There he was, feeling the full weight of fear and conviction. For weeks now he had awakened stirred by courageous faith, but as the moment of truth approached, doubt continued its relentless barrage. His name was Ehuddir

After teaching about prayer on Sunday, I’ve been thinking about some biblical prayer 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.

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.

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

 Last night was the last of our three Wednesday night prayer services in January. 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 a 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.)

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.

Last night at Living Streams we gathered for some soup and some prayer, following a day of fasting.

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.

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.

My 2019 ended with a wow, a whoa, a boom, and a bang. (Because I love fireworks almost all 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.

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:

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.

Lots of heaviness out there. Many people I was with this week 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 and is putting strain on their hearts.

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 40 million Americans are now classified as having an anxiety disorder.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.