Monday, February 13, 2006

Hello, Hello? Is There Anybody Out There?


1 Timothy 2:1
"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know."

I get on a plane filled with people I don't know going places I can only imagine. I eat pre-packaged food with ingredients I don't want to know. I watch a movie which is semi-amusing. I read a book purchased at the airport convenience store. Nothing I would normally read, mind you, but something to pass the time. The plane crosses through two time zones and I end up in a strange airport, not knowing which direction to walk.

And so I begin to follow the crowd. I go where most people go. I end up at a place where I must choose where to go. I don't need to go with everyone else to the baggage claim, as I am a smart traveler and use only carry-ons. But this leaves me basically alone. So, I call my hotel and ask them how to get there. They tell me of the shuttle. I take it. I get to my room. And according to local time, it's already late by their standards. By mine, it's early morning. I'm tired. The sounds of the fluorescent lighting in the hotel lobby buzz at the fringe of my brain, giving me the feeling I'm in a Greyhound Bus Station at three in the morning.

Finally, I fall into my bed. The snores begin within moments. I'm certain my neighbors did not sleep as soundly as they had wished once I arrived. Either that, or their dreams were filled with the sounds of logs being sawed. Maybe my snoring caused them to dream of some madman with a chainsaw? The thought brings a smile.

Morning comes. What do my neighbors do first thing? Well, if they dreamed of what my snores may have caused them to dream, I'll bet they prayed first thing this morning! What did I do? Nothing so spiritual, I must confess. Nope. I located the coffee pot and brewed some...double strength, trying to rouse myself for the day and face it with some semblance of awareness.

What's the first thing you do each day? For me, I can honestly tell you that often I do not pray first thing. Often I hop into the shower, or take care of the children, or brew some coffee. But this is changing. More and more, I'm remembering to say "Good morning" to Jesus when I first realize consciousness. More and more...and when I do this, my day is usually very different from my coffee-first-thing mornings. On the days when I pray first, I've started my day, inviting God to be a part of it.

I didn't always know how to do this. I didn't always understand prayer.

Prayer seems so often to be just a time when we ramble on to God about the goings on of our day. Prayer is often just a list of "God blesses." To many, prayer is sometimes just a list of thank Yous. And to others, prayer is sometimes just a list of requests.

I think prayer is pretty illusive to most people. I think many people don't really understand what they're doing, how to do it, or even why they're praying. I think that many people feel like their prayers go unanswered and that prayer is more like a broadcast than a two-way radio, firing our requests randomly into the cosmos hoping that someone, somewhere will answer. We don’t really expect an answer, do we? So often our prayers are like those giant satellite dishes those SETI folks use as they scan the universe for signs that we're not alone. They send their messages with wishful thinking, rather than with joyful expectancy.

Jesus prayed. He knew its importance. Regularly, Jesus got away from everybody, got down on His knees, and He prayed to His Father. Yes, He did ask for things. But more than anything, Jesus listened for the will of His Father. He expected answers.

There is a difference between the prayers of our heads and the prayers of our hearts. The prayers which issue forth from our heads are logical, rational, and usually come off of some sort of a list. The prayers which bust out of our hearts are usually messy, unorganized, and are the cry of our souls. Our heart prayers are often unspoken. But when the words do come, they come unbidden...un-looked for...sometimes as a surprise. They spill forth in a jumble of emotional and soul-wrenching passion.

Head prayers are controlled. Heart prayers can't be controlled. Head prayers speak safely. Heart prayers speak dangerously. Head prayers lack feeling. Heart prayers drip with the sentiments of the soul. Head prayers assume a God who listens to copy down our list, bestow a cursory blessing, and then check that item off said list. Heart prayers assume a God who listens tenderly, who will sometimes say yes, sometimes no, sometimes wait, and sometimes that His grace must be sufficient. Head prayers are monotone. Heart prayers are harmonious and dissonant all at the same time. Head prayers are stoic. Heart prayers cry tears of sorrow and joy.

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, tells Timothy that the first thing that he wants Timothy to do is pray. He doesn't just say this in a list of things that are important to do. He lists it as the first thing. In other words, it's of the highest importance. It is more urgent to pray than to do anything else. This is drop-everything kind of stuff. Before you preach, pray. Before you go there, pray. Before you eat, pray. Before you even get out of bed, pray. Before you do anything in Jesus' name, pray. And pray from your heart. Let it go. Pray from the depths of your very soul. There is nothing to hide before Your Father. He wants to have a relationship with you which goes beyond words on a list. He wants to know the struggles and the joys. He wants to reveal to you His plan for Your life. If you keep praying with your head only, you will never hear the voice of God, because He won't fit on to your list. If you start praying with your heart, you will come to know the voice of the Father and recognize when He is speaking to you of His will for your life.

When you pray, realize that God indeed answers every prayer and like Jesus, expect answers. However, the answers are not always what we'd prefer. Then again, when has a life of faith ever been about what we prefer? I believe these are the four answers we receive from God when we pray:

"Yes. This is what is best for you, My child. And because you ask out of your faith, with a broken heart and pride, what you ask for shall be yours. I am glad to grant this request because I know that it honors Me and blesses you."

"No. I’m sorry, although you may not be able to see it, this request isn’t a good idea. It may be later. Or, it may never be, but for now, you're going to think I'm not answering. And that's because the answer is no." Garth Brooks sings a song which speaks directly to this: "Sometimes I thank God, for unanswered prayers. Remember when you’re talkin’ to the Man upstairs, that just because He doesn’t answer don’t mean He don’t care. Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers."

"Wait. Not now. You’re not ready. The situation isn’t right yet. I have more things to prepare in your life. There are things you don't see...things you don't yet understand. I need to fire you longer in My kiln to prepare you to withstand the pressures you must face." This is exactly the answer I received from God when I was praying for Him to send me to do a new church start. For almost two years, my answer to my prayers was "Wait."

The final answer God gives to us in prayer is: "My grace is sufficient. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there are times when obedience is all I ask. In some of these times, it will seem as if I’m not there. It will seem like I don’t care or hear the cries of your heart. But in these times, all you need to know is that the grace I have given to you in My Son Jesus is sufficient…it’s enough. Trust in it…trust in Me. Be obedient. Submit your will to Mine. This is probably the hardest answer I will give to you in prayer, because it’s ultimately about obedience…being obedient to Me. You need to know that My grace is sufficient for you, My dear child. I died for you on the cross, and in the end, that will be enough because through that, you will receive My most precious gift, My grace which will bring to you an eternity spent with Me."

Pray today. Don't stop praying. Pray at work, in school, on the bus, in your car. Pray in the shower! Pray at meal times. Pray at bed times. Pray at all times. Pray. Pray hard. Pray soul prayers--heart prayers. Pray standing up. Pray sitting at your desk. Pray on your knees. Pray later. Pray right now.

And remember that so very much of prayer is listening.

What will this day hold for you, my dear friend? I have no idea…you have no idea. But God does. So why don't you talk to Him about it?

Be WILD For Christ!

Shane Burton

Monday, February 06, 2006

Please Pass The Salt


Monday, February 6th, 2006
Matthew 5:13
"Let Me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage."

My dad was a salt-aholic. Big time. One year, for his birthday, the neighbors bought him a large block of salt...a salt-lick--the kind you put out in the woods for deer. And he didn’t bat an eye. He didn’t see the problem! Now, don't get me wrong. I like salt too. Some have accused me of the same thing. However, I've seen my dad use salt. And I use salt nothing like he does. When my dad says, "Please pass the salt," you might as well get the container of Morton from the cupboard. Imagine seeing a nice plate of tuna hotdish. Mmmm...needs a little salt and pepper, right? You sprinkle a little on. Then you notice my dad. He picks up the salt shaker you so quickly abandoned and begins to shake. He works himself into a frenzy, breaking a sweat upon his brow, using the force of the up and down motion of his arm to propel the crystallized NaCl2 from its home in the shaker to its new environment of: one can of tuna-fish, one can of cream of mushroom soup, and some boiled noodles. As you watch, you are reminded of another form of white crystals...snow. And as snow falls gently to the ground, building upon itself to blanket the ground in fluffy white, so does the sodium-chloride fall gently to its bed of tuna hotdish, blanketing it in fluffy white.

There is now an almost solid layer of salt residing on the hotdish. Can you imagine biting into it? I'm thinking it's going to be crunchy. And that much salt...you'd think a guy would gag, wouldn't you? Not my dad. He likes salt.

Salt adds flavor. And apparently, tuna hotdish doesn't have enough flavor for my dad.

And apparently, the world does not have enough flavor for Jesus. Because here in this passage, He tells His disciples the meaning of their existence. Haven't you wondered the same? "Why am I here?" The answer is right here in Matthew 5. Jesus says, "Let Me tell you why you're here." He says we're here to be salt. We're here to bring out the true flavor of this earth. On its own, it's a little bland. But add some salt and there ya go. MMMmmmm...

I want you to imagine that you have three containers in front of you. They all have little white crystals in them. Curious, you wet your finger and dip it into the first one. You know immediately what is in the first dish by its sweet taste. You've dipped your finger in sugar. Now you try the second container. The contents of the second container are also immediately recognizable by the sharp bite of flavor on your tongue. Salt. And now you dip your finger in the third container. You taste the white crystals. And you taste nothing. You have no idea what this stuff is.

I think so often as people of faith, who believe in Jesus, we would rather be sugar. We want people to like us. We want to be "shiny-happy-Christians-holding-hands." We don't want to offend and so we say fluffy-sweet things like: "All you have to do is be a good person." Or, "All paths lead to the same place." Nothing we say has any bite to it. It is simply sweet-tasting. But that sweet taste is just so much deception, hiding a difficult reality. We want people to like us and not be offended, and so we soften the Message of Jesus so that it hits about as hard as a Nerf ball.

However, we'd often rather have no flavor, than be salty. Often, we'd rather just fade into the background, un-noticed than stick out as different, or convicted. Because my friends, if you have convictions--things in which you strongly believe—you will stand out. You will be offensive to someone. You will be salty.

Salt does three things: it adds flavor, stings, and melts snow and ice.

Salt adds flavor. And without flavor, what's the point? If you have convictions, you will have flavor. If you are living your faith, you will have a taste. If you are proclaiming Jesus' Message, you will leave a salty-aftertaste in the lives of the people with whom you are in contact.

Salt stings in wounds and in eyes. John Wesley, a pastor from the eighteenth century, used to say, "If I have not offended someone in my preaching, then I have not been faithful to the Message." Not everyone is ready for the flavor you will bring as a Christian. Not everyone is ready to take seriously the kind of life Jesus calls us to live. Not everyone is ready to give up that which is most dear to them. Not everyone is ready to give up their insecurities. Not everyone is ready to follow Jesus, in the ways He has called us to because it means such a radical surrender of ourselves and our preferences. Salt stings...it has a bite to it.

Salt melts snow and ice. And isn't that what the Message is supposed to do? Isn't the Message supposed to melt the snowy, icy hearts of those who have not yet fallen in love with Jesus...who have not yet come to know that Jesus has fallen in love with them?

Sometime today, go and get some sugar, some flour, and some salt. Put them side by side. Now dip your finger into all three and taste them individually, and then think of the kind of Christian you will be.

Will you be sweet, offering a fluffy Gospel without standards or convictions? Will you have no flavor at all, bringing a dry, empty, lifeless Message to a world begging to hear more? Or will you be salt? Will you stand as Jesus has called you and proclaim His name to a world crying out for a Savior? Will you boldly stand with humility, telling this questioning world that there is one Answer above all others, and His name is Jesus?

Be salt, my friends. Bring forth the God-flavors of this earth. Things have been far too bland for far too long. Somebody, anybody...please pass the salt!

Be WILD For Christ!


Shane Burton