When you get a card in the mail, what means the most to you? Is it the beautiful poem written by a professional, or the little handwritten note scribbled by your family member or friend at the bottom? For most of us it is the handwritten note, even though it may not be as articulate or eloquent. We appreciate it more because it is personal and heartfelt.
Likewise, Jesus said, “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” He taught that chanting the same words over and over was not a prayer that God would honor. He taught that droning on and on has no merit. He taught that when prayer is rote and ritualistic, it may be therapeutic for the person praying, but the God of heaven is not attentive. Instead Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
As children, our prayers often consist of a memorized verse or series of verses… “Now I lay me down to sleep…” or “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food…” But, as we mature, both in age and faith, our prayers should change. They are not to be a memorized recitation, a fingering of beads, or even repeating the Lord’s Prayer without thinking about it. Prayer should be an authentic expression of what is in our hearts and on our minds… a personal conversation with our Heavenly Father.
Pray with me… Dear Father, we want to be focused and thoughtful as mature children of God when we pray. Forgive us when we revert to the practice of saying a prayer instead of truly praying. In Jesus’ dear Name we pray, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
10/15/12
“9/11” is a day that will live in infamy. That day 3,497 people died. 1609 people lost a spouse and 3051 children lost one or both parents. That day is at least a scar, if not still an open festering wound, in the psyche of millions of Americans. You know don’t you, that on those airplanes and in those towers and at the Pentagon, there were desperate ‘9/11 prayers’ screamed and spoken and whispered as men and women and children realized they would not survive the ordeal? For some of them, that prayer moment would have been like the peaceful words of Jesus from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” For others, that prayer was likely more of a panicked exclamation of a dramatic reality they never expected they would have to face.
A man named Jonah prayed such a prayer of desperation. He found himself being digested in the stomach of a great fish. His fate of an unsavory death seemed certain. We read about it in Jonah 2:1, “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” And, in this passage we can actually read the prayer Jonah offered up in his 9/11 hour.
And many have a prayer life that could well be identified by a sign saying, “Use only in case of emergency!” Such prayers are offered in an hour of extremity, when there is no other viable alternative but to look to heaven and cry out for help. In His mercy, God often answers, providing a temporary solution to an immediate problem. But, the Lord wants us to enter another level of experience with him. This is why Jesus said that when we pray, we should close ourselves off in a quiet place [Matthew 6:6]. Christ visualized a time of intimacy with the Father in which the objective of our prayer would be life transformation, the enjoyment of a relationship with Him. In our best moments, this is the prayer life we want to cultivate, the prayer path we want to walk.
Pray with me… Our Father and God, once we have known the joy of your presence, the peace of your presence, the overpowering love we experience in your presence, we will never be able to settle for a ‘9/11’ prayer life again. So, meet us at the point of our need as we pray and impress on us by the Holy Spirit the difference between religion and a relationship, formality and fellowship, duty and delight in the beauty of your presence. In the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray, we pray… amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
A man named Jonah prayed such a prayer of desperation. He found himself being digested in the stomach of a great fish. His fate of an unsavory death seemed certain. We read about it in Jonah 2:1, “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” And, in this passage we can actually read the prayer Jonah offered up in his 9/11 hour.
And many have a prayer life that could well be identified by a sign saying, “Use only in case of emergency!” Such prayers are offered in an hour of extremity, when there is no other viable alternative but to look to heaven and cry out for help. In His mercy, God often answers, providing a temporary solution to an immediate problem. But, the Lord wants us to enter another level of experience with him. This is why Jesus said that when we pray, we should close ourselves off in a quiet place [Matthew 6:6]. Christ visualized a time of intimacy with the Father in which the objective of our prayer would be life transformation, the enjoyment of a relationship with Him. In our best moments, this is the prayer life we want to cultivate, the prayer path we want to walk.
Pray with me… Our Father and God, once we have known the joy of your presence, the peace of your presence, the overpowering love we experience in your presence, we will never be able to settle for a ‘9/11’ prayer life again. So, meet us at the point of our need as we pray and impress on us by the Holy Spirit the difference between religion and a relationship, formality and fellowship, duty and delight in the beauty of your presence. In the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray, we pray… amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
10/8/12
We are in a season of prayer at Crossroads, interceding for our nation and our national leaders for these 40 days leading up to the elections on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. We are also going to experience prayer challenges in weekend worship for the next 4 weeks. ‘Faithfulness in prayer’… ‘for your family,’ ‘for our church’ and ‘for the nation.’ In keeping with the spirit of this season in our ministry, today I want to reference a verse in Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
We know very little about Epaphras. To us he is one of thousands of anonymous heroes who played a part in the expansion of the church during the first century. However, this verse gives us a glimpse into his character. He was a man of prayer who understood that, even at a distance, he could affect lives through intercession and petition on their behalf. According to Paul’s testimony, he carried out this prayer ministry with tremendous fervor and intensity, revealing a passion that is not often seen even among Christians. With prayer we can touch lives in ways that are impossible through activity. Many believe the real work of the ministry is attending meetings, teaching and counseling. Richard Foster, in his book, Prayer, reminds us that, “If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer. Intercession is a way of loving others.”
Pray with me… Our loving Father, give us more of a conscience, more of a heart and more personal discipline to pray purposefully, intentionally and intensely for our family, our church family as well as our national leaders. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
We know very little about Epaphras. To us he is one of thousands of anonymous heroes who played a part in the expansion of the church during the first century. However, this verse gives us a glimpse into his character. He was a man of prayer who understood that, even at a distance, he could affect lives through intercession and petition on their behalf. According to Paul’s testimony, he carried out this prayer ministry with tremendous fervor and intensity, revealing a passion that is not often seen even among Christians. With prayer we can touch lives in ways that are impossible through activity. Many believe the real work of the ministry is attending meetings, teaching and counseling. Richard Foster, in his book, Prayer, reminds us that, “If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer. Intercession is a way of loving others.”
Pray with me… Our loving Father, give us more of a conscience, more of a heart and more personal discipline to pray purposefully, intentionally and intensely for our family, our church family as well as our national leaders. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, October 1, 2012
10/1/12
It hasn’t been too long ago [2008] that Focus on the Family surveyed Christian leadership couples with thriving marriages to find out some of the things they habitually do, as a couple, that builds their marriage. If some of the following [in no particular order] habits are missing from your marriage, I encourage you to take the initiative to develop them:
-They schedule a regular time for undistracted [no I-phones, no TV, no I-pads] communication.
-They kiss hello and good-bye.
-They fight fair. They don’t attack each other. Rarely do they raise their voices or start sentences with “You never…” or “You always…”
-Their differences compliment. For instance, the organized and detailed spouse balances the checkbook, while the night owl stays up until the last teenager is home.
-They pray together and look for ways to develop spiritual intimacy.
-They carve out time for regular dates and getaways.
-They encourage each other, concentrating on the positive, not the negative.
-They laugh together.
-They often say, “Please forgive me” and “l love you.”
Now, most reading this will say, “I’ve heard that. I knew that!” But what we know is never the issue is it? It is much more important to say, “I do that!”
James 1:22, “ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Pray with me… Father, thank you for your wisdom that is so easy for us to tap into as we read and meditate on your Word each day. And thank you too for your wisdom that is not necessarily revealed in a book, chapter and verse in your Word, but is available to us if we ask you in faith, nothing doubting. Thank you for the way prayer and intimacy with you make us wise for salvation and models of wisdom for those who are watching us, those close to us we are teaching by example. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
-They schedule a regular time for undistracted [no I-phones, no TV, no I-pads] communication.
-They kiss hello and good-bye.
-They fight fair. They don’t attack each other. Rarely do they raise their voices or start sentences with “You never…” or “You always…”
-Their differences compliment. For instance, the organized and detailed spouse balances the checkbook, while the night owl stays up until the last teenager is home.
-They pray together and look for ways to develop spiritual intimacy.
-They carve out time for regular dates and getaways.
-They encourage each other, concentrating on the positive, not the negative.
-They laugh together.
-They often say, “Please forgive me” and “l love you.”
Now, most reading this will say, “I’ve heard that. I knew that!” But what we know is never the issue is it? It is much more important to say, “I do that!”
James 1:22, “ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Pray with me… Father, thank you for your wisdom that is so easy for us to tap into as we read and meditate on your Word each day. And thank you too for your wisdom that is not necessarily revealed in a book, chapter and verse in your Word, but is available to us if we ask you in faith, nothing doubting. Thank you for the way prayer and intimacy with you make us wise for salvation and models of wisdom for those who are watching us, those close to us we are teaching by example. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, September 24, 2012
9/24/12
I do love the four Gospels. Speaking personally, they are my strongest spiritual vitality ‘lifeline.’ I am especially blessed by the eyewitness accounts of the synoptic Gospel writers [Matthew, Mark and Luke] about their experiences with Jesus. One of these is the dramatic parallel narrative found in Matthew 8, Mark 4 and Luke 8, as they tell about Jesus calming the storm – I said, “What!?” Yes, that’s right… and the disciples’ response on that occasion is just like ours when we read about it.
A furious squall came up, the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it nearly swamped it. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and cried, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
I am sure that the Holy Spirit prompted the Gospel writers to record this moment for some important reasons. I cannot think of a more reassuring passage for us to internalize for life… so many great lessons:
- Storms happen, even to the disciples.
- Fear is the ‘knee jerk’ reaction to storms.
- If you belong to Jesus, he is in your boat.
- The fact that he is asleep should help you keep your perspective.
- Panic may be predictable, but it is not admirable.
- Jesus has the authority to calm any storm.
- Faith should ‘trump’ fear if you are a disciple.
- There is always going to be peace and calm after the storm.
When Job’s trial ended, God removed his affliction and returned to him twice as much as he had lost [Job 42:10]. Joseph, after years of slavery and imprisonment, reached the highest levels of government, all the riches of the country at his disposal [Genesis 41:39ff]. When Christ’s confrontation with the devil in the desert had ended, angels came to minister to Him [Matthew 4:11]. When the storm is over, He restores and multiplies His blessings to us. As the psalmist observes, “His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” [Psalm 30:5]
Pray with me… Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit thank you for the many places in scripture we are reminded that the strength of our faith will sustain us in the storms of life. Forgive us for the way we nibble around the edges of faith instead of internalizing its substance and experiencing the kind of strength to be able to enjoy the ride when the storms come, knowing that with Jesus asleep in the boat, the storms are powerless and the calm is just ahead. In Jesus’ strong name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
A furious squall came up, the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it nearly swamped it. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and cried, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
I am sure that the Holy Spirit prompted the Gospel writers to record this moment for some important reasons. I cannot think of a more reassuring passage for us to internalize for life… so many great lessons:
- Storms happen, even to the disciples.
- Fear is the ‘knee jerk’ reaction to storms.
- If you belong to Jesus, he is in your boat.
- The fact that he is asleep should help you keep your perspective.
- Panic may be predictable, but it is not admirable.
- Jesus has the authority to calm any storm.
- Faith should ‘trump’ fear if you are a disciple.
- There is always going to be peace and calm after the storm.
When Job’s trial ended, God removed his affliction and returned to him twice as much as he had lost [Job 42:10]. Joseph, after years of slavery and imprisonment, reached the highest levels of government, all the riches of the country at his disposal [Genesis 41:39ff]. When Christ’s confrontation with the devil in the desert had ended, angels came to minister to Him [Matthew 4:11]. When the storm is over, He restores and multiplies His blessings to us. As the psalmist observes, “His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” [Psalm 30:5]
Pray with me… Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit thank you for the many places in scripture we are reminded that the strength of our faith will sustain us in the storms of life. Forgive us for the way we nibble around the edges of faith instead of internalizing its substance and experiencing the kind of strength to be able to enjoy the ride when the storms come, knowing that with Jesus asleep in the boat, the storms are powerless and the calm is just ahead. In Jesus’ strong name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
9/18/12
The “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” code was broken recently when someone partying with Prince Harry snapped cell-phone photos of the naked royal in a hotel suite after a game of ‘strip billiards.’ The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority [LVCVA] isn’t taking this violation lightly. “Las Vegas is about adult freedom,” is LVCVA spokeswoman Courtney Fitzgerald’s response. “It’s important for friends to know what activities can be shared publicly and what activities are protected by the code.”
The city tourism arm has launched an ad campaign condemning the person or persons who took the photos of Harry that wound up being video-cast and viewed around the world. The ad urges defenders of “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” to sign a pledge to keep Vegas indiscretions in Vegas and to report offenders who share embarrassing Vegas pictures on Facebook. Britain’s Daily Mail reports that Virgin Holidays is seeing increased demand for Sin City air/hotel packages since Harry cavorted around pool tables and cued up in the buff.
But before these faddish/impressionistic types book their reservation, they should think deeply about the reality behind a short-lived hedonistic romp in Las Vegas… Here it is: Psalm 90:8, “You [God] have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give an account.” 2 Corinthians 4:2, “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.” Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
Does it really matter who else does not know where you were or what you did whether in Vegas or anywhere else on earth? The fact is, we must all give an account to the only One who truly knows and the One who truly cares about the character of your life on earth and your destiny in the greater life to come. It was the young Scottish preacher Peter Marshall who offered this counsel: “When asked about whether or not to engage in a questionable activity, ask yourself this question: Of what shall I think of such a thing in my dying hour?”
Pray with me… Father, there is no escaping Your watchful eye. Your Word reminds us that Your eyes are upon us from the beginning of the year even until the end of the year. And that is not threatening to those of us who know Your love and grace in Jesus Christ for we are your children by Your choice and ours. Mature love for You has cast out all our fear. We have no secrets from you Lord. You are not only the silent Observer of our daily activities; you are the Discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts. We are secure in You. In the name of Jesus our Lord, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
The city tourism arm has launched an ad campaign condemning the person or persons who took the photos of Harry that wound up being video-cast and viewed around the world. The ad urges defenders of “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” to sign a pledge to keep Vegas indiscretions in Vegas and to report offenders who share embarrassing Vegas pictures on Facebook. Britain’s Daily Mail reports that Virgin Holidays is seeing increased demand for Sin City air/hotel packages since Harry cavorted around pool tables and cued up in the buff.
But before these faddish/impressionistic types book their reservation, they should think deeply about the reality behind a short-lived hedonistic romp in Las Vegas… Here it is: Psalm 90:8, “You [God] have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give an account.” 2 Corinthians 4:2, “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.” Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
Does it really matter who else does not know where you were or what you did whether in Vegas or anywhere else on earth? The fact is, we must all give an account to the only One who truly knows and the One who truly cares about the character of your life on earth and your destiny in the greater life to come. It was the young Scottish preacher Peter Marshall who offered this counsel: “When asked about whether or not to engage in a questionable activity, ask yourself this question: Of what shall I think of such a thing in my dying hour?”
Pray with me… Father, there is no escaping Your watchful eye. Your Word reminds us that Your eyes are upon us from the beginning of the year even until the end of the year. And that is not threatening to those of us who know Your love and grace in Jesus Christ for we are your children by Your choice and ours. Mature love for You has cast out all our fear. We have no secrets from you Lord. You are not only the silent Observer of our daily activities; you are the Discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts. We are secure in You. In the name of Jesus our Lord, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, September 10, 2012
9/10/12
Nineteen-year-old Liu Shih-Kun was an esteemed concert pianist in China until the Cultural Revolution banned all things related to Western influence. Refusing to renounce his beloved music, Liu was deemed an enemy of the people, beaten and imprisoned. There he languished in a tiny cell with no books, no paper, and even worse for Liu – no piano. Six years later, for propaganda reasons, he was asked to play in Beijing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. After years without an instrument to practice on, he performed brilliantly. And eighteen months later when he was finally released, he again played flawlessly. His secret? Stripped of everything musical, for seven and a half years Liu disciplined himself to shut out negative thoughts and practice hour after hour on an imaginary piano.
We don’t realize the extent to which our disciplined thinking contributes to our performance in life. If we are able to be thoughtful moment by moment day after day, it will elevate our quality of life. Our thoughts have power to direct our lives and determine our destiny. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.”
Pray with me… Father, we want to exercise discipline… self-discipline… In the single most important area for us to use it… our thought life. Jesus told us that ‘as a man/woman thinks in his/her heart, so is he/she.’ Nothing defines us more than our thought life. We pray we would seek to honor you there, in that vitally important space between our ears. Lord, deliver us from ‘stinkin-thinkin’ and move us, by the Holy Spirit, to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. In His strong name we pray, amen.
Blessing,
Pastor Ken
We don’t realize the extent to which our disciplined thinking contributes to our performance in life. If we are able to be thoughtful moment by moment day after day, it will elevate our quality of life. Our thoughts have power to direct our lives and determine our destiny. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.”
Pray with me… Father, we want to exercise discipline… self-discipline… In the single most important area for us to use it… our thought life. Jesus told us that ‘as a man/woman thinks in his/her heart, so is he/she.’ Nothing defines us more than our thought life. We pray we would seek to honor you there, in that vitally important space between our ears. Lord, deliver us from ‘stinkin-thinkin’ and move us, by the Holy Spirit, to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. In His strong name we pray, amen.
Blessing,
Pastor Ken
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