Thoughts on prayer, 2

In thoughts on prayer 1 we established the following:
It matters when and where we pray.
After Jesus finished praying, as the story goes in Luke 11, the disciples asked Jesus how to pray.
What a thought- that we actually need to be taught how to pray.
Jesus goes on to teach them a great, pithy prayer- short and sweet.
But I'm fascinated with the story that follows.
Basically a man is sleeping. His neighbor comes pounding on his door, asking for bread for his visitor. There's so much going on here, too much to get into, but it comes down to this-

"I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs." Luke 11:8

I love the way another translation puts it, because of his bold audacity...
Since Jesus taught his disciples to pray this way, I've lately been taking it at face value. Late at night, and early in the morning, pounding on God's door with bold prayer.
Or as I've been calling it, my tenacious audacious prayers.
I've had a lot lately. Here are just a few:

We need someone to organize our nursery and children's program.
We need a great website.
I want to double in size by September- 50 to 60 committed, invested, inviting adults.
Bless my wife and kids, help me to be a great husband and father.
We need a ministry center and all the stuff to fill it up.
We want 4 small groups running this summer.
I need someone who knows a lot about AV equipment.
Our band needs to ROCK!
We need some great graphics and promotional materials.
But perhaps most boldly,
We want to see people finding Jesus.

"Sicko"

So I meet Michael Moore this past Friday.
I don't think he'd remember me, the guy in the shirt with the camera in the press area- one of many.
But still, I got an invitation to see the premier of "Sicko" in London.
It was a very exciting time for our little city.
Hundreds of folks gathered with all the buzz.
It got me thinking about our premier three months from now.
When you have a radical message, it can draw a crowd. When you believe in something passionately, people will listen to you. When you present something well, or controversial, people will talk.
But you'll never get everyone to agree with you, and you certainly won't get them all to like you.
But it doesn't really matter when you believe it with your entire being.
When you're willing to put yourself on the line.
When you're willing to be the lightening rod if that's what it takes.
All of London was talking about Michael Moore and his movie this weekend.
In three months I hope we give them something even better to talk about! Wouldn't that be awesome.

Oh yeah, and I bumped into the mayor again.

Thoughts on prayer, 1

Lately I've been working to manage my fears in church planting. Mostly I'm filled with great excitement, optimism, enthusiasm and faith.
But then the moment of fear will slip in.
The thoughts of all that could go wrong.
The things that I would do differently now.
The "what if" questions.
I think it's actually a pretty healthy place to be.
It keeps me grounded in the reality that there is no way I can do this.
Oh I can organize it all. Put it together. Pull it off. But it wouldn't really be building the church.
Building the church is God's work.
We just do our part.
That simple truth alone keeps bringing me back to prayer.

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place..." Luke 11:1

So here's my first reflection on prayer- it matters when and where we pray. It really does.
We have this ideal that our whole life should be a sort of unceasing prayer. It's biblical. But it's really hard.
Richard Foster wrote,

"We can't expect to pray all the time everywhere, if we don't pray sometimes somewhere."

Our relationship with God is much like our human relationships- communication is key. And prayer is simply our communication with God.
I want to have a great relationship with my wife, so we set aside time and we go out on dates, we invest in each other. Then it feels like our relationship is without ceasing. But that only happens through setting up the time and place.
So there are times when if you'd look in my office you'd only see me.
But I'm not alone.
And I am busy.
And God is building His church.

I just want to be here

So we're having a party the other day. About 30 adults plus kids. Lots of kids. I love it.
My mother-in-law is walking through the house and notices one of the neighborhood kids standing at the front door.
In his bike helmet.
Running his fingers up and down the mesh screen.
Looking into the house.
Ida greets him and asks who he is.
He mumbles a bit, then finally gets the right words out:

"I just want to be here."

The party was contagious.
The laughter was infectious.
The life was spilling into the streets.
It was the kind of place you just wanted to be.

This is what people are going to say about our church.
The atmosphere be contagious.
The relationships will be infectious.
The life will spill over into the streets.
It will be the kind of place you just want to be.
People will wonder if they can connect.
And we will say,

"We threw this party just for you."

Growing Pains

My daughter Karis is growing up. I love it, and I hate it.
One of our values for the church is growth. You can read them all along the side.

"We love Growth."

Why do we have this as a value?
Because we have to.
Because you don't plant something and then not encourage its growth.
Because the bible tells the story of God growing His church.

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow." 1 Corinthians 3:7

Here's what it really comes down to- if you don't state this as a value, the unspoken value of non-growth will take its place. We've probably all been with that church, or that group, that got to the place where it didn't want to change anymore. It didn't want to grow- it wanted to keep a grip on what it was.
While we were talking about growth with a group, my daughter Karis came into the room laughing and smiling- and holding her first baby tooth to fall out.
Outside I laughed and congratulated her. Inside, I honestly started to cry.
I love my Karis just how she is. I love her innocence. I love how the world is magic to her. I love that I'm the greatest man in her life.
I often joke about starting my kids on a diet of coffee and cigarettes to stunt their growth.
I don't want them to grow.
But I do.
The only thing worse than seeing your children grow would be seeing their growth stunted.
But it still doesn't make it any easier.
You can argue all you want about the abuses of growth. We all know them. We've all experienced them.
We will value the growth of God's church and God's children. It will be hard. It will even make us cry. But the alternative would be even worse.