The Whine

"Whatever He says to you, do it." John 2: 5

Jesus and His disciples were invited to attend a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. This becomes the first of seven signs affirming His Messianic mission, and it is the first public miracle performed by Jesus.

Also present at the wedding was Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the hosts ran out of wine, a social disaster, she turned to Jesus and said, "They have no wine." The exchange between mother and son appears to have been conducted on two different planets, or at least in two different languages. Most parents can relate.

Jesus responded by saying to his mother, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." This is not exactly a clear indication to us that Jesus understood what His mother had just said to Him. Again, most parents can relate. Whatever His meaning, apparently Mary seemed satisfied that she had said her piece and had been heard. She left the crisis in His hands.

With an air of, "My work is finished here," Mary tossed a little piece of advice towards the panicked servants. It is something every contemporary Christ-follower ought to have put in red ink next to their "Agape" tat.

"Whatever He says to you, do it.' " (John 2:5) They did, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Whatever." I still cringe every time I hear that word. I was privileged to usher my teenaged daughters through the "Valley Girl" phase. It was a 1990's fad imported from California. Most cultural crazes and phases have the life expectancy of a fruit fly, but this seemed to have the shelf-life of a "Twinkie." I thought it would never end. It used every second of its allotted moments of fame on the cultural stage.

For the uninitiated, this is how it went. Every time a question was asked of a disenchanted teen, the correct response from them was always, "Whatever." The question simply didn't matter. The response was always the same. It could be said with disdain, disinterest, disrespect, or "whatever" particular mood swing was being experienced. "Whatever" became the word of choice and appropriate for the angst of the moment.

Still, there it is, from the lips of Mary to the ears of the servants of the household, "Whatever." She gave a confident heads up to those who were going to have to come up with a solution to the crisis du jour. It seems Mary knew something the servants didn't know. Perhaps she had become familiar with the drill in her own home. For three decades she had experienced what Jesus could do, when called upon. Mary's response to the crisis of the hour reveals she knew when Jesus was in the house, anything could happen. Good to know.

Nike's "Just Do It" campaign has been highly effective at convincing millions of people to lace up their running shoes, and to stop whining. Long before they made it into a household term, Mary had seen the wisdom in it. In her experience, when it came to Jesus, every potential crisis was an opportunity to see Him at work. It still is. Thank's Mary.

Jesus turned the water into wine. "Whatever" you call it, wine or grape juice, Jesus transformed the water, and the result impressed everyone who tasted it. "Whatever" the crisis, put it in the hands of Jesus. He has a way of turning the worst into the best, at just the right time.

"This beginning of His signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him."
(John 2:11)

That is always the point of any great work of God. It should lead to great belief. Too often we treat Jesus like a traveling magician who has nothing better to do than to transform our "Whine List" into a "Wish List" for our self-gratification. Believing in Jesus should lead us to have a great passion for Him and His mission, not just a longing for what He can do for us.

Jesus turned the water into wine to reveal His transforming power, over the crisis at hand, but it was not a mere social grace to help an ill-prepared family save face in the community. When our "Whine List" becomes focused on our own personal needs, we miss the big picture. People obsessed with the lint their own navel, rarely weave it into a life-line for a lost world. Jesus turned the water into wine, but He can still turn a self-absorbed whine into selfless intercession for others. Now that's a miracle that will leave a good taste in the mouth's of a thirsty people. Save the best for last.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Skeptic

"You will see greater things than these." John 1:50

My friend, David Lane, has often shared a great piece of advice with me. He says, "There is no education in the second kick of a mule." For those who need an interpretation of this rural parable, it is very close in meaning to, "Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." What's the take away? People are wise to avoid mules and jackasses, of all kinds.

People are naturally skeptical, but those who have been scorched by the relentless sun of a wilderness experience are less likely to believe their lives are about to become a walk in the park. Good news is often rejected along with any news that promises hope and change. Then when your trust in the one who promised you hope and change is betrayed, you feel foolish. Can I get a witness? But I digress.

News anchor, Water Cronkite spoke about a cat on an evening broadcast years ago. He was talking about the Vietnam War, and the need to learn the right lessons, not the wrong ones, from that national experience. He said he recalled a cat that used to come into his boyhood home and jump up onto the old wood burning stove in the kitchen to cool down. The stove hadn't been used for years, and it was always cool to the touch. One day there was a power outage and the electric stove proved useless, so the wooden stove was fired up again. The cat came in from its daily routine, walked across the kitchen floor and jumped up on the stove. In a flash of fur and fury, the cat vanished from the scene. He said the cat never jumped up on the stove again, cold or hot. Point of story: Don't learn the wrong lesson from a bad experience. Always learn the right one.

Nathanael is one of the least known disciples, but one of my personal favorites. He reminds me of a time in my life when everything I heard about Jesus was just too good to be true. See if you agree. After following Jesus, "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him...Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45)

Nathanael's response was classic skepticism, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Undeterred by this verbal wet blanket, Philip challenged "Disciple Downer" with, "Come and see."

Note to self: Jesus cannot be explained. He must be experienced. People who continually vet Him, have never met Him.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming down the road, and spoke to him first. He always does. The Skeptic in Nathanael was not impressed. He guardedly responded with, "How do you know me?" Jesus simply told him that he saw him standing under a fig tree, before Philip called him. Jesus revealed something to him that only He and Nathanael could know. It changed his life forever.

"The Skeptic" in Nathanael blew right past "The Seeker" in him, and transformed "Disciple Downer" into "The Speaker."

"Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."
John 1: 49

WOW! Where did that come from? Like a bolt out of the blue, or a lightening strike to the soul, the words of Jesus turned Nathanael's life around. Nathanael was once spiritually blind, but now he could see. I can remember a day when it was hard to believe that God was true to His word. It seemed every time I reached out for Him, my hope exceeded my grasp. It really is true what the Bible says,

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick. But desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

I too was tempted to believe the lie, that just accepting what I had was less traumatic than hoping there was something more. I have benefited from following in the example of Nathanael's faith and resiliency in spite of his discouragement. Thanks, Nathanael.

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' " John 1:50

Note to self: Don't let past disappointments, present difficulties or future delays rob you of the immediacy or the intimacy of the Presence of Jesus. He sees you in every circumstance and crisis, and there is not a moment of your day when He does not know your spiritual condition. Whatever it is, and where ever you are, pray. One word from Jesus, can turn the impossible into the HIMpossible. If Jesus says it, never fear if it is too good to be true. He is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life." You can believe Him...EVERY TIME.

The Memorial

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John."
John 1:6

As a boy, raised in a preacher's home, most of my "real-life" heroes were preachers, missionaries and evangelists. I have to admit that Ronnie Bull, #25 Fullback for the Baylor Bears and Chicago Bears, broke into this line up in the 1960's. But I digress.

I can't say I vividly recall the content of the preaching of men my father had step into his pulpit like Vance Havner, Dr. Culpepper, Bo and Dick Baker, Dr. London (H.B's daddy), W. A. Criswell, Dr. Naylor, and hosts of other lesser known luminaries, as much as I remember their personalities. Some of them were real characters. They were often invited into our home, and I was privileged to stay up late to spend time with them, after the service was over. This was when the real fun began.

Before the night was over, there would always be Southern comfort food, preacher jokes, baptism stories, and wave after wave of joy-filled laughter, leaving people clutching their sides, wiping tears from their eyes, and pounding the table, begging the story teller to stop. Of course he never did. There is no particular story that stands out. You just had to be there. These men loved what they did, and the company that they kept. It was inspiring.

The evening always ended with prayer, solemn handshakes, and promises to stay in touch. These 'behind the scene" or "after the show show" experiences introduced me to a unique band of brothers. Elton Trueblood called it "The company of the committed." To me they were the fraternity of the faithful. I always felt ten feet tall after being allowed to have a glimpse inside the lives of these men God had called "to bear witness of The Light." (John 1:7)

John the Baptist was a forerunner of men like these who gave their lives to tell people about Jesus, and he was given a powerful testimonial by Him. "For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there was not a greater prophet that John the Baptist, but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:28) Band of brothers, indeed.

On this Memorial Day, say a prayer of gratitude for the men and women who have given their lives to secure the freedom of our nation. Don't forget their families who shared their sacrifice by investing their sons and daughters to the cause of liberty. We are in their debt.

Still, there are others who come to my mind on this sacred day. They are the men and women who have gone to nameless places, dark places, hard places to live among thankless people and tell them about The Light of Jesus. They looked at a dark world, and instead of cursing it, they blessed it by lighting a candle with the fire of their love for Jesus. He said, "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Light. No man comes to The Father, but by Me." (John 14:6) Thank God there have been those who believed this and lit it up.

Memorial Day is set aside to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by those who stood in our place to protect us from those who have often sought to enslave a free people. Those who gave their lives to secure our national freedom gave all they had. Still, they could not offer enough of their blood to provide our spiritual freedom. Only Jesus could do that. It is only through His blood that people will ever know eternal security. This is always worth remembering.

On this Memorial Day, say a prayer of thanksgiving for The One, and those who followed His call. They made sure you could face this day knowing, come what may, no one can ever take your ultimate freedom away from you. As the old song says, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe." I am in His debt. How about you?

"You will know The Truth, and The Truth make you free." John 8:32

The H.O.P.E.

"Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23: 18

Sometimes the ancient spirit of my former days as a student minister is sparked, by those who continue to play that vital role in the lives of young people. I am grateful for what they do to invest in the lives of the leaders of the next generation. They plant trees under whose shade someone else will sit, and often don't get to see the fruit of their labors. If they do, they are in for a long wait. God bless them.

Recently I read on "Facebook" of the heart-ache borne by a former member of my student ministry. She is now a dedicated teacher, investing deeply into the lives of her students in school. She was broken-hearted over the suicide of yet another promising young person. I hurt for her.

There is nothing like it. So much hope is out there for young people. Yet, in a moment of despair, they take their lives, unable to grasp hope in the dark. How can we help them?

I remember being called upon to bury a 17 year old young man who had taken his life. After a breakup with his girl friend, he drove to a deserted road, and while listening to a country western song, the last words he heard, before the bullet ended his life were, "I'd Be Better Off in a Pine Box." No heavy metal music wailing, no rap, no drugs, nothing but good ol' C&W. Thanks Nashville.

As I prepared for the funeral, his grandfather came to see me. He was a distraught man. As he choked in his personal grief, his heart hurt for those young people who would gather for the service. He kept saying, "Tell them the truth! Tell them the truth!" I did.

Telling the truth meant stiff-arming a lot of sentimental drivel. For some reason, death brings out the poet in people. I was offered all kinds of rhymes and verses for the occasion. They ranged from Edgar Allen Poe angst to Hallmark card pablum. One of the creative writing teachers of the school my young friend attended handed me a piece of her work, just as I stepped up to the platform. She accosted me after the funeral, and demanded to know why I didn't read it. I explained to her this was not her turf, nor was it open mic Friday. What we say at this time and in this place is the truth, and nothing but the truth. That means God gets the last word. I said, "You won't let me say a word for God in your classroom, and you don't get to have the last word from my pulpit. God will." We are not friends.

I have come to understand HOPE, as Having Our Perspective Elevated. For me this involves prayer. Prayer is the night-vision goggles given to us by God for spiritual warfare with the forces of darkness. Prayerless people lose their way, because they lose hope. In the dark night of the soul, they sense they are alone. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Prayer reveals a silent Presence, available and anxious to comfort and to guide us through the night and into the light.

I am often comforted by the way Jesus made Himself available to a couple of disciples on the Road to Emmaus, after The Crucifixion of their Savior put them on a slippery slope of despair. In the midst of their darkness, Jesus turned on The Light. He still does.

"While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached." Luke 24: 15

Talking our way through our crises seldom ends them, but most assuredly extends them. We never talk a crisis to death. Talking only breathes new life into a crisis. Jesus approached these two disciples, when they had lost hope. He still does.

H.O.P.E. - Having Our Perspective Elevated. How? Pray your way through a crisis, don't try to explain it away. Talking about it increases your blindness. Prayer allows your eyes to adjust to the dark, until you see Jesus at work in the middle of it. He makes sense out of the senseless, and brings hope to the hopeless. He only dos this...EVERY TIME.

In the mid-1990's I was introduced to this statistic. 80+% of the young people who come through our Evangelical churches, never return to them after they turn 18 years of age. Staggering. Still, recent reports indicate that those who do return to church say that the homing mechanism for them was knowing that their parents prayed for them, by name. Good to know.

Parenting and praying are the twin towers of the next generation of leaders who will usher in the next Great Awakening. There is hope for them, and for us. PRAY!

Prayer changes things, because prayer changes people. Changed people change the world, when they come to the end of themselves and run to Jesus instead of stumbling in the dark. In His Presence hey receive a fresh perspective of God's vision. They begin to sense His direction, protection and correction. Talking prolongs our blindness. Praying improves our perspective. Take H.O.P.E.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Harvest

Recently I had a conversation after church with an Oklahoma wheat farmer and his wife. Their crop was a total failure this year. Weather conditions did not cooperate, and their crops of wheat and canola did not survive the spring snow and ice that has plagued the country, during this prolonged winter. What has inconvenienced most of us, was a disaster for them.

There they were. Both of them, in church, singing and praising God, in spite of this major setback. She said of her husband, "He has more faith than anyone I have ever known."

Some times preachers talk about taking our faith to the streets. They challenge people to be the church, not just come to church. Farmers take their faith to the fields, and pour it into the ground. They are often disappointed with the results, but they are seldom discouraged enough to quit.

I have always thought that farmers were the poster boys of faith. Dry land wheat farmers are a special breed. Year after year they place their trust in an uncertain future that can swiftly be derailed by too much sun, too little rain, unexpected hail, relentless insects, and fluctuating market prices.

Still, their passion for the harvest keeps them coming back year after year to the same piece of land, and the same process. Their diligence and dedication feed a nation and fuel the lives of people they will never meet. Their day begins before it is light. Their hours are long, and the rewards are meager, but they keep at it, regardless of the cost. That's why they call it the "heartland."

Jesus said, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into his fields." Matthew 9:37 NLT

I am learning a little more each day about the harvest that is taking place around the world. Chinese Christians are growing at a rapid rate, and the Cambodian church has shown remarkable resurgence, in the aftermath of "the killing fields" of the Khmer Rouge. The church is often made stronger by the opposition of the government, and the persecution of believers. The American church would do well to learn this lesson from the prayer book of the persecuted church.

The time has come for comfortable Christians to put on their big boy pants. They look a lot like over-hauls. Inventor, Thomas Edison is often quoted as having said, “We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work." With the current explosion of fact checkers aided by Google search, there is some doubt if he did say it, but it is no less true.

Note to self: There will come a day when we have so many fact checkers searching for truth that it will be proven that no one ever really said anything...ever. But I digress.

In Luke 11, Jesus revealed the passion of answered prayer in a parable on "importunity."

"I say to you, though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him..Ask and it shall be given to you." Luke 11:8-9

For the Christian, and the churches they plant, the issue is not opportunity, but IMPORTUNITY. Importunity describes the capacity of a ship to be sailed into the wind, against incredible odds, and to arrive safely at one's destination. The dilemma requires and reveals a spirit of persistence and a desperation in a sailor that drives him to overcome all odds in order to arrive at his port. To do less would mean certain death for his crew, and loss of his cargo. There is too much at stake to go with the flow, or be blown off course. The opportunity is the storm, and it calls for importunity.

E.M. Bounds put it this way, 100 years ago.

"The tenor of Christ's teachings, is to declare that men are to pray earnestly -- to pray with an earnestness that cannot be denied. Heaven has harkening ears only for the whole-hearted, and the deeply-earnest. Energy, courage, and persistent perseverance must back the prayers which heaven respects, and God hears.

All these qualities of soul, so essential to effectual praying, are brought out in the parable of the man who went to his friend for bread, at midnight. This man entered on his errand with confidence. Friendship promised him success. His plea was pressing: of a truth, he could not go back empty-handed. The flat refusal chagrined and surprised him. Here even friendship failed!

But there was something to be tried yet -- stern resolution, set, fixed determination. He would stay and press his demand until the door was opened, and the request granted. This he proceeded to do, and by dint of importunity secured what ordinary solicitation had failed to obtain."

There is growing evidence that the harvest is plentiful all around the world. The lack of it in America may be a revelation of the lack of effort in the arena of prayer. Blessed by a legacy of liberty and legal protections that have enabled the church to exist without resistance, it has resulted in congregations that have diminished in power and passion for the harvest. Pray for a new generation of leaders who will seize this opportunity for importunity.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Journey II

Dana and I are enjoying our time in Mt. Juliet, TN with Brent and Ashley. This morning we meet for breakfast with Randy Waddle, son of Derald Waddle, and a long time family friend.

Tomorrow I will fly to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to assist David Lane, host of a luncheon for 10 Iowa pastors with Sen. Rand Paul. In January, Dana and I were privileged to travel to Israel with these pastors, as we accompanied Sen. Paul on his first trip to the Holy Land. I am looking forward to the reunion, and a chance to lay some groundwork for The Renewal: Des Moines we will be coordinating for The American Renewal Project July 18-19th.

I love the people of Iowa. Their pastors are some of the finest people I have ever met. Pray for a safe trip, and a productive meeting. I return Friday night to Nashville. Dana and I will start our way back to Ft. Worth on Sunday. We are missing Allyson, and wishing she was on the trip with us. Thank you for praying for our safety and for the ministry opportunities we enjoy with

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Battle

Last night, Dana and I wrapped up our TLPM Conference w Sweetwater BC, Thomson, GA. It is always a joy to see husbands praying a blessing over their wives / wives blessing their husbands, and parents blessing their children. We prayed for God to raise up the next generation of leaders for the next Great Awakening.

Tomorrow at 2PM CST we meet with Pastor James Blair of Mt. Pisgah BC, near Pell City, AL to pray about a future TLPM emphasis at his church. Pray that God will give us a sense His sense of direction.

Tonight we gather with churches of Thomson, GA at the local football stadium for a TLPM Prayer Rally as they they take part in the National Day of Prayer. Pastor Keith Kurtz of Vine CC has been the leader of this city-wide effort. Stadium gates open at 6:30 PM and the TLPM Rally begins at 7PM.

in 1827, churches in this area were blessed by a wave of the 2nd Great Awakening under the leadership of Pastor A.D.L. Sherwood. It began with a small prayer meeting, and ended with the Baptist churches in the area recording 3,000 baptisms in one year. The Methodists, and Presbyterian churches experienced similar movements. We are praying for God to allow us to be part of something like that again.

Today 40,000 prayer events will be held all over the USA. The mass media will ignore it, but God will not. He is the focus, and He will hear the prayers of His people. Great Awakenings have one thing in common. They were all preceded by prayer. Do your part. Take a knee. It is the only way to take a stand in the battle against evil.

"Satan trembles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick

The Difference

"Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, 'Stay with us, since it it getting late.' So He went home with them." Luke 24:29

The difference Jesus can make in a person's life is built upon their personal passion for consistent companionship with Him. When Jesus had completed a seven mile walk with two discouraged disciples, Luke's account records that, "Jesus acted as if he were going on." v. 29a

This does not attribute a flair for the dramatic to Jesus, or accuse Him of being disingenuous. It merely describes the character of Jesus when he is testing the level of intensity a person has for his companionship. He will not force Himself on those who need Him. He offers Himself, but coerces no one. The couple had a choice to make. They chose wisely.

"But they begged Him, 'Stay with us." - Luke 24:29b

One of may earliest memories of church life is the movement that would take place in the congregation a the beginning of The Invitation. This is the point in a Southern Baptist church service, when the preacher used to call people forward, after they completed their sermon. The were invited to step from their pew, and walk down the aisle, take the preacher by the hand, and make a public profession of their faith in Christ, transfer their letter, surrender for full time Christian service, or my favorite, rededicate their lives. This last one was a sure, cure all for what ailed you.

The Invitation triggered several immediate physical responses that would make Pavlov's dogs proud. The first was "The Baptist Salute." This was a lifting of the arm and raising it to eye level to check the wristwatch, and determine if the preacher "went over" or if it was still possible to beat the Methodists to the cafeteria. The other was a general gathering of all the pious paraphernalia. Coat-check. Gloves-check. Purse-check. Sunday School artwork-check. Fallen macaroni - leave for the janitor. Bible - check. Bulletin - ditto for janitor. Put coat on kids - check. Prepare to exit - check.

As I watched this movement take place, I learned at a very early age that it just didn't take much to satisfy most people's hunger level for Jesus. Don't get me wrong. They had come to the church house to hear a little bit about Jesus, but they just weren't all that interested in taking Jesus home to their house. Jesus had approached them, during the sermon, but He didn't arouse any passion in their hearts for extending Him an invitation such as, "Stay with us."

Note to self: You can have all of Jesus you really desire to have. Being filled with His Spirit's Presence is not so much a matter of you having more of Jesus, as it is Jesus having more of you. When you make yourself available to Him, He makes Himself available to you.

"So He went home with them." Luke 24:29

Herein lies the difference between a High Attendance Day at church, and the Great Awakening that this nation really needs. Too much focus is placed on getting people to come to the church house, when Jesus is really interested in making a difference at your house. Jesus will not beg for an invitation to come home with you, but when you ask, He will stay with you.

Daily, not just on Sunday, Jesus is available to His followers. Thankfully, there are some who just can't get enough of Him. At best, most pious posers check in on Jesus once a week at the church house, but they rarely find the need to add a plate for him, or offer him a place of honor at their house. By the time the preacher wraps up the sermon on Sunday, they have been satisfied with a light snack, They are willing to let Jesus walk right past them, and have fellowship with someone else who really hungers for a daily feast with Him.

Ben Franklin wrote in his autobiography about the impact that the preaching of George Whitefield had on the citizens of the city of Philadelphia. Franklin was no flaming evangelist. By his own admission, in his autobiography he states that he never gave Whitefield the satisfaction of knowing if he was converted. That being so, he still loved his city, and he knew it was drifting, and in need of a course correction. What impressed him the most about Whitefield's preaching, was the power it had to get outside the walls of the church. People were transformed. He observed that they took what they heard at the church house, back to their house, and they transformed their city's culture. He spoke of Whitefield's preaching as,

"wonderful...change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seem'd as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street."

As witnessed by Franklin, the early signs of the First Great Awakening revealed Jesus was making a difference in the homes of the people of America. The next Great Awakening must do the same. It will not be enough for an Awakening to fill the church house. Jesus must be invited home to your house. He goes where He is invited, and where He stays, He makes a difference. Put out the welcome mat today.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Intervention

"What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?" Jesus - Luke 24:17

These are the first words, Luke records, spoken by Jesus, after The Resurrection. They initiate the ultimate intervention in the life of a couple of disciples on The Road to Emmaus. They reveal the character of Jesus to anyone facing a long, downhill road of discouragement or disillusionment, in the midst of a crisis of faith. When the crisis hits, Jesus is always The First Responder.

Two people, eyewitnesses to The Crucifixion, are walking and talking their way downhill, literally and emotionally, from the city of Jerusalem. They were leaving behind what appeared to be the worst experience of their lives. Jesus had been falsely accused, secretly arrested, wickedly judged, painfully scourged, and finally executed. They were devastated by the process of the prolonged crisis, and they were heading home to try and piece their lives back together.

The biblical account states, "As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him." Luke 24:16

Jesus intervened in the middle of their conversation about their crisis. They were conversing with one another, but they were not communicating with God about what had happened to them. God has designed the human spirit to be blinded by merely talking about His Son. Insight into any crisis is only gained by talking to Him. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Note to self: It is possible for you to hold a firm belief in the doctrine of The Resurrection and yet, effectively keep Jesus in the tomb. The devil will encourage you to invest great energy, and time studying and preaching about the concept of The Resurrection, as long as you don't access any life-giving power, from carrying on a consistent conversation with The Risen Christ. Again, TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Since 1975, I have conducted hundreds of funerals. WARNING: Old preacher joke. "I am better at funerals than weddings. Everyone I have buried has stayed buried. Not every couple I have married has stayed married." Warned you.

There is a huge difference between a funeral eulogy, and the power of The Resurrection. One honors the dead, the other conquers death. Anyone looking for new life when they face the death of a vision or a loved one would be wise to start a conversation with Jesus. He is ready when you are.

Paul prayed, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;" Philippians 3:10 KJV

I heard these words spoken by my father, Don Miller, as I shared a cup of coffee with him at our kitchen table on Long Island, New York in January 1975. That morning I was preparing myself to make the drive through New York City and head down the road to Fort Worth, Texas, to begin my second semester at seminary. Dad and I were having prayer together, and he shared this verse of scripture with me as his "VERSE FOR THE YEAR." It was a habit of his to begin each year with a focus on a Bible truth that he wanted God to make clear to him. I know I listened, but I was young, ambitious, and anxious to get on the road to ministry. Little did I know what was in store for my father and our family.

Not long after arriving in Fort Worth, Dad's Chairman of Deacons, Darrell Waddle, called with the news that Dad had been taken to emergency surgery and most of his colon had been removed. He promised to keep me posted. In a few hours, he alerted me that peritonitis had set in, and Dad was being rushed to surgery to save his life. The result was a rough cut procedure that left him with three colostomies, and a poor prospect of recovery. This painful process lasted for over a year, and included three more surgeries. The threat of death hung over every one of them.

Ninety days later, I returned to New York to preach on Easter Sunday for my Dad. What I saw shocked me. My father's powerful, robust 190 pound frame had reduced to less than 90 pounds in 90 days. Worse, from his wheelchair, he looked like a feeble old man ready for death. Easter morning was Dad's first day back at his church. People were stunned at what they saw. Dad sat on the front row in a wheel chair and bathrobe. He smiled. I wept. So did everyone else. As bad as it was, it was the first sign of hope we had all seen in a long time. The power of the resurrection, indeed.

Let me say, my father kept quoting Philippians 3:10 to me, and to anyone who would listen, during the entire painful process of his recovery. It was not a fool's mantra. This was the word of God, and it brought power to his prayer life as it was deepened by the fellowship of his suffering that he shared with The Risen Christ. What he suffered, he gave to Jesus, and He showed up for every step of his crisis, never leaving his side. By maintaining his consistent conversation with Jesus, every step along the way, Dad began to see how Jesus could make sense out of what didn't make sense at the beginning of the crisis. Jesus always does.

Have you recognized Jesus standing by your side? He is waiting to make sense out of your crisis. Are you still talking about it to someone else who is ill equipped to shed light on it? Invite Jesus into your conversation, and He will turn on the light. Talking just keeps you in the dark, and annoys those who are trying to act like they care. Trust me. They are tired of hearing about it.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Will pt. 2

"He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Luke 22:41-42

On our last trip to Israel, we were privileged to visit a quiet valley, marked by two hillsides, a plowed, empty field, and a dry stream bed. This was The Valley of Elah. At that inconspicuous spot on the map, a stream once flowed through the battlefield, separating the army of Saul and the army of the Philistines. A stone's throw from where we stood, David would slay the giant, Goliath, with a smooth stone taken from this dry creek bed.

When David threw his stone against Goliath, he killed the one man that stood between him and victory. Killing one giant would change the course of his life. When Jesus knelt and prayed, a stone's throw away from his disciples on The Mount of Olives, He secured a victory over evil that would change the course of human history.

Sometimes, the monumental and the miraculous are closer than you think. They are only a stone's throw or a prayer away. Pray like your life depends on it. It does.

For Jesus, the battle was over The Will. Prayer determines whose will is going to win out; God's will or your will. Jesus was honest to God. True prayer always is. Anything less is pious posturing, no matter if it is done in private or public. Jesus opened His heart to God, and expressed the desire of His heart, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup of suffering away from me."

"Yet" is a simple word, and forms a conjunction of sorts. The prayer of Jesus brought Him to the junction of God's will and His will. The next breath of The Son, would determine if He would have the unction of The Father on His life, for the suffering He would face. The Jews and The Romans would see that Jesus endured it, but only prayer could prepare Him to embrace it.

"I want your will to be done, not mine." This brief statement was the turning point in the prayer of Jesus. It was also the turning point in the redemption of mankind. It was here that the real battle of prayer is always fought, at the point of the will. The battle in prayer not against giants of flesh and blood, nor is it even against the devil. It is a battle between MY & THY. My Will must die, in order for Thy Will to live.

Prayer is a battle against self. Prayer brings death upon one's own will in any and every matter brought to The Father. To do less than die to one's own will is to hold on to the flag of rebellion, and to claim ownership over some small sliver of territory in one's own life. Prayer must bring death to The Will, before it can bring honor to The Father.

The Will is the giant in our lives that keeps us from taking part in a victory that only The Father can bring. Jesus learned from experience, that avoiding suffering was a poor way to develop an obedient spirit. One of the most intriguing passages of Scripture describes a process that was part of His life, long before He went to The Garden or The Cross.

"Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. " Hebrews 5:8 NLT

Suffering for our faith, or even experiencing a mild form of inconvenience, as a result of it, is abhorrent to contemporary Christianity. Jesus not only endured suffering, He embraced it. Jesus in The Garden is more than a stone's throw away from a great deal of contemporary Christianity that claims His name, but doesn't reflect His life.

In his devotional classic, "The School of Obedience," Andrew Murray describes how Jesus prepared Himself for a life of obedience. "Defective obedience is always the result of a defective life. To rouse and spur on that defective life by arguments and motives has its use, but their chief blessing must be that they make us feel the need of a different life, a life so entirely under the power of God that obedience will be its natural outcome. The defective life, the life of broken and irregular fellowship with God, must be healed, and make way for a full and healthy life; then full obedience will become possible. The secret of a true obedience is the return to close and continual fellowship with God."

When crisis, or suffering is in your path, pray your way to it, in it, and through it. The greatest pain that will you will ever suffer is the death of your own will. Coming to the end of your self is not a one time experience, but a way of life. Paul said, "I die daily." It may take more for you and me. If it does, pray until it stops hurting. Dead men feel no pain.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!