I don't know if you experienced this in your life, but I have been in several churches that had Bible-thumping ministers that pounded the message in the pulpit every service. It was exciting and scary and confusing and inspiring at the same time! I didn't really enjoy those kinds of preachers then and I sure don't now!
The title of this posting refers to the way God is pounding his message in my head. Granted, this is what I have been praying for -- for God t speak to me about how I can become closer to him. For now, it is to put into action (and not just lofty thoughts and speech) these words:
All of us should be an example in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity. That’s how we make an impact for Christ.
I don't think I am very good at any of these things! Yikes! God is particularly working on me in the areas of conduct and purity. I have been better about these two areas in the past 14 months, but I have a long way to go. I praise God for showing me that cleaning up my act, as they say, is really the best thing for me in the short run and in the long run. This approach to life, especially the life of a gay man, is very different than most single men. As I mentioned to my minister once: "I don't know why gay men think they receive a get out of jail free card for fornication!" God help us all!
Lord, thank you for your leadership and grace. I want to have an open mind and open heart to recognize when you are speaking to me, whether it be via a devotional or a song or something around me.
Simply Saturday
I have been thinking a lot about prayer the past few months. I know some people would stop doing something if they thought they were doing it wrong. With prayer, I ask God to teach me how to pray. I have been praying some simple prayers when I am not sure what to pray for or how to ask or how to intercede for someone. They are:
The Lord's Prayer (always a good choice!)
The Thomas Merton prayer (I modify this one to add "be lost, lonely and in the shadow of death" )
Some short sentence prayers, the first of which was taught to me by a former monk, and I modified a little bit:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy on me
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy on me a sinner
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please heal my mind and heart
The point is this: we can get caught up in the WAY we are supposed to pray that we DON'T pray enough. Paul and others teach us to walk around in a spirit of prayer. What? How are we supposed to do our daily tasks if we are down on our knees, hands folded and eyes closed? ;-p To me that means we should always be open to God speaking to us, whatever we are doing and wherever we go.
Try some of these prayers. Ask God to teach you to pray. I can testify that prayer works. I have a joke with a friend about prayer: "What mountains are we going to move today?" hehehe Prayer and faith are powerful things!
Other Stuff
Going to take it easy today. There are a few things I wanted to do tonight, but I decided to stay home. I am going to the movies this morning, the read and do laundry this afternoon/evening.
Hang in there, my friends! I will be upbeat and steady. That is what I do...
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