My Online Faith Journal

     I'm in the middle of wrestling with God over a number of things.  I want to post this prayer as a confession and prayer to God for Holy Week.      God, I don't understand other people much of the time.  I have felt both frustrated and confused over other people and their problems.  I feel misunderstood and confused much of the time.  Your voice seems only one of many clamoring to get my attention.  I am often distracted and too busy for you.   I seem to love to dwell on who has hurt me and my wounded pride at times.  Help me to move past these things.  Help me to crowd out all the other voices and distractions that keep me from hearing You.      God forgive me for not loving as I should.  For not giving you all of my attention.  I thank you for being patient with me.  For loving and forgiving and having mercy on a soul that seems so dark and confused.  I can fool other people, but I cannot fool you.  You silently wait for me to come to You.  You wait for me to be sile

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”     These verses should be read keeping in mind what has happened in chapter 13.  In chapter 13, we see the disciples around Jesus at the last supper.  They have joined him for the Passover meal and Peter has asserted himself that he would not deny Jesus.  To be fair to Peter, all the other disciples also proclaimed the same devotion.  But, Jesus tells Peter that not only will he deny him that it would happen before the rooster crows three times.  In light of this discouraging news, Jesus adds the words we read in verse 1 of chapter 14  "Do not let your hearts be troubled. . . ."      It must have seem

    In my work as a therapist, I am now working with kids who are at risk for out of home placement.  The service we provide requires multiple visits at either home or school every week.  We typically have at least 3 people who work with kids each week.  Almost all of my clients have problems with anger and aggression.  One of the things we use for that is called cognitive behavioral therapy.  I mention it here because I think it really shows us how all truth is really God's truth.  I believe the truths of the Bible are completely consistent with the principles of CBT.   One of the most important is that our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are all interacting and build up each other.     Typically, most kids I talk to are completely out of touch with their thoughts when they are getting angry.  It is much more likely that they realize that they are getting upset, clenching jaw or fist or turning red or their heart rate increasing.  Unfortunately, a lot of the negative thoughts

    I was driving home today from the gym and passed a little Methodist church with a sign out front.  It said that we should forgive as much as we want to be forgiven.  That got me to thinking about whether or not I have forgiven those who have offended me in my life like I want to be forgiven.  We all want to be forgiven, immediately and completely and without bringing up past mistakes or sins again.  Don't you just hate it when someone brings up a past hurt when they have already said it was forgiven?  Aren't you glad God doesn't do that.    In Mark 11:25-26 it says, "and whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgression.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."      I want you to read through the above verses a few times and look at what it says.  It tells us that there is no disconnect with God

      Have you ever noticed how many times in the book of Psalms the Psalmist mentions that God is silent?  Or the psalmist will ask how long God will wait before he acts.  I have had that struggle myself many times in my christian life as I have sought God's guidance only to hear nothing in response.        Quite a while ago I created a prayer journal in order to record thoughts during Bible readings and also prayer requests.  It is a good way to look back and see how God has indeed answered many prayers.  Perhaps he did not answer them the way that we expect though.  It reminds me of a lady that went to the church in Hull, Texas that I was a pastor of.  We prayed for her healing as she was dealing with cancer.  It was literally all over her body.  You could just see the fatigue on her face the day she came to the altar and others laid hands on her and we prayed for her.  She ending up dying soon after that.  That wasn't the end that we wanted for her.  But, God did in f

     I am going to say something that if you don't look at the scriptures I refer to you may think is a bit controversial.  I have intentionally stayed away in this blog from discussing anything political.  I don't want to alienate anyone who has views in politics different from my own.  But, I do believe I am seeing something in American politics today that has happened in Israel and in other countries since the church began.  I am calling it the Saul Principal.  That is something that I came up with to name the principal I am going to mention.      You can see this in the book of Judges clearly and also in how the King Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel.  There are times in Judges when the people stray from God and chase after idols.  During that time, God gives the people of God poor leadership and they are overtaken by their enemies.  Yet, at other times, the people of God rise up and turn to God and God appoints judges to lead them and save them from their en