Two Questions

See if you recognize any difference in these two questions:

Question 1: What can I do to experience God?

Question 2: Where does God encounter me?

How do you feel about these questions?

Do you like one, or the other more?

What’s the difference?

Why does it matter? Does it matter?

Let me know what you think. Hit “Comments” below.

just pray

If I was to describe a place on a trail that I regularly go for walks on where you can see horses in the field with the Fraser River and Coastal Mountains rising up behind it all, it’s going to have extra feeling and meaning to you because you have been there before. If you haven’t been there and seen this lovely pastoral scene you might just shrug your shoulders and say, “sounds nice,” or worse yet you might just get bored and walk away. The best way to appreciate something, learn something, or experience something is go and see it and experience it for yourself.

The best way to learn how to pray - is to pray. When it comes to prayer, God and experience are the best teachers. As we engage ourselves in prayer, he will take us ever deeper into our hearts, and into his heart. As we pray we'll learn more and more about ourselves and about God. He will gradually teach us to pray, and transform our hearts and minds in the process.

I was reading James Finley's "merton's palace of nowhere" right on the heals of reading St. John of the Cross' "Living Flame of Love" for a course I am taking, and it hit me that I will never really understand what these guys are writing about unless I pray. They are describing places on a map that I have never been to. The little I can understand comes from my own experience with the Lord in prayer. Quite frankly the rest makes no sense at all!

Finley says that Merton once said to him:

the Church and the world do not need people to talk about prayer, think about prayer, write about prayer, nearly as much as they need people to pray.*

learning to pray: pray

* "merton's palace of nowhere" by James Finley

Perfection in Prayer

Prayer is not about perfecting a technique. I have had a tendency to focus on technique, or get frustrated when times of prayer are cluttered with mental distractions, or dryness. The danger in naming a blog "learning to pray" is that it can give the impression that prayer is something to be perfected. Prayer is part of a dynamic relationship with a living God. God never changes, but we do, therefore the way we pray and communicate with God and the way he communicates with us is never the same.

I want it to be clear that learning to pray is part of the process of transformation, and the fruit of this process is experiencing a loving God and loving others.

I know a lot of Christians like order, and I hate to disappoint them, but in my experience with the things of Spirit, Spirit is unpredictable and messy. Learning to pray is not a linear process and for some people the unpredictability of learning to pray is going to drive them nuts. It's so important not to judge each individual prayer time. We need to stay committed to the unpredictable, unfolding, process of transformation and grace that takes place when one commits oneself to learning to pray.

The way we pray will probably change over time. The way we pray is slightly different for everyone. No two Prayers are exactly the same! Go through the Bible sometime and look at all the different ways people prayed.

Daniel got down on his knees three times a day to pray. Peter prayed on his roof at lunch time. Jesus would disappear into the wilderness to pray. Ezekiel was told to lay on his left side for 390 days and then on his right side for 40 days!!!

If you are in a good groove, stick with it, but always be open to Spirit when you pray. I have discovered that the way, or ways I pray are unfolding as I have tried to listen to Spirit and tried things from authors and people I know are mature in their faith. It takes a lot of trial and error and openness to Spirit. It takes confidence in a loving God, who, as one author said in regard to prayer, loves us most of all, perhaps, when we try and fail.

A Good Story

One thing about the evangelical community is we love a good story. Heck, I love a good Kingdom story and hope to share a lot more of them here in this blog. I wish I could tell a lot of sensational stories week after week about how the heavens open up day after day and angels come and meet me as I pray, but it just wouldn’t be true.

The truth is I sit in my chair a couple of times day, and I struggle to stay present and open to God, and maybe for a few brief seconds, if I’m lucky, I know in my heart that I am in the loving presence of God. Most of the time not much happens as I pray that I am all that conscious of. The only thing I have to go on is my wife and my friends noticing that I have changed a little; that I seem to be a little more at peace, and a little happier. I have also noticed that I handle situations differently. Situations that caused me a lot of stress, or anger in the past, don’t seem to get to me as much as they used to, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Contemplative prayer has taught me to not buy the religious guilt trip any more. Whether it be over social justice, experiences of the Holy Spirit, reading my Bible more, evangelism, etc. Do miracles happen in my life, is it important to read my Bible, feed the poor, and tell others about the love of God? Yes, and in one way or the other I have been involved, or hope to be involved in all of these things in the future. Do I see evidence, and experience the Holy Spirit in my life? All the time, but I no longer cling to these experiences, and then tell other people they need to do this or that to be whole, or accepted by God. WE ARE ALL ACCEPTED AND LOVED BY GOD - PERIOD.

Prayer teaches me to let go of everything, including experience and religious guilt trips, and simply love God for who he is rather than what he can do for me. God loves me just as I am – weeds and wheat. Amazing kingdom stuff is going to happen, and is happening, but not because I force it to happen out of guilt and shame. It’s going to happen because God loves this broken world and he wants to share that love through me to whoever is open to it at any God ordained time.

I am “in the river” and good and bad stuff is happening all of the time, just like it did in the life of Jesus. Prayer teaches me how to handle it all more like him.

learning to pray: Let go of any religious guilt or shame.

How Great Thou Art

learning to pray: On your next walk, hike, or boating trip take the words for the hymn "How Great Thou Art" with you. Here's a sample that spoke to me recently as I was standing at the base of mountain in the midst of a beautiful garden at the Cedar Springs Retreat Center in Sumas, Washington:

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.


Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

For the lyrics to the entire song go to: http://www.the-synergy.com/lyrics/howgrt.html Turn the volume up!!! (Just kidding).

Time Off

I'm taking the next week and half off to study for my real estate exam (please pray for me!), so I won't be submitting anything new for a while. If you have anything to contribute in the meantime that has to do with learning to pray, please make a comment below. Take Care!

Let your love, GOD, shape my life with salvation, exactly as you promised. Psalm 119:41

Your love, GOD, fills the earth!
Train me to live by your counsel. Psalm 119:64

Truth from your mouth means more to me
than striking it rich in a gold mine. Psalm 119:72

Summer Camp

A shout out to all the people who work with kids at Summer Camps and VBS’s this summer. May God be with you and bless you in all that you do.

PLEASE!!! - Let’s pray for the people who take the time to work with kids and teenagers this summer.

My wife and I went down to our favorite camp in the Northwest - Camp Firwood - last night to visit our kids, and friends, and see them in action as they led worship and did their jobs as counselors. Some of the teenage workers gave their testimonies, and on the way home I was reminded of the time when I heard the current camp director get chocked up at a camp alumni event when he began to speak of the pain in the lives of the kids he serves throughout the summer. I heard it and saw the pain first hand last night – and these were the Christian kids who were on staff! I can’t even imagine what some of the camper's stories must be.

Anyway – I want to BLESS all of you workers out there who are sharing the love of Christ with our kids this summer. In my opinion, you are on the most important mission field in the world when you serve, and love our children. Thank you, thank you, thank you.