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For many Christians, the Lord’s Prayer is almost a standard part of weekly worship.  Many of us never really had to memorize it – it just became part of our memory from sheer repetition.  However, as I strive to increase my own prayer life -  by adding these words to my personal prayer time I have found a renewed sense of order and spirituality.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen

I have been blessed by including this prayer in a variety of ways.

1. Because I include it at the beginning of my prayer time, the Lord’s prayer takes me from the happenings of the world around me, the drive into work (I do my devotions in my office), and the messages that await me and focuses me on the task of prayer.  Divers know that rapidly surfacing from deep depths causes damage.  In much the same way I cannot concentrate on my prayers if I dive in too quickly.
2. This prayer reminds me first and last that my conversations with God are about praise.  I am reminded – and convicted – that no matter what my circumstances  – I must approach the throne of God in praise, in blessings, and humility.  My prayer life is not – and cannot – be about me.
3. The Lord’s Prayer puts my laundry list in order.  “Give me this day my daily bread.”  Whatever I need, whatever my family needs, whatever is on my heart about my circle of friends or colleagues – I must trust that God will provide according to His sovereignty and grace.  “Thy will be done” – in all things.
4. Finally, this prayer reminds me that I am able to lay hold of the promises of the Gospel only because of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  “Forgive me my debts” – and there are many so many that daily choke up my soul.  Along with this forgiveness, though, comes a call to also be forgiving.  I am reminded that my experience of grace is highly dependent upon the amount of grace that I show others.

If you are wrestling with your prayer life – and finding that things just get muddled as you sit down to prayer – I would encourage you to add this routine to your devotions.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever.  Amen!

It has been a week of sickness at my house.  Our little girl has RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) – a potentially dangerous infection of her respiratory system.  My wife and I both have colds – the annoying kind that just wears one out without much external symptoms.  If our house was a ship – we would be flying a yellow flag and anchored outside the harbor.

There is no treatment for RSV or the common cold.  They are both virus related.  The only thing that can be done is treat things symptomatically.  Breathing treatments, Tylonol, and nasal suction for the baby – and Advil Cold and Flu for the adults.  Our baby is doing fine – and responding well to things.  Her parents on the other hand…

All this leads me to reflect upon Jesus’ conversation with the wise teacher of the Law.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”…But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. -John 3:5,21

Unlike my virus – which is now firmly and comfortably at home in my nasal passages – there are things in our lives that cannot be treated symptomatically – however hard we try.  There are support groups for every kind of addiction. Government programs for childhood obesity.  Self-help books to give us a better and brighter self-image.  And in the end – while all these things can be helpful – none of them really accomplish a thing.  We can treat the alcoholism, we can stop looking at dirty pictures on the net – but unless the underlying sin is brought to bay – nothing lasting will be brought about.  Self-help books, support groups, or just plain willpower will not change nor heal what is beyond help -  our very souls.

In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus was adamant about the impossibility of seeing the Kingdom of God without first treating the underlying problem – our inherent  sinfulness.  To further compound the problem – the only way that disobedience can be taken care of is to throw out everything and start again.  The old nature won’t work – and cannot be patched  – that is  Christ’s message.  Unless we are born again by the Spirit of God – not wiped clean but MADE clean – then we will never see the Kingdom of God – in this lifetime nor the next.

Only then – when the old has been destroyed and the new in place – then can we do the things that will bring us out of darkness.  Only with the imperishable seed of Christ can we  see our problems for what they are – sinfulness   Only with the Spirit can we overcome these problems – not for our own health – but for the greater glory of God.

Where are you today?  Have you struggled constantly with actions and attitudes – but never seem to get peace?  Do you replace one addiction with another, or go from program to program seeking happiness.  Quit trying to treat it symptomatically – it cannot be done.  Seek instead the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

Off to take another Advil…

An 8 year old boy in Oregon gets suspended from school because he brought a 4 inch plastic toy gun to school – a toy gun that is part of an action figure’s lineup. School officials defended the principal, stating that she followed policy.  (KPTV) Yet another example of the idiocy of zero tolerance.

When we look to the Law of God, we often think that God is indeed the original author of zero tolerance. “Lest ye die” is riddled all through the Law. But, a careful examination of Scripture finds an amazing amount of room for grace and common sense. Murders were to be put to death. (Ex. 20:3) However, the Law also setup cities of refuge for those who accidently – without premeditation or malice – kills another. The determination of guilt or innocence in such a case was left to the elders of these cities. (Joshua 20:2 – 6) The Law determined that one must not be clean in order to observe the Passover, yet at the same time allowed for accidental exposure. (Numbers 9:6 – 10) Adultery is a sin punishable by death, yet Jesus told the repentant woman to go and live her life. (John 8:11) Clearly, our God has laid out a system of rules, regulations, and moral codes – enabling us to live as people of God. While the breaking of these Laws leads to serious consequences, it is also clear that God intended the elders and rulers of the community to apply that Law with love and grace as well.

A student who brings an actual gun to school should be punished – along with his parents. A student who brings a toy that looks like a realistic gun should be talked to – then handed over to his parents. An 8 year old who brings a 4 inch toy gun that is clearly not a weapon of any sort should be allowed to go play. Instead, the boy gets suspended, and it goes on his permanent record. What idiocy.

Contact the Portland School Board to express your desire that they change their minds – and to institute a common sense – and Godly – policy.

By repeatedly issuing statements and holding seminars, Evangelical Christians gave DaVinci Code author Dan Brown a tremendous amount of free advertizing for what was a mediocre movie at best. By railing and decrying the Tim Tebow commercial, liberal women’s groups did the same for what turned out to be a very tame commercial.

Just go back and read the headlines: Women’s groups call for CBS to pull Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad (LA Times), Stop Anti-Choice Super Bowl Ad (Women’s Media Center), Tell CBS that using the public airwaves to promote an anti-abortion message will lose the network both respect and business (Feminist Majority Foundation). These are just a few of the organizations that rallied and pushed CBS – to no avail – to pull the ad from the network.

I imagine somewhere at CBS today a savy ad exec is telling her bosses, “See, I told you so.” What in fact was a very tame – and a little hooky – ad became a national event. I – like countless others around the nation – stayed glued – looking for that one commercial. If there had been no pre-game angst about the ad – it probably would have gone unnoticed by most. It was the first set of commercials – following a somewhat funny commercial starring Betty White and Abe Vigoda. It would have been lost in the endless commercialism – and alcoholism – that marks this annual meeting of the gridiron titans. Instead, this 30-second, white background, country music commercial will probably land in the top ten.

I imagine the blogs and airwaves will be crowded with spins and backpeddling. From the Huffington Post:

After much anticipation, the ads have now been released — and the Heisman winner tackles his mother! They do not contain any overtly pro-life message and are tamer than many may have expected. The ads mostly consist of Pam Tebow, Tim’s mother, talking about her son. The former Florida quarterback only speaks at the end of the commercials. (Tim Tebow SUPER BOWL AD VIDEO: See Tebow TACKLE Mother Pam)

Focus on the Family – who sponsored the ad – is a pro-life group committed to the very serious problem of unwanted pregnancies. This commercial, however, focused on the tenacity of a mother to give birth to a child in a very uncertain situation. It was a commercial about the strength of mothers, of their commitment to their children, and the joy of families. Hard to find the hyped-up hate there.

So, thanks Dan Brown for showing us that conservatives can give voice to something that should have just been ignored. And – thanks Women’s Media Center, Feminist Majority Foundation, and others – for not learning that lesson.

A California mayor just found out something that future politicians will take for granted – any profession of a faith in Christ will bring down the wrath of Muslim and anti-religious groups.

According to Fox News – Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris stated at a private meeting that he is “growing a Christian community.” The event in question was made at a gathering of Christian ministers – a meeting which he paid for himself. This same mayor is sponsoring a ballot proposal that would bring unrestricted prayer back into schools.

CAIR – Council on American-Islamic Relations – has asked for a formal investigation into the matter. They like neither the statement that the mayor made at the meeting, nor the fact that the prayer ballot does not restrict the mention of Jesus Christ. I have no doubt that if the ballot mentioned Islamic prayers – CAIR would not have a problem.

The growing fact is that American politicians are under increasing pressure to hide their Christian faith. How many times at Christmas do we hear about towns forced to take down Christmas symbols – all to avoid costly lawsuits – even though the vast majority of the town is Christian. We hear about politicians who profess a personal faith – but go overboard not to be a Christian witness in their votes. Now a mayor is taking heat because he would like to see a “Christian community” as a result of his time in public office.

Christians in this country need to continue to elect Christians to office. We need to support them – prayerfully, financially, and personally – as they seek to serve Christ through public office. We must let our Christian brothers and sister know that the last thing we want from them – and the worst thing they can do in service of the Kingdom – is to keep their faith quiet.