prayer

SABBATICAL DAY 5: CONFERENCING

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This sabbatical feels different from my last. During the last sabbatical my mother was just entering the most intensive part of her medical need. Travel was not really an option. Now Mom is gone. I guess I could go anywhere I want, but I don’t really have any desire to go anywhere.

I know many people think of sabbatical as a vacation. I don’t. I see it as a necessary change of life rhythm for the purpose of clarifying vision. I really need that. I feel more deeply than ever before that I need to see what is coming down the road. More than that I feel like I am commanded to it.

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One thing I did learn about sabbatical from last time was that the rhythm and events of sabbatical are only truly determined by God. I made intricate plans last time and God intervened heavily in my plans to change them. I didn’t get done all that was on my list, but I know now I did get done what I needed to do.

This time my plans are not as detailed, but I feel like I have come closer to matching God’s plans for this sabbatical. This first week of sabbatical was given to prayer and conferences. I attended several prayer services at TWR House of Prayer as they held their annual growth conference. Yesterday I was at Liberty Church in Shrewsbury MA for their L2L conference. Today I was at my own church for our Better Man Conference. I have pages of notes to pray through this next week as I seek vision from them for our church.

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This next week I am spending time in deep prayer, in working around the Vicarage, and in planning administratively for the church: I have budgets to do; missions job descriptions to update; and infrastructure plans to consider; I also think it is time to fill out the paperwork for the next step in my ministry licensing process.

My son and his wife are signing papers this week on a condo so I am beginning a big fall cleaning as they prepare to move at the end of the month. It feels like threads are coming together and I am beginning to see the tapestry, streams are blending in a divine confluence. I certainly am not the only one sensing this. I don’t even understand the bigger parts of it, but I am very clear on the fact that I need to understand my own small part of the stream. I think much depends on it.

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DO YOU FEEL THIS NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN THE LAST?

SABBATICAL DAY 2: WE NEED TO KNOW

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My son and I were talking about this sabbatical our church is on. I explained to him that sabbatical is not a vacation for the pastor or the church. It is a change of rhythm for the purpose of finding God’s direction and strength for next steps. The change of rhythm does involve rest, but it also involves other practices as well.

Today was all about the practice of flexibility. I set my plans to pray for at least two hours at the Worship Room House of Prayer this morning. I made it forty minutes and then… God showed up and I ended up taking a trip with my daughter to a town about an hour and a half away to pick up some equipment that had been wrongly shipped to another Cornerstone Church.

I was going to go by myself, but you know I am learning to be the DOING LIFE TOGETHER guy. It was good we went together, as it turned out. My leg has been bothering me the last few days and it cramped up pretty badly just as we were arriving at the other Cornerstone Church. Amanda had to drive home so I could stretch out.

Anyway, we made a morning of it. The drive was through some of the most beautiful autumn territory of the Quabbin Valley and we stopped for lunch at Herrick’s in Orange. So I actually accomplished one of my other goals for this month which was to take a leaf peeping drive.

There were a few other “divine interruptions” in my plans today. Some unplanned reorganization of schedules shortened my time to burn brush by about an hour and once again reoriented how I was going to pray. I think learning to be flexible with my prayer life is something God is trying to teach me.

In the midst of all the reorganization I got this thought. “As a people we need to know God’s plan for the next years. We do need a clearer vision of the future. We do need to understand what God is doing. That said, we don’t just need to know God’s plan or the future or what God is doing. We need something more. We need the church to also have a revelation of itself, a revelation of who we are to Christ, who we are to ourselves and who we are to our communities.

TELL ME WHO OR WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHURCH IS?

SABBATICAL DAY 1: ETERNAL DEFINITIONS

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I need to begin living by God’s definitions of things rather than the world’s definitions of things. I need to bring the definitions of words from eternity into the here and now. I need to begin living by those eternal definitions in the here and now.

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For instance, the Bible teaches us that the word “power” means something different in eternity than it does here. I…we must begin living by the eternal definition of the word “power” rather than living by the temporal definition.

As I begin to live by the eternal definition of all things in the here and now, the New Heaven and the New Earth, when it is finally established, will be a stepping into the presence of a long awaited friend rather than a violent shift to a new thing.

PIANO PRAYERS, MISSIONARY, JACOB’S FIRE AND AMANDA’S CUPS

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The tide of ministry has been high this week. Sunday I preached my 50th message in our series on Revelation. Truthfully it is probably more like the 60th or 70th sermon in the series, but it is entitled “Jesus Doing Life Pt. 2 Pt. 50.”

We were stuck in chapters 2,3 and 4 for quite a while and I was using decimal points (2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and so on) for that particular point in the series. It has been a wonderful study and I am looking forward to its conclusion on Sept. 29th (which it just hit me would have been my mother’s 88th birthday).

HERE IS THE SERVICE FROM SUNDAY.

Sunday preaching always leaves me ready for a nap. This series has left me feeling particularly drained. Maybe it’s just the content but I am finding I need to rest deeply on Sunday afternoon, and it is good to have a lot of time to pray on Mondays.

This week I did get several hours to pray on Monday morning and then Monday evening I led worship from 5-6 at THE WORSHIP ROOM HOUSE OF PRAYER and prayed in the prayer room from 6-7 P.M.

HERE IS THAT SERIES OF PRAYER SERVICES.

Tuesday is always one of the busiest days of my week. Staff meeting led into a missions lunch with one of our missionary friends from a sensitive country. Amanda came down with the stomach flu which is running through our kids ministry, so I took youth group for her on Tuesday night.

This is the “GET WELL” bouquet one of her teens made for her.

Youth night this week was easy. It was the fall opening for youth ministry, girls ministry and Royal Rangers Ministry to boys. One of Amanda’s teen-agers had a vision. for having a bonfire to start the season off. Together, Jacob and a few other folks from the church cleaned out and prepared the fire pit at the back of the church property.

One of our youth leaders, Troy, helped Jacob get the fire up and running while the other kids opened with business and games.

Then everyone came out to the fire and made stores while another one of Amanda’s youth led in worship.

Wednesday. I worked at home to catch up on prayer and Vicarage projects.

Then on Thursday, I joined Amanda’s DLT group (she was fully recovered from the stomach bug by that point) to start getting ready for our upcoming Church Crockpot cook off. Amanda’s group is sponsoring the event and so we had to label 1100 sample cups for the cook off

Today. I am getting ready for oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth. So…yeah… it’s been a fun and active week. Which is my excuse for not writing as much here at Notes.

I have smiled a lot this week and made a lot of fun memories.

WHAT MEMEORY DID YOU BUILD THIS WEEK?

THE LEADERSHIP RHYTHM

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This week God has been speaking to me about fully embracing the rhythm of my leadership. I believe, there is a leadership rhythm that spiritual leaders must follow consistently if we are to walk in the fullness of our giftings from God. Without the consistent rhythm we will not walk in the fullness of our gifts or reach the fullness of our ministry callings.

I don’t believe that this rhythm looks the same for everyone. Each of us are called to discover the rhythm of our spiritual leadership for ourselves, and then to live it constantly We must no longer allow distractions of the world to take us away from the rhythm.

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For me, this involves a rhythm of constant prayer throughout the day, everyday: Matins, Laudes, Prime, Terce, Sext None, Vespers, Compline. For me, work and the rest of life flows out of prayer and back into prayer. Prayer is the constant rhythm and it must not be allowed to stop…ever. 

The Lord showed me that this rhythm is the manifestation of the armor of God for us as leaders in the church, this is why Paul says…“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

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This means that letting go of the rhythm is akin to taking off the armor, and therefore not being able to stand in the day of evil against the agents of evil. 

Here is the struggle I am having. I have sought God and told Him how overwhelming this thought is. I know I cannot be consistent to this level of constancy on my own. In my own nature I am too distractible, too flighty.

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The Lord has sent me a quiet assurance in prayer that the rhythm is not something I accomplish on my own. It is something He accomplishes and I receive.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.Ephesians 2:10

So now I am taking time everyday to believe and receive the rhythm that is God’s gift to me and which opens up my ability to use my gifts for Him.

DO YOU HAVE A RHYTHM GOD IS TRYING TO ESTABLISH IN YOUR LIFE?

THE ABIDING WORD IN PRAYER

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Reading the Bible is an integral part of my prayer life.

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I have set a current goal of reading at least 12 chapters in the Bible everyday. I break my BIble reading up throughout the day to read a few chapters in each of my prayer sessions.

Over the years I have tried all kinds of different reading and study plans. The pattern I am currently following is reading the Bible sequentially from the beginning straight through to the end. Each time I finish book of the Bible I read one book of the Bible before I move on to the next. Currently my chosen book for rereading between books is Genesis; so my current reading looks like this: GENESIS, EXODUS, GENESIS, LEVITICUS, GENESIS, NUMBERS, GENESIS DEUTERONOMY, GENESIS….This means by the time I reach Revelation I will have read Genesis 66 times.

WHY IS READING THE BIBLE NECESSARY FOR PRAYER?

John 15:7,8 reads, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

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To abide means, to be continually present with. the Bible verses from John indicate that if I want my prayers to be answered or my life to bear its greatest spiritual fruit, the Word of God must be continually present in my life. It is not enough to read it once a day and be done with it. I find the Word of God (like my prayer times) must be peppered throughout my day to create greater effectiveness for my life and ministry.

MINISTRY LIFE AND TWR

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I think the most important work a minister does is the work of prayer. Without the work of prayer everything else we do is devoid of power. I try to spend between three and five hours a day in prayer around the rest of my schedule. If you have read my blog before you know that much of that is restorative prayer. “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” Isa. 40:31

But restorative prayer is needed corporately as well as privately. I believe that the prayer ministry is perhaps the most corporately neglected ministry in the church, and if the church is to have power in the days ahead then the people of the church not just the pastors must learn to pray deeply.

One of the ways I am encouraging that in my own church is by encouraging people to attend The Worship Room House of Prayer in our town.

According to its website. “TWR is a missional ministry where singers, musicians, and intercessors lead live prayer and worship meetings with a focus on growing in intimacy with the Father as well as doing the work of missions from the place of prayer. This Worship Room is open to the public providing a place to pray and be in the presence of God. We believe the Lord is strategically calling His Bride to walk out the prophetic promise of Isaiah 56:7 that declares, “Gods’ house shall be called a house of prayer”

I feel so strongly about this I spend two hours of my prayer time each week at the worship room. One of those hours is spent leading the devotional hour on Mondays from 5-6 P.M.

https://fb.watch/tX1Ys35UwB/

RESTORATIVE PRAYER

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Life is wonderful. Life is full of opportunity. Life is full of challenges. Life is full of set backs. Life gets hard sometimes. All of the wonder, opportunity, challenge, setback and hardness just wears me out. I find I constantly need to restore myself, or perhaps more accurately, I need to be restored.

For me this means I spend a lot of time is RESTORATIVE PRAYER.

Prayer is broken down into many different genres: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication, Petition and Waiting (what I call RESTORATIVE PRAYER) to name a few.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.“

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The word WAIT (QUAVA) is perhaps the most important word for me when it comes to prayer. WAIT in Isaiah 40:31 does not mean to sit and wait like you wait for a bus (although sometimes that is what it looks like when you are actually doing the work of waiting). It is waiting as in hoping. It is waiting as in expecting, but it is also an intentional twisting together as in braiding two or three chords together until the individual rope (that would be me) is strengthened by the addition of another rope or three ropes (those additional ropes would be God as in the Trinity).

As I said life wears me out until I am just too tired to keep going. RESTORATIVE PRAYER is that which makes me strong again.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

  1. I FIND A QUIET PLACE.
  1. I TAKE MY BIBLE, MY PHONE, MY PEN, MY AGENDA AND A JOURNAL
  2. I GET INTO A COMFORTABLE POSITION, FOR ME USUALLY SITTING IN A COMFORTABLE CHAIR OR LAYING DOWN
  3. I SET A TIMER FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES BUT USUALLY 20 OR 30 MINUTES
  4. I PUT ON EITHER SOFT INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC OR MY BIBLE APP IN AUDIBLE FORMAT.
  5. I CLOSE MY EYES AND SETTLE BACK TO LISTEN.
  6. I TRY TO COMPLETELY RELAX. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO PRACTICE “HANDS DOWN PALMS UP AS I BEGIN.

WHAT HAPPENS:

  1. Sometime I come to the waiting with a thousand things on my mind. In time like this my racing thoughts jump from issue to issue that I have to deal with. This is what the agenda is for. I turn to my “TO DO LIST” and I begin to write down all the things my racing mind thinks are more important than seeking God and His strength. Sometimes I write down the time when I need to do the jobs alongside each item in my list. This step sometimes takes me five or ten minutes.
  2. Sometimes if my mind is really racing I have to practice “HANDS DOWN PALMS UP”.
  3. As my mind slows down I begin to feel the weariness of my spirit, soul and body move in. Now I can begin to focus in on the music I am playing or the Scripture.
  4. Often at this point I fall asleep. I never feel guilty about this. It is part of the waiting, a necessary part of being restored. I trust that the Word of God or the worship music is getting into my subconscious. It is also why I set a timer.
  5. Usually I will awaken before the timer and then I begin praising the Lord. As I do I spend a moment contemplating if there was anything I thought about or dreamt about during the beginning of my waiting period that may have been from God. Often there is. I write that down in my journal.
  6. When the timer goes off I consider whether I need to go again. Many times I reset the timer. Sometimes if I am very weary or stressed I need to repeat the whole cycle, but if I have been mindful of my personal care, I can usually focus on items 3 and 5 the second time around (Usually the second time around I opt for the Bible app over music as I am ready now to receive deep truth).

RESTORATIVE PRAYER is one of the most essential spiritual disciplines I practice.

Have you ever tried RESTORATIVE PRAYER?

ON FEELING LIKE I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING

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Today, in PRIME PRAYER, I felt impressed by God that I was to start looking at myself and my life through a gardener’s lens. You may remember that, just the other day I wrote a piece in which I confessed that it has been a good seven years since I had worked on the forest garden around the Vicarage. In truth, the forest garden at my home has been neglected for much longer than that.

When my family first moved to The Vicarage, back in the 1970’s, we didn’t own the little parcel of land to the left of our home. It was a wild patch of woods that came up almost to the edge of the house. Out back of the house, the yard was dominated by a giant weeping willow the top of which overshadowed the roof of the Vicarage. At night the willow’s whips would brush against my window panes giving me fits of fear. The Japansk was growing out of control all around the house and close in. Some of the bushes were as high as the second story windows.

When my father acquired the property next door in the late 1970’s his remedy was to clear cut the whole property. He removed the willow and most of the trees out back and he turned the forest next door into a field. I was so disappointed because I was already an avid birdwatcher by that time. In one day, the birds around the Vicarage, the squirrels, the chipmunks all lost their habitat.

While my father took down the trees and even stumped the property, he didn’t deal with the roots of roses, raspberries or blackberries. And that was the last time he ever really tended the property. He had good intentions. He just got busy with his business. The stockade fence he bought to surround the house lay out on the side of the Vicarage until it rotted away. The field regrew into a thorny hedge and once again into a dense forest. The animals came back again (well except for the flocks of evening grosbeaks, they seem to have left our state completely).

My father passed away and my mom who hated the outdoors as she aged just kind of let the whole house go. Then I moved back in after my divorce and the work began. It’s been a slow work, but we have made definite progress. We have now addressed most of the serious structural issues with the Vicarage itself. Now its time to look at the forest garden.

It is interesting. My first years in the Vicarage and as lead pastor of the church have been spent dealing with some rather large structural issues (roof, sills, plumbing, bathrooms, floors, siding). Likewise, our congregation’s first order of business when I became lead pastor was to replace the altar space and the ancient rug in the sanctuary. Then, we had to address the parking lot which had become largely unparkable. Finally, we had to address a plumbing issue we lovingly referred to as “the stink”.

I am no builder. The idea of me being a renovator or fixer-upper is actually laughable to everyone who knows me. I have spent these years feeling out of my depth… like I don’t know what I am doing. I have had to rely on others to tell me and direct me in what I didn’t know. I am thankful for those God has sent to help me over these years.

As I begin working on the forest garden. I realize I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t even know what I don’t know. As I begin the next steps of leading the church I realize I don’t know those next steps. I don’t know what I don’t know. And so just like I did with the house and the church in the beginning I am turning once again to the experts. For the garden I am beginning with this book by Dani Baker. For the church I am turning to the Lord in prayer and I am asking the congregation to join me in these prayers as I approach my upcoming sabbatical which is only nine weeks away, and I am connecting with my spiritual presbyter to find a mentor through the sabbatical process.

I am confident of this. I may not know what comes next for The Vicarage, the forest garden, or the church. This is a moment of many unknowns. But I serve a God who has known the answers for this time from before there was time. I will follow Him and the ones He sends to help, just like I did before. All is well, and all manner of things are well, and all manner of things shall be well!

Let the adventure begin!