Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”  I Kings 19:11-12

Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? This was the title of a speech given by Edward Lorenz, mathematician and meteorologist. Lorenz pioneered the concept of the chaos theory. “In the chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.” In other words, the idea that small causes may have effects in weather.

Johann Gottlieb Fichte had a similar thought in the 1800s when he wrote, “you could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby…. changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole.”

The Butterfly effect is often used as a metaphor that the existence of seemingly insignificant moments alters history and the shape of destiny. Instead of a “chaos theory,” what if we applied the butterfly effect spiritually?

Paul understood the butterfly effect of sin. Romans 5:12 tells us of the impact of Adam and Eve’s choice that has rippled through the ages. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned.”

The butterfly effect of faith is incalculable. “One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4) Edward Kimball lived a simple life, had no formal education but was a passionate follower of Jesus and a faithful Sunday School teacher. It was in the backroom of a shoe store that he led a young man by the name of Dwight L. Moody to faith in Jesus Christ. Over the years, Moody shared the Gospel with millions, both in the United States and England.

It was in a little chapel in England where Moody preached that the young pastor, F.B. Meyer was inspired to change his ministry approach. Over the course of time Meyer had the opportunity to preach in America where another pastor, J. Wilbur Chapman was motivated, upon hearing Meyer, to move into full time evangelism. In one of Chapman’s crusades a young baseball player, Billy Sunday accepted Jesus as his savior. Sunday later took over Chapman’s ministry, preaching the gospel to thousands. In one of Sunday’s crusades, Mordecai Ham came to faith. Later on, Ham was called to preach in a tent crusade in Charlotte, North Carolina where a young man by the name of Billy Graham came to faith. It is estimated over 2.2 billion people heard the gospel through Graham’s ministry. The butterfly effect of one Sunday School teacher over the course of decades!

Can you imagine if we applied the butterfly effect to prayer? Unleashing the power of prayer to impact family, friends, communities and nations for Christ. The impact would be both life-changing and life-giving.

You may be frustrated with the ineffectiveness of our political leaders. Imagine the butterfly effect as you pray “the king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)

You may be burdened with the cultural changes leading away from God. Imagine the butterfly effect as you pray “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!” (Ezekiel 33:11)

You may be overwhelmed with the staggering hopelessness in places like Afghanistan and Haiti. Imagine the butterfly effect as you pray that “The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Psalm 9:9

The butterfly effect is not a theory when it comes to the realm of spiritual things. The spiritual butterfly effect was working long before our generation lived on earth. I know from personal experience of the spiritual butterfly effect.  I know that a faithful preacher preached the gospel that changed my life for eternity. I know that a loving Mother took her little boy to church every week. I know that many faithful Sunday School teachers taught me to love God and His word. I know dedicated school teachers taught me from a godly perspective.

Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings set off a spiritual awakening around the world?

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

 

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth my strike terror no more.” Psalm 10:17-18

I am overwhelmed by the news from Afghanistan – watching video clips of Afghans clinging to a C-17 desperately trying to escape, much like people jumping from burning buildings trying to escape the flames. How desperate does one have to become to place their hope for survival in what couldn’t save?

When I started this weekly blog my only desire in writing was to encourage people and always point to Jesus. I know without a doubt that He is the ultimate source of hope and salvation. However, I am finding words inadequate to express the events over the last few days related to Afghanistan. I will leave it to you to debate the merits of the action, the timing of withdrawal and whether the United States should have stayed or gone.

What I do feel as a follower of Jesus Christ is that I now have a greater responsibility to pray for the voiceless, the fragile, the vulnerable and the small Christian remnant in Afghanistan. We know our God is far greater and more powerful than the current world events unfolding before us. The late Richard Halverson, who served as chaplain of the U.S. Senate, said of prayer, “Intercession is the truly universal work for the Christian. No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out.”

A good friend who served in that area with her family shared a most thoughtful reflection on the situation. “Hope is fragile. Anyone who cared for the people of Afghanistan, particularly those who felt called to go serve among them in some capacity, suspected the precarious peace might not last. One Christian woman who lived there at that time observed, “I said I don’t want to die in Afghanistan. But the fact is that when I went to Afghanistan, I had already died.” Dying to self is at the very heart of Christian discipleship. And no one understands it quite like followers of Jesus living in contexts of extreme persecution.” – Tina Boesch

The events in Afghanistan and Haiti, among the many seemingly hopeless situations around the world, reflect the futility of placing one’s faith in worldly structures. My prayer is that our nation will never experience the total collapse of our government. Yet each of us at some point will experience individual collapse from sickness, aging, family conflicts, jobs. Only in God will we find our way home.  “It’s when the Red Sea is before you, the mountains are on one side of you, the desert is on the other side, and you feel the Egyptian army closing in from behind that you experience His power to open up an escape route. He has power to do the supernatural, the unthinkable, the impossible” – Anne Graham Lotz (The Joy of My Heart)

Though I feel a soul deadening frustration, I know the God I worship is able beyond all measure to carry the broken souls through this season. I invite you to listen to the words of A Song of Lamentation by Steve Schallert. (click here to listen) Let the words of this song become a prayer for the voiceless and to lament with them their pain.

Jesus

God of the poor

Liberator

Friend of the weak

 

Jesus

Light of the World

These weary bones

Tremble and weep

 

Heal every heart

Heal every soul

Heal this violence we carry

The blood in the soil

 

There is blood in the soil!

There is blood in the soil!

There is blood in the soil!

There is blood in the soil!

 

Lord we don’t know the words to voice yet we trust You to know. We trust You to care for the oppressed, the hurting, the fragile and the hopeless. We trust You to guide us to in these days on how to show Your love. Amen

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

Living Life “as a Character” or “with Character”

“For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” Psalm 11:7

“…and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Romans 5:4

How are you living life; as a character, or, with character? The dictionary lists multiple definitions for the word character:  “moral or ethical strength; integrity; fortitude; reputation” or as a “person who is peculiar or eccentric.” You can also be the actor who becomes the character “portrayed in a drama, novel or other artistic piece.”

It seems our modern culture is producing more who are characters than those with character. Steve Carter, in an interview, shared that “we push competency again and again over the development of our character.” Carter had a front row seat to character issues when he replaced Bill Hybels as pastor of Willow Creek Community Church following the surfacing of numerous allegations against Hybels.

Over the last few days, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned his office after the release of findings from multiple investigations into sexual misconduct. In his parting interview he gave as his rationale; “In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have — no excuses.”

Flawed characters are on display whether in the world of church life, politics, business, Hollywood or your neighborhood. Household names that were once revered are now in tatters because of a misshaped character. Their character sought after fame, fortune and power. Singer Whitney Houston said, “Success doesn’t change you. Fame does.” The writer of Proverbs says in 4:19, “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over.”

Yet, for as many broken vessels that you can name, there are countless others who strive to live with character. Character that has long-lasting impact is never forged in darkness. “The ability to see and the practice of seeing God and God’s world come through a process of seeking and growing in intimacy with him. God is seen by those who long for him.”—Dallas Willard

Legendary coach Bobby Bowden died this past week and in all the tributes about his career, the success of his football program and the insane statistics produced, it was his faith that garnered the most attention. One of his former quarterbacks, Danny Kanell wrote, “those numbers pale in comparison to the number of lives Bobby Bowden impacted for eternity. He was more preacher than coach. More father figure than mentor. More friend than teacher. It’s important to know WHY he was kind and thoughtful. It was not to recruit or get favorable press. He was who he was because of his relationship with Jesus. A lot of Christians preach one thing but live another. Coach Bowden lived his faith daily. That is his legacy.”

Living with character is possible as we grow in intimacy with God. My desire is to live life with character but I know daily that I have to let God continually shape me for Him. One of my life verses and prayers come from Psalm 69:6. “Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of hosts; do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me, O God of Israel.”

“What a character.” or “What character!” Your choice. How are you living life? As a character or with character.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” John 17:18

 

Followers of Jesus are never left to wander hopelessly in a desert, trying to find their way. Rather, they are the sent ones, going into the world on mission for and with God. No two lives look the same or are assigned the same God-given task.  Yet in the going, they are on mission – a mission that brings hope, life and presence.

Henri Nouwen wrote that “Each of us has a mission in life. Jesus prays to his Father for his followers. We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we have to choose how, where, and with whom to live. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.”

Jesus understood living life on mission. His prayer in John 17 reveals the depth and purpose of his mission. He understood and accepted the task that God had given him. Now He is at the point of completing His task and praying for His disciples. The tasks will be unique but each will undertake to carry out their God-sized task of being the sent ones.

Past generation Olympic runner Eric Liddell grasped his mission for God. He shared that “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Liddell channeled his running glory into his missionary calling to China and ultimately dying in a concentration camp to glorify God.

Current Olympic swimmer Caeleb Dressel is finding his life mission in that “It’s the reason I’m in the sport—not just to go fast times, but to inspire people and show them where I find my happiness with what God’s given me.” “Swimming is my life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is what I’m supposed to be doing, and God gave me the talent, and I’m going to do that for him…”

Finding one’s mission in life may not be through Olympic glory but the dark nights of cancer. Liberty University graduate Jane Marczewski, who goes by the stage name Nightbirde found herself on the America’s Got Talent stage. She probably wouldn’t have chosen to battle cancer yet in this God-sized moment she was able to sing her original song, It’s Ok and through singing encourage and inspire thousands. “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy,” going on to say, “I have a 2 percent chance of survival, but two percent is not zero percent. Two percent is something, and I wish people knew how amazing it is.”

“In the daily rhythms for everyone everywhere, we live our lives in the marketplaces of this world: in homes and neighborhoods, in schools and on farms, in hospitals and businesses, and our vocations are bound up with the ordinary work that ordinary people do. We are not great shots across the bow of history; rather, by simple grace, we are hints of hope.” – Steven Garber

Living our lives daily on mission comes with the promise and provision of Jesus’ closing words of unity.  Let the years of our lives always be lived as years on a mission.

“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

God is great,

Pastor Lynn