I am memorizing a book of the Bible

 While visiting Bethlehem Baptist Church with my family this summer, we were surprised by a very unique sermon: Andy Naselli quoting the entire book of 1 Corinthians.*

That was it: just quoting the entire book of 1 Corinthians. After all, it takes about an hour. And it’s God-breathed Scripture, so what else need he add?

Naselli quoted it well. It was more of an emphatic dramalogue than a dry recitation. We were drawn into the power of the message. It was long, but it was awe-inspiring.

As we left the church and headed to our vehicle, I said to my kids, “I think I’m going to memorize a book of the Bible.” They perked up, intrigued.

“Jude,” I said.

“Mom!” they responded, making faces at me.

(For those of you who don’t know, the entire book of Jude is 25 verses.)

I was teasing my kids, but the idea stuck with me. After all, I firmly believe in memorizing Scripture. In fact, the spiritual discipline has been a consistent part of my life since I was 18.

Historically, I have had better success with memorizing shorter passages than long ones (though I have memorized chapters before), but I also believe in keeping things fresh by trying new challenges.

I thought and prayed about the idea for several weeks and then decided to go for it. I would memorize the book of Jude. Who knows, I wondered, perhaps it would inspire me to try a longer book eventually.

I am taking it slowly and steadily: two verses per week. I am on verse 10. Because my memory is not as sharp as it once was (I’m thankful I memorized lots of Scripture when I was younger, because those verses are a firm part of me now), I have to meditate on it regularly in order to make it stick. But that, my friend, is the greatest benefit of this exercise.

Though I have read Jude many times through the years, I cannot recall having studied it intently. By committing it to memory, I am learning it quite well. In fact, the first two verses alone thrilled me:

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:  May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Perhaps it’s only a greeting, but look at what that first verse tells us about ourselves: we are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ! These truths merit deep reflection and inspire joy.

Verse 2 provides a beautiful blessing I have shared frequently since memorizing it. What a blessing indeed to pass on our desire that mercy, peace and love be multiplied to someone we care about.

As Jude progresses, it addresses false teachings and illustrates a contrast between the error of heresy and the truth of Jesus Christ. This is very relevant to our culture today and has provided me much food for thought and motivation for prayer.

So I may be memorizing the fifth-shortest book of the Bible (http://overviewbible.com/the-5-shortest-books-of-the-bible-in-order/), but the truths of this oft-overlooked book are becoming part of me in a way I would have missed if I continued my pattern of briefly reading it and moving on to Revelation.

So, what do you think? What will you memorize next?

*https://www.hopeingod.org/sermon/1-corinthians

Prayer against Sex Trafficking

Lord, please open our eyes. Help us learn the signs of sex trafficking, so we can intervene when people in our lives are endangered. May we educate our children to be careful in all of their relationships—including potential ones. May our young people be attuned to the Holy Spirit when He says, “Stay away.” May they find their identities in You so they are not easily led astray toward finding their identity in something else. Give all of us a strong desire to be holy so we do not allow pornography or anything sexually perverse to take hold of our minds and hearts. May we long for intimacy with You so fiercely that we avoid impurity on every level. May we never become consumers of products that harm others. We pray for better laws, relentless investigation and effective law enforcement. Please overwhelm predators with deep conviction, helping them understand that they are not satisfying their own temporal desires, but destroying the innocent. Please show us our part to play in the battle against trafficking, whether it’s prayer, giving, advocating, healing, educating, prosecuting or all of the above. In Jesus’ powerful name, we pray, amen. 

A prayer on 9/11

Lord, today is a somber day for Americans. We remember the deaths of almost 3000 people—those who passed violently 14 years ago on this day. We remember seeing the best and worst of humanity contrasted sharply, side by side. We recall the fear and helplessness, the anger, and the repentance. And many of us still evoke the grief. Lord, may today not be only a day for sorrow, but a day for hope. May we humble ourselves, pray, seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways. May we reach out to those who suffer the long-lasting effects of the physical and emotional trauma from that day. May we reach out to our neighbors in love and service, inspired by those who risked everything 14 years ago this day. And may America desire to lead this world in goodness and grace, humility and strength. May we do what it takes personally and corporately to bless the world. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.  

Melissa's friends lead the way

These lovely young ladies will meet again in heaven. Melissa Collins is on the far right. 

The murder of local teen Melissa Collins has deeply affected her entire community (http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/breaking/man-charged-with-murder-of-missing-stepdaughter/article_e97cb1d8-ffab-11e4-8884-2bb6a437c918.html). Her death at the hands of her own stepfather--someone in a role intended to protect her--is a prime example of evil in the world. For those who know her, the pain is almost overwhelming.

Melissa was in the 4.12 Leadership Training Program at Joy El (http://joyelgeneration.org/), where my family serves. She was a five-year student, set to graduate from the program on Thursday, May 21—the very day her murder came to light.

The 100 students in the 4.12 program spend lots of time together—weekends, weeks, whole summers. Some are more involved than others—Melissa among them. These students become best of friends. So Melissa’s initial “disappearance,” followed by the shocking news of her death, was a huge blow to her camp friends.

Thursday was one of the most surreal days of my life. We on the Joy El staff were reeling from the news ourselves—grieving—while also trying to “manage” the crisis on an organizational level. We were fielding constant calls, texts, Facebook messages; orchestrating and implementing a plan to get out the word as sensitively, honorably and effectively as we could. We were checking on students in schools, via phone calls, via their mentors. We were figuring out what to do with the scheduled graduation celebration that night, when Melissa was to be among those sharing her testimony and being honored for her five years of hard work and ministry. We were personally calling all those who had stated they would be in attendance.

In the midst of the constant activity, there were pauses for prayer and tears—and sometimes they weren’t pauses. For many, the prayer and tears were just flowing along with the activity.

We turned the graduation celebration into a time of grieving. Anyone connected to Melissa (primarily through Joy El) was welcome to meet at our worship center to grieve, pray, cry, laugh, and remember. It turned into a beautiful evening.

One of the many highlights of the evening came during a group prayer time. There was certainly prayer for justice on Thursday. But there was more than that. These wonderful teenagers began praying for their friend’s killer. They prayed that Ernie Chase would repent, that he would find God, and that he would receive forgiveness. The evening was a bittersweet time of fellowship and prayer for those who loved Melissa.

Then Friday was another hard day (there are many yet to come). When the chilling details of Melissa’s death came to light (http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/court-documents-hagerstown-teen-beaten-strangled-to-death-by-stepfather/article_e066d724-008f-11e5-b37b-8bd941cf5ec9.html), those who loved her had more to process.

I had mixed feelings about sharing those details with my children, who all knew Melissa (my older daughter more than the other two). Of course I wondered whether it was too much. Yet, thanks (and no thanks) to social media, I knew they would find out eventually, so I waited for the natural time with each of them.

For Abigail, my older daughter, that time came last night as she drove up to camp, with me in the passenger seat beside her.

“Tell me,” she said. “I’m going to hear it anyway.”

So I told her.

And after she had heard that Melissa’s stepfather had strangled Melissa, dragging her down to the basement, where he wrapped a cord around her neck… After Abigail heard that he had gone more than once to make sure she was dead, and that he had moved and hidden her body from the police… This is what she said:

“Cheryl told us a way to get letters to him.” (Cheryl is another of Melissa’s friends.)

“To whom? Melissa’s stepdad?” I asked.

“Yes, we can write him letters and get them to him to let him know we’re praying for him, and that he can find forgiveness in God. Is that OK?”

I paused. I reflected. I processed.

I remembered how I had reacted when I first read the gruesome details of Melissa’s death. I had been like the psalmist, who shared his heart, his anger, his emotions freely with God. I had railed in my grief, “Lord, I am praying for Ernie Chase! I am praying for him because it is the right thing to do! But I am disgusted beyond words by him!”

Melissa’s friends were making plans to write this man letters of encouragement.

I answered Abigail: “Yes, I think that would be wonderful. I think that would be very powerful.” I added, “Just don’t sign your last name.”

So, let us pray for Melissa’s loved ones, especially her families and boyfriend. Let us pray for justice. And let us pray for Ernie Chase.

Finally, let us thank God for the wonderful teenagers in our lives, who sometimes lead the way.   

Melissa would be so proud. 


"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" - Matthew 5:44

This post was initially published at www.echo-pilot.com. 

National Day of Prayer - prayer for families

Lord, we humbly approach you, acknowledging who you are. You are the source of every good thing. You are the source of all our hope, our peace, our joy, our purpose. Lord, we confess that we fall short. I confess that I fall short. Despite our best intentions, we fall shorts as spouses; we fall short as parents. So we are certainly qualified to cry out for mercy. And we do cry out for mercy! Lord, it can be overwhelming to consider the challenges facing our families in America today. But we should not focus on the challenges. After all, you tell us that we cannot add a single hour to our span of life through anxiety. And that each day has enough trouble of its own. Instead, we should focus on following you with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength, as well as loving our neighbors as ourselves. Yet, Lord, we want to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. We want to heed the urgency of the prayer need. I think of Lamentations, where it says: Arise, cry aloud in the night watches. Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the life of your little ones. Lord, we do that today. We lift up our hands for the lives of our children of all ages. We lift up our hands to you to save and strengthen our marriages. May we wives support and encourage our husbands, empowering them to lead us the way you want them to lead. May our husbands love us sacrificially—both their wives and children—with the love of Jesus, instilling in us trust and devotion. May our children learn to trust their parents so they can honor them and walk in the ways that will help them thrive spiritually and in their daily lives. And may all of us here set an example for others. We wholly depend on you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Prayer in response to the Baltimore riots

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/04/27/gangs-vow-to-target-police-as-baltiomore-protests-spread/.
See Habakkuk chapter 1 for more guidance as you pray.

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save.” So prayed the prophet Habakkuk thousands of years ago, and similarly do many people pray tonight in Baltimore. LORD, our hearts grieve. We long for peace; we long for justice. We long for brothers and sisters to support each other, rather than harbor suspicion. Purge our hearts of sin and hate, LORD. Purge our communities of injustice and retribution. Protect our police officers. Protect our children. Fill hearts that overflow with violence instead with supernatural peace. Do a work in our day, LORD, to eradicate racism. Begin with us. In the name of the Prince of Peace we pray, Amen.

Good Friday prayer

Jesus, today the skies are gray in our hearts as we consider the sacrifice you made. If we take even a moment to ponder your horrific death at our hands, we must acknowledge the wickedness of our hearts and flesh. Yet you submitted to our demands. You received the punishment intended for us. You experienced your first-ever separation from your Heavenly Father. And you died. We thank you with all our hearts. We thank you by offering our lives to your service in response. And we say on this "Good" Friday that you are the One who is good. You are the One who let your goodness overflow into our lives, paying for our sins, changing our hearts. Thank you for the cross. Amen.