prepare to relax, visit, and sightsee? One of the reasons for me is that I loose sight of whose kingdom I'm building, what I'm to be focused on. As I was driving to the grocery store today, I was reminded that I need to " Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness " (Matthew 6:33) in my life. Making all my plans and subsequently pressuring everyone in my family to follow them is NOT building the kingdom of God, it is building the dominion of Tracy. A land of many expectations and little mercy. It definitely isn't a place of grace. But I want my holiday to be a place of grace for me, my family, and all those we visit. I want it to be a kingdom seeking and building time. So, I ...

As a parent of a 3 year old, I am regularly encouraging my son, Timmy, to say "please" and "thank-you" as well as teaching him how to say "sorry" when he has hurt another child. Teaching these three simple phrases is a time consuming but worthwhile endeavour for every parent and caregiver as they lay the foundation for good relationships throughout our life. Recently I considered how we need to learn to say these things to God not just to people. Please : Saying "please" to God is the essence of petition. We ask God for what we want, for what we need, for what we believe others want or need, and we are always aware that God is free to do His will. I remember when I finally clued in that "please" was NOT some magic word to make someone do something but quite the opposite. Saying please means "if you please". It respects the other persons freedom to act according to their choice. God is the Lord of all and we can freely bring ou...

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchman for the morning, more than watchman for the morning." Psalm 130: 5-6 I'm in the middle of an overnight work shift and thought of these verses. I've always loved this passage because it shows us the intensity of waiting for the Lord in the image of a night watchman. I can just imagine the longing for the sun that is in the heart of someone whose job it is to see danger approaching. But along with the longing, is also the certainty. The sun will come up. The night will pass. And the example assures us that the Lord will "show up" and we have the promise of His word to put our hope in. In some ways, it is strange to talk about waiting for the Lord when we just celebrated Pentecost last week. The Holy Spirit is here. The Lord is with us. Christ dwells in us by faith. So what are we waiting for? and How do we wait? We are waiting for many things including an...

Earlier this evening I went for a walk with our dog to get the mail. There were dark clouds above me and flashes of lightening off in the distance but I thought I had some time before the rain came. I was wrong. As soon as I closed the mailbox, the drops began to fall. Pepsi and I ran to our house, only a couple of hundred of meters away, as the rain poured down on us. We were soaked. Now I'm here over an hour later and I can still hear rain pounding on our roof. If I walk outside, even for a second, I will get wet. Yesterday was Pentecost: the day we celebrate God pouring out His Spirit on the followers of Jesus. The story of what happened on the day of Pentecost the year Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven is found in Acts 2:1-41 . The phrase that caught my attention is found in the prophecy from Joel that Peter preaches: " In the last days, God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people ."" (Acts 2:17a) When I think of God pouring His Spirit o...

Did you know that Jesus never talks about grace? At least not in the NASB translation of the Bible. The word "grace" is only used 5 times in the gospels in the NASB. First is in Luke 2:40 when Jesus' childhood is described: " and the grace of God was upon him ". The other four times are in John 1 verses 14, 16, and 17. Jesus is " full of grace and truth " (vs 14) and " grace and truth " came through Him (vs. 17). Verse 16 talks of receiving " grace upon grace ". And yet we see grace so clearly throughout the gospels - in the words Jesus speaks, the miracles He does, and most poignantly in the unmerited favor He granted us in laying down His life for our sins. " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ " is a phrase repeated in Paul's letters* and I think it is striking that the word is used so much in the New Testament after Jesus' death and resurrection. God's grace is given to us in many ways but most fully in the ...

This past Friday I went to a women's event hosted by a church in Selkirk. Shauna, one of the women who gave a talk during the evening, shared something that she had learned reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts . In my opinion, Shauna described one of the essential aspects of living in a place of grace so I thought I would share it with you all as my blog this week. It's the relationship between grace and thanksgiving. The Greek word used in the NT for thanksgiving is eucharisteo . Note what word is found in the middle of that verse: charis - the Greek word for grace. Shauna encouraged us to receive the grace in a situation and that this would then allow us to enter into thanksgiving. I thought it was a beautiful picture of living in a place of grace. This enables us to" give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus " (1 Thes. 5:18). Since God's grace is presently being extended to us ( 2 Corinthians 6:2 ), we c...

I've been reading a book with a small group called, " How People Grow " by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (copyright 2001; Zondervan) and it has me thinking about the relationship between grace and acceptance. BTW, I highly recommend this book if you are interested in your own spiritual and emotional growth or helping others grow in these areas. Being accepted by others (especially those who we love, admire, or fear) is really important to us and we can do all sorts of things to gain the acceptance of others. But in the kingdom of God, acceptance is founded on God's grace. We don't earn our acceptance, we receive it as a gift . We are accepted because of God's unconditional love for us and because of Jesus' atonement for our sins. When we believe in the gospel and essentially "accept" God's acceptance of us, things change..... and sometimes it feels sort of strange, even unsettling. The pressure is gone, there is tonnes of room for growth, and...

I alluded to part of my motivation for reflecting on grace in my blog last week when I mentioned speaking angrily to my children. It became very clear to me around Easter time that I wasn't treating my family graciously all the time and so our home/family is my primary arena for growth in this area right now. I really want our family/home to be "a place of grace". As I considered the reoccuring incident of coming out of time alone with God and acting contrary to the grace I've received, I thought of the parable Jesus told of the unmerciful servant ( Matthew 18:21-35 ). In the parable a servant who has been forgiven a huge debt refuses to forgive a fellow servant a minor debt. This is unacceptable in the kingdom of God. Being a recipient of God's grace and mercy means we will extend it to others. A place of grace is a place of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the "norm" and practiced over and over again, all the time. It is not that sin is ignored, denied, or ...

How do we translate the heavenly reality - being before God's throne of grace - into our earthly existence? Is it possible to bring this "place of grace" into our current environments: homes, hang-outs, workplaces, churches, etc? I believe it is. Here is my theory: the places we live out our life can become places of grace if we, and those who share life with us, are vessels of God's grace. But this is easier said than done. From my experience, I can come out of time alone with God (approaching His throne of grace) peaceful and joyful that I'm forgiven, God is with me, and I have been blessed "in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Eph. 1:7) Then I re-enter the demands of life and suddenly I speak angrily to my children or act irritable because I'm stressed about a deadline. I'm not a conduit of grace but rather of hostility, fear, and criticism. It's the exact opposite of what I desire... and of what God wants. So...

I was kneeling next to the bathtub today as I was waiting for Timmy to be ready to get his hair washed when a thought hit me: "this is a place of grace". How? Why? Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in evey way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Kneeling in my bathroom, I pondered the reality that I am invited to approach God at any moment of my life, in any physical surroundings, and what I will find is that I am before the throne of grace. While I am participating in the day to day of life on earth, I can also be present in God's holy place. A place where I am welcome and acc...

Christ is Risen! And while I'm extremely glad about that, today I was experiencing a bit of the awkwardness of the Easter season. It is such a transition from Lent. We go from asceticism to feasting; from focusing on death to life; from repentance to joyful reception. It's like walking out of a dark room into very bright light and our souls (like our eyes) need some time to adjust! We know that the best thing possible has happened: Death and hell have been defeated through Jesus' resurrection! We can be reconciled to God! New life in Christ has been made possible! And we may feel a little stunned. I'm comforted when I think of the early followers of Christ. They sure needed some time to adjust too! Take a look at the gospels stories of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. There is fear, disbelief, and the inability to recognize Jesus. But Jesus is so patient and gentle (I think particularly of the scene on the beach with Peter in John 21) and eventually, this lit...

Thank-you for joining me on this prayer journey throughout Lent. This week, I want you to focus on a totally different aspect of prayer - receiving it. Here is the prayer I have prayed for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NIV, ©2011) 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. Suggested Exercise: 1. Read the verse with an openess to receiving the truth spoken in it. (Change the "you" to "me".) 2. Be still before God and let the significance of what has been prayed for you sink into your spirit. 3. Thank God that He CAN and WILL answer this prayer.

Is there someone that the Lord has laid on your heart to pray for today? Is there a Christian brother or sister that you know who could use prayer right now? If so, I suggest praying the following passage for them. Colossians 1:9-14 (New International Version, ©2011) 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 1...

We know that we are to love but sometimes it is difficult to know what that means practically. We ask ourselves, "What is the best course of action in this situation?" or "What should I say to this person?" In Philippians there is a prayer that addresses this problem. Philippians 1:9-11 (New International Version, ©2011) 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Suggested Exercise: Pray this prayer for yourself regarding a specific situation that you need wisdom in how to love. Step 1: Write down the situation. Step 2: Write down the prayer (changing "your" to "my" and "you" to "I"). Step 3: Pray this prayer and talk to God about your specific circumstance. S...

Ever wonder how to pray for those you are concerned about? In his letters, Paul often prays for the recipients. In the next few weeks, we are going to pray through a few of these prayers. Our first one is from Ephesians. It is a beautiful prayer asking for two things we all need: Christ dwelling in our hearts and to know His love. Ephesians 3:16-19 (New International Version, ©2011) 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Suggested Exercise: Pray this prayer for someone you know who needs the strength and love of God. To do this simply replace the "y...

Since our focus for this Lent is praying prayers from the New Testament, I thought it would be very appropriate to pray the prayer Jesus taught His disciples. Now this will take more concentration than you may expect because of the familiarity of the prayer. Even Timmy, our two year old, can be heard mumbling the words to this prayer when we pray it as a family. Although it is wonderful that he is starting to learn to pray the "Our Father", the reality is that he doesn't understand the meaning of many of the words and is just saying it by rote. Often I'll find myself starting the Lord's Prayer and not quite remembering if I finished it or not because I don't even have to think about it to say it. My hope is that this Lenten exercise will facilitate faith-filled, honest prayer to our Gracious God. Matthew 6:9-13 (New International Version, ©2011) 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, you...

The prayer for this week comes from a parable Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple. As he tells the story, Jesus compares both the postures and the content of the men's prayers. Jesus tells us that it is the penitent one who is justified before God not the man who was confident of his own righteousness. To read the full story click here . Let us, those who are not righteous in ourselves, who need the Lord's forgiveness, join with the tax collector in humbling ourselves before God as we pray: ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Luke 18:13b (New International Version, ©2011) Suggested Exercise: Each evening as you go to bed take time to confess your sins and ask for forgiveness using this prayer. Step 1: Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin Step 2: Confess any sin that comes to mind by saying: "Lord, I have sinned by.... (admit the specific thought, word, or deed). Step 3: Pray for pardon: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Ste...

Each week in Lent, I am going to share prayers from the New Testament and ask that you consider praying that prayer daily throughout that week. The blog may end up containing spiritual exercises more than personal reflections although I'd love to hear from you on your experiences and reflections in the comments section. Today, being the start of Lent is a little different. The passage I want us to consider is one that calls us to repentance and submission, to cleansing and movement toward God, to sorrow over sin and a humble posture before God. It is not a prayer per se but contains several imperatives that are obeyed in prayer. James 4:6-10 (New International Version, ©2011) 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-min...

to read the passage, click here . In this last section of Philippians, Paul's main focus is the gifts the Philippians have sent to him via Epaphroditus. I find this to be an stimulating portion of Scripture to think through our needs, God's provision, and the role of others (specifically the church) in meeting our needs. Included in this reading is the famous passage: "11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength." which separates our contentment from our needs being met. We are content in Christ (see November 3 ). But Paul doesn't deny that we have real needs which require the help of others (4:16). What is interesting to me is the interdep...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6,7) Most people have experienced some sort of anxiety and long for peace. The above passage gives us a promise of peace that is beyond our comprehension. It is sourced in God and has the power to protect both heart and mind. I rely heavily on the promise of this verse when I struggle with worry. Here I am, over 20 years since I first memorized this passage, and I'm more confident now that God can give me His peace. I'm also more aware of the immediate context of the verses and that the appropriation of the peace of God is not some random occurance but a gift given as part of the larger gift of God Himself. To read Philippians 4:2-9, click here . The first thing I notice in this 2011 edition of NIV is that "agree...