More Thoughts on Prayer

After teaching about prayer on Sunday, I’ve been thinking about some biblical principles that I left out. In my message I pointed out that prayer is a time for us to discover what is on God’s list, rather than a time for us to tell Him what is on our list.

Or, as one writer put it, “Prayer is not supposed to be a selfish monologue, but a God-centered dialogue.”

Jesus said it this way: “Pray for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done.” 

This understanding about prayer has been foundational and powerful to me in developing my own prayer life. But, since there is a lot more to prayer than I could say in one thirty-three-minute message, here are some more thoughts on prayer. I hope these short thoughts encourage all of us to participate with more passion and persistence in the spectacular privilege we have called prayer.

First, Pray Without Ceasing.
The artist Scott Erickson explains that Biblical phrase this way: “Prayer is the ever-present, on-going interior conversation you are having with God about the life you find yourself in.”

God is faithful to communicate to us at all times. He is always sitting at the table within our hearts, ready with tea and toast, and conversation. We don’t need to get cleaned up or have something intense to pray about in order to go to Him. He is simply interested in us and wants us to be interested in Him. 

Next, The Parable of the Persistent Widow.
Jesus explains the need for persistence in our prayers for justice by telling a story of a widow who bothered a judge so persistently that he granted her request, even though he didn’t care. Through this parable Jesus is teaching that, just like our persistence can be effective with people who don’t care, our persistence can be even more effective with God because He does care for us.

Though the goal is and always should be primarily to find out what is on God’s list, there do seem to be times in Scripture where someone’s persistence was able to get something written on God’s list. That is wild—and awesome. 

Last, “Whatever You Ask in My Name, God Will Do It.”
Jesus says this phrase, and other very similar phrases, many times. This phrase bothered me until I looked up the word “name” in a Greek lexicon. When Jesus said “name,” He was not referring to the way we sign off our prayers by saying, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” We are not to use “In Jesus’ name” similar to the way a magician would say “Abracadabra.”

The word that best describes what Jesus was saying is the Greek word “onoma.” Onoma gets translated into English as “name,” but the fuller meaning of the word is “character.” So, when we ask for things in alignment with the character of Christ, He will do it. 

So, are you praying without ceasing? Are you being persistent in your prayers for justice? Are your prayers in alignment with the character of Christ?

These are some good questions to ask, but don’t stress too much about it. Just pause and turn aside to Jesus. He has the table already prepared. 

David

A Little History Lesson

At the dinner table the other night, I found myself giving my girls a little history lesson. We had been fasting from television at night, and as we were finishing up dinner we could all feel the pull. I figured I had better insert something that could help us refrain.

I told my girls about how families would end their days thousands of years ago. For them, when the sun went down it would get dark and sometimes cold. The family would make a fire to bring light and warmth, but it would also cause something else to happen. The fire brought the family close together, facing each other, giving them daily opportunities to connect with each other.

I then told the girls about how mankind learned to safely bring the fire inside the house with furnaces. Though this was a new invention, it still produced much of the same effect. The family would gather around the furnace for light and warmth, and found the opportunity to connect. 

With the invention of the lantern and the light bulb, there was no the need to gather in the same room for some families; but still, most families could only afford to light up one room at night.

Shockingly, my girls were still listening and actually guessing who the inventors were. I pressed my luck and kept on going. 

I told them how another invention helped bring families together but in a little different way: families would gather around the radio, but now they were not connecting with each other in the same way. Someone else was doing all the talking, which diminished the connection opportunity for the family. 

The invention of the television had the same effect as the radio. Families would gather around the television, but the focus was not on each other. The opportunity to connect was diminished.

Strangely enough, my girls were still tracking with me. 

Next I tried to bring the history lesson in for a good landing. I told them about how the computer, the tablet and the smart phone can also diminish our time to connect with each other. I told them their mom and dad are not anti-devices, and we are not anti-fun. We just want to make sure that we know each other well and connect with each other often. 

At this point I could see my teenager tensing up and the younger ones’ eyes were threatening to roll. I backed off and let it be. That night we had a good time of goofing off together only using the technology God put inside of us.

I hope this week you have been able to “ruthlessly eliminate some hurry from your life,” and “waste some time with God.”

I pray God blesses you and your household,

David

p.s. A couple of really good things are coming up at Living Streams.

1. The Dwell Worship Conference is February 21 & 22. Everyone is invited to join us for the night sessions with Phil Wickham and Chris Quilala. It’s gonna be wonderful. $30 if you use promo code LSC2020 at dwellconference.org

2. If you are new to Living Streams, the Explore class (beginning February 19) will help you get connected. livingstreams.org/events

Where Do We Get Our Convictions?

This whole impeachment process has left me convinced.

I’m convinced the Democrats are convinced that President Trump should be convicted for abuse of power. I am convinced the Republicans are convinced President Trump should not be convicted. I am convinced President Trump thinks the state of our union is absolutely tremendous, and Speaker of the House Pelosi is convinced the state of our union is appalling. The end result has left most of us unconvinced that any of their convictions are very convincing.

With all this strong conviction making so much noise recently, I have been thinking about the biblical view of "conviction." 

God, in His infinite, creative wisdom, wove into the fabric of the human psyche the powerful guides of conscience and conviction. The way our conscience guides us is similar to new automobile technologies that cause an alert to sound when another car is nearby. It is called “blind spot detection,” and it is a great analogy to help us understand how conscience and conviction work in our lives. 

This precious gift can serve us well, but the Bible teaches us that our conscience can be seared. When we don’t respond to the convictions of our conscience, it can get worn down and warped. This is a scary thing because, once it is warped, it can guide us in the wrong direction or steer us away from things that could be good for us. Then, if we ignore or rebel against our conscience too much, we can find ourselves with full-on depraved minds. 

Now, please don’t think I am trying to say that Trump and Pelosi have depraved minds. I am simply sharing some biblical thoughts on convictions because of the intensely divided convictions we’ve seen during the impeachment process and the State of the Union address. 

We need to remember that Jesus said He was sending the Holy Spirit into the world to convict the world of sin and unrighteousness; therefore, we need to stop getting our convictions from CNN or Fox News. We need to stop getting our convictions from Hollywood, Instagram, or popular opinions of today. We need to stop getting our convictions from our own deceitful, divided hearts, or from the shallow, fleeting approval of man. 

Let us cry out with a holy desperation for Holy Spirit to rend our hearts where they are out of alignment with His. To purge and cleanse us with His gentle-but-firm discipline. To renew right spirits within us. To help us not see the fault in others without seeing the wickedness in ourselves. To take our seared, worn down, and warped consciences into His omnipotent, gracious hands to heal and enliven them.

Pray that He will do it as a great, widespread American renewal; but pray He will do it with us here in the desert, as well. 

May God bless you by guiding you with His strong convictions,

David

Reflecting on a Season of Prayer and Fasting

Last night was the last of our three January prayer nights. It was also the last of three Wednesdays of fasting.

I am amazed, and a little sad, at how affected I can be by missing just two meals in one day—especially when I realize that much of the world lives on only one meal every day. (I think we Americans really should be more cognizant of our consumption.)

Last night’s prayer time was committed to contemplative prayer. The theme was “union.” There was a little worship music, a short teaching on union with Jesus, and then we all headed to the gym. In the gym were twenty or more stations set up for guided prayer. All 150 of us were asked to pray in silence at each station. Though the gym was silent, it felt very alive. 

Looking back, I doubt there has ever been such an eclectic collection of prayer nights at one church. The first night was a night of introspective prayer with a focus on conviction, repentance, deliverance, and forgiveness. I appreciated that because that’s how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. And, as I just described, the third prayer night was a time of contemplative prayer focusing on God’s goodness. I recently heard prayer defined as “relaxing into the goodness of God.” (R. Wollheiser), and that is what I (and many others) was able to do. 

For some reason, I find myself still processing the second prayer night. I left the meeting with mixed feelings. On one hand, it was an honor to witness so many people being courageous in their prayers for healing. And, on the other hand, it was heavy to see so many hurting among us, both physically and psychologically. On one hand, it was amazing to know that God actually healed a few people. (I was able to process it with one of them. The healing was valid, fascinating, and beautiful.) But on the other hand, fifty or more people who had stood and asked the Lord for healing did not receive it. Those people had to process some, “what, why, and how” questions that don’t come with easy answers. 

My “pastor heart” was torn between the joy of God demonstrating His love and power by healing a few, and the distress over all those who potentially walked away feeling an increase of confusion and doubt.

This season of fasting and prayer has taught me that praying requires honesty, penitence, courage, persistence and trust. I also learned that we have not prayed long enough until we find ourselves at ease because of the magnitude of God’s goodness—His goodness that is revealed in healing, or in the gift of sufficient grace.

Praying for Jesus to teach us to pray,

David

Praying for Us to Get Better at Prayer

For me, and for many others at Living Streams Church, yesterday was another day devoted to fasting and prayer.

First, at 1:30 pm our elder team finished our monthly meeting with prayer. Colleen McMahon and Faith Cummings came to our meeting to pray for us. I had asked these two women to come because they are committed to prayer. They have seen many small and large things move as a result of prayer.

• I call Colleen “the Living Streams Samuel.” A number of times she has shared with me things that God has told her in her prayer times that are extremely relevant and pertinent to decisions that our Executive team is working on. I like what the Bible says about Samuel as a prophet and I think it applies to her as well: “His words never fell to the floor.”

• Likewise, Faith has shared with me dreams that guide her prayer and challenge her to pray for big things. She is committed to prayer in her own life and has taught many of us what prayer is and what it can be in our lives. 

These women encouraged and inspired our elders as they used the authority they have gained through years of prayer to pray over us and remind us to focus first on prayer. 

A second special moment came at the 7:00 pm prayer meeting in the sanctuary. Toward the end of the night we were instructed to pray for the person next to us. A lot took place In the few minutes we spent together. As I prayed for a man who I had only seen a couple of brief times before, Jesus gave me some insight into his life. I asked him some questions to see if what I was sensing was true. He confirmed it, and we began to talk about some of the similar challenges we have faced. We encouraged each other and prayed for God to continue to strengthen and guide us. Because of the Spirit of God and the power of prayer, we were able to connect on a much deeper level than could normally happen in such a short time. 

Prayer is powerful. Prayer is beautiful. Prayer is a gift. Prayer is a weapon. There are many spiritual practices that can help us grow and form our souls in a good way, but the greatest of them is prayer. 

Praying for you to be a person committed and motivated by prayer,

David

Last Night I Prayed Some Passionate Prayers

Last night at Living Streams we gathered for some soup and some prayer, following a day of fasting. Now, the point of fasting is to connect with God. The way it works is, as we deny our flesh, our flesh cries out in hunger. When it cries out in hunger we do not feed our flesh, but instead, we feed our spirit. So, yesterday, each time my flesh cried out in hunger I used it as a call to prayer.
 
It was very encouraging to show up at church last night to see hundreds of other people who had spent the day fasting and were ready to pray together. As I sat in the sanctuary we were guided by the pastoral team into three different times of prayer.

Even though I’ve been at this Christian game for quite a few years now, it still surprises me when I sense the Spirit of God stirring in my soul and mingling His thoughts with my thoughts. As He does this, He leads me to a new perspective or understanding, or a message that He has for me. I like that.
 
Here’s what I ended up with last night:
 
One of the pastors spoke about the need to pray for conviction sometimes. He said that conviction of sin is one of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us. 

I’ve never really thought of conviction as a gift, but it really is. Just as it would be a gift for someone to warn you that you're about to go over a cliff—so it is with the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
 
With a deeper understanding of conviction, I was stirred with a passion to pray for God to convict America of her sin.

• I prayed He would visit our leaders with dreams in the night—or even sores on their body—whatever it takes for them to humble themselves before God and lead us into His mercy. (God worked this way In the case of Abimelech, Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzer.)

Another pastor spoke about how prayer can tear down strongholds in our lives and in our nation. He spoke about a time in his life where God instantaneously removed the stronghold of drug addiction from him. He also spoke with humility about how God did not instantaneously deliver Him from a pornography addiction. He said his delivery from pornography took years of wrestling and surrender. He then asked us to pray that God would tear down the strongholds in our nation. 
 
So, with that in mind:

• I prayed God would tear down the stronghold of pride in our nation.

• I prayed against the pride expressed when there's no acknowledgement of God, no fear of God, no humility before God in our society and our leaders.

• I prayed for God to grant us humility instead of our intense secular humanism masked in the wordprogressivism. 

At the end of the night, as I went to platform to start the closing prayer, I felt the Spirit of God stirring in me again. He was convicting me about how passive I, and our church family, can be about prayer. So:

• I asked God to forgive us for being passive while the world around us is hemorrhaging from its self-reliance.

• I asked God to forgive us for leaving the powerful weapon of prayer on the shelf to collect dust as society heaves under the oppression of a spiritual war they are blind to.

• I asked God to fill us with His zeal.

• I asked Him to cause His passion to ignite our prayer lives.

• I asked that He break our hearts for what breaks His.

• And I asked that He would never let us find rest or peace until we’ve labored in prayer in a way that honors Him and brings His kingdom in.

David

Time to Humble Ourselves

At 2:29 am on Christmas morning I sensed the Spirit of God breaking into my sleep world with something He wanted to tell me. The message delivered sounded heavy and alarming, but there was no worry or angst in the delivery. In fact, I would say the feeling I was experiencing in the midst of that moment was anticipation and hope.

At first, I wondered if it was all brought on by the adrenaline from Christmas Eve services coupled with 2:00 am fatigue. But since that day I have processed some more and received some confirmation from some trusted advisors. Adding to that the news coming out of Iran, I feel it would be good for me to share it with you.

The message I received was in the same vein as the message of “40 days ‘til judgment” that Jonah preached to the Ninevites.

Again, please remember the message was not intended to strike fear in me, but to make me aware and prepared for the opportunities that would be presenting themselves. Here is the message…

A shaking is coming to America if we do not humble ourselves before God. We have this year to humble ourselves and repent.

If we do not humble ourselves, the shaking will be economic in nature. It will include the violence of war, but not traditional war. Public shootings, school shootings, terrorism, and new advanced forms of technology will cause massive shaking. 

We as a church should not fear or worry. We should prepare for the shaking by gathering in our resources so we can minister boldly and generously in this time of shaking. We should look at it as if all the blessing God has given us in recent years has been intended to sustain us and advance His kingdom during the season of shaking judgment. 

After I wrote all this down I began praying for our leaders. I prayed that, like Pharaoh in Joseph’s day, Jesus would give President Trump and our leaders troubling and disturbing dreams so that one of His disciples could interpret it for them. I prayed for Vice President Pence to have courage, boldness, humility, strength, and favor. I prayed that he would know that he is in position for such a time as this. 

I really believe that God is calling me, and those I help lead, to be aware and be prepared for a shaking that is coming over the next few years. We should not be afraid. We should be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. We need to humble ourselves and encourage those in our circles to humble themselves as well. We need to intercede fervently for our leaders and our nation to humble themselves, as well. It may be that a true wave of humility could dissipate the judgment that is on its way. 

And if the shaking does come, we need to be looking for opportunities to serve people and share Christ’s love with people; because when people feel their world shaking, they will look for some strong foundations and strong shelter. In Christ Jesus, we have the firmest foundation and He has been the strongest shelter for every generation.

So, there are some happy new year thoughts for you.

All the more reason to participate with our prayer and fasting season at Living Streams. You can get more details about that here: .https://www.livingstreams.org/fasting

By His grace and for His glory, 

David

Ending 2019 With a Bang

My 2019 ended with a wow, a whoa, a boom, and a bang. (Because I love fireworks almost all of my years end with a bang.)  
 
On December 24, I was amazed to see our Living Streams sanctuary so full, and still filling, as our 4:00 pm Christmas Eve service began. By the time the service was underway every seat was filled, people were standing against the side walls, and—sad to say—a number of people left because there was “no room in the inn.” Fire code allows for 1,000 people in the sanctuary, and we recorded 997 people in the building.

On the one hand, I was saddened because I figure some of the people who did not stay were people who had a lot of difficulty even deciding to go to church in the first place. But, on the other hand, I was thrilled to know our people love their church so much they made sure they and their loved ones experienced Christmas Eve with their Living Streams family. Wow!
 
On December 25, Christmas morning came on strong at 6:00 am and, because of my wife and her family's seriousness about Christmas morning, we did not finish the present-opening part until about noon. It is fun to witness, but for this non-morning, non-gift person it is a lot to take in. Whoa!
 
On December 27, we said goodbye to our foster boys as we dropped them off at their mom’s house. They were with us for 18 months while their mom worked with DCS to get back on track and healthy. Reunification was the hope and it is very rare. We rejoice in that reality, but have been sorting out a number of other emotions, as our house feels very different now. Boom!
 
Then, On December 31, I went into the secret stash I have in my closet and pulled out the fireworks I had been saving since last summer, when we purchased them in New Mexico. The excitement and danger, the burning and exploding, and the bright beauty lighting up the dark backdrop seemed to express well the sentimental feeling that a year of fostering, family and faith had left us with. Bang!  
 
This year, I pray you get to do more of the good things you like to do and less of the angry, selfish, and prideful things you do not like that you do.
 
By His grace and for His glory,
 
David

2020 Here We Come

2020 Here We Come

The week between the commemoration of Christmas and the celebration on New Year’s Eve always fills me with a mixture of emotions.  Here are a few little thoughts for contemplation:
 
Now that Christmas has come and gone
I pray God’s humble presence lingers on
 
Now as 2019 is laid to rest
I pray God’s delight fills your chest
 
And as 2020 comes into view
I pray God’s voice is coming through
 
We have such a kind and gracious Heavenly Father who dwells with us on the way, whose forgiveness and acceptance is there every day, and who loves to guide us if we’ll listen when we pray.
 
In case you are like me and need a little assistance with this time of celebration, here is a Dallas Willard quote that may help: 

“Celebration completes worship because we enjoy ourselves, our life, our world, in conjunction with our faith and confidence in God’s greatness, beauty, and goodness. Typically, this means that we come together with others who know God to eat, drink, to sing and dance, and to relate stories of God’s action in our lives.”

I hope some of this can take place with me and my family, as well as you and yours. 

2020 here we come.

David

The Greatest is Love

Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas is here in Phoenix. The traffic has picked up around all the shops and the weather has dipped, leaving morning frost on the rooftops and windshields. By midday we enjoy sunny and 75º, and all the winter lawns are looking nice and green.

At my house, my wife is in full gift mode–which she is in most of the year–but now she does it with a joyous fervor. Our house has three Christmas trees up, paper snowflakes everywhere, and we are not allowed to go near certain rooms because one of our presents could be there. There also is a constant stream of holiday baking shows and Hallmark movies on our television. 

But with all this hustle, bustle and fun, we are having some good times with our kids, setting everything aside and learning about the Joy, Peace, Hope, and Love that Jesus brought with His advent. The Advent video series at thebibleproject.com has been very helpful. We had a great night the other night sitting in our tv room for a couple of hours without turning the tv on. We talked and played and quizzed. (For some reason my kids love it when I quiz them on geography. Weird kids.)

The last three Sundays at our church, we have focused on Joy, Peace, and Hope.

• We have seen how the Bible teaches that God is overflowing with Joy. “In His presence there is fullness (overflowing) joy.”

• We have read about Jesus being the Prince of Peace. “The greatness of His peace has no end, (overflowing).”

• And we have looked at some Biblical words to teach us what hope really is and how God is the God of Hope. “I pray that God, the source of hope, (overflowing) will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Now, there is one that remains. It is the greatest of them all, and every other virtue finds its roots in Love. Just as with the other three, God is overflowing with love.

The best word we have in our shallow human language to describe the community of the trinity is love. “The fruit of the (trinitarian) Spirit is love.” The fierce and overflowing love that God has for the world is what caused Him to sacrificially give the one He loved most, so that we could know and enjoy His love in a personal and everlasting way. 

Today, and each day between now and Christmas, I would like for you to do three things:

1. Sit still for twenty minutes, away from the distraction of your phone, and ask God to tell you how He feels about you. Expect Him to speak in a still, small voice. Expect your wounded heart to have trouble receiving and believing what He says. Then, write it down, or tell someone about it to seal it in your heart and mind. 

2. Look though your contact list on your phone and find someone that you know needs to hear about the love of Jesus and invite them to church this Sunday.

3. Pray for me, that despite my shallow mind and feeble words, I will be able to communicate the wondrous love of God in a way that is easy to understand and impossible to run from. 

Jesus loves you!

David

The Gift of Hope

Lots of heaviness out there.

I’ve been with many this week who are carrying a large amount of sorrow. Due to a death, a health change, or a broken relationship, a heavy load of sorrow has been placed on their shoulders. Some have just begun to carry that sorrow. Others have been carrying their load of sorrow for years–or even decades. Just entering into their sorrow for brief moments this week was enough to leave me exhausted.

And then I made the mistake of listening to the new Coldplay album and heard the song, “Daddy.” (If possible listen to it before continuing to read.)

Daddy, are you out there?
Daddy, why'd you run away?
Daddy, are you okay?
Look Dad, we've got the same hair
And Daddy, it's my birthday
And all I want to say

Is you're so far away
Oh and you're so far away
That's okay
It's okay
It's okay

Won't you come and won't you stay?
Please stay
Oh, please stay
Won't you come and won't you stay?
One day
Just one day

Yikes! Hearing these lyrics broke my heart. It is a beautiful, heavy, deep, and poignant song that pinpoints a particular sadness that many of us can relate to.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.7 million children–more than 1 in 4–live without a father in the home. This is a staggering statistic but it bears out in the bewilderment of our society. (See https://www.fatherhood.org/fatherhood-data-statistics)

Though I have my own sadness from losing my father 22 years ago, my sadness is a little different than what is described in this song. I know that the only way I will see my dad again is when I join him in heaven. The sadness this song evokes belongs to those whose fathers are still alive and yet, for all intents and purposes, are dead to them. For some their dad is in jail, is disinterested in them, or is living a toxic lifestyle so they had to be cut off. This is a double sadness. This sadness is made up of the loss of what could have and should have been, as well as the sadness from hope being deferred at every holiday or birthday.

In Malachi 4 the prophet teaches that one of the things God wants to do is turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. I know it will not be easy; and I know that, in many cases, it seems impossible. But hard and impossible are God’s playground. Just ask Moses, who was trapped between two cliffs, a sea, and Pharaoh’s army when God made a way of escape and freedom. Just ask Jesus, who was dead and entombed when God, His Father, raised Him to life. God made a way where there was no way.

I believe God wants us to keep praying, keep hoping, and–like the prodigal’s Father–keep going to the edge of our property, with faith and hope in the God who is near to the fatherless (as well as the unfaithful fathers).

This Sunday we will be speaking about the strong, stubborn, supernatural gift that God gives His people in the face of deep despair. The gift of Hope. Please invite a few people who don’t know Jesus to come with you this Sunday. They just may receive Jesus and the hope He gives.

God bless you and fill you with Hope,

David

The Arrival of Peace

We live in an anxious world. Thirty-nine percent of Americans say they are more anxious this year than last year. According to the ADAA, about forty million Americans are now classified as having an anxiety disorder.

The peculiar thing is that, on nearly every metric—health, wealth, world conflict and comfort—our society is living in some of the best times in history. On the outside we should be the most at-peace society in history, and yet many of us are living weighed down by confusion and angst.

The word for peace in the Old Testament is Shalom. Shalom is a word filled with meaning and color. It can mean “the lack of conflict,” but it can also mean “whole” or “complete.” So when countries are without conflict, there is shalom; but also, when Solomon completed the temple, he brought shalom to it.

This sort of peace is illusive to the world around us. And, honestly, it was illusive for the people of Israel. In the history of Israel, there were only small glimpses of shalom in the midst of conflict, rebellion and pain.

That’s why the promise in Isaiah 9 is so powerful: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Seven hundred years later, Jesus arrived.

But Jesus never promised that we would have external shalom—every circumstance in our life going well. What he promised was an internal peace in the midst of a confusing and painful world. He promised a peace that endures during an external breakdown. A peace that can mourn and hurt while retaining an interior stillness and steadfast hope.

Beyond that, Paul, in Ephesians 2, says that Jesus himself is our peace. He is the incarnation of shalom itself. Peace is not the absence of confusion or conflict. It’s the presence of Peace himself. It’s only in the presence of Jesus that we find true peace.

So, though we live in an anxious and chaotic world, we don’t have to allow it to sink into our interior. Jesus is the peace we need and have been looking for. It doesn’t depend on everything going well in our lives. It’s a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Christmas is the beautiful reminder that, when the world ran out of options in its pursuit of peace, Jesus arrived as the only true source of peace we can find.

–Ryan Romeo

Ask Someone

Thanks for reading this. I hope you are well. I also hope that you will stop reading this for one minute and text or call someone and invite them to church on Sunday. 
 
Did you do it? If you did, keep reading. If you didn’t, keep reading—and maybe I can convince you.
 
This Sunday we will kick off our Christmas season with a teaching on Joy. Everyone could use a little more of that. The next three Sundays we will be teaching on Peace, Hope, and Love. And everyone could use a little more of those, as well. 
 
I imagine there are some people in your contacts list that are currently living without the light and warmth that a relationship with Jesus brings. You may even be spending Thanksgiving with them. Remember, the Christmas season is a time when people are willing to give church another shot. Actually, studies show that around 80% of people who don’t go to church said they would go if invited. Those are some pretty good odds. 
 
I know it can be a little scary to ask someone. I know it can complicate your own Sunday morning experience. I also know that church is not the only way someone can come to know Jesus. But I believe it can help. I believe Jesus desires us to leave the ninety-nine and go after the one. I believe, “… there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” 
 
So, now will you stop reading, and text or call someone?  Let’s see if we can give heaven a reason to party. 
 
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours,
 
David 
 
p.s. If you do ask someone, send me a quick email about how it goes. I am interested to hear. 

Christmas and Finances

As we head toward the end of 2019 a couple of year-end items are stirring in my mind. 

The first item is Christmas.

I am very excited about this Christmas season at Living Streams. Our Christmas season is going to be crafted with a historical Advent flavor.

We know life deals us some heavy hands, and the holidays can be hard. In our Sunday services we will join with saints of old and saints around the world—focusing on how the great foes of humanity: sorrow, confusion, despair, and hate are rendered powerless by the splendor of Christ appearing.

We will look at how Christ’s advent brought overcoming and everlasting joy, peace, hope, and love into our weary, broken world.

Please bring someone you know who is not living with the light and warmth of Christ.

The second item is finances. 

It is funny how Christmas and finances go hand-in-hand these days, but I am not talking about my own finances. The end of the year always brings with it budget proposals for next year and accounting for the past year. At Living Streams our financial situation is good with—one exception. 

We have been able to give a couple hundred thousand dollars to support missions and ministries in Phoenix and around the world. We have been able to do many much-needed upgrades around our campus—including renovation in the kids' ministry areas, installing a new elevator (woohoo!), and the super-exciting stuff of electrical and IT upgrades. We have a couple of projects funded but in process, including developing an architectural master site plan, as well as turning our building on the far west side of the campus into a beautiful youth facility.

In addition to all this, we have been able to carry two months of operational reserves throughout the year, and have paid all our bills. Praise the Lord and thank you, Living Streams family! 
 
In our Elder Team meeting yesterday we presented a conservative 2020 budget proposal and it was approved without any hesitations. (In fact, our elders even questioned if we were dreaming big enough.) Hallelujah!
 
The exception to our good 2019 financial report is this: we have been down in contributions for the last two months—leaving us with a current shortfall of around $100,000. 
 
Our attendance has continued to increase, our contributions are up from last year, but these last two months have dipped. 
 
We are not sounding any alarms at this point; but if you consider yourself a part of the Living Streams family and feel that you and/or your family have been blessed and built up by the ministry and ministries of Living Streams, I want to ask you to give. Please give as the Lord directs you, and to the extent that your heart can remain cheerful in its giving. 

Please help us finish this year strong.

We are very excited about the vision for 2020. We have ideas and plans that the Lord has given us for teaching, life group expansion, outreach, and evangelism. Your help can move us forward "full steam ahead."
 
As always, we teach and preach, and we adhere to a Biblical model of financial stewardship for the Christian. We believe each Christian is called to the faithful tithe, the generous gift, and the sacrificial offering. 
 
The faithful tithe is giving ten percent of our income to the local church in order to keep our hearts free from the love of money. 
 
The generous gift happens when we cheerfully give over and above the faithful tithe as the Lord directs. At times it is extravagant in its amount and other times it is extravagant in its thoughtfulness. This giving is not necessarily given to the local church. 
 
The sacrificial offering is the type of giving that does not come out of surplus or extra, but truly costs the giver something. This kind of giving is rare, requires great faith, and needs to be done prayerfully, as God directs. 
 
Please know we are praying for you and yours. We are seeking the Lord consistently for wisdom to lead and guide our church family into life, strength, maturity, wholeness, healing, and freedom. Or, as King David would say, “Green pastures and still waters, where our cup runs over.”
 
God be with you and give you peace,
 
David

p.s. In prepration for this Sunday, please watch the following video: bible project: generosity

It's Better to Try and Fail

First, a few words from Kanye:

I woke up this morning, I said my prayers
I'm all good, then I tried to talk to my dad 
Give him some advice, he starts spazzin' on me
I start spazzin' back, he said "That ain't Christ-like"
I said, "Aaaaagghh"

The struggle is real. It’s very rare for someone to actually notice and tell you that you are being Christlike. But when you’re trying to be Christlike, it’s very common for people to tell you you’re not being Christlike. Somehow our society sees it as better to not even try to be Christlike at all, than to try to be Christlike and not get it right all the time. When this happens I want to scream with Kanye: “Aaaagghh!”

• True Christlikeness is the actual goal of Christianity.

• True Christlikeness is and always will be the remedy for our ailing world. 

• True Christlikeness was God’s goal in creating humanity in the first place.

So, what is true Christlikeness?

One of my friends says being like Christ is being a “non-anxious presence in the world.” It would be great if Christians became that in their homes, workplaces and all the in-between activities.  

Another way I have heard Jesus described is, “love in the flesh.” It would be wonderful if Christians became that in their relationships, and in the pockets of society where pain, fear and injustice seem to reign. 

As for us at Living Streams, we are currently spending time unpacking the way “familymatters.net” describes the heart of Jesus. True greatness, or true Christlikeness, is having a humble heart, a servant heart, a grateful heart, and a generous heart.  

So, how can my soul be formed to be more Christlike? 

In John 15 Jesus made it very simple for us. He said, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will bear much fruit.” So, basically, if you want to be more like Christ, then you spend time with Christ. As you spend time with Christ, you will find yourself being formed and shaped by the words of Christ. The next thing you know, you will be living and loving more like Christ. In the process of time, you will most assuredly fail, or fall short. However, it is truly better for you—and for our world—that you try and fail, rather than to not try at all. 

• If you want to become a more non-anxious presence, then spend time with the Prince of Peace.

• If you want to become more loving in your relationships, then spend time with Jesus, who is love.

• If you want to be more humble, helpful, grateful, and generous, spend time with the Servant of All, who gave it all for you and me.

David

A Beautiful Heart

I’m a bit of a kleptomaniac in one area of my life. No, I’m not into stealing cars, stealing from the government, or picking pockets. And I’m not talking about stealing candy (like when my eighth-grade friends and I went on a two-week stealing spree at 7-Eleven and Woolworths). 

I’m talking about the fine art of stealing words. And my problem with “word thieving” is so profound it may even be affecting the way I speak.

People ask me about my accent all the time. When I tell those people I was born and raised in Arizona they are usually a bit surprised—and thoroughly disappointed. But I think my accent is connected to my word stealing. When I hear people say words that inspire or awaken, I don’t just want to steal the words, I also want to steal the way the person said the words. I think it’s a subconscious attempt to incorporate into my own speech the way the words sounded to me. Some call it an accent—but it is probably more like schizophrenic speech. 

For our next sermon series at Living Streams Church I am once again stealing some words. The source is a nonprofit organization called “Family Matters.”  I first heard these words grouped together when I heard a talk given by the founders of Family Matters at Phoenix Seminary. 

What the founders were teaching is this: True greatness comes from having a Humble Heart, a Servant Heart, a Grateful Heart, and a Generous Heart. I have been “chewing on that” ever since I heard it. I even bought my daughters heart boxes; and for a while, I would give them a heart sticker whenever I saw them demonstrate one of these types of hearts. 

People often search to know who they are and how they can be better. The enneagram is really helpful at teaching us about personality and the pitfalls connected with our own. The Myers-Briggs personality test will teach us about what drains us and what fills our tanks. The Strengths Finder test can help us know the good we have to offer humanity. But these “four hearts” make the deeper magic that lives underneath our personality and can cause us to shine.

Sunday, November 10, we’ll begin a sermon series that will peel back the confusion in our culture, silence the incessant banter of our society, and study the beautiful heart of Jesus—so humble, helpful, grateful, and generous.

David

Mentally Impaired

I am not a psychologist nor one who claims to be an expert in that field. I am a student of humanity and of the individuals that God puts in my path. For some reason some of my most significant relationships have been with the mentally ill. 

My father, who I still consider to be one of the greatest people I have every met, was one of them. His “every day and every situation is an adventure” attitude, and his deep passion for helping people put him on the hero level in my book.

I met another of my favorite people at a summer camp for kids when I was twenty-four years old. He was eight years old and so much fun. Our hearts were knit and we became friends. Over the years I have been a “big brother” for him. When he was twenty-three years old, his mom called me and said he was at a mental hospital. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After that he lived with my family for a year and he is still one of my favorite people to be with.  

As a pastor I have had lots of encounters with people who are mentally ill. Some know it, some don’t know it, and don’t want to admit it. To be mentally ill is extremely challenging, just like having a physical disability is challenging. However, it is part of the human condition. I have heard it said that we are all mentally ill to some degree. I think the Bible teaches that same thing when it describes the fallen state of the physical creation and humanity’s sinful nature.  

We really are playing with the deck stacked against us. The world we live in is impaired as a result of sin. The bodies, minds, and hearts that our spirits are housed in have been impaired by sin. And the people around us have the same problem we have—impairment because of sin.

And there is more challenge. Our 21st century world is riddled with broken homes, substance abuse, excessive hurry, and overwhelming screen stimulation. All this artificial stimulation and stress can rev up the rpm’s of our soul and leave us either manic or depressive and sometimes both at the same time. Yet, there is more challenge. 

In addition to the impairment in every physical part of creation. In addition to the culture of our society slanted towards soul trauma. The Bible teaches us that the spiritual world is a place in turmoil. This has immense influence on us because we are primarily spiritual beings. The Bible is full of stories of the Devil and his angels trying to stand in the way of the advancing kingdom of God. Though there is no uncertainty at all about the outcome or the purpose of the turmoil in the Bible, in our present time the battle is real.

Now I will try to synthesize all of this together. If you experience deep lasting emotions, whether depression or mania, and those emotions are not consistent with your situation, you may have a mental illness worth tending to. Since everything in our lives is first a spiritual condition before it is physical, mental, or emotional we have to take a step back for assessment. The mental illness, or soul turmoil could be a spiritual condition only, and this would require honesty, humility, prayer, counseling, deliverance, possible repentance, but definitely time and attention. The turmoil could be a physical condition only, a chemical imbalance brought on by DNA or substance abuse or stress or trauma. This would require honesty, humility, prayer, possibly repentance, counseling, possibly medicine, but definitely time and attention. The third possibility is the turmoil has both spiritual and physical elements. This would require honesty, humility, prayer, counseling, possibly repentance, possibly medicine, but definitely time and attention. 

So to conclude, everyone is dealing with some level of mental impairment until Jesus comes to restore everything. The best ways to deal with this mental impairment is humility, honesty, prayer, counseling, repentance where necessary, and patience. Humility and honesty are only possible in connection with other human beings. Don’t try to deal with this on your own. Prayer, repentance, deliverance, and patience are only possible with the help of Jesus. Counseling and medicine should be considered and prescribed with trained professionals. 

Though my dad struggled with the humility and honesty required to get help, I have seen many others live productive and beautiful lives. They never want to need help, but they surrender to the reality that they need the help. Though my dad was awesome and loved Jesus very much, he and his illness brought suicide into my family history. I pray that God’s mercy combined with consistent daily humility and honesty will win the day in your family history.  

David

Just a Link in the Chain

After six straight 15-hour work days (including a basketball tournament from midnight to 2:30 am), we found ourselves on top of a boat in the Caribbean. The boat was a water taxi carrying us back from a day of relaxing on Caye Caulker. The speed of the boat produced a consistent breeze to keep us cool.

From the top of the boat we could see for miles in every direction. The “Caribbean” blue water was in perfect harmony with the expansive sky overhead. The setting sun cast dazzling colors across the sky and made everything appear in its best light.

Our team of seven Americans sat with our Belizean brothers Kenny and Orelle, as we took it all in. The introvert in me was grateful for the soft hum of the engine that kept us from feeling the need for conversation. I could feel my depleted soul filling up as my eyes drank it all in. Then, just as with everything in this life, the depravity of man tainted our glorious moment.

One the guys on our team was standing and enjoying the view when a young boy about 10 years old started talking with him. They both looked over to me at one point, so I did what any good pastor would do. I stuck my tongue out and made a funny face at them. The kid seemed to be pleasantly surprised and made his way to where I was sitting. He asked me if I had any water and I gave him a water bottle I had in my backpack. He drank it very quickly.

Just before he was done, he leaned over the rail, looked at a man seated on the lower deck, and spit a whole bunch of water on him. He quickly sat down and stared forward, hoping no one would catch him. I made another face at him and this one wasn’t very funny.

The man who he spit water on came up and gave him a talking to. As he did, I noticed the young boy’s eyes were intense and also bloodshot. He showed slight signs of remorse, even though he was denying he had done anything. I apologized to the man and told him the boy did it. That seemed to appease him and he went away. Just then, the kid sprang to his feet and ran to the other side of the boat and starting talking to some other people.

We were all discussing the erractic behavior of the kid when one of the guys on our team, who has a background in drug addiction, said, “That kid is high as a kite.” Here in this moment, with the backdrop of God’s glorious, soul-filling creation, the depravity of man showed up and pierced our joy.

Because of man’s propensity to misuse and abuse the gifts of God’s creation we have so many sad stories. The misuse and abuse of plants, the misuse and abuse of our bodies, the misuse and abuse of our intellects, the misuse and abuse of our sexuality, the misuse and abuse of our children, all lead to heartbreak and destruction.

We might think a little marijuana use here, a little porn use there, doesn’t really hurt anyone, but it does. Our misuse and abuse is a link in the chain that enslaves all of humanity. And the ones who suffer the most are our children.

My heart cries out the same things as the writer of Hebrews declared so long ago: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. But encourage one another daily so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

For just as powerful for destruction is our sin, our righteousness is powerful for building God’s glory here, as it is in heaven.

David

Walking With a Limp

I have a question.
 
Three times Paul, the “follower of Christ” extraordinaire, prayed that God would remove a “thorn from his flesh.” We don’t know exactly what the “thorn” was, but we know it was painful and it was a part of Paul’s being.

Three times God responded to Paul’s prayers by not healing him. Instead, God told Paul that He was going to give him the grace to live with the thorn in his flesh. He told him that the weakness the thorn would cause in his life would be the very place he would see God’s strength show up. In other words, God told Paul He had a better plan than removing the thorn—He was going use Paul’s limp for something great.
 
I love this, and I hate it at the same time. 
 
Since I started this post by saying I have a question, you might be wondering what the question is. My question is this: 

What if the thorn is not in your flesh, but in your soul?

For instance, when my body (or the physical aspect of my being) gets cut deeply, it leaves a scar. If that scar is large enough or in a certain spot, it can limit mobility or cause a limp of some sort.

So, if my soul (or the mental and emotional aspects of my being) gets cut deeply, does it leave a scar? And if that scar is large enough or in a certain spot, can it limit my mental or emotional abilities? Can it cause me to limp in those areas, making my personality different or more difficult than it was originally designed to be? Or (here is an interesting and possibly troubling thought) since the aging of my body over time brings about physical limitations and limps, does the aging of my soul bring about mental and emotional limitations and limps? 
 
I have seen firsthand how physical disabilities affect a person and the people closest to that person. There are lifestyle adjustments that need to be made to bring about a new version of “fullness of life.”

My daughter's disability has given me a front row seat to see both the needed painful adjustments the thorn of physical disability brings, and also the amazing strength of God that shows up. God has not chosen to heal my “sweet B,” but He has given us a compelling vision of what fullness of life can look like and abundant provision toward that end. Just a couple of quick examples are:
1) Last year I was with Bella as she met the Pope in Rome, and
2) this year I was with Bella as she modeled for Disney in L.A.!
 
As a pastor I am often asked to pray for people who are physically sick. Because in the same Bible we have stories of God’s complete and immediate healing of people and the story of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” prayers, I have learned to pray for two things. First, I pray for God’s complete and immediate healing because I know God is able all the time and willing at the times He knows healing that way is best. Second, I pray if God knows immediate healing is not the best thing, He would grant the person the strength they need to limp well, and the grace to see God’s strength show up in a big way. 
 
My question is making me think the same prayers should be prayed when our soul is sick. When someone has been cut by the sharp knife of a father’s unfaithfulness, or burned by the fires of abuse, or feels a part of them has been severed by a mother’s betrayal—should I pray the same way?

It seems to me that God would do the same for the mental and emotional aspects of our beings as He does for our physical aspects. To me that means we should pray for God’s complete, miraculous, and instantaneous healing of those wounds. Then we should rejoice and shout and dance if He heals in that way. But when He does not heal in that way, we should rejoice in a quieter way and learn how to limp well, knowing His grace is sufficient and His strength is on the way.
 
All the best,
 
David

Making Room

Three services.

I don’t know what kind of magical congregation we’re dealing with, but we just went to three services at Living Streams Church. We were a bit nervous about having a couple of full services and one super empty. We thought the middle service would be overcrowded and stressful. All of our worries ended up being a waste of time. Somehow our congregation split themselves equally into our 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m. services all by themselves.
 
I mean—seriously—this group of people keeps amazing me. They are such a joy to shepherd and to be a part of. 
 
Our parking lot situation had been getting stressful—but last Sunday it was easy-going. Our children’s classes had been maxed out and on the verge of chaos—but now it was enjoyable and smooth. And our main sanctuary felt full enough, but also had room for new people that we hope to find and bring into our family.  
 
While thinking about the potential of our new-found empty spaces, I heard a phrase in a podcast that has me stirred up. The phrase is a definition of the word hospitality.Here it is: “Hospitality is creating environments that address the false identities we have assigned to others.” 

The reality is, we all have many conscious and subconscious thoughts about people we don’t know. We fill our knowledge gaps with so many ideas put into our minds by media, movies and news. But hospitality is when one person creates a moment where a statistic can become a story, and a stranger can become a neighbor. Mr. Rogers had it right all along. 
 
When I think about the new empty space created by our move to three services, I think of what Jesus wants to happen in that space. I believe that space was created for some of the many people in this city that are strangers to the love and fellowship of Jesus Christ and his family.

I’m hoping that we at Living Streams will learn the art of true hospitality; that we will create environments that address the false identities we place on others (as well as the ones we carry upon ourselves); that we would create moments in our day-to-day lives which cause people to want to know more about Jesus and His love; then, in time, that they would come to a Sunday morning service and see the full family of God united, strong and full of life.

David