ceci n'est pas une pipe....

When I was a kid my parents used to take me to visit an older man at his house. I don't really recall how my family knew him or why we went over his house,... in fact it may have even been my great-grandfather, i'm really not sure. The only thing I remember is that he used to always smoke a pipe, and when I was there I felt safe and comfortable. To this day I love the smell of pipe tobacco. When I smell it, it takes me back to a place in my memories where I can't help but sense contentment. 

I think we can all relate to this experience. For some reason, unbeknownst to us, our senses can arouse deep heartfelt feelings that take us back in time to specific moments and places. These sensory voyages can often be celebrated and warm,... but not always. Sometimes our newly acquired awareness conjures up feelings we wished we hadn't awoken. Feelings of fear, guilt, or even shame in pursuit to tear open the freshly healed wounds marked by their all too familiar scars. Regardless of the nature of these sensory experiences, one thing remains when you sift through the aftermath...the feelings are not a result of the trigger. I know it sounds confusing but hear me out on this. You see, a lot of times when we have a significant experience in life; whether good or bad, the effects of that experience roots itself in the core of our soul. There is a greater spiritual significance that gets lost, in fact we lose what that moment is actually about. For example, if I feel uncomfortable and vulnerable... I don't need to smoke a pipe to change my emotions. That would be ridiculous. Yet followers of Christ do this all the time!

I see this erroneous concept played out when it comes to our relationship with God. Many times we equate the location of one significant experience with God as a place where we need to go to experience the weight of God again. For example, if you had an "awakening" experience on a camping trip where you felt the glory of God in the beauty of his creation... you don't need to return back to that spot to experience that which you hunger for. Although that location will always serve as a monumental reminder of your experience... it's not necessary for an experience with God. 

So, my question is this... how do followers of Christ connect spiritually to the Creator without what seems like rare "inspired" experiences? I think we easily get caught up in thinking we can only connect with God occasionally when everything lines up right, but the truth is that every moment we live is drenched with the presence of God. When we experience moments where we feel God in our midst... it's not that God has decided to show up for an hour and then leave for more important things. God is always present, we just don't realize or acknowledge it. Psalm 139:7-10 speaks to this truth. It says: 

 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? 

       Where can I flee from your presence?

 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; 

       if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

                              10 even there your hand will guide me,                                             your right hand will hold me fast.

Regardless of where you've been or what your experiences have etched on your heart,... know this - the Creator of this world is always with you wherever you go and your mistakes do not define you. God wants nothing more than to spend more sacred moments with you... His beloved. You don't need a sacred spot to encounter God. God is already there waiting for you to recognize Him!  

just say the word...

When I was in kindergarden my parents would drop me off every sunday morning in a Sunday school class because they thought my fidgety tendencies would draw too much attention during the morning worship service at our church. Just imagine how much more theologically intelligent I would be had they not robbed those precious years of soaking up the wisdom poured out from that pulpit.  I guess I won't hold that against them, they had no idea i'd be logically deficient. Anyways, I remember those years spent in that classroom fondly. One of the many memories that often come to mind are the joys experienced as a result of Sunday morning snack time. Mrs. Johnston, our teacher would always have us recite a prayer in unison before she would rain-down plentiful amounts of goldfish crackers and teddy grahams. The prayer was almost always the same and rarely deferred off the path of conventionality. It went like this, "God is great, God is good, God thank you for the food, Amen!" Then like puppies awaiting their master's cue to indulge in a treat rewarded after obedience, a feeding chaos ensued. 

That simple repetitive prayer followed me through the years. My parents would always require one of us to pray before our dinner "conversation" would escalate into a debate and my prayer would always include Mrs. Johnston's prayer. Every once in a while I would spice things up by throwing in a little something extra, but the recipe was always the same. Unfortunately my years of prayer abuse have created a pretty adolescent understanding of the role of prayer in my life. All too often prayer is a result of duty and immediate emergency. This circumstantial prayer is not an awful thing. It is important to seek out help and voice concern in times of need and habits have good intention, but often lose their authenticity due to repetition.  

Last week this truth was brought to light in the confines of my thoughts. My staff came together with their significant others for a time of prayer for our church, Northbridge Community Church. It was a time of prayer, worship, and communion. It was awesome to be a part of something that felt so in tune to God's rhythm of the way the church should be. When we opened our time of prayer Jame, our Lead Pastor, shared something God had been teaching him about prayer that struck a chord in my heart. Jame talked about the faith of the Centurion in Luke chapter 7. The story goes something like this, Jesus was traveling from city to city teaching and doing some amazing things. Word had spread to a centurion who was troubled because his servant, whom he cared deeply for, was very sick and about to die. So, the centurion sent some of his friends to get Jesus to heal this servant. On their way back to the house, the group was met by some more friends of the centurion who had a message for Jesus. The centurion's message to Jesus was, "I'm not worthy to have you come to my house,... so just say the word and my servant will be healed!" Jesus was blown away by the centurion's faith and said, "I tell you; I have not found such great faith even in Isreal." The centurion knew that Jesus was capable of amazing things and believed that Jesus didn't even need to touch the servant to heal him. Jesus was bigger than that. The men returned to the house and the servant was alive and well. What a great story... that I often overlook. 

I wished I had faith like that. Faith to ask for something big and have all the certainty in the world that it will happen. All too often I find myself going to God with half-hearted requests that I never count on. The sad part is that when my requests turn out the way I had hoped, I rarely give God the credit. I go to God out of duty and rarely dependency. My dependency is only elevated when the waters get rough,... then I need God's help. The rest of the time I depend on my abilities. I want to have the faith to ask for big things from God. I'm sure i'm not the only one who abuses prayer. What does your prayer life look like? Is your prayer shallow and seasonal? What would it be like to have the faith and certainty of the centurion?