“Every day, we begin our prayers by addressing the seven issues noted below. Will you join us?

1. That we would live with a constant, looming awareness of the presence of the Lord, and that we are His ambassadors. Paul reminds us that, “we are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor 5:20). Ambassadors should operate with a constant awareness of the one whom they represent. But that awareness also gives them a remarkable confidence as they follow his bidding.

2. That we would seek a pure heart. David, the Shepherd-King, reminds us that it is the pure-hearted who ascend to the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place (Psalm 24: 3-4). We don’t want any hooks on the walls of our heart upon which Satan can hang keys to dark closets.

3. That we would be filled with the Spirit of God. Spiritual “fullness” is more than a command (Ephesians 5:18), it is a necessity for accomplishing God’s work, God’s way. Spiritual fullness indicates more than the presence of the Lord. It indicates a constant internal pressure to release the Life of Christ.

4. That we would express both the gifts and the graces that come with the fullness of God’s Spirit. Paul writes of the gifts of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. And Isaiah writes of the graces attending the life of Christ in Isaiah 11:2. Both are needed if we are to enjoy all God has for us, and remain effective in His service.

5. That we would never knowingly give the Adversary some opportunity to mock our Lord. Satan constantly looks for opportunities to demean the Lord in the eyes of others. It is our desire never to be found in cooperation with his devious plans.

6. That God would protect our family, spiritually, morally, physically, and mentally. Anyone who serves the Lord is aware of the constant attacks launched by the Adversary. Sometimes the attacks are directly against us, but other times we can become distracted by the attacks launched against those we love. We seek to live under God’s authority, and under His wings of protection (Psalm 91).

7. That we would remain true to the vision God has painted on the walls of our hearts. Where there is no vision, no revelation from God, people operate without restraint (Proverbs 29:18). Without a vision as your compass, life can become an endless series of meaningless wanderings. God has painted a great vision on the walls of our hearts and we want to pursue it passionately and without deviation.

So there you have it! As God brings Jeannie and me to your mind, would you join with us in these seven specific prayers.

Rejoice evermore!

Tom Elliff
“I know whom I’ve believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep
that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.” (2 Tim. 1: 12)

“Our son Jon is a pastor in PA. One of his church members wondered what to tell people who ask where is God in tragedy. He posted an open response on their church website. It really is a good word on the lens that we should look through when we see tragedies like Thursday’s unfold before us. Take a moment to read.” —

I got an email this afternoon from a good friend. “Jon, you’re pastor guy. So in one week, Tsunami in Japan and 7 children die in a house fire in Perry County. What am I suppose to tell my family members who already don’t buy into the God and Jesus thing?”

So bear with my quick and spontaneous response, unfiltered grammar, and typos.

Dear broken confused heart,

We don’t have a good answer for suffering if we are expecting to answer God’s detractors in a way that somehow leaves everyone wanting to know God. But in brief. 1. Read Romans 8. God did not create this world to be like this. It says creation is groaning. Creation groaned at 3 am this morning in Japan. This world is broken shell of what God intended it to be. Why? In a biblical view, there is a direct correlation between Creation and Creator. When the Creation chose independence from God it didn’t just affect their own little lives, it threw all of Creation out of whack. It disrupted everything. It’s like it set off a tsunami of brokenness in this world because there was a cosmic disharmony now between God and His creation. So it unleashes cancer, it unleashes a natural order where things atrophy and run down and wear out. So wiring in old farm houses wears out and short circuits and burns down a house with 7 sleeping kids. Where is God? Weeping. Suffering. Hurting. How do I know? God knows what it’s like to lose a child? He lost his child in a fire. Scripture says Jesus descended into Hell in the days between his death and resurrection. God suffers with us.

1. the world is broken and not what God created it to be.

2. God knows what it’s like to lose a child.

3. this broken world gives birth to pain and tragedy, yet God is not absent from it.

What is the alternative? No God? Nothing has any meaning. Everything in the universe is random and totally accidental and has no real point. Nothing has a point. So make money, make your kids and family your idol and put all of your hope in them. Place all your hope and find meaning in your job. Hope that you have a good life. But if you don’t have a good life and your kids don’t turn out right, and your job doesn’t turn out, and your marriage doesn’t turn out…you have nothing but bitterness and contempt for a world that randomly and accidentally gave birth to your tragic life. Or you are born in Japan, your life is swept away, your children die, and there’s no hope. There’s no seeing them on the other side of eternity. There’s just empty pain and loss and dealing with a seemingly cruel impersonal twisted world.

4. Romans 8 says this waiting period is when God is raising up those who are revealed as Sons and Daughters of God. Which means, instead of just an empty cruel world of meaningless suffering and pain unless you are the 1% of the world who has money and a good life with no tragedy, pain, and loss. It’s only 1% of us that have that. We just think it’s most people because that’s the fishbowl we swim in here in America. Spend time in Sub-Saharan Africa or Haiti and tell me you think life should just work out in your favor.

Romans 8 says God is not only suffering with us, he’s also raising up a force of people who so align their lives with his heart and kingdom that they rush out to help strangers who have been brutalized by nature or violence or whatever. There is nothing in Secularism that has the power to shape human beings (long term) to de-prioritize money, tribe, comfort, ease, to embrace suffering people, and concern themselves with the hurt of the world or love and die for their enemies. Secularism doen’t have the power to do that in the human heart. Not long term at least.

God is doing something about it. he’s binding the hurts, he’s wiping tears, he’s providing strength, and he’s doing it through His Spirit and His Church. See Rev. 21:1-7

Hope that helps. This pastor guy doesn’t have magic answers. I have a framework of hope to give people in light of the alternative. I have a person to point people to in Jesus in light of the mystery and unknown. I have a community of love and grace formed by God to invite people into to be nurtured by God en-fleshed in His people in light of the loss and seeming injustice of it all. Outside of that I have nothing to offer!

Peace,

Jon Hand

A consistent theme is Israel’s pilgrimage of following God as He leads them to the land He has promised and prepared for them. In Deuteronomy Moses is recounting the history of God’s great love, mercy, and protection in previous generations as they stand on the edge of going in to take the land. I am struck by the simple choice they constantly face: if they love God and obey Him, they will be blessed with land, rain, grain, livestock, and reputation. But, if they do not, they will lose those life-sustaining blessings. It all rests on their choice to obey or not.

While it seems like a no-brainer, there is a persistent warning that we need to heed. A people so richly blessed are susceptible to forget the Giver of those blessings and begin to “worship” the blessings themselves and/or claim credit for securing those blessings by their own strength and ingenuity (see 8:10-11, 17-19 as only a couple of examples). How could they possibly have the choice of being blessed or cursed (11:26-28) and somehow choose wrongly?

Apparently they had a “heart” problem. Deut. 8:14 warns that their hearts might be “lifted up” (become proud) causing them to forget God. They need to “circumcise” their hearts (10:16, symbolically cleanse their heart) and not be “stubborn.” They need to “take care” lest their hearts be “deceived” (11:16). They need to “lay up these words of mine in your [their] heart” (11:18).

Contrary to our common sense it is easy to forget God. It is easy to enjoy the blessings more than the Blesser. That is why Moses is reminding the people (and us) what NOT to do: not to be deceived, not to be stubborn, not to be proud. That is why he is telling them (and us) what TO do: memorize his words, tie them as a symbol on our hands and eyes, teach them to our children, talk about them constantly, write them where they can be seen regularly, whatever it takes to help them (and us) obey a God who has set His heart in love on us!

Do you want to live blessed? Consider the alternative. You can live any selfish way you please without regard for God. You may even perhaps for a season have your own personal gains and successes in the short-run. But eventually you will face a God who resists you and that is not a win-able position. Don’t be deceived! However, if you obey God, you may even struggle in the short-run, face some battles, be resisted by your peers. But, ultimately you will be living under God’s favor and He will meet every legitimate “need” that you have (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual).

Blessing or curse? The choice is yours. How hard could it be?

I really think Moolala will become a success. I have told friends that Moolala is a disruptive viral economic model, and I believe that.

But if you want to really understand the motivation behind giving away 10% of revenue to the networks of friends that are members of Moolala, you really cannot do so without understanding the faith dynamic involved. Not faith in any sort of generic sense, but the Christian faith in specific.

Tony Dale grew up in Taiwan, the son of British missionaries who went to China to work with Watchman Nee. After the communist revolution in China, the elder Dales took their brood to Taiwan. Tony’s father was a physician, and that was a very great influence in a choice of careers for Tony after he completed high school at Taiwan’s Morrison Christian Academy.

Tony met his wife Felicity during university days (medical school) in London. They both trained as medical doctors, and following med school they worked in East London, providing medical care to the poor. They conceived of a ministry model involving physicians who would minister to the whole man, not simply the physical needs. As I mentioned in another post, the believe this ministry idea was so compelling that they moved their young family from home in the UK, to Austin, Texas in 1989.

But the failure of the idea to come to realization didn’t cause them to return to their home. No, it forced them to their knees for long years, and after different jobs, they launched a company called The Karis Group in 1996 from their home. I work at The Karis Group today, and can attest that we take seriously the Dale’s desire to assist uninsured and underinsured individuals, and we do so with much success. Tony is a strong believer in the inherent benefits of a market economy, believing that the God given talents of people should used to generate both a living and wealth for the individual (this is my interpretation of what I have heard Tony say in multiple settings).

So how does this impact Moolala, you ask? The vision to be both helpful to people while tapping the creativity of people, and to reward them thusly, is what has pushed Jon and Matt Dale. Matt Dale told me before Thanksgiving 2010, “We want Moolala to give away more money than any other company in history”.

Note that they don’t want to follow the model of Warren Buffett or Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg, as admirable as their intentions are in wanting to give away their wealth. The Dales believe strongly in the strength of weak ties, and, more importantly, they believe in the value of social relationships.

No, Moolala is not about concentrating great sums of money in the hands of (hopefully) altruistic people. It is about reorienting the economic framework around consumer purchasing. It is about creating value, again, in the relationships people have with other people. It’s like Groupon marries MaryKay and has this incredibly altruistic entrepreneurial child named Moolala.
———–

Thanks, Thad, for the insight! To learn more about MooLaLa, click here! Watch the video, sign-up free. Nothing to lose. Only gain! I am an independent member for MooLaLa and you can be, too, via this link!

Locally, I pray for my family daily. Then I typically pray for my community/city and the transformational ministries that work to show love and share hope until God’s will is done locally as it is in heaven.

Nationally, I typically pray for the state conventions of like-minded churches who are extending God’s Kingdom of love and light throughout our country.

Internationally, on Day 7 I am praying for the whole of mission efforts in Southeast Asia. I add to that the work of Baptist Global Response. This entity is a relief and development organization with a heart for seeing the poor and suffering have the opportunity to experience a full and meaningful life.

Want more ideas for praying for the world? Check out Operation World. For specific unreached ethnic races, click here. For more on global “affinities” (groupings), click here.

Many daily & weekly things get added on and taken off at various times. But the categories are generally fixed. However, they are only a guide.

Sounds busy but with a list I can stay focused, efficient, effective, & specific. Some days it doesn’t take long while other days are worth lingering on certain people & circumstances. What happens if you get sleepy? Pray out loud. No one will hear but God (and He’s who you are talking to anyway), but if you’re overheard, what a model & example you are imparting! What better could you be caught doing?

Is praying from a list all there is to prayer? No. It is only a starting point (not an ending point). A list is a guide for intercession. The larger prayer experience is a centering exercise of petitioning our Heavenly Father for things He wants us to ask. It is more than that, too. Eventually, you will naturally listen as much as talking, hearing His voice speak to your heart, gleaning truth from His word (the bible), fellowshipping in His presence just as you would spend time together with your spouse in conversation and intimate silence.

So, grow with it. Pray WITH your spouse. Listen as much as talk. Journal your insights and experiences. Communicate to others that you are praying for them. Ask them regularly how you can and what outcomes they have experienced in answer to your prayers.

An astronomer told a pastor once that he liked to keep his theology simple. Therefore he prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep….” So the pastor told the astronomer he liked to keep his science simple. He prayed, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star….” Start simple. Stay simple. But the habit of actually praying will grow into a rich, rewarding, & deep spiritual discipline necessary to be the passionate disciple Jesus wants you to become.

[To read this 7 day series from the beginning, go here].

Locally, I pray for my neighborhood, those I know as well as those I don’t.

Nationally, I continue to pray for state conventions. Change in our country happens where people live. My convention’s churches in every U.S. state (and other churches, I might add) are the key to influencing the towns & cities for the Greater Good. I pray that they would be “salt & light,” that their good works would give people pause to glorify “our” Father in heaven, even if they have not yet allowed Him to become “their” Father.

Internationally, I pray for all the God is doing in East Asia and the people I know serving there. It is also the day I pray for Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith. Out of sight should not mean out of mind. While this includes praying for persecution to stop, I have talked personally with some who asked me to pray for their perseverance in it rather than their deliverance from it! They understand Matthew 10:16-22 in ways we hope we never experience. But God uses persecution for His purposes which are usually not known or understood by us. We do know He is sufficient to meet ALL of our needs. Two hundred million believers around the world depend on Him to meet their needs in the face of trouble, violence, and even death due specifically to their faith. Pray for them. For an example of one site focused on the persecuted, click here.

By the way, it is always appropriate to pray for “safety.” But for the believer, a lack of safety is not an unanswered prayer. I have heard many well-intentioned people say that the safest place to be is in God’s will. It is simply not true. Was Jesus in His Father’s will? He was crucified. Was Stephen in God’s will? He was stoned to death. Was Paul in God’s will? He was beaten on numerous occasions before an eventual violent death. I don’t believe they were out of God’s will but squarely in the middle of it (see Matthew 10:16-2 referenced above). Safety is not an indicator of God’s favor any more than a lack of safety is somehow an indicator of His judgement. Out of some of the worst human tragedies have come some of the greatest spiritual victories and witness. Its not how or when we die that should concern us. Its how we live and Who we live for that matters and will become our legacy regardless of the length of our lives.

How’s YOUR list looking?

[To read this series from the beginning, go here].

Locally, tracking with my church, I pray for the internal ministry of the church, that is, for Bible Fellowship teachers, deacons, worship ministry, and such. These are people gifted to serve the Body that our Body may be healthy, equipping us for the work of the ministry, that we may all reach maturity in Christlikeness (in accordance with Ephesians 4:11-16). I also pray for a few more of our local ministry efforts.

This is also a 1st Timothy 2:1-2 day on my prayer list – “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.” So in obedience, I pray for city and county leaders & officials (mayor, vice mayor, aldermen, councilman) as well as public & private school systems.

Nationally, I pray for state leaders (governor, senators, representatives) and also for national leaders (president, vice-president, Congressmen representing my area). You can get a list of all these representatives on various websites on your city, county, state, and nation.

Internationally I pray for one Southeast Asian Cluster of missionaries and the leadership of the whole SE Asian Affinity. I also pray for the South Asian Affinity (primarily India and border countries, home of most Hindus).

Lastly, today is a Matthew 9:38 day – “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send out more workers for His fields.” Will you pray He sends more out? Will you pray and ask it He might mean for you to be one of those? Would you pray and ask Him to call out a family member or friend to be one of those?

How is your list shaping up?

[To read this series from the beginning, go here].

Locally? I continue to pray for more of my church’s local efforts. In what we call the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What would it look like if God’s will were done in your city as it is in heaven? Think about that. Pray toward that end.

Nationally, I pray for a few more Baptist state conventions AND other Christian expressions in our country that are making disciples and glorifying our Savior.

Internationally, on Day 4 I pray for the missionaries that have gone out from our church and many with whom we have a personal connection as well as those with whom we have strategic partnerships. Then I pray for Central Asia and, again, two more Clusters of missionaries in Southeast Asia. FYI… SE Asia has 9 Clusters of missionaries in a couple of dozen countries among a population total greater than a half billion. The predominant faith systems there are Buddhism, Islam, Animism (spirit worship), and Christianity (primarily in the Philippines). When Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no man comes to the Father but by the Son, I’m betting He is not lying. So I pray for those who are on other paths that they would discover THE Truth, not their version of truth.

[To read this series from the beginning, go here].

Locally I pray for more of my church’s local outreach efforts like campus ministries at U.T., the rescue mission, serving international students, FCA, Joni & Friends, etc. If you need categories of ideas of what to pray for locally, check out this excellent resource in Knoxville, TN as an example.

Nationally, I pray for my church’s efforts to plant more churches. We’re highly involved starting brand new churches in about 7 non-Southern states. Those church planting families need our spiritual assistance as much as our dollars and teams. I also pray for our Convention as a whole, its leadership, its national mission board, and its seminaries.

Internationally, I pray for 2 more Clusters of missionaries in Southeast Asia , and also for Sub-Sahara Africa (and many individuals serving in these areas).

I hope you are getting your own ideas about what to pray for locally, nationally, and internationally. I always have suggestions and will share them more specifically in a later post. Meanwhile, make your own list and pray! What you actually do is more important than what you intend to do!

[To read this series from the beginning, go here].

List your family (remember, pray for them by name every day). Don’t forget special requests that need daily prayer but are probably temporary in duration. Then list things locally, nationally, and internationally.

My church’s leadership staff historically meets on my Day 2 (which is actually Tuesday for me). So I pray for their staff meetings. Then I pray for several more of their local outreach endeavors (our local Association of churches, work among the rural poor, Teen Challenge, Restoration House, etc.).

Nationally, I pray for a couple of other Baptist state conventions. FYI…my denomination is comprised of more than 44,000 churches grouped into state conventions across all of the U.S. (which are sub-grouped into local Associations within each state, typically by counties). I don’t pray for all of them but I do pray for those I have had connections with and know the leadership.

Internationally, I pray for 2 more Clusters of missionaries in Southeast Asia, and mission efforts in two more Affinities: Northern Africa & Middle East, and the global deaf. Over 225 million people globally are unable to hear well enough to rely on hearing to process information. Nearly 40 million live in total silence.

If you need help or suggestions for international items to pray for, here is an excellent starting point. I will suggest other options in a later post.

Come back tomorrow for Day 3 of our practical journey!