Here we go...
What I'm Reading:
GOD ON MUTE: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer by Pete Greig
Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows what a profound impact Pete's book Red Moon Rising had on me and my personal prayer journey.What do you do when you're the leader of a global prayer movement that is seeing a proufound move of God, yet your own prayers for your ailing wive's life-threatening condition seem to be going unanswered?
In the Summer of 1997, I found myself in a circle of guys passionately praying over me for a healing from my diabetes. I truly believed that God wanted to heal me. We were (as far as I could tell) praying with faith much larger "than a mustard seed". I actually went for a 48 hour period without taking an insulin shot in a step of faith. I wasn't healed.
In the Summer of 2003, dear friend prayed over Janelle and I to be blessed with a baby. We'd been trying to have a child for about a year. That friend prayed in faith (and we both truly sensed it to be a "word from God") that Janelle would be pregnant within the year. A year passed, and no baby. Our prayers have continued, seemingly met by silence over the past 5 years.
This book takes a gut-level honest approach to the reality, pain and frustration of unanswered prayer. The 1st half is looking at the prayers of Jesus at Gethsemane and Golgotha as templates for the journey of unanswered prayer. The 2nd half takes a logical and scriptural look at the "why" of unanswered prayer.
I'm about 2/3 through the book. It has been full of "been there, done that", "a-ha", and "I can't read through the tears" moments. It has been the right book at the right time for me as I wrestle with God.
What I'm Watching:
Hotel Rwanda - When I got done watching this movie, I was mad at myself.
I was mad for not knowing anything about the genocide in Rwanda.
I was mad at myself for not watching this movie sooner.
I was mad at myself for doing exactly what Joaquin Pheonix's character said I (a bloated, sheltered American) would do... "I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners. " For me, it was popcorn.
I need to do something significant for those in the world who are being driven from their homes. It's happening all over the world. If you haven't watched this movie, be warned... it's disturbing; but I'd rank it up there as a "valuable watch" in the same vain as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and SCHINDLER'S LIST.
What I'm Listening To:
I did a lot of journaling while I was on my blogcation. It was about catching up on the many issues/ lessons I've been going through. Most of the time I did my journaling to the sounds of birds chirping and watering crashing against the sea wall. As the day went on, the boats and jet skis started humming around on the lake. To battle with the sound, I found myself going to a four CD set called Classical Music for People who Hate Classical Music to serenade me as I continued in my journaling. I actually bought it to use the music as background tracks for videos.
I find Classical Music to inspire and sharpen my brain.
In the Summer of 1997, I found myself in a circle of guys passionately praying over me for a healing from my diabetes. I truly believed that God wanted to heal me. We were (as far as I could tell) praying with faith much larger "than a mustard seed". I actually went for a 48 hour period without taking an insulin shot in a step of faith. I wasn't healed.
In the Summer of 2003, dear friend prayed over Janelle and I to be blessed with a baby. We'd been trying to have a child for about a year. That friend prayed in faith (and we both truly sensed it to be a "word from God") that Janelle would be pregnant within the year. A year passed, and no baby. Our prayers have continued, seemingly met by silence over the past 5 years.
This book takes a gut-level honest approach to the reality, pain and frustration of unanswered prayer. The 1st half is looking at the prayers of Jesus at Gethsemane and Golgotha as templates for the journey of unanswered prayer. The 2nd half takes a logical and scriptural look at the "why" of unanswered prayer.
I'm about 2/3 through the book. It has been full of "been there, done that", "a-ha", and "I can't read through the tears" moments. It has been the right book at the right time for me as I wrestle with God.
I'm planning to take two weeks to teach the content of the second half of this book to our students on Wednesday Nights in late September.
What I'm Watching:
Hotel Rwanda - When I got done watching this movie, I was mad at myself.I was mad for not knowing anything about the genocide in Rwanda.
I was mad at myself for not watching this movie sooner.
I was mad at myself for doing exactly what Joaquin Pheonix's character said I (a bloated, sheltered American) would do... "I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners. " For me, it was popcorn.
I need to do something significant for those in the world who are being driven from their homes. It's happening all over the world. If you haven't watched this movie, be warned... it's disturbing; but I'd rank it up there as a "valuable watch" in the same vain as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and SCHINDLER'S LIST.
What I'm Listening To:
I did a lot of journaling while I was on my blogcation. It was about catching up on the many issues/ lessons I've been going through. Most of the time I did my journaling to the sounds of birds chirping and watering crashing against the sea wall. As the day went on, the boats and jet skis started humming around on the lake. To battle with the sound, I found myself going to a four CD set called Classical Music for People who Hate Classical Music to serenade me as I continued in my journaling. I actually bought it to use the music as background tracks for videos.I find Classical Music to inspire and sharpen my brain.
1 comment:
love the post, I have been putting off watching hotel rwanda, because I know it will mess with my head, reading this has prompted me to watch it.. I'll give it a go this week.
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