Why Do We Pray?

I've recently taken over leading our Thursday evening prayer meeting. (We're having a great time, by the way.) And, since this includes a devotional each week, I'd like to share with you whatever insights the Lord is giving me...

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I suspect that most people pray at one time or another, even people who have no formal faith. Even people who, most of the time, consider themselves agnostics or even atheists.

We pray because we believe – or because we want to believe. We want to believe in some Higher Power; a Being with awareness and intelligence. A Being with compassion. A Being with influence, with power to affect our circumstances.

Why do we want to believe? Because we feel some need. Most often, it’s some physical need: health, finances, the presence of some threat. It may be an emotional need for relationship with someone who truly cares and understands us. It may be an intellectual need, a desire for something to help make sense of the world, a desire to find the meaning and purpose of our lives.

Whatever the need, it arises from the fact that there are many things in life that are
beyond our influence and control, beyond our understanding. Belief gives us a framework for dealing with these things. And the hope of resolution – salvation.

Over all this, there is the biblical assertion that we were made for relationship with God. Psalm 65:2 says – “O, You who hear prayer, to You all men will come.” We can draw two conclusions from these thoughts.

First, God is listening. He wants to hear from us. Whether He responds to our prayers in the way we expect is beside the point. He desires contact, dialogue and relationship. Why else create beings in His own image, capable of appreciating and emulating His nature?

Second, apart from any specific need or desire, we need to be in contact with God. We were designed and created for this relationship. We are incomplete and unfulfilled without it. This need alone moves us to prayer so that “all men will come” to Him at some time.

So let’s talk to God. Often. He is waiting to hear from us.

Youth Group Games

If you've read the ministry overiview, you know that we host our church youth group in our home. Which means we don't have a lot of space, especially in winter or on rainy days when outdoor activities aren't practical.

So... here's the question: anybody have any ideas about youth group games that don't require a gymnasium?

FYI: I'm already searching EGAD and have found a few.

Ministry Overview

Bob and his wife, Sue, have been involved in lay ministry together since 1975 and separately for a number of years before that. Based on the absolute authority of the Bible, their work focuses on leading people to faith in and a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ and discipling those who accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Currently, working under the auspices of the Warren (NH) United Methodist Church, their ministry is principally along two lines…

Youth Ministry
Since 1999, Bob and Sue have sponsored North Country FevaH (‘fever’ with a Yankee accent!) for teenagers grade 7 and up. The group draws kids from multiple denominations as well as those with no church background from communities within a radius of 30 miles. FevaH meets in their home for Bible study, prayer, meals, games and supervised social time. The group is also involved in missions, supporting an Ethiopian child through Compassion International, performing service projects for the local food pantry and meals program and fundraising for the local crisis pregnancy center. In 2006, two members of the group went on a 10-day missions trip to Haiti.

Music
Bob and Sue were both performing Christian musicians when they met in 1974 and combined their ministry to churches and coffeehouses around New England. Although their travel schedule was cut back by other (youth) work and the raising of their two children, they continue to provide worship music for the Warren church and take engagements whenever possible. They are working on recording their first album.

Background
Sue is a trustee of their home church and a communion steward. Bob is a certified lay speaker in the New Hampshire District, New England Conference of the United Methodist Church and a member of both the Youth Council and Ministry Team for the district. A Christian broadcaster for 18 years, Bob was the announcer and producer for the syndicated radio programs, Trinity Pulpit and Shalom. He also served as the ‘interim’ lay pastor for a small Baptist church for 6-and-a-half years. Together, they led the junior high ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Quincy, MA for several years before moving to New Hampshire.

Donations
Donations are gratefully accepted for the support of these ministries.

Although their work is under the auspices of the Warren church, it is funded independently of the church budget. As such, donations are not tax deductible for the giver and are subject to income tax, so no single donation should be above the amount of $20.00. All receipts will be tithed upon and the after-tax amount will be used entirely for support of FevaH and the music ministry.

Checks should be made out to “Robert Moulton” and sent to
POB 141, Wentworth, NH 03282

Donations can also be made via PayPal to: rmnc@adelphia.net

Epiphany

Well, it's not quite Epiphany yet... but the Matthew story (2:1-11) is so often included in Christmas celebrations. Besides that, our youth group is studying Proverbs and this seemed to fit our Christmas devotion.

The NIV calls them 'Magi', but we know them better as the (KJV) 'wise men', or the 'three kings' of the carol. Scholars, learned men, influential and powerful, if not actual princes of their kingdoms.

They were from the east -- Babylon and/or Persia -- modern Iraq and Iran. These are the regions in which astrology was developed, the forerunner of astronomy. If they weren't 'scientists' in the modern sense, they nonetheless watched and interpreted the stars.

Because of successive conquests, beginning with Assyria conquering the northern kingdom of Israel and then Babylon taking Judah, Jewish thought and teaching was introduced to the scholars. So they were aware of the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Taken together, these things caused them to organize a caravan and travel to find the Christ child, to worship Him with costly gifts.

A few years back, it was common to see bumper stickers reading "Wise men still seek Him". Perhaps that's trite now, but it's still true. Proverbs repeatedly reminds us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. True wisdom will always lead us to God.

Sadly, in 21st century America, we seem to have developed a focus on knowledge rather than wisdom. We teach math and science, we teach language and history -- but we exclude the religious and moral framework for understanding these things. We learn facts, but not how to think about them. Religion aside, our children aren't even taught logic. Even that ancient discipline would show us the limitations of the 'facts' our children are being taught. That WE were taught.

Proverbs 9:9 -- 'Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.'

The first attribute of a wise person is that he understands the limitations of his knowledge and wisdom. He is open to learning. He wants to know more and to integrate it into his thinking about the world.

The second attribute of a wise person is righteousness: he has good moral standing before God. God is the foundation stone of his thinking, and all knowledge and wisdom lead back to Him.

Even those of us who are long out of the classroom still have the opportunity to learn, to become wiser, every day. Let's make some effort to think about what we learn in the context about what we know of God -- His existence, His loving and just nature. If we do, every new scrap of knowledge will bring us closer to Him and prompt us to worship... just like the Magi.

Vulnerable

Luke 2:15-16 – “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger.”
Matthew 2:16 – “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under…”

Have you ever noticed that vulnerability provokes one of two principle reactions?

There is what I like to call the ‘Ooh-ah” reaction. You see it a lot with new babies. Everybody wants to see, to hold, to rock and make funny noises. It is, I think, an innate parental response for most people. But it’s not reserved for newborns. Our hearts go out to anyone who is exposed and defenseless: the poor, the physically and mentally challenged, the victims of war and famine, disease and disaster. Americans are famous for their compassion. And I’m sure the shepherds did their share of oohing and aahing over the baby Jesus, the fact that He was the long-awaited Messiah aside.

Then there is the reaction of the bully. He finds weakness despicable. She looks for ways to take advantage of it. The bully mentality sees an invitation for violence, an outlet for rage, an opportunity to make him- or herself seem powerful in comparison. The difference between the schoolyard bully and Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Herod is only a matter of degree.

What strikes me most about these stories of Jesus’ birth, however, is that, knowing how people would react, He nonetheless chose to make Himself vulnerable. In order to give us the choice of faith, He put Himself entirely at our mercy. From the very day of His conception – the shame of pregnancy out of wedlock might well have driven a proper Jewish girl like Mary to suicide –He put His life in our hands.

What does it say about the love of God, that He would enter our world clothed in our flesh and live with the possibility of death at our hands for every day of thirty-some years? And death was what He received from us in the end. His openness and honesty, His holiness and goodness shamed too many of us, we couldn’t stand to see ourselves exposed and made vulnerable too. So, we sent Him to the cross.

Except, of course, that wasn’t the end. It was barely the beginning.

Risen from the grave, and now enthroned beside His Father, Jesus’ life is still in our hands, in a sense. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit He can continue to live and act in this world – through us. What I wonder, what I ask myself every day, is: will I show compassion and let Him live or will I be a bully and condemn Him to the tomb yet again so that I can follow my selfish desires and pretend that I’m in control?

Have a really joyous celebration of Jesus' birthday!

Introduction

THE FIRST POST:

Welcome to the great experiment.

This blog will be an attempt to share my thoughts about Scripture, the life of faith and the ups and downs of lay ministry with other believers in Jesus Christ. The aim is to strengthen my brothers and sisters wherever they may be, in whatever denomination, so that we will all be better able to live for our Lord and bring Him the honor and recognition He deserves. I hope you'll find some encouraging stuff here.

I will warn you up front, the content here will be highly evangelical and conservativem occasionally charismatic. If this isn't your viewpoint, that's fine, but don't post here looking to start an argument. Argumentative, insulting and hateful posts will be deleted and the posters barred.

Also, I'm fully aware that there are differences of doctrine, practice and opinion between the various branches of the Christian Church. There are probably some things about which we'll disagree. I'm okay with that -- I'm still in the process of working out my faith and my understanding of it and I don't pretend to be the authority. Disagreement is fine, even instructive, but if you've got a chip on your shoulder, please find someplace else to express it. The goal here is to enhance the unity of the Spirit, not to magnify our divisions.

That said, the Lord bless you, sisters and brothers. I hope to hear from you very soon.