Racing Forward

I have been thinking about how challenging the last several months have been a lot lately. As I considered what value those challenges had, I began to hear God whispering understanding into my ear regarding the purpose in all of the trials that we seem to have been through and I finally realized just how valuable they had been. I guess the best way I could describe it would be to think of it as if God had just reached down, picked me up off the highway I was traveling down and placed my car in the middle of a Nascar track. Yep, now let me see if I can open up this image a bit more.
Consider what it is like to travel down a typical highway (spiritual journey) in your vehicle (ministry). You turn the wheel and you change lanes. You accelerate to top speeds of around 70 mph. You brake and shift gears and make relatively sweeping adjustments to your driving style as you travel from place to place.
Now, imagine that you are in the same vehicle (ministry), but suddenly you find yourself traveling down a racetrack (still a spiritual journey) instead of the typical highway. Now you accelerate to top speeds of 180-190 mph. When you turn the steering wheel, even the slightest touch makes major changes. You now use your brakes much more sparingly and with a far lighter touch. You learn new skills like drafting and new techniques for placement on the track. In short, you are still driving a car, but the way you do it has changed dramatically. Your are now in the race, pressing forward toward the prize. You have to learn a new way of balancing things in order to properly compete. All the things you learned on the highway still apply but in vastly different ways than before.
When viewed from this perspective, all of the trials are not negatives, rather they are simply part of the process of learning the finesse of driving (operating in ministry) in a new way and at greater speeds, with more at stake. As the challenges of this new driving style are overcome with time, it becomes more and more comfortable. In addition you begin to realize that though it is challenging, the rewards are worth it.

Thoughts on Prayer

Prayer has taken on a new life for me in the last few weeks. I have been preaching a series of messages on the importance of prayer and in truth I had no idea that they would impact me in the way that they have. I feel that I have most certainly gained more insight than I have been able to share and that I was probably the one most in need of the messages I have been preaching. This week I think I realized, not necessarily for the first time, but certainly the most clearly, that we cannot advance the Kingdom of God without a renewed emphasis on prayer.
I have been considering just how little value that the church in America places on prayer. While browsing the web recently, I stumbled across a quote by Leonard Ravenhill in which he declared that the prayer meeting is the least attended meeting at any given church. I think that this is perhaps true because we have made prayer into a superspiritual ritual that must be approached with a great deal of reverence and respect, rather than recognizing it for what it is. I enjoy spending time talking to my earthly friends and family. I enjoy sharing with them what is going on in my life and learning what is going on in their lives. Shouldn't I also enjoy spending time with my Heavenly Father and sharing with Him what is going on in my life (yes, I know He already knows, but He also likes to hear it from me) and learning what is going on in His (really, He wants to share his secrets with me, if I will just stop to listen). Prayer meetings don't have to be boring and formal, instead they can be an exciting time of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I want to see this kind of life come to our times of prayer. I want to see this kind of life come to my personal times of prayer.
My attitude is changing and with it so is my approach to prayer. Certainly, I continue to approach the Father with my needs, ask him to help me and seek His wisdom and will for my life, but something new is also happening. I am returning to a place where I just like to talk to Him. I find myself more frequently sharing my thoughts and not necessarily during my "quiet times". This happens both verbally and within my heart. As a result, I am also finding myself listening more to His thoughts. If we only realized how much He longs to share His thoughts with us, we would be amazed. This is changing more than my prayer life. I find that my times of worship are more sincere, that my preaching has more passion and that my relationships with both natural and spiritual family are more fulfilling. And, I have to say that I like it.
Let me just be honest as well. I have not suddenly become a supernatural prayer warrior and intercessor exrodinair. I am on a journey and I am learning as I go. I am not walking fully in what I see, but I am striving more each day to walk more fully in it. I continue to become distracted by my schedule, overwhelmed by my circumstances and carried along by the course of events; however, I am slowly learning to overcome these obstacles and live a more fulfilled spiritual life.

Kenya Update

I just received an e-mail from a good friend in Kenya. Dan Germo has is from Canada, but has lived in Kenya for a number of years. He is a good friend of Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and so I consider the information that he provides to be very accurate. The following is an edited version of his update:

I am sure that most of you have heard the news that a political deal was reached in Kenya on Thursday of last week. We are sorry that it has taken us until now to send this happy report… but due to computer problems, it hasn’t been possible until now.
Last week was a very tense week for the nation. It started with the news of the mediation talks stalling. Underlining the seriousness of the situation were the reports from various parts of the countries of militias from both sides of the equation training and arming in case the talks failed. On Tuesday, Kofi Annan said that the mediation teams were not capable of making the deal, as their final session on Tuesday had ended in a very heated manner. At that point, Dr. Annan scheduled a meeting for himself, the President of Tanzania (who is also the Chairman of the African Union), together with President Kibaki and opposition leader, Raila Odinga. As a nation, we all waited anxiously to hear any outcome. The level of anxiety was heightened… but the nation sighed a sigh of relief when at just before 5 PM, all four men addressed a press conference broadcast live across the nation… They had reached a deal.
Under the deal, President Kibaki will remain the President of Kenya, and a new position of Prime Minister will be created, which will be filled by Raila Odinga. Kalonzo Musyoka will remain Vice President, while two Deputy Prime Minister slots will also be created, one being appointed from each party.
This may not be the solution that will be for long-term – that remains to be seen. But, it is a perfect solution that allows the calm in the nation to be replaced by peace, and the opportunity for the political leaders to address many governance issues in the months and years ahead. Most people in the nation, from all sides of the equation, have reacted very positively… and just relieved that life can get back to normal once again, without having to live under the anxiety of daily wondering whether the country would unravel further.
Thank you all for praying for us, the nation, and our many friends during this time. As we rejoice at the peace that has returned, we must also remember to continue to be praying for the many who are still displaced in various parts of the nations, and those who have lost jobs, houses, businesses, and loved ones as a result of the chaos. There will be many challenges ahead, but pray that as a nation, we will learn what is necessary so that this may never happen again. At least now, the hope of healing is once again available!!