One of my favorite books related to prayer is Theodore Jennings insightful read,

Life as Worship: Prayer and Praise in Jesus' Name. His message is embedded in the title namely that how we live our lives through faith is worship. How we pray comes in many forms. I came across this description of faith the other day and it echoed what I learned from Jennings.

Today is Martin Luther King's birthday. As I watched Dr. King and listened to his messages as I was growing up in the 60's he seemed to me to be a living prayer.

May your prayer come to fullness as you live faithfully and may your worship be pleasing to our Lord.

Prayer for Today

Fill us with your Spirit, Eternal God, so that in all we say and do, we will be living prayers striving to fulfill your will. Amen.

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

-Psalm 107:29

"Chasing tornadoes," says Warren Faidley, "is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles." The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: "Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slow-moving farm equipment."

Faidley's words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events.

In my experience, however, I don't have to chase storms in life-they seem to be chasing me. That experience is mirrored by Psalm 107 as it describes sailors trapped in a storm. They were being chased by the consequences of their wrong choices but the psalmist says, They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm. 

 -Psalm 107:28-30 

Whether the storms of life are of our own making or the result of living in a broken world, our Father is greater. When we are being chased by storms, He alone is able to calm them-or to calm the storm within us.

Prayer for Today

Thank You, Father, that You're with me in my struggles and Your power is greater than any storm on my horizon. Amen.

When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

-Luke 5:4-11

It's mid-January and time to check in. Have you made any resolutions? Are they going well? Are the same ones as always? Did you skip making any? I'm hoping, that like me, you're resolved in this new year to grow deeper in your faith. Maybe you took on resolutions about coming to church more, bringing your kids more, volunteering with the youth group, going on the Dominican Republic trip, or joining a small group. If you did, great, and if not, maybe start there. Either way, I'd like to make a suggestion.

Go deeper. Jesus suggested the disciples needed to go deeper. Deeper waters can be more work, but also more rewarding. It was a metaphor for the work ahead, to which Jesus was calling them. Back when I lived in Colorado, I joined a gym. It was walking distance from my house and shared a parking lot with the Chipotle, so I knew I could make myself go, and the membership fee was super low. In addition, they had advertised a free 30-minute session with a trainer for signing up. I knew that if I worked even once with a trainer, they could set me up with a good workout plan to target my goals and make my time in the gym more effective. Even a short time with an expert is valuable. Sure enough, Ivan put me through a killer workout. I could barely move for three days after, but what I learned made every following workout far more effective than anything I'd done for years before that.

So, go deeper. Are you in a small group? Choose a challenging book to tackle. Take notes. Do you come to worship regularly (or plan to)? Is it hard to focus on scripture and preaching because you're worried about the week? Take notes, maybe knit or doodle. Afterwards, go to lunch with the family or your friends and discuss the text, the sermon. Go deeper. Do you drop your kids off for Sunday school or Youth Group? Ask what we need you to do. Join a Sunday school. Stay and help with youth group. When you go home, ask your kids about the lesson. We need you. Go deeper. Do you give money to the mission trips or pray for the teams? Go on a mission trip or offer to be a baby or pet sitter for someone going; write prayer cards. Go deeper. This year, make goals of your attendance and participation in your faith, but go deeper. And if you need a little encouragement from one of us trainers, our time is yours, a lot more than 30 minutes. Let's grab coffee or a bite, and let's go deeper.

Prayer for Today

Lord, make me a person of depth. Make my faith deep with questions and commitment. Amen.

This past weekend was a wonderful celebration of what God has done in and through this church over the last 25 years! 

I have heard some wonderful comments. One person said that this is what heaven will be like. Another former member said it was even better than they imagined it might be. Rev. Aisha Brooks-Lytle preached a great message challenging us to "Press on!" At one point in the worship service, she turned to me and commented on what a positive spirit there was in our church. It reminded her of her home church.

So many people worked hard behind the scenes to make this happen. The plans began almost a year ago. Dawn Melin soon assembled a great team to plan and facilitate many of the events. So many of our members worked hard throughout the weekend, including our Connecting Ministry Team members who were here for both of our church-wide events. Bill McLeish did a masterful job as our chef -- cooking as well as organizing his helpers. And I am grateful for all the members of our church staff who worked so hard in so many ways.

Hearing founding pastor Dr. Larry Wood and wife Helen tell the stories of how this church got started and how God was at work here was amazing. It links us with our past. It reminds us of how faithful God has been. It also encourages us to trust God with our future. I know there have been many outstanding events in the life of this church, but I must believe this last weekend was at or near the top of those highlights.

If you were not able to attend the big events, they are posted on the Johns Creek Presbyterian Church Facebook account for you to enjoy again and again. I look forward to seeing what great things God will do in the next 25 years!

Prayer for Today

Thank you, God, for all you have done to bring this church into being. Help us to continue the great heritage we have been given as we live into your future. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Have you ever seen this video? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw )

It includes insightful words from Brene' Brown about the distinction between empathy and sympathy.  

When we are able to be empathetic, we take the time to see things from the other person's perspective, stay out of a place of judgement, and recognize emotion in another person.

I like how she defines "empathy as a sacred space...I know what it's like down here and you're not alone...Empathy is a vulnerable choice... A connection rather than a response helps make something better".

When you face difficult conversations, what are some ways to connect and share empathy? What are some ways that you have experienced empathy in a helpful or meaningful way?

As Jesus was sharing some of his final messages with the disciples, he shared these words, "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." (John 14:26-28)

The Holy Spirit works through us and provides us opportunities to share empathy. I invite you to be open to how God will use you today.

Prayer for Today

Gracious God, thank you for the gift of relationships and the sacred space we can experience there. Open our hearts to ways that you will use us today. In Christ's Name, Amen.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

-Matthew 9:36

When Jeff was a new believer in Jesus and fresh out of college, he worked for a major oil company. In his role as a salesman, he traveled; and in his travels he heard people's stories-many of them heartbreaking. He realized that what his customers most needed wasn't oil, but compassion. They needed God. This led Jeff to attend seminary to learn more about the heart of God and eventually to become a pastor.

Jeff's compassion had its source in Jesus. In Matthew 9:27-33 we get a glimpse of Christ's compassion in the miraculous healing of two blind men and one demon-possessed man. Throughout His earthly ministry, He went about preaching the gospel and healing "through all the towns and villages" (v. 35). Why? "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (v. 36).

The world today is still full of troubled and hurting people who need the Savior's gentle care. Like a shepherd who leads, protects, and cares for his sheep, Jesus extends His compassion to all who come to Him (11:28). No matter where we are in life and what we're experiencing, in Him we find a heart overflowing with tenderness and care. And when we've been a beneficiary of God's loving compassion, we can't help but want to extend it to others.

Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, we're so grateful You had compassion on us! We would be lost without You. Help us to extend Your overflowing compassion to others.  Amen.

The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

Legend has it that at the edges of medieval maps, marking the boundaries of the world the maps' creators knew at the time, there'd be inscribed the words "Here be dragons"-often alongside vivid illustrations of the terrifying beasts supposedly lurking there.

There's not much evidence medieval cartographers actually wrote these words, but I like to think they could have. Maybe because "here be dragons" sounds like something I might've written at the time-a grim warning that even if I didn't know exactly what would happen if I ventured into the great unknown, it likely wouldn't be good!

But there's one glaring problem with my preferred policy of self-protection and risk-aversion: it's the opposite of the courage to which I'm called as a believer in Jesus (2 Timothy 1:7).

One might even say I'm misguided about what's really dangerous. As Paul explained, in a broken world bravely following Christ will sometimes be painful (v. 8). But as those brought from death to life and entrusted with the Spirit's life flowing in and through us (vv. 9-10,14), how could we not?

When God gives us a gift this staggering, to fearfully shrink back would be the real tragedy-far worse than anything we might face when we follow Christ's leading into uncharted territory (vv. 6-8, 12). He can be trusted with our hearts and our future (v. 12).  

Prayer for Today

Loving God, thank You for the new life You've given us, for freedom from all that would cripple us in fear and shame. Help us to find peace in You. Amen.

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

-Matthew 22:36-40

See also: 

Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18, and Exodus 20:1-17

It is clear for us Christians, and for our Jewish brothers and sisters, that the basis for living our faith is loving God and loving neighbor. This man is both quoting the Old Testament and summing up the first 4 Commandments as Love of God and the second 6 Commandments as Love of Neighbor. Practically, in our lives, it means striving for generosity and avoiding selfishness. Anyone who lets someone into traffic or ahead of them in line at the grocery store, holds the door for a stranger, or helps someone who is elderly, disabled, or struggling in anyway understands this principle and is living it out. If any part of one's earnings or time goes to charitable giving, service, or helping those in need, that is generosity. Generosity, especially to those who cannot pay you back, is the opposite of self-interest. You have only the possibility of reputation to gain and what you do with that recognition is your witness.

Our lives as disciples are about making those daily decisions of self-interest versus generosity. Humility is thinking of ourselves less, not less of ourselves. Putting others first in a spirit of generosity means our decision-making becomes a lifestyle of generosity. We cannot choose to be generous only some of the time. Being generous with our time to our kids but stingy when we tip our waiter is not a spirit or lifestyle of generosity. It must be a part of us in every decision. And the more power and wealth we have, the more powerful each decision becomes. Decisions about how we spend our money, the cars we drive, the energy and resources we consume, where we travel, they have greater impact than those of our brothers and sisters in the developing world. One of the greatest decisions we make, is to vote.

Those of us with the right to vote in our country are among the most powerful people in the world. Our votes influence one of the most powerful militaries the world has ever seen and therefore, the world's resources, land, and people. Do we vote out of self-interest of ourselves, our families, and like-minded friends in local and national elections, or do we remain faithful disciples who vote within a lifestyle of generosity and selfless love for neighbor? Do we vote for just our blood-related brother and sister and next door neighbor or for all our brothers and sisters and a biblical definition of neighbor - those who need compassion? We cannot call ourselves disciples of Christ, if we are generous with our time, our talents, and our treasures, but not our vote. That is not love. We become clanging cymbals and noisy brass, people of partial faith. As believers, it is never enough to vote in our self-interest, especially if we are overly-represented in our government by people who look just like us. I pray we live each day this year as faithful and generous disciples, perhaps especially when we are asked to vote.

Prayer for Today

Lord, make me generous in all times and places, and not just my time, talents, and treasures. Amen.

Colin Fleming is a writer. He is also a recovering alcoholic. In a recent

Wall Street Journal opinion piece, he talks about what it takes to make the kinds of changes in life necessary to quit drinking or even write a book. ("Don't Wait a Year to Make Resolutions", December 30, 2019) This is what he said:

Any change in life requires momentum and the determination to build on it. But fresh starts-especially the expectations we apply to New Year's-are endued with a kind of officiality that makes them intimidating. We feel as if we must have everything in order in our lives-desk cleared of stray papers, pencils all sharpened and in a row-before we start writing the story. But that's not how stories are composed or anything gets done. They're wrought amid the bracken of life, with space cleared and clutter elbowed aside, not vanquished. They're created in the small starts that link segment to segment until you have a road and you are roaring down it, momentum doing its thing.

At the core of our Christian faith is the idea that human beings can make new starts. We use the language of faith to talk about this: sin, repentance and grace. Of course, these words apply to things with a serious moral dimension and not just starting a new diet. The good news we have just celebrated over Christmas is that God sent Jesus to save the world from it sin and brokenness. That world includes each one of us. As John's gospel tells us, "God so loved the world that He sent His one and only son . . ."(John 3:16) Jesus came to break to bonds of sin that hold us back from becoming the persons God created us to be. Yet, because of God's love, we can accept the gift of God's grace and start anew. The new start it is often "amid the bracken of life" and "the small starts" that join together to build momentum in life.

Prayer for Today

Gracious God, thank you for the possibility of new starts in life. Help us to turn to you sooner rather than later, so that we might fully experience your forgiveness and renewal. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; God is the one who will keep you on track.

-Proverbs 3:5-6

What places do you expect to experience God? Maybe it's church, or nature, or the graveside of a loved one, or in our very selves. As we begin a new school year, what if we looked for God at school or work or morning carpool? Does God show up during your first period class that begins at the break of dawn, or in that early morning wake up from your child, or even in the long first meeting of the day?

It's important to expect God to show up in all kinds of places. What are some unexpected places where you can look for God this week?

This past week, I saw God at work in a found $5 bill and was reminded of a long term connection with our church and two teenage children that we sponsor through Compassion International. 

I was walking our dog by myself in our neighborhood. I went along one of the usual streets and noticed $5 in the road. I looked to see if it was near a house and it wasn't. I picked it up and put it in my pocket and then thought about what to do.
 

As often as possible, Will has a dollar or some coins to put into an offering envelope to give during our Children's Worship offering. Each week we talk about where the money will go, and most regular attendees can tell you. The offering helps support Simba Mumo and Itzel de Jesus Romero our two Compassion International children that we sponsor.

Our children and families at JCPC have been supporting Simba and Itzel for at least a decade. They are now in high school and continue to have a connection with church, school, and an extended faith community because of the generosity of our children and families.

Prayer for Today

Gracious God, I'm going to look for you every day this school year. I expect I'll see you around. Give me a heart that's open to your mysteries so that I can see and hear your work happening right before me. In Christ's Name, Amen.