Locking Arms

Photo courtesy of www.lockingarmsmen.org

My last blog post created quite a stir in the comments section of my Facebook page.  Doctrinal beliefs, opinions, and blog links were volleyed back and forth between several very passionate Protestant and Catholic friends of mine.  One friend later asked me if I was offended....

Offended? No.  Disheartened? Yes.

That online shouting match brought to my mind all of the blood spilled between Protestants and Catholics throughout the last five centuries.  One such string of conflicts is known as The Thirty Years War.  Sadly, this war that was waged in central Europe between 1618 and 1648 is described as being "one of the longest, most destructive conflicts in European history" by online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.  This conflict began when the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II of Bohemia attempted to control the religious activities of his subjects, which sparked a very bloody and brutal rebellion between Protestants and Catholics.

And sadly, we Christ followers still do this today.  We might not shed one another's blood, but we volley verbal assaults at each other, much of the time talking past one another, making assumptions, and using God's Word as a weapon to weld against our fellow man.

This should not be.

While it is important to know what we believe and why we believe it, Peter exhorts us to always give an answer for the hope that we have with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

I will close today's post with these wise words from Nelson D. Kloosterman from Worldview Resources International, which I found while reading his book review of Berkouwer and Catholicism: Disputed Questions:

"Cultural threats confronting Christians in the secularized West compel Protestants and Roman Catholics to lock arms, even if they don't hold hands.  Shedding stereotypes is a necessary prelude to conquering the tribalism on both sides that fails to respect the 'other who has become our fellow traveler."

Perhaps, dear friend, we ought to lock arms as brothers and sisters in Christ, point our fingers away from one another and out toward the world where we can step together and serve side-by-side as servant leaders of Christ, loving, serving, and calling out to a lost and hopeless world that is desperate for the hope of the true gospel message.

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Solo vs. Sola

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If you follow my blog, you know that I have been wrestling over the two distinctive tenets of faith that ultimately led to the formation of the Protestant faith: sola fide (faith alone) and sola scriptura (Scripture alone).  In my personal wrestling and research, I have had to confront difficult questions such as:

• Do faith traditions matter?
• If so, how much does tradition matter?
• Who has the final authority--the Church (aka its leaders) or Scripture?

These are no small questions--not for us today, and not for the reformers in the 16th century--but they are essential questions for us to wrestle with if we are truly to understand what we believe as Christians and why.

Let's take a quick look back at 1517, the year that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the doors of the church in Wittenburg.  Now realize that Luther's stance on the authority of scripture over and against Rome had not fully matured at this time--it would be formed out of debates with the Catholic church in the years to come.  One such debate was in 1519 at Leipzig where Luther would debate Johann Eck.  It was here that Eck brought the real issue to the table: who had the final authority...the pope or God's Word?  Eck's stance would claim that Scripture receives its authority from the Pope; Luther would vehemently disagree, stating that Scripture has authority over popes, church fathers, church councils, etc, because they are not inerrant.

Luther's stance, which would come to be known as sola scriptura, would be most famously articulated at the Diet of Worms in 1521, when Luther was told to recant his position.  His response would include the famous line: "Here I stand"... 

"I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. May God help me. Amen."

For me as a modern day Protestant, the story ended here and my lasting impression of the matter could be summarized as this:

Protestants must throw out all Church authority because the Bible stands alone as the sole authority.

As I have grown in the faith, this summation has become most dissatisfying on many levels.  As a Christ follower, I want to look back through church history and glean wisdom from its rich traditions and heritage and from our first, second, and third century church fathers.  I want to reflect upon the mighty creeds of our faith--the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed--and teach them to my children.  Are these creeds right and true? Can I trust biblical interpretation on the individual level?  Is it really necessary to pit the Church against the Scriptures?  

Oh, but dear friend, it does not have to be like this!  For unbenownst to me, this tenet of "sola scriptura" has been warped into "solo scriptura" in many of our Protestant churches.  You see, it is not the Bible alone (SOLO scriptura)--and it never has been!  The men of the Reformation--Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli-- did not pose a strict either/or dilemma: tradition or Scripture.  In fact, we would be wrong to think that the reformers did not value tradition or see it as an authority (albeit subordinate) in some sense.

This article put out by Gospel Coalition has helped me to better understand this crucial difference between the sola scriptura of the Reformation, and the radicalized version of solo scriptura that so many of our Protestant churches purport.  I'd strongly encourage you to read the entire article, but let me quote a bit for you if you don't have the time:

"I wish I could say that all evangelicals today have a crisp, accurate grasp of sola scriptura. I am hopeful that many understand how a Protestant view of Scripture and tradition differs from Rome's position. However, I am less confident that evangelicals understand the difference between sola and solo scriptura, for in some cases the latter is assumed to be the identity of the former.  Consequently, some evangelicals, intentionally or unintentionally, have followed in the footsteps of Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) who said, “I have endeavored to read the Scriptures as though no one had read them before me, and I am as much on my guard against reading them today, through the medium of my own views yesterday, or a week ago, as I am against being influenced by any foreign name, authority, or system whatever.” Ironically, such a view cannot preserve sola scriptura. Sure, tradition is not being elevated to the level of Scripture. But the individual is! As Keith Mathison laments, in this view everything is “evaluated according to the final standard of the individual's opinion of what is and is not scriptural.” To be sure, such a view lends itself more in the direction of individual autonomy than scriptural accountability."

So you see, sola scriptura does not mean that we must throw out the riches of church tradition and history, nor does it mean that we are left only with our individual interpretation of the Scriptures.  It also does not mean we throw out the historic creeds and confessions of the historic church--while they are not infallible sources of divine revelation, they are consistent with Scripture and have withstood the test of time in speaking authoritatively against heresy.  We do not have to throw out the writings of the church fathers--we must simply judge them by the "touchstone of Scripture" and use them as valuable guides in biblical interpretation.  Embracing the true spirit of sola scriptura exhorts us to humbly realize that we are standing on the shoulders of those brave brothers and sisters in the faith who came before us.

So, dear friend, as Protestant believers, we do not have to turn our backs on faith tradition and the church fathers, creeds, and councils, in the name of sola scriptura!  It is not, nor has it ever been, the Bible alone, in that sense.  The Bible as the final authority--yes.  But let us never fall into the trap of pitting the Bible against the Church (or faith against works for that matter) and let us understand the heart of our Christian faith and heritage!

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Unbelievable

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"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians 

who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."  

--Brennan Manning

I was encouraged to read a friend of mine's Facebook status yesterday.  She posted it on Maundy Thursday--the day before Good Friday--the day we reflect upon the Last Supper Jesus shared with His disciples and when He humbled Himself to wash their feet.  It was also the night that Judas left the group and betrayed Jesus, selling him out to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver.

Like my friend pointed out, it is easy for us as believers to "throw stones" and point fingers at Judas.  But upon further reflection and examination of our own lives, how often do we claim to be followers of Christ and then deny His reign and rule in our lives by how we live?  Guilty.

As I've recently discussed, faith without works is dead.  James states this emphatically in the second chapter of his epistle--he says, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."  He continues, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!"  We cannot imagine faith apart from works--you see it does not exist.  James makes it very clear that you show your faith by what you do.  Period.

So let us not be so ignorant as to judge Judas and the actions he took to deny Christ and not see how we--each one of us--are so apt to do the same.  And furthermore, when we realize the wrong we have done (as Judas, too, realized), are we consumed with godly sorrow or worldly sorrow?  Because if our hearts do not truly undergo godly repentance, then we are like Judas in that way, too--and we will not undergo the true heart change that leads to life and restoration.  Instead, like Judas, we will remain unchanged and never be reconciled to our Lord.

Will you take some time this Easter weekend to reflect upon your heart, dear friend?  Will you consider the ways in which you live inconsistently to the truth that you claim to believe?  It may not be fun or easy, but the way of the cross never is!  But let us encourage each other to ask ourselves the hard questions, so that we can better reflect the transformative truth of the gospel in our hearts and lives. The unbelieving world that is so keenly watching NEEDS to see it!

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Sola Fide?

As I've mentioned in the past, there are TWO mighty pillars that support the Protestant faith as birthed through the Reformation--sola fide (faith alone) and sola scriptura (Scripture alone).**

Well, today I'd like to take the time to unpack the second mighty pillar of the Reformation, sola fide (it's only taken eight months since my treatment of sola scriptura!)  This is one I have gone rounds and rounds with while discussing theological matters with my Catholic girlfriends, so let me bring you up to speed.

Basically, when you ask a Protestant believer how we are saved, they would most likely say something to the effect that it is by faith or belief alone.  Conversely, if you were to ask a Catholic believer, they would most likely say something to the effect of "faith and works."  Now, since this response really sticks in the Protestant craw, most of us would begin to whip out multiple Bible verses (usually penned by Paul) that state that salvation is by faith alone, and not works, so that no one can boast, etc, etc.

However, what I realized upon some digging into the Scriptures and reading both Protestant and Catholic resources, was that there was a large bedrock of glorious agreement that we were both talking past, and that is sola gratia, or grace alone (see footnote below).  You see, both camps see that it is all grace: the faith, the works, every bit of salvation and the manifestation thereof in our lives is a result of God's free grace.

This is even seen in the verse that I paraphrased above--let's look at it together:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."     --Ephesians 2:8-10

Did you catch that, dear one?  BY GRACE you are saved.  Okay, so if we can all agree on that (and it would be heretical not to), we will start there--faith and works both stem from GRACE.

Now then, how does that free gift of grace manifest itself?  Well, Paul mentions that above in verse 8--through faith.  Okay, so now we "see" faith show up.  But do we?  Did you notice the quotes I placed around the word "see" in the previous sentence?  You see, faith is something cerebral in a sense--Romans 10:14 states that faith comes from hearing...which comes from preaching...so we must listen and mentally understand and emotionally consent, and in a word, believe what our eyes do not see, but what we are convinced to be true in our hearts (and I use "heart" like the Jews would have--meaning, the seat of our mind, will, and emotions).  So, if we see faith...it must be by works--the things we do and say, how we treat people, how we serve, give, practice our faith, etc.  In fact, I've told many friends that "faith is a verb."  Faith does stuff.  It must!  James unpacks this truth in the second chapter of his epistle when he states that faith without works is dead:

"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."  --James 2:26

I have also heard it said, "You are saved by faith alone but it should never stand alone," rephrasing this principle of James that faith without works is dead.

But, if we were to just take in the earlier verses of this passage of James chapter 2, we see where a true sola fide stance quickly breaks down--let's back up to verse 14:

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!  Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.  And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?  For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."  --James 2:14-26

Okay, so the ONLY place we find the two works "faith" and "alone" in juxtapositon to each other is in a verse that denounces them being together--James is saying in verse 24, which I will repost here:

 "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." (emphasis mine)

Okay, well, now we are in some sticky territory, when we use a battle cry such as "sola fide" which is directly contradicted by James (now I see why my beloved Martin Luther wanted to cut out the book of James and place it in an appendix of his Bible!!  The thought of it!).

Now, we could chalk this up to an issue of semantics and be on our merry way; after all, is not the purpose of theology to ultimately affect our praxeology (human behavior)?  What difference does it make if we are saved by faith alone which gives RISE to works, or saved by faith AND works?  I am not sure, not if it is merely a mincing of words.

All I do know, however, and have blogged extensively about, is that we are not saved by works in the sense of us having to earn our salvation or "earn our keep."  But any theologically informed Catholic believer would dismiss that falsehood as well--like I stated above, they would absolutely agree that it is ALL God's grace--the faith and the works--and we can earn NONE of it!

And another thing I do know, based upon the Scriptures, is that works matter.  Save? No!  Matter? YES!  Look up above again at Ephesians chapter 2.  I posted the passage through verse 10 to highlight the fact that we are saved for good works!!  However, I fear that too many of us Protestants, in an effort to distance ourselves from the perceived "works righteousness" of our Catholic friends, stand so much in the "faith alone" camp that we dismiss or belittle the role of works in our lives. Oh, and this should not be!

Let us get this straight, Protestant friends:  there will be no pop quiz at the end of our lives when we are asked, "Why should I let you into my heaven?" that will depend upon our correct answer (like so many of us purport when proselytizing our non-Christian friends).  No, the Scriptures are clear that at the end of this life is a judgment and that we will be judged according to our WORKS.  Jesus Himself talks about this prolifically and Paul writes about it, too--check out Matthew 25 and 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 for just a sampling.

I hope through this blog post that you get the sense that faith AND works are an important matter, and perhaps one and the same??  If faith without works is dead, than maybe they are two sides to ONE coin, and perhaps we have been treating them inaccurately.  I will continue to pray and ponder these things, and trust that you will as well, dear follower in Christ!


**To be entirely accurate, I must state here that there are in fact FIVE "solas" of the Reformation: sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli deo gloria (the glory of God alone) must be added to the previously mentioned two.  However, I will not be dealing with these on my blog as they as so heartily agreed upon by ALL of Christendom, that they cease to really come into play in my evaluation of Protestantism and Catholicism.

2

You...But Not Your Children

Photo courtesy of www.missmillmag.com

Lately at our breakfast table, I've asked the children to randomly select a portion of Scripture they'd like to read aloud and discuss--it could be from the Old or New Testament, familiar or unknown.  And, let me just say, it has been such a treat to see which delectable portion of God's Truth will minister to us, equip, teach, and refresh us--oh, and yesterday was such a day!

After opening up the table discussion, my son asked for Exodus chapter ten.  Now, most of us guessed that it probably had something to do with the Israelites leaving Egypt, but it was such a powerful portion of Scripture that I'd love to share it with you right now, to my fellow mothers and fathers in the trenches of parenthood.

It opens up with a very familiar scenario--Moses is (once again) asking Pharaoh to release his people so that they may go to worship in the wilderness (remember, we are never freed FROM something without being freed TO something!).  Moses warns Pharaoh about an impending plague of locusts if he refuses to let them go, and then he departs.  We will pick it up here, starting with Exodus 10:7, when Pharaoh's men begin to reason with Pharaoh about Moses' proposal:

"Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” 10 But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. 11 No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence."  --Exodus 10:7-11 (emphasis mine)

Did you see what Pharaoh did there?  He did not outright refuse Moses...but instead offered out a compromise:  you and the Israelite men can go...but not your children.  Oh how the Enemy does this to us today, as parents, dear ones!  He wants to lock up our faith so that we see it as merely a  personal thing...one that need not influence the next generation, for ought they not choose for themselves what to believe?...he reasons.  I'd go so far as to say the Enemy disarms us and distracts us, perhaps even making us busy with "good" things like women's ministries and men's ministries...such that we lose sight of the fact that the very lifeblood of faith is within our homes...what we teach and model and the Truth we impart to our little ones?   Oh, but this may seem so mundane.  Oh, it will probably go largely unnoticed.  It may seem so downright ineffective and inefficient.  Ought we not leave those things for the "professionals" we figure...for our teachers and our children's and youth pastors to tackle? Oh, but not in God's economy!  I am reminded of Moses' exhortation to his people that whatever they do with their children--as they sit and rise, walk together and just go about daily life, we ought to impart God's truth to them:

"5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."    --Deuteronomy 6:5-9

I am glad that Moses refused to compromise with Pharaoh!  As we continue reading Exodus 10, we see that just as he had warned, the plague of locusts descends upon the land with fury.

Will we do the same, dear parent?  Will we refuse to compromise with the Enemy and stay focused upon our task to worship the Lord God alongside of our little ones?  I pray and trust that with the help of the Lord, we will!

(For more on the compromises of Pharaoh, be sure to check out this blog from the archives!  I trust it will encourage your soul!)

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Going to the Mop Bucket

I recently rewatched Annie with my kids, the musical featuring Aileen Quinn as that cheeky little red-headed orphan that I fell in love with when I was little.

But something new struck me this time around, something profound about our relationship with the Lord as believers.

You see, in so many ways, we are like Annie.  Orphaned and estranged from our Father, lost and without hope in our sin.  And yet, somehow by His grace, love and mercy, He chooses us and rescues us to be a part of His family.

He chooses us, not based upon anything we do, say, think, or strive for...but inspite of all these things.

He chooses us and rescues us and takes us out of that miserable orphanage, under the reign of Mrs. Hannigan (err...death and sin) and brings us into His palatial mansion. (Of course, unlike the film, He Himself came to Earth and entered into our "dirty little orphanage"...instead of sending his secretary Grace to do such things that might be beneath Him or a waste of His precious time!)

And when Annie, all disheveled, enters into Oliver Warbuck's house (a house so large and grand that she mistakes it as a train station!), and is asked what the first thing she'd like to do is, she surveys the place with a sweeping glance and then heads straight for...

...the mop bucket.

You see, Annie assumed she has to wash the windows and the floors, and when Grace stops her and says she does not have to clean and do chores, Annie asks incredulously,

"Well, then...how am I supposed to earn my keep?"

Oh, dear friend, how often do we do this as the children of God?!!  How often do we simply forget the grace that has been freely given to us when we were adopted and entered into the family of God...and now feel as though we must earn our keep as His children by all of our works--praying, memorizing Scripture, giving to the poor, serving others, reading our Bibles, etc, etc, etc.

But we get the order of things all mixed up--God calls us into relationship with Him.  Like "Daddy" Warbucks, He does not want us to clean the windows...He would rather us join Him in the pool, or on a helicopter ride to see the President!

Now, do not misunderstand me--these works--these expressions of our faith will most certainly come--but not as a way to "earn our keep" like Annie presumed.  Instead, they will be an outflow of our relationship with God, as our Abba ("Daddy") Father, through His guidance and empowerment through the Holy Spirit.  So let us never head to the mop bucket as children of God, ready to do things to "earn our keep"--instead, let us dare to embrace the lavish and free grace of God and allow Him to empower us to do all of those things through a living and vibrant relationship with Him!

2

Remembrance

A little word is bothering me again.  

That little pesky word "remembrance."

I know I have blogged about it...and I thought I had put it to rest...

But I took another look at my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance today at the Greek word anamnesis ("remembrance") that is found in the Eucharist passages of Luke 22:19 ("this do in remembrance of me") and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 ("this do in remembrance of me"..."as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me").  And strangely enough, this particular Greek word it is found in only one other passage in the New Testament:

"But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year." --Hebrews 10:3

What is peculiar (and downright disconcerting to me) is that this passage speaks in the context of sacrifice.

So this led me to consider the other passages in the New Testament that use the English word "remembrance" but are derived from another, albeit similiar, Greek word, anamimnesko.  This word has a bit broader translation to include, "to remind, to recollect, call to mind, remember."  And the passages which use this particular Greek word are as follows:

• "For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church." --1 Corinthians 4:17 (KJV)**
• Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.--2 Timothy 1:6 (KJV)
• "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions" --Hebrews 10:32 (KJV)

Notice that none of these passages speak in the context of sacrifice.  Instead, they speak to simply recalling, bringing to mind, and remembering. This is the same way that, as a Protestant, I have always interpreted the Eucharist passages of Luke and 1 Corinthians (top of page).

Was Jesus and Paul making a particular, theological point by using the specific Greek form of the word "remembrance"...a word whose only other biblical usage is used in the context of animal sacrifices in the book of Hebrews?  Might they be stating that the Eucharist/Passover meal was to be regarded, not simply as a memorial or an intellectual recalling to mind...but rather an exhortation to "remind yourself of something by participating in a sacrifice"?  Might the Eucharist meal be more of what the Catholic church supports--a transubstantiation of the elements to include Christ's true body and blood on the alter, to partake of during the daily Mass?

And so my wrestling continues, dear friend!  Would you join me as we prayerfully ask for the light of God's Truth to be shed upon our hearts, churches, and lives?  Will you be open to ask real questions from the Scriptures, to strengthen and renew our faith? For I will never pretend to know all the answers to life or the Scriptures, but I am so glad I know the One who does!


**All Scripture is stated in the KJV for continuity sake, as this is what Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is based upon

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Soli Deo Gloria

Photo courtesy of livingwordfreelutheran.org

One of the perks of homeschooling my little ones is that I am able to learn and explore areas of study that I never had exposure to when I was in school.  Some topics of study I've recently enjoyed learning about are the Isolation Period of Japan, the Mexican Revolution, Canadian geography, and baroque composers.

Especially Johann Sebastian Bach.

While I had heard of Bach and been exposed to some of his music growing up, I never knew much about his personal or spiritual life.  Come to find out, he was a very godly man and quite the family man--in fact, he had 20 kids!  He also went to school in the same place in Germany that Martin Luther had, years earlier (how cool would that have been!?).  But what most impressed me about his life and talent was that he would always give God the glory for it.

Before composing the first note, Bach would pray and write the letters "J J" at the top of the page, meaning Jesus Help Me.  And then, at the end of his composition, he would inscribe these words:

Photo courtesy of scientificgems.wordpress.com

Soli Deo Gloria.  

To the Glory of God Alone.

You see, to Bach, music's purpose was for the glory of God.  He is quoted as saying, "The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."

This reminds me of Paul's exhortation to us as believers in the pages of 1 Corinthians 10:31:

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Bach understood this--composing music and enjoying music, can and should be done in God's strength and for His glory.

People today know Bach as one of the most talented and brilliant composers that ever lived.  But it wasn't always so; Johann Sebastian Bach lived in relative obscurity for over 100 years before his work was fully appreciated (it would take his son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, one of four of his sons to go on to become famous composers, for people to take notice of his father's brilliant masterpieces!).  

I am inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's quiet example--to serve, to live, to love and work and play for the glory of God.  Not for fame.  Not for money.  Not working according to my perceived strength and wisdom.  But with a humble spirit, prayerfully asking for Jesus' help to accomplish all things, and then giving God all the glory when the work is done.

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Beholding the Nations

It amazes me how the Holy Spirit gently woos us to prayer.  Prayer lists can be daunting, overwhelming, and feel like...work.  Please don't misunderstand--I am not against writing out prayer lists; in fact, I do this in my ladies' bible study, and my kids keep a list near our breakfast table so we will be reminded to pray for the needs of friends and loved ones.  But how often am I inspired to pray for those things that are not expressed by family and friends, or things I do not see or know about day-to-day?  And how am I to be mindful to stop and pray for those seemingly big and vague things...like a nation?  Especially a nation I have never visited and am unfamiliar with?

Well, apart from keeping a list, or using a book or an app, I don't know how one might be prompted to pray for all.those.things.  But I can tell you how God chooses to prompt me, in those quiet moments of the morning, to pray for people whom He holds dear to His heart:

Photo courtesy of www.lifereference.wordpress.com

Through a steaming cup of coffee.

When I am holding that mug in my hand, and the deep aroma rises up and the warmth meets my face, I am gently prompted to pray for Kenya.
For Ethiopia.
For Peru.
For Brazil.
For Sumatra (and where is that exactly?  I had to look that one up on a map...turns out to be in Indonesia).
For Costa Rica.
For Nicaragua.

Turns out that the Lord brings the nations to me in a simple cup of coffee.  And suddenly it is not just me, bleary eyed in my kitchen, shuffling over to feed the cat, with a mug in hand.  It is a nation that I am suddenly prompted to behold, and consider, and lift up to a Mighty and Holy God.

And suddenly I can see dirt laden fingernails on a worn and tanned hand...


and I can consider a hard-working farmer, turning up the soil in the palm of his hand,

and I can think upon a village high up in the hills, or down in a foliage-dense valley,

and I can almost make out the face of a person picking through those green and brown and red beans, all spread out upon a table...

And I can pray.

Now, don't get me wrong, it is not eloquent.

I don't know where to begin to pray for a nation, so foreign to my own--in truth, I don't know where to begin to pray for my own nation!

Oh, but blessed be the glory of prayer, that it doesn't depend on my feeble attempt at uttering words!

I can just offer up what I have--a barefoot, robe-wearing, slurry of words asking the Lord for His grace, His gospel, His mercy, and His love upon this land that has so graciously given me this steamy brown nectar.

Perhaps you, too, can join me tomorrow morning, with your disheveled hair and your slipper socks...or in your dress clothes if you prefer to imbibe at work (or on the way), lifting up a simple prayer when you hold the warmth of your coffee cup between the palms of your hands.

Do you know where your coffee is grown?  Have you tried single-origin beans?  Oh how fun it is to "taste" each of the nations, to see which ones you like the best.  I love Brazil and Ethiopia!  I enjoyed a hearty cup of Kenya this morning!

Pour a nation into your cup tomorrow, and then pray!

Perhaps a cup of coffee can do more than to give us a boost of energy to meet the demands of our jobs or our kids or our crazy schedule....

....perhaps it can serve to fuel a new and exciting way to pray!

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