A Stumbler's Walk | TEACH US TO PRAY

Lord, Teach us to pray…

- Luke 11:1

Let's face it; we tend to do anything and everything we can before we pray. You've heard someone say it (maybe you): 

"All we can do now is pray." 

Think about that for a minute. We are saying:

"In my limited power, with my minuscule resources, and with my microscopic understanding, I've done all I can. Now my only hope is to ask the One with unlimited power, infinite resources, and all-knowing understanding to come into the situation."

When laid out, which of those two scenarios makes the most sense?

The disciples understood that Jesus' connection to the Father was his source. They heard his prayers… before demons fled and 5,000 were fed. So in a quiet moment one of them asked him how to pray. 

"Teach us..." 

They had seen miracles. They had even performed miracles. But it was this connection and communion with the Father they wanted Jesus to pass to them.

So Jesus taught them. It was simple. We tend to complicate it. Then Jesus tells them a story with an "aha" moral. Again, simple; but profound. 

God wants to answer your prayer. Maybe I should add... God IS the answer to your prayer.

God, all I can do now is pray. I wish I'd realized it before I wasted so much...

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | LEGACY

...and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekia... Now the birth of Christ took place in this way...

- Matthew 1:9, 18

We have the opportunity to build a legacy. We have the power to break a legacy. We all play a part in legacy - for better or for worse.

It is easy to rush through the initial 17 verses of the first New Testament Gospel. It is a genealogy; lots of begats in the old King James: This guy was the father of this guy... and so on.
But there is history in those names. There is legacy, both beautiful and terrible. Love, hate, depravity and faithfulness lie in those 17 verses of begats.

Ahaz was a horrible man; think part Kim Jung-Un, part Jeffery Dahmer. He was the scariest blend of narcissistic sadist with ultimate power. Ahaz reigned for 16 terrible years in Judah. He worshiped, and forced the worship of, pagan gods. His depravity knew no limits, even forcing his sons to pass through the fire. As a sacrificial ritual paying tribute to the bull-headed idol Molech, children were forced to walk into an inferno blazing at an alter.

Ahaz created a horrible legacy. Hezekiah changed the legacy.

Hezekiah was Ahaz' son. Hezekiah was forced to walk through the flames of his father. Hezekiah knew the smell of burning flesh. He knew the pain of a legacy of fire.

But Hezekiah changed the legacy. In place of the pain his father inflicted. Hezekiah offered grace. In place of brutality, he provided mercy. My guess is the smell of fire never fully left Hezekiah's nostrils. But he was not bound by the legacy. He created a new one. And for 29 years Judah knew the joy of his legacy.

You and I are the products of legacy(ies). Both good and bad. Both painful and freeing. The first 17 verses of Matthew's gospel give a brief glimpse into legacies. Verse 18 introduces us to the One who gives the power to change legacy.

God, give me the power and guts to change my legacies of pain and build legacies of grace, freedom and joy.

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | PERFECT TIMING

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise...

- 2 Peter 3:9

I'm still waiting for a pony. (I think I recall as a five or six year old being promised a pony. It could be that I fabricated the memory.)

There is a difference between desire and promise. Our desires can often be selfish, or at least misguided. We may even talk ourselves into (or allow professional preachers* to talk us into) believing we've been promised something by God that turns out to be a fabrication. To reiterate the point, our promise is self-serving, ethically questionable, or the like, it is a fabrication. 

The result can be damaging: We wait for a pony that never comes. And in the end, we blame God for not delivering. 

When however, promise and desire meet, powerful things happen - in our lives and through us, in the lives of others. And here is some good news: God's promises to us (both general and specific) surpass our wildest imaginations. 

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared for those who love him."

- 1 Corinthians 2:9

And more good news: What God has promised, he will deliver. Always. And always on time. I should note that it seems his universal hour-glass perspective and my Casio G-Shock understanding don't always sync. But his timing is never wrong. The fulfillment of his promises is never late... or early. 

What is our part? We must discover his promises. He has given innumerable general promises to us through Scripture. For example: Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest... (Matthew 11:28). So many more flood to mind, but at risk of writing a novella, I'll simply challenge you to dive in with an open mind, a willing heart and a highlighter. Mark it, pray it, believe it!

God also gives specific promises. (And this is where we must be discerning.) These are not specifically lined-out in Scripture. These promises come usually as impressions and they grow into purpose, mission and calling. These specific promises, though not explicit in Scripture, always align with the Scripture. 

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

- Psalm 37:4

Our heart's desires are shaped and molded by our relationship with Christ. Never the other way around. As we grow deeper into a relationship with God (which sounds pretentious - a relationship with the Maker - but pretentious or not... it is promised), our minds are aligned with his. Our hearts begin to desire what he desires. And when our desire and his promises meet, powerful things happen. 

Jesus took 12 common men with completely different backgrounds, goals and desires; and with them, he changed history. He gave them promises and shaped their desires. And where the two intersected, powerful things happened. 

They still do. 

God, mold my desires, fill me with your promises, and turn me loose (but never let go)...

For now...

D

*By professional preachers, I am not referring to all - most, or even a significant portion of - preachers. Most are hard-working, caring, under-paid people who do what they do with a passion for God and others. I am referring to others, who soil the role of pastor for selfish gain and who, worse, alter the gospel to fit their purposes. And, by the way, there are many who pastor massive churches and have huge followings that fit the former category rather than the latter. Their integrity is solid, having stuck to the promise rather than bending to their desires. (Soap box dismounted!)

A Stumbler's Walk | TEMPTED

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.

- Matthew 4:1

Tempted... 
It can be a playful word. "The salted caramel pizookie tempted me into sin..." (if you've not had one, well - I don't want to be accused of being a tempter.)

Tempted can be an ugly word - one that leads into things much more sinister and damaging than the mixture of hot-salty and cold-creamy.

The blunt ugly truth is this: every day we breathe we will be tempted.

The grace-filled truth is this: temptation is not condemnation. To be tempted (from without, or within) is not the equivalent of sin and failure.

Jesus was tempted. His glowing halo didn't ward it off.  He was not above temptation. He was tempted more intensely than anyone before or since.

Yet he overcame.

We have a promise when it comes to temptation:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. 
God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, 
but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, 
that you may be able to endure it.  

- 1 Corinthians 10:13

However, the real message of this post is not about overcoming. It is instead to make the simple point that when we are tempted we are: a) Human, and b) In good company. We tend to equate temptation as failure or a lack of spiritual vitality. This is not so. 

We would rather skip the temptation altogether. We think it would be better... best. Apparently God does not. Temptation is part of life and we have no choice - we will be tempted. We do have a choice in how we handle temptation (i.e. what we do next...). 

So rest in the fact that if we are tempted, we are alive. And it is possible that when we are tempted, we are - and have the chance to be - most like Jesus. 

There is another side to temptation... one which we do not see. In it lies opportunity. But mostly, therein lies the comfort of knowing we are not alone.

God, "Lead me not into temptation..." but when I'm there, comfort and strengthen me.

For now,
D

A Stumbler's Walk | GUIDE

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials... - 2 Peter 2:9

My son and I just returned from a guy's trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of our adventures was rafting the Poudre River. The river level was down a bit, being late summer. However, there were still several Class IV rapids along the route.

Another product of the late season water level? Rocks! Rocks normally safely concealed under the water were exposed. They were route-changers. To my flat-land, still-pond mind, they were raft-eaters. Paddle-breakers. Trip-enders.

There were six rafters in our boat: Three from Amarillo (more flat-landers - one of whom apparently enjoyed swimming the rapids rather than rafting them from his seat in the boat), my son and me, and on other. It was this one other that made all the difference.

His name was Guide - Though I think that is not what is on his birth certificate. And his job matched his name. Guide knew the river. He knew the rocks. He knew the rapids and the eddies. And Guide knew the route through the turbulence.

Guide told us our job was to 1) Listen to his commands; 2) Paddle hard; 3) Work together; 4) Stay in he boat; and 5) Enjoy! However, Guide told us someone would more than likely leave the boat somewhere along the way. The word he used was ejected.

Prior to hitting the water, Guide walked us through the process of rescuing the ejected. Depending on where we were in the river, Guide might do the rescuing himself; or Guide might position the raft so that another rafter would perform the rescue. Either way, the swimmer became a rafter once again at Guide's direction and positioning of the boat.

Today there will be turbulent rapids. Guide knows the route.
Today there will be rocks. Guide knows each one.
Today some will be ejected. Guide has already prepared a rescue plan.

Listen to his voice... Paddle hare... Work together... Stay in the boat... Enjoy!

God, you are Guide. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | GUIDE

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

GUIDE

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials... -- 2 Peter 2:9

My son and I just returned from a guy's trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of our adventures was rafting the Poudre River. The river level was down a bit, being late summer. However, there were still several Class IV rapids along the route.

Another product of the late season water level? Rocks! Rocks normally safely under the water were exposed. They were route-changers. To my flat-land, still-pond mind, they were raft-eaters. Paddle-breakers. Trip-enders.

There were six people in our boat: Three from Amarillo (more flat-landers - one of whom apparently liked to swim through some of the rapids rather than stay in the raft), my son and me, and one other. It was this one other that made all the difference.

His name was Guide - though I think that is not what was on his birth certificate. And his job matched his name. Guide knew the river. He knew the rocks. He knew the rapids and the eddies. And Guide knew the route through the turbulence.

Guide told us our job was to 1) Listen to his commands; 2) Paddle hard; 3) Work together; and 4) Stay in the boat. However, Guide said that someone would more than likely leave the boat somewhere along the way. The word he used was ejected.

Prior to hitting the water, Guide walked us through the process of rescuing the ejected. Depending on where we were in the river, Guide might do the rescuing himself; or Guide might position the raft to have someone else do the rescue. Either way, the swimmer became a rafter once again at Guide's direction and positioning of the boat.

Today there will turbulent rapids. Guide knows the route.
Today there will be rocks. Guide knows each one.
Today some will be ejected. Guide has a rescue plan.

Listen to his voice... Paddle hard... Work together... Stay in the boat.

God, you are my Guide.

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | EVERYTHING

(This post is a redo, reminder - I for one, needed to read. D)

Sunday, August 7, 2016

EVERYTHING...

His divine power has granted to us all things 

that pertain to life and godliness...

-- 2 Peter 1:3

We have everything we need.

That is a simple statement, but a hard truth to comprehend.

As I write, I am sitting on the couch in my air-conditioned house, drinking coffee. I am about to head to an air-conditioned church and sit in a padded chair - and drink more coffee. Most who read this will be in similar comfort. My point: I've never known extreme poverty or the desperation of searching for a meal. I can only imagine how foreign the statement, we have everything we need, might sound to a family who is being evicted, having just buried a father, or to a mother combing scraps in the Matamoros Mexico dump to feed to her toddler (which I've seen).

Trite answers don't work. And American Christianity seems to often boil down to triteness and self-focus. I'll take it a step further (since it's my blog), trite and self-serving Christianity is not Christianity. And in my Christian journey, I am often guilty of "unchristianess." (Again, my blog, I can invent words.)

When we read Peter's words above, we often miss some important depth.
His divine power - Whose power? God's. (As in, "God's, period!" Not yours, not mine.)
...has granted - past tense, with continuing and ongoing results. (It's a Greek grammatical tense thing.)
...to us - This promise is given to the community of faith. And though it has individual impact, it is us, not me. (More on this in a moment.)
...all things - we have everything we need (keep reading).
...life and godliness - to live as God intends for us, (for our calling and purpose.)

This statement may sound trite, but it is true: We have everything we need in Christ. 

I have often heard it said that God will never allow me to face more than I can bear. I struggle with the statement, though the fact that I am alive and well (and writing), sings the melody of its truth. That stated, I'd like to amend the platitude: God will never allow us to face more than wecan bear... together and through his strength and presence.

The Christian life is a life lived in community with others from whom and with whom we share strengths, weaknesses, joys and pain. And it is a body (Paul's analogy) that is completely interconnected drawing its strength and power from Christ.

So, with all these concepts in mind I can confidently state: We have everything we need.

I, for one, tend to want more... to look for more. A blog post I wrote in davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com quotes Bono from U2, whose lyric cries, But I still haven't found what I'm looking for. 

But here is a truth I've learned and am learning: The real and worthy search in this life is not about looking for more. The worthwhile search is not the constant desire for something else, something other. The better journey is one that leads us to deeper understanding of WHO IS this one who provides, and who he has made us to be for ourselves and others.

That for which you search is not out there somewhere. It is instead found in a God who is a whisper away.

Keep searching... deeper.

God, I have everything I need... in you.

For now...
D