3.06.2008
Overnight thoughts...
Well, I figured that since I'm up and hanging out at Niessink doing the whole not sleeping thing (one of our overnights called in with strep throat...pray for him...his name is Drew), I would give an update on the car situation. First off...i gotta say...God is amazing! I went to my small group at my church on Sunday night, where we're reading the book, "Contrarian's Guide To Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us," by Larry Osborne. (For those of you who don't know: a "contrarian" is someone who questions things, often saying, 'why do we do this or believe that?' They enjoy taking a contrary view from those around them to try and understand things better). I'm really enjoying reading the book and talking about it. But we were talking about how so often when we pray, we don't really expect God to come through on our prayers. Biblical example: Acts 12. "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him" (verse 5). Osborne's book summarizes what happens:
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"Finally, on the eve of his trial, an angel shows up in his prison cell. He awakens Peter, who's fast asleep, chained between two Roman soldiers. As the chains fall off, the angel tells Peter to get dressed, then leads him out as prison doors miraculously open.
Now here's the interesting thing: If praying with faith means imagining whatever we pray for is already a done deal, Peter fails miserably.
When the angel awakens him, he doesn't jump up and shout, 'I knew you were coming!' No, he assumes it's a wild dream or vision. Not until he's standing in the middle of the street as a free man does it dawn on him that God had actually answered his prayers.
But this story of powerfully answered prayer gets even stranger.
Realizing he's free, Peter immediately heads for the house where everyone is gathered to pray for his release. He knocks on the door and tells a servant girt that it's indeed him. God had answered their prayers. But she's so excited she forgets to let him in. Instead, she hurries to tell everyone in the prayer meeting the good news. Their response is telling. No one leaps for joy. No high fives, no hallelujahs, no 'Thank you Jesus!' Instead, they rebuke the sevant for her naivete. 'Look, he's in a Roman prison. You don't just walk out of a Roman prison. It must be his angel. We need to keep praying.'
Meanwhile, Peter stands on the porch pounding on the door. When someone finally comes and lets him in, one word is used to describe the group's response: astonishment. Not joy. Not praise that God had come through as promised. Not even an isolated, 'I told you so!'
Just astonishment." (p. 109-110).
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So. We don't always expect what we pray for to happen. But (one last quote from Osborne): "The key lesson here is not that doubt-free faith and prayer can bring great results. It's that God can come through even when we doubt his ability to do so."
Well, I had prayed that someone in my small group would know something about cars and be able to help me, although I was pretty sure no one did. After our discussion on the book, we were talking about my car when Jim says that he knows someone who works on transmissions for really cheap. So I tell him what's going on with my car and he says that he'll talk to the guy on Monday. Jim calls me back Monday afternoon with news that I completely didn't expect. The guy he talked to said it didn't sound like a transmission at all! What, then? A broken axle. I don't know a lot about cars, but this sounded a whole lot cheaper. And Jim had already price checked with Darlo (auto shop in Sioux Center) and he thought I could get that and my starter fixed for under $500! Well, I got the car towed over to Darlo's with Jim's help and Darlo called me today to let me know that he could fix all of it for about $350! God really came through - praise His name!! And I guess I was astonished...just like the people praying for Peter. But it sure reminds me that God provides - even when we don't expect it!
The other book I've been reading is one on evangelism as a way of life. It's called, "Out of the Saltshaker and into the World," by Rebecca Pippert. Well, I was reading it and journaling and praying that I could have a chance to meet people who I could build relationships with outside the church. And I realized as I was journaling that I had missed an opportunity just a few hours before. I had spent the evening at my friend Blake's house watching Batman Begins (great movie!) and during the middle of it, one of his co-workers came over to hang out. We talked a little bit, but I was so focused on the movie that I didn't take any time to start building this relationship! I'm really disappointed in myself about that. I get so wrapped up into movies and stuff (especially if I haven't seen them before) that I miss out on the important stuff. Not cool. But hopefully now that I see it, I can grow from it. Wow, that's a long post. Props to all who've stuck with it thus far! I hope that your minds and hearts can be as stimulated as mine were through these thoughts and writings.
______________________________________________________
"Finally, on the eve of his trial, an angel shows up in his prison cell. He awakens Peter, who's fast asleep, chained between two Roman soldiers. As the chains fall off, the angel tells Peter to get dressed, then leads him out as prison doors miraculously open.
Now here's the interesting thing: If praying with faith means imagining whatever we pray for is already a done deal, Peter fails miserably.
When the angel awakens him, he doesn't jump up and shout, 'I knew you were coming!' No, he assumes it's a wild dream or vision. Not until he's standing in the middle of the street as a free man does it dawn on him that God had actually answered his prayers.
But this story of powerfully answered prayer gets even stranger.
Realizing he's free, Peter immediately heads for the house where everyone is gathered to pray for his release. He knocks on the door and tells a servant girt that it's indeed him. God had answered their prayers. But she's so excited she forgets to let him in. Instead, she hurries to tell everyone in the prayer meeting the good news. Their response is telling. No one leaps for joy. No high fives, no hallelujahs, no 'Thank you Jesus!' Instead, they rebuke the sevant for her naivete. 'Look, he's in a Roman prison. You don't just walk out of a Roman prison. It must be his angel. We need to keep praying.'
Meanwhile, Peter stands on the porch pounding on the door. When someone finally comes and lets him in, one word is used to describe the group's response: astonishment. Not joy. Not praise that God had come through as promised. Not even an isolated, 'I told you so!'
Just astonishment." (p. 109-110).
______________________________________________________
So. We don't always expect what we pray for to happen. But (one last quote from Osborne): "The key lesson here is not that doubt-free faith and prayer can bring great results. It's that God can come through even when we doubt his ability to do so."
Well, I had prayed that someone in my small group would know something about cars and be able to help me, although I was pretty sure no one did. After our discussion on the book, we were talking about my car when Jim says that he knows someone who works on transmissions for really cheap. So I tell him what's going on with my car and he says that he'll talk to the guy on Monday. Jim calls me back Monday afternoon with news that I completely didn't expect. The guy he talked to said it didn't sound like a transmission at all! What, then? A broken axle. I don't know a lot about cars, but this sounded a whole lot cheaper. And Jim had already price checked with Darlo (auto shop in Sioux Center) and he thought I could get that and my starter fixed for under $500! Well, I got the car towed over to Darlo's with Jim's help and Darlo called me today to let me know that he could fix all of it for about $350! God really came through - praise His name!! And I guess I was astonished...just like the people praying for Peter. But it sure reminds me that God provides - even when we don't expect it!
The other book I've been reading is one on evangelism as a way of life. It's called, "Out of the Saltshaker and into the World," by Rebecca Pippert. Well, I was reading it and journaling and praying that I could have a chance to meet people who I could build relationships with outside the church. And I realized as I was journaling that I had missed an opportunity just a few hours before. I had spent the evening at my friend Blake's house watching Batman Begins (great movie!) and during the middle of it, one of his co-workers came over to hang out. We talked a little bit, but I was so focused on the movie that I didn't take any time to start building this relationship! I'm really disappointed in myself about that. I get so wrapped up into movies and stuff (especially if I haven't seen them before) that I miss out on the important stuff. Not cool. But hopefully now that I see it, I can grow from it. Wow, that's a long post. Props to all who've stuck with it thus far! I hope that your minds and hearts can be as stimulated as mine were through these thoughts and writings.
3.02.2008
Nerds, Bowling Balls, and Transmissions.
I think I'm going to be buying a new car. It's more necessity than desire, really. My transmission went out on Friday night. The day after my landlady backed into the side of my car. I think that my car doesn't like me much right now for letting all this bad stuff happen to her. I've had a lot of people tell me I should name my car, and I've stubbornly said no. Partly because I'm not good at naming things. But also because...no, I guess mostly because I'm not good at naming things. But I think my car is a female. Don't know why, but I called it a "her" earlier in this post, so I guess I'll go with it. Anyway, I was on my way to the church where the Jr and Sr High youth groups were meeting to leave for Nerd Bowling in Hull. (I'll post some pictures later...I'll just let the thought of red suspenders get your imagination going). As I was pulling into the church parking lot, I heard this horrible, grinding sound that you should never hear coming out of from under the hood. I got the car in park and took my foot off the brake, only to find that my car still rolled backwards as if in neutral. So it is currently sitting in the church parking lot awaiting assistance from some car shop in Sioux Center...probably Darlo's. I am thankful that I was in the church parking lot when it happened. That way my fellow nerds could give me a hand. Although it could have been an adventure if my car had broken down in town while I was in full nerd-attire. But I'm guessing that with the other promising aspects of my car (starter, power locks, ABS...all not working right), I should start looking for another car. I was really frustrated at first, but after thinking about it for a while, I'm realizing that God hasn't left me hanging yet, so I'm excited to see how he's going to provide for me in this situation. Sometimes it's hard not being in control, but I'm learning that it's often better that way. Even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.
