Missions Monday

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:16-20, ESV

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Father, you are a missionary God. From the beginning, when Adam and Eve sinned, you sought them out. You called out to Adam and confronted him with his sin. And you cast them out of your presence and sealed off their path to the tree of life. But, you also promised to provide for their atonement. And throughout the generations until Jesus, your people looked forward to your promised salvation. And since that time, your people have lived with joy from their faith in Jesus--the knowledge that their sins are forgiven and they have been set free to live their lives for your glory.

You called out to Abraham and chose him to receive a blessing and promised that through him, all people groups would be blessed. You sent Jonah to the lost people of Nineveh and showed your care for even those who live their lives in evil. You gave us your law to show us that we are all evil; there is no one who does good. And you sent Jesus to show us that, despite our own weakness, we can be saved through your strength.

You have called your people to speak your word as they live their lives. You have called us to tell the people throughout the world about you. You have called many of us to leave our homes and move to foreign nations so that your good news might be proclaimed among the people. I pray that you would bless those missionaries. And I pray that you will call more of us to take your good news throughout the earth. And I pray that your church would see the great task and devote themselves to sending missionaries.

And I thank you for the chance to live in America and to be a teacher. As a teacher, the nations come to me. Help me to be a witness for your glory as I live my life and do my job. Help my students see your love in me. Let me be a lamp for your light. Help me see my students and my coworkers as people you lovingly made in your image. Help me make the most of every opportunity. Give me wisdom to act according to your will. May Christian teachers throughout the world fulfill your purposes and communicate your glory to their students.

I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

2-weeks absence

It has been a while since I posted a real prayer. And while I have been praying offline, I have also missed this blog. There is something nice about typing it out; doing so makes the process a little more conscious and reflective.

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Father, great and awesome Creator--all powerful and all knowing, all wise and all loving, all just and all righteous--you alone deserve worship and praise. I rejoice in knowing you are my king and father. I rejoice in knowing I can approach the throne of the one who can do anything and who loves me enough to do what is best for me.

Father, please continue to bless Joy Barker and heal Darryl. You have shown so much grace already, and Joy has been an amazing human testimony to faith in you and your providence. Make your glory known through them and show the world your power and love. Work in the soul of the doctor and bring him to know you; take out his heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh.

And I ask your care and guidance of all the home school families in California. May your people rise up against the injustice of the court; work through the legislature--your servants chosen to protect people and establish justice--to correct the abuses of the court. May this occasion be used to show the nation the great things that can happen when parents invest in their children's educations; may the nation hear and see all the great things going on in home schools across the land. May the notion that bureaucratic schools are better than families be finally and conclusively put to the shame it deserves. May you be glorified.

And Father, I pray your wisdom will guide Jennifer and me in our lives.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

biology, justice and faith

Today, I began teaching Biology. Our first unit is on evolution, and I introduced the topic by addressing my Christian students who don't even want to hear about it. I explained that in Acts 17 Paul goes to Athens as a missionary. But, before he presents his beliefs, he studies the beliefs of the Athenians. He then uses their belief in "an unknown god" to build a bridge for sharing the gospel. In the same way, Christian students can think of studying evolution as a means of understanding what others believe so they can then have reasonable discussions about what they believe.

Later in the semester, we'll be discussing genetics and heredity. In that unit, I plan to incorporate information on DNA exonerations. And I just read this evening about yet another man freed from prison. And to make the case even worse, it appears the government withheld information from the defense. They sent an innocent man to prison knowing there was a good chance they were sending an innocent man to prison.

Also today, I read a WORLD article about how President Bush openly calls for religious freedom in China, but has said nothing about religious freedom in the Muslim world. I wrote the author to point out another irritant of mine: the US government prohibits sending "bulk quantities of religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith" to troops in Iraq. So, we're fighting a war in the name of freedom, but our government is more than content to ignore the lack of religious freedom.

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Father, I pray that your name would flood the earth, that your name would be glorified among all peoples. May your name be praised in every nation on earth as it is in heaven. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.

I pray that those groups seeking justice for the wrongly accused, groups such as Project Innocence, would be able to continue righting wrongs throughout our society. I pray that people across this nation would cry out for justice and demand our legal system be held to the strictest standards of justice and be held accountable. May your church rise up and become a catalyst for change in our nation. Yesterday, our nation marked our remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr; help us as a people do more than take a day off, but help us internalize a commitment to truth, justice and equity. May the church bring you glory by standing firm for those righteous values

And father, I pray that your church in America would turn aside from our complacency about those sins that live deep within ourselves, and I pray that we would no longer be hypocritical in our defense of righteousness. Our church today vigorously fights against gay marriage, yet marriages in our churches fall apart faster than among unbelievers. Divorce has become an acceptable sin among our own people; we forget that there is no such thing as an acceptable sin and that he who breaks one law has broken the entire law. May we always remember that the only thing separating us from eternal damnation is your pure grace through our savior Jesus Christ. May we remember it is a gift from you that has turned away your wrath and restored us into fellowship. Jesus did not come so that we could take political power but so that we could live through spiritual power. Give your church the grace to turn the world upside down for righteousness.

Father, I pray for your name to spread throughout the nations. May your people carry your word and your calling to the very ends of the earth. Father, your word overcomes all obstacles. No government has every stood in your way. Your church has grown faster under China's communist rule than under America's freedom. Your word is more powerful than anything on earth. Still, I pray that religious freedom would cover the globe so that your people could worship you in peace and that your people would enjoy greater freedom to share your good news. Your will be done.

And father, I ask you to bless my students and me as we begin this semester. Give me wisdom as I teach Biology. Give my students wisdom as they study and learn. May my students and I see together your glory as we search through complexities of life. When I look at the stars or see images of deep space, I see your majesty. And when I see the complexities of DNA or the balance of life throughout the earth, I see your hand at work.

I also ask that you bless Charlotte. It is so incredible to watch her grow. It is so beautiful to see her smile. You have blessed Jennifer and me so much. Help us be graceful parents. Help us raise her in the way she should go. Help us model for her how to love you with all her heart, all her mind, all her strength and all her soul; and help us model for her how she can love her neighbor as herself. But ultimately, her soul rests in your hands. So, I ask that you would show her your glory and grace and call her to your son Jesus. May she, when the time is right, hear his voice and respond to him as a sheep to her shepherd.

I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 32

Father, I am filled with joy because you have forgiven my rebellion against you. For years, I was your enemy, fighting against your authority. Still, I too often reject you and worship false idols. But, you are faithful to forgive me, and I praise your glorious grace.

Every day, I sin against you. I miss the standard of your perfection. I fall short of your glory. Yet, you do not hold my sin against me. Through Jesus, you have covered my sin. You look at me and see his atonement for my sins, and you do not find me guilty.

I celebrate you and your amazing grace! I am happy beyond comprehension. Yet, I ask you to give me even greater joy. Help me to see even greater joy in your grace. Help me to be so filled with joy that everyone around me sees what you offer. Make me a city on a hill to be a beacon for those around me. Help me show your glory so that more people will one day live eternally in your city.

Father, I know that everything I have comes from you. I thank you for the countless blessings you give me. I thank you for every thing I have, every breath I take. May I live my life for your glory. Help me to take up my cross and follow you. Give me boldness in proclaiming your greatness. Give me strength to resist temptation. Give me the love for others that would shine through me and draw people to you.

Father, I pray for the family of Scott Harvey. This is a difficult time as they deal with his death. His death shows us once again that we are not guaranteed tomorrow on earth. Help us to understand that we must use our time wisely for our eternal investment in your glory.

I also pray again for the family of Kamie Baker. Again, the death of a young parent shows that each day is a gift. Nothing on earth matters more than our eternal relationship with you. I pray that you would be with her family, especially Cheyenne, and bring them comfort that can only come from you. I pray this loss would bring them closer to you. I also ask you to be with family of the people injured in the other car. Heal them physically and spiritually.

And I ask you to continue blessing Josh and Tina West, and their little girl Ella. Help Ella recover and give her strength to grow up healthy and strong. Be with the medical staff and give them all wisdom and compassion. Guide them as they treat Ella.

I pray that you would be with Mike and Meredith. Meet their needs each day and show them that you are faithful. Bless them as they begin to build a marriage founded on you; help them build a marriage that would serve the world as a model of Christ's relationship with his bride, the church.

Bless Rhonda and her children and they begin to prepare for Frank's return home. Be with them as they reconnect with each other and family. Keep them safe and content as they travel.

Bless Leslie and she works through her math class. Help her succeed in school and achieve her goals.

Father, be with Latrelle's father Alec. Give him your mercy and healing. Bless his family.

And father, I ask that you be with those families who lost loved ones in the accidents on I-4 this past week. Be with those who are still in the hospital or have difficult recoveries ahead of them. Help everyone come to know you more through these events. Not even a bird dies apart from your will; I know you have a purpose in everything. May your purpose be done and may your name be glorified.

Father, bless my students as they prepare to finish their semester. For many of them, these are stressful times. They work so hard and are asked to do so much. Give them peace and help them succeed. And be with me as I work to finalize the semester. And bless me as I begin teaching a new subject.

I can approach your throne with confidence because of Jesus who is my advocate. I know that whatever I ask in his name, according to your will, will be done. Amen.

from Psalm 145 and a newspaper

It's Sunday morning and I am back from teaching a Bible study on Psalm 145. And I just read a Baptist Press article on the spiritual changes at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

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I celebrate your name God; you are my king.
Let me celebrate your glory always, forever.
You are great and mighty, loving and majestic, just and righteous.
You have been praised through the generations,
up to me,
let me continue your praises and pass them on to the future.
I want to praise you and make your glorious wonders known.
I want to share with joy the amazing nature of your works.
Let all your people praise you; let all the earth sing with joy for you.

Your greatness is beyond measure, more than any human mind can understand.
Let us place our trust in you because you are greater than any power.
I see so much I don't understand in the world;
in those cases, I must place my trust in your understanding,
in your greatness and goodness, in your unstoppable plan.

Before time, you planned creation; you planned to make your glory known.
You made Adam and planned to give him Eve.
And you planned to rescue them from their sin.
You have always had a chosen people.
You chose Abraham and gave him a nation.
You worked in the life of Job; you showed your power through his faith.
You chose Moses to bring your people out of Egypt.
You chose to carry them through the desert into the Promised Land.
You chose to save Daniel when he said death was little to him because he had you. And you made your greatness known to the king through your work.
You chose Jonah to carry your message to Nineveh; you were patient and loving with Jonah as he fled in the opposite direction. You were patient and loving with all the people of Nineveh; you warned them and heard their repentance.
You showed Jonah and all your people that you desire mercy more than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6)
Let your people, in view of your mercy, worship you by offering their bodies as a living sacrifice. Transform us show that we may know you (Ro 12:1).

From the beginning, from the sin of Adam, you promised salvation to your chosen people.
You gave us Immanuel.
You gave us a child who was human and God.
He lived the life we cannot live and died in our place.
But, you didn't leave him to rot in the grave.
His body did not see decay.
You raised Jesus from the grave and raised all your people with him.

You took us, a rebellious, unfaithful people, and you brought us to you.
You went out in search of your sheep.
You welcomed back those Prodigal children who flaunted their independence in ignorance.
You saved me, and I cannot help but be amazed.
You are truly more awesome, more glorious, more loving, more forgiving, more just, more righteous, more powerful, more wise than me.
I put myself in your control; I am your humble and joyful servant.
Help me to submit when my flesh wants to rebel.

May your praise be part of my life that the world would see you in me.
May I be a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand, so the world sees your glory.
Give me strength and boldness to proudly, faithfully, continually, effectively tell the world of your greatness.
Put in me a desire to share your wonders.
And send out harvesters into the field because the harvest is plentiful.

Father, I thank you for the great testimony of the missionaries in my life.
I thank you for their courage to go into dangerous locations.
Their faithfulness in following you, and your faithfulness is saving people through their work is a testimony for me to see.
I pray for M is Asia, who brings your name to the Muslim people. I pray for those who have come to know you through her ministry. Bless them and make them fruitful.
I praise you and your saints who have made the JESUS film available in 1,004 languages, truly bringing your good news to the ends of the earth. Be with those who are working to translate it into even more languages. Be with those who take the film and your good news out among the nations. Bring people from every nation to know you through this project and through the work of your church around the world.
I pray for Ionel who has faithfully served in various locations, but now lacks the funds to continue in his current ministry. I pray that you would meet his needs because there is nothing that stands in your way.
I thank you for the great testimony of George Muller who lived his life to show you can be trusted. You met his needs when he silently prayed to only you. Time after time, you met the needs of the children in his care. Time after time, you put in place answers to prayers before he even made them. You truly are a God who sees our needs even before we see our own needs.

Father, you are gracious and compassionate to your people.
May we be a blessing to you; and may we be a blessing to your world as we tell about you.
Your kingdom will last forever. Hallelujah.

You are a great help to those who suffer; you raise up those who bow down.
Father, I praise you for the work you have done in Angola, through your servant Warden Cain.
How great a testimony to your fame it is when an entire prison, the worst prison in our nation, becomes a place where you are known above all.

Truly, you set the captives free--not from the razor wires that encamp them, but from the spiritual darkness that enslaves them. Murderers and rapists turn their lives to you and become missionaries for you! Like in the life of Paul, you show that the most awful sins can be covered by the blood of Jesus. And you show that in Christ, we are all one. We were all sinners, we were all murderers in your eyes; for he who breaks one law breaks them all. You demand perfection. Nothing unclean can enter heaven and we were all unclean. Yet, while we were dead in our sins, you saved us. Through our faith in Jesus, we are saved, so that none can boast. It is you and you alone that deserves all the praise and glory and honor. You are our king and savior. You are our hope.

Father, I pray that the missionaries sent out from Angola, two by two, will change prisons around Louisiana. I pray that the truth that you change hearts, even the hearts of the most hardened criminals, would spread through the justice system. I pray that prisons around the nation would open their doors to you and your missionaries. I pray for the new seminary program in Mississippi State Penitentiary. May it bring you even more glory.

And I ask you to awaken in your people a thirst for righteousness and justice, that we would demand integrity in our justice system. I am thankful for the work of Project Innocence and so many people who have worked to right so many wrongs in our legal system. If only your people would rise up and demand accountability and truth, fairness and justice in our legal system. We are active in some political causes, but your people largely ignore injustices in our society. Forgive us this sin. Instill in us a love for the innocent--yes, we must fight for the innocent who are not yet born--but let us also fight for the innocent who languish in prison. It was a group of pastors who wrote a newspaper article condemning Martin Luther King Jr as he sat in a Birmingham Jail. Too often, your people forget the truth in your justice. Let us not ignore, anymore, the undeniable reality that countless people languish in jail for crimes they did not commit, and they have been forgotting by society. And let us not forget that while they may be countless to us, they are each known by you. Be with them and help them know that you are with those who are oppressed; bring them to rest in you and find their freedom in you regardless of the confines around them.

I also bring before you the needs of my friends who ask for the prayers of your saints.

Bless Nancy and bring her good through the medical tests she is undergoing.

Bless Jennifer and I in our building of our new home. Show us your faithfulness to meet our needs. Help us use our home for your glory, and no matter what, we first and foremost ask that your will be done.

Bless Jennifer's mother Debra, who will have surgery on her foot on the 24th. Heal her of the troubles she has had for so long. Show her that you truly are great--you can meet our needs--and that you are also compassionate.

Bless Frank and Rhonda. Bring Frank home safe. Bless their marriage as it can be difficult to spend so much time apart and then be brought back together. Let Rhonda demonstrate you through her relationship with her husband. Let her life be a testimony to you. Open Frank's eyes to you and save him. Again I pray that you would bless Frank's work in Iraq. He has spent so much of himself helping to bring safety to that nation; he has worked so hard to give the leaders of Iraq the skills they need to lead their nation in justice and safety. He wants desperately to see his work be successful. Give him success, but also help him know that it is not through his own strength, but through you that everything is accomplished (Dt 8).

Bless the Yungmann's as they make decisions that face them. Meet their needs and give them wisdom.

Bless the teachers who are working hard to prepare students. Bless them as they work toward the FCAT, but keep in their minds that teaching is not about the test, but about giving students the chance to reach their potential and fulfill the gifts and talents you have given them. May families come together with parents encouraging their children to learn and grow. May students come to school prepared and desiring to learn.

I know so many students come from broken families, families with few resources, or places with a host of other problems. But, you are above all these problems and can meet any challenge we face because you cannot be challenged by anything. Restore families, build our communities. Put it in the hearts of your people to share their resources with those who have less so that students can have the clothes they need, the food they need, the encouragement they need to grow in wisdom and stature. And may Christian teachers make an unmistakable difference in the lives of children as they model your love, grace, compassion, truth and glory to their students and colleagues. May your glory shine in the love your people show to others.

Be with Melanie White in this horrible time for her and her family. I cannot imagine the trials they face with this disease. I ask first that you would heal her. Show your glory, that you still do miracles. But, most importantly, your will be done; whatever happens, make your glory known; show yourself to be greater than any human trial, any disease. We follow your words in James 5:14 that those who are sick should ask your people to pray to you. Raise Melanie up according to your plan and wisdom.

In the same way, we pray for the family of Scott Harvey. Be with them in their time of sorrow. Comfort them. Show your compassion. And use this time to show your glory and bring your good news to any among that family who do not know you.

And be with the family of Danny Norris. They go through a very different course of suffering, but you understand their needs as well. You have a plan for their lives. Comfort them and bring them rest in you.

I pray for the salvation of Mark. Reach into his heart, take out his heart of stone, put in a heart of flesh. Write your word on his heart and save him. And I pray for the unspoken needs of Steve, as well. You know all our needs, and you work all things for our good.

You are a God who saves people. I ask you to show grace and bring salvation to my parents. Open their minds and hearts to you. Let me be a witness to them for you, but also bring other saints into their lives to share your glory. And I ask you to grant your grace and salvation to Jennifer's brother Nick. Show him you love him; show him the greatness of your goodness.

Father, I praise you for hearing my call to you. I praise you for your strength to answer prayer and your concern to give us all we need. May your name be shown great. May you be glorified. Your will be done.

And I ask all this in the name of Jesus.

Amen.