Where is the Love?

Gulp! When I read this, my stomach cringes.

Source: Facebook Page (adapted from Matthew 25:31-46)

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Midweek Meditation: "Praying Away?"

As we continue through the Season of Lent, we are reminded that prayer is a good spiritual exercise. It can also be a spiritual cop-out if our heart is not right. Lent is a good time to remember that sin wreaks havoc on creation and the world that God has created. It is sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross. It is sin that brings down the world of work and the works that have been done. As Christians we learn to give thanks in prayer. We also learn to seek God for help in prayer. Mark Batterson makes a distinction between "praying away" from "praying through."

In "praying away, people sees the problem, and despite knowing the good that ought to be done, chooses the path of passivity. They keep everything under wraps and thinking that by prayer, everything bad and nasty will go away. Like an ostrich that pokes its head into the sand upon sensing immediate danger, the sinner tries to "pray away" his wrong by assuming that his prayers are spiritual medicine.  Batterson calls such prayers, "get me out" prayers. He also remarks that most of our prayers tend to be self-seeking prayers for comfort and pleasure, rather than for God's glory.  He reminds us that the primary way that prayers are used is not to change circumstances. It is to change us back toward the image of God more and more.

"Sometimes God delivers us from our problems; sometimes God delivers us through our problems." (Mark Batterson)

So do we simply "pray away" our problems? No. What matters is that God is using our prayers (and our problems) to draw us closer to Him.

conrade

Two Founders, Different Memories

One of the most engaging comparisons in the technological world is that of Apple and Microsoft. I remember those days when I was a fan of WordPerfect, and how Microsoft was trying to compete with their relatively new kid, Word. WordPerfect 5.1 at that time was the de-facto standard for word-processing software at that time. How I hated Microsoft for steamrolling over many smaller software companies. In Networking, they rolled over Novell. In spreadsheets, they conquered Lotus 123 with their Excel version. In database, they had Access as a formidable foe. In web browsers, they overwhelmed Netscape and many other startups. Even Apple was not spared as the Apple of old were nowhere near where they are now.

Today, Microsoft is not as popular as the Apple branding. Everywhere you go, iPhones and iPods are common sight. Even in movies, it is common to see a laptop computer that is Apple branded. The iPad continues to dominate the tablet space while the Apple App Store remains the #1 in terms of quantity of applications. The founders of the two companies, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, are well known all over the world. Yet, the popularity of the products and their respective companies do not necessarily mean the same with regards to how well they will be remembered. Truth is, we remember people more than products. We remember charitable people even more.

Recently, Malcolm Gladwell, author of the popular books like, "Blink," "The Tipping Point," and most recently, "The Outliers," has made a striking remark about the memory longevity of the two founders. He says, "In 50 years, people will forget Steve Jobs." He then talks about Bill Gates as one that many more people will remember for years to come. All because of what they are doing with their wealth and their lives. According to Gladwell, he notes the differences in the two men.

• While Jobs is well known for his Apple products and creativity, Gates will be well known for his contribution toward eradicating the problem of malaria.
• Jobs promotes himself; Gates helps others;
• Gates has given more than $2billion toward malaria causes. What about Jobs?
• ...

Whether Gladwell's predictions will turn out right remains to be seen. Yet, it is a great reminder that things no matter how creative or classy will not last. People's memories will last as long as people are cared for. I remember this phrase that has been shared over and over again.

"People will not remember what you say. However, they will remember how you make them feel."

This is what people ministry is all about. It is not about toys or gadgets that can wow them temporarily. It is about changing lives that will touch them permanently. Touch a life. Make a life. This is much better than the best technological hype.


conrade

BookPastor >> "Prayers for Today" (Kurt Bjorklund)

This review was first published at "Panorama of a Book Saint" on December 18th, 2012. I recommend it to you for your devotion and prayer activities.

conrade

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TITLE: Prayers for Today: A Yearlong Journey of Contemplative Prayer
AUTHOR: Kurt Bjorklund
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2011, (288 pages).

How do we pray? That most of us know. How do we pray well? Lesser people know. Instead of fumbling around for some creativity, or hurry our prayers through some self-concocted prayers that may seem too superficial, why not learn from the spiritual masters of old? Why not pray with the prayer warriors through the ages? Then, as we learn from the past saints of old, we not only integrate our own prayer concerns, but let our prayer lives be enriched to know God better and to make God known wider. This is exactly what Kurt Bjorklund has done. Subtitled as "A yearlong journey of contemplative prayer," Bjorklund compiles a number of excellent prayers said by the contemplative masters. From contemporary prayer warriors like Andrew Murray, William Temple, Mother Teresa, Henri Nouwen, and many others, to ancient creeds like the Apostles' Creed, traditional hymns, Augustine of Hippo, and many more, this book is a treasure chest of prayers to use for all occasions.

Bjorklund sees prayer as a journey through the mountains of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, renewal, and Christlikeness, to the valleys of confession, petition, despair, distress, discouragement. It is also an adventure of navigating through affirmations, wisdom, guidance, and intercession. The "yearlong" for Bjorklund is actually for the five days each week. That makes a total of 260 days of guided prayer, leaving the reader with at least 2 days a week for their own prayers. The way the prayers are arranged flow out of the pattern indicated in the Lord's Prayer.

• "Our Father, Who is in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name," Prayer of Praise/Adoration
• "Hallowed be They Name," Prayer of Surrender and Thanksgiving
• "Thy Kingdom come," Prayer of Affirmation
• "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," Prayer of thanksgiving         
• "Give us this day our daily bread," Prayer of Petition and Intercession
• "Forgive us our debts," Prayer of Confession
• "as we forgive our debtors," Prayer of Christlike character
•  "lead us not into temptation," Prayer of Wisdom/Guidance
• "But deliver us from evil," Prayer of Renewal

The pages are undated and provided in day numbers. This actually frees the reader to begin freely according to one's spiritual journey and maintain a pattern of praying that involves all the different facets of prayer. A typical prayer day comprises of an initial Scripture passage to reflect on. A selected prayer is given with sources cited, followed by a personal "Prayer for Today." The Bible passage helps the reader to be centered on Scripture. The given prayer gives the reader an example to follow. The personal prayer section allows one to personalize the prayer accordingly. The theme given at the top of each page helps readers to choose the kind of prayer, whether it is thanksgiving and adoration, or plain confession and petition. It is a helpful way to help readers focus and keep their prayers on track. Otherwise, there may be a tendency to wander to all kinds of mental places that are unfocused and unspecific. 

I have long been a fan of prayer books. I have treasured prayer books like the "The Oxford Book of Prayer," the "Book of Common Prayer," Andrew Murray's books on prayer, and other treasuries of prayers. The author has helpfully compiled the prayers from themes. With theme-based prayer books, there is always a risk of trying to tell God what we need instead of letting God show us our needs. That said, what is there to prevent the Holy Spirit from moving our hearts to prayer beyond one theme per day? Nothing. May the Spirit guide the reader to pray more richly and passionately through the use of this book.

Highly recommended for Church groups, personal devotions, and of course, during Sunday service.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Moody Press without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

A Beautiful Video - Befriending a Stranger

This is a beautiful video that brings together total strangers, through a pause during the day. As people opens themselves up, it triggers a response that leads to a beautiful sharing and making new friends. Maybe, we can learn to share more among people, to build relationships without any agenda in mind. Just wanting to reach out and touch a stranger. This world is a much better place with more friends than strangers.

conrade

Midweek Meditation: Quiet Life

"Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, ESV) 

Lent is a time to be more reflective of our own lives. We rush about so much that we not only do not have time for loved ones, we do not have time for our own selves. So often, we rush. We try to beat the traffic lights. We aim to be first in line. We struggle to shave off a few seconds off the wait. Like the popular saying, "Penny wise, Pound foolish," many of us tend to be very shrewd when it comes to saving a few seconds, but easily waste away hours doing rather mundane and unimportant stuff. Think of the impatient driver that swerves in and out of traffic just to get ahead of all the traffic. Along comes a traffic police who signals the driver to pull over. Not only is he then given a ticket and a hefty fine, he is late for all his appointments. Is that worth it?

What then are the more important things to take note of? Love. Love your neighbour. Love your brother and sister. Do not just say it. Show it. Do not just think of it. Act upon it. Better to do first and then talk later, than to talk about it first, and end up forgetting to do it. When we want to love, it is important to take care of our inner lives. Make sure it has a quiet center. Give yourself time to rest. Allow space for your heart to commune with God. Make it your ambition to be quiet, and to take notice of the more important things in life.

conrade

BookPastor >> "Finding Peace" (Jean Vanier)

TITLE: Finding Peace
AUTHOR: Jean Vanier
PUBLISHER: Toronto, ON: Anansi Press, 2003, (90 pages).

Written after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Jean Vanier takes time to reflect on the nature of human beings, the state of society, and the path forward toward finding peace for mankind. Ironically, just after the US President announced the initiative for building an external shield against external threats, terrorists manipulate missiles in the form of domestic planes to inflict hurt on America. Violence unfortunately begets violence. Hatred breeds hatred. For any aggression, a choice remains: To retaliate, or to seek peace.

In order to assist readers on the road to finding peace, Vanier helps to remove some roadblocks of conflict, fear, barriers that are among us, and within us. He observes the origins of cultural conflicts that seek to dominate others. He laments the sad political conflicts that have split people groups throughout history. He hones in on societal conflict such as rich vs poor, and the strong vs the weak, that is so evident in modern society. There is also the family conflict that happens in our own homes.Then there is the internal conflicts we all experience in varying degrees. Finding peace requires a conscious choice to overcome these conflicts. More importantly, it is possible to let the goodness of finding peace overcome the futility that exists in many places about peacemaking. This needs a change in our mentality and an earnest search and belief that there is a way to peace that transcends cultural, and all kinds of barriers.

Vanier touches on some of the relationship barriers among people. We need to distinguish the importance of people over and beyond the accumulation of things. We must recognize that love in itself is a risk that is worth taking. Forgiveness remains a key that unlocks the most difficult of relationships. In doing so, not only do we experience freedom, we are freed to pursue peace with vigour. Finally, he deals with the internal barriers such as deceptive forms of happiness and temporal peace, and a need to find the source of peace that is outside of our own selves.

Using his L'Arche ministry as an example, Vanier shows readers that it is entirely possible for people to live in peace in spite of differences and weaknesses. He ends his book with a remarkable declaration that peace does not come in the absence of violence and conflicts. Instead, peace comes when people like you and I, seeking constantly to live at peace with others, and with ourselves. I love these words, which I will leave with you.

"Our world is a place of violence and fear, a place where many hide behind walls of individualism, comfort, and security, frightened of looking at reality, unable to discern who they really are. Since September 11, 2001, many are also hiding behind prejudices and fear, stigmatizing those of other cultures. And perhaps in our times the darkness will grow darker, more towers and certitudes will crumble, and stock exchanges will wobble again before more of us truly begin to search for new ways of living, new ways of peace.

The world will not, of course, change overnight. But the gravity of our times, the fear of war, terrorism, and all forms of violence are inciting many men and women to search for a new way of life. Many have seen through the shallowness of material prosperity and are discovering that they can be an active part of peacekeeping.

If you and I seek today to live peace, to be peacemakers, to help create communities of peace, it is not just to seek success. If we find peace, live and work for peace, even if we see no tangible results, we can become fully human beings, walking together on the road of kindness, compassion, and peace. New hope is born." (81-2)

I like this book for its clarity and incisive look at the human condition. It is an honest attempt to help readers find peace in this crazy and violence world. The key to all peace is actually something closer to home. It needs to be cultivated in our hearts first. We need to learn to find security and love. After all, hurt people hurt people. Loved people love people. There is no simpler way to understand peace and love.

conrade