Too busy to pray?

Yesterday in life group, the topic of being busy and hurried and working non-stop in the 24-7, rat-race of life...

who has time to set aside time to pray, read the Bible, and do all the things we're supposed to do as Jesus-followers.

Ever felt that way? You have the spiritual obligations that must be fulfilled, a card that must be punched?

Allow me some candor with a hint of challenge.

It's tough for me too. I don't find it easy to pray. To focus my attention on God while I know that there are a pile of other things I'm supposed to be doing.

But here's the challenge: we NEED to stop and give some quiet time to God. This isn't a luxury for the "non-busy" among us, but a necessity for the ADHD, adreline-filled, no-time-to-slow-down-and-take-a-potty-breakers among us. We absolutely need our time with God- time to devote our life to him. Time to express our love to him. Time to get refueled. Time to get our priorities in order. Time to glean wisdom from the author of all wisdom. Time to ask the Creator what the purpose of the creature is all about. Time to be reminded of who we are and why we're here.

It's not easy but it's vital. Go too long without and we'll begin to feel depleted and emaciated. Go even longer and we become spiritually destitute.

So, pause, take a moment and quiet your heart before God. Trust me, we all need it.

Who's Our Primary Teacher?

Here's what I've learned at the gym recently while listening in on a variety of conversations:

• Ohio St will sweep through the Big Ten and win the BCS.
• The health care crisis in America is unsolvable. Why? We are a capitalist society, therefore, health care is a money-making industry AND people do not take personal responsibility for their health BUT expect every resource that money-making business can discover/ create/ produce. THEREFORE, what people want is more than what they can have. Politicians say this is unfair. No, it's reality.
  
• Steelers will beat the Pats in the playoffs.
• Steelers won't even make the playoffs.
• the Redskins will upset the Pats this weekend.

Since I'm concluding "Let's Talk" series this weekend, I've talk openly about how, for most, the primary educational tool and influencer, is the media, i.e. TV, movies, print material, etc.

Maybe I'm just cynical. Maybe I have reason to be cynical. How do I know what is true and what is manipulation or laced with an agenda. I suspect most carries at least an undertone of agenda.

So, who's my primary teacher or source for education on the plethora of topics that confront me in life on a daily basis? Great question!

My first and primary resource for TRUTH is the Bible. I consult it regarding any and all topics. I want to discover God's principles, laws, and standards regarding everything that I deal with in life.

I'm not suggesting that every answer to every question in life is there. But it's certainly got the answers I need, and points me in the right direction. It keeps me grounded in truth. It centers me on what's most important. It keeps me ask the RIGHT questions. God's Word guides me into ALL truth.

So, just as a thought, before calling, asking, consulting, or tuning into any other source for information or guidance, make sure your life is founded on the TRUTH of God's Word and your reading and applying the principles of the Bible.

Weekend in the Rear View Mirror

Wow! What a weekend.

Saturday kicked off with the Community Harvest Festival. Kudos to all who worked so hard to pull off the event. I'm convinced it was second-to-none. The games, candy, inflatable bounce games, pony rides, great band, FREE food and kids stuff, and the dunking. Oh, the dunking. Seemed like everyone was hitting their target when I was sitting in there. All for a great cause- CASA. I think we raised about $300. That's a lot of dunks.

Hope ya'll had a blast. It was exciting to see the cars lining Yale Rd since the parking lot was full. That's great! Our guestimates put us at over 500 guests. Hope our community knows that we're here to serve and love!

Then... it was waking up and off to Sunday morning LifeHouse. The plus was that all our stuff was nearly set-up. What a boost!

Wrapping up this "Let's Talk" campaign. Hope everyone is growing through this series. It's important and tough to talk, not only about sex, but also about overcoming the challenges and guilt from bad decision and abuse from the past.

GIVE WHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN!

So far we've raised over $800 toward the abstinence education program of Washington County.

Conflict is an Opportunity for Growth

This could be considered one of my personal core beliefs. Anytime there's tension in a relationship, we have a these options:

• if the issue isn't a big deal, let it go: people, even people we don't know well, are more important than petty issues.
  
• if the issue is a big deal, be proactive: that means dealing with the tension as soon as you notice it.

How does this work in real life? Basically, the moment I notice that their is tension in a my relationship between anyone, I go to them and talk about it. Here are some thoughts and what that looks like:

• give others the benefit of the doubt. Even when I think the tension or problem has developed because of the other person, I'll say something like, "I have felt some tension between us, have you been feeling the same thing?... What do you think is causing it?"
• deal with it quickly, don't let busyness delay you.
  
• deal with it in person: either over the phone or face-to-face, preferably the later. Never using email or texting or IMing.
• don't place blame, take personal responsibility for feelings: "I feel angry when you laugh at me every time I talk about my job."
• relationships are more important than winning a fight: be willing to meet in common ground and make an effort to see the situation through the others eyes.
• if resolution can't be found, set parameters to continue working on the issue.

Growth comes from working on difficult issues together. As we deal with conflict in relationships, we build trust and respect, as well as discover that we are not all that different from others. Plus, we learn a lot from working through these challenges together. We especially learn about ourselves- our strengths and weaknesses.

Let's Talk...

We're already talking about it anyway, why not hear what God has to say? Right? We've kicked off this new campaign called "Let's Talk Sex" during the month of October. It's in partnership with Washington County's coalition on teen pregnancy, addressing the need to communicate more openly and effectively with parents and teens about sex.

Check out our NEW website at www.letstalkmonth.com.

The idea: we should be talking in church about the things that everyone is talking about outside of church, and offering the God- biblical- perspective. Since nearly everyone wants to know about and needs to know about what God has to say on the topic, this is incredibly relevant and practical in our everyday lives.

Feel free to post your questions and comments.

You know what's great about our kids? They make us appreciate the little things in life, that we often are moving to quickly... to preoccupied... to many more important things going on.

Here are some things I've learned from my girls:

• killing bugs is great entertainment (even for girls)
• rock, paper, scissors is really fun right before bed
• they have a significantly longer attention span than I do, particularly when it's reading stories about princesses.
• their prayers are more honest, real, and spiritual than just about anything I've ever prayed. My favorite so far, at the end of one of the prayers a few days ago, "...and thank you Jesus that you didn't give us any brothers!"
• the best moment in the world is coming through the door, I get mobbed by 4 loving women in my life, it's like every teenage boys dream. Lot's of hugs and kisses and "I love yous."
• If I'm ever late for a meeting or anything, it's probably because I had to stop and kiss my girls one last time, okay, about 4 times. Every time one gets kissed, the others want another.
• Whatever you do, they will do. Yell, laugh, make glaring faces, or spend too much time in the facilities:)

Just thought I'd keep us focused on the right things. Share what you've learned or are learning.

Doing a little survey or inquiry:

1. What are the walls that unchurched/ de-churched people have built in their lives against church?

2. What walls do they come into church with?

3. What are their attitudes or feelings about "church"?

This is the diagnosis. Next, we'll be talking about how to tear down these walls.