Joe Aldrich — then President of Multnomah School of the Bible and one of the leaders of the church in the Pacific Northwest — tells of an encounter he had in Philadelphia. He was working with the Billy Graham organization and was attending a dinner. He happened to sit next to an African-American man, about 5’4 in his 70’s. He had no idea who the guy was, whether he was a pastor or a janitor at the local college.

“So, what do you do?” Joe asked. “I’m a pastor,” the little man replied. “How did you get into the ministry?” Joe continued. “Well,” the pastor said, “I resisted the call for 14 years. But one day I was shaving and all of a sudden the mirror began to fill up with faces…the faces of people who needed Jesus. I dropped on my knees and surrendered to the Lord, right there next to the bathtub. The next Sunday, we met in our basement, myself, my wife and our two children. We sang a few songs, I preached, and we took an offering. It was our first Sunday.”

Not a very auspicious beginning, but out of politeness Joe didn’t stop there. “Tell me about your church.” “Well we have a church in downtown Philadelphia, and the Lord has blessed.” The pastor in Joe couldn’t resist the “nickels and noses” questions. “How big, how many.” “Well we have about 10,000 people.” “10,000 people! Where do you put them all?” “Well we just finished a 17.5 million dollar 5200 seat auditorium.”

“What do you attribute this too,” Joe asked.

“Prayer.” Ben Smith replied.

Well of course — he is going to answer prayer, would not be appropriately humble to say, “my great preaching.” But Joe wasn’t content with “prayer.” “What do you mean? Tell me about prayer at your church.” This quiet unassuming man began to detail the place of prayer in his church. Well every day, I get up at 3:30 in the morning and pray till breakfast, sometimes right through breakfast. We have eight staff people who do nothing but pray. On the first week of every month, we have 250-300 people who pray 24 hours around the clock for 5 days. In the summer, about 300 people go away for a week to pray for the church.”

Why do iPray? Or maybe the more appropriate question is, “why should iPray?” Because when we work, we work, but when we pray, we partner with God.

A great student of prayer once said that the crying need of Christians and the church today is not better plans and planners, our crying need is for powerful people of God, spiritual leaders…people of prayer… people filled with the spirit of God; who exhibit in every area of their lives, the awesome, unspeakable power of God. The crying need of the church today is for the supernatural power which makes us more than a social organization; more than a gathering of people; the power which causes us to be not only in name but in practice… the body of Christ.

When iPray, iPray because I love the body of Christ and want to see us be the hope of the world.

Last month was the 76 anniversary of the birth of the King. Small k…big E.  Do you know what I’m talking about? Elvis Presley. If Dennis Wise was reading this, he would have known. Dennis is the epitome of the Elvis fan. His love for Elvis has driven him to bizare lengths. He even had his face lifted and his hairline contoured by a plastic surgeon to make himself look more like Elvis. Wise explained his passion to reporters:

Presley has been an idol ever since I was 5 years old. I have every record he ever made and thousands of pictures. I even have a couple of books in Japanese and Chinese and some leaves from his front yard. No sir. I never saw Elvis personally. I saw him on the stage four times. I stood up on the wall at Graceland once for 12 hours trying to get a glimpse of him. But he had so many people around I could never get close.

Think about that for a moment? He’s tried to conform himself to the image of Elvis. He has collected icons to remind him of Elvis. Four times he pilgrimaged for an Elvis experience. He probably knows everything there is to know about Elvis. But he never knew Elvis. Never had a relationship.  Never had the opportunity to talk.  Separated by 12 foot walls, he was never invited into his home as a friend.

Now let’s talk about prayer.  I’m not sure how many of us have gone to the same lengths to see or talk to God, But I am sure that for the most part we have the same perception.

• * I know there is a God. I have every book He’s ever written and many written about him.
• * I’ve collected things that remind me of Him. Crosses, a special rock from that place where I thought I caught a glimpse of him.
• * I’ve gone in search of God-experiences..Sunday morning pilgrimages.
• * I’ve waited at the wall…but if he’s there I can’t see him because of all the people surrounding him.
• * I have never come into His home. I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with Him.

But listen to me…if you could catch a glimpse of His heart, do you know what you would find? Richard Foster writes,

Today the heart of God is an open wound of love. He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him… He weeps over our obsession with muchness & manyness. He longs for our presence. and He is inviting us to come home… His arms are stretched out…His heart is enlarged to take us in…For too long we have been in a far county: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country of climb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation. And he welcomes us home…

Home with the Father…that’s at least part of the reason iPray.

Months of anticipation and planning are coming to an end. Decorations, tuxedos, rehearsals, flowers, wedding parties, showers, flowers, ring-bearers and little girls dropping petals…it’s all come together. She has spent the whole morning getting ready for this moment, a moment for which it seems like she has spent her whole life getting ready. The setting couldn’t be more perfect… candles, old stone church, white all over… everyone is sharply dressed, even the pastor, everything is perfect. But all of that fades when she enters.

I am often the first to see her when she appears at the back of the church. Everyone stands. Even if the pastor doesn’t invite them, they stand because they want to see. Heads twist sidewards with every row she passes. That’s the way it is with the bride. She remains hidden until the playing of the four measure fanfare of the Wedding March. But when she enters, she is center stage. Row by row, people turn to face the center aisle. They hold their breath without even knowing it. They cry, they smile, some of them beam. They all rejoice. In 22 years years I’ve done hundreds of weddings and every bride has been beautiful. She is the heart of the wedding…in her everyone sees hopes and dreams, and new tomorrows…

In Ephesians 5:31-32, Paul writes,

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I am referring to Christ and the church.

Don’t miss it. In the midst of practical instruction on Spirit-filled marriages is this nugget of gold. Perhaps one of the most profound things Paul says about church. The Church is the Bride of Christ. Ponder that. Jesus gave his life to start a movement that would turn heads, capture the eyes of the world, and be the center of attention. He envisioned a people who would embody innocence and hope and love. A people who model faith in a world filled with despair and cynicism.  A people who would turn heads.

But do we?  In many communities the church is ineffective or worse simply irrelevant. I wonder if it’s because we have forgotten that Jesus can’t take his eyes off us. That we are the center of his attention. That we stand beside a partner who has vowed to love us no matter what, for better or for us. That we stand beside a partner who is all powerful and all knowing and all loving.

I’m starting a new blog series today, “Why iPray.” Ever since my first year as a pastor I have been interested in prayer. I have bought and read every book I could find on prayer and the ones I couldn’t find I borrowed. I’ve gone to seminars on prayer, I’ve talked to people who prayed. I’ve preached on prayer. I’ve led concerts of prayer. I’ve gone to prayer retreats. I’ve always known in my heart that somehow it was the key; that if I wanted to do-church, God’s way, I would have to do prayer. I knew that without prayer, we can pretend to do church, but we would never really turn heads as the bride of Christ without prayer.  So iPray.  Not as often as I should, but I do.

So today was Valentine’s day, considered by some to be a man-made holiday. Obviously not true, think about it, what man would do such a thing? You may not realize this but Valentine was a real guy. One of the legends about the start of Valentine’s Day suggests that under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel, having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues, decided that the problem was marriage. Men did not want to leave their loves or families. So Claudius outlawed marriage and cancelled engagements.

Enter Valentine. Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome who believed so much in the community of marriage that he secretly married couples. Claudius found out; apprehended Valentine; and had him beaten and beheaded. He died on February 14, in the year 270. (Starting a long tradition of men dying on Valentine’s Day.)

Interesting isn’t it? St. Valentine died because he valued community. He valued marriages and families. He was willing to give more than roses, chocolates and hallmark cards to serve the cause of marriage and family. Today to celebrate Valentine’s Day Lynn and I spent the evening going through a class so that we could be a foster family. To be honest I thought it was simply wrong that they wouldn’t cancel the class for Valentine’s Day — but maybe I was wrong — maybe going to the class was a good way to honor the first man who died on Valentine’s Day.

Don’t worry, I still got flowers. Yeah guys it’s a make-believe holiday but if we gave our wives flowers on any other days of the year, we probably wouldn’t need it. If you didn’t get her flowers today. I bet two dozen tomorrow would still work, and might even be cheaper than a dozen today.

I just thought I would take a few moments and give you a couple of personal updates — for anyone who is interested.

FOSTER CARE: Some of you know that we are going through the process to be declared a family fit for foster care.  Lynn and I have talked about adoption and foster care off and own over the course of the years, but it was always just talk.  Until one day, after church, I asked Lynn what she got out of my message — a fairly common conversation between us — and she said, “Well, I think God’s saying that he wants us to be foster parents.”  And of course I said, “What a minute, I never said that.  Foster Care was definitely not one of the fill-in blanks.”  But “being interruptible” was one of the points and God whispered to Lynn that the reason we haven’t moved forward was because she wasn’t willing to be interrupted.  So here we are.

It’s a fairly rigorous process and of course one of our first questions was, “Do we need to get rid of our cat to be a foster care family?”  Unfortunately the answer was no, but we decided to move forward regardless.  On the first night of classes — by the way out of 8 families represented at the classes last Monday, three were from Calvary — the instructor made sure to highlight the importance of the whole family being on board with this decision.  Lynn and I had already had numerous conversations with “in the presence of” Jake and Josh, and we thought they were on tracking and onboard.  But Lynn decided to have a personal conversation “with” Jake and Josh.  When she asked Josh what he thought about us being a foster family, he said, “Wait, what’s foster care?”  Our kids have an amazing way of not listening to the things we want them to hear, while overhearing ever conversation we think is private!  But after explaining foster care, Josh was onboard — but he wants us to get a baby!  Lynn negotiated up to 7 years old.  So who knows…we’ll see what God sets up.

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY DEGREE: It’s not the same as a PhD, but its somewhat of the equivalent for pastors in ministry.  Calvary’s leadership team has given me permission to get one.  So I’ve enrolled in a D.Min program through Bethel Seminary.  I had actually been looking for awhile and when this particular course came up, it grabbed my interest.  The course is on Organic Leadership Development and it will be co-led by a man named J.Robert Clinton who has written some insightful stuff on leadership.  It involves two week long intensives a year at Bethel and reading and practical implementation throughout the year.  I’m looking forward to my first intensive next week — unfortunately it’s in San Diego.

MYANMAR: The last two Christmas/New Year’s seasons, the Nold family has journeyed to Myanmar to serve our partnership there with the orphanages and the school Calvary helped start.  This year for a variety of reasons we could not go — and so we grieved that but started planning a next trip the end of 2011.  But the call from the leaders of our partnership to come now kept coming — and as I prayed about it, I decided I would test the waters for a trip in February.  One of the tests was to see if anyone would travel with me.  Lynn was not crazy about me traveling alone.  That test was passed and one, possible two could go with me.  So on February 21st we will go to Myanmar and participate in a pastor’s conference and the second graduation of students from International Calvary Seminary.  I’m looking forward to it, but appreciate your prayers for the trip.

So that’s a bit about what’s going on.

I’ve been fasting the last few days — I know if I tell you, I’m in danger of losing my reward, but it helps with the story — and every manner of food looks and smells amazingly good. So at the moment I can’t help but think about food.

Like I remember a meal with my grandma in California. I was 8 or 9 and the first one up after her, so she wanted to fix me breakfast. We sat in her kitchen, just the two of us. She asked what I wanted and I said eggs. She asked me what kind I liked and I said I like them all. She made me six eggs each one prepared differently, all good.

I remember camping with my family at Bald Eagle, actually we stayed in a Yurt. It was Father’s Day we grilled t-bone steaks over an open fire and potatoes wrapped in tin foil. Then we sat around the fire and ate and talked and looked at the stars.

Everyone in my family will tell you about a meal we had at Emerils restaurant once. Our host knew the chef and they just kept bringing out food…it was amazing.

I also remember sitting down to eat at the orphanage in Myanmar. I couldn’t tell you all that we ate, most of it was stuff I wouldn’t order in a restaurant… but I was overwhelmed by the food given so graciously by people who had so little.

And now I’m thinking about Lynn’s cinnamon rolls, chocolate covered rice-krispee bars and turkey chilli. Garlic smashed potatoes and Clem’s bbq. Bacon from the waffleshop & fresh squeezed orange juice from Florida. Sees Candy from from California and chocolate chip banana bread from Maui. And of course, seafood chowder from Kelly’s.

I could go on and on, which is why I think it’s hard for me to fathom the idea of a famine. Most of those reading this blog have never experienced a food-famine. Few of us here have ever had to wonder where our next meal would come from…or if it would come.

A recent Christianity Today article estimated that 25,000 people die every day from hunger-related illnesses and 850 million people are chronically hungry. In 2008 food riots and protests in Bangladesh, Cameron, Egypt, Haiti and Myanmar made the global headlines. Death by famine is a slow, painful death — you’ve turned your face from the tv pictures — that includes physical weakness, susceptibility to disease, mental confusion and the inability to focus or reason, lethargy and death. We can’t watch long, because it is so hard to watch someone starve.

In Amos 8:11-13, these words are recorded,

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word.”

I wonder if it’s already here?  Do we hang on his words, like a starving man would hold on to food?  Hang on his words…while you still can.

Remember the movie-series, Pirates of the Caribbean?  The reruns have been on tv lately and I was watching one of them — I think it was the last one.  Remember those two scruffy always-down-and-out pirates?  Something bad was always happening to them and in this particular scene, they are adrift on the ocean in a little rowboat.  One of them has a Bible — you can tell it’s a Bible by the big gold words, “Holy Bible” on the cover — and it looks like he’s reading it.  But as the camera pans in, you see that he’s holding the Bible upside down.  Right?  The other pirate looks at him, shakes his head and says, “What in the world are you doing?” The pirate with the book says, “I’m reading the Bible.” The other guy says, “Whaddya mean, you can’t read.” And the pirate with the upside down Bible says, “Yeah but you get credit for trying.”

Well maybe we get a bit of credit for trying, but we don’t get credit for just opening the book!  It’s not enough to just open the book; we have to open our hearts.  Hang on his words.  So what are some reasons why don’t open the book or our hearts?

Maybe you’re thinking, main reason for me is that it’s difficult.  I read the Bible, once in awhile and I mean I can’t even understand it, let alone hear God.  Well, wow.  I didn’t realize that it was difficult, by all means if it’s difficult for you, you get a pass.  I mean we should never attempt to do anything that’s difficult.  Everyone knows that the best things in life are easy.

Listen, sometimes understanding the Bible isn’t easy.  You’re not alone in this.  Once Peter wrote these words about something Paul had written, “This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him‑speaking of these things in all of his letters and…  Some of his comments are hard to understand.” Peter had a tough time understanding Paul.  It’s okay.  If you don’t understand 90%, listen to the 10% you do understand.

I use the LifeJournal reading plan and I remember one day, the reading for the day was some really odd stuff about sex-rules in the book of Numbers and a really depressing Psalm and then a history lesson in the book of Acts.  Some of it was hard to understand and frankly it just wasn’t my favorite Bible readings.  But sandwhiched in the midst of all those words was this short little blessing…

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  The Lord turn his face to you and give you peace.

Now I understood that.  Those are the words I hung on.  If you feel like you don’t understand 90% of what is in the Bible… if you will be faithful to hang on to his words and respond to the words you understand, God will reveal more to you next time around.  Hang on His Words.

John 14:13 contains an amazing prayer promise. Jesus says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

It’s not an unconditional prayer promise. We need to ask in Jesus name. Now if you grew up in an evangelical church, chances are good that you do that. You pray your prayer and finish it off with the words, In Jesus Name we pray. Amen. Right? John 14:13 is the source of those words.  By the way, how is the working for you?  Are you getting what you want when you close with those words?

Here’s the problem.  I think sometimes we treat those words like the magical words of an incantation. Like Abracadabra – there now you have to give me what I asked for Jesus.

In John 15:9 we have the same promise, but a different expression of the condition; “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you will ask for whatever you want and I will give it.” I think it’s not only the same prayer promise, it’s the same prayer condition expressed in a different way. Remaining in Jesus and letting his words remain in us is really what it means to ask in Jesus name. Adding certain words at the end of our prayers is not what Jesus is seeking. He’s waiting for us to add His words to our hearts. As his words remain in us, his prayers start to come out of us and when we pray what’s on his heart – the answer is on it’s way.

So we need to look at our hearts. Do we hang on his words? Do his words remain in us?  President Obama spoke at Penn State today.  People not only gathered to hear his words, they waited in line to get a ticket to hear his words.  Do we hang on Jesus’ words?

Here’s what I want you to do for just a moment. Picture yourself with Jesus. You’re walking by a stream in Rothrock State Forest. Catching up over a coffee at Saints Cafe. (And it would be plain ol’ coffee because you know Jesus isn’t into latte double whipped, mocha peppermint whimpy sweet drinks. He drinks coffee.)

You’re sitting by a fire in a little cabin, or talking a walk in the afternoon with the snow gently falling, or like the disciples one Thursday night over 2000 years ago, you are walking through a vineyard, it’s evening. You don’t know it but Jesus is sharing his last thoughts before he dies on a cross (John 14-17). Do you hang on his words?

Maybe you’re thinking, well I would if he was here.  He is and he still speaks.  One good benchmark of whether or not we hang on Jesus’ words is to simply look at how often we read the Bible. It’s not the only way God speaks, but it’s the main way he speaks.   So what has your interaction with the Bible been like lately? Are you hanging on his words?

The words that changed D.L. Moody’s life were spoken to him by a man passionate about leaving a mark on the world. He said, “Moody, the world has yet to see what God can do with one person fully committed to Him.” Jesus left a mark on the world. He did it through the cross, but he also did it by investing his life in 12 disciples who then left a mark that changed the world.

Malcolm Gladwell’s, book The Tipping Point is a study of how organizations change, how people are influenced to change. Or in other words, how we leave a mark on the world around us. He asks the question, “How does a system reach the tipping point whereby people and culture are transformed? Gladwell documents that it takes no more than six children in a school to begin wearing a certain brand of sport shoe to reach the tipping
point whereby in just a few days a hundred children will begin wearing that same brand.

Don’t get obsessed by the number, but what if Jesus and Gladwell are right? What if a small group of people fully committed can bring an organization or a city to a tipping point of change? Then the question in our city is which 6% will have the highest quality of commitment to their cause? Who will be willing to dream and ask and risk, to encounter Jesus? If 6% of the people in a city — or a church for that matter — become 100% committed to making Jesus the tipping point in our region, what would happen?

Which begs the even more profound question — what if 100% commitment to Christ were normal for every follower of Jesus? Wouldn’t that lead to a greater-than, new normal?

Every year — Leadership Advance is one of the highlights of my year.  This year was no exception. About 55 participants gathered with about 30 coaches and volunteers for about 48 hours of listening… listening for God’s calling.  Today Erica, one of our campus ministry directors sent out this report…

Q: What happens when your team of college student leaders sets aside 2 ½ days to listen to God, dig into his purposes, and enter the “unknown” of all that He has in store for the semester?

A: God reveals Himself.

Leadership Advance was an incredible way to kick-off the semester! We’re currently experiencing the fruits of our time at LA as our team continues to grow closer to each other, to God, and to serving in our unique strengths and gifts. God is at work in our leaders, and He is at work in students they are influencing. Below are some God-stories and a team picture from LA. We’re trilled to journey with this crew this semester. Thank you for your prayers and support.

To even greater things ahead!

-Erica

Leadership Advance was GREAT. I learned about how God designed my brain to function, and it was interesting to see how different other people are! Lately I’ve been trying real hard to reconcile my faith with the science I believe to be true as well, and Pastor Dan said something to the effect of, “if you’re questioning your faith or doubting, you’re in the right place”…, and that really struck me. Also, the people and speakers were all great. I’m really happy I went. Tell everybody that prayed for me that I’m really thankful. (David, PSU Sophomore, Immunology and Infectious Disease Major)

I learned a lot about myself; I feel like God used Leadership Advance to adjust me for the semester ahead. Like Steve [CCO campus minster] talked about before, it’s little adjustments of your trajectory now that makes a huge difference in the future. (Matt, PSU Sophomore, Petroleum Engineering Major)

I learned a lot about relationships throughout the various talks of the weekend, and I definitely have a new perspective…The thing that stood out to me the most was that I am responsible to learn about the gifts God has given me and to use them for His glory as well as to help others to do the same. I walked away truly challenged to channel my strengths away from trying to solve my own problems, trust God to handle them, and use my energy and strengths to build His Kingdom. (Alicia, PSU Senior, Industrial Engineering Major)

Jesus once said that if we believe in Him, we would do even greater things than He has done.  You might have caught a future glimpse of just that in mini-stories above.