Breaking the Chain

On January 17^th, 2009 I published a post (Alive in Prayer) in which I referenced an excerpt called “The Lord’s Prayer” from the book “If God Talked Out Loud” by Clyde Lee Herring. I mentioned that there were untold numbers of emails circulating that contained some form of Mr. Herring’s conversation with God.

How awful!

It’s awful because every single one of the dozens of variations I have seen of the Herring piece not only do not credit Mr. Herring as the author… worse, they are included as part of a chain letter. Far worse… is the fact that these types of chain letters prey upon Christian believers!

I get dozens of these types of emails every month from well-meaning friends, family, and associates. Each one follows a familiar pattern: 

1. The Hook
   
2. The Plea
   
3. The Threat
   
4. The Reward 

The Hook is usually a story. It can range from being spiritually uplifting, a reminder of faith, or simply a collection of ways to show love to the world. Other times it may be a story of hope, a plea for prayer, or how faith overcame suffering, sickness, or loss. These are something that any of us would gladly share with our friends. Almost always, though, the stories are fiction… or a downright hoax. It’s hard to break the chain. 

The Plea is a request for something. In snail-mail chain letters this was most always a request for money; often cloaked in clever schemes (send just a dollar to 10 people on the list…). In the email incarnation of this (apparently targeted at Christians), all you are asked to do is just forward the email along to 10 people. What could be the harm in that? Well… if you do the math… if everybody did as requested for just 10 cycles of this email, well over ONE BILLION emails would be sent! If you have ever forwarded something like this along, don’t complain that your internet seems slow; junk messages like this are a huge problem to Internet Service Provider (ISP) companies the world over. It’s hard to break the chain. 

The Threat is just that: a threat. In chain letters targeted at Christians, it is soooo easy to craft a threat that works really well. All the author of the letter has to do is imply that you don’t love God if you refuse to pass on such a wonderful message. “Christ sacrificed his life for you, and you won’t send this to 10 people?” Often, they will use the words of Christ to threaten you: 

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

Matthew 10:32-33

They imply that if you do not send the email to 10 people (sometimes to your whole address book), that you are refusing to acknowledge Christ; perhaps, even, that you do not even truly love Christ… or God! It’s hard to break the chain. 

The Reward is even more insidious: the implication is that if you send this along, you are doing God’s work, so god will love you more, and you will be closer to heaven. In addition, blessings will flow to you, prayers will be answered, health will be restored, and financial good fortune will follow you all of your days. It’s hard to break the chain. 

When atheists and non-believers get an email like this, they get more negative ammunition. They see it immediately as a chain letter, and then identify the Christian who sent it along to them as either superstitious, ignorant, or a fool. When these types of chain letter emails are passed along, they are NOT helping to improve the world’s perception of what Christians are all about. You, however, can break the chain! 

Christ commanded us to “…make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19), not to beat our fellow brothers and sisters with an electronic hammer; certainly not to lay some guilt trip on them if they don’t do as commanded by some “holy” email! If you read the rest of Matthew 28:19, you will find that Christ has given us a blueprint for how to make disciples of all nations: “…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”; an intimate and personal connection with God’s family of believers. 

Often, I receive an email that touches my soul in a profound way. I bet you get those, too. Can we not pass that spiritual uplift along? Of course you can, just do so without including any chain letter elements in your email, and there is never any reason to send something to your entire address book. It often helps to research what you pass along… it may turn out that you may not want to pass along something that turns out to be a hoax. And don’t forget to connect in a personal way: “I just read this, and immediately thought of you,” or “I was really lifted up by this message… let me know what you think about it.” 

For myself, I pray that I can really be more of a disciple each day. I want to know my Lord and Savior better. I want to learn and grow. I want to share the blessings and joys I enjoy with others. Consider: how do people see you? Do they see a disciple at home? Do they see a disciple at work? Do they see a disciple online? Do they see a disciple in traffic? Do they see a disciple at church? Do they see a disciple of Christ at all? It’s a tough question we need to ask ourselves: “What am I doing to live, grow, and connect as a disciple of Jesus?” 

Your brother in Christ, 

Dave

Make Plans to Attend!

There is an old saying:

People don’t plan to fail…

They just fail to plan.

Carmen Pease and her team have put together a series of equipping workshops. I have attended all of them, and they just keep getting better and better. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow and learn, and the next one is coming right up on the last Saturday of January (1/31/2009; 8:30am to 11:30am). Breakfast is provided between 8:30am and 9:00am, with plenty of goodies to keep you satisfied throughout the workshop. Childcare is also provided. The cost for all this AND the workshop... it’s free! But you MUST register by 1/26/2009.

This workshop: “How to Effectively Communicate in Difficult Situations,” will be led by Dr. Debra Holland. If you’d like to know more about Dr. Holland, take a look at her web site at:

            http://www.drdebraholland.com

Who doesn’t need THIS workshop? This workshop will equip you for ministry opportunities, but it will also equip you for better communication with your spouse, your children, your parents, your boss, and your co-workers. 

So… don’t fail to plan. Don’t be left out. Do it now… register! It’s easy; just pick up the phone and call: 

714-579-2991 

Or, follow this link, and sign-up online on the Messiah, Yorba Linda site: 

            http://www.messiahyl.com

Come and join us. Come and learn… come and grow… come and see where the Spirit will lead you. Sign up online, at the Information Booth, call the office, or talk to me. I’ll see you on Sunday, and I’ll be there for the workshop, too. 

Your brother in Christ, 

Dave

Alive in Prayer

Just exactly how are we supposed to come alive in prayer, anyway? When I was growing up, I was forced to learn prayers by rote. As a Roman Catholic, I was given penance after confession, and since that usually consisted of saying something like 5 "Our Fathers" and 10 "Hail Marys", prayers became something to be rattled off with lightning speed, and very little actual contemplation. Certainly, I never considered my prayers to be a conversation with God. Prayer was not a dynamic with God, it was a religious duty; to be completed as quickly as possible. It was not until MUCH later, after coming to Christ, that I learned how to draw closer to God in prayer, how to open my heart in prayer, and how to hear God's still, small voice as I really came alive in prayer.

In his book, "If God Talked Out Loud," Clyde Lee Herring presents us with the scenario of somebody coming alive in prayer with God for the first time. There are literally thousands of sites on the internet that use the following piece by Dr. Herring, and most of them give him no credit. Even more emails pass this wonderful story around, and attribute its authorship to Unknown.

 

THE LORD'S PRAYER

This is in two parts, the prayer (in blue type) and GOD (in red type) in response.

*********

Our Father Who Art In Heaven.
Yes?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
But -- you called ME!
Cal led you?
No, I didn't call you.
I'm praying.
Our Father who art in Heaven.
There -- you did it again!
Did what?
Called ME.
You said,
'Our Father who art in Heaven'
Well, here I am.
What's on your mind?
But I didn't mean anything by it.
I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day.
I always say the Lord's Prayer.
It makes me feel good,
kind of like fulfilling a duty.
Well, all right.
Go on.
Okay, Hallowed be thy name.
Hold it right there.
What do you mean by that?
By what?
By 'Hallowed be thy name'?
It means, it means. . .  good grief,
I don't know what it means.
How in the world should I know?
It's just a part of the prayer.
By the way, what does it mean?
It means honored, holy… wonderful.
Hey, that makes sense.
I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before.
Thanks.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Do you really mean that?
Sure, why not?
What are you doing about it?
Doing? Why, nothing, I guess.
I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control,
of everything down here like you have up there.
We're kind of in a mess down here you know.
Yes, I know;
but, have I got control of you?
Well, I go to church.
That isn't what I asked you.
What about your bad temper?
You've really got a problem there, you know.
And then there's the way you spend your money --
all on yourself.
And what about the kind of books you read?
Now hold on just a minute!
Stop picking on me!
I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at church!
Excuse ME.
I thought you were praying
for my will to be done.
If that is to happen,
it will have to start with the ones
who are praying for it.
Like you -- for example …
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups.
Now that you mention it,
I could probably name some others.
So could I.
I haven't thought about it very much until now,
but I really would like to cut out some of those things.
I would like to, you know, be really free.
Good.
Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together -- You and ME.
I'm proud of You.
Look, Lord, if you don't mind,
I need to finish up here.
This is taking a lot longer than it usually does.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
You need to cut out the bread.
You're overweight as it is.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this?
Here I was doing my religious duty,
and all of a sudden you break in
and remind me of all my hang-ups.
Praying is a dangerous thing.
You just might get what you ask for.
Remember,
you called ME -- and here I am.
It's too late to stop now.
Keep praying…  (pause)
Well, go on.
I'm scared to.
Scared? Of what?
I know what you'll say.
Try ME.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
What about Ann?
See? I knew it!
I knew you would bring her up!
Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories.
She never paid back the money she owes me.
I've sworn to get even with her!
But -- your prayer --
What about your prayer?
I didn't -- mean it.
Well, at least you're honest.
But, it's quite a load carrying around all that bitterness
and resentment isn't it?
Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her.
Boy, have I got some plans for her.
She'll wish she had never been born.
No, you won't feel any better.
You'll feel worse.
Revenge isn't sweet.
You know how unhappy you are --
Well, I can change that.
You can? How?
Forgive Ann.
Then, I'll forgive you;
And the hate and the sin,
will be Ann's problem -- not yours.
You will have settled the problem
as far as you are concerned.
Oh, you know, you're right.
You always are.
And more than I want revenge,
I want to be right with You … (sigh).
All right all right …
I forgive her.
There now!
Wonderful!
How do you feel?
Hmmmm. Well, not bad.
Not bad at all!
In fact, I feel pretty great!
You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight.
I haven't been getting much rest, you know.
Yeah, I know.
But, you're not through with your prayer are you? Go on.
Oh, all right.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Good! Good! I'll do that.
Just don't put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.
What do you mean by that?
You know what I mean.
Yeah. I know.
Okay.
Go ahead. Finish your prayer.
For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.
Do you know what would bring me glory --
What would really make me happy?
No, but I'd like to know.
I want to please you now.
I've really made a mess of things.
I want to truly follow you.
I can see now how great that would be.
So, tell me . . .
How do I make you happy?
YOU just did.

______________________________

How's YOUR prayer life? Is it alive? Are you open to God's Spirit moving in you and stirring you up during your time of prayer? Do you pray in the morning? Do you pray at night? What about praying "at all times... in all situations"? Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer, but I suspect that His prayers started off with something like: "Abba... Father...".

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Passion

I have often heard it said that if you are not learning, you are not growing, and if you are not busy growing, you are probably busy dying. 

This week, I present you with an opportunity to learn from a spiritual mentor of mine: Mark Gorman. I have had the great privilege to support Mark’s ministry over the years (in my meager capacity). I have heard Mark speak in churches, auditoriums, and arenas across the country. Mark’s message, his leadership, his faithfulness, his caring, his intelligence, his insight into God's Word, his excitement and enthusiasm, his humor, and most of all... his love... inspires me to follow his lead. He inspires ME to want to share what he teaches me to my family, my church, my community, and the world. Here’s Mark: 

Follow The Leader 

Life is a giant game of "Follow the Leader." In this game, many people believe that, "to be a leader is to have a title." We become obsessed with gaining titles, and increasing our leadership sphere. Unfortunately, the bond between leadership and a name tag that says "Leader" is weaker than most know. You see, people don't follow titles. People follow what inspires them. The tell-tale sign of a leader is not a title, but a lifestyle that inspires others to follow.

When I think of true, inspirational leadership, I think of William Wallace, the main character in Mel Gibson's movie, "Braveheart." In the movie, Wallace is a simple man, with simple ambitions. He was not born into the aristocracy. He was not wealthy or famous. He was not uniquely gifted or talented. He was just like his fellow countrymen in every way, except for one important distinction. William Wallace came to a moment of decision in his life, where he had to choose between what he believed to be right, and what he knew to be safe. It was this decision, away from comfort and towards conviction, which separated him forever from a life of mediocrity.

You see, most people's greatest passion in life is comfort and convenience. But this is not the character that inspires men to greatness. William Wallace held no position in his country's aristocracy, and yet an entire nation followed him. Why? Because when his countrymen looked at the aristocracy, they saw men of comfort and convenience. But when they looked at Wallace, they saw a man of passion. They saw someone who stood for something, and it reminded them that they, too, had something worth standing for. He inspired them to follow.

Your effectiveness as a leader has nothing to do with your title, but with the amount of influence you carry with those around you. John Maxwell says it this way, "Leadership is influence. Nothing more. Nothing less." When people see that you believe deeply, they will want to follow you, because passion influences those who are near it. Are there men and women in your life who inspire you to be a better person? Are there people who would say that you inspire them to be better? People won't "follow the leader" just because of a title, so don't waste anymore time striving for such things. Instead, devote yourself fully to being a person of passion, and others will naturally begin to follow. In the words of John Wesley, "light yourself on fire, and people will come from miles around to watch you burn."

(This devotional is excerpted by permission from Mark's talk entitled, "Becoming A Leader." If you would like to learn more about this or other titles Mark has to offer, you can visit Mark’s site at www.markgorman.com) 

So… how’s your influence? How’s your passion? 

We have a great opportunity for you to grow and learn in the next of our Leadership Workshops coming up on the last Saturday of January (1/31/2009; 9am to 11:30am). This one is: “How to Effectively Communicate in Difficult Situations,” and will be led by Dr. Debra Holland. Come and join us. Come and learn… come and grow… come and share your passion with other leaders… come for a great morning. Did I mention the fantastic food? Now, the people that provide the breakfast and snack goodies are truly passionate about their calling! Come see where the Spirit will lead you. Sign up online, at the Information Booth, call the office, or talk to me. I’ll see you on Sunday, and I’ll be there for the workshop, too. 

Your brother in Christ, 

Dave

Happy New Year!

Thirty five years ago, I bought a very large, and very beautiful conch shell. I had been told that if I cut the end off, I could blow through the resulting hole and create a unique sound. So I bought a diamond saw blade, spent days sawing through the shell (much tougher than I thought), and then cut my lips to ribbons blowing through the hole I created. While it looked pretty smooth, sawing had left tiny jagged edges that pretty much simulated dragging my lips over broken coral. After using polishing grit on the hole for a week, my lips were healed enough for a second try. It sounded pretty weak… but I kept at it, and got better. Now when I lift the shell to my lips, a pure, deep note resonates from the shell. Picture a young Hawaiian standing on a bluff overlooking the village… his rippling muscles catching the last few rays of the setting sun… as he lifts a conch shell to his lips and sounds a beautiful call to the luau with an impossibly long blast on his conch shell horn. That’s what I imagine every time I blow the thing. I know… I know… I have an incredible imagination! Hahaha!!!  

Well, almost every year since then, I have rung in the New Year with long blasts on that conch shell horn… often to the embarrassment of my family. I guess it qualifies as a tradition. Of course, every year there are tens of thousands of people who watch a ball drop in Times Square in New York City; millions more watch it on television. Whatever the tradition, people find ways to celebrate the start of the New Year. 

Now all of this celebrating is being done by those of us who follow the Gregorian calendar. If you are Jewish, the New Year starts on a completely different day. The Chinese New Year is different, too, and so it goes for many of the cultures and people of our planet: different calendars, different New Year’s days, different celebrations, and different traditions. But no matter how we celebrate, one aspect remains the same in all cultures… we say farewell to the old year and welcome in the New Year. We take stock of the things in our lives that haven’t worked out so well, and make resolutions to do better in the coming months of the New Year. We hope for a happier, healthier, more prosperous New Year. We wish each other “Happy New Year,” but in a couple of weeks (months at the most) the resolutions are forgotten, and life continues on pretty much as it had for the past year. 

I have had only one truly memorable New Year’s Day in my life, and it wasn’t on January 1^st… it was on September 4^th, 1988. It was on that day, in Charlotte, North Carolina, that I experienced the first new day in my life. It was close to noon that day when I opened my heart and asked Christ to come into my life. Immediately, Christ came into my life and it was a New Day… a New Year… a New Life! The awesome joy of that moment makes all New Year’s celebrations pale by comparison. Paul knew that joy, and wrote of it in 2 Corinthians 5:17… 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

This is such great news, that Paul ends the sentence with an exclamation point!!! (I may be a bit of an overachiever in THAT department) 

I encourage you to do the following to start this New Year:  read the whole of that Scripture passage     (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).  After you have read it, think about it, pray about it, settle it into your heart,  and then… consider how you might apply that news to your situation. How could that news change what’s happening in Israel and Gaza? How could it change things at work, at church, in your family, perhaps even during your daily commute? 

Make no mistake, I do wish you all the best in the coming year. It’s just that “Happy New Year” seems so shallow and formulaic… when we could be embracing a new brother or sister in Christ, proclaiming with joy and excitement: “Happy New Life!” 

Your brother in Christ, 

Dave