A Story In Prayer

[Jesus] looked toward heaven and prayed . . . John 17:1

Jesus’ high priestly prayer, as John 17 is known, is one of the most amazing passages in the entire Bible. His prayer to “Abba,” “Daddy,” his daddy, recorded and preserved for us. His heart and his passion revealed. The beauty, intimacy and interconnectedness of his relationship with God the Father and with us displayed, his hopes for how we connect to him, God the Father and each other expressed. The story of God told by Jesus in prayer.

With Jesus’ words of prayer we hear and see the story of God, a story told with consistency throughout the pages of scripture and throughout the pages of history. Individually and collectively we have been written into this amazing story, a story of God, a story retold by Jesus in prayer:

· A story of God’s glory, flowing mutually in and to Father and Son. (v. 1, 4, 5, 22, 24)
· A story of eternal life, which is knowing God and Jesus (v. 2, 3)
· A story of Jesus’ eternality as God. (v. 5, 24)
· A story of Jesus’ dependence (rhythm of dependence) on the Father (v. 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 21, 23, 24, 25)
· A story of the power of God’s name (v. 11, 12, 15)
· A story of Jesus’ desire for our joy (v. 13)
· A story of Jesus’ plan for us to live as an alternative community (v. 14, 15, 16, 23)
· A story of our nature as a sent people (v. 18)
· A story of God’s desire for our unity (v. 11, 21, 22, 23)
· A story of our need to abide in God (v. 19, 21, 26)
· A story of our true identity as God’s beloved (v. 23, 26)

Do you resonate with this story?
Do you believe this story?
Do you find yourself in this story?
- - - - - - - - -
Do we as a community resonate with this story?
Do we as a community believe this story?
Do we as a community find ourselves in this story?

Peace, hope and love

Doug

Abiding In Jesus - The Key To Everything

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” - John 15:9–12

These past two weeks we have been dwelling on Jesus’ invitation to abide or dwell in him -- in his power, in his person, in his love. Jesus’ promised result: lack of striving for things that can never sustain us, relief from a life of chasing things that can never be caught, peace, joy, and love. I am 100% convinced that irrespective of who you are, what you have achieved or how you would describe your faith, the result Jesus promises is one that 100% of the population longs for. During these two weeks I have heard from a number of people. One person wrote, “I realize more and more as I get older that I can't slide by in life without daily abiding with Jesus, as I face the most difficult task I've ever faced in life--raising a family.” Another commented, “This concept must be the reason why I can honestly say I love my life. Others may look at it say, ‘what a train wreck.’ I really don't see it that way. I have an angst that pulls me to want more, different or better, but I feel I am right where I need to be.”

Abiding in Jesus is the key to everything. But how does one abide in him? How does one go about it? A big part of the answer is through intentional time in his presence. Intentionality takes work -- not earning, but effort. It is not about trying, it is about training, about discipline. Dallas Willard describes discipline as simply “an activity within our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort.” Richard Foster says the purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines is the total transformation of the person. God is the one who does the transformation and it is only by his grace, but we have to be intentional about it. The disciplines as we practice them are the means by which we undergo our transformation.”

Below is a list of disciplines, followed by a list of books. Not every discipline will be life-giving for every person, not every discipline will be life-giving indefinitely. I recommend that you pick two or three and try them regularly for 60 to 90 days.

Here are examples of some disciplines to practice:

Bible (study, reading and prayer); Prayer (active and inactive); Silence; Solitude; Fasting; Serving; Tithing; Sabbath keeping; Music/Worship; Nature; Soul Books; and Journaling.

A few books that might help you:

Prayer, Richard Foster
Celebrations of Disciplines, Richard Foster
Renovations of the Heart, Dallas Willard
The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard
Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, Jeanne Guyon
The Soul at Rest, Patricia McCary Rhodes

Jesus is inviting you to abide in him, to be planted in his perfect love, in the love of the one who is the author and sustainer of everything. Abiding in him is the key to living the non-distorted life you were meant to live, to creating a non-distorted community you were meant to be a part of, and to a life of non-distorted missionality that will transform you and the world.

It is the key to everything.

Peace, hope and love

Doug

Planted, Nourished and Sustained

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:9–12

Jesus described the relationship between him and those who choose to follow him as being like a vine and a branch – he the vine, the root, we the branches, we emerging from him, the source of our existence, growing and receiving our sustenance from him, our vine. Jesus’ words are beautiful and poetic, but they are so much more. They are, in fact, the key to everything; contentment and well-being in every areas of our lives; our marriages, our kids, our friendships, our ministry, our work, our faith, our life and our death – everything.

The reality of the human condition is that each of us looks to things other than Jesus for the source of our happiness, contentment, well-being and sustenance, we ask them to play a role they were never intended to play and in the process distort them even as we ourselves become distorted.

I love my wife; she is my best friend. But if I look to her to be the source of my well-being and contentment, I will either control her so that she will be the person I want her to be, or I will avoid conflict -- even necessary conflict – for fear that my well-being will be threatened. In either event, I will end up looking for her to provide something for me that she was never intended to provide and rather than who she really is, thus burying things that need the cleansing air and light of discussion. If, on the other hand, I look to Jesus for sustenance, to Jesus as the source of well-being, that well-being will not be jeopardized by conflict, and any conflict that there is, will be infused with the peace of God’s never-wavering acceptance and love.

Jesus says, “Remain in me.” Rest, come back when you get disconnected, return, seek, sit in my presence, rest in me, listen, abide. Only then will you will be free to love; free to be the husband, child, friend, minister, teammate, employer, boss . . . that I created and called you to be; freed from the things that claim to be sources of well-being but that in the end cause you to chase, worry and strive; free, because you are connected to me, the source of love and life itself.

It starts and ends with abiding in the vine, abiding in Christ. We move toward abiding by seeking ways that connect us to Jesus; reading the Bible, prayer, silence, giving, singing, fasting, and more (all with an idea of entering the presence of God). It is not a list of how to be a better Christian; rather, it is learning to abide in Jesus, our only hope for contentment, and a worry-free (not problem-free) life. This life is not just possible for every single person, but promised by Jesus himself as we abide in him.

- How’s that going for you today?
- Do you believe that is possible?
- Do you believe that promise?
- Are you connected to God, to the vine? - If not, why not?
- Be honest, do you believe Jesus’ promises in John 15 and elsewhere?
- What could you do to learn to abide in Jesus?
- How have you connected with God in the past?
- How can we, or others, help you do so now.

Let me know your thoughts, share your thoughts with others – we need to share our stories of success and failures so that we can grow together.

Peace, hope and love

Doug

We Are A Living Legacy

I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. - 2 Timothy 1:3–6

The passage above talks about the legacy of faith passed to Timothy from his grandmother and his mother, a gift of God, handed down to a young man by two very important people in his life, and resulting in thankfulness for a man, Paul, awaiting execution in prison; a very powerful legacy.

When was the last time you thought about your legacy? Have you ever done so? When I say, “legacy,” I am referring to the impact you have on others, which goes beyond you; past your control, perhaps past your ability to observe or even know about, maybe even past your life. What is your legacy?

Legacy is not an optional thing, which only some people have. It is something that everybody has, something that is always being created and extended. Within each of us exist pieces of other’s legacy even as we creating pieces that reside in others. And yet, we rarely think about it. Let’s change that. Let’s think about our legacy and be intentional about living into our responsibility toward others and toward our world.

Legacy is a responsibility, both individually and collectively.

- What is your legacy?
- Who is your legacy?
- What is our legacy?
- Who is our legacy?

Peace, hope and love

Doug

This I know . . .

This Sunday we looked at the encounters Jesus had after the resurrection. Why did he appear again? Why not just head back to heaven? After all, He had already died for our sins. He had already risen from the grave and conquered death once and for all. Why hang around for six more weeks and talk to Mary, then the disciples, and then several hundred other people?

Maybe King David’s view of God gives us a hint. In the midst of a life filled with riches and poverty, kingship and shepherding, sin and obedience, victory and defeat – David says these words:

“This I know, that God is for me.” (Ps 56:9 ESV)

Really? God is FOR me? He is on my side? He doesn’t just love me, but He LIKES me? That changes everything! I wrote the following words on my blog on February 9, 2010 (the day I first came across this verse):

David recognizes that God being for him is not just God loving His creation, but God choosing to celebrate His creation.

How differently – more fully, more abundantly, more joyfully, more purposefully, more passionately – you and I would live if this truth permeated our every thought: that the God who created us, who knows us, who sacrificed Himself for us, is for us.

Sit back and soak in that truth for a moment. God celebrates you. God is on your side. God rejoices over you. God wants you. God chooses you. God cherishes you. God is for you.

And now…take a deep breath and say these eight words out loud:

This I know, that God is for me.

How would you live this day differently if you believed that God is with you in every circumstance and for you at every turn?
How does it feel to know that God doesn’t just love you…but He also likes you?

Put it on your bathroom mirror, your computer monitor, your refrigerator door, and your car’s dashboard: This I know, that God is for me. Then spend every minute of every day living under the umbrella of that good news. (Because it happens to be true.)

Alongside,

Keith