Say my Name!

I not only believe in intercessory prayer, I practice it as much as I can!

Sometimes we just need someone to stand for us. I tell this to my congregation each week. I invite people to remember people in certain areas of life that need someone to stand before God and say their name. We call it standing in the gap.

There are gaps in our life--even in our spiritual life. It is the times when God seems to be "over there!" Or maybe it is times when life is overwhelming. Or we have forgotten to whom we belong.

In the biblical tradition, there is great power in names. When God appears to Abram, he becomes Abraham. When Moses is sent, he asks for God's name--"I Am". When Jacob wrestles at the River Jabbok, he is wounded, but is renamed, "Israel". When Joseph is warned in a dream of the birth of Jesus in a most unconventional way, Joseph is given the name that he is to call the baby, "Jesus".

God knows your name not just in a rational way but in a relational way. When God hears your name, God chooses to respond within your own individuality--your own life story. If you are a child who is lost, God hears your name looking for you. If God hears your name and you are hurting, God hears your name with healing grace. Your name makes a difference in God's world.

There is great power and possibility in saying a person's name before the Holy One. I was visiting with child of God who was searching in life. This person asked me if I really really believed that praying for one another mattered. "With all my heart and soul," was my answer. There was a silence. And then this wonderful child of God said, "When you pray today, be sure and say my name!" And I did. And I have. And I will continue to.

Today when you pray, say my name!! I need the prayers and YOU need the practice!

Belonging

The disciples gathered together in the Upper Room.

There is something about gathering that changes us. Most of us experienced scatteredness more than gatheredness. I think this is one of byproducts of our culture. Our ability to move so quickly has scattered us.

Then there are those things that we think we have to belong to and to do. There are some parents today that are so busy taking kids to this and that function that they do not have time to spend on the things that really give life. I think we really do our kids harm when we try let them go everywhere. They go but do not belong.

As a pastor of a new congregation, I am amazed at the resistance to belonging. Many people want to attend without belonging. It is as if belonging is a plague that will destroy your life. It is the search for benefits without cost.

We see this in our society more than we will admit. Living together without marriage. Someone else should pay taxes. Give me a diet that will help me lose weight without sweat and eating all I want. Making the grade without studying. You know the shortcuts that you tend to take or make in your life.

But here's the truth: We all desire to belong. We are made to belong. That is why our soul is always searching for the concept of home.

And then there is the greater truth: When we belong, I mean, really belong, life takes on new meaning. There is the feeling of acceptance and meaning like we have never felt before. We are empowered.

It is no accident that when the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon them. They were changed. They changed the world.

Feeling alone? Feeling as though life is a rat race and the rats are winning? Feeling the frustrations of parenthood, marriage, job, or depression? Find a place to belong! Find a church home and plug in. The power is there waiting for you. The grace will give you a new tomorrow. The love will change your life.

A woman recently joined my congregation and said, "I have found where I have belong. My life has changed!"

The Whole World

The World Cup championship game is this weekend. It is Netherlands versus Spain. The past few weeks have led up to this finale. It is the culmination of the last four years of anticipation.

I must admit that I have learned about soccer as a necessity. My son, Noah, decided it was his sport of choice at a young age. I had no knowledge of the sport at all. At first I thought it was kind of "cheesy" that you could not have a fast break in soccer. If you try it, you are offsides. In my book, this foul was just a way of saying, "You are too slow!" or "You got beat!"

In Psalms, there are certain Psalms where the world seems out of order. It seems as though there have not been some fair calls or justice. There has been some sense of this in the World Cup games this year. Referees have actually been sent home. Goal Keepers have been replaced. But the pace of the game continues. The games do not stop. Life continues. In Psalm 82, the Psalmist reminds us at the end of the Psalm, "God has the whole world in God's hands."

The hand of God is always at work--in our play, work, in all of our world. Now don't get me wrong, I do not believe it takes away our responsibility or our destiny. God is always at work offering us good options! God is at work trying to bring our world together.

The World Cup competition is amazing in this respect. It brings the world together under the banner of soccer. The competition held every four years moves from continent to continent. The countries play each other to earn the spot in the championship game. Could you imagine a Super Bowl that only comes once every four years?

So as the games are being played, God is at work God is present. God has all the world in God's hand.

I am thinking that Netherlands will carry the cup home!

That is NOT What I Said!

The husband wanted to give her a compliment.

He took her in his arms and said, "You grow more beautiful each day that passes!"

"You mean I was ugly?"

"No, I just want you to know that as you grow in years, you are beautiful!"

"So I am old and ugly?"

"No! You are not old and ugly. You are beautiful"

"Yeah right."

Sometimes you can not win.

Jesus must have felt this way many times. The things he said and did were misconstrued into something that the world wanted to see and hear. Undoubtedly he would shake his head and wonder how in the world this happened.

In today's world, many folks hear negative messages from the narratives of Jesus' life. It is that point that I urge them to hear the texts again. Jesus was the most positive person you will ever hear from. He was encouraging the weak, reaching out to those the world pushed back, and always pointing out the word, love.

But the world will do what the world will do. Sadly many times it is because we are at the wrong place, listening to the wrong voice, and doing the wrong thing.

A man called home and heard what he thought was a familiar voice of his housekeeper. He asked for his wife. "She cannot come to the phone." He insisted that the housekeeper get his wife on the phone. Finally the housekeeper admitted that the wife was in the bedroom with another man. Enraged the man told the housekeeper to get the gun from his desk drawer and shoot them both! The housekeeper left the phone only to come back shortly. "I shot them both and then threw them in the pool!" It was then there was a pause on the phone and the voice on the other end said, "What pool? I do not have a pool at my house...."

Wrong voice. Wrong directions. Wrong thing.

Listen again to the voice of Jesus.

The Ripple Effect

One of the great things about story telling is that it leads the mind to create even more visions of the story itself. I think that is why Jesus of Nazareth told so many stories. It engaged the people at the time and even after the story is over. I call it the ripple effect. Once the object hits the water, the ripple begin.

For example, have you ever consider how the man who was helped on the side of the road was affected by the kindness of the Samaritan. When the injured man went to pay his bill for the time he needed to recover, he was told it was paid in full. Do you think he looked at Samaritans differently? Do you think he might have looked at strangers in need with different eyes? Did the compassion of the Samaritan begin a ripple effect? I pray it did!

Or what about the day after the great feast given for the Prodigal Son? Did the son work with the Father? Did he look at his world differently? Did he extend compassion to his older brother? I hope the party changed the whole community!

Or what about the real life incidents of Jesus' life. Do you think the woman who was caught in adultery was a changed woman? Did she look at men differently because of the man who showed her what compassion and love really were? Did she give to someone else the grace and love shown her? The Scriptures itself tell us nothing more about this woman. Her story is unfinished.

And what about you and me? Do we take the time to give to the world around us what we have received? Is our faith changing the world around us? What could our world be like if we were to show one act of kindness, mercy, and grace that created a ripple?

You see Jesus wanted us to know that love begets love. Love creates love. Grace gives more grace. The ripple can begin with you and me.

Do not believe it? Try it. It will change you and your world. Love does that. Let's ripple the world with love!

Graduation is a Marker!

It is graduation time. It is one of those markers in life that needs to be marked well. For young adults it is a time of ending one portion of life and moving on to another. For parents it is a time of realizing that all of the efforts have finally paid off!

Each year I offer some nuggets of wisdom for graduates hoping that it is helpful for the transition in life.

Your parents are going to become wiser over the next few years. Don't be surprised.
That faith stuff that you thought was so irrelevant and boring will get you through the parts of life when nothing else makes sense.
It is never too late to say, "I'm sorry".
Summer vacations will be filled with this thing called "a job"--if you have not found one, you will need to do this quickly.
True friends will show themselves over and over again.
Spend time on the positive side of life. No one enjoys the presence of a whiner.
While you might look "cool" the night before, the offerings made to the porcelain altar the morning after are not cool.
Drink less alcohol. You will rmember what you do, have more fun, and never experience the previous nugget.
Keep your word or no one will believe you.
If you can not say anything good, say nothing. Your mother was right.
Spend your time and money on things that give long term returns.
Dirty clothes and body odor are not your best friends.
A stranger is a friend that you haven't made yet.
Kindness is the nectar of life that attracts many.
Potty mouths are not as popular nor liked as much as they think.
Dance as much as you can, even if you are not a good dancer. Laugh more--at yourself.
If you have a grandparent praying for you--surrender. God listens to grandparent's prayers all the time. If you don't have one, find one!

One of the golden nuggets of memories that I have is my father's hug and tears at the graduation that I received my doctorate. It represented many things to both of us! I hope that you have great memories and celebrate with all of your graduates!

I think God loves to see God's children celebrate!

The World Needs Mothers!

The woman confessed, "I wanted a mother. My mother wanted a best friend. We both suffered greatly from our missed opportunity."

One of the struggles in human life is that we all want to be liked. We want to be affirmed. Being a parent, especially a mom, means that you will have to decide which is most important. Is it more important for your child to like you or for your child to have a mother? It is my prayer that you choose the latter. Too many moms today try to be their children's best friends when their children need a mom!

Your child will have many other friends. They will have only one mother.

The best definition of successful parenting that I have heard is to work yourself out of a job. It is a tedious balance of holding on and letting go. Ultimately if you succeed, you have let go.

The other major decision that a mom has to make is whether to give greatest value to this world or to the world of the unseen--the spiritual world. A mom teaches her children the faith by example and by word. A mom teaches her children that the gift of eternity is the greatest gift. It is the gift that is characterized by love.

This mother's day celebrate. Maybe you were fortunate to have a mom who gave you the greater values in life. Maybe your mom struggled. Maybe even your mom was a failure. Even if your mom was not the greatest mom in the world, you can find something to celebrate. Then you can give yourself to giving to the children of the world the best things in life.

A successful business man was once asked what made him what he was. His answer was, "My mom was a mother who gave me the vision and touch of love,--God's love--then she let me go!"