There are Ten Commandments, my friends, and I’ve broken nearly all of them at one point or another. Sometimes repeatedly.

I had a real moment of truth in the not-so-distant past, while I was sitting with a small group of friends during fellowship at my church. My moment of truth had to do with the hypocrisy of claiming to be a Christian, yet consistently subscribing to the “do as I say, not as I do” way of living. Is this where you’re at these days? I know I am not alone.

I was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Nazarene in 2007 so, for the past thirty years of my life, I have called myself a “Christian” alongside the rest of the estimated 33% of world-wide peoples who claim to be Christians. (You can view the pie chart in a larger size if you click on it.) I can’t help but wonder how many of those 33% of people noted struggle daily, as I do, with self-hypocrisy.

Read the rest of this post on New Jersey Moms Blog.

“Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. has always fascinated me.  He was gone long before I was a twinkle in my mother’s eye, but it’s his message that endures, even now, 42 years later. I believe, like so many others, that he was a man with a heart for ALL people; with his eyes on the prize, Dr. King valiantly voiced some of the greatest speeches of all time (click the links to read the texts and view video):

I Have a Dream (text and video)

I’ve Been to the Mountaintop (text)

I’ve Been to the Mountaintop (video – part 1 of 2)

I’ve Been to the Mountaintop (video – part 2 of 2)

Our God is Marching On! (text)

Our God is Marching On! (some video)

Friends, I leave you today with this [from the Martin Luther King, Jr. speech "Our God is Marching On"]:

I know you are asking today, “How long will it take?” (Speak, sir) Somebody’s asking, “How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?” Somebody’s asking, “When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?” Somebody’s asking, “When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, (Speak, speak, speak) plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, (Speak) and truth bear it?” (Yes, sir)

I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, (Yes, sir) however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, (No sir) because “truth crushed to earth will rise again.” (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (Yes, sir) because “no lie can live forever.” (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (All right. How long) because “you shall reap what you sow.” (Yes, sir)

How long? (How long?) Not long: (Not long)

Truth forever on the scaffold, (Speak)

Wrong forever on the throne, (Yes, sir)

Yet that scaffold sways the future, (Yes, sir)

And, behind the dim unknown,

Standeth God within the shadow,

Keeping watch above his own.

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (Not long) because:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; (Yes, sir)

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; (Yes)

He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword; (Yes, sir)

His truth is marching on. (Yes, sir)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; (Speak, sir)

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. (That’s right)

O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet!

Our God is marching on. (Yeah)

Glory, hallelujah! (Yes, sir) Glory, hallelujah! (All right)

Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah!

His truth is marching on. [Applause]

Something that will be an imprint on my brain forever is when (then) Senator Barack Obama, on the day before the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in 2008, delivered a speech to the congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  It was in this moment of time, during this particular speech at the former church of Dr. King, that Senator Obama demonstrated that anything… ANYTHING… is possible.  I am so proud to now call him MY President.

Anyway, as I was preparing tomorrow’s post for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, I pulled up the video of Senator Obama as well as the speech (sermon?) he gave that day in 2008.

See it here, right now, and follow along with “The Great Need of America” text:

Ethan and Mary and I joined our church friends in saying goodbye to 2009 by playing games, sharing delicious snacks and, at the end of the night, coming together in prayer with God’s Word — it was, by far, the best New Year’s Eve I have ever experienced.

I don’t know how it is at your house, but I haven’t made a New Year’s resolution in years and years… most likely because I could never seem to keep them up due to my attention span being like that of a gnat when it comes to follow-up.  Maybe I haven’t kept up because I just don’t know how to make my resolutions stick.  In any case, because 2009 was so traumatic for me, I must approach the coming year with a stronger mentality and complete faithfulness that God will provide, so, while I’ve decided to keep what I learned through Kwanzaa on my mind and heart this year, I will keep His Word on my mind and heart as well.

My resolution for 2010: to use the following verse to guide me in all I do:

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62 (New International Version)

Thanks to a fellow Christian who belongs to the same church that I do, I have a simple way of remembering this verse:

This year, I will strive to be FIT: Forward In Thinking.

Although they are a part of who I am and where I’ve been, I will not allow myself to dwell on (what I might have thought of as) the “good ol’ days.” As the sun rises and sets, I will consistently move forward. I will not allow my fear or shame to slow me down again.

Do you take part in making resolutions for the New Year? In the comments, tell me what your resolution is this year and why you are choosing to concentrate on that part of your life.

Oh. My. Word.

I don’t know how my Pastor found this, but it’s a doozy. Enjoy!

Originally introduced to my readers on 12/27/2007, this article, written by a Catholic priest, discusses why celebrating the beloved holiday in summer will help us connect to Christ. How do you encourage others to remember the “reason” for the season?

By Fr. James Martin

This Thanksgiving, I saw an ad for Kohl’s department store, announcing that they would be open early the next day. At four in the morning! At that point, I decided to throw my shoe at the television set. However, since it was my sister’s television (and a plasma one at that) I refrained from any public display of anger. Besides, my nephew was in the middle of a sixteen-hour cartoon marathon, and I feared disrupting him, much as you would fear waking a sleepwalker.

As a Catholic priest, I like Christmas as much as the next person—maybe a little more. Only a Scrooge couldn’t find joy in Christmas carols, Christmas cheer, and Christmas Mass. But as an American, I find the holiday has become almost an endurance test. Only a saint could maintain the patience needed to confront Christmas shopping, Christmas stress, and Christmas credit card bills.

I get tired of lamenting the same thing every year. So this year I’m taking action. Thus my modest proposal: Move Christmas to June.

Read the rest of the article here.

I discovered my church’s Twitter account some time ago, but never “friended” them because I was afraid they wouldn’t like what they had to see with my ranting and raving about what’s been going on over the past several weeks. Admittedly, I don’t always express myself in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord’s ear, let alone a child’s ear, but I do possess the constant desire to strive to do the right thing. At times, I just need an extra nudge and smile from a friend (or my parents, at this point) and I know straight away that I don’t need to be so hard on myself. After all, I am God’s “work in progress.”

Sometime over the course of the past couple of days, “they” found ME. At first, I became nervous. “I’ve been found out!” I said to myself. “They’re going to know that I’m a terrible person who’s done some terrible things in my past, and now they won’t want me to be a part of their church. Then, I thought better of the situation. These people are not “that” kind of people who would turn their back on a person because they had sinned. These people – my new church HOME – are God’s works in progress, too.

That being said, though, it was extremely difficult for me to email my Pastor and his wife in asking for a prayer to heal my heart from the pain and sadness it’s feeling in this moment of my life’s transition. I don’t like to call attention to myself (regardless of what one might think of this worldwide forum called blogging), and I certainly don’t like to ask for help – especially when it comes to praying. In fact, when I was at our Adult Bible Study after service today, there was a motion for prayer requests. I had it on my heart to ask my new friends for prayer, and I didn’t.

Like I said, I’m a work in progress. The more I sit with friends in The Word, the more I will understand how to “give it all to God”. I’ve noted before my thought that I can be whomever I want to be… and, slowly but surely, I’ll be led in the right direction.

How to have meaningful time with God

By Rick Warren

Once you’re convinced that a daily quiet time is necessary for spiritual growth, then how do you go about having one? You may be motivated to do it but may not know how.

You need to consider four essentials elements of a good quiet time:

* Start with the proper attitudes.
* Select a specific time.
* Choose a special place.
* Follow a simple plan.

START WITH THE PROPER ATTITUDES

In God’s eyes, why you do something is far more important than what you do.

On one occasion God told Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”(1 Samuel 16:7, NIV*) It is quite possible to do the right thing but with the wrong attitude.

This was Amaziah’s problem, for “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but not wholeheartedly.”(2 Chronicles 25:2)

When you come to meet with God in the quiet time, you should have these proper attitudes:

* Expectancy – Come before God with anticipation and eagerness. Expect to have a good time of fellowship with Him and receive a blessing from your time together. That was what David expected: “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You.” (Psalm 63:1)

* Reverence – Don’t rush into God’s presence, but prepare your heart by being still before Him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Listen to the prophet Habakkuk: “The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:20; see also Psalm 89:7) Coming into the presence of the Lord is not like going to a football game or some other form of entertainment.

* Alertness – Get wide-awake first. Remember that you are meeting with the Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Redeemer of men. Be thoroughly rested and alert. The best preparation for a quiet time in the morning begins the night before. Get to bed early so you will be in good shape to meet God in the morning; He deserves your full attention.

* Willingness to obey – This attitude is crucial: you don’t come to your quiet time to choose what you will do or not do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything that God wants you to do. Jesus said, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own.” (John 7:17) So come to meet the Lord having already chosen to do His will no matter what.

SELECT A SPECIFIC TIME

The specific time has to do with when you should have your quiet time and how long it should be. The general rule is this: The best time is when you are at your best! Give God the best part of your day – when you are the freshest and most alert. Don’t try to serve God with your leftovers (leftover time). Remember, too, that your best time may be different from someone else’s.

For most of us, however, early in the morning seems to be the best time. It was Jesus’ own practice to rise early to pray and meet with the Father: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

In the Bible many godly men and women rose early to meet with God. Some of these were:

Abraham – Genesis 19:27 Moses – Exodus 34:4

Job – Job 1:5 Hannah and Elkanah – 1 Samuel 1:19

Jacob – Genesis 28:18 David – Psalms 5:3, 57:7,8

(See also Psalm 143:8; Isaiah 26:9; Ezekiel 12:8.)

Throughout church history many Christians who were used most by God met with Him early in the morning. Hudson Taylor said, “You don’t tune up the instruments after the concert is over. That’s stupid. It’s logical to tune them up before you start.”

The great revival among British college students in the late 19th century began those historic words: “Remember the Morning Watch!” So we need to tune ourselves up at the start of each day as we remember the Morning Watch.

If Jesus is really in first place in our lives, we ought to give Him the first part of our day . We are to seek His Kingdom first (see Matthew 6:33). Doctors tell us that the most important meal of the day is breakfast. It often determines our energy levels, alertness, and even moods for the day. Likewise, we need a “spiritual breakfast” to start our day off right.

Finally, in the morning our minds are uncluttered from the day’s activities. Our thoughts are fresh, we’re rested; tensions have not yet come on us, and it’s usually the quietest time. One mother sets her alarm clock for 4 a.m., has her quiet time, goes back to bed, and then rises when everyone else in the household gets up. Her explanation is that with kids around the house all day, early morning is the only time when it is quiet and she can be alone with God. It works for her; you need to select a time that will work for you.

You might even consider having two quiet times (morning and night). Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, used to have code letters for his night quiet time: HWLW. Whenever he was with a group of people at night or home with his wife and the conversation seemed to be ending, he would say, “All right, HWLW.” HWLW stood for “His Word the Last Word;” and he practiced that through the years as a way of ending a day with one’s thoughts fixed on the Lord (Betty Lee Skinner, Daws, Zondervan, 1974, p. 103).

Stephen Olford, a great Christian and minister in New York for many years, said, “I want to hear the voice of God before I hear anyone else’s in the morning, and His is the last voice I want to hear at night.”

David and Daniel even met with the Lord three times each day (see Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10).

Whatever time you set, be consistent in it. Schedule it on your calendar; make an appointment with God as you would with anyone else. Make a date with Jesus! Then look forward to it and don’t stand Him up. A stood-up date is not a pleasant experience for us, and Jesus does not like to be stood up either. So make a date with Him and keep it at all costs.

The question is often asked, “How much time should I spend with the Lord?” If you’ve never had a consistent quiet time before, you may want to start with seven minutes (Robert D. Foster, Seven Minutes with God, NavPress, 1997) and let it grow naturally. You should aim to eventually spend not less than 15 minutes a day with the Lord. Out of 168 hours we all have during a given week, 1 hour and 45 minutes seems terribly small when you consider that you were created to have fellowship with God. Here are some additional guidelines:

o Don’t try for a two-hour quiet time at first. You’ll only get discouraged. You must grow in this relationship as you do in any other. So begin with a consistent seven minutes and let it grow; it’s better to be consistent with a short time than to meet for an hour every other week.

o Don’t watch the clock. Clock-watching can ruin your quiet time faster than almost anything else. Decide what you can do in the Word and prayer during the time you have selected; then do it. Sometimes it will take longer than you have set aside, and sometimes less time. But don’t keep looking at your watch.

o Don’t emphasize on quantity, emphasize on quality. There is nothing super spiritual about have a two-hour quiet time. It’s what you do during your time – 15 minutes or two hours or anything in between – that’s important. Aim for a quality relationship with the Lord.

CHOOSE A SPECIAL PLACE

The location where you have your quiet time is also important. The Bible indicates that Abraham had a regular place where he met with God (Genesis 19:27). Jesus had a custom of praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him.” (Luke 22:39, emphasis added)

Your place ought to be a secluded place. This is a place where you can be alone, where it’s quiet, and where you will not be disturbed or interrupted. In today’s noisy Western World, this may take some ingenuity, but it is necessary. It ought to be a place …

o where you can pray aloud without disturbing others;
o where you have good lighting for reading (a desk, perhaps);
o where you are comfortable. (WARNING: Do not have your quiet time in bed. That’s too comfortable!)

Your place ought to be a special place. Wherever you decide to meet with the Lord, make it a special place for you and Him. As the days go by, that place will come to mean a lot to you because of the wonderful times you have there with Jesus Christ.

Your place ought to be a sacred place. This is where you meet with the living God. Where you meet the Lord can be just as holy as the place where Abraham met God. You don’t have to be in a church building. People have had their quiet times in their cars parked in a quiet place, in an empty closet at home, in their backyards, and even in a baseball dugout. Each of these places has become sacred to them.

FOLLOW A SIMPLE PLAN

Someone has said, “If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it!” To have a meaningful quiet time, you will need a plan or some kind of general outline to follow. The main rule is this: Keep your plan simple.

You will need the following three items for your planned quiet times:

o A Bible – a contemporary translation (not a paraphrase) with good print, preferably without notes.

o A notebook for writing down what the Lord shows you, and for making a prayer list.

o A hymnbook – sometimes you may want to sing in your praise time (see Colossians 3:16).

* Wait on God (Relax). Be still for a minute; don’t come running into God’s presence and start talking immediately. Follow God’s admonition: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10; see also Isaiah 30:15; 40:31) Be quiet for a short while to put yourself into a reverent mood.

* Pray briefly(Request). This is not your prayer time, but a short opening prayer to ask God to cleanse your heart and guide you into the time together. Two good passages of Scripture to memorize are:

o “Search me, OGod, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24; see also 1 John 1:9)

o “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law [the Word] .” (Psalm 119:18; see also John 16:13)

You need to be in tune with the Author before you can understand His Book!
o Read a section of the Scripture (Read). This is where your conversation with God begins. He speaks to you through His Word, and you speak with Him in prayer.

Read your Bible …

Slowly. Don’t be in a hurry; don’t try to read too large an amount; don’t race through it.

Repeatedly. Read a passage over and over until you start to picture it in your mind. The reason more people don’t get more out of their Bible reading is that they do not read the Scriptures repeatedly.

Without stopping. Don’t stop in the middle of a sentence to go off on a tangent and do a doctrinal study. Just read that section for the pure joy of it, allowing God to speak to you. Remember that your goal here is not to gain information, but to feed on the Word and get to know Christ better.

Aloud but quietly . Reading it aloud will improve your concentration, if you have that problem. It will also help you understand what you are reading better because you will be both seeing and hearing what you are reading. Read softly enough, however, so that you won’t disturb anyone.

Systematically. Read through a book at a time in an orderly method. Do not use the “random dip” method – a passage here, a chapter there, what you like here, an interesting portion there. You’ll understand the Bible better if you read it as it was written – a book or letter at a time.

To get a sweep of a book. On some occasions you may want to survey a whole book. In that case you will read it quickly to get a sweep of the total revelation. Then you need not read it slowly or repeatedly.

o Meditate and memorize (Reflect and Remember). In order to have the Scriptures speak to you meaningfully, you should meditate on what you are reading and memorize verses that particularly speak to you. Meditation is “seriously contemplating a thought over and over in your mind.” Out of your meditation you might select and memorize a verse that is particularly meaningful to you.

o Write down what God has shown you (Record). When God speaks to you through His Word, record what you have discovered. Writing it down will enable you both to remember what God revealed to you and to check up on your biblical discoveries. Recording what God has shown you is the way of applying what you see in the Scripture that pertains to your life.

o Have your time of prayer (Request). After God has spoken to you through His Word, speak to Him in prayer. This is your part of the conversation with the Lord.

CONCLUSION

What if you miss a day? Don’t worry about it if it only happens occasionally. Don’t go on a guilt trip. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, NIV)

Don’t get legalistic because missing one day does not make it a flop. BUT don’t give up. If you miss a meal, it does not mean that you should give up eating because you’re inconsistent. You simply eat a little more at the next meal and go on from there. This same principle is true with your quiet time.

Psychologists tell us that it usually takes three weeks to get familiar with some new task or habit; it takes another three weeks before it becomes a habit. The reason why many people are not successful in their quiet times is because they have never made it past that six-week barrier. For your quiet time to become a habit, you must have had one daily for at least six weeks.

William James had a famous formula for developing a habit (Selected Papers on Philosophy, E. P. Dutton & Co., 2000, pp. 60-62):

o Make a strong resolution (vow). You must always start with a strong initiative. If you begin halfheartedly, you’ll never make it. Make a public declaration by telling others about your decision.

o Never allow an exception to occur until the new habit is securely rooted in your life. A habit is like a ball of twine. Every time you drop it, many strands are unwound. So never allow the “just this once” to occur. The act of yielding weakens the will and strengthens the lack of self­-control.

o Seize every opportunity and inclination to practice your new habit. Whenever you get the slightest urge to practice your new habit, do it right then. Don’t wait, but use every opportunity to reinforce your habit. It does not hurt to overdo a new habit when you are first starting.

To these suggestions I would add one more:

o Rely on the power of God. When it is all said and done, you must realize that you are in a spiritual battle, and you can only succeed by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. So pray that God will strengthen you and depend on Him to help you develop this habit for His glory.

__________________

If you have been convinced that this is what you need to do, would you pray the following:

A PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

“Lord I commit myself to spending a definite time with You every day, no matter what the cost. I am depending on Your strength to help me to be consistent.”
__________________

This article was adapted from Dynamic Bible Study Methods (Chariot Victor Books, 1989) by Rick Warren. ©Copyright 2004. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

*All scripture references from the New International Version.

You may use this study guide for yourself or share it with friends, but please keep the copyright information within the document, and please don’t sell it.

Our Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the pleasure of gathering together for this occasion.  We give thanks for this food prepared by loving hands.  We give thanks for the freedom to enjoy life and all other blessings.  As we partake of this food, we pray for health and strength to carry on and try to live as you would have us.  This we ask in the name of Christ, our Heavenly Father.  Amen.

My aunt, Tracie, is a courageous woman. She has survived things unimaginable to any living soul, yet she’s still standing at the end of the day. She inspires me all the time. Yesterday, after I wrote an e-mail asking for help with a project I’m working on soon, she inquired as to how my kids and I were adjusting to live in the northeast… she also asked if I was still talking with my ex.  You know, I am truly blessed to be here. I was scared at first, but my life is really great. I’ve been going to a bible study with the ladies at my church every Tuesday night – the three of us love our church. Mary and Ethan are doing very well in school and making lots of friends – better than I expected and, yes, even Ethan has been succeeding!

Then there is the Grasshopper. Dear, dear Grasshopper. No, I’m not talking to him for a few reasons: lie after lie after lie, I finally realized he was not the man I thought he was; he said he wanted to remain friends but is utterly incapable; and he is already seeing someone else. Interesting for a man who said he could be just fine on his own. But, I’m not bitter. Anymore. I’m not going to lie, the first month has been emotional for me. It’s been absolutely heartbreaking, and my dad can attest to that – there was one night that I spoke with the Grasshopper and, when I got off the phone, all I could do was find my dad and cry in his lap. No words, just crying. Life sucks sometimes.

I’m okay now. I still cry on the inside at times, but it’s been a while since I cried out loud. Mostly I get angry at the Grasshopper, instead of sad now. Luckily, the anger passes after a few minutes. Church activities have helped, as well as searching out new opportunities to get out and meet people. I’ve learned that I’m quite gutsy when it comes to that part of living here… I figure I can be whoever I want to be, and who cares if someone doesn’t like me for this reason or that reason.

Family is (and has always been) very important to me. One thing that I love about living here is that my parents are eager to play with the kids and include them in their life as much as possible… Dad takes them hiking, Mom takes them shopping. They will be as close to my parents as I am after all is said and done, and I’m grateful to God for that.

I found this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, and it’s so applicable to my life that I’ve sort of adopted it as my motto for this month:

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Preach it, sister!

Growing up, Christmas was my favorite time of year; even today, at the age of 30, it’s a magical time for me.

One of the traditions I have begun with my family is, along with drinking glass after glass of egg nog, singing Christmas carols. Lately, we’ve been humming, whistling and singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth”. I was not familiar with this song until I sang as a member of the High Country Chorus a couple of years ago, and now I’m completely hooked.

As most of you know, I love to sing. As a child, my mother sang to me while playing John Denver songs on her acoustic guitar and my dad played his Neil Diamond records constantly (are you aware that there is a song called “Desiree”?) One of the most memorable times in my childhood was when I was selected to sing as a Soprano for my junior high’s audition-only group, Falcon Singers. Several years later, I participated in the All-State Choir.  I still have chills just thinking about the performance!  As adult, at a time when I desperately needed music in my life again, I contacted my former high school teacher for a lead on a local group I could join… and that’s how I had the extreme pleasure of performing under the direction of one Sweet Adelines best, Jacque Reinig.

Everyone should have music in their life, not just during Christmas.  Music can be the language of peace. Let there be peace. I have a quote that I feel best represents how I feel about singing, and it’s:

“The only thing better than singing is more singing.” – Ella Fitzgerald

What is your favorite song of the season?