Why do we focus on the power of faith and the power of prayer?  Do these things really have power?

There are two popular Christian songs – one past and one present – that extol the power of prayer and of faith.  One says, “Isn’t it amazing what a prayer can do?”**  The other says, “I’ve seen faith that moves the mountains…that’s what faith can do.”

I get the feeling that prayer and faith do a lot of work…and get a lot of credit for the work, rather than the One who answers prayer and responds to our faith in Him.

Now I know what you are thinking.  Doesn’t the Scripture say, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” and Jesus himself say, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can tell this mountain to be cast into the sea and it will be done?”

Yes, in fact these are accurate statements.  See James 5:16 and Matthew 17:20.

When I read these in their context and with the whole of Scripture, it is not prayer and faith that have the power.  It is the Lord God who has the power.  He is the appropriate object of our faith and receiver of our prayers.  We do not trust in faith or prayer; we trust in the Lord.

Certainly someone will say, “Well duh, that’s understood.  That is a given.  Who would think otherwise?”  I tend to think we are all tempted to in our action and results oriented society where we look for what works.  If we can get what we think we need by what works and faith and prayer work, we employ them.  We use them less when we do not get the results we desired or intended.

That misses the point of prayer and faith.  Faith is not about the results.  It’s about the trust we place in the Lord to do what only He can do and to do what is wise and best.  We have faith that the Lord can do what we ask AND that he will do what is wise and best.  Likewise, prayer is not about getting what we want, but communicating our heart to the Lord as well as waiting for Him to commnicate His heart to us.  Prayer and faith do not produce results.  They are the tools that make us able to see the work of the Lord and move our heart with His.

So I have faith in my Lord and I pray to Him, seeking His action and direction.  I trust He will do what is wise and best.  I invest in faith and prayer as my lifeline to His restoring and recreating power in me and through me.  I do not trust faith and prayer as if they make it all happen.

Splitting hairs or correcting vision?

**Incidently, I’ve looked at the lyrics of that whole song, and not once does the Lord’s name ever come directly into the song.

Change is usually difficult, but the plan for us to move from where we are back to Fresno has proven particularly hard.   We have invested 10 years in relationships and ministry here.  The girls have lived longer here than anywhere else.  They are pretty much Oregonian.  They even have the webs and rust to prove it.  Over the weekend, one of the kids lost it just thinking about all we were leaving behind. 

Thanks to a colleague in ministry, I have been able to get some perspective and even sense some excitement growing about our move.  Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington D.C. writes for Evotional.  As I was catching up on his reflections, three of them stuck out and I turned them into one word “hooks” to remind me of God’s work at this time.

1. EXPECTATION – God has a good work for us to do and he will bring us to it – Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
2. ANTICIPATION – God is not going to repeat history; he is going to create it and show us new things – Isaiah 43:19, “Do not dwell on the former things; do not think on the past.  Behold, I am doing a new thing.  Even now, it is springing up.  Do you not perceive it?”
3. CONFIDENCE – While we have yet to see everything come to be, in the Father, it is as good as done – Joshua 6:2, “See I have already given Jericho into your hands…”  God said this to Joshua before the battle had even been fought and the walls come tumlbin’ down.

There is a house to sell and jobs to find.  There is how we want things and how they will come about.  We continue to seek God’s favor, with a confidence that He will act on our behalf.

If you think about it, please pray with us.  This new adventure is not without its fears and temptations to doubt.  I still wonder what is up and what will come of all this.  Since no one call tell us our future, we trust God to lead us into it with care and power.  The journey continues…with expectation!

It’s official.  As of June 30, I will no longer be the pastor at North Park Church.  Not only that, but we have put our house up for sale and will be returning to California.

It all seems so surreal.  At the beginning of 2010, I had some sense that change was coming, but this is not how I saw it playing out.  I figured on seeing where we went as a congregation this year and if some of the changes we were talking about would help us minister more effectively.  I realized sooner than later that what I had to offer here was not really helping.  It’s time for someone with a different set of gifts to lead the church forward.

That makes it all sad.  Still, there is an anticipation building as we look at our options in Fresno.  My wife’s parents may need more of our time as they both deal with or recover from cancer treatments.  Both of us have our family there, so we would be closer to them.  I could play more golf with my brothers.

We will miss our friends here.  We have built some wonderful friendships, some which feel as close as family. 

Will I still pastor?  Maybe not in a formal role.  You can’t just return to a locality and step into a paid position. (Well you can, then it’s called a God-thing…)  Both Cheryl and I will be looking for work.  Our prayer right now is that the Lord help us finish well here so that we move on well.

It’s time for moving on…

In the last three days, three people have died. 

Yes, I know – more people than that died in the last three days.  These three people are people I knew or were close to a person I know.

My friend Todd had a friend named Gary who lost his wife after fighting brain cancer.

Cheryl’s and my friend Paul died of a heart attack at 50.  He leave his wife Laurie and three grown kids.

A railroad worker in Eugene was shot on Saturday morning.  It turns out it was Ron, a person Cheryl and I were in a small group with.  He leaves his wife Alicia, a grown son in the Navy, a high school daughter and an elementary aged school daughter.

I have no profound words.  All I have is a knot where my stomach usually is.  I was sad for Todd and Gary, shocked for Paul, now just sort of numb about Ron.  This just is a slam.  And I feel slammed.  How much more the families who are enduring the suddenness of death in their midst. 

Father, you keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast for he trusts in you.  May all these families find peace and steafastness in this time of grief.  And may those who grievce with them have the grace to be silent partners in their grieving even as we seek to understand the things that have happened among us this week.

Ryan came to live with us last Wednesday night.  I cannot imagine the amount of change he is enduring at the moment.  I only hope we are helping him manage it well.  The early indications are that things are well.

Not only was he taken from one home and one school to another, but this after enduring being hit by a car and spending the previous weekend in the hospital.  He came away with scrapes, soars, and bruises (oh, my!) which outwardly have all faded or healed.  I don’t have details of what happened, so please don’t ask.

Our next step with him is helping him integrate into the family cycle as a member and not just as a guest.  There is still a lot to learn about him.  We expect that he might finally reach a limit in his own mind and have an outburst.  We’r ready for that.  It’ll be okay if he does.  We’ll weather the storm and move on.

When you think about Ryan, pray for him and the experiences he endured to this point.  Then pray that the Lord open a new road for him so he can move into health and wholeness.  Check back here from time to time to learn what new things have happened as we grow together.

Today marks a huge change in our family.  Who knew it would come in the form of a pint-sized boy in need of a home?

Well, actually we did.  When Cheryl and I took foster care certification classes, we clearly got the picture that caring for a child from another family would be an adventure.  There would be no telling how he would react, act, act out, or whatever.  He may fit in well, he may not fit at all.  We just know that we are preparing to pass on to him the same love God has given us in Christ.

We hope that helps him start his own adventure with a better foundation.

One of the goals I set for myself this year is to spend more time in silence before the Lord.  I want to be able to shut off the noise around me to hear the Lord.

Today, I read a devotional fromr Oswald Chambers about being alone with God.  In it, he said, “Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.” 

I thought getting alone and being quiet before the Lord was simply my desire.  Chambers reminds me that the Lord initiates more in our lives than we realize.  When we think we are acting on our desire, we are really responding to His invitation.