Creating Culture: Prayer
Thinking about prayer; I turn first to frogs.
My boys love frogs. (What is it about boys and frogs, anyway?) One of my favorite memories is of Kyle and Joshua when they were 4 and 2. We drove into a driveway that was full of HUGE frogs. They couldn’t get after the frogs fast enough. This way, that way, into the bushes. (The picture above is not of my son or our frogs that day, but you get the idea). Now, we don’t have frogs of that girth in our backyard, but we find them regularly all the same. In fact, we have a plastic cage that has pretty much been devoted to the holding of my sons conquests for a period of time until they are released back into the wild. According to my boys, frogs are fun.
We’re talking about prayer? (Hang with me)
Absent of prayer, this might be an accurate picture of God and His creation. God would have his “science experiment” and would be working toward it’s best interests, but we would simply be existing in the midst of whatever environment that God placed us in. Waiting for our release (so to speak).
However, God has offered to you and I an invitation to participate with Him in invading the world with His redemptive heart and passion. Not only are we created “in His image”, but we are co-conspirators in God’s great plan. It’s not simply that we get to “do”, but that we also get to “share” with God. Prayer is an invitation for us to offer our hearts to God and for Him to offer His back to us.
When you think of prayer, what comes to your mind? Share it with the rest of the community here.
November 4th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
This morning Dean said he hoped Pathways will become a community where our gatherings leave us thirsty for more and that we walk away with questions, not just answers. I agree that I want us to be a culture where we thirst for more, but what then do we do with those questions? Where do we find answers and how do we wrestle through them? I’m afraid that if we create a culture where we bring up questions but no answers we will become a people of confusion, fear, and doubt. I want Pathways to be a safe place to ask questions, but also a place where we can support each other to find some answers and direction. How do we become a community where our value of struggle isn’t something we expect people to do after a community gathering on their own but rather we learn to struggle with each other as a part of the community? Is culture created just by listening to a pastor talk on a Sunday morning or do we need to take action? How can we become a community where vision isn’t just cast from a stage, but where we truly embrace the culture being talked about?
November 4th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Sherie – struggle as a community does not appear to really be an option here. You do struggle alone. Being a community is a goal or what is strived for but IMO, it is hard to make it work. Folks have their own agendas of what is most important to them and they don’t always follow the Core Values of Pathways as much as one might like. Just an opinion for what it is worth.
November 4th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I agree that the concept of community and making it work are really hard, but I still believe it is worth that work and something I desire to pursue. Honestly, I hope no one is following the values of Pathways, Dean’s teaching, Josh’s music, John’s home group lessons, etc. but instead are seeking and pursuing after God and his heart which hopefully are reflected through those values, lessons, etc. Struggle as a community is an option if it is part of God’s teachings and his heart, which I believe it is. Maybe I am idealistic, and I probably will continue to get my heart hurt and will continue to be told I care too much and offer too much of myself, but I desire to be a person who doesn’t let others struggle alone. The culture at Pathways may not support people as much as I would like it to today, but I hope and pray that I can be a part of changing that culture and loving, listening to, and supporting others like Christ would have, no matter what the cost.
November 5th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I agree with you both. If anyone wants to say that Pathways in an imperfect place to work through what it means to live in community, step right behind me. I will be the primary example of imperfectly living our our Core Values. I will also guarantee that I have far more “complaints” to file than anyone else about we fall short of God’s Heart and again I am at the head of the line for responsiblity in this area.
Sherie, to answer your question regarding questions and struggling through them as a community. That is part of the journey. It requires risk. It requires being hurt and a willingness to re-enter the conversation once again. It goes against everything our “flesh” desires and I think we all scream against it, but as you said in your second post (and I know you believe) it is worth it.
I think of the passage in Deut. 6:4-9 as Moses instructs the people of Israel regarding the law. Talk about these things at lunch, when you are on walks, when you are working set-up on Sunday morning, when you are getting coffee with a friend, when you are tail-gating at the Seahawks game, when you’ve got a few minutes (or hours) and are driving down I-5 and want to kill some time on the phone.
As a pastor I cannot answer everyone’s questions about prayer. We had 175 people there on Sunday, which means that we probably had about 175,000 different questions about prayer represented. So, I felt like it was important to give us a launching point. If we are going to approach God in prayer, let’s start by realizing the importance of acknowledging our smallness, our weakness (and at the same time our desire for control) and approach prayer by asking for our hearts to be shaped to His instead of vice/versa.
The next step is up to us. I can’t create community for people. We have Home Groups that anyone can be a part of, but I don’t control what takes place there other than to present discussion that surrounds our Sunday topics. We each are responsible for entering into relationships where we are challenged by one another in our understandings of Scripture. I agree that I hate to see people struggle alone. It is not what God intended. At the same time there are people who push you away whenever you get close or who only want to hear what they believe to be true. When you are surrounded by struggling people (self included) there is wisdom in helping those who grab the life-ring rather than throwing it to someone who keeps throwing it back at you. One only has so much energy to give to those around them.
Wow, that ended up being longer than I expected, but them’s my thoughts poured out.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I actually wasn’t expecting you to reply Dean since you had already shared with us. I guess this is called the Staff Blog though.
My questions really weren’t about prayer per se. This series has just left me feeling really challenged, not about growth, worship, or prayer, but about culture and how we create it. I have gone back to a sermon you taught over a year ago where you challenged us to be a thermostat (someone that changes things) not just a thermometer (someone who is changed by those around them), a sermon I remember but one I didn’t take to heart. Through this series I have realized how far I have to go to be a part of creating a culture because I don’t live like I can be thermostat.
None of us can answer everyone’s questions, but often I think we live like we can’t answer anyone’s questions, especially if we are wrestling with our own. Every one of us could be both a student and a mentor. Our society tells us to look out for number one (ourselves), but God tells us to look toward number one (Him). Nothing changes if we are not willing to take action. We may get weary and feel like we don’t have energy for those relationships that drain us, but God never would give up on us and as a family we need to learn not to give up on, abandon, let go, or leave each other to struggle alone. I don’t believe that is God’s heart nor who God has made us to be. I do have a heart to see others come to a relationship with God, but even more my heart is to see people grow in that relationship and learn how to walk in a way that they can reach out to others. On my own I can only make a small impact, but together we can change the world. That is the culture I want to be a part of.