answers – Thinking Faith Cafe

I Found It!

Chuck — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 03:20:05 +0000

Have you ever found yourself searching for just the right thing, yet felt like nothing quite hit the mark? As a foreign exchanges student once said to us, “It’s good, but it’s not the one.”

One such search in my life was for a journal that met my needs. As a writer, observer, and life-long learner, I find journals a valuable aid to capturing the important, and the mundane, for future reference. As a person of faith and a pastor, I find journaling a tremendous tool for spiritual growth. Such a significant tool should meet my utilitarian needs, and prompt my creativity.

I’ve gone through a lot of journals. Leather and cardboard covers, hard and soft bound, ruled and blank, I used a bit of everything. I have a few favorites and, while many were enjoyable, I never found “the one,” until last week.

My wife mentioned a journal she thought I would like a few months ago. She saw it while searching for some planner options and thought I would like it. Called the Midori Traveler’s Notebook, it was a mid-sized leather journal with customizable refills and a number of accessories. She was very impressed. I was not. It had to be special ordered, seemed similar to what I already had, and after 30 years of searching, I expected it would be just one more journal for my shelves.

I was wrong. When I finally took a good look, I began to believe it might be exactly what I wanted. I took the risk, made the order, and received what I desired for years.

My first journal entry read, “After decades of searching for a journal that would truly inspire me, I found it! I cannot believe I did not see it for what it is when my wife first described it to me. Now, filled and ready, it awaits my stories, reflections, and insights. Poems, observations, and revelations from God are on their way. The adventure begins.”

I am not selling journals now, though some of you might find this an answer to your search as well. I am struck, however, by the significance of not giving up the quest. Jesus told his disciples, “seek, and you shall find.” He was focused on much deeper matters, but the similarities are interesting.

Sometimes, we settle for second best, or we give up on our search for what really matters. We often try a myriad of things along the way only to realize we still haven’t found the right way. Occasionally, someone comes along and points us in the right direction, but we let our past experiences keep us from seeing the truth.

Life is a journey, an adventure. There is so much to be enjoyed along the way, even our wrong choices can position us for something better. We need the voices of others, and of the Spirit, to guide us along the way, and most importantly, we must never give up!

There are already some significant spiritual reflections and discoveries in my new journal, but I keep celebrating how such a simple thing, can be a symbol of so much more. I can’t wait to see what I discover next!

May you be blessed upon your journey. May you be excited by the possibilities that lie ahead, and may you savor every moment of your adventure!

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Praying With Confidence

Chuck — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:56:00 +0000

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” – 1 John 5:14-15

For many years, I struggled with the difference between confidence and arrogance. I would hear some statements and would think, “my, that person has great confidence,” but at other times, I would hear something similar and think, “My, that person is arrogant.” Even in my own words I found this dilemma, because confidence and arrogance sound so much alike. I wanted to have great confidence in my faith and ministry, but I have a real distaste for arrogance within the body of Christ.

The issue was even more profound when discussing prayer. We are invited to come “boldly before the throne of grace” and if God is who he claims to be, we should have great boldness in our prayers. Here again, however, there is a fine line between bold prayers and foolish, arrogant prayers.

Once, when praying for a dear friend who was battling cancer, I was approached by several people who suggested that I tone down my prayers because the bold prayers, expecting God’s healing grace, I was praying could be giving the family false hope. While I am confident that God would desire that we pray believing for great things, I have heard many prayers that make outlandish claims that seem to come more from the person praying than from the Spirit of God. I have no desire to offer false hope, but I do not want to pray prayers that have little or no impact.

The difference I have come to make between confidence and arrogance in prayers, or in any aspect of life, is a matter of source and focus. Confidence rests upon God and God’s power, calling, and gifts. I can be confident when I am leaning on God because that is where the real power and authority rests. When I am declaring the word of God, acting according to divine direction, or praying in the Spirit of Christ, I can be bold based upon my confidence in God. However, when the focus of attention is on me, my boldness is much more likely an expression of arrogance. When I think my thoughts, background, title, or position is what gives me authority to speak or act as I do, then I am potentially thinking too highly of myself.

When I pray with arrogant boldness, I have no reason to expect that God will answer my prayers as I’ve prayed them, for they are merely attempts to be on display or to strong-arm God into doing things my way. However, when I am led by God’s word and promises, I have every reason to have boldness that comes, not from confidence in myself, but from confidence in God. This is why John could encourage us to have confidence when we pray that God hears us, and if he hears us, that the answer is already on its way. Such confidence is not based upon our strength, or how articulate our prayers are. Instead, we have great assurance because God faithfully fulfills his word.

We must stand between bold prayers formed out of over-confidence in ourselves and anemic prayers offered out of the fear they may not be answered. It may be hard to find at times, but there is good ground to stand on here. If we will humble ourselves and trust God, we will see the power of God released in our prayers, and with each answered prayer, our confidence will grow. May we have the confidence in God that our prayers are heard and that we already have that which we have asked for as we put our trust in God.

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You Are

Chuck — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Jesus had a way of asking difficult questions. They were not difficult in the way an exam question might be, nor were they challenging in the way a hard trivia question is. Jesus’ questions were rarely looking only for information, rather he was probing for understanding. Jesus did not just ask, “what do you know?” He asked, “how is what you know becoming revelation to you?”

In one of his more challenging questions, Jesus asked his disciples, “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29) It was a very pointed question and Jesus was not looking for them to parrot back what he previously told them. He wanted to know who they truly believed he was, because that belief would shape their future understanding and their actions. Their beliefs about Jesus would affect their relationship with Jesus, and that would make all the difference.

The question was not just for the disciples. It is an important question for the followers of Christ today as well. How we answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” will affect our relationship with him and with his Gospel. In turn, it will shape our journey of faith, our ministry with others and ultimately, our destiny.

Last Sunday, our Minister of College Ministries preached a sermon on this question and I continue to reflect on it. Who do I really believe Jesus is? The issue is not what did my parents teach me to believe, nor is it what was I told in Sunday School or even seminary. The question is, who has the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus Christ to be through the Scripture and through my relationship with him.

In response, I could simply quote a creed, or offer up the “official” answer to the question and, while these would be fine and meaningful responses. I would like to offer my response from another source of ancient words that speaks volumes. In this simple, yet profound Celtic prayer is a declaration of who Jesus is that resonates deeply in me. It does not replace the classical response that, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Instead, it builds on this truth and gives room to ponder the greatness of Christ in every facet of our lives. May these words bless you as they continue to bless me.

You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart’s eternal spark
You are the door that’s open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day.

Celtic oral tradition – 1st millennium

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