Snapshots and Synapses

The Lord reminds me often (mostly because I need it). Here's a few simple rules to live by: Love one another Obey what God tells you to do Remain in His Presence Bear witness to all that He does  Or in His words:   "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you... I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.... A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another... You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.   "If you love me, you will obey what I command... I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in th...

I ran into a friend yesterday. He asked me how things were going, so I gave him an honest answer. He knew that I had been struggling with vocational issues and that I had been pretty frustrated. Alot of times people don't think enough about where someone else may be... they're too wrapped up in their own frustrations. But not my friend. I confess that I can often fall into the "out of sight / out of mind" trap. I don't know if my friend is more dedicated in his consideration of others than I can often be, but yesterday he thought enough to ask... so I gave him an honest answer: "Pretty good!" I said, "Although nothing much has changed... just my attitude." Prayer changes things. Especially me. The fundamental, most exciting thing about prayer SHOULD be the privilege we have to come into the Presence of God. The second is how it changes us. We can "serve" God in action. We can study Scripture intellectually. We can "minister...

Wake Up Prayer Warriors! The battle for the heart of Indiana continues! Faith, Hope and Love has started again, beginning with the prayer walk yesterday at the Circle. Who will stand in the gap? Who will pray for renewed Hope in this area? Who will choose to Hope ? J.R.R. Tolkien had an interesting perspective on Hope ... as a young boy he lost both his parents. Later, as a young Oxford graduate, he saw the awful destruction of World War I, watching many of his friends and colleagues perish in the "war to end all wars". And even after that horror, he lived through the Second World War... and a cold war... so much death, destruction and despair. However, Tolkien saw Hope as refusing to despair. I admit to moments of despair since last summer. This world, this culture, revolves around Eros and not Agape. The first question many of us ask when challenged to serve is: "What's in it for me?" (Or "How does my church benefit?") We live more in Eros (a d...

As the Indy Vineyard ended September's 24x7 prayer experiment, I felt let down. The prayer experiment was a success... the people enthusiastic... the Lord very obviously present. The Indy Vineyard had done nothing different than what they had committed to do, following through in every way. But I was still disappointed. Why not more? The Lord reminded me of His words... that we would not need to worship in a specific place, but that we would worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:20-24). He also gave me picture of an underwater nuclear detonation. Now, I am against nukes, but I didn't have any apprehension about this image. An underwater detonation is the "cleanest" kind of nuclear detonation, causing most of its impact under the surface, reverberating with tremendous force. That is the power God unleashed in this prayer experiment! It may be under the surface, but it resonates in power. That is how our prayers impact this world... often hidden, yet carr...

As I was praying the Lord brought a picture to my mind... a bride, showing up at her wedding. She had obviously been up all night partying, and her bridal gown was torn, smudged and had even been vomited on. In contrast, the Bridegroom was an impeccable display of what any groom should be. Handsome, tall, gentle and of royal lineage. As I looked at the Bride, she was apparently shameless, expecting the groom to take her as His wife, regardless of her appearance and obvious foolishness. There was a part of me that was appalled... that the Bride would have such audacity and so little regard for her Husband-to-be. I thought: “Surely, the Bridegroom will reject this one... How dare she?!?!” The symbology is obvious... we as Christians have come to expect the Bridegroom to take us in... we live with little regard for our upcoming wedding! And as I see this unworthy display, my spirit cries for “Justice!”. Then Jesus reminded me of John 8:17. And He reminded me that I too, am that h...