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Monday, May 16, 2005
I've been blessed with a family that has always been around churches. It was always a priority, and I remember some of my thoughts about those clergy members I ran across.
The first pastor I remember was in a more formal church environment...and my view of the guy was that he was very unapproachable. You couldn't really get to know him because he was the guy in the robes and doing all these cool things with incense and formal liturgy that I didn't picture him as a real person. He was a holy person who didn't mix and mingle with the masses. The only time I ever saw him be "normal" was when I heard him talking about football with some other guys in the church. In retrospect, I'm sure he was one of the guys to the guys in the church as he was very nice and laughed and all that, it's simply that my impressions were that he was a paid holy guy.
Then, I left the church for a while, and when I returned, there was another guy who was almost the exact opposite. He was a youth leader and he wore blue jeans and his faith was very non-traditional. He led the games and he oversaw the staff but his primary role was teaching these large group "fun" meetings...but at least I learned that he had a family and that walking with Christ was more accessible.
That guy put me in touch with another guy who led my small group. He was a volunteer and he taught my Bible study for the last two years I was in high school. He really let us into his life and was very open about his past and the lessons he learned, which helped us immensely, too. But he didn't tell us much about his personal spiritual walk.
Finally, another guy at college, Chuck, discipled me for three years. He really did a great job in sharing not only Bible truth, but he taught me a lot about how to be open and honest and transparent with those you're discipling. The reality is that I grew to admire him more because he talked about difficulties in his prayer life, or his Bible study life or other ways he grew in the Lord...it didn't make me think less of him if he had some "dry seasons" spiritually, it actually made me think I could be real with my faith.
And I think that all of them had a part in my spiritual development. They all had a place and strengths and weaknesses that helped me put into practice some habits that I still put in place to help me in my walk with Christ, and I'd like to take the next 6 days to, hopefully, do something similar with you in this space.
So, I'm going to go through a day spiritually with you as I experience it on this blog and maybe it'll give you some insights as to how I "do" the spiritual life that will help and encourage you in your walk.
So, when my alarm goes off, before my feet hit the floor, I say a very short prayer to God...something like, "God, help me to serve today, however, whenever, wherevery you want me today. Please make me sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit to realize and do the better things over the good things." I get that from 1 Thessalonians 1:5, which we learned earlier in the semester on prayer, how "praying without ceasing" means something like a "hacking cough" that, as often as your body would cough every time the urge struck it, that we would pray these "target" prayers as the Lord brings them to mind. It's a habit I continue as I go through the rest of the morning routine of brushing teeth, showering, getting dressed, etc.
And that's really the very first thing I do every day. I guess it takes me about a half an hour to get ready for the day, and I simply pray a lot of "target prayers" during that time...and the longer that time takes the more time I have prayer.
I've also found it helpful that I'm moving at that time, too. To sit still would cause that to be ineffective, I think as my mind would wander. So, while I'm walking around or pacing back and forth I can get a lot of prayers going...
I pray for my wife.
My kids, that they would experience grace.
Friends and teenagers that God brings to mind.
Church staff and missionaries and issues of church.
Leaders and authorities and "current events" stuff.
It took some work, but once my mind got used to that drill over a period of years I have a lot of time to get that in, but it isn't rushed at all. It's really a time to get God's perspective on the day at hand.
I use the first 45 or so minutes of my day, even though I'm actually doing a few things, to pray for those things God brings to mind right off the bat. Sure, my mind wanders a bit (especially on a day like today when I'm physically exhausted) but with practice you can usually reign it in before you begin down rabbit trails and silly day dreams.
So, for today, what helps you focus on God for the day when you wake up? What help could you give us on helping start the day off on the right foot?
And, don't worry, we'll go a lot faster during the week regarding the nature of my day and the disciplines, but it's good to have a foundation laid before you build the house, and "target prayers," or praying without ceasing, is the foundation of mine.
Brent 7:54 AM
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