A One-Year Commitment Worth Keeping

On August 31, 2010 I made a commitment to read the Bible in a year. At the time it seemed like a daunting task, taking the time necessary each day to read.

But today I finished. Right on schedule.

In the past year I've had many emotional ups and downs, and many spiritual highs and lows. I've made countless mistakes, overcome numerous obstacles, and am still going through several struggles. Over the last 365 days so many things have changed - some for the better, some for the worse.

But through all this I have learned that I can always rest in the knowledge that the Lord and His Word have remained (and will remain) constant.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, ESV)

Here are some of the themes prevalent throughout the Bible that stood out to me, and some of the things I learned this year:

1. God is faithful. Story after story details what God said He would do, and what He did. Spoiler alert: He always comes through. (See Numbers 23:19 - http://bible.us/Num23.19.ESV )
2. God loves me, even when I don't deserve it. (See Romans 5:8 - http://bible.us/Rom5.8.ESV)
3. Following Christ comes with a cost. (See Luke 9:3 - http://bible.us/Luke9.23.ESV) I also encourage you to read "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman. It's a great discussion of this very topic.
4. Grounding yourself in God's Word is truly an invaluable asset to a Christian. It really is a great way to start or end your day. (See Psalm 119:11 - http://bible.us/Ps119.11.ESV)
5. Reading the Bible is a good place to start, but that's not where our action should end - that includes going out into the world and showing God's love and spreading God's word. (See James 1:22 - http://bible.us/Jas1.22.ESV  and Matthew 28:19 - http://bible.us/Matt28.19.ESV)

I really encourage you to start a daily journey of your own through the Bible. Because when we're paying attention to what the Lord has said and done, we can see more easily what He is doing in our own lives - and that is something that truly is amazing to see.

Underneath the Mask

Society is one giant masquerade ball, with everyone acting like everything is OK. We hide under our masks, parading around and projecting the image that we're fine. That we have it all together. That we're peachy-keen and problem-free.

But underneath the mask, we're hurting. We're in disarray. Marriages are falling apart, finances are crumbling, faith is fading. And yet we choke back the tears and put on a smile so that to others we can appear - in our own prideful way - to be without blemish.

We do it because we don't other people to think we're struggling - even though we are. We think that if we sweep our problems under the rug, visitors won't notice the dust spilling out from underneath. We're ashamed for people to know a certain part of us, for fear that we wouldn't in fact be accepted, baggage and all - even though we all carry some pretty heavy luggage.

Putting on this facade, living this lie, can be exhausting. Many times there's nothing we could want more than to let down our guard, to be open, to reveal what's hidden, to relax in the comfort of knowing that we are accepted despite a sketchy past, a present struggle or any other skeleton in our respective closet.

But that's the beauty of Christ.

We don't have to have it all together. We don't even have to act like we do.

We can come as we are:

In shambles. Exposed. Vulnerable.
Hanging by a thread. Barely there. Fading.
Weak, worn or weary.
Battered, bruised or broken.
Torn, tempest-tossed or troubled.

I can come just as I am. And He will welcome me with open arms...every. single. time.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, NASB)

He wants to be our answer. He wants to be the one we turn to. That's why He died for us.

And the best thing is, when we come to Christ, when we give up and lay our struggles or our troubles at His feet, we need go no further. We no longer need to seek fulfillment or acceptance from any other source. We no longer need to try so furiously to scrub our own selves clean.

We no longer need to wear a mask.

In Christ alone can we rest.

Even when Especially when it's hard for us to accept answers because we still have so many questions of our own...
Even when Especially when the chains of an addiction can be so hard to break, despite our own determination...
Even when Especially when the monsters of our past threaten to break out of hiding and defeat us...

He is enough.

Living Water

Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 

'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

- John 7:37-38, ESV

I played baseball in high school. We had a pretty talented team, but by no means were we "big." We didn't have a team full of those "farm boys" that sprung up in more rural areas of West Virginia.

Some teams we played were full of those big "farm boys." Their moms definitely fed them their Wheaties for breakfast, a whole jar of peanut butter for lunch, their spinach for dinner, and a side of beef for Fourth Meal (Sorry, Taco Bell, these boys eat real meat). In between, they baled hay and laid bricks and pulled a plow and tamed oxen and probably would've wrestled with alligators if there would've been any around. (I don't think alligators - or any normal living thing, for that matter - could survive in the Kanawha River.)

That's how those boys are raised around there - big. "There must be something in the water," someone might say.

Keep that in mind, while I shift gears for a little bit. (Cheap transition - I'm tired, feeling lazy, and it's been forever since I last blogged and I want to finish this tonight...basically, I just don't feel like coming up with a better transition.) 

So...

Living for Christ is a daily battle. 

Some days we feel strong, other days we feel weak. Some days our shields are protecting us against the Enemy, some days we wield the sword particularly well; other days we feel weary and fall asleep while on watch duty, allowing Satan to sneak up on us unnoticed.

A lot of times, we let down our guard as a result of a thought - a thought that, if not taken captive (see "Hostage Situation") will run amok and will lead to sinful action.

The fact is, our sinful desires run deep. They are a part of us. They course through our veins like our very lifeblood. We are smitten with sin, and the pleasure (momentary as it may be) with which it provides us. And so we live lives chasing after sex, drugs, alcohol, pornography...

When we do these things, we are trying to fill ourselves up apart from Christ. We are seeking fulfillment from other sources. 

But we're drawing from polluted wells. 

Not only that, but this only temporarily restrains our thirst; sinful satisfaction is short-lived. That's because our carnal desires, by their very nature, cannot be satisfied by earthly things. When we attempt to fill ourselves with something other than Christ, we're not making ourselves full - we're punching holes in the bottom of the pitcher (which is rather counterproductive). 

Only when we fill ourselves up with Christ can we truly be filled - forever.When I'm tempted, if I seek the face of Christ and draw from His well, then and only then will my thirst be quenched.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

To change to a different metaphor: giving into temptation won't quell the fire. If I am fixated on a desire, I must realize that I cannot quell the fire of it on my own.

If I try using some earthly thing to evade a certain temptation, then I am only delaying the inevitable - at some point I will be left still wanting more, and I will, predictably, give in to my temptation.

Why is that? 

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4, NIV)

I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. (Psalm 119:131, NIV)

French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal said: 'There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.'

Without Christ we cannot live spiritually. By turning to Him, by drinking from His well, we are alive - and we never have to thirst again.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14, NIV)

But when we get that itch in the back of our throat, when our sinful nature starts to tell us that we want a taste of that other stuff (whatever that "other stuff" may be for us), if we turn to prayer and Scripture, if we earnestly seek Christ to deliver us, we will always be filled - with no room for anything else.

The lost chase after these things because they don't know fulfillment. 

Christians are by no means perfect - but we should not be chasing after these things to fill us up when the living water is at hand. We as Christians know the truth, we know how to be filled. And yet so many other people are oblivious to it, unaware that they can never be filled with alcohol or drugs or whatever, no matter how much of it they consume.

The only thing that can truly fill us isn't our girlfriend/boyfriend, it isn't vodka or bourbon, it isn't methamphetamine or marijuana. But many people - sadly - don't know that, so it's our job as Christians to tell them. And the best way to begin to tell them is by showing them.

Drink from Christ's well, and let his living water transform you. 

Is there something in the water? 

Oh, there definitely is.

Isaiah 55 (NIV): 

Invitation to the Thirsty

 ¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty, 

   come to the waters; 

and you who have no money, 

   come, buy and eat! 

Come, buy wine and milk 

   without money and without cost. 

² Why spend money on what is not bread, 

   and your labor on what does not satisfy? 

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, 

   and you will delight in the richest of fare. 

³ Give ear and come to me; 

   listen, that you may live. 

I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 

   my faithful love promised to David. 

⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, 

   a ruler and commander of the peoples. 

⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not, 

   and nations you do not know will come running to you, 

because of the LORD your God, 

   the Holy One of Israel, 

   for he has endowed you with splendor.”

 ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found; 

   call on him while he is near. 

⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways 

   and the unrighteous their thoughts. 

Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, 

   and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

 ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

   neither are your ways my ways,” 

            declares the LORD. 

⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

   so are my ways higher than your ways 

   and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow 

   come down from heaven, 

and do not return to it 

   without watering the earth 

and making it bud and flourish, 

   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth: 

   It will not return to me empty, 

but will accomplish what I desire 

   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 

¹² You will go out in joy 

   and be led forth in peace; 

the mountains and hills 

   will burst into song before you, 

and all the trees of the field 

   will clap their hands. 

¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, 

   and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. 

This will be for the LORD’s renown, 

   for an everlasting sign, 

   that will endure forever.”

Hostage Situation

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

- Proverbs 4:23, NIV

"Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it is almost impossible to eradicate."

If that sounds familiar to you at all, that's because it's a line from Inception (which is one of my favorite movies, by the way). Throughout it, the movie emphasizes the strength of ideas and the power of our thoughts. 

If you need an example for just how powerful and binding thoughts can be, we need to look no further than our own spiritual lives: How about sin? After all, it has to start somewhere - and sin starts in the mind.

In Mark, Jesus says:

"What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (Mark 7:20-23, NIV)

But it doesn't stop there. "The smallest seed of an idea can grow," says Dom Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in Inception. "It can grow to define or destroy you." These sinful thoughts - these seeds - germinate and grow into the poison flower of sinful action.

but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15, NIV)

Because "an idea is like a virus - resilient, highly contagious," (yes, that's another Inception quote) we need to make sure that the ideas in our head are pure. We have safeguards we can put up against sinful thoughts - mainly, focusing on Christ.

But this isn't easy. The devil and the world are always seeking to bring us down, to take our thoughts off of the Christ we strive to follow. They want to see us trip up, they want to see us fail, they want to see us stray. And where does this start? The mind, of course.

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3, ESV)

We have to be proactive and assertive in maintaining a mindset of Christ because it goes against our sinful nature. Like training for a sport, we need to build up our mental muscle memory, through repetition and practice. Restraining our thoughts requires definitive action, constant effort, relentless vigilance. 

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV)

Taking every though captive - this is a hostage situation. We "capture [our] rebellious thoughts," as it says in the New Living Translation. Taking our thoughts captive means an ambush, a storming of our own Bastille. It means taking sin's legs out from under it, catching it off guard, before it gets the chance to set up camp in our minds. It means letting the devil know who is boss, and it's not him - it's Him.)

"Whatever you resist persists because it keeps your attention," tweeted Rick Warren, author of A Purpose-Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback Church. "Instead, REFOCUS on something else to defeat a temptation."

The mind is an amazing thing that God created, and it does amazing things. The brain, part of our central nervous system, is our body's "command center." (That's the extent of my knowledge about the nervous system, so don't ask questions.) It's the engine that drives our cognitive vehicle. That said, if Satan doesn't have our thoughts, then he has no foothold. If he can't reach the steering wheel of our mind, he isn't able to drive us off course. 

Throughout Scripture we see this point emphasized, the importance of thinking pure thoughts.

I will ponder the way that is blameless. (Psalm 101:2a, ESV)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5, ESV)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, NLT)

Taking our thoughts captive, focusing on the things of Christ instead of the things of this world...

Now that's something to think about.

Even Better Sunday

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, ESV

On Friday he died, shattering the Earth but bridging the chasm between Heaven and Hell. On Saturday the earth stood still, torn by its loss and stung by hopelessness.

But on Sunday, that all changed. With his resurrection, the powers of Hell were conquered.

When the stone was rolled away and the empty tomb was exposed, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, when he showed his scarred hands, his scarred feet, his pierced side, what was bleak became bright.

Life - hope - was restored.

And we can have new life, too, if only we ask Him.

Sin is death. It kills us, from the inside out. But by surrendering himself - in our stead - on the cross, Jesus Christ became our sin, became our death, so we don't have to die.

Christ conquered death, and because of that now we can have the hope that allows us to see and to live beyond the grave. We can live forever with Jesus Christ, spending eternity worshiping Him in a heaven beyond our wildest expectations.

Because Christ rose from the grave, through the Holy Spirit we have in us the power of the resurrection - a power not of revenge, but of redemption. 

It's the power of a promise fulfilled; it's the power of Life and the power of Love; the power of a sin not just forgiven but vanquished; the power of a life renewed and a hope restored; the power of a love exhibited and a sacrifice given freely; the power of a victory over Satan, sin and Hell. 

But it's more than that. It's the power of a sickness healed; the power of an addiction conquered; the power of a sinful self washed away; the power of a man born again; the power of a fresh start; the power of a life dedicated to spreading the Good News that - thank God - that grave was empty.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He gives us this power through the Holy Spirit.

Yes - once Sunday came, the same power that conquered the grave now lives in us.

And we thought Friday was good.

Good Friday

I was there when you entered the city last Sunday. I placed my shirt on the ground, waved my palm branches, and cried "Hosanna!" I worshiped you like the true King you are.

But when you were brought before the court I didn't so much as stand up for you. I  jeered when your face was shown. I found my voice shouting for Barabbas when Pilate asked who to release.

I condemned you.

I whipped your back till the skin was torn like paper shreds. I pushed the crown of thorns onto your forehead until I saw a flow of blood. I sat silently as you were kicked, slapped, punched, to the point where your human features were indistinguishable.

I laughed at you, the Creator who gave me my very breath.

I mocked you, the King of Kings. 

I taunted you, the Son of God. 

I lorded myself over you, the Lord of All.

I didn't carry your cross. I turned away when you came near. I averted my eyes from your piercing gaze. When your cross was raised up, I hung my head. 

You died for me.

I was Sin. You were the sacrifice for me.

I was Shame. Your blood covers me.

I was dirty. You washed me clean.

I spat in your face. You smiled at me.

I drove the nails. You forgave me.

I pierced your hands, your feet, your side. You embraced me.

I cursed you. You told me you loved me.

I denied you. You accepted me.

I betrayed you. You gave me a second chance.

I was lost. You left your 99 sheep to find me.

I was a prodigal. You called my name, and ran to embrace me when I returned.

I am fallen, and I live in a fallen world. You are perfect; you sit on a throne, and want me to join you.

I deserve death. You died so I could have life.

I deserve condemnation. You give us hope for eternity.

You were bruised, broken, poured out - for me. 

On the cross you were Sin. You were Shame. You were Suffering. 

For me.

In my place.

You were perfect, and yet you took upon yourself what I deserved - betrayal, torture, death.

You were the embodiment of love without condition and without limit.

May I never forget your sacrifice.

Sincerest Form of Worship

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

- 1 Corinthians 11:1

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But when it comes to our relationship with God, imitation is more than mere flattery. 

It's the sincerest form of worship.

"If you love me, you will obey my commands," Jesus says (John 14:15, ESV).

When we love Christ, a desire to follow and obey Him will flow naturally out of our hearts.

But we don't live in a vacuum, devoid of influences and pressures, both internal and external. We live in a sinful and fallen world, surrounded by followers of the Darkness. They live lives of carnal pleasure and instant gratification. And when everything in their lives seems peachy keen, it can be tempting for us to follow in their footsteps. 

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:14, ESV)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12-13, NIV)

We are called to stand firm in our faith because our reward awaits us. In the meantime though, we face a battle day in and day out to live godly lives - lives that shine with the light of Jesus, that carry His love, that act out the worship due His name.

Painting a picture is made easier when you're painting it based off an image that you can see - a model, or a landscape in front of you. Cooking something is easier - for a guy, at least - when he can watch someone else doing it too. (Thank goodness for the Food Network.) Likewise, we can find it easier to follow Christ when we have godly people in our lives who we can imitate.

Humans are impressionable - that's why it's so important to be careful about who we hang out with, who we spend time around, who we're close to. That's why we are not to be "unequally yoked" in marriage, believer with unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:14). For good or ill, people rub off on other people.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17, NIV)

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33, NIV)

Check out that second verse in the God's Word Translation. I love how it makes this point crystal clear. The language is blunt:

Don't let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.

Paul recognized the importance of imitating those who imitate Christ; the idea is a common theme in Paul's first epistle to the church in Corinth, a place where pagan culture - sexual immorality, idolatry, disunity, self-centeredness and arrogance - was pervasive.

Paul writes the letter to the Corinthians as a call for them to live their lives in a way that is set apart from a society that denies Him. 

In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul writes:

I urge you, then, be imitators of me. (ESV)

As I said, even though this is introduced here, the idea will be carried throughout the rest of 1 Corinthians, and can even be found in some of Paul's other letters. He even goes so far as to describe Christians being a "mother" or "father" to other Christians.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (Philippians 3:17, ESV)

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you... (2 Thessalonians 3:7, NIV)

Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (1 Timothy 4:12, NLT)

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. (Titus 2:7, NLT)

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ... For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:7, 11-12, ESV)

I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. (1 Timothy 1:2a, NLT)

To Timothy, my beloved child... (2 Timothy 1:2a, ESV)

I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. (Philemon 10, NLT)

And the idea isn't exclusively Paul's:

...be examples for the flock to follow. (1 Peter 5:3, GWT)

Clearly the idea of being a "mother" or "father" to fellow Christians, of having them follow in one's footsteps, is prevalent. Even though Christians are imperfect, we can still learn by following the example of other people living to please our Heavenly Father. 

I'm blessed to have been raised by two parents who love the Lord and who continually seek His face. Since I was young they instilled in me Christian values. They talked the talk and walked the walk; they led by example. I used to resent it at times, but as I've grown in my faith, as I've gotten older and my perspective has been broadened, I realize how blessed I was and still am to have such strong Christian influences in my life.

Mom, Dad: Thank you.

But I shouldn't just be satisfied that I have a good example for my own life. We shouldn't be satisfied just with following others' positive example.  Our desire should be to imitate Christ as closely as possible so that other people will be able to follow our example.

Like the Phillips, Craig and Dean song, we should cry out: "Lord, I want to be just like you, because ___(fill in the blank)______ wants to be like me."

In Leviticus, God calls us to strive for holiness. 

"For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy....For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44-45, ESV)

The note in my ESV Study Bible says this: 

"The Lord, who is himself holy, calls his people to consecrate themselves, i.e. dedicate themselves to holiness...[to] practice a holy lifestyle." 

It goes on to say:

"Personal consecration (in which a person imitates God's own character) is a response to God's gracious initiative."

God showed us grace. When we accept Him, our response to His grace and love is to strive to imitate God's holiness. 

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV)

We're human. We will fail. But the important thing is to run the race in a way that will show others how transformative is Christ's love...to run the race in a way that worships the Lord with every step.

When we do this, we'll be walking closely with Christ as we strive to live out our faith in order to show His love to the lost.

Could an act of worship be any more sincere?

Undivided Attention

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...

- Psalm 37:7, ESV

We live in a culture that thrives on the flashy and shocking.

Sex, drugs, violence - all these things are part of marketing ploys to grab and keep our attention. They inundate us from left and right.

Someone doing homework with iPod headphones in, a cell phone in one hand, a TV on in the background - this is a common sight in college, high school and even in younger children.

Soccer, tennis, baseball, debate, dance, drama - we fill every spare moment of our day with some sort of activity.

Get the point yet? We as a people love things that are flashy, because they can hold our attention - at least for the time being. (Until we become numb, that is.) And we love to multi-task, to be as busy as possible.

It's no wonder drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are so prevalent in society. We're addicted to the hectic, the humming and the hyper, victims (and, simultaneously, self-causes) of a chronic busyness syndrome without remedy.

Even in conversation with someone else, we'll get distracted (or is it bored?) and not hear what the other person is saying. We'll ask a question and then not listen to the answer.

And we carry over this mindset to our relationship with Christ.

When we read our Bible, we get bogged down in the geneologies or the levitical laws or God's specifications for the ark of the covenant and all of a sudden find ourselves asleep, bored by inaction or our own lack of enthusiasm.

So we don't read our Bibles. There are more pressing things to do, better ways of spending our oh-so-precious time.

When we pray, our minds wander. We'll be praying for something, and then 10 minutes later - down a completely separate train of thought that likely has nothing to do with our prayer - remember what we were doing: Oh yeah, I was talking to my Creator. My bad.

So we don't pray. There are more pressing things to do, better ways of spending our oh-so-precious time.

We're getting nowhere. It becomes an endless cycle of circular reasoning, the self-perpetuating result becoming the oft-repeatable cause.

Why aren't we getting anywhere? We get so caught up in ourselves sometimes that we forget our relationship with the Lord is a relationship. And relationships involve maintenance, an effort to keep open the lines of communication in order to draw closer together.

Reuben Morgan tweeted: "We need to step out of the rush and the roar to seek God." That's exactly what we need to do.

What does that mean? Set aside time when we'll be able to do nothing but focus completely on Christ. That means doing whatever it takes to minimize distractions in order to enter into His presence rather than the Las Vegas of our minds, where hedonism is king.

Turn off the TV, the music, get away from the constant buzz of life and seek Him.

If you fall asleep when you pray with your eyes closed, open your eyes. If you get distracted when you pray with your eyes open, close your eyes. If you have trouble finishing a thought when you pray, pray out loud.

The key here is to realize that when we pray we aren't just muttering general requests or speaking in abstractions to a vague and distant God. We're talking one-and-one with the Creator of the universe and of us, who loves us so much and craves an intimate relationship with us.

He's God of everything, and yet we have His undivided attention. Can we not give Him ours?

And when we ask God a question, when we petition and pray for something, do we listen for an answer? Or do we talk and flap our jaws until we've said all we had to say, then open our eyes and go about our business?

One-sided conversations aren't fun. And it's no way to maintain a relationship. How can we expect to recognize an answer from Him if we don't tune ourselves to His voice?

Prayer is a conversation, not a monologue. And yet all too often we're guilty of reciting our soliloquy to the supernatural and then packing it in, checking that off our to-do list that lengthens by the second.

In this busy world, we need to quiet ourselves...and simply, humbly, seek the throne of Grace.

He's our Heavenly Father, and the Lord of All. He created us, molded us into being, sacrificed his only son for us, and one day will be coming back for us. He loves us more than we could ever fathom. And He deserves our undivided and uncompromised attention.

“Uncrowd my heart, O God,

until silence speaks

in your still small voice;

turn me from the hearing of words,

and the making of words, and the confusion of much speaking, 

to listening,

waiting,

stillness,

silence.”

- Thomas Merton, 20th century Catholic writer