Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers by Shane Claiborne & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrave

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Jill English Johnston

I took Becoming the Answer to our Prayers off the shelf to pull out the quotes I highlighted and write a quick review. And now I want to read it again. I thought the book would be a good companion blog for my week on Rekindle, but it’s not just good, it’s great, it’s perfect. And its calling me to take another look.

Becoming the Answer explores what it means to be community, real community, the community God calls us to be. Shane and Jonathan provide a practical look at putting aside what we want and allowing the Spirit’s fire to ignite in us and spread to a world desperately needing an answer to prayers.

Quotes:

  • Prayer is not so much about convincing God to do what we want God to do as it is about convincing ourselves to do what God wants u to do.
  • The first word of the Lord’s Prayer is Our.  That’s important.  The prayer Jesus taught us is a prayer of community and reconciliation, belonging to a new kind of people who have left the land of “me.”
  • Christian community is the gift of a life that is worthy of God’s name.  Forgetting ourselves, we become the sort of joyful people who hallow God’s name by how we live with one another.
  • The kingdom that we beg God to send “on earth as it is in heaven” is a kingdom of generosity.  And it is contagious.
  • Temptation is part of the exodus adventure.  Temptation is a sign that we are still on our way to the Promised Land.  It reminds us that we have left something good for something better.
  • “Beware of the almost good, for if the devil can’t get you to do bad things, he will get you to settle for the almost good, just short of the good that God has for you.”
  • In his book Life Together, Bonhoeffer observes that the person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.
  • We have a God who enters the world through smallness.. who values the little offering… who speaks through little people…
  • The love that keeps community alive isn’t the warm-fuzzy you feel… or the little flutter… the love that makes community is the willingness to do someone else’s dirty work.
  • “Everybody wants a revolution, but nobody wants to do the dishes…” the revolution must begin with little acts of love, like washing feet or doing dishes.
  • We are the masters of keeping people breathing, but we know every little about really being alive.
  • …being God’s people together, on mission in the world.
  • Yes, parts of the church are always dying. But what really excites us is the way our God stirs up the ruins, always eager to give new life.
  • One of the greatest witnesses of the church can be our ability to disagree well. The world has not seen many folks who can do that.
  • We are to follow in the footsteps of our rabbi so closely that we get his dust on us.
  • …we are not just called to be candles. We are called to be a fire.
  • We are to be a fire, to weave our lives together so the Spirit’s inferno of love spreads across the earth.

 

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Re: Rekindle

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Jill English Johnston

The embers burned red and orange inside the circle of stones, creating a faint glow in the velvet darkness of the cool summer night. I took a stick and stirred them. Sparks erupted and danced about in the air. I tossed in a few twigs, followed by several branches. The embers ignited the twigs and flames flickered, slowly surrounding the branches and igniting them as well.  Soon the fire burned brightly, rekindled, providing light and warmth.

I am reminded of a favorite hymn from my childhood, Pass it on.  The first line says, “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.”

A spark. A fire. And warmth. For others.
But without constant care, the fire dies to embers, its light and warmth dimmed.

Until.
Rekindled.

Embers have the capacity to be a fire again.

Our hearts can be like that, too. Our passion for the Lord, our hunger for his word, our desire to serve him, can die down to embers. It’s still there. But its not burning brightly. Our passion has the capacity to be a fire again. It just needs some fuel to reignite, to rekindle.

The Holy Spirit provides the fuel, rekindles our passion. Our prayers can ignite his spark.

Paul knew this as he prayed for the believers in Ephesus. We can also pray for one another.

“I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-21

Paul also prayed for the believers in Rome.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

If your passion for the Lord has dwindled to embers, pray for the Spirit to rekindle your heart. His fruit will burst forth in your life like sparks erupting from a fire: love, joy, peace, hope. Burning brightly. And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.

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Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Jill English Johnston

In my journey of following Jesus, I have met many who have been fairly certain their way of worshipping and praying is the right “way” to worship or pray and that other ways are wrong.   I have also met many, and myself included, who have been frustrated as they struggled with the concept of the right “way” to pray, struggled with connecting with God, or have felt out of touch with certain forms of worship.  Why, for some, does connecting with God seem so easy, but for others, it is not?

Then I found Gary Thomas’ book Sacred Pathways.  The ideas Thomas presents in his book were introduced to me at a prayer retreat.   They intrigued me.  As soon as I returned home, I ordered the book.  I further explored Thomas’ concept of Sacred Pathways and discovered that 1. I am not alone in my frustration; and 2. our frustration may stem from the misconception there is a right “way” and a wrong “way” to worship and pray.

For my struggling, frustrated journeying friends, this book is for us.  It can also be for the other group, but they may have to approach it with an open mind.

Gary Thomas presents the idea that God has created each of us uniquely and in doing so, we each have a unique way of loving Him.  He identifies nine different spiritual temperaments,  nine pathways of connecting with God.  Each of these temperaments contribute to the body of Christ and each of these temperaments, I think, teach us about the beauty and complexity of God’s heart.

As I eagerly read Thomas’ book, I quickly identified my dominate temperament.  I also found that I had one or two other temperaments that were somewhat strong as well.  Thomas encourages us to find comfort and confidence in worshipping God in the unique way in which He has designed us.  He provides ideas to further explore worshipping God in our temperament and offers examples of others who share the temperament.  Additionally, he provides cautions for the temperaments, where worship might become something destructive, lead to where our Heavenly Father did not intend.  He also exhorts us to explore the other temperaments as a means to supplement our own journey on our pathway and to better understand those whose temperaments are different from our own.

The Nine Pathways are:

Naturalists – loving God out of doors
Sensates – loving God with the senses
Traditionalists – loving God through ritual and symbol
Ascetics – loving God in solitude and simplicity
Activists – loving God through confrontation
Caregivers – loving God by loving others
Enthusiasts – loving God with mystery and celebration
Contemplatives – loving God through adoration
Intellectuals – loving God with the mind

Personal note: While Thomas combines creativity with the Sensates, I would break out a tenth temperament:

Creationist – loving God in creating.

Whether music, art, dance, sewing, woodworking, writing, gardening, baking, or any other form of creating, I think we join with our Creator in the creation process and that it, in and of itself, is another form of worship.

If you have been experiencing a dryness in your time with God, or if you have longed to have the rich spiritual walk you see others experiencing, then this book is for you.   Be assured that our Heavenly Father is inviting you to experience Him in the unique way in which He has created you.  Come, pray and worship, delight in the Father who delights in you.

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Re: Refresh

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Jill English Johnston


Hugs.
Smiles.
Gentle rain.
Great books.
Cool breezes.
Silver moons.
Soft blankets.
Jingling bells.
Shared meals.
Crackling fire.
Quiet sunrises.
Autumn leaves.
Baby’s laughter.
Playful puppies.
Sand in the toes.
Bubbling creeks.
Crimson sunsets.
Sparrows singing.
Fresh baked bread.
Snow covered trees.
Encouraging words.
Drifting snowflakes.
Sunday afternoon naps.
Winding, wooded paths.
Waves sloshing on the shore.
And so much more. What refreshes you?

“…for God gives rest to his loved ones.”
Psalm 127:2b

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Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Jill English Johnston

Yancey’s book, Prayer: Does it Make any Difference, is a game changer for me. I love this book and it’s one of the ones I recommend to others. Prayer can be so challenging. What is it? Does it work? Does it matter?

The book is an excellent follow up to EM Bounds’ book Power through Prayer.  In his book, Bounds contends that we don’t see God’s power because we don’t seek God in prayer.  But Yancey’s book asks the question, what about when we do seek God, and we still don’t see His power?

What about when we do pray?
When we cry out to Him.
And we cling to His promises.
But heaven seems silent.
Our prayer goes unanswered
And we wonder why.
What is God doing?
Why does He not answer?

Reasons haunt us.
Did I not pray enough?
Confess enough?
Believe enough?

And we end up with broken dreams, broken hearts, broken promises.
What then?

That’s where Philip Yancey takes us – to that place of what and why?
What is prayer?
And why do we pray?

From the perspective of a fellow sojourner, Yancey walks us through this thing we as Christians are called to do, this thing called prayer. Throughout the book, he shares the personal prayer testimonies of everyday people as well as quotes and wisdom from many “giants” in the faith.  His first section, aptly called “Keeping Company With God” takes a look at us, takes a look at God, and brings us together in relationship.  Yancey then moves on into the mysteries of prayer, drawing us into discovering the prayers that Jesus prayed, and the prayers that he did not.  He also invites us to peer into the prayers of Old Testament men and women, exploring the idea, “does prayer change God?”

When I reached the section, “Prayer Dilemmas,” I found that my reading of the book had been quite timely with certain events in my life.  With a friend’s diagnosis of cancer, we rallied with family and friends around her, praying over her, claiming promises of healing, carrying her to the feet of Jesus, like the four friends who carried their friend on the mat, expecting answers, hoping for miracles.  And when we faced unanswered prayer, we wondered why.  When we sought healing and it did not come, our hearts were broken.
In the midst of it, I marveled that I was in the book’s section of prayer dilemmas.  How I appreciated Yancey’s words of wisdom and insight, his chapter on living with the mystery of unanswered prayer and asking the question of what we ought to pray for.  As I wrestled, like Jacob, with a God I could not comprehend, I took curious comfort in the fact that I did not wrestle alone. Throughout history, God’s people have wrestled, pondered, questioned, this thing we as Christians are called to do, this thing called prayer.

And in the end I found, that really, all I can do is crawl up next to my Father’s heart and trust that He is good, even still.

My biggest take away. Jesus believed in prayer. He prayed. He prayed a lot. Since he prayed, I will, too.

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