As we pray today, let the act of prayer, the words of this prayer, and the essence of this prayer lead you back to dependence upon the Father and an humble recognition of the areas of your life where only God’s power can move you out of your stuck places and deliver you from your intractable ones.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.

My Heartlight.org article this week, Ain’t Nothin’ New, deals with these ideas and some spiritual practices that can help us align ourselves with God.

Bottom line: Life comes at us “fast” — yes, I know the adverb should be quickly — and we often feel as if we can’t keep up and yet can’t change the circumstances. For me, this old clip from the I Love Lucy show is a humorous reminder of this reality:

A much heavier but relevant way to emphasize this can be found in the Igniter Media video, This Weight I Carry, which you can preview online. Both remind us of the many overwhelming things in our lives that put us in bondage, stick us in a rut, and leave us powerless without God’s intervention.

As we think about these kinds of things, several thought questions seemed relevant:

What is your favorite “God story” — a story about God being at work in the lives of everyday people in Scripture.

• How did God “showing up” in their life change the situation?
• What is your favorite “God story” in your life?
• How did God “showing up” in your life change you even if the situation didn’t immediately change?

Think through the prayers you’ve prayed recently:

• Were you honest with God about your current situation in life, your struggles, your sins, and your frustration?
• Did you praise God for Who He is and what He has done in the past?
• Did you thank Him for the good things and the blessings in your life?
• Why do you think it is so important to be honest about our emotions in prayer with God?

Why do you think the Bible emphasizes that praise and thanksgiving are so important in prayer?

Who is a friend with whom you could share the deepest struggles of your heart?

• If you don’t have that kind of friend, who would be blessed by having you be this kind of friend to them?

What group would benefit from you being a part of their team — what volunteer group at church, in the community, at the hospital?

My daily Bible reading has recently taken me through the book of Isaiah. I haven’t really gotten to the part of Isaiah that is known for it’s great praise of God (Isaiah 40-66). Yet even in the less “God’s grandeur” portion of Isaiah, we meet a God who is global, cosmic, and glorious. After finishing this part of Isaiah, my response is similar to Hanks: “Dear God, who is bigger than all human names used to praise you, I had forgotten how small I am and how expansive and glorious You are!”

As we say the Lord’s prayer today, let’s remember how incredibly awesome God is!

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.

A key point with the manna, quail, and clothes that didn’t wear out is rather straight forward: they were to depend upon the Lord for their daily needs. As God said, “I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 29:6). For me, facing the challenge of eating properly, this background helps me hear the key point I must learn to hear better each day: I need to seek the Lord for the food I need each day. It’s about seeking the Lord and my daily need — not over-eating as if there were no tomorrow.

So today, I pray The Prayer and hear these words in a fresh way:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”

Yesterday, as we gathered together in a couple of worship assemblies, we celebrated the work God is doing in us and through us (Acts 14:26-28). It was fast paced, filled with praise, and with a lot of joy at what God was doing — reports, videos, slide show, time in the Word, and a Skype conference from an open Tabernacle for the homeless. As we finished, I was exhausted and also exhilarated.

But, toward the end of our Lord’s Supper time, I went to be with friends who carry a deep wound of grief. Even as I spoke, I could see pain etched on their faces as they had to wrestle with the subject at a whole different level than most of us as we wrote down things we were thankful about that God was doing in us. As I reached out to touch my friends, I noticed that Donna drew close to another precious person in the family. Little did I know how deep the grief that surged in all their hearts.

After lunch, Donna and I talked through the morning and she shared the awful, painful, heartbreaking news that she was visiting with this dear sister about. By the time we got to bedtime, I still couldn’t talk about the deep grief of these precious people — different sides of the same family suffering with unspeakable sorrow.

I confess that I don’t understand the “why” of such pain that rips apart the hearts of such good people. It’s not fair and it sure doesn’t seem right. I know that I am not supposed to question the love, faithfulness, and ways of God. But at the same time, I don’t understand why some walk away with a miracle and some go to bed with the deep loss grief inflicts and also have to wrestle with the questions of prayers that feel unanswered and ignored.

I am thankful for the Psalms that give me a voice to share such feelings of confusion, anger, and loss with God. I am also thankful for life-stories like Ruth and Naomi, that remind me that behind the deepest of losses — home, country, husband, and two sons — comes the unexpected gifts of hope, life, future, and ultimately the Messiah. God, in His faithfulness, used a foreign woman full of loyalty, grace, and beauty to bring deliverance, both for Naomi and for us.

But still, why do my friends who I love — people dedicated to the Lord and His Kingdom and His righteousness — have to carry such pain? All I can see today in the Lord’s prayer is that one phrase, “deliver us from the evil one.” DELIVER US! Yes, that’s all I can think about for my friends tonight.

I believe He will deliver us, but I am not always sure what that means in this present moment. One of my old, long-time favorite faith-anthems is Rich Mullins’ “My Deliverer is Coming.” I’ve embedded it below for you to hear. If you know the story of Rich’s untimely death, I believe it means even more, and it also challenges us to wrestle with the deep well of grief that often goes with walking the way of mortal flesh.

As you listen, please cry with me: O God, please deliver us!

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”

I didn’t grow up dancing. One of my nicknames in college was Trip. Except for a brief stint in band in the sixth grade as a drummer, I’ve led a pretty beat impaired life. But as I tried to get caught up in the message I shared today, one powerful image struck me. God has invited me to share His dance of grace. I don’t have to lead. I don’t have to worry about the beat. I don’t have to get uptight about the right steps.

He leads! He supplies the rhythm. He guides my steps.

Just like you, God is at work in me (Philippians 2:13; Romans 8:28). I can be His co-worker in His great work of redemption (1 Corinthians 3:9 & 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2). I am invited into the Divine Partnership between Creator and prized creation — the Great Purposer has a plan for me. The great Dancer has chosen me for His dance partner.

But bottom line, it is about bringing God glory … forever.

I think this is a dance that I can’t mess up if I take His hand and let Him lead, even on my most beat impaired days. Sure, I’m going to trip sometimes, but the music will still play and the Great Dancer will still take my hand if I will just get up and dance.

For Yours, O God, is the Kingdom and the power and the GLORY forever. I’ll follow your lead and trust you to hold me up when I stumble knowing I am knew at this dancing thing.

What makes it hard to believe we are this precious to God?

What are ways you remind yourself that you are God’s precious and chosen child?

How can we help each other realize our preciousness to God?

I’d love to get some feedback from you on this below!

The latter more reflects the reality. When there is more challenge, more ministry, more need, and just plain ol’ more of more, in a collection of seven days, I am much more reminded of my weakness more than I think of it being just another week. Yet somehow, grace sustains me, God uses me, and people are blessed by my feeble efforts.

I fully admit, this does not make sense. Stellar accomplishments, a great week of work, clicking off the to do list items, making a great presentation, and other things I might “pull off” well could lead me to celebrate my sufficiency. But, it has not been that kind of week. Instead, it has been full of hurt, crisis, frustration, risk, conversation, failure, flawed efforts, grief, battling for life, unexpected awful surprises, wrestling with memories, and a deepening sense of insufficiency. So, at what point does it become perfectly clear that the challenge is beyond my ability to pull off?

The apostle Paul puts it this way:

But he [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9 tniv).

In our “Time in the Word” at Southern Hills, our focus is Colossians. So I came in after a day of ministry — with all its opportunities and reminders of insufficiency — and began to read Colossians … again … looking for some clear word of God to refresh me and help satisfy my spirit. Do you know what struck me?

In this vital letter to help this church stay on track, Paul repeatedly — even nonchalantly — speaks about God being the one who does the “heavy lifting” in the life of His people. Look at some of these key thoughts:

God called Paul to be an apostle: it was His will and commission of Paul (1:1, 25).

God can fill them with the knowledge and wisdom they need to be fruitful and live out His will (1:9-10).

God can strengthen them with endurance and patience (1:11).

God has qualified, redeem, and forgiven His people through Jesus (1:12-14).

God, in Jesus, created everything — seen and unseen — and reconciled them back to Himself (1:15-20.

God empowers Paul to proclaim Jesus and help bring people to maturity in Christ (1:28-29).

There are definite moments when I wonder, “God, who is sufficient for this? How can my feeble words be a blessing? How can my weak efforts make a difference in the face of so much hurt?”

And in those moments, God reminds me that no one is sufficient, but the Father has chosen to work with broken, simple, earthen vessels so that the power and the blessing are clearly not my own, but come from Him (2 Corinthians 4:5-10).

There is no 1, 2, 3 prescription for this. However, a seeking heart is where we must begin. Here are a few brief words I shared about this journey.

There are a couple of familiar passages you may remember. In the beattitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness’ sake.” (Matthew 5:6) This is another way of saying you hunger for God — His presence, His character, and His compassion. A little later, he promises that, “For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8).

So what I am going to encourage you to do is to read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). If you want to read something else for this search, also read the Psalms and find those that really speak your heart’s cry to God. And pray that God will show himself to you in your daily life. Be open and honest with Him about you hunger for Him.

In Matthew, there are four primary ways given for us to experience God through Jesus in our lives.

1. In the life of Jesus — that’s why I want you to read the Gospels over and over in modern translations that use today’s language (see Matthew 1:23).
2. In the fellowship of authentic Christian community where care and forgiveness are practiced (Matthew 18:20 really verse 12-35).
3. In caring for those in need, especially those who are believers (Matthew 25:31-45; cf. Galatians 6:10).
4. In crossing cultural barriers to walk alongside someone to help them grow in their likeness to Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).

But the key in all of this is a seeking, hungry heart that knows that it has a “God shaped hole”!

Please keep me informed from time to time about how your journey goes and I will pray that God brings several other seekers alongside you to share your journey.

Grace,
Phil

I have often wondered if I was going to be able to hold it together during times of stress. For me, I began to unravel about Tuesday. By Thursday, my body was sending pretty strong signals I had ignored the basics of rest and exercise and had violated the max caffeine limit. I had spent too much time being busy and not enough time being still, yielded, and in touch with Jesus.

As so often happens when I have a “come to Jesus” meeting with Jesus, He shows me my mis-deeds and mis-judgments, affirms His love for me, and sends me a clear a message. That’s when a special email from a friend reminded me of a truth I have known for years and an illustration of this truth that heard months previous: Jesus is what holds it all together. While Colossians a great letter to read to get a biblical sense of what this means, the YouTube video you find here helps illustrate it magnificently! (The video really is worth the time!)

So … move beyond the physical laminin to the spiritual one … and remind me to do it, too. Otherwise, we’re all going to come unglued!

That’s what one of the sextuplets said as his dad, John, joked with him about having his shoes on the wrong feet. But to understand, I need to tell you something.

But before my confession, I need re-assert my masculine side. So … I love sports, played quite a few, and even went to college on an athletics scholarship — well, kinda an athletics scholarship, it was golf. On a recent trip to DFW, I took my daughter with me to what she calls, “A Man Mall” — Bass Proshop and other manly destinations which she describes more delightfully in her blog. In addition, I am a bow hunter — please, before animals lovers get mad, let me remind you of two things: 1) I eat what I shoot, and 2) they call it hunting and not killing because mostly you sit and admire the scenery. So even though I’m over the hill and balding, I am still a full blooded, testosterone carrying, male. Whew, my identity was a bit confused for a minute, glad I got that out of my system.

So here’s my confession … (dramatic pause) … one of very favorite TV shows ever is called, Jon & Kate + 8. While the TV plays down their faith, it runs through every program and you can see the Scripture memory verses in the background. They have twins and sextuplets, yet manage it remarkably. While neither of the parents are perfect, I think I would have had many more moments I wouldn’t want shown on TV as a dad and husband than Jon and Kate have, and we only have two children. How they do it is remarkable — and in part thanks to a wonderful family and some cool friends that help them.

Part of my attraction is that as the preacher guy for a pretty big church and also president of Heartlight.org my life is filled with stress and chaos. So I guess I enjoy watching someone else try manage absolute chaos — something I would compare to juggling warm Jello®. Yet I have to admit that a big part of my interest in the show is just plain admiration. John and Kate know their 8 children, call them by name, know their children’s toys and clothes and comfort toys, do the same kinds of things with their children most families do, and still manage to joke with each other about it. Yes, they do have bad moments, but all in all, they are incredible. And they do it all in front of a camera.

In the end, however, I am reminded every week that each child — Jon and Kate’s, yours, mine, and everybody else’s — is a distinct creation of God. Filled with personality, needs, wants, talents, interests, purpose and unique flashes of God’s image (Psalms 139:13-16 NLT).

Our family prays for this family and these parents and these children that their lives don’t lose touch with our Abba Father, the Creator and Sustainer of us all. John and Kate, the Warehouse gang loves you guys and you have never met us. Don’t let the camera mess it all up for you and don’t lose sight of how precious each of you are to each other and your kids! So until next Monday night, God bless. And stay off those “hair panes”!

Oh yeah, and did I mention I went to a NASCAR race earlier this year? (Just didn’t want that manliness to get lost in the sentimentality!)

P.S. — Be sure and look at their videos!