Friday, May 15, 2020
Effective Prayers
Certainly, all who believe in God and pray would like his or her prayers to effective. But sometimes it is hard to know what to pray. James, the brother of Jesus wrote: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5 NLT) If we apply that to prayer, one would be wise to find out what God wants them to pray. Effective prayer might be defined like this: Prayer is finding God’s heartbeat, so a believer can pray the prayers God most wants them to pray.
One mistake that is easy to make is to see everything from a limited, human point of view. Consider the following illustration as to how many of us see life from a limited point of view on a daily basis:
Our speech betrays us. When first observing the sun in the morning as it paints a kaleidoscope on the horizon, we drink it it’s beauty and say things like “isn’t that a beautiful sunrise?” Then, when the sun seems to sink in the sky and again refracts through the atmosphere at the end of the day, we enjoy how it colors our world with crimson reds and vibrant oranges, and we refer to it as a “sunset”. But, technically, the sun neither rises nor sets. Those terms are scientifically incorrect… deceptive… man-centered. While the sun is moving in its own orbit, it is not rising and setting in relation to the earth.
The sun is a star burning at 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. It is 93 million miles from the earth. Because our earth rotates, someone standing on the equator is traveling from west to east at the rate of about a thousand miles per hour. As they race toward the sun it makes the sun appear to rise. As they race away from the sun it makes it appear to be setting. So, sunrise and sunset are egocentric terms. We are describing the effects of the rotation of our world as if everything revolves around us. And we tend to pray that way too.
King David is probably one of the most famous kings of all times. The story of him killing Goliath is known even in secular circles. Throughout his eventful life David wrote many Psalms and a good number of them were prayers. Psalm 139 is one of those “prayer Psalms.” In it, David struggles with God's intense knowledge of him, he marvels at how God intricately formed him in his mother's womb, and then prays a prayer of surrender to God's searching, knowing, probing, and refining. This Psalm is a great example of how someone might pray if they are trying to find God’s heartbeat and align their lives with Him. Read it. Let it inspire you to pray and effective prayer.
Friday, May 08, 2020
Mothers Who Preserve
Thompson is buzzing with the news. For the first time in decades one of its most prominent homes is swarming with life. The William Mason house, located at 20 Chase Rd. in Thompson, CT, is being restored! This house is a classic example of a Gothic Revival house that was built circa 1845. Mason was a mill owner and lived on Thompson Hill where many of the wealthier people of Thompson built their homes when mills dominated the economy. This empty five thousand square foot mansion has been the subject of much controversy because it has suffered decades of neglect, and has been an eyesore, detracting from the beauty of Thompson Common.
The owner of Anya Restaurant recently purchased the property. The plan is to turn the eight-bedroom house into a bed and breakfast, especially suited for weddings and family events. On March 31, 2020 The William Mason Facebook page announced, “Today, we happily opened the front door with the original circa 1845 key to the William Mason House. We hope the sharing of our historic preservation journey brings you joy and optimism in these uncertain times.” The announcement is followed by numerous comments from people who are thrilled that someone is finally restoring this amazing landmark.
No doubt the restoration process will be costly, but the end result should be a blessing to the whole town. Some things are worth preserving and restoring. Strong families, strong churches and healthy communities fall into that category. Hats off to the many people who are currently working diligently to preserve these in a very tangible sense as we fight the COVID19 virus. Equally appreciated are the many people who are working diligently to preserve their families, churches and morally solid communities as we weather the social storms that threaten these important cultural landmarks.
Historically, mothers have been some of the most important preservationists when it comes to families, churches and communities. Their diligence and sacrifice has been demonstrated in nature. The octopus has been called the world’s best mother. Octopuses are semelparous, meaning that the female octopus will lay a clutch of eggs, just once in her lifetime, and then she will die. Some octopuses have been known to lay as many as 200,000 eggs. Most will protect their eggs for around ten months, but one deep-sea octopus protects hers for 53 months, making it the longest incubation of any animal on record. As she guards her eggs, she quits eating and wastes away. Soon after the eggs hatch, she dies. It is estimated that only about one percent of the eggs survive. But her diligence is enough to preserve the species.
Thanks to all the moms who care enough about their offspring to hold us to high standards, to cover us with their prayers and to remind us of what is most important in life. Even though we may not like the odds, God uses the influence of good mothers to preserve so much that is good in our world. Mother’s day would be a good time to let them know just how much we appreciate the way they make our lives more beautiful.
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