When Your Prayers Need a Little Help From a Friend

A major part of my work here is to write a portion of the history of the church in Gilead. Stories of our past are important. They help us cherish our victories and learn from our mistakes. When we hear about the mighty works of God, it encourages our faith, and helps to rekindle the flame of our devotion. 

I've collected stories from countless people, but memories made forty or more years ago are not as crisp and vivid as those made yesterday. Childhood reminiscences don't always come with exact time, location, or day, month, and year. My timeline of events has been fluid, to say the least. 

The task of gathering enough accurate information to actually write the story seemed hopeless, and I was close to giving up. Yesterday, I asked a friend to pray that we could "find the facts to go with the stories."

The answer didn't come in the way I expected. A friend was home sick and at work on his computer. When I arrived for time with him and his family, he was still working. 

"Hey, I found something," he said. It was an article I needed. 

"How did you find that?" I asked. "What did you Google?" I was surprised to find he'd entered almost the same thing I had in the search engine, but come up with an entirely new set of hits. 

The "almost" had done the trick.

His daughter and I joined in the Google-fest. Pretty soon, we had links for more data than I've gathered in all my searches combined, and all of it accurate as to date and location. We also found a repository of actual files I can access when I get home. There's a treasure trove waiting in "Box #3." 

I have prayed about this project at length. I've whined and complained about my difficulty with information. I've despaired and wept. I've informed God I needed data and don't know where to get it. I've formed a plan to find the info I needed. I don't know if I've asked specifically for help with finding the information, but I think I have.

Does God know about Google? Yes, He does. Did He know about the information I hadn't yet found? Of course. 

No matter how small (or large) our need, nor how specific our search, God can, and will, respond when we cry out to Him. If we cry out to Him.

It was only when I asked the body of Christ to participate in seeking God's help that the answer finally came. 

Scripture is clear. We, the disciples of Christ, are not on this journey of faith alone. We are one body, and every part is important. The plan of Jesus Himself is that we'll be so unified that we'll work together in ways that astound the world around us. 

The astounding part doesn't come without the working together part, however. I'm learning that hard truth all over again. 

Last night, we studied Jesus' long-distance healing of the official's child. He didn't have to be present to heal the child. In that same way, we don't have to be physically present with others to pray together. 

Distance isn't a problem for our God. 

Do we have a need we don't know how to solve and for which our prayers aren't yet answered? Maybe what's needed is to invite the body of Christ into our situation and allow them to help us with our need. Let's pray together, even if we're separated by thousands of miles. 

The prayers of my friend made a bigger difference than I imagined, and your prayers can make a difference, too.  

"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19 niv
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There are many stories I'd like to share with you about this amazing journey, but they can only be shared in person. I'll do another brunch (like last time) to allow an opportunity for story-sharing, but I'm also happy to share with groups of any size. Message me to schedule a time.
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In case you missed the most recent post, here's the link: When You Don't Have Enough Love for the Job Ahead

If you feel led to partner with this ministry, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

When You Don't Have Enough Love for the Job Ahead

Today is day 12, the half-way mark of my trip. There've been some issues that have been agonizingly hard. A few tasks I wasn't sure I could do. Some jobs I didn't want to do even one more time, because they were so difficult. 

Because of the sweet companionship of our Holy Spirit, however, I've found my way through. I've done those hard, unwanted tasks anyway, though not always well. I've persevered, and it has had nothing at all to do with me, and everything to do with the Lord I serve.

I've also learned an important lesson that I should've known, but seem to have forgotten in the heat of battle. 

Love must prevail.

"If I speak with the tongues of man and of angels," Paul wrote, "but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."(1) 

I've spent some time clanging this week, and it wasn't a pretty sound. 

The material I presented to the school students included numerous new English science words, most of which would be on their upcoming exam. They needed what I had to give, because a test was coming, and they would fail without it. 

A few of the students in the classrooms, however, were rowdy and undisciplined. They wouldn't sit down or listen. It made it impossible for the quiet students to hear or learn. Most of the time, I didn't have an interpreter, which made it even more difficult for the students and for me.

I grew more frustrated with every 40-minute session, and it didn't take long for that frustration to push out the love I felt for those sweet children. I wasn't unkind to the students, and I didn't stop doing good work, but the heart with which I served wasn't right. 

I repented every day of feeling frustrated. I prayed nonstop to find a better way. I did all I knew to do, and begged God for wisdom. I parked myself in Scripture while I searched for an answer.

The passage on love I'd memorized as a child came back to me, and it had the truth I needed. "If I do not have love, I am nothing."(2) I tried that bit of truth on for size, and it pinched badly. 

The problem in those classrooms wasn't a lack of teaching skills. It wasn't a lack of interesting material. The problem wasn't even children that wouldn't stop talking and sit down. 

The real problem was a lack of love in Leanna that made it impossible to win the spiritual battle behind the classroom difficulty. 

The only solution was repentance and surrender, and it made more of a difference than I expected. 

My surrender to love allowed me to remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood. When I recalled the real enemy, I knew how to fight, and I did. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is stronger than we realize. It's alive and powerful, and it did its work in me, first of all.(3) 

When I saw the people I serve through the eyes of a loving Father, I was ashamed of my lack of love for them. When His love flooded through me again, I was overwhelmed by its magnitude and how it changed everything about the dreaded forty-minute classes. 

Were the students different? Not really.

Was my teaching style better? Not really.

What changed was my attitude about teaching, and it made all the difference. When a roomful of 6th graders crowded around to hug me after class, I had to blink back tears. 

Love changes everything. And it did. 

Serving as Christ served is only possible when love is our starting point, for that's where He began His service to us. BECAUSE God so loved...He SENT His Son to SAVE. The "send and save" part of the mission of Christ that gives us eternal life was only possible because of God's great love.

As disciples of Jesus, we must have love to serve with it, and only God can give what we need, for He is love. Do you face a dreaded task filled with difficult people? Don't ask God to change your circumstances. Ask for more of His love. 

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 niv

(1) 1 Cor. 13:1     (2) 1 Cor. 13:2     (3) Heb. 4:12
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There are so many stories I'd like to share with you about this amazing journey, but they can only be shared in person. I'll do another brunch (like last time) to allow an opportunity for story-sharing, but I'm also happy to share with groups. Message me to schedule a time.

p.s. - the photo is of the city at night.
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In case you missed the most recent post, here's the link: What  I Gained from the Sermon I Couldn't Translate

If you feel led to partner with this ministry, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

What I Gained From the Sermon I Couldn't Translate

Last night, I attended a small Baptist church. Both the music and the sermon were in Arabic. I can understand a limited number of Arabic words - when they're presented with flip cards or spoken very slowly, one word at a time, with careful enunciation. Strung together in paragraphs with total abandon, those same words are impossible for me to follow. 

Except when it's not.

The pastor preached from John 10:1-27 with a few other passages thrown in for correlation.

The entire sermon could be summed up in one sentence: 

The lives of Christ-followers are defined by their intimate relationships 
with the One they follow. 

Jesus was clear about His role as Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep by name, they know Him AND they follow Him. 

He knows our names.

Ponder that for one long, beautiful moment.

He knows me, and He wants me to know Him, too.               

We are to know our Christ "even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father." (John 10:15) This is a profound truth and one that's often overlooked. 

How well does Jesus know the Father? Perfectly. Intimately. They are completely unified, and only complete by that unexplainable union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Don't miss this...we're supposed to know our Lord that completely. 

How is this depth of knowing possible? We must do what Jesus did. He spent hours in conversation with God the Father, sometimes all night long. He did His will, even when it was hard. He pressed on with the job the Father had given Him, despite His own desire to avoid the terrible task. 

Jesus surrendered His will in order to accept the will and way of His Father. So must we, if we are to participate in the grand adventure of knowing that God intended.

Surrender to His will and His way

One of the hymns we sang when I was a child sums it up perfectly. "There is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." 

Are we "happy in Jesus"? Do we know Him with the same intimacy He knows the Father? 

If that's the life we want, it's available to us, IF we choose to do what Jesus did. 

Surrender. Pray. Obey.

There's a lesson in those three words that I'll save for another day. For today, let's take a close look at our own lives of faith. Is this the kind of God-relationship we want? Ask God what prevents this grand knowing, and allow Him to remove it, then stay close to the One who knows us by name. 

"I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father know Me and I know the Father..." John 10:14-15 nasb

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In case you missed the most recent post, here's the link: When Freedom Is What We Want, Repentance is What We Do 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

When Freedom Is What We Want, Repentance is What We Do

The first pre-teen/teen Whisper Gathering was utterly amazing. Seven young people joined me. We ate pizza, laughed, sang funny action songs, and learned about praying in a deeper, bigger way. 

We studied the experience of Isaiah in 1 Kings 6. He walked into the temple and a glimpse of heaven rocked his world. He saw God high and lifted up, and Elijah was never the same again. 

We learned that prayer and hearing the voice of God should begin with seeing God as He is,seeing ourselves in relation to His majesty, and repenting of our sins. In a very real sense, praying God-sized prayers must start with sincere repentance.

With that in mind, we had a period of beautiful confession before each other and before our Lord, gave our sin to God, and left it with him. We studied Elijah's life to see how a prophet prays with God-sized results. We pondered the biggest requests we could make. Then, scattered around the room, we prayed huge prayers and staked our claim on world-wide revival. 

Afterward, I asked them what they'd learned and what they'd do different going forward. One young girl answered, "Repentance is kinda fun." Another said, "I learned you have to repent if you want to have answered prayer." 

When they got ready to leave, one pre-teen ran over to me. "Miss Leanna, is it okay if I go repent of one more thing before I go?" 

You know it was.

I watched from the door as that little blonde-haired girl knelt at the altar, gave her sin to God, and left it with Him. She headed home with a smile on her face and joy in her heart because she'd learned an important truth. 

When freedom and answered prayers are what we want, repentance is what we do.

It's that simple. 

Want to restore the joy of your salvation? Begin with repentance. Need answered prayers? Start by repenting. Hungry to hear from God? Repentance should be first on the list.

"And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." 1 John 3:3 nasb

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 nasb

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In case you missed the most recent post, here's the link: The Vineyard Behind the Gate

If you feel led to partner with this ministry, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

The Vineyard Behind the Gate

On one particular outing recently, my mind wandered off the path and my feet followed along. I was soon in unfamiliar territory, and happened past a heavy wooden gate (above). It was encased in a concrete frame and connected to a large barbed-wire-topped fence. 

The gate was a rare sight, so I stepped closer to peek through the fence and see the precious treasure it protected. 

A vineyard. 

It reminded me of a parable from Matthew 21. A man planted a vineyard, surrounded it with a wall, built a tower, and rented it out to gardeners. These supposed gardeners were charged with the care of the vines on the owner's behalf. They were unfaithful and, in the end of the parable, the owner called the gardeners to account.

There are many lessons to be learned from this passage  but the thing that stands out in my mind is the care the owner lavished on his vines and the branches they produced. He protected them from outside influences. He hired workers to care for them.

In a very real way, this good owner was willing to prune the branches and to let those he hired prune them. The vines were treasured and protected, however, from those who would do them harm.

In the vineyard along the road, the young vines had been planted in straight rows, staked with posts to guide their growth, and surrounded by protective walls to keep them free from harm, just like the vineyard Jesus described.

If an earthly vine grower goes to such expense to protect his young plants, how much more will our heavenly Father expend to care for us, the tender branches shooting off from the vine of His Son? 

He cares for us. He protects us. He knows us.

Ponder those words a moment and savor the truth that our Lord has a plan for our good, our welfare, our care. He's not caught off guard by our circumstances. He knows what He's doing and, in the end, it will be for our good and His glory.

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and nor for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 nasb

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In case you missed the most recent post, here's the link: Moving the Heart of God with the Prayer of No Words

If you feel led to partner with this ministry, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

Moving the Heart of God With the Prayer of No Words

A strange thought occurred to me this morning. Are there examples of praying without words in the Bible? As it turns out, there are. I read the gospel of Luke this morning, and it's full of examples of women who moved the heart of Jesus without saying a word. 

The widow of Nain is one example. The story's found in Luke 7:11-17. Here's the Leanna paraphrase: 

A widow's only son had died. In her culture, there was no social security or widow benefits. No nursing homes existed. No medicare or medicaid. Her entire future provision depended upon anything her husband had saved and her son's care for her. 

When her son died, she was grief-stricken for more than one reason. Of course, first of all, she loved her son like any mother loves. There was also the question of her future. What would happen to her now?

You may not have experienced this depth of grief before, but sometimes, it's so enormous, there are no words to say. Only tears. 

That's where the widow of Nain found herself. Weeping was the only response she could make. 

Then Jesus arrived.

News about Jesus had traveled throughout the region, so it's likely this woman had heard of His fame, His miracles, His power. A few days earlier, when her son was sick, she might have knelt before Jesus and asked for a miracle, like everyone else did.

This day, however, all she could do was cry.

Jesus and His disciples walked through the gate just as her son's funeral procession was heading out. She saw Jesus and couldn't say a word, but her tears spoke volumes, and they moved the heart of God.

Jesus saw her tears, entered into her grief, and revived her son. He "gave him back to his mother."

In His presence, she communicated with Jesus through her tears, and it was enough. 

I've been in the place of such profound grief that my only response was tears. I've been the one on my face before God, praying without words. In His presence, my tears were a prayer without words, because I gave those tears to the One who is our Comforter, and He comforted. He responded. He moved.

Do all tears serve as a prayer? I don't know. What I do know is that the widow's tears, in the presence of Jesus, were enough to communicate her need to Him and move His heart.

Whatever our situation, we can take it to Him, and He will understand. Whether we have words to describe our situation or express our need or not. Today, let's give our concerns to the Lord, and let our hearts speak for us. Use words only if we need them. 

How do I know this is possible? Because God sees our hearts.

"...for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 nasb

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The picture above is of my little bedroom here in this beautiful place. In case you can't read the artwork, the lettering above the beds says "Be Still" and "and know that I am God." Exactly what I needed to hear.

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In case you missed the most recent post, here's the link: When Telling Our Story Reminds Us of the Miraculous

If you feel led to partner with this ministry, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.