Preparing for the Birthday of the Prince of Peace

We're visiting Jonathan, Heidi, Kai, Salem and Faith in South Carolina. Last night Jonathan and I went to the airport to pick up Marisa. The traffic was mayhem! Today, Jonathan and Heidi had to go to a "doc in the box" because Heidi needed an antibiotic - she hasn't been feeling well. Just before supper time (that's the evening meal when you are from the south) Debbie and I decided to brave the great unknown and go to the grocery store. Again - mayhem! Tomorrow (the eve of Christmas eve) there are still more gifts to purchase. It seems strange that the celebration of the birthday of the prince of peace had become an exercise in ... ah ... um ... shall I use the word yet again? ... MAYHEM! What's even more strange is that I am one who is supposed to know better, and yet I seem to be contributing to the problem. I have always tried to teach others to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. So once again, I must pray "Lord Jesus, be born in me today!" Amen.

Just In Time For Christmas

"Christian Gaming" has just reached a new low. There is now a game available at WalMart, endorsed by Focus on the Family, that allows "Christian Crusaders" to kill people who won't convert to Christianity. Here is a part of the article I just discovered.

Aimed at conservative Christians, the game's story line begins in a time after the "rapture," when fundamentalist dogma contends that Christians will go to heaven. The remaining population on earth must then choose between surrendering to or resisting "the Antichrist," which the game describes as the "Global Community Peacekeepers," whose objective is the imposition of "one-world government."

"Part of the object is to kill or convert the opposing forces," Simpson said. This is "antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ," he said, adding that he was dismayed by the concept in "Eternal Forces" of using prayer to restore a player's "spirit points" after killing the enemy." In the game, combatants on one side pause for prayer, intoning, "Praise the Lord." A player can lose points for "unnecessary killing" but regain them through prayer.

I want to encourage you to read the entire article, "Death To Infidels Via Video Game," by William Fisher. Just click on his name to go to the article.

A Complicated (and JOYOUS) Christmas Season

This year is the most complicated Christmas season we have ever had. We knew the complications would come - they come for all families. When I was growing up, my mom and dad and us kids joined my uncle, aunt and cousins at my grandparents' house. It was all great! Then the kids started getting married and having their own children. Suddenly, my parents and my uncle and aunt became the grandparents. We tried for a while to keep things ever the same, but it got complicated. Children grow up, get married, have children and move to different parts of the country. Not only do we become grandparents, but the parents of our "kids-in-law" also become grandparents and they want to spend time with their children and grandchildren at holiday times. I completely understand why we stopped meeting at my grandparents' home and they began to alternate between their children's homes each Christmas. That brings me back to our complicated schedule. Jonathan and Heidi just had a new baby - so it is impossible for them to travel this year. Hence, we are going there - South Carolina. Alicia and Ashley will spend Christmas with his parents. Then on the 26th, we fly back home to greet the "A Team" (get it? A-licia, A-shley, A-ria) when they arrive on the 28th. Then we get to open gifts AGAIN! In the midst of it all, we get to help out at the One Thing Young Adult Conference sponsored by the International House of Prayer (Dec. 28-31).

I've been pretty negligent in my blogging lately anyway, but I don't expect it to get better over the next couple of weeks. However, I'll try to give updates as often as I can. I hope you all have a blessed (and less complicated) Christmas!

Christmas Cards

We love to get Christmas Cards! Now I don't say that in order to goad some of you who read this into sending me a card - but should the thought occur to you .... One of the most fun cards I have gotten so far this year came by way of email today. Check out the link. You get to tell the "singing chins" what Christmas carol you want them to sing, and after a moment of "thinking" they will either sing it, or tell you that they don't know that one. It isn't a big deal, but it was fun, and it reveals just how easily pleased I am. Enjoy!

http://www.sundog.net/carolofthechins/flash/index.html

Useless Information

You can file this post under the category of useless information. I was scanning my latest issue of "Men's Health" and ran across the following article. I submit it for your consideration. Should the days of snow ever come again, some of you may want to try this and let me know how it works.

WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING A SNOWMAN
DO THIS: Watch the clock. Sculpt your snowman between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and "the sun will warm the snow so it's wet enough to stick," says Mark Mason, a member of the professional snow-building group Team Snowtastic. "If you wait until later, it could be too slushy."

NOT THAT: Don't roll up half of the woods. Rake the yard clean the night before a big snowfall, or try to harvest snow from driveways or patios, where twigs, sticks, and rocks won't clutter your creation. "Leaves and rocks absorb more sunlight and heat, and make it melt faster," says Mason.

Ok - that's it. May your snowman building project be the best ever!

Faith!

Need I say more? Probably not, but I will. She was born Thursday morning (Dec. 7) at 12:30. She weighed 6 lb. 14 oz. (That's 3.1 kg for you metric folks). She was 19 inches (48.26 cm) long. We can't see it because of the cap, but Jonathan says she has dark hair. I got to hear her cry on Thursday morning, and she sounded like she has a future as a prophetic singer! Debbie and I are looking forward to meeting her on Dec. 19. What a great little Christmas present -- this truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Announcing the Arrival of Faith Adelaide!!

We were awakened at 1:15 this morning by the ringing telephone. It was Jonathan telling us that our newest grand baby - Faith Adelaide Mills - had made her appearance. Heidi delivered her AT HOME (these kids have more courage than me) with the help of a midwife and everything had gone well. I'll give more details later - but I'm excited because Debbie and I get to fly to South Carolina on the 19th to meet this beautiful new granddaughter. Congratulations Heidi and Jonathan!

Cool Beans in Madison

Well, here I sit at "Cool Beans" coffee shop in Madison, WI - I feel so much like Randy Bohlender that it terrifies me. My biggest problem is that I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee that I can't identify with the eloquence of RB, but I must say that it's pretty good stuff - almost as good as the Maxwell House I see advertised on TV - I'm resisting the urge to stand and sing, "Our house is a very, very, very fine house!"

Anyway - we came to do a teaching session with the interns at the All Nations House of Prayer on Monday. In the mean time, we get to see Aria, Alicia, and Ashley. So what am I doing in the coffee shop alone at 2:15 pm on Saturday? Well, Ashley is working at the Princeton Health and Fitness Club; and Debbie, Alicia, and Aria are at the Mall with 5 billion other Christmas shoppers. So this seemed like a great place to hang out until everyone is back together.

I wonder if I'm the only one to notice this, but .... IT'S COLD UP HERE!!! I'm not a fan of the cold. I think I've mentioned that before. But I am a fan of family and the prayer movement - so a little cold will not get in my way of promoting both.

For those of you (at least 2) who have read this little blog lately, there is quite a debate raging of the identification of "The Emerald Isle." Check out the last couple of posts for details. Perhaps you will want to enter you expertise into the mix. Feel free. I love the suspense.

In the mean time, I'm headed back to my cup of unidentified coffee (I hope Randy will not be too disappointed in my lack of java knowledge) and then home to catch a few minutes with Aria before her pm nap.

Thawing Out

I said yesterday was an interesting day. I also said yesterday that the weather was turning nasty here in Kansas City. Well today, when I was ready to get out, run some errands and head for the prayer room, it took me ONE SOLID HOUR to thaw out my car. There was so much ice on the car that the doors were frozen shut. I knew better than to tug on the door handle in order to free the stuck door - that only results in a broken handle. So I bumped the door a few times (gently) with my hip and my shoulder. I (gently) hit the top of the door with the palm of my hand and finally I was able to get the door open. Key in the ignition - turn - the engine roared to life and I was on my way. I sat inside for a long time as the motor warmed up. Finally, the defroster began to blow warm air - and I waited - and waited. There was no reason to begin the scraping process, yet. That would have been a lot of wasted effort - the ice was too thick. Finally, I was able to see little circles forming above each vent - signalling that progress was being made. I continued to wait - the circles grew larger. Mind you, these were not breaks in the ice, these little circles were just places that the ice was no longer stuck to the glass. Finally, I was able to begin scraping. It was a long slow process and since it's impossible not to see the obvious spiritual analogy in this, I'll go ahead. Sometimes our hearts have grown so cold that it takes a long time for the warm breath of the Holy Spirit to break through - and the best thing to do while that warming process is going on is to just sit and let Him breathe on you. Don't rush ahead and attempt to scrape away all the icy veneers created by sin and complacency. Just wait. Don't help the Holy Spirit - don't resist, but don't help. Just sit and wait. There will come a time when you can take an active role in your freedom, but that won't come for some time. It's important to just sit and let the warm breath of the Holy Spirit work on your cold heart. Before you know it, He will ask you to join the process and in no time, you will be back in His service. So how do you sit? You stop everything and pray. You shut it all down, and give yourself to God's Word and prayer. It may seem that you are wasting time, but you aren't. You are actually saving time and preventing much frustration and in the end, you will be much better for it. For you will realize that you had nothing to do with the thaw - it was all - and I mean ALL - the work of God.

A Strange Day

Do you remember the children's story - "Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? Well, mine wasn't quite as bad as all that, but it was one to remember - or forget. The more I think about it, it wasn't really all that bad - it was just hectic. OK - OK - so get on with it! Anyway, on Monday of this week, our heater went out. And that was really not so bad at all because the weather was really quite pleasant in the first part of the week. But we had been watching the weather and Gary Lezak was telling us that Wednesday was going to be a day of dramatic change. We have one of those home appliance repair insurance policies so we decided to go ahead and call. The repairmen came (which cost us $50) and discovered that the main circuit board was fried - that means it was not working and it wasn't going to work! The bad news was that they didn't have one in stock so they had to order it, and it would take 2 days for it to come in. Now remember, this was Monday, and Gary Lezak had been telling us on the TV weather that cold weather was on the way by Wednesday. I could envision us spending one cold night on Wednesday before they would come and put in the new circuit board on Thursday. Anyway, we told them to order it.

Now, for today - Wednesday. I came downstairs early this morning only to discover that my computer screen was telling me that something had gone wrong - terribly wrong! I tried to re-boot - nothing. I frantically looked for the windows disc (of course it was nowhere to be found) - and so I tried to boot again - nothing. More searching. More frustration. I took a break for a bowl of cereal and went back and tried to re-boot again. Have you ever noticed that we think that we can somehow sneak up on a computer and catch it off guard and it will do something that it has refused up to that point to do? Well, my computer is MUCH smarter than that and again - nothing. By now, it's 9 am. I called the in home computer repair people - no answer! I called again - no answer. It's 9:15 and I called again - no answer. So I found the phone number for another in home computer repair company. I called them and got an answer right away - a technician would be at my house between 12:00 and 1:00 pm.

That isn't the best news, but it's a start. I was scheduled to teach my preaching class at 4 pm and I still had some preparation to do. This was going to be interesting! I pulled out my laptop and did as much as I could (and that was very good!). Finally, at 1:20 the computer guy that was supposed to be here between 12 and 1 showed up. He worked and worked and couldn't figure out what was wrong. After running many diagnostic tests, he reported, "Your memory is bad."

I could have told him that, but then I figured out he wasn't talking about me, personally, but instead about the computer's memory. Then he followed up with, "The bad news is, I don't have a memory card with me (and he thought MY memory was bad!)." He said he would have to go by one and come back. Now mind you, I'm paying this guy 30 bucks an hour for him to drive all over looking for a memory card! He offered to let me go, but it was going to cost the same if he sat here and waited on me or if I sat here and waited on him. I opted for the latter, because in the mean time (while he was discovering the problem), the heating guy (remember him?) called and said that he wanted to come and put in the new circuit board (good news at last!), so I had to stay here and wait on him.

So the computer guy left, and the heater guy came. While the heater guy was working, it was really beginning to turn nasty (weather wise - that's ice on the camera lens) outside. I was glad we were going to have heat tonight. Now remember, the clock is ticking (at $30 per hour for the computer guy), and I need to get ready to teach class. I have to leave by 3:30 to be ready for a 4 pm class. Finally, the computer guy comes back - part in hand (and a bill for 80 bucks!) Oh, by the way, remember that home appliance insurance thing? Well, the circuit board and the installation are covered in that so the heating guy is down there working and I don't have to worry about paying him another dime!

Computer guy installs the memory - then discovers that the bad memory had created problems with the configuration of the computer - I have NO IDEA what that means other than my computer still didn't work and the clock was ticking and the weather was quickly deteriorating. To bring this to a close - the computer guy finally got my computer up and running and the total bill came to just under $300!! He left the house at 3:30. I left the house at 3:31 - leaving behind all the papers I had spend hours grading - papers I needed to give back to the students who had worked so hard on them.

I arrived at the school and the sleet or freezing rain was beginning to make things seriously dangerous. I parked went into the school, found my students, and promptly sent them home before the driving conditions became even more hazardous. I turned around and headed home. The trip that normally takes about 10 minutes took closer to 30 - but the computer guy was no longer on my clock so it really didn't matter.

Now, I am contentedly sitting at my newly configured computer with a good memory - at least the computer's - and writing this blog. I think I'll stop and get some rest.

Going On To Perfection

I heard a great message this morning. The basic content was that we are called to be perfect because our heavenly Father is perfect. Now there is a lot or explaining that would be necessary to get everything out of that phrase that we could, but the reality is that we do our best to explain it away. However, there is nothing in the command that gives us that latitude. When God calls us to be perfect as He is perfect - He means it! As a Methodist pastor, I had to answer two questions or else I would not have been ordained. In fact, every Methodist pastor from the time of John Wesley has had to answer "yes" to these two questions. 1) Are you going on to perfection? And 2) do you expect to be made perfect in love in this lifetime? 30 years ago I answered "Yes" to both questions and today - even though I was not asked to reaffirm those answers aloud, I did so. It was good to be reminded that my goal has been to go on to perfection. My goal has been to be perfected in love in this lifetime. The "in this lifetime" part of the question is important. Too many people think that being perfect is something that doesn't - even can't - come this side of death. However, that is my goal - to be perfected in love IN THIS LIFETIME. If I set anything less as my target, I will certainly hit that lesser goal. I want to challenge you to set your heart to answer "yes" to both questions:

1) Are you going on to perfection?
2) Do you intend to be made perfect in love in this lifetime?

Woefully Unprepared

In the Spring semester, I will be teaching 1 & 2 Peter. I'm just now beginning to read through the two books and I am struck by a couple of things. 1) The writings of Peter have been sorely neglected in the Church. There has really been very little interest in the approximately 2000 years these little letters have been floating around. In fact, there has been such little interest that such Christian Hall of Famers as Martin Luther and Jean Calvin wondered why 1 & 2 Peter were even in the Bible! I hope to be able to remedy that neglect (at least in my little corner of the world) in the next few months. 2) The subject matter (just from my initial scanning) presents a part of Christianity that the Church in America would just as soon ignore. Peter focuses much of his attention on the subject of suffering - and he isn't talking about suffering through a terrible disease or suffering because you have to drive a Yugo. He is talking about suffering for one reason and one reason only - because you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Now let's face it, most American Christians have no idea what that is all about. Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world understand it. There have been more martyrs for the faith in the last part of the 20th century and in the first few years of the 21st century than in all the centuries prior combined. But that kind of suffering has not made it's way to America, yet. However, it is on its way and we are woefully unprepared. My goals in teaching 1 & 2 Peter this next semester are to get a a better grasp of what is coming so I can begin to get my heart ready, and to help prepare this generation of young people to stand firm in love no matter what comes. So as not to end on a note of doom and gloom today, let me point your attention to 2 Peter 3:13 - "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."

Kinda Makes You Smile

I get a "thought for the day" from a friend of mine. On Friday, it's usually something funny. He sends them out each evening so that people will have them in their mail box first thing each morning. So I got Friday's installment just now. Are you ready? Here goes:

What is the scientific name for an animal that neither runs from its enemies nor does it fight its enemies?

Lunch.

Michael Friedman made that contribution and I don't know why, but it kinda made me smile. I hope it made your smile a little, too.

On other fronts, I noticed something today. I am beginning - just beginning, but it's a start - to influence my little world for the better. I even have hope that a tiny little crack in the hardest of hearts is beginning to form. Another person showed up today with a portable computer stand! Now there are two of us. Soon, I am confident, there will be three and then four and before we know it - the entire room will be filled with portable computer stands. And that hard hearted one who may be beginning to crack? Until now, it was nothing but ridicule and scorn. Today however, he made an excuse. It wasn't a big victory. We're not on the brink of instantaneous conversion. But instead of a mocking remark (which by the way, I know is just a cover up for extreme jealousy), he made some kind of lame excuse that his computer was "too big" for some dinky little stand. He may not have said it exactly that way, but I know that's what he meant. So the question now is, "Why not go ahead and make the leap?"

Of course, a guy like you will want to go one rung up the the ladder and get the rolling model.

Or perhaps, the hooded "voting booth" style is more to your liking.

Whatever you do, don't put it off any longer! You'll kick yourself later for wasting valuable time you could have had enjoying your portable computer stand.

Phone Calls From The Kids

Well tonight must have been catch up night for the Mills kids. I got a call earlier this evening from Alicia. She and her husband and our granddaughter, Aria, live in Madison where they are part of the All Nations House of Prayer. I have been invited to come and speak to the House of Prayer interns, and Alicia was calling to confirm the invitation and give me a few more details about the event. In the background, I could hear Aria making baby noises and trying to talk. It was great!! We will get to see them next week when we meet in Dallas for Thanksgiving with my family.

Then, not too long after that, Jonathan called to talk to Debbie. (What is it about dads and daughters, and mothers and sons?) Then after he finished talking to her, he talked to me for a while. Jonathan and Heidi, and their two sons (our grandsons) live in Ft. Mill, South Carolina where they are part of the Zadok House of Prayer. I didn't get to talk to or hear the boys, but I did hear Heidi tell Jonathan that he was talking too loudly, so that must have meant that the boys were already in bed. We're looking forward to Christmas because we get to fly to SC to see them all. They don't get to come here for Christmas this year, because their new baby, Faith, is scheduled for arrival sometime around the 12th of December.

When we return right after Christmas, Ashley, Alicia, and Aria will be heading to KC for a few days. Well, now you know about our schedule for the next few weeks. Anyway, I just had to let you know how much I enjoyed the phone calls from the kids.

Consistency

Consistency is not a word that has described me lately. I've been inconsistent in getting papers graded for the classes I've taught. I've been inconsistent in completing my commitment to the prayer room. I've been inconsistent in lots of areas of my life - blogging included. But I'm back. It seems that this is something I need to do pretty often in my life. I just need to re-examine what I'm doing and what I'm not doing - how I'm progressing and how I'm digressing - areas that need attention and areas that seem to be in pretty good shape (at least for the moment). However, I know that consistency is much like riding a bicycle - it's easier to stay on it if you are moving forward. Standing still on a bicycle can be done - but it takes a lot more effort - and when you think about it, why would anyone want to stand still on a bicycle? That's not what they were made for. Bicycles were made to move forward - and nowadays - bicycles were made for jumping and spinning and riding down the face of a rock on a grand adventure. And that's what I signed on for in life - a grand adventure. So my new quest is consistency. May I not be writing this same thing in just a few months as I struggle to get back up on the bicycle after having let my consistency come to a standstill.

A Follow-up Thought on Ted Haggard

Well, it turns out that our brother Ted Haggard has, in fact, been involved in the things for which he was accused. We are sad - we are disappointed - we are hurt - we are grieving. We continue to pray for Ted and all those who are directly related to him - especially his wife and children. And we pray that Ted will be open to correction and healing and restoration.

One of the things we in Western Christianity need to learn to embrace is corporate responsibility for sin in the Body. Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 6:15-16 that when a Christian joins his/her body to that of a prostitute, that the entire Body of Christ becomes involved. Now, I'm certain that I don't understand all the intricacies and implications of that, but I do understand enough of it to know that I have a responsibility to all other Christians on the face of the earth to avoid that sort of thing. For too long, we have made Christianity an "individual sport." By stressing personal salvation (which needs to be stressed!) we have also de-emphasized corporate salvation. When we are saved, we become part - literally - of the Body of Christ.

I think of Achan in the book of Joshua. The people of God were told to leave everything in Jericho alone. But ol' Achan just couldn't keep his hands off some of the nice shiny trinkets that were left unattended after Jericho fell. He looked around and nobody was watching so he took some of the things God said not to take. Soon, the people were getting ready to battle the city of Ai. God had promised to give them victory, but this time they got their tails kicked! Joshua said to God, "What's up? Did you lie to us? You promised to give us victory and now men have died and people are frightened!" Then God reminded him, "I didn't give you a blanket pass to victory. I told you that only as you did what I told you to do would you win battles." Joshua argued, "But we have done everything!" And God replied, "No, not everything. One of you took something I said not to take." You can read the whole story in Joshua 7, but I want to show you a couple of verses specifically (7:10-11).

The LORD said to Joshua, "Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings."

Notice all the plural nouns and pronouns! "Israel" (the whole nation) has sinned. "They" have transgressed... "They" have taken... "They" have stolen... And yet, the truth is that only one guy was guilty. What we learn from this - a lesson the American Church needs to understand - is that while only one may be guilty, we are all responsible!

Now what does all that mean? I'm not sure, entirely. But I do know that I must be more careful in my behavior, because it isn't just MY life that is on the line. Whatever I do, I take the whole Body of Christ with me - even when they are unaware of it! And not only that - God's reputation is open to ridicule and disdain. I'm not wagging my finger at Ted - the last thing he needs right now is more accusations. The Accuser of the brethren is already screaming in his ears. The media and lots of others are doing plenty of accusing. I'm wagging my finger at me and telling myself that every time I'm faced with a moral decision that I'm deciding for a whole host of other folks. I am no longer my own - I am no longer on my own - I am part of the Body of Christ and it's time I started to remember that! Whether I like it or not, that's how it is.

Oh God - help us. We need divine revelation, power, and love to walk this out!

A Few Thoughts On Ted Haggard

This must be devastating to him, his family, his friends, his church staff, his congregation, and the people of Colorado Springs. The news media has had a field day and of course we know everything they say is absolute truth. Sure Ted sinned. His first knee jerk reaction was denial. Duh! Ever since Adam and Eve headed for the bushes in the Garden of Eden we've been in denial. But immediately after that, he owned the sin - at least the part he actually committed. And folks, I'd say that a brother in Christ deserves for us to believe his testimony over an accuser whose "credentials" are less than impeccable. C'mon, now, God set a standard of two or more witnesses! Deuteronomy 17:6 says, "At the testimony of two or three witnesses they must be executed. They cannot be put to death on the testimony of only one witness." And Deuteronomy 19:15 says, "A single witness may not testify against another person for any trespass or sin that he commits. A matter may be legally established only on the testimony of two or three witnesses." Then Matthew 18:16 follows with, "... at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established." And finally, Paul makes it very clear what our response is to be: 1 Timothy 5:19 - "Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses."

There you have it. Ted admits some wrong. And for that, he must face not only human judges, but he must stand before a much higher court - the court of heaven. But for anything beyond what he admits, we the Body of Christ must follow the mandates God established and not accept the accusation of a lone accuser. We need to be in constant prayer for Ted and those closest to him.

Furthermore, does anyone else find it just a bit curious that this accusation comes just days before the state of Colorado votes on the issue of homosexual marriage? For people who might be undecided on the issue, hearing that a well known opponent of the measure has been living in the sin he condemns might just cause them to vote in favor. However, it may just be that the accusation will back fire, and those who didn't care one way or the other will react to the obvious political agenda behind these accusations and voters across Colorado (and other states voting on this issue) will rise up against the measure.

Intentional Spelling Error

I wondered if anyone was actually reading my blog, so I intentionally misspelled Arkansas in the title of my last post. If you buy that, we need to visit about some property I'm trying to sell in New York Harbor. Thanks, Randy, for helping me save face and whatever else might need saving after making that kind of error. Even more interesting is the fact that the "R" and the "N" are nowhere near each other on a keyboard - don't even require the use of the same hand! My sincere apologies to Arkansas - in spite of the fact that I messed up, it really was a great trip.

Ankansas Was Beautiful

Debbie and I just returned from Van Buren, Arkansas and I just have to say that the colors of fall were amazing. I don't think I have ever seen anything like it. I've been in Kentucky in the fall, Colorado and New Mexico in the fall, Missouri in the fall, but nothing prepared me for the absolute beauty of the landscape painted with every shade of yellow, red, and orange imaginable. As we drove along Interstate 540 between Bella Vista and Ft. Smith, I would point to the right and exclaim, "Look at that!" Then Debbie would point to the left at almost the same time and say, "Look there!" We were just silly -- kind of like now! I sound like an ad for the Arkansas Bureau of Tourism or something, but I just had to get the news out that fall in Arkansas can't be overstated.

As for the reason we went - we were equally amazed at the kindness of the Lord in His ministry to the people of Heritage United Methodist Church in Van Buren. On Saturday evening, we had a wonderful time with a group of leaders as they learned how to flow in worship and prayer together. One woman confessed that she had her doubts at first, but as we moved into combining worship with prayer and as she heard the singers actually sing what she had just prayed, a rush of warmth engulfed her. She was hooked.

Then on Sunday, I preached three morning services (same message) related to enjoyable prayer. I showed them that Luke 18:1-8 is a contrast between a wicked judge who doesn't like people, who considers people a bother, and who doesn't care whether people get justice in their lives or not; and God who is just the opposite. He cares infinitely about people. He wants the best for people. He will do whatever is necessary to get justice for people. The whole point of Jesus' story is to challenge the human image of God. People have created a God in the image of the unjust judge and as a result, they really don't want to go to Him in prayer. But if they would learn who God really is -- loving, caring, seeking to get justice for the oppressed -- then prayer would be enjoyable.

That afternoon, Debbie and I worked together to create for the people a model healing prayer experience. We walked them through the kind of experience they might have if they came to the healing prayer rooms at the International House of Prayer. Then we asked if anyone wanted healing prayer. A young woman raised her hand and said she had been plagued by migraine headaches since she was 9 years old. The team of intercessors began to pray for her and in a matter of minutes she said that she felt a warmth begin to build in her head. She said that she felt similar to the way she feels when a migraine is coming on, but then it melted away. The next day, she had not had even a hint of a migraine. We continue to pray for her as she walks out this healing.

Then Sunday evening, I continued the message I began on Sunday morning and walked the church through 4 elements necessary for enjoyable prayer. Perhaps I'll share those over the next few days.

On Monday, I met with a group of area pastors to talk about establishing a house of prayer for the purpose of advancing the prayer movement in the Arkansas River Valley. On Monday evening, I preached again and challenged the people to become discontent with their current definition of "The Presence" of God. I shared with them several passages of what really happens when the presence of God breaks in. Then I shared with them several current experiences of what is happening in places like Fiji and Guatemala when the Presence of God shows up. I told them not to be content until they know that same Presence of God in their midst.

This morning, I preached again at a men's breakfast and challenged them further to learn to seem themselves the way Jesus sees them - to see themselves the way Jesus created them to be.

I'll share more this week, but for now - Arkansas was beautiful in more ways than one!

Van Buren, Arkansas

Debbie and I are off to Van Buren, Arkansas for a few days. I will be leading a "Prayer Encounter" weekend at Heritage United Methodist Church. I'll try to check in periodically just to let you know how things are going.

Fall Has Fell

Last Christmas my kids gave me a tree - not a Christmas Tree, but a sure 'nuff, real live tree. Actually, they gave me a gift card that I could use to purchase a tree of any kind. As soon as it got warm enough to plant, I went to the tree farm and picked out a nice one. It was a five year old maple with a name that I didn't fully appreciate until just the last few days. The name? Autumn Blaze! And boy does it live up to it's name. I've included a picture of it here, but trust me, the picture is not even close! Of course, I quickly took the shot after the sun had gone down, so a flash was required. It's also cold outside and I didn't wear a jacket, so I was trying to move quickly. The flash washed out some of the color, and I didn't want to stand out there shivering to take enough pictures to get just the right color composition. So use your imaginations and perhaps, tomorrow, I'll take more and better pictures to share with you.

Fatigue

It is no accident that the first syllable of fatigue is "fat!" The Forerunner School of Ministry has launched a new "modular schedule" this fall, and it is killing me! Let me quickly add that I really love it -- it gives the students an opportunity to get into a rhythm - to lead a more focused life - to set a schedule and keep it - to be in class at the same time every day all semester long - to go deep into one subject at a time -- it is really good. HOWEVER, I am teaching a subject that I have never taught before - at least not as an entire course on the subject - and so I am having to scramble to get enough material to present for 3 hours on Monday - go home and pull together enough to present for 3 hours on Tuesday - go home and pull together enough material to present for 3 hours on Wednesday - go home and pull together enough material to present for 3 hours on Thursday. Then on the weekends, I have to pull together enough material to present for Monday's three hour class period PLUS grade any homework or tests the students have turned in. So, my point is, I am fatigued and too tired to exercise - hence "fat!" So, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel much better - still fat - still fatigued - but much better. Thanks for listening -- I'll try to do better next time.

Great Time of Teaching and Ministry

Yesterday (Sunday) I had a great time with a home group led by Connie Cheung. There was a great spirit in the group and the Lord gave us some real clarity in the area of forgiveness. We looked at hidden anger, forgotten offense, bitterness buried beneath years of denial and came to the conclusion that the vast majority of us have some kind of offense that we simply are not aware of - something we have just become used to. In a physical analogy, there is such a thing as "accommodation." It occurs in the nervous system in such a way that nerves send signals to the brain, and the brain instructs the person to do something to "fix the problem." If the problem is not fixed, then after a while, the brain just ignores the signal. An example of accommodation is the sense of smell. When you walk into a steak restaurant, your sense of smell is suddenly overcome with the wonderful aroma. By the time you've been in the restaurant for a while, you don't notice the ambient smell any longer. It happens with good odors and with foul. For example, if you live next to a garbage dump, eventually you won't notice the odor -- you just get used to it -- or your nervous system "accommodates" the constant input.

I said all that to say that unforgiveness / offense is the same. If we don't deal with offense completely - let it go AND restore the offender to a position of love and respect - then the offense remains and we just get used to it.

Now the point: We said that there is probably no place on earth where the Church has more cause for offense than the underground church of China. Daily, something happens to believers that would cause offense. And yet, there is no place on earth where more signs and wonders are occurring. So the conclusion is that these Chinese believers have learned to forgive and God is willing to release His power to them because He knows they will not misuse it. We, in the West, on the other hand, are experiencing almost no release of power. Could it be that the reason is we are not dealing with offense, we are just getting used to it. Look at our society. Look at our culture. Look at the Church. We live in a society and culture of anger. The Church is the same. Perhaps it's time to get honest -- to wake up and "smell the stench" of unforgiveness and stop making excuses and justifying our anger and offense. Then God would be willing to release His power.

Glad To Forgive

Duh! As I was recommending the previous book, it suddenly dawned on me that I had not even recommended my own book on this little blog space. Although the readership is limited, it's worth a shot. I have visited with so many people over the years about the topic of forgiveness and I have discovered that most people know they are supposed to forgive; and a lot of people think they have forgiven. But the sad reality is that people carry loads of anger, and bitterness that they are completely blind to. In west Texas there is a town that is surrounded by feed lots - that's a fenced in structure where ranchers bring cattle to feed them and fatten them up for market. There are literally thousands of cattle penned up behind those fences, and of course, with cattle comes a very distinct and foul odor. I once asked a person who lived in that town, "How do you stand the smell all the time?" To which they replied, "Oh, you get used to it." The same is true of anger and bitterness. After carrying it for a while, people just get used to it and don't even know it's there. But that can be very dangerous. So I want to recommend that everyone read Glad To Forgive right away!

Book Recommendation

I am not in the habit of recommending books (other than my own!), mostly because everyone has a book to recommend. However, I read this one a couple of months ago and I was completely intrigued by it. I think it is a must read for the times in which we live.

BLACKOUT!

We had an interesting evening yesterday. I was quietly working on my hermeneutics notes for Thursday, when sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 the lights went black, then back on, then black, then back on... I was in a panic trying to get my computer turned off before everything was toast ... Then black. This time it stayed that way. I stepped out of the office (after banging into the corner of the desk - it really gets dark around here when house lights, street lights, and moon are all out - no relax, the moon is not part of the KC power grid, it was just cloudy)...Anyway, I stepped out of the office, and there sat Marisa at the kitchen table - face illuminated by her laptop screen - she made some kind of wise crack about me knocking a hole in the wall when I hit the desk. I made my way to the light. Then Debbie, who had been upstairs reading, tried to make her way down the steps without serious bodily harm. In a matter of minutes, there we were, a little nuclear family gathered around the comforting light of a laptop computer screen. Suddenly, talk of being Amish was beginning to flow. And of course in our IHOP world we wondered if we were having trouble making it now, how would we do during the tribulation. Interesting how a little power outage can cause us to wax philosophical. As we waited for the lights to come on, we fumbled around for flashlights which were not anywhere close to where we KNEW they were. Then the candles came out. Marisa, sitting at the kitchen table, grading papers by computer screen and candle light made a somewhat anachronistic statement. Continuing to wait, I decided to drive around the neighborhood just to see how widespread the blackout was. Also, I had lights in the car! It seemed that several square miles were dark. But I could find no cause - like a tractor/trailer sitting on top of a power pole. So I headed back home to report ... Nothing. About an hour and a half later, the lights suddenly popped on and we were able to go about our business as usual. What was so disconcerting was just how utterly lost and helpless we were without power -- and that is the sermon of the day.

Clutter

I just looked over my desk and realized it looks a lot like my life -- filled with clutter. Of course, all of the clutter is good clutter. I have a notebook from my "How To Study The Bible" class. Under that (in no particular order) are notes from Mike Bickle - "Prayer Energized by Intimacy with God," and "The Revelation of Intercession." Below that is Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers. Then there is a stack of books: The Mystery of God's Word, The Bible, Life in Christ, A Voice From Home, End Times, and God's Design. Behind that is the FSM Faculty Handbook - which reminds me I need to make a few revisions sometime. Then there are the really random things -- a sunglass cleaning kit (complete with tiny screw driver) -- a pair of reading glasses -- a mug filled with pens, scissors, and of course the ever useful magnifying glass -- a box of tissue -- a CD of Gary Wiens' teaching on healing -- a stop watch (no clutter would not be complete without a stop watch) -- a couple of AA rechargeable batteries -- a stapler -- a hole punch -- another book (How To Understand Your Bible). And that's not everything -- just a sampling of clutter. This is a living parable of what happens when you live an unregulated and undisciplined life. I know by now I should be better at maintaining some semblance of organization, but from time to time I look around and clutter is winning! The hard part is, I don't have time to clean clutter right now, because of other commitments. At least the space where my keyboard and monitor rest is relatively clutter free so I can still create more clutter. Enough of that for now - time to prepare for another session of teaching before heading for the still point in my ever turning world -- the prayer room!

A Great Surprise!

This Mills family is all about surprises. You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I told you about the saga of Marisa trying to surprise Alicia on her birthday. Well, turn about is fair play seems to be the order of the day, because today at 2:45 pm, guess who showed up at the House of Prayer to surprise her mother and me...That's right, Alicia! Marisa had been working the deal for some time. There is a Women in the Prophetic Conference going on here at the International House of Prayer, and Marisa told us several weeks ago that she had friends coming to attend the conference from Dallas. Debbie busied herself preparing the guest room - not knowing she was preparing for Alicia and Aria. Actually, that isn't exactly true - Alicia did bring three women from Madison, Wisconsin who are attending the conference - but the part about friends from Dallas was just not true. Anyway, it is great to see them and we were surprised ... Well, that isn't exactly true either ... Debbie was surprised. I had been let in on the deal earlier in the day because Debbie's schedule was not going to put her in the right place at the right time for the surprise to happen. I was told about the event so that I could keep her occupied until Alicia could arrive. Still, it was a great surprise and we plan to enjoy our time with them for the next few days. Aren't we a fun group????

Midland, Texas

This past weekend (September 29-October 1), Debbie and I had the great fun of taking a team from the International House of Prayer here in Kansas City, to First United Methodist Church in Midalnd, Texas. We led a prayer conference and found a community hungry for greater intimacy with God. As we stepped into the first session, we found Methodists (they were the hosts), Southern Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, and a smattering of others joined together for that one common cry - "We are hungry for more of God!"

I was reminded of John Wesley's famous sermon, Catholic Spirit, in which he described just such a scene. He contends that while Christians understand that we are to love all mankind, there is "a peculiar love which we owe to those that love God." He quotes David, "All my delight is upon the saints that are in the earth..." As the sermon continues, Wesley admits that all Christians do not practice this special affection for the saints. He identifies "two grand, general hindrances" to our loving other Christians as "they cannot all think alike and, in consequence of this, secondly, they cannot all walk alike..."

His thesis then follows: "But although a difference in opinions or modes of worship may prevent an entire external union, yet need it prevent our union in affection? Though we cannot think alike, may we notlove alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite..."

We had the great privilege of witnessing this "catholic spirit" this weekend as many different branches of the Body of Christ joined together in worship and prayer. Thanks to the great people of Midland for your hospitality and love. We look forward to watching you grow together as the Church of Midland becomes a house of prayer for all nations.

Busy Week

I'm not complaining, but it's been a pretty busy week. Debbie and I finally got to take in that movie we tried to see last Friday (see my last post). I recommend "Invincible." It was one of those underdog-comes-out-on-top kind of movies. I think even people who might not be football fans would like it.

I've been trying to get ready for a ministry trip to Midland, Texas this weekend. (If you are so inclined, I'd invite you to join us in prayer for this time of ministry. We will be at First United Methodist Church.) In addition to that, I've had about 80 sets of homework to grade, preparation for Wednesday night's class, and preparation for a new class I will begin to teach in less than 2 weeks. All in all, I'm a little dazed these days...Get it? Dazed these days? It's a play on words. Never mind.

Have you ever come to the point that you have so much to do, and you know you'll never get it done, so you just begin to lock down and don't do any of it? I'm almost there! But the Lord is faithful and He will give me everything I need to get everything done! So now that I've settled that, I can go back to bed and get some sleep.

Surprises Are Tough To Pull Off

Yesterday, September 22, was Alicia's birthday (she's our second born). Marisa (our first born) had planned for some weeks to fly from Kansas City to Madison, Wisconsin (where Alicia and her husband, Ashley, and daughter Aria live) to surprise Alicia for her birthday. The plan was set: Marisa would arrive in Madison around 6:30 pm - just at the time Ashley had planned conveniently go to pick up "pizza" for dinner. When he returned from his pizza run, he would have Marisa with him. Alicia would be surprised - the girls would both cry - it was going to be great. I was the designated driver to get Marisa to the airport. I carried out my job with great skill and efficiency. We left the International House of Prayer parking lot at precisely 1 pm. I drove the speed limit. Marisa and I had a great visit on the way to the KC International Airport. I dropped her off a little before 2 pm - plenty of time to check luggage and make it through security for a 3 pm flight. The plan was working like clock work! I was congratulating myself on several fronts: #1) I didn't spill the beans and kept the secret from Alicia, #2) I drove the speed limit and avoided a ticket from the friendly police officer who was lurking on the shoulder of the road just north of the Missouri River bridge - did I mention that he was on the opposite side of the highway so I wouldn't have gotten a ticket from him even if I had been speeding, but that's beside the point, #3) I delivered Marisa to the correct gate and terminal, #4) I remembered that friendly police officer's position so I avoided a ticket on the return trip, too, and #5) I didn't call Alicia until late in the evening so that I wouldn't spill the beans while Marisa was en route.

This was a truly great day ... Until the phone rang at 4:30 and Marisa was still in Kansas City! It seems the weather was not cooperating in Chicago and so they were holding all flights. Not to worry - she could still make her connecting flight from Chicago to Madison if the plane left KCI in the next half hour. We prayed. 5:30 comes - the phone rings - it's Marisa - she's seated on the plane which is being held at the gate. It will be at least another hour and 45 minutes before her plane can take off. Now, she is certain to miss her connecting flight from Chicago to Madison. "What are you going to do?" I ask. "I don't know," she replied, "I guess I'll wait and see what happens." She hung up, and Debbie and I settled down at Uno: Chicago Grill and Bar for pizza and quesadillas (I had the pizza, Debbie the other). We, of course, discussed Marisa's situation and how disappointed she would be if she didn't get to pull off the surprise of the century.

At 6:30, the phone rang again. "I can't talk long, my phone's battery is about dead and I packed my charger in my suitcase," were the first words out of her mouth. "They canceled my connecting flight to Madison," were the second. "I have to decide if I am going to go on to Chicago tonight, and catch an early flight to Madison in the morning, or if I am coming home and leave Kansas City early enough to make the connection. What do you think I should do?"

Dads love it and hate it when their kids ask those kinds of questions. We love it because they still value our opinions. We hate it because we might give the wrong advice. So I said, "I think it might be better to go on to Chicago and catch the earliest flight you can to Madison in the morning. By the way, is the surprise still in tact?"

"I think so. I've got to go check with the gate attendant." And she hung up. Meanwhile, Debbie and I are trying to decide, "Do we go on to the movie we planned to see, or do we just wait on Marisa to call." Debbie said, "Let's go sit in the movie parking lot and wait on her call." We did that. It was now 7 pm - the movie was to start at 7:10 and still nothing from Marisa.

"Hey, I know what we can do. The same movie starts at another theater at 7:40. Let's forget about the 7:10 showing and drive over to the other theater. That will give Marisa time to call." Sometimes I scare myself I'm so brilliant! We arrived at the (relax, I didn't mean that brilliant thing)...We arrived at the OTHER theater at 7:20...Still no call from Marisa. Debbie asks, "Do we go in or do we wait?" I convinced her to wait a few minutes longer. It's now 7:30...Nothing! We walked up to the ticket window and discovered that the movie didn't start until 7:45 ... Five extra minutes. "Let's go stand outside and wait for just a few more minutes before we buy the tickets," I suggested. 7:35 the phone rang again. It was obvious that she was in tears as she asked me to come pick her up and she would try again in the morning.

Debbie and I headed for KCI to retrieve our very hurt and disappointed daughter. 8:15 we arrive at Terminal A and locate Marisa who is pacing up and down the sidewalk. "It takes 10 minutes to walk from one end of the terminal to the other," she said, "and I've done it 4 times." The ride home was quiet except for Marisa talking to Ashley, finding out that the surprise is still a surprise, and trying to figure out how to keep it that way just a few more hours. We arrived home around 9 pm. At 9:30 I suddenly realized that I had not called Alicia and wished her "Happy Birthday!" So I called, sang the birthday song, and she said, "I wondered if my dad was going to call me today!" If she only knew what I had been going through! But once again in a flash of brilliance, I resisted the urge to explain my evening.

She said, "I kind of hoped all day long that y'all (she still says "y'all" even though she lives in Wisconsin...I raised her right!) would pop in and surprise me!" I said, "How do you know we aren't all standing outside your door at this very moment and I'm calling you just to throw you off?" "I'm going to check right now." "Well, are we there?" "No." (She said that with true Wisconsin flavor...I can't protect her from everything!) We had a good conversation - she heard Marisa's voice in the background - and so she knew her birthday would come and go with no suprises.

Marisa immediately went to bed, and at 4 am she headed back to KCI to catch a 6 am flight to Chicago, then a 10:30 connection to Madison, a short taxi ride from the airport (Ashley was going hunting so he couldn't pick her up at the airport) and the birthday surprise would be just a few hours late. Marisa called at 9 from Chicago (phew!) saying she had gotten on a standby flight at 9:30! She was excited. At 10:30 she called Alicia. As soon as she answered the phone, Marisa rang the doorbell. "Oh no! Someone's' at the door and I'm not dressed! Hold on." She quickly grabbed her robe, looked through the peep hole, saw Marisa's gleaming smile and the whole surprise finally worked!

We called around 11:00 and asked, "What are y'all going to do today?" "GO SHOPPING!"

Happy birthday, Alicia. And happy surprising, Marisa.

Time to Re-engage

I've been out of the loop the last few days. We celebrated the 7th anniversary of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (my last post). Then on Monday, we traveled to Dallas for that dreaded event - moving my dad into an Alzheimer's Care Facility. We did that on Tuesday. Fortunately, the entire experience was covered in peace. I think my mom was so overwhelmed by it all that she just didn't know what to do, so she seemed to just watch. In some ways, she was just a distant observer - not really believing this was happening to her and her husband of almost 64 years. A couple of times my dad said, "I don't want to stay here." That was expected, but overall, he was cooperative and peaceful.

As soon as we got my dad settled, my sister and brother-in-law rushed Debbie and me back to Love Field so we could catch our flight back to Kansas City. We arrived in time to rush back to the House of Prayer's final moments of celebration on Tuesday evening. That night, we fell into bed exhausted -- physically and emotionally spent.

All day Wednesday, I "crammed" to teach my inductive Bible study class. Following class, I arrived home about 9:30 and called my sister in Dallas to see how the first real day of separation had gone. She was a bit distressed. Apparently, after we all left my dad on Tuesday, he stayed up until 2 am telling the care givers that we (all his family) were still out in the parking lot waiting on him and that it was just not right that we were having to wait that long in the hot sun. Finally, they convinced him that we were not in the parking lot and he went to bed. Wednesday morning, he got up and ate a good breakfast and made it through the day quite well.

Mom, on the other hand did not fare quite as well. She seems to think that Dad doesn't need to be in "that place" and she tried to convince my sisters to bring him home. She settled down a bit by bed time Wednesday, but we realize that the adjustment will take some time.

It is now time for me to re-engage and get back to the "discipline of blogging." I'm sure that somewhere in the Bible that is listed as a spiritual discipline.

7 Years of Non-stop Worship and Prayer

Today we began a three day celebration of the 7th anniversary for the International House of Prayer of Kansas City. Seven years ago on September 19, a group of people started worshipping and praying and it has never stopped since that first chord was played. Nick Syrett was the man who played that first chord (I learned that this morning in our worship service). He and his wife and son are now part of the prayer movement in Israel. Speaking of church service this morning, we watched a video of reminiscence and congratulations. Some of the people that had been part of the beginning of this ministry shared their fond memories. Others who have watched this ministry from afar (people like Jack Hayford, and Jack Deere, and Rick Joyner, and others) offered congratulations on leading the way into night and day intercession.

After church, we all headed out to a local park for an afternoon of fun and food. Speaking of food, Mike Bickle (IHOP director) has told us that during this three days there will be no fasting! Now for those of you who do not know Mike, let me tell you, that alone is a sign and a wonder. Mike is the most prolific "faster" I have ever known, and for him to tell us to NOT fast is moving into miracle territory. Anyway, we headed for a park to eat and play together. There were a couple of thousand people gathered for the celebration. It was like watching a multi-ring circus. Event coordinators had organized football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, kick ball, extreme Frisbee, horseshoes, and more. There were giant inflatables for the children to romp in. There was even a first aid station manned by a real doctor, who unfortunately had a little too much business with sprained ankles, and possibly even a fractured wrist. But they were all handled with care and efficiency - and of course prayer.

We had a wonderful time remembering and celebrating what God has done in just 7 short years. The thing that continues to amaze me, is the dedication of all who are part of the ministry of intercession. And I'm not just talking about here at IHOP. There is a great prayer movement exploding across the face of the earth. Sometimes we lose our way and try to turn prayer into a program -- something we tack onto our existing church programs (we have a tendency to want to package what we've learned about prayer and turn it into a simple and easy to follow formula; we're great at organizing the life out of things) -- but overall, God keeps us pointed in the right direction. And I'm not just talking about Kansas City! The prayer movement is exploding in Atlanta, and Chicago, and Dallas, and Houston, and Singapore, and Hong Kong, and New Zealand -- EVERYWHERE -- and I continue to be amazed at the commitment of intercessors around the world.

My New Favorite Book

That title may be a little much, but I really do like this book -- maybe not the book itself -- in fact the book is not that impressive -- only 92 pages and paperback. But what's inside the book is good. The title, The Mystery of God's Word, is a little daunting, but the author has done such a good job of placing before us what it means, not only to read and study God's written Word, but also what it means to proclaim that Word with excellence, clarity, and power. Raniero Cantalamessa, the author, has been the Preacher to the Papal Household (that's right, he preaches to the people that are closest to the Pope) since 1980. For those of you who may be a little skeptical, thinking "Can anything good come out of Rome?" I assure you that there is an entire mine of great nuggets of truth in this book.

On Preaching and Preachers he says:

• Preaching is easy enough; practicing is the hard part...preaching is as easy as throwing stones from the top of a church tower, whereas putting into practice is as hard as carrying stones to the top of the tower on your back. Ideally we should only throw those stones we have manhandled up the tower in the first place, or in other words, preach only what we have already put into preatice. but such perfect consistency between the Word and life is pretty rare... Meanwhile, the Word of God cannot wait... Should we keep quiet? St. Paul's words cheer us on: "We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord" (2 Corinthians 4:5). ... We ought to sink into the dust for shame at the distance that separates us from the Word, but even so we cannot keep silent about the Word, and there lies our punishment and humiliation.

On hearing a Word from God he says:

• If the words of God are few and far between, it is because there is too little silence. The Word of God always issues from silence...so we have to fast before receiving the Word: fast from our own and from other people's words.

On Studying God's Word he says:

• Seemingly the Word of God is within arm's reach; it is at hand in the Scriptures. But in fact it is like those alpine flowers that grow on jagged and precipitous rocks; one has to tear one's hands and fingers to go and pick them.

There is much more -- perhaps I'll share a few little tid bits some other time.

What Do You Think

Well, yesterday's blog entry got a couple of interesting comments. It got me to wondeirng what others might be thinking. One of the things that intrigued me was that both of yesterday's comments were from outside the US. So what do you think? Look at yesterday's post (Religion in America), read the 2 comments and let me hear from you. How do you react to either the article, or the comments. What do you think about the church in America? Which picture best depicts your experience of the American church? I know that none of these is a complete or accurate picture, but honestly, where do you see the state of the church in the United States?

Religion in America

A new survey is out - not surprising - a new survey comes out about every 30 seconds, it seems. This one is on religion in America. It was conducted by Baylor University, a prestigious Southern Baptist School in Waco, Texas. The article in the Houston Chronicle about the survey, attempts to show that other surveys have been overly pessimistic about religion in America (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4177637.html). The article states, "the survey found that 89 percent of Americans attend a local congregation or affiliate with a denomination. The finding rebuts other national surveys showing that 14 percent or more of Americans were "religious nones" — people with no religious backgrounds." The article continues, "Prior national surveys have concluded that 10 million people are not religious who actually are in church every Sunday — praying, believing in a God; 10 million Americans counted as religious nones."

The basic thrust of the article attempts to say basically, "Hey, we're not as bad off as we've been told! Lot's more people are in church than previously reported!"

What I'm wondering is this: If more people are in church than ever before, why are we continuing to hate each other, kill babies, flock to pornography, get ever-increasing amounts of our governmental revenue from gambling, and on and on and on? If more people are going to church, and society continues its skid into deeper levels of degradation, then those churches are not having as much impact on society as society is on the church.

And that's commentary for today. Back to you...

Trash Day

Today is "trash day" on our block. As we went to bed last night Debbie said, "We gotta remember that tomorrow is trash day." I knew what she meant - all week long we gather up our trash (banana peels, coffee grounds, etc.) and hold it in containers in the garage. Then on "trash day" we move our trash cans from the garage to the curb so the "trash collectors" (sanitation workers - see, I can be PC) can toss it into their big truck. We call it "trash day" but surely we shouldn't label the entire day based on one event. Maybe we could call it "trash morning" - at least that way the entire day doesn't get hauled to the curb. Or maybe we could call it "get rid of trash day" - that seems to be more positive.

On that more philosophical note - every day should be "get rid of trash day." Every day things happen to us - offenses, wounds, sights, sounds, sins - that need to be gotten rid of. Every day we should "take out the trash" so that we can avoid the stench that happens when we hang on to trash too long. Daily confession, repentance, acceptance of God's mercy and restoration is the only way to make that happen. So I hereby delcare today as the official "Get rid of Trash Day." I have it on good authority, that The Sanitation Worker will be by your house today - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Prayer for the Families

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Worthy Recipient Available

Ok - time to confess. For several years I went through the "I gotta have a Harley" phase of life, when in fact, I never really wanted one. A motorcycle might be fun for a little while, but then there is the rain and the cold and the bugs in your teeth and the trucks and the people that don't pay attention and the pot holes in the road and untold other hazards. So while I said I wanted a motorcycle (maybe just to get a reaction of some kind from Debbie), I knew it was impractical and improbable that it would ever happen.

But now - I must confess I REALLY want one of these babies! This is the Honda S2000 and I'm pretty sure there is one just my size out there somewhere. It's hard to justify spending however many thousands of dollars it would take to get one. So just in case someone stumbles onto this blog and says, "You know, I haven't given away a Honda S2000 to some poor slob in a while, but I think it's about time." Well, I'm your guy!

Humility

We had fun last night in my class "Biblical Preaching 1: How To Study The Bible." We are in process of "unlearning" bad or inadequate habits of study and at the same time learning to be observant in ways that are unfamiliar and, therefore, uncomfortable to us. Observation is so hard for us. I have discovered over the years (sound like an old codger, don't I?) that most of the time we tend to read the Bible from familiar passage to familiar passage; and all the stuff in between is missed unless somehow the Holy Spirit gets our attention and forces us to stop long enough for Him to teach us something new. Of course He does that, but too often, we get new revelation by surprise rather than developing the gifts of observation God has given us. We need to remember that this is a partnership and that God won't do the things He has appointed for us to do, and we can't do the things that only He can do. One of the things God has given us to do is pay attention.

We compared Bible study to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I asked the class what was the first thing they do after dumping all the pieces of the puzzle onto the table or work surface (maybe you use the floor). Many of them rushed to, "You find the edge pieces and put them together." I was so glad they said that. It provided a teachable moment. I responded, "No -- you turn all the pieces of the puzzle over so that the picture side is up." Then I pointed out that detailed observation of the text, finding out what words and phrases mean, making sure you really know what common words like "grace" and "peace" mean, gaining understanding of names and places, figuring out as much as you can about who wrote the book or letter and why they wrote and to whom they wrote, and all the detailed information is like turning each piece of the jigsaw puzzle over so that you can start the assembly process.

One of the pieces we turned over last night was a real attention getter. In 1 Thessalonians 1:6 the THREE AUTHORS - Paul and Timothy and Silvanus - not just Paul as we like to think - make this comment: "And you became followers of us and of the Lord ..." Did you get that? Followers of "us." Talk about drawing a bullseye on your heart and asking people to line up to take a shot!!! When those words came out, Paul and Timothy and Silvanus must have looked at each other and said, "Are we sure we want to put that down?" That had to bring fear and trembling on their part. Some 20 years later, it was James who said, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." And yet, because this trio of teachers were so confident in their own weakness and the Lord's strength, they were able to commend the thessalonian believers for becoming followers of "us and of the Lord." May we all walk in that kind of humility.

We Never Really Grow Up

Growing up is a thing we like to kid ourselves about.
Growing up is when you get to move out of your house and start living on your own -- away from your parents.
Or growing up is when you get married.
Or growing up is when you begin to have children of your own.
Or growing up is watching those children graduate from high school and start life on their own.
Or growing up is when those children get married.
Or growing up is when your children have children.
Or growing up is when your children's children have children.
Or growing up is when you have to make the decision to separate your own parents because one has become unmanageable due to Alzheimer's Disease.
Or...
I'm beginning to wonder if growing up is just a myth. My dad has become increasingly hard to handle. My sister told me that he sat up on the edge of the bed all night last night and refused to lie down. He told her that his mom and dad sat with him. He's told me many times in the past few years that his dad comes to him at night and asks if he can really afford the place he is living. Of course I know what's going on -- but the fact that my 87 year old dad still longs for his parents, and still looks for his dad's advice let's me know that perhaps we never really grow up.

I continue to pray for my parents and their deteriorating health. I pray that the transition will be smoothe...that my mom and dad will handle the separation. I pray for my sisters and me as we take our dad to "the new place" and then have to turn our backs and walk away. Can we do that? Do we have a choice? If this is growing up perhaps that's why....

Not Enough To Do

Boy, people just don't have enough to do! Would it have ever occurred to you to protest the demotion of Pluto from planet status? I never cease to be amazed.

A Dose of Reality

I was passing through Paul's letter to the Philippians today ... reading things I'd underlined and notes in the margin ... I like to do that from time to time ... sometimes I amaze myself at the insight (both good and feeble) I had at the moment I jotted down the notes. Anyway, I'm not going to tell you whether this little tidbit was on the good or feeble side, you decide for yourself, but I am going to share it. Paul was writing to the Philippian Christians from a Roman jail cell (interesting that Paul was delivered by God from a Philippian jail and that deliverance resulted in the people to whom he is now writing becoming Christians). He is talking about people who are preaching the Gospel on the outside of the jail while he preaches from the inside. He shares a real dose of reality when he says, "Some indeed preach Christ from envy and strife..." (Philippians 1:15) Then he goes on to say, "[They] preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerity; supposing to ad affliction to my chains." (Philippians 1:16) In other words, there were people out there preaching Jesus in such a way that they were slamming Paul in the process -- probably pointing out that he was in jail and of course everyone knows that only bad people go to jail. It is obvious that slander of Paul is part of their Gospel message. How's that for an oxymoron!? Using the Gospel as a platform to slander a brother in Christ!!!

But I love Paul's response. "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice." (Philippians 1:18)

Do you get that? So people slander me in the process of preaching Christ -- it doesn't matter! As long as Christ is preached. And not only does Paul rejoice in the moment, he makes it his aim to continue to rejoice! "I will rejoice," he says. He jumps on that theme again toward the end of the letter (4:4) when he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I wil say, rejoice!" Her is a man, sitting in prison, not knowing if he will ever get out, knowing people are on the outside slandering him, and rejoicing in the moment, and determining to rejoice in the furture - whether he gets out of jail or not. Now that is something I want to get into my heart. To determine that I will rejoice even before the bad thing happens to me. And not only to determine that, but to actually follow through!

I love this Bible!

Sometimes

I have a friend who is the pastor of a medium sized church in Amarillo, Texas. At one stage of my life I was his associate pastor. On his desk he had a sign: Sometimes I sits and thinks...Sometimes I just sits. I think I'm doing the latter today.


And by the way, I think I found Kristen's possum. (http://rbohlender.blogspot.com/)

My Sad Tomato Plants

As may remember (or maybe not), I ventured into the potted gardening world (that's gardening in pots rather than gardening while potted ... er... never mind) by growing three tomato plants. Unfortunately, some visitors came calling and they REALLY liked my little plants. They are called "tomato hornworms" and they look just as nasty as they sound.

The one pictured is really quite attractive compared to the ones that jumped my unsuspecting and helpless plants. I say helpless because I refused to used inseticide of any kind. That then made it necessary for me to remain ever vigilant (which I obviously did not do).

My lack of attentiveness cost me dearly. My tomato plants were stripped bare in a matter of minutes it seemed. These efficient plant killing machines left my plants devastated. Ah well -- lessons learned are hard, but rewarding -- I'll pay more attention next year.

Have you ever noticed that?

One of my joys is studying and teaching the Bible. I was preparing for teaching the Inductive Study Method this fall at Forerunner School of Ministry and decided to take the class through 1 Thessalonians. As I read through the book (one principle of the inductive study method is that you read through the book you are studying at least three times before you really start to go deep)...so as I was reading through, I noticed something interesting. Paul starts with an introduction and in those few verses, he lays out a blueprint of everything he is going to discuss in the remainder of the letter. Let me show you what I mean.

In 1:5 he talked about how the Gospel came to the Thessalonians. He even ends that verse with “…as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.” Then in 2:1-12, He expands that and talks about how he lived before the Thessalonians and even uses parental imagery, referring to himself “as a nursing mother” (2:7), and “as a father” (2:11).

In 1:6 he talked about the conversion experience of the Thessalonians. Then beginning in 2:13 he talked about how they “received the word of God” (2:13). He then goes off onto a couple of bunny trails, but those bunny trails are really preparation for what he wants to say concerning their conversion – that it’s still good! He rejoices when Timothy reports “good news of your faith and love” (3:6). So not only were they converted, but they are still converted!

In 1:7-8 Paul was impressed that they had become “examples” because they had “turned from idols to serve the living God.” He's talking about translating the conversion experience into a lifestyle of serving God. Again, in 3:11-4:12, Paul expands that topic from the introduction to talk about their conduct. He even begins this section with a prayer that they “will increase and abound in love toward one another and to all…” (3:12) He expands that by encouraging them to live in personal “holiness” (4:7), which will expand into a lifestyle that will cause them, among other things, “to walk properly toward those who are outside.” (4:12)

Finally, in 1:12 Paul refers to the fact that they “wait for His Son from heaven…” And of course, in 4:13-11 He deals with two dimensions of the second coming that are causing them concern. They wonder about those that die before Jesus returns, and they wonder if perhaps they have maybe missed the second coming since there seems to be a delay. To both of those concerns, Paul tells the Thessalonians to “comfort one another” (4:18 and 5:11).

The concluding verses are a mix of encouragements and challenges that appear to be very spontaneous and very general such as, “abstain from every form of evil” (5:22).
In the blessing, Paul covers all the same ground one more time. He deals with himself (“pray for us” 5:25), he deals with their calling (5:24); their purity and conduct (sanctify you, etc. 5:23); and he deals with the second coming (5:23).

Have you ever noticed that? Please don't tell me, "Well, duh! Sure Tom, I saw that two days after I was saved. Where have you been?"

Too good not to pass on

I don't have any comment, but this picture that someone sent to me was just too good not to pass along. This little guy has a "can do" spirit and is willing to go for it all not matter what. Let's strap on our helmets and "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus!" (Philippians 3:14) Perhaps I did have something to say after all!

Gospel Irony

One of my favorite stories in Luke's Gospel is about the sick and dying daughter of Jairus (a synagogue leader), and the woman with the issue of blood. Here it is from Luke 8:
40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" 46 But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace." 49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher." 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping." 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise." 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.

Is that a great story or what? Here we have a man who is probably skeptical about this Jesus fellow, but he's desperate. His daughter is sick and dying and he has heard that Jesus can heal. Relieved and excited that Jesus has agreed to go with him to take care of his daughter, Jairus must have been taken aback when Jesus suddenly stopped in the middle of the crowd. Enter a woman with an issue of blood. Jairus didn't recognize her at first, but then, he recoiled at the sight of her. She was the woman he had removed from the synagogue years ago...God was obviously judging her for some horrible sin or else she would have been healed of her bleeding. And since by her bleeding she was unclean, she had to be removed from the fellowship of the faithful. What was she doing in the crowd? This was obviously a terrible breech of the law. Jairus made a mental note. "I must deal with this as soon as my daughter is better. Okay, Jesus, let's get moving," he thought.

But Jesus wasn't moving. He was stopping to talk to this sinful woman. He was spending way too much time with her. Jairus was growing more nervous by the moment. And then he heard Jesus speak words that should have been reserved for his daughter, "Your faith has made you well."

"That's good, Jesus, now let's get moving. We are wasting valuable time on this sinful woman." At that moment, a friend of Jairus, and one that obviously didn't approve much of Jairus going to Jesus in the first place, arrived from Jairus' house and announced with disdain in his voice, "Don't bother the teacher any longer, your daughter is dead." Isn't that an amazing irony? The woman Jairus had kicked out of the synagogue years earlier was now the person responsible for delaying Jesus long enough that Jairus' daughter didn't receive the healing touch of Jesus. Instead this sinful woman had gotten the touch, and Jairus' daughter was dead.

All the color must have drained from Jairus' face. He probably felt as if someone had kicked him in the gut. Jesus saw the terror in his eyes and immediately said, "Don't be afraid. Only believe. She will be made well." And one of the neat things about this is that Jesus has just given Jairus a lesson in faith. If the faith of a woman Jairus believed to be sinful ccould make her well, then shouldn't the faith of a synagogue ruler be just as effective? And in the end, it all turned out exactly like that. The woman was healed. Jairus' daughter was raised from the dead. And my guess is that Jairus forgot all about his mental note to chastise the woman.

I love Gospel irony!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Wow -- here it is Thursday evening...and my last post was Monday!! Where did the time go? Well, Tuesday is always a busy (and long) day at the International House of Prayer, and Wednesday is my day to get ready for teaching on Wednesday evening. Then this week, I had an added teaching opportunity when Jen Roberts asked me to sub for her "Song of Solomon" class this morning. She didn't really want me to teach on the "Song" - instead she wanted me to teach on the "Cross." I much prefer that because I've had a little more experience teaching that than teaching the "Song." Still, it was a busy week, and I was having great fun -- I was getting to teach from the Bible. Now to some that might not float your boat...turn your crank...walk your dog...fly your plane...warm your coffee...hmmmm let's see, can I think of any more? Sure, why not? Raise your flag...start your car...ok enough already!

Also, another great thing happened this week. It was something I only imagined and I NEVER really expected it would happen. I had been praying for it for 4 years and I had almost given up hope. I had such an amazing experience in the prayer room, I just have to share it. Jon Thurlow did part of his set using... are you sitting down?...Jon Thurlow did a part of his worship set using...are you ready for this?...Jon Thurlow did part of his worship set using COUNTRY MUSIC!!!!! You go, Jon!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you see this?

I was scanning the KC Star this morning and ran across an article titled "City Has Taxing Problem." It seems that Stafford, TX (a suburb of Houston) has 51 religious institutions (the Houston Chronicle reports 55, but who's counting) in a relatively small area. Here's what the Star said, "In one short stretch, there is the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple, made of 3,836 tons of hand-carved Italian marble and Turkish limestone; the simple yet welcoming Family Worship Center ("A Good Place to Call Home," declares the sign); St. Johns Knanaya Syrian Orthodox Church; and the future home of the Henry David Thoreau Unitarian Universalist Congregation ("Room for Different Beliefs ... Yours," says its sign). Next door is the unadorned Islamic Society mosque; across the street is the West Side Baptist Church with its "Prayer; Wireless Access to God; No Roaming Charge" sign; and on the corner, next to an auto-parts store, stands the Jesus House Texas with its big pink cross and "Reigning in Victory" sign. And that is just one street."

At issue is the amount of land that is being used by non profit organizations - meaning, there is no land left for "paying customers." The taxable property available to the city of Stafford is shrinking and the city is thinking of putting a moratorium on more churches. Of course, there are more opinions than there are people on this issue, but what concerns me here is the Jesus House Texas with a big pink cross. Now folks, that's just plain wrong! Next thing you know the Houston Texans will be wearing pink helmets, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs will wear pink court shoes, and the Texas Department of Public Safety will trade in their black and white super-charged Cameros for used Mary Kay pink Cadillacs.

A pink cross at Jesus House Texas -- the very idea!