I love God. He surprises me all the time.

 Last Thursday I visited a former student. He told me his autistic son did not have autism any more. He was now the head of his class. At one point they were going to refinance their house so they could pay for his medical bills. " A switch turned flipped!! His autism was gone!!"

 I was amazed and so happy for them.

 As I was walking out the door my daughter called me on my cell phone. She informed me that my olderst grandson who has had epileptic seizures for more than four of his eight years received a 'clean' eeg. There is no epileptic activity!! He can be weaned off his meds. The doctor said they will not have to see him again, ever!!

 What a coincidence!! Or as my colleague Knofel Staton would say: a God-incident!! How amazing! What a double moment of rejoicing.

 I have to admit, I do not understand all this. I know many families continue to have autistic and epileptic children. I empathize with them. I also rejoice at the moment for our good news!

Prayer is our lifeblood. However, we often do not have time to pray. Or so, we say.

Recently, I have tried Centering Prayer. This is just a time of silent contemplation. It is the opportunity not to speak in prayer. It is the time not to listen in prayer. It is the time to just BE with the Lord. To center on Him. To open your inner self in Him.

 Just like you might enjoy someone's company without a word spoken, so Centering Prayer is enjoying God's company without a word spoken. It is a time to just "hang out" with God.

I have noticed more peace in my life by doing this. There is less pressure to remember all I should say in prayer and feel bad for all the requests I make. It is simply a time to "Be still, and know that He is God"!!

I AM BACK!!!!

I have not forgotten to be back on the blog, I just have been in transition. My Sabbatical is over. I am back at my office at Hope International University. However, I will continue to have a relationship with LifeBridge Chr Church. In fact, I have the privilege to return Jan 20-22 to preach at the five services!!

What I would like to share today is the idea of Centering Prayer. Recently, Thomas Keating's book "Open Mind Open Heart" and Gustave Reininger's book "Centering Prayer" have made me aware of an ancient Christian practice.

Those of us in the "Protestant" traditional have usually thrown out anything that 'smelled' Catholic. Then if it is mystical or contemplative, it must be associated with Zen Buddhism. Certainly, we will wash our hands of anything like that!!

I am not suggesting this is the way to go or that I am going that way. But I am willing to explore different ways to encounter God through Jesus. Perhaps, being still can help us know He is God. Maybe a labyrinth walk can occupy our body's need to move, but then frees our mind to be open to the Lord. Perhaps, an Emmaus Walk where we pretend another person is Jesus as we walk silently along can help us focus on our prayer in a way that our regular prayer method does not.  Perhaps, in all my left brain education I need to allow the right brain a little time, if not equal time.

He speaks to us through his Word, his world, other people. Perhaps, we need, like Elijah, to have him speak to us through a "still small voice" or even-silence!!

I always told my kids when they were growing up that the word "boring" (and derivative terms) was not in the dictionary. They would bring a dictionary out and show it to me. I told them I did not see the word. It did not exist.

I proceeded to tell them that boredom is a state of mind. I think a "boring" situation tells me more about the bored person than the situation. I have determined not to be bored. I can always find something to be interested in even in a not-so-exciting situation. It is a matter of attitude.

Many people get bored with church, the Bible, and even God. I wonder if the problem is that we are boring, not any of these.  I wonder if God gets bored with us: our prayers, our life, our attitude.

I read this week an interesting thought on boredom. The author wrote that we are made in God's image. God is creative. When we are bored, it is because we are not being creative. Perhaps, that is the attitude I mentioned above. When you are tempted to be bored, be creative about the situation. Make it interesting even if you can only do it in your mind. Being creative will keep the word that does not exist from entering your vocabulary and life.

It is a matter of attitude.

I read last night a thought about light and darkness.

The statement was made that "space" is filled with light. It only appears to be dark because there is no object to hit and reflect its light.

Could that be why the world seems so dark at times?

God is so much bigger than the box we put him in. Could it be that God is still growing? Is the expression of His love expanding as there are more people in the world?

Is God changing? Not in essence, character, or nature, but in expression of Himself?  Did He "change" when He created the world? Did He "change" in the Incarnation? Was Jesus on a learning curve when He became human? Does He "change" as He creates new universes, people, animals etc? Does He expand the expression of His love with each new person born?

Does He invite us to extend ourselves and change. Do I only have so much love in me? As my family grows must I subdivide that love or does it increase with each new person?

"Cream and grease rise to the top"  Eric Swanson co-author-'The Externally Focused Church'

To have a great impact sometimes necessitates planning, strategy, consultation, and budget planning. This can be especially true when writing for traditonal publication. The process takes months before a book can "hit the streets".

Even the Christian writing enterprise considers costs, networking, and negotiation. I guess one must be "as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove".  How does that strike you?

I am not a mystic. However, I think we (maybe I) have lost some of the mysticism of God. As Isaiah tells us His thoughts are higher than ours.

I recently read two books by Don Miguel Ruiz. He advocates the wisdom of Toltec mysticism. Again, I do not hold to their beliefs. But, I have found in my life that I can glean truth from many sources. Ruiz does have some practical insights on attitudes that can help our inner selves.

In his book "The Four Agreements" he makes the following points:

1. Be impeccable with your words.

2. Don't take anything personally.

3. Don't make assumptions.

4. Always do your best.

Christians are willing and desire to serve.

What they need is LEADERSHIP!!!!

Leadership to:

Cast a vision

Communicate the need

Model the behavior

Encourage them

Hold them accountable

Celebrate the victories!!

This morning a Weld County Supervisor and the Director of Social Services for the County spoke to the church staff.

In essence, they were asking the church to partner with them in preventing at risk youth from entering the social service system. It seems more churches should be known in their community for helping the community and supporting social services. Perhaps, we should apply Jesus' statement that he did not come to be served, but to serve in this arena of life.

It is amazing what can happen when you do not worry who gets the credit. It is truly service when there are no hooks that most churches are known for. We will serve if we get the credit or the convert. Perhaps, more would be converted if they were not viewed as projects, but people.