Jesus is not our Example - He's More! Easter for me means . . .

that Jesus never claimed to be a good man, and he never asked us to just follow His example. Pastor John's last blog asked the question, "Who are you listening to? The truth or the crowd? The critics or your God?" If we only look to Jesus as our example we are likely to remain trapped in the prison of performance, power struggles, and worshiping the god of Safety. I look at Jesus and his life, his death and his resurrection and I see so much more.

I'm about 3/4 through the book The Shack and I am truly amazed at the picture painted there. I will likely be blogging about it for the next several days. It points out that Jesus is the Truth and he invites us to follow HIM not a way, rather THE WAY - HIMSELF!

Surrendering to someone you see as ultimate goodness is the most rewarding, sensual, healthy, healing, way to live. It's God's way! We are being invited to surrender our hearts to a live, forever relationship with God. Even the surrender isn't our doing (God planted in our DNA a freedom of choice gene like His that enables us to do it). Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament says, "I have been crucified with Christ . . . I don't live now by my own power (bga translation), rather it's Jesus alive IN me!" Galatians 2:19-21 WOW!

It's not about Imitating His death, rather Identifying with with Him IN His death. I choose to give up all my emotional feelings, all my intellectual logic, all my Christianease (Is this the correct spelling? Sounds like a disease!), and all my safety rituals. I give all that up for the choice to no longer be held down by my own limited individuality. I give up my way for THE WAY, which is not a plan or map, rather a being who created everything and is only capable of love! God's way as seen in Jesus who is His Son and who is God. What does that mean this Easter? We can stop looking at what others think, (My dear friends who are opening a church in the Dodge City Saloon have gotten so much flack; so has Pastor John.) and keep focusing on letting Jesus live in us and back out to people who WILL come to a bar and meet not just people, but Jesus the Christ who died for them.

Reading March 20 and 21 of Oswald Chambers' devotion (the most read devotion of all times) so reminded me that God IS relationship. We can learn from Buddha, there may be something to the whole "toilet training trauma" that very smart "psychologist guys" have taught us about . . . maybe there's even a worthy Presidential candidate who can be a great example for our country (I have my doubts) . . . BUT THIS I BELIEVE, "God is Relationship" and the Three-One Trinity mystical teaching of the Bible wants to teach us ONE thing; "We were made to be in love with God who is love!" God said at the beginning of what we call time, "Let US make humans in our image." John's first words in his gospel are all about the three in ONE God we can fall in love with.

I don't look to a ton of people as my example. I used to try to follow religion's rules but it only made me more judgmental, selfish, unfulfilled, and unable to give or receive love. This weekend brings lots of emotions and thoughts, but most of all part of my love affair with God.

If you read the book, The Shack, you may start visualizing God as a large Black woman who sweeps you off your feet in a fierce immensely warm hug and oddly enough likes to be called "Papa." Read the book!

If you show up at our Portland campus tomorrow not only will you hear John's message about Jesus, but will see a very "life changing story" and baptism that will only be experienced at the Laurelhurst church. Please pray for my friends, Rick and Treasa who will be leading our Dodge City Saloon campus! ONLY GOD!

Ultimate Reminder of Giving

I can think of nothing more powerful in the realm of giving than Easter. God, Jesus, and the Spirit loved everyone who ever lived and would live so much that they gave their love in giving up their life so that we could be supernaturally connected back in relationship with them. From God's perspective it's a done deal - God's mad-in-love with us. But just as you can love an infant and they don't have a clue how much you care, so it's that way with us and God. Laura and I hope you will catch a glimpse of how much you really are loved by God this weekend.

We would simply love to share Easter with you at our Portland church. Services start at 10 am.

I've been reading the book, The Shack, a gift from one of my fellow pastors, and I was so amazed at the picture of God and the purpose for our existence. The fallacy of independence and power being a gift. The idea that a hierarchy of power is necessary and good is foreign to God, in this novel. It's a powerful book (the idea of God coming as a large black woman named Papa is just one of the many twists . . . the explanation for why God shows up this way is even more stimulating and intriguing . . . this book is a must read . . . SORRY, I got off subject a bit. The gift of this book is so touching my life (and one of my sons) . . . and I believe Laura and my other son will be very much touched by it. Buy two copies soon and share one even before you read yours. Plan a coffee date to discuss . . .

Funny, but I had to pay a Comcast bill and went to their website; then I saw this article mentioned regarding giving (wait to go there). I thought of how it fit with Simon Cowell's recent purchase of one of the world's fastest (legal). Try this: watch the YouTube clip about the car then come back and read this Comcast news note. Science is proving that it's not what you have or spend on yourself that determines your happiness, rather GIVING to OTHERS! Jesus gave us more than a really cool car (yes I did drool over the Bugatti Veyron).



Reading: Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:1-10, John 3:16-17, I John 4:11-13, and Revelation 22:17

My first Audio Blog response

Here's how it works, click the blue "CALL ME" button on the right side of the blog and then enter your name and number (please leave the "keep my number private" if you don't want me to have your number). Then I will listen and decide if
I want to post your voice blog. If you've got a great thought during the day, you can call directly and leave a message at 503.616.5970. If you DON'T want your message on my blog, please state that at the first - cool?

Try it out! Click that button or call directly 503.616.5970.

My first audio blog response!




More on Easter later today (I hope).

Did you miss this weekend?

No excuses now; our Living Hope website is up and running now and you've got to watch the weekend video if you missed the service this week. It was amazing! I think it's so what all of us need to prepare our hearts of Easter.

I've included the clip used from the weekend that you can watch if you don't watch the whole service - it's old, but still so good!

Want to buy the original 33 min. film?


We had some wonderful new faces and our potluck was good luck! Vegas GOLD! Katie recited three poems that were Lots of Chicken and our "first ever" non-singing "talent show" was red hot (Tiffany is STILL an Olympic-in-training gymnast . . . Dennis, your magic tricks were Los a blast - very, very good! The spontaneous broom tricks and both blond jokes, as well as the political ghost jokes . . . all were very funny. Joel your little guy was fun!). Most of the pictures feature various friends doing morning "mouth stretching" exercises. We have so many pictures; we'll try to feature a few each day this week.


The artists & performers




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The Crowd

This Weekend in Portland

This weekend at our Portland campus we will be doing a "talent" show! This will follow our 10 am service and will be during our potluck (bring a salad and/or dessert and we'll provide the chicken).

The talent show is open to anyone and the only two rules are: 1) No music (singing or performing), 2) it should be funny, cool, or really dumb (or maybe at least entertaining). If it's a kid doing it then "cute" is fine too.

The service is going to be excellent - I've seen some of the videos that we will use - wow! This is a great way to prepare your heart for Easter. We also have made some Portland Easter Cards that are very cool. They can be given to people in Portland, friends or strangers. See you this Sunday at 10 am (Directions?)

Hopeless Romantic

Laura and I slipped in and listened to our son Gordon give his first public talk (our Living Hope school - grades K-12). He was talking about how he was a Hopeless Romantic. He blamed us as parents because his first movie to watch (VHS) was The Little Mermaid. He was funny telling the story and we remember how we had to stop the movie and explain to him it would all turn out good. Gordon then transitioned into a story of his cousin Montana who was desperate and asked God for a sign (most of these kind of stories you either love or hate). Montana had just come out of a meeting at college and in the devotional one of the girls gave, they challenged everyone to visualize God by thinking something physical (a flower, tree, cross, . . . ). Montana prayed that warm sunny day, "God if you really like me, show me a snowflake."

No snowflakes arrived. All summer and fall, still no snowflakes. Even November and December were void of any snowflakes. Then one February, early morning, Montana was at school walking and crying . . . and so aware that life was not good . . . there was no sense of a personal God . . . no God who smiles and likes you enough to let you know he is there with you. She then felt the sun in her eyes (Eastern Washington) and when she looked up the entire school lawn was covered with frozen snowflakes. Thousands of crystallized snowflakes. Only then could she be thankful that she had not seen a snowflake before. This was the absolute perfect time in her life for a trust signature of God's smile!

As Gordon told the story I was touched by the fact that there wasn't just this one snowflake experience, but over and over Montana, like me, would hit difficult times and again wonder, "God, where are you? Do you care?" For Montana, there have been reminders more than once of God's care through a snowflake. Once, when leaving a Barnes and Noble (having just given up on God again) she was confronted with a large poster advertising a book on snowflakes. There it was, a giant snowflake. Wouldn't you think that if someone got multiple snowflake signs they would stop wondering why God seemed to keep leaving them? No. We just aren't like that!

Maybe I should choose a sign that's everywhere, like a STOP SIGN! Maybe, if I really need a sign and get nothing, God has cut me out or isn't really a personal God after all? Does the sign become proof? Could we control the God of the universe by demanding a sign ("And if you don't show up God, that's a sign too!")? What's the point?

Out of my son's talk I was hit, a good hit, with these thoughts (Are you still reading?):

1) Do I sometimes tell God that my eyes are shut and I refuse to look for Him unless He shows up as my own personal "snowflake"?

2) Is God speaking, showing up, very close to me; and it's my senses, my limits on how I see, that are blunted and crammed into religious boxes so that I'm totally oblivious to Him?

3) Why don't I see God as showing up via my fellow humans? (I would NEVER have believed in God if it weren't for my dad and wife. God used humans to write the Bible and God came down and zipped on human skin . . . Maybe God's best signs come in human form?)

In Gordon's story it became so snowflake clear, for me, that God used my son as a GIANT snowflake for his cousin Montana. Her sharing her story; and him listening and caring, was another snowflake from God! That February morning when Montana saw the millions of snowflakes, they had been there before, but the sun and tears accented them is such a way that she noticed them and felt them touch her heart. Hundreds of other students saw those same snowflakes but are, perhaps, still unaware of God's smile and wonderful laughter.

Like the song, "looking for love in all the wrong places . . ." maybe I need to look first for God's smile, His "I like you!" in the eyes and hearts of people. Maybe for me, I just need to keep asking? Maybe I need to relax as to when I see my next snowflake.

Gordon used a very cool verse from Psalms in his talk (David, a struggling agnostic at times, often prayed prayers like this: "Where the heck are you God? I thought you were supposed to be close to me, I thought you were supposed to care?" It's David who wrote the particular Psalm that my son read yesterday. And if this verse is true, then perhaps GOD is the greatest Hopeless Romantic and God is coming close to you right now (most likely through people)! Read this amazing verse right now (if you like)! I believe God can't stop thinking about me, you, everyone. I'm the one who struggles believing it. I'm the one who can participate in letting my friendship help someone else believe. I want to join my son as another Hopeless Romantic.

Are you willing to be God's Hopeless Romantic for someone (Maybe anyone?) today?

Will you risk asking God for a sign? (Yes, I do understand that reading this may make you feel nauseated or irritated, because you've asked and got nothing, no snowflake. Not even a drop of water.) Right now?

Life is Sound (more memory lane stuff)

So my most faithful "comments" friend kicked in some great stuff . . . Yes, our auditory is the first of our senses to kick into high gear when we enter this world and the last to leave us. That is why some science guys say everything can be broken down into SOUND - the smallest (we've seen or thought about) particle is but a sound, a song. Split in half that beyond qualifying entity and you get a song STILL playing through. Is there an original songwriter out there composing songs of friendship, love, and relationship? Isn't everything pulling, encouraging, attempting to win us back to a "mad-in-love" relationship with the God of the Universe? Romans 2 says "God can be seen in everything" - even a Rare Earth song (I loved that song Agrippa! 1971 I was kind of messed up - now this song takes on a whole new meaning - thanks for reminding me of it):

I just want to celebrate another day of livin' I just want to celebrate another day of life I put my faith in the people But the people let me down So I turned the other WAY (cool way to change the meaning)
And I carry on, anyhow

That's why I'm telling you
I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah
Another day of living, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of life

I was sitting in Starbucks visiting with a very cool teenage kid who's been free of heroin for a few months (he inspired me so much) and we're just talking about the difficult questions about God and how Religion messes you up. (Religion is about following rules and teachings - Jesus says "come walk with me and follow my way".) I shared with him a story I really like in which Paul (the biggest writer in the New Testament) is waiting for his bus and ends up talking with the greatest philosophers of the day (Mars Hill Greek guys). He actually compliments them for their spiritual agnostic search (a statue to the unknown god) and then he makes this huge claim about God: “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us."

Wow, God uses Rare Earth to stimulate the Search gene that He created in us - God really wants to be everyone's friend! God will even take evil and turn it upside down and use it to draw us close to Him. God is not far away - in fact God's real close to YOU right now. God's not like a stalker - using fear and control to try and use you - God waits for you . . . and waits, and while He's waiting he quietly hums, to each of us, in a Bob Marley sort of way: "Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends?" (Smash Mouth's remake of Bob - or The original)

Here's the absolutely best thing to celebrate: "In HIM we LIVE, MOVE, and EXIST!" God gives us a song that no one can stop from being sung, "I want to be your friend, I want to be your friend."

From the past - remembering today

The original version (Todd Rundgren's) was good, but England Dan & John Ford Coley's version might be better (anyway, it's the 70's). Thanks Jeff for sending the words to me:

What do these words say to you?

"Light of the world, shine on me
Love is the answer
Shine on us all, set us free
Love is the answer."

"Who knows why
Someday we all must die
Were all homeless boys and girls
And we are never heard
Its such a lonely world
People turn their heads and walk on by
Tell me, is it worth just another try?"

"Tell me, are we alive, or just a dying planet?
What are the chances?
Ask the man in your heart for the answers."
I've searched in a lot of places, but Jesus is one of the only great leader who invites me to follow him, not just his teachings. Beyond the call to be good, noble, courageous, Jesus has broken down religion and raised up friendship (love) as the meaning of life - check out his claim: I am your light!

Last night Laura and I watched a movie a couple friends encouraged me to see, Across the Universe. It's like an epic music video where the singing makes sense in the story (mostly). The way the Beatles song are done took me into a time of reflection. I was at the end of Viet Nam and I saw the men who came back. I saw the violence on the TV and heard the people debate. I then turned to my Rare Earth concerts and party-time life. I watched as a couple thousand Hippys invaded our little town every year. But I never found light. I was always running and hiding . . . I even hid from the reality that I was hiding. So, watching the Beatles era last night left me with these thoughts:

1) Great music has staying power

2) Life is not defined by what I do

3) Freedom, justice, and peace are unattainable without a power beyond myself

I am so, so glad I've got Jesus instead of religion - my relationships were so unhealthy before - Living Love is Life!

Random Post-Weekend thoughts & a book I hope to buy today

Monday a.m. - so very tired. . . wow what a day yesterday! The KidsWorld Big Red Bus appearance, having an amazing lunch with a couple I'm doing pre-marital counseling with . . . dinner with family to celebrate one of our boy's girlfriend's birthday . . . a crisis of two friends who fell off the wagon (hard) . . . it was worth it all!

I'm back, reading more carefully Philip Yancey's book on prayer. I really relate to most of Yancey's books - this one is so honest, so good!

In his book, Prayer, Yancey mentioned Etty Hillesum, the young Jewish girl who referred to prayer as an "uninterrupted dialog". Before the age of 19, she had finished a degree in law and also done advanced studies in psychology. Nine months after the Germans invaded the Netherlands (1942), she volunteered to serve on the Dutch Jewish counsel. She was allowed to travel back and forth from Amsterdam and one of the concentration camps. Etty's personal diary was published, in English, in 1983 (I plan to buy the 2002 edition). Her view of prayer is both disturbing and, for me, awe-inspiring. I suspect the questions of "Why?" and "How?" were somehow pushed to the back burner so the presence of "Who?" could keep her free no matter what her physical circumstances. She eventually was sent to Auschwitz with her two parents and two brothers where they all were murdered. She is one remarkable woman! Here are a few of her thoughts about prayer and her life:

"Sometimes I stand in some corner of the camp, my feet planted on Your earth, my eyes raised towards Your Heaven, tears sometimes run down my face, tears of deep emotion and gratitude."
"Even if there is only one decent German, they would deserve to be protected from the barbarian rabble and for that one German's sake one should not pour out one's hatred for the entire people."

Speaking of the tragic evil of war, she wrote: "And I want to be there right in the thick of what people call horror and still be able to say: life is beautiful. Yes, I lie here in a corner, parched and dizzy and feverish and unable to do a thing. Yet I am also with the jasmine and the piece of sky beyond my window."
"Never give up, never escape, take everything in, and perhaps suffer, that's not too awful either, but never, never give up."

"For once you have begun to walk with God, you need only keep on walking with God and all of life becomes one long stroll -a marvelous feeling."
Etty's diary isn't all nice and pretty; it shows a person who was very self-absorbed, drawn to a forbidden love with an agnostic intellectual. But the growth in her life is marked by her use of the gift of prayer; it transformed her and left a legacy that is touching and changing lives even now - mine! It reminds me of Paul's words in the Bible, "In Him we live and move and have our being." I am discovering my real self, in Jesus, through prayer. A great gift I'm so excited about, is that of simply letting God break down the walls society and my own little pink brain has constructed: and allowing prayer to become an "uninterrupted dialog" of friendship, love, and wondrous awe!

Etty's last entry in her journal simply reads, "We should be willing to act as a balm for all wounds."

Desperate Unanswered Prayers of Jesus

Last night, Pastor John spoke, once again, of being desperate. I sat there I looked down at my black rubber bracelet from two years ago - it reads "desperate" and I thought, "Am I still desperate?"

What are my most desperate prayers? Some of them have been just for me. But for most of these last two years they've been for those who don't have a clue how much Jesus loves them. Yesterday our Portland leaders team had breakfast together. As we were going over the bucket prayers that were nameless on paper, but so well known by God, I started to cry. My heart went out to all those desperate prayers: prayers for serious health issues, financial crisis, and then the prayer, "To believe in you God." Reading the prayers of guilt, some of hope for friends and family far from God, my heart felt a desperation to live this one and only life to be a friend who will do anything to share the hope of Jesus and his love. I am still desperate!

Jesus prayed desperate prayers; in the garden before he was arrested, and on the cross as he was dying. Jesus also prayed prayers that went unanswered. One of Jesus' most powerful prayers is in John 17:21. He asked God to bring a "oneness" into the hearts of believers that was just like the connection He had with His Father. For nearly 2,000 years this prayer has gone unanswered. That's a long time to wait for a prayer to be answered. Today, more than 35,000 denominations and sects exist, all claiming God of the Bible as the ONE. Jesus' prayer will be answered. He's planting a desperation in our lives - a singular focus, a dream of passion to see people so filled with His love that they really do love each other and work together as Jesus and His Father did.

I want to keep praying prayers of desperation - a feeling that to do less is not even a option.

Before you pray - 3 big thoughts

Prayer:
Feelings describe how we interpret emotions and emotions are chemical/electrical responses to our senses and memories combining with core beliefs (I see a rattlesnake and I feel anxious - loss - let's go somewhere else! A toddler might feel inquisitive, interested, happy, let's check it out feelings). Did you get all that?

Prayer includes feelings that are fed by our emotions. SO, SO, SO . . . it matters what I believe at a core level of my being. Are you ready? Of course!

Three, 3, very big things Bruce thinks are helpful to believe for prayer to be a great gift in your life:

1) A Relationship-God Exists 2) God Likes You 3) God's Really Big!

My agnostic-unitarian-I-worship-Shakespeare-Artist-
friend met me at this really cool coffee shop this week (I may even play here - he's one amazing guitarist). An Agnostic, by definition, will grant that there may be a cosmic "Big Guy" out there (Having some Super-being start everything off is more logical than trying to believe everything started from random nothingness). BUT to have prayer become the ultimate gift I need to believe in a PERSONAL God who lives and gets His (not male) kicks out of being in vibrant alive friendships with as many living creatures as possible (those who are willing and desirous of a friendship). Now prayer becomes so much more than a Freudian rubic's cube for feeling good about myself (and my Momma).

God likes you! This is it! It's what has been so hard for much of my life to believe (beneath the religious smoke we blow around when we're afraid of being judged). I find this the core of my life now - that I can know that God really likes me. This fights off and over and over wins over the self-repeating lie that I'm not OK! Friendship is life! I spent seven years reading and re-reading Psalm 139:13-14, Romans 5:6-10 and Ephesians 2:1-10. Now, for the last two years I keep camping on this verse: Eph. 1:4-5.

God's bigger than any of my other gods. I grew up believing that God was all-powerful. That meant I must be a real screw-up because when I really needed Him to come through for me, He didn't help. Seeing God as big without seeing Him as being good ALL the time is not much good. I need a God that is good, all the time, and big enough and is nuts about me! I believe this more and more every day. My prayer life - the gift of sensing God with me is growing. I need these core beliefs and I believe them. I believe them for you too -no matter how good or messed up you are!

More about Skidboot & Prayer

Did you watch the YouTube clip from yesterday? Skidboot died one year ago this month. More than a half a million people have watched the clip from yesterday's post. In the story, David says about the news that his dog was going blind, "If God gives me a thunderstorm I'm going to thank Him. IF he gives me a blind dog it just means we have more personal time together."

My second 3-word-prayer, "I am Blessed!"

My second prayer I try to pray when I wake up (I pray it in bed; then journal it later on my laptop, "Lord, I'm Blessed!). I mentioned it in an earlier prayer blog and I just want to remind myself, and you, again this morning: "An attitude of gratitude will transform your world". When I hurt, my ego-me-glasses I'm wearing suddenly turn into mirrors; and I can only see me. In the clip of David, his joy came not because he had a great "ministry", (the idea he had was something he never even thought of) but because he loved his dog . He was full of joy for the way it opened doors to bless millions of other people's lives.

What am I thankful for today?: 1) Yesterday, a pastor-friend dropped by my office - great visit, 2) my son dropped by and raided my office refrigerator - how cool to have your kids want to hang with you (free pop), 3) the Oswald Chambers devotional so filled me up, 3) Laura and I got to hang out with a cool friend, work on a project together, and share our son's newest music he's writing, 4) Sharing with a young couple who are planning to get married - seeing more hope and joy come into their lives, 4) Having a friend tell me of some of the miracles others shared with her from this last weekend at our Portland service, 5) Watching my wife cry (she has such a wonderful tender heart) this a.m. watching the clip I posted yesterday of Skidboot, 6) Wanting to kill my bird this morning but not following through, 7) Knowing that I get to go to the gym this a.m. and do cardio, and 8) the anticipation of being with our Life Group tonight! I am such a blessed person! Thank You God.

Yesterday's recommended book: What I like about this true life story is that things don't have to work out the way we want them to in order to see so many miracles anyway. God doesn't ever get painted into a corner! He's never wringing His cosmic hands and saying, "What the heck am I going to do now?" This book says well, "Wow, how much can one take? Where's justice?" And yet when I finished reading it, I was feeling, "Wow, with God things do turn out ok". Get the book, then give it away as a gift!

Dog spelled backwards is . . . Take 5 min. to watch this

A great friend, Jeff, who is an amazing photographer, sent me this You Tube clip.



I couldn't help thinking of my Uncle Bud. As a kid, his family herded sheep. He was always good with dogs and trained them to do so many tricks. He was a gentle, hard-working man who loved to laugh. When I was a kid, he had one of the first Beatles' wigs (1964). It's possible he was the first person in the state of Oregon to own one. Often when he drove his big log truck, he would honk his air horn and then stick his Beatles head out the window, waving to people as they met - it was great fun.

My uncle spent the last few years of his life with dementia and his faithful dog was such a joy to his life. If I read Romans one right, all creation speaks of who God is. As you watch this video ask yourself: What's the reason for me to wake, breathe, live today? (Check out this blog from the past.) What priorities need shifting?

The promised book I've been talking about -

It's called Footprints, the True Story Behind the Poem, and it's by Margaret Fishback.

This books so reminds me of how difficult unanswered prayers are - I'll be blogging about that tomorrow.

It's a great read (I might get this updated print as it's hardcover and has Bible verses with the poem).

I got an amazing dog story from a good friend - it's remarkable. (I hope to post it tonight if I finish my appointments in time . . . maybe).

Prayer - that dangerous verse in Philippians 4

Here's something I think most relationships could use more of:

Talk more and listen more! So many people who come to talk with me about relationships that need repaired or resurrected talk very little about the real, the significant, the scary things in their life. I meet successful business people who grew up in homes where no one talked about things beneath the surface. TALK MORE TO GOD. Talk more about what really matters to you to people you care about. For a lot of people this is hard -you might even need a coach or person to encourage and give you pointers.

LISTEN MORE. I used to always try to fix my wife's problems when she was sharing them with me. Usually she didn't want that; she wanted me to hear her heart, the frustration or the excitement. She was inviting me to feel with her, her day! Listening means learning to go beyond words. To search for the heart meaning.

So, here's our passage: "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
1) Pray about everything! My relationship to life is colored by how much more I talk to God about everything. You may need to set your watch to beep every hour as a reminder to practice connecting in your mind to God. Practice talking more to God literally about everything. (Seriously I struggle doing this when the Seahawks are losing.)

2) Tell him what you need. Sure you might not really need it, but it's more likely you'll began to realize how much God IS part of everything you need. I so quickly just get what I need. I just grab what I want. I don't involve God enough. Try doing this more!

3) Thank God a lot more! That's my second three-word prayer I try to pray (and journal) out every morning ("I am blessed!"). Laying in bed I start with my sweetheart next to me - "God I'm so blessed by having Laura in my life. Open my eyes to see new ways she blesses my life." The more you sense how blessed you are, the greater you value the person who is blessing you. Do a recount of all your blessings from the day before. It's a great way to start your day.

The promise in verse 7 is frightening. "Will you really do this God?" I don't want to expect it because, if it doesn't happen, then who will I blame?

Ok, God's not the Candy man, but he knows how to teach us to communicate better. "Just do it Bruce!" Communication is JUST a tool. It's for the purpose of growing real, authentic, meaningful friendship. God wants and has given us a forever friendship - it's ours! Free!

Yes, I'm going to blog later today re: the cool book I've been talking about.

Prayer - Why I pray "I am Yours."

If I wake up early in the morning, say 2 a.m., I usually pray this prayer. I started a new discipline of praying the four, "three word prayers" (yesterday's, 3.2.08, post) everyday about 2+ years ago. I pray them in bed when I wake up (the first two) and then write them out on my laptop in a daily journal. (I still have times when I'll go a couple of weeks not journaling these prayers). This practice has helped me in this Connection with God in my life.

The first prayer, "I am Yours" is so perfect for me. I grew up believing in God and also believing the chances of me spending eternity with Him were very slim. My fear-based life was so fed by religion. I was 17 when a party buddy came into my room and in the dark (I had just gone to bed) sat there and told me how God had spoken to him in his bed and he knew he was saved. It was so weird and I thought at first he was doing an SNL joke. But he was serious. He only knew one verse in the Bible (it was one day new): I John 5:11-13 "And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life."

My friend, Joe Asher, told me that night, "Bruce, you can really KNOW that God is your forever-friend. If you say 'yes' you don't need to be afraid ever again. God won't leave you. He will never abandon you." I said yes, had a wonderful three week walk with Jesus and then fell far away for a few more years. But of all the realities I believe, one near the top is this: it's impossible to have a full, healthy, rich friendship unless you believe that the other person is committed to you for the long haul. I had never believed this about God. I felt too messed up and believed that all my screw-ups made it impossible for God to be with me.

So praying what "God says about me" is very important for a guy who has so many years of guilt and doubt. I do believe God now (I might not later today) and I keep persisting in what HE says about me and OUR reality. I really do belong to Him! I, Bruce Avery, need to repeat this more powerful than anti-matter truth, hundreds of times every day - "I am Yours!" It's one of the greatest prayers God has given me. I have not prayed, "God, will you accept me?" prayers for over 10 years now. I plan never to pray those "I doubt what God says" prayers again. God says He's saved everyone. Anyone can say "yes" in their heart and KNOW and grow in this "I'll never leave you" friendship. It's true!

Besides the I John 5 passage, Romans 5 and Ephesians 2 (Note verse 3, then the amazing reality of God.) are long time favorites. God says that He's been nuts about us - died for us, saved us (just waiting for us to say "yes and thank you" back! I invite you to read those verses (usually what I put in red is a link) and start praying that prayer! It's a very powerful prayer!

Ok, I got so carried away that I forgot to blog re. Philippians 4:6-7. Read it several times. Ask yourself these three questions:

1) Why is God asking me to pray about "everything?" Everything is a big word!
2) Would it be weird to start telling God what I think I need?
3) How much of my day is flooded with thoughts of thankfulness?

The book I told you I'd share with you today; could you wait until tomorrow for me to share it with you? Thank you!

Have a nice pray-day!

My Four "Three word" Prayers

I try to pray daily these things (Tomorrow I'll share why I pray them):

"I am Yours!"

“I am Blessed!”

“Why not Me?”

“It is well.”

Also, tomorrow I plan to share how Philippians 4:6-7 continues to help me in my prayers.

Two books that I think are fantastic on prayer:
Philip Yancey's book, Prayer – Does it make any difference?
The Practice of the Presence of God (written nearly 400 years ago - now in easy-to-read English)

Tomorrow I'll share the book about the author who wrote the famous poem "Footprints" and her battle of proving that she was the "unknown" author. It's a small book with a big story; her tragic life and bitterness over the millions of dollars made off her poem is powerful. See prayer from a new perspective (tomorrow - smile).