Prodigal Returns! » Christian

Day Six of the 12-Day Prodigal Prayer Mission

Richard — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:25:07 +0000

This is day 6 of The Prodigal Prayer Mission, designed by Kathie Saari.

Intercessory Prayer

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Pray for salvation:

Father, I come before You in prayer and in faith, believing. Your Word says that you desire all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth, so I bring __________ before You this day. I break the power of Satan from his assignments and activities in __________’s life, in the name of Jesus. Now, while Satan is bound, I ask that you send forth the perfect laboreres to share the good news of the gospel in such a way that _________ will listen and understand it. As the truth is ministered, I believe __________ will open his/her eyes to the gospel, come out of the snare of the devil and make Jesus Lord of their lives.

Father, I ask that you fill _________ with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. As I intercede in his/her behalf, I believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is activated, and from this moment on, I shall praise and thank You for __________’s salvation. I am confident that You are alert and active, watching over Your Word to perform it, it will not return to You void. It will accomplish that which You please and prosper in the thing where it was sent.

Therefore, my confession of faith is:

God has begun a good work in __________’s life and He will perform it and bring it to full completion until the day of Jesus Christ, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer References (Amplified Bible)

Matthew 18:18, 9:37-38

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The 12-Day Prodigal Prayer Mission

Richard — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:14:07 +0000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls4t37i_2UI

Do you have a child, parent, sibling, spouse, neighbor or friend who needs to strengthen their spiritual side? If so, the 12-Day Prodigal Prayer Mission Trip is for you. Designed by Charlie and Kathie Saari, committed intercessors who understand the heartbreaks and the victories of letting go of a loved one and trusting God when it is most difficult, The Prayer Mission guides you through 12 days of missional intervention on behalf of your favorite prodigal.

If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired of the anguish of trying to keep hope alive, then sign up below. Beginning Tuesday, March 15, I will post The Prayer Mission goals for that day and my reaction to participating. I will do this for the entire 12 days ending March 26. This is one mission that you can do anywhere and that has no cost attached to it, so everyone can do it. Sign up now and let’s be accountable for one another in reaching out and making a difference one prodigal at a time.

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What Love Really Means YouTube Video

Richard — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:12:20 +0000

This is my YouTube production for What Love Really Means by JJ Heller.

View my other YouTube videos

www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1MpOJAIFw4

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Up Where We Belong YouTube Video

Richard — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:09:41 +0000

This is my YouTube production for the original version of Up Where We Belong by BeBe & Cece Winans.

View my other YouTube videos

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nxI80OZONc

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Cielo YouTube Video

Richard — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 01:22:24 +0000

Cielo is my third YouTube video/slide show. This song is new enough that there isn’t a comparable YouTube video (until now). View my other YouTube videos.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-BaMDAcD9s

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The Presence of the Lord (IBC)

Richard — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:30:44 +0000

This is one of my favorite worship videos. Is it the sign language, the enthusiasm, the song, the all black attire … ? You tell me. Watch the video and tell me what you think.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms6UNEy9bk8

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Raising Hands

Richard — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:33:13 +0000

I was raised Southern Baptist, okay?! I’m not sure why I felt obligated to say that up front or why this topic makes me so tense. I’m a worshiper, in fact, it was listening to “worship” music that I remembered from more than 20 years prior that was partially responsible for the end of my lengthy prodigal run. God intervened directly in my life — that was unmistakable — but I was left with this question: Which God intervened directly in my life? Bad experiences in Christian church buildings had contributed to my disenchantment with God so I was prejudiced against this God being that God, the Christian God.

I made a CD of some old Christian songs that I remembered, mostly simple choruses and hymns, and noticed that ;my heart would soar listening to them. Now I knew that it was that God after all. I would listen to this music when I was driving alone and often raised my available right hand. This was noteworthy because I was not a hand raiser in my youth.

When I finally worked up the nerve to walk into a church building again, I walked into a building full of hand raisers. I did not want to conform at any level because I still held some bitterness toward Christian congregations, I, of course would not raise my hands. I assumed that anyone who did desperately needed attention and I despised them.

I had a dilemma, I found that raising my hands was a spontaneous expression of worship for me but I did not want to appear to be “one of those”, whatever “those” are. I sought seats at the rear of the congregation so I could raise my hands at will and yet make it clear to everyone else that I did not need attention. This felt disingenuous — I use that word because it sounds much better than “fraud-like” or its dreaded twin “hypocritical”. I’m not sure why I was surprised that holding strong resentment toward Christians in general and hand raisers in particular impeded my worship. It took me months to unravel this truth while I repeatedly tried to reconcile the difference between the spontaneous, unfettered Richard and the uptight, contemptuous one.

Now I raise my hands when I feel it and don’t when I don’t. I most often raise just my right hand, bending it at the elbow over and over in celebratory praise. Of course, if you are new to our local congregation, this appears a great deal like a really big guy angrily shaking his fist at God. I’ll call this “cognitive dissonance” because it sounds more Christian than “frightening the children”.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. \o/

Psalm 63:4

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Early Christians as Viewed by an Outsider

Richard — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:18:28 +0000

Roman emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus (361-363), or Julian the Apostate, attempted to fight off the rapid growth of Christianity in Rome in favor of the pagan worship of Zeus. Even with the backing of the emperor, the pagan priests were frustrated by their lack of progress relative to the Christians as Julian lamented in his “Letter to Arsacius” (360):

For it is disgraceful when no Jew is a beggar and the impious Galileans [the name given by Julian to Christians] support our poor in addition to their own …

Jews and Christians were known for taking care of their own poor and disenfranchised, regardless of whether the poor shared their beliefs.

At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. ~ Deuteronomy 14:28-9 NIV

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other. ~ Zechariah 7:10 NIV

Are believers still known for this kind of charity today? Why or why not?

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Father Fiction by Donald Miller (audio version)

Richard — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:47:37 +0000

I feel like I cheated, because I was abandoned by my father at about the same age as Donald was when his dad took off. As Donald Miller waxes eloquently in Father Fiction he often reflects ideas that I’ve learned through living in the pain, but then he sometimes gets me right between the eyes with an insight. He’s particularly strong at revealing his “fatherless” thoughts and comparing them to how others act; he openly shares his weaknesses, explaining them but not excusing them.

When he first begins to grasp God as a father through observing a child’s temper tantrum and how a father waits patiently knowing he has a better idea of what is good for his daughter though she writhes on the floor crying out that she is actually the one who is right. How often must God the Father patiently observe us as we throw tantrums about jobs, relationships or circumstance. I don’t know if I can ever be disgruntled again without picturing myself as a child throwing myself on the floor, kicking and screaming while my wise Father patiently waits for me to “get it”.

Kelly Ryan Dolan narrates this book so well that I presumed it was narrated by the author and the author had taken acting and speech lessons. As funny and irreverent in expression as the author is in prose, they’re a perfect match.

I give Father Fiction by Donald Miller 5 out of 5 stars.

Christian Audio provided Father Fiction (audio book) free of charge to me in exchange for writing this review as part of the Christian Audio Reviewers Program.

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The Shack

Richard — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:15:15 +0000

The Shack is a must read.

It’s a mind-bending, spirit-jolting, jaw-dropping walk through the darkest valleys of life experience that expanded my imagination of what heaven is like and why that matters right now. It also put me in the position of deciding to sacrifice myself to save my children with all the attendant emotions and transformed my head knowledge about suffering into heart-felt wisdom about it. Author William P. Young’s fictional story will push your perspective heavenward and give you glimpses of your brief life through God’s eyes, including the perspectives of our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

I am hearing the cry from theologians about doctrinal error, but it’s not a doctrinal treatise. It’s meant to be read like The Chronicles of Narnia or The Screwtape Letters of C.S. Lewis. Would you argue that Lewis’ rat Reepicheep implies Christians should see a fight in every comment? Is it relevant? The fictional story of The Shack is meant to temporarily transport you into the shoes of the Trinity as they restore a father drowning in his own grief to his full humanity.

To give this book 5 out of 5 stars is an injustice, I give it 5.5 out of 5 stars.

For a consideration of the theology of The Shack I would suggest that you check out an interview with the author where he defends himself.

For an opposing view, please see the article written my mentor, Dr. Norman L. Geisler on his site.

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