Lately I have been getting rid of some clutter in my house. Paper clutter, toy clutter – clutter of all kinds. Things run more smoothly, and you get such a good feeling when things are organized. Ahhh.

But what about my inward life? How do I get rid of the clutter deep inside my soul?

I am reading a book on prayer and Christian meditation… called “Devotional Classics” by Richard Foster. One of the readings describes specifics about how to draw nearer to God and get rid of “spiritual clutter”. Here are the steps they mentioned:

1. Relax in the presence of God

2. Tell God all the things that are weighing on you, and release them to Him (um, that could take days!)

3. Make yourself aware of His presence

4. He comes to meet you, and you revel in His love

I read these steps and got so excited.  I practiced them as best as I could.  And I realized that there were so many things weighing on me I could not even count them. Sorrow, anger, fear…. weighing on me like a brick.  I confessed them to him, and felt some release.  I resolved to do this every day.  But some of the really deep things that are weighing on me need more time – they need to be prayed through.

What does it mean to “pray through”?

I heard a sermon by Norvel Hayes in which he shared how his wife left him and how devastated he was.  He could not get the weight of it off his soul.  He cried out to God day after day and night after night, praying and weeping, until there was an exchange made between him and God.  He was finally able to get that thing off of his soul.  And peace utterly filled him.

I’ve made a decision that not matter what, I will pray through every issue with God until there is an exchange.  He lifts my burdens, and I receive total and utter peace from Him.  I release these things to God, and in return, He does miracles in my situation. He has done that for me so many times before,  and yet now I find myself with some “clutter” weighing me down. But I know what to do! “Come to Him…”

Try this, and see what great things the Lord will do for you.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

I have to be honest… I hate to take vitamins. I think it has something to do with the fact that I took about 10-20 vitamins a day when I was a kid. My mom was very passionate about us growing up healthy – so passionate, in fact, that she made us take quite a few vitamins.

I appreciate the fact that she did that. I know it was out of love. It’s just that, well, sometimes it was a bit much. Sometimes I even felt like those vitamins were “crammed down my throat.” (sorry, mom!)

Even to this day I just hate taking vitamins.

For some people it wasn’t vitamins, but religion. It was crammed down their throat, and left a bad taste in their mouth. Because of that, they don’t want anything to do with God or with Christianity. Can you blame them?

Human beings weren’t created to be forced into anything. Guided, taught, led… yes. But when we feel like something has been forced upon us without considering our feelings or needs, we rebel. Jesus didn’t ever do that to people. He took the time to get to know them, and showed them how much He loved them. Spirituality was in the context of real, loving relationship. Prostitutes and tax collectors were drawn to him, because He showed them how to find God, without cramming it down their throat or judging them. The exciting thing is, those people’s lives were forever changed. Their hearts were captured by His message, and they gave themselves fully to Him. Not out of duty, but out relationship.

My goal as a Christian, and as a parent, is to live the way Jesus did – loving and living in a way that demonstrates how wonderful He is. In the context of warm relationship, sharing the good news with joy. Teaching our kids how to live that life that is so full of blessing and joy – and giving grace when they miss the mark.

Not cramming it down people’s throats. but gently leading them to this fabulous bread of life.

"The Apple Tree"

A young mother, loving her children so much, wants them to have fresh apples straight off the tree. It is such a deep desire of her heart. She carefully plants the apple tree right in the middle of the back yard. She nurtures it, waters it, and takes good care of it. In her mind she imagines the beautiful fruit it will yield, and the smiling faces of her children as they take a bite of that fresh apple pie!

A few years pass and the tree is close to bearing fruit. But then she hears the news: her husband’s job has been transferred. They are moving.

At her new home, she still holds the dream of that tree that will bear luscious fruit for her children and grandchildren.

She plants an orchard this time…not just one tree. She works hard to keep it free of pests and waters it diligently, all the time thinking of that moment when her children and now grandchildren have a taste and break into smiles of delight. She can already feel the joy of seeing them pick the fruits off their very own tree. She is not prepared for the animals that ravage the young plants. She didn’t expect the pests that just won’t go away.  And then, there comes the drought.

Every single tree dies.  It’s the worst drought Texas ever had.

And the sadness she feels is real…and deep.

Time passes and she still feels sad. In the middle of this sadness, she receives an email from her oldest daughter who has three children herself. “Mom,” she writes.  “You won’t believe it.  We were up where we used to live in Hebron, Indiana, and stopped by the house we used to live in. The present owner of the house actually let us come in the house and look around.  It was so amazing to be back there…”  She continues, “And there was a huge apple tree in the back.  I think you might have been the one who planted it. Anyway, the kids ran to that apple tree with huge smiles on their faces, and picked so many apples they couldn’t hold them all.  The lady let us take them home…The apples are so sweet and wonderful.  We had so many we even made applesauce out of them.”

Now this grandmother’s tears are tears of joy. Her dream has been realized, in a way she would’ve never expected.  Those seeds of love she planted many years ago finally came to fullness.

This is a true story, that just happened a few weeks ago.  The mother is my mom, and the daughter with the three kids.. is me!

What dreams do you have that are not realized yet?  What seeds have you planted that seem to have never borne fruit?

With aching hands and bleeding feet
We dig and heap, lay stone on stone;
We bear the burden and the heat
Of the long day, and wish t’were done.
Not til the hours of light return,
All we have built do we discern.
-Matthew Arnold, from “Morality”

Thinking of some dear friends, Lahoud and Randa Lahoud, as I read this poem this morning. “Do not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galations 6:9

When we were on vacation last year, we met this great couple from France. We ended up on a boat together trying to teach our little ones how to snorkel. We had a blast. The husband, Robert, told us that every day, he would swim over to a reef close to the hotel, and he had found a lobster that was sitting in the cleft of a rock. He said it was monstrous size! What a great dinner we would have…
It turns out he was trying to catch it with his bare hands!
I told Kurt later how cool I thought it was. The chances of actually catching that huge lobster were slim- but why not try? He did it for the fun and challenge of trying. And who knows…he might have caught it!
What is the lobster in your life that you don’t have the tools to catch? Go ahead and try!

My oldest kid is 8, and old enough to read the Harry Potter books. In 2001 I saw a documentary on PBS called, “The Real World of Harry Potter.” In this video they are very favorable towards the books and very excited about showing you the “real witchcraft” behind the witchcraft in the books. The Bible teaches that sorcery and witchcraft are sins. (See Acts 19:18-20, Deuteronomy 18:10, and more… In a nutshell, sorcery and witchcraft is the art of tapping into, and using, dark spiritual power. (spiritual power that is from satan.) We don’t let our kids read things like that, but we also explain to them why.

If Jesus were walking on this earth today, what would He have to say to someone entrapped by a cocaine addiction?

Those struggling with drug addiction often feel like they’ve been overtaken by something so strong, they can never escape its grip.  It is a horrifying thing.

Think about the man in the Bible who was so tormented he was living in the tombs.  He, too was in a desperate situation – gripped by something that seemed impossible to overcome.

Mark 5

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

¹ They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

¹⁴ Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. ¹⁷ Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

¹⁸ As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. ¹⁹ Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Just as Jesus did when He walked this earth, I believe Jesus would say to those bound by addictions, “I will set you free.”  It is through the power of God that any of us can be free from sin.  You may be facing a giant – a Goliath – something so intimidating that you feel you could never be free.  But Jesus is here to free you, if you will trust in Him.

God wants to heal not just the addiction in your life, but your hurts and emotional pains as well. If you are needing help, you are welcome to contact us through the church email or phone, and we can talk.

There is hope for you, no matter how dark it seems!

Faith is very far from being a mere conviction of the truth of God’s Word or a conclusion drawn from certain premises.  It is the ear that has heard God say what He will do and the eye that has seen Him doing it.

-Andrew Murray

from “With Christ in the School of Prayer.”

We just got back from a prayer retreat/vacation in Canada – it was great! Anyway while there I was reading this book about a lady who had a calling to pray for children. She would spend hours praying from a distance for children who had severe behavioral or emotional problems, serious illnesses, etc. (The book is called “Dear Mark and Sarah” by Beryl Burgess). In the book was story after story of children being completely healed as a result of her prayers. Also stories of family relationships being restored. This lady is not famous, not on TV… just a Grandma who loved kids and understood how to pray. Really miraculous stuff. It almost seems too good to be true – but we also have seen these kinds of results after prayer. I was so inspired after reading this book.

My kids have needed some extra prayer lately, and I have been amazed at how many “resistant” things have changed since we started really focused prayer for them. From our experience, I know that praying in Jesus’ name for our children is a really powerful thing. If you have something going on with your children that is very troubling, God will meet you as you start to pray for them. Or maybe your children are doing well, but you know that praying for them is a priority, and you want some support and structured time in that area.

I am going to start a prayer group for those who are interested in joining me to meet once a month for a short teaching from me about how to pray effectively, followed by a time of prayer for our children. The whole thing would last for 1 hour. I feel like it is something we know we should do, but many times doesn’t get done. Or sometimes we just don’t know quite what to say to God about it…

Pastor Kurt talked about love at our meeting this past Sunday.  I loved it!  One thing I really appreciate about him is that he practices what he preaches.  Everything he says about Jesus and about loving one another is played out in our daily lives with our kids and with each other.  He is an awesome example of a father who lays down his life for me and our three children.  It reminds me of the song  “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real. Pastor Kurt is – in every way – an example of a man who “leads us” with strong hands, who stands up when we can’t, and who has laid down many things to take care of his family.  Thank you, Kurt – with all my heart.

The lyrics:

Sanctus Real – “Lead Me”

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying…

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can’t
Don’t leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They’re just children from the outside
I’m working hard, I tell myself they’ll be fine
They’re independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying…

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can’t
[ From : http://www.elyrics.net/read/s/sanctus-real-lyrics/lead-me-lyrics.html ]
Don’t leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I’m called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won’t You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can’t
Don’t want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I’ll show them I’m willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, ’cause I can’t do this alone

Father, lead me, ’cause I can’t do this alone