After I prayed with my wife the other day, we began to wonder why so many people tend to pray with their hands folded, eyes closed, and heads bowed down. Does God command us to have a certain posture when we pray? So I went to God’s Word to see if it gave any instruction (2 Tim. 3:16) on how our posture should be when we pray.

I discovered that people prayed to God with many different postures in the Bible, all of which were acceptable. For instance, Jesus put his face to the ground (Matt. 26:39) in Gethsemane, he lifted his eyes to heaven (John 17:1), King Solomon prayed on his knees with his hands held high (1 Kings 8:54), Daniel prayed on his knees (Daniel 6:10), people prayed standing up (Psalm 106:30; Neh. 9:2; Mark 11:25), others threw themselves to the ground (Ezra 10:1), and King David prayed seated (2 Sam. 7:18).  So if anyone ever tells you God won’t hear you pray because you are not in the right posture, know what the person is saying is unbiblical.

The take-away here is any physical posture for prayer is acceptable, the Lord does not require us to position our bodies in a certain way in order to be heard by him. So whether, you are driving your car, on the treadmill at the gym, lying in bed or even in the shower; all these postures are acceptable, but what is ultimately and truly important in prayer is not our physical posture, but the posture of our hearts. Sometimes it is easier for us to bow our knees then it is our hearts to God. Also, our outward posture is not always symbolic of our inward spiritual attitude as we can see from the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).

So the next time you are in prayer and your heart is troubled or it is not in the right place, be honest with God and tell Him how you are feeling – remember, it’s no secret to Him. :) Ask Him to break your heart for what breaks His.  Ask Him to put your heart in the right place as you come before Him.  Whatever you do, just keep praying.  The Bible says we should “pray without ceasing,” so that means anytime and anywhere, the important thing is not where we pray but that we do pray!

Read 1 Timothy 4:1-3 below.

“Now the (Holy) Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful (or leading astray) spirits and teachings of demons (disseminating errors among men and seeking to seduce believers), through the insincerity (pretending to be what one is not) of liars whose consciences are seared (withered or become insensitive), who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

When I heard these verses the past week it really drove home in me the importance of being in God’s Word.  Paul was saying that as Christ’s return grows nearer, less people will read the Bible and even more people will begin to listen to others to get their teaching.  People will mostly choose who they listen to based upon the speaker’s message meshing with what they want to hear. So how can we discern who is teaching God’s Word correctly?  The answer is simple, we must read the Bible ourselves, otherwise we cannot know if what the person is saying is true.

Friends I implore you that reading God’s Word daily is of the utmost importance to keep you away from false teaching.  Don’t put your faith or trust only in a person or individual when it comes to the Word of God.  Put your faith and trust in God alone by reading His Word and seeing if what you have heard is true according to God. Don’t trust one person alone to learn about God, even if you know the teachers are godly. You must dig into God’s Word yourself and see if what they are saying is true and trustworthy.  Become an avid student of the Bible. Matt 7:15 says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Some teachers may be the nicest people in the world, or perhaps the greatest story tellers, or perhaps the greatest communicators, but that doesn’t mean they are staying true to the Word of God. Additionally, the words of man will never compare to the words of God.  God’s Word has supernatural power and authority, man’s words do not (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12).

So Dive In to the Word of God and observe it, interpret it and put it to application in your own life. And remember: the greatest interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself.

On August 1, 2005, we lost our niece to a horrific accident. A box fan fell from the window and snuffed out our precious little girl. Words do not have the value needed in describing the magnitude of our grief. It was awful. There is no other word that can describe an event like that…awful.

I have often pondered since that moment and questioned Gods ultimate plan. It seemed so useless. Void. Obtuse. When you are placed in a situation as a follower of Jesus that really makes you question your faith, it is a scary place. What about all of his promises? What about his claims of protection and declarations of never leaving us or forsaking us? Where is the meaning in all of this?

3 days ago, 6 and a/half years after our precious Ava’s passing, I had an experience that will historically go down as one of the most proud moments of my 13 years and 9 months of being a father.

On Thanksgiving, my wife and children, Elijah (13) Emeliah (10) and Zeke (7) went to visit there Great Grandmother. Grandma Bloomer was the mother of my wife’s mother. She was a saint. One of the sharpest 90 year old women I have ever met. Always dressed to the 9′s, she always remembered everyone’s name and she always made us laugh with her humor and uncanny wit!

But most of all she was a fervent follower of Jesus Christ.

Two days after Holly and my children saw her, she went into hospice. It was a shock to us all. Especially after she was so sharp just a few days before. My beautiful wife called me at work and said, “things are going downhill for Grandma Bloomer. It looks like it will be very soon….”

3 days ago I jumped into bed and snuggled up to my wife and fell fast asleep. At 3 am I heard our two dogs barking and I was sure that they needed to be let out to go do their business. When I opened the door to let them go, they bolted across the field and chased deer for close to an hour. So here I am, wearing a winter coat, Ohio State pajamas and moon boots, screaming “Shadow! Sadie!”. Finally they returned covered in manure and deer brains. Yeah, bitterness is not a word I would use to describe my anger…

When I went inside, I was wide awake. I laid down on the couch and watched ESPN discredit Tim Tebow for 2 hours and then I turned off the TV at 6 and crawled into bed with my oldest, Elijah. As I was drifting off to sleep I heard Holly’s phone ring at 6:15 am…and I knew…

She made her way upstairs sniffling and weeping. The door opened to Elijah’s room and I said ,”hey baby, did Grandma pass away?”. She fell into my arms sobbing and I just held her. A few minutes later Elijah awoke and rolled between us and wrapped his arms around her. Next was Zeke. He burst through the door and jumped on Holly and just hugged the life out of her. And then Emmy walked in and joined the mourning with her arms around us both. My children didn’t say much. They didn’t quote verses or offer cliché’ bible promises. They just loved on they’re mom. With the exception of one comment from Zeke. “I hate it when people in my family die! It sucks!” (like father like son)

As all 5 of us laid there in one giant mourning clump, a revelation hit me. My children have suffered. They know how to respond when things go bad. As angering as Ava’s death was, even still today, lessons have been learned. My children have been tested, in the fiery furnace of affliction, and they are better because of it.

When Ava passed I often wondered about Gods love and purpose. But as life progresses, His plan and goodness are being revealed more and more everyday. And most of the time, it is through suffering. And let’s be honest, does anything else really get our attention?

As Christmas quickly approaches, let us remember that Christ was born to die. And it was through His suffering that he became acquainted with OUR suffering and became not only our Savior, but our friend…

Have a blessed and thankful Christmas…

I received a Christmas card a few years ago that touched me deeply. Here is what it said:

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator;
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist;
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist;
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer;
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Savior.

I believe that forgiveness is the greatest commodity in the universe. It’s a commodity that heals our soul so that we can live a healthy, functional life here on Earth. It’s a commodity that reconciles us to God so that we have eternal life in the world to come.

When we think about Christmas in today’s culture, we think about baby Jesus in the manger. But what we should be thinking about is the full-grown Jesus on the cross. His primary purpose was not to serve as the central figure in the manger scene, but rather to die on the cross and rise again. This is what Christmas is really all about. It’s not about trees, presents, tinsel or going to the mall. It’s about the fact that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This Christmas season, I would urge you to make this the rejoicing of your heart. Christmas is all about Jesus Christ, the greatest gift that anyone has given or received in all of human history. Thank the Lord Jesus today, tomorrow, and every day for the forgiveness that we could never earn, but that the He gave us freely in His mercy. Rejoice in the fact that as long as you are forgiven by almighty God, there is always something going right in your life.

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas celebration. May the New Year bring you an abundance of God’s blessings and may your spirit soar with Him who came to redeem you. Merry Christmas!

So I have a thing for books. I mean, what other person in their right mind spends seven years in seminary?! : )

One of my favorite books this year has been Champagne for the Soul. I fell in love with the author, Mike Mason, shortly after I became a believer. I was at a wedding, and I started to think there was more to this marriage thing than I’d thought before I was a believer. I ended up reading Mike Mason’s Mystery of Marriage and just loved it. He paints such a beautiful vision of what marriage is and is intended to be in God’s eyes.

In Champagne for the Soul, Mason tries out a 90 day experiment. He wonders if it’s possible to be joyful for 90 straight days. It’s an impactful and fun devotional of celebrating God’s gift of joy. I just love it. I’ve given it as a gift a few times this year, and others have loved it as well. It’s a blessing of a book.

Last Christmas, my grandmother sent me to the bookstore to find a devotional for her. I brought back four options, and she chose two. One of them she consistently raves about. More than Conquerors has given her great encouragement to live in faith, hope and love. It has motivated her for victory and triumph in the stresses of each day. She’s spoken so highly of it that when Impact singles ministry made Easter baskets this year for residents at Madison House, we included this devotional in it.

As I’ve been shopping for my grandmother for this Christmas, I went back to the bookstore and searched. I came acros

s a devotional called Jesus Calling and thought my grandmother might enjoy it. I told the gals at the bookstore which devotional my grandmother liked last year and asked them to which one they would recommend for this year. Without seeing the book in my hand, they recommended Jesus Calling as well. I’ve talked to two people since then who have read it and loved it! So I got it for my grandmother {shhhh… don’t tell her : )}.

It’s so fun to scatter the joy and love of Christ through Christmas gifts! If you have other recommendations, please chime in. We’d love to hear them.

Merry Christmas, and happy giving!

My grandmother, mom, and me

First and foremost let me be crystal clear, nothing is impossible for God (Jeremiah 32:17). What may seem impossible for man is possible for God. God is omnipotent (Isaiah 14:24-27; Luke 1:37; Eph 1:11) so He can do whatever He wants as long as it doesn’t go against His holy will. Also, know that God won’t do anything to thwart His own purpose or anything that will cause Him to commit a sinful act.

So why does God ask us to do impossible things? If you were one of the disciples and Jesus asked you to feed over 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and two fish (Luke 9:10-17) how would you respond? Maybe something like, “That’s IMPOSSIBLE!” Many people think God would never put a person in an impossible situation, but I would argue that God may just do that, like He did with the disciples in Luke 9 so that we will learn to put our faith in Him, to believe Him, to trust Him, and to make His name known.

Let me provide a few examples from Scripture to prove God can put us in impossible situations so our faith and trust in Him will grow or so others can come to know Him.  Do you think it is impossible to love someone who is persecuting you?  Well, God calls us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44).  Or can you rejoice regardless of the condition or trial you are in? It is easy to rejoice in God when everything is going great. However, God calls us to rejoice always (1 Thes. 5:16) no matter the trial we are in. By loving others no matter how you are treated, and by demonstrating joy throughout trials, God uses these situations to make His name known to non-believers. Christians are called to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-15).

Or how about Job?  This guy lost his family, all of his property, and ended up covered from head to toe with loathsome sores. To top it off, his friends didn’t even support or encourage him — they made his life even more difficult. Job’s case is a great example of how God may put us in an impossible situation and we may never even know why we were put in this situation. God was testing Job’s faith to show Satan that there are individual’s in this world whose faith won’t crumble when facing situations that may seem impossible.

God may ask us to do the impossible so we learn to trust in Him alone. Our brother Paul was imprisoned, beaten many times, stoned, shipwrecked at least 3 times and was in danger from his own people (2 Cor. 11:23-27) and through all these trials he trusted Lord to deliver him. In fact, he boasted in his trials because they showed how weak he was and how strong and mighty God is.

There are countless examples in Scripture of individuals being put in what we would deem as an impossible situation, but that is what God wants so His name can be known, and so our faith will grow. James tells us that God uses impossible situations to shape and mold us to look more like His son Christ (James 1:2-3). God wants to strengthen our faith and show us our faith through trials. If we are honest with ourselves, I bet every one of us would state that we don’t like being in difficult situations, but this is part of life. Folks, there is no such thing as the Prosperity Gospel. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise to bless all Christians with wealth and good health. This life is about serving the Lord.

So next time you are in an impossible situation turn to God.  Trust in Him and know that He has a purpose behind everything He does, even though we may not know that purpose on this side of heaven. Most of all, God wants to put us in impossible situations so He gets the glory He so richly deserves.

I don’t know if you keep up with “Reality TV” or not. Personally, I try to avoid as much of it as possible, and pray that what takes place on these shows ISN’T true reality. (If it is a reflection of reality in our world then we are in big trouble.)

Recently I saw a news piece on the latest happenings in the life of “Reality TV” star Kim Kardashian, of the TV hit Keeping Up With the Kardashians. You may remember that she married NBA basketball star Kristopher Humphries in a 10 million dollar celebrity packed ceremony. (Her engagement ring alone contained a 20.5 carat diamond worth an estimated 2 million dollars.) What a fairy-tale spectacular it was indeed.

The news piece I saw wasn’t about the wedding however, it was about the divorce. The DIVORCE??? Yup – after only 72 days the Princess of reality TV and her Prince called it quits. And of her divorce after a 72 day marriage (don’t miss this), Kardashian states “You just have to listen to your intuition and follow your heart. There is no right or wrong thing to do.” And so goes the trend in our culture. There is no right or wrong thing to do. Just follow your heart.

Well what does the Bible say? God’s word tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Ms. Kardashian needs to be reminded that our hearts are not the authoritative source to guide us through life. There is a right and wrong and it is contained in God’s word, not our hearts. The Bible tells us that when a man leaves his father and mother and gets married, the two become one – an indivisible union in a covenant relationship with God – Ephesians 5:31. In our world, marriage has become a disposable arrangement that is daily cheapened by the sheer numbers of those who are quickly leaving it.

The Bible also teaches that, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us to understand what God wants us to and reveals His will for our lives. So, while we cannot expect those who have not accepted Christ as their personal savior to understand and practice His teachings, it is imperative that we as Christians maintain a biblical worldview in spite of our culture’s attempts to pervert that which God intended to be pure.

I’m not saying that its easy to maintain a biblical worldview in a crazy culture. Make no mistake; it’s a daily battle for all of us. But I do pray that this quick commentary helps you recognize the many opportunities we have to be salt and light in this crazy culture while maintaining a biblical world view.

Prior to becoming a pastor I worked for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  My boss Tadgh Smith had 4 simple rules he lived by at work and they are listed below.  I wanted to share them with you all because I believe they are very wise and in a sense some of these rules have some underlining biblical undertones.

1. Never tick off a client, especially one w/a gun like a law enforcement officer. :)  You never know where you may run into that person again.  Who knows, that person could end up being your boss down the road.

The Bible tells us, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29). Or how about Luke 6:31, “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” If we are called to even love our enemies and speak things that only build others up then our words as well as our actions should be full of love and grace. If we strive to always have our words and actions filled with the grace of God, then the chances of us ticking someone off or hurting them become far less.

2. Never make your way at another’s expense.

As Christians, Jesus is the individual we strive to model our lives after.  Jesus never put his needs before another. Jesus said, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).  If we are always seeking to put other’s needs before our own this will help us not to make our way at someone else’s expense.

3. Always appear to be willing and able, even if the task seems insurmountable.  If you have a problem with the task approach your boss w/your concerns in private, but always appear willing and able in front of others.

Philippians 4:12-13 says, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Know this friends, if God is calling us to do something, He will provide us all the tools we need to do it. We don’t want to demean our managers before others.  We don’t want to disrespect our managers in front of others either.  When we don’t appear willing and able when our bosses ask us to do things in front of others it may portray us in a negative light and in turn may affect our ability to witness to others and may make an unbeliever’s perceptions of a Christian be negative.

4. Always, no surprises.  You think this one would be a no brainer, but this one can be really tough if you work in a high paced, high output work environment.  So make sure your management always knows about possible hot topics that may arise.

I think this particular rule is just common courtesy and I’m not sure if it has any biblical undertones besides this. When your boss knows about hot button issues/topics they can better defend you and they are also not caught off guard either. My experience tells me that good managers watch out for their employees, so reciprocate this back to your boss.

So do you have any additional rules that guide you or that you live by in the office or at home that would help others out?

As a parent of a newborn, it is very important to talk to your child with a gentle and loving tone as it helps calm them when they are crying. Your baby is able to quickly identify the sound of a human voice over other sounds from the moment they are born. In addition to your tone of voice, your body language is also an important way you communicate with your baby. So as I’m baby talking with our two week old baby girl the other day, you parents know what I’m talking about, my wife comments, “Oh good, you are learning to control your tone of voice.”  We both looked at each other and laughed, but there was definitely some truth in my wife’s comment… let me explain.

When communicating with another person over 80% of all communication is non-verbal. We pick up on this non-verbal communication, as noted above, from the day we are born. I know my tone can be harsh at times when I am frustrated or under stress, so I realize I need to be intentional about my tone of voice around my daughter but I am also looking forward to seeing how God uses this to help me improve my tone of voice when communicating with others, especially my wife. :)

Who hasn’t heard the following words from their spouse or a friend, “I know what you said, but your body language and tone did not communicate the same message as your words.” If you’re honest with yourself I’m willing to bet you have made the same mistake I have in allowing your tone of voice to communicate something different that the words you were saying. Did you know that when divorced couples were asked, “Why did your marriage fail?” 86% said, “Deficient communication” (Now You’re Speaking My Language, Gary Chapman p.7). If that statistic doesn’t hit home I would be asking God why.

My point is that communication is essential to understanding what is going on with your spouse or with your friends. Not just any communication, but healthy communication is key to reaching a deeper level of intimacy in your marriage, and really, all of your relationships. We should strive for communication where our body language and tone match with what we are saying; remembering that none of us are mind readers and shouldn’t assume our spouses know what we really mean when our tone and words don’t sync up.

So this week let’s work on healthy communication habits with a loved one, it could be your spouse, a child, or even a parent or sibling.  Each day share 3 things with your loved one and how you feel about them while keeping in mind your tone and body language as you discuss them. Remember your loved one is not your enemy.  Our goal is to get to the point where we can speak the truth in love and where we can be honest with one another but not condemning, open but not demanding.

Can you imagine what it is like to live with a child who has special needs? This is what we challenged the congregation with when we asked them to join us on October 8, 2011 for our Second Saturday Event where we prayed for the families who have a child or children in Access Ministry.

We heard about these families day to day lives. Can you imagine having to make arrangements with the school system to have someone who will take your daughter or son to the bathroom (and the school system not having the resources to accommodate this)? Can you imagine having a daughter or son that has multiple physical and mental disabilities – but the doctors cannot pinpoint exactly what is wrong? Can you imagine how helpless you would feel as the provider and care-taker of your baby? It made my heart break and opened my eyes to help me understand what these parents have to go through.

As I watched the room break up into groups and go silent in thought and prayer, I was hit with a sense of unity. People were gathered around listening to stories and praying for our Access families. This is what the church should look like – getting together on our knees.

We are nearing the end of Building His Church: A 50 Day Spiritual Journey and this prayer night was a powerful indication to me of Hudson Taylor’s quote, “You must go forward on your knees.” The only way that we are going to move forward as a church is by prayer on our knees. I feel like this 50-day journey is the start. By praying for the people that are in our congregation and being there for each other, we are obeying the call of Jesus, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40).

As we move toward of the end of this journey, let’s continue to pray for our brothers and sisters.

From left to right: Ava, Sherry, Tae and Julia