For My Family, Friends and Others (long)

One of the things I have the privilege of doing at church is praying for others. It has the added bonus of causing me to think about my own friends that I know now or those I've known throughout my life and lift them up in prayer as well even though I may not know anything they are struggling with or going through. Sometimes certain people come to mind and other times, like here recently, I've just felt the need and desire to pray for everyone. Obviously with everyone I know it's hard to be specific, but sometimes a blanket prayer hits just the right words for just the people who need to hear (or read) them. I feel like God's been prompting me to do this for a few weeks and so to/for all of my friends and every other person who may read this, I want to pray for you and your families.

Loving Father, you allow me every day to be witness to your glory. You allow me every day to pray with and for your people - to encourage those who are struggling and pray with those who need you to show up in their lives. You send people to lift me up when I am down and to encourage me when I feel beaten. When I've almost given up, you let me see a life that has been touched because of the work you're doing through me. Your unending love and your commitment for every person to be with you is awe-inspiring. I love watching you move in the lives of those around me and I thank you for letting me have any part in it at all.

I pray, Father, that you would be with me now as I pray for those I care for and love. I pray you would make me sensitive to your Spirit and sensitive to what you are doing in their lives so that I can pray for them effectively. I come asking that you lean down to listen to this prayer . I come seeking your Love. And I come knocking on the door for your favor that you will be quick to act on behalf of those who need you.

Today I lift up my friends to you, Lord. There are so many areas they could be struggling with or need help or healing in, but first you've put on my heart to pray for those who are discouraged. I pray, Father, that you will lift their spirits by sending someone into their life that will encourage them, compliment them, praise them for the work they do and the heart they have. I pray that their husband or wife or someone in their family or a best friend will let them know how appreciated they are, that they are a blessing to those around them, and that they are loved by You no matter what they've done in their past or what they still struggle with today. In the name of Jesus my Savior, I pray against all forms and feelings of inadequacy, doubt, self-loathing, depression, and failure. I pray that all of those feelings meet you face to face as you come in search of your children - and I pray they will flee before you so that those who are struggling with these issues will be able to lift their head high again and know that they are counted worthy in your sight. I pray you will help them to see themselves through your eyes - forgiven, accepted, and loved beyond their ability to comprehend.

I pray for those who are struggling with injuries or sicknesses, especially those ones that seem incurable. You are our great Healer. It is by Jesus' stripes we are healed and I pray for that healing in their lives today. You do not need anyone to lay hands on them or even to refer them to the right doctor, whether it is a cold, the flu, MS, fatigue, migraines, or knee or back injuries. I pray that you simply bend your thoughts to them now and heal whatever has gone wrong with your perfect creation that is the human body. Encourage those who have struggled with disease for a long time and reassure them that you will not be kept silent; that you are getting ready to act on their behalf. Though you test us for a time to see if we truly love you, you never abandon or desert us.

Merciful God, I lift up those to you who have yet to find their purpose. So many things can distract and so often unimportant problems seem so massive that they take our focus off of what really is important. I pray that those who need direction in their lives will seek you for the gifts that you have given them. You have equipped us all for mighty works and there are people on this earth who will not receive the encouragement, love, smile, hope, and message of how much your Son loves them without our feet going and our hands reaching out to them. I pray that you will teach every person reading this how it is that they can impact the world, and I pray that you will be given all the glory for it.

I pray also for every marriage that is represented by any person who reads this. Satan is attacking homes with a vengeance with everything he can possibly throw at us and I pray that you will teach both husband and wife how to fight those battles. I pray against every form of anger, jealousy, lust, bitterness of past words and actions, unforgiveness, greed, and pride. I pray, Father, that LOVE will rule in their homes. I pray that through your Word and through prayer, every husband and wife will stand aware and on guard against the ways the enemy can destroy their relationships with those they love. I pray they will take bold stands in areas of weakness or in areas of fear. If alcoholism is their fear then I pray not one sip of it will be taken. If an affair is their fear then I pray both husband and wife will avoid every situation where Satan can plant that seed of lust or fear and jealously. Whatever fear gnaws at the one, I pray you will teach the other how to assure and confirm their love and commitment, and that they will do so with everlasting patience. I pray you will raise up an army of Godly husbands who stand up and take on their role as leaders of their homes and lead by being a servant to his wife and children. I pray that he will know deep in his soul the meaning of treating others as more important than himself and that you will show him how to apply that in everyday activities. I pray his relationship to you will be an inspiration to his family and that his wife will submit to him, not out of requirement, but out of love and respect and because of the awesome work you are doing through him. Let his guidance and devotion to you be a barrier of protection for his family.

So many of my friends have children and so many prayer requests for kids have come to me recently. Father, children are a blessing to any man and woman. They bring light to our eyes and joy to our hearts and we learn so much from them. They are precious gifts that you give us and I pray that you would be with and strengthen those gifts. I pray for a hedge of protection around each and every child of every parent and uncle and aunt and grandparent that reads this. I pray that you will walk before those children every day of their lives and be the light to their path, and I pray that you will walk behind them in protection against every form of attack that will come their way. I pray that as they grow, you will surround them with other kids who love you and who want to resist the temptations to make fun of others, hurt them, or encourage them to do things that will hurt themselves and others. In the name of Jesus, I pray for divine revelations in their lives that many years won't pass before they come to know your Love and fall in love with you as you have done with them. For those whose heart is to reach out to those kids in need, I pray that their love will heal the wounds of the past for children who have been abused or abandoned. May your Love shine through those parents and affirm that child's self-worth and purpose. For any child that is sick , I pray for healing. I pray Father, that those children will feel your presence go with them throughout the day; that you will heal their bodies of all forms of sickness and all forms of injury. Bring them to full health.

I lift up the broken-hearted, Father. No one knows what it is like to have a heart broken more than your Son, which makes Him the perfect Comforter. For those who have lost husbands and wives and sons and daughters and brothers and sisters and close friends, I pray that your Spirit would hover over and around them and bring them comfort from being in your presence. I pray that you will give each of them a renewed hope and future in the face of this trying time. I pray that you will help them through this time of grieving, but that sadeness, depression, hopelessness, and inactivity would not be given a foothold in their lives to take root. Lift them up and carry them until they are able to walk again themselves.

Lord, I pray for those with financial burdens. You understand how important money is for you teach us many things about it throughout your Word. I pray that those who are struggling at the end of every month, for those who are fighting with their spouse because of it, for those who are feeling the burden of debt weighing down on their shoulders, that you will provide relief to them. I pray first that you will mold them while they are in this furnace of affliction so that they will learn and become wiser for it, but then I pray that you will deliver them from that affliction. I pray for blessings to be poured out onto their lives, their businesses, their work. And I pray that while you are working on their behalf, that you will give them comfort and peace to know that you will never let them fall. Regardless what may come from poor decisions on their part or pride or greed or just betrayals from those they trusted, I pray you will draw near to them and reassure them.

Lastly, Father, I pray for those who do not believe in you and those who do not believe you are worth pursuing. I pray that you will draw near to them especially and overwhelm them with how much you love them. As you have done with your people throughout history, be persistent in your pursuit of their hearts, of their love, of their affection. Whatever is separating them from you, I pray you will open their ears that they might hear your voice and open their eyes so they see the truth of who you are. I pray you will send men and women who are truly in love with you to meet them where they are and show them your love by both words and example. The world is yours to command - use it, Father, to bring your children home.

All these things I pray in the name of your Son, Jesus, whom I love.

Amen.

My Rant on the Banking System

I heard a commercial on the way into work today by the FDIC, encouraging people to keep their money in banks because that's where "it's safe" because, of course, our government guarantees it. Hence this post. I don't think I've ever seen a more bass-ackwards system in all my life than our banking system. I don't have the time to go into the entire history, but needless to say it began with greed by the big bank owners when they decided they could make more money by loaning out more money than they actually had in reserves.

It works something like this:

I deposit $1,000 into the bank. The bank then takes $900 and loans it to someone else so they can make money on my money, all the while promising me that I can get it back whenever I want it. So at that point they are overextended because they don't have enough money to pay me back should I come in and want all of my money back.

Multiply that example by about 400,000 people who have an account at a bank. It's actually much worse than that because banks can "create" money by loaning out up to ten times what they receive in deposits, but I don't have time to get into that. What the banks are counting on is that everyone doesn't want all their money out at the same time.

Obviously the problem comes should there be a panic and a "run on the banks" where everyone does want their money. Should that happen the bank would typically have to go under and the depositors should, at that point, lose their money for choosing to do business with a company with such stupid business ethics.

Of course, that's not what happens. First off, if the bank is big enough, the Federal Reserve and our government will likely vote to bail out the bank - arguing that the loss of such "an American icon" can't be allowed to happen. All's well that ends well, except that in order to bail out the bank, the Federal Reserve has to print (create) money, which floods the economy and we experience inflation.

*An easy explanation of inflation is if you (with, let's say, $1,000,000 in the bank) and someone else (we'll say with $10,000 in the bank) are both bidding on a house to buy. The house would normally sell for $100,000, but since you have so much more money, you're willing to pay more - say $120,000 just to guarantee you get the house. Enough people in a neighborhood do that and the price of the entire neighborhood has "appreciated". More money in the economy means more people willing to pay more for an item just because they have the funds to do so. It's just basic economics of supply and demand where more money is printed without the goods to make up that money.*

So back to our failing bank. Say we're not talking about a large bank. Say we're talking about a local bank who prides itself on making wise loans, etc. If people made a run on that bank, the Fed would not bail them out and the bank would have to close. However, because of our wonderful FDIC, the people who have money in that bank would not lose their money because it's guaranteed up to a certain amount.

So why is FDIC bad?

Because it encourages banks to make bad loans because they know they have no one to answer to. The depositors are going to get their money regardless and when the bank closes and all assets are sold, the people who get that money are the investors, etc. Everyone is covered. And people give their money to companies without even considering how well run or how dependable those companies are.

It's the most broken system in the known world, even above our health insurance. To even allow a company to run whose purpose is to not be able to cover their promises and to loan more than they have is ludicrous. The way banks operate is ludricrous. The FDIC is ludicrous. And the Federal Reserve is ludicrous.

The commercial this morning rubbed me the wrong way, obviously.

What Are We Pursuing?

I read a quote from one of John Piper's books that got me thinking again:

"The critical question for our generation—and for every generation, is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasure you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven if Jesus wasn’t there?"

I leaned back in my chair after reading that, knowing what my answer should be but unsure of what an honest answer would reveal. No doubt sermons around the globe talk of the treasures of Heaven, and when someone is going through a hard time or we attend a funeral of one who suffered a lot before dying, we hear the passage of scripture that promises us that "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain..." (Rev. 21:4).

Looking back, I think a lot of times we make the mistake of aiming for heaven because of what we'll get or have when we're finally there: perfect joy, peace, unity, love, trust, health, fellowship. And if we're honest with ourselves, who doesn't want those things? Who would honestly rather have bickering and misunderstanding and hate and jealousy and suffering and death? Who would rather have a broken home or a niece born brain injured or a son/daughter killed fighting in a war or a grandfather who spends his last year in so much pain he admits he's ready for it to be over? God talks about heaven being our true home, but I think we also forget the reason heaven is our home - because that is when we are finally fully reunited with Him. And with Jesus going through all we suffer and then suffering the penalty of death at a time when the death penalty was the most painful it has ever been, are we responding to that simply to get the benefits or are we truly striving to be closer to him?

The quote at the top made me ask myself the hard question: When I get to heaven, will I open my arms wide, close my eyes and enjoy the long-sought peace and painlessness of it all? Or will I walk through the gates of heaven and immediately ask, "Where is my Lord?" Will I have spent my life trying to obey all the commands God asked of me and getting frustrated because I missed the purpose of it all? Or will I seek to know Him more and more and to obey everything He says simply because I love him so much and it makes me happy to make him happy?

Because I couldn't give a resounding positive answer before, my goal is to refocus on what's really important and the purpose behind why I do what I do and believe what I believe.

Father, draw me closer to you. Convict me whenever I begin working to obey you simply for the benefits I'll receive when I'm finally Home. Do whatever it takes to keep me pursuing you and not some thing or some feeling. Teach me how to love you more.

Periods of Cleansing - A lesson from bathing my dog

I've not been a very good daddy to my animals lately. With so much going on, I've not spent as much time with them. I've spent time with other people, been tired when I've gotten home, and then gone to bed or read instead of loving on my animals.

I also figured that with others hurting and needing encouragement, it was ok to spend less time with my dogs and cats. As usual, Ginger took it harder than the rest.

I wrote a post last year about the differences between my dogs (http://gesegnet.blogspot.com/2008/08/warming-heart-of-god.html) and I slowly started noticing a difference in the way Ginger was acting. She stopped following me everywhere and stopped eating all of her food. On top of all that, she's been getting out of the yard more and taking off.After one time of being gone for three days, when my neighbor called to say she had them and I came home, Ginger wouldn't even come to me. For the first time I can remember, Ginger actually laid down on the floor when I called to her. I literally had to carry her home because she wouldn't come with me. Sadly, what caught my attention most was when she started going to the bathroom in the house (which she's never done). In two weeks, she peed once and crapped twice without ever whining to go out.

I talked to my sister to voice my frustration and her response made me think.

Heidi: "You've obviously upset her or made her mad."
Me: "But why does she have to crap in the house!?!?" - obviously, I'm still not getting it at this point
Heidi: "Well, it's not like she can walk up to you and say, 'Daddy, you've hurt my feelings."
Me: "Hmm. Good point."

That's when I determined that she was right. Ginger felt neglected. Despite not being in the shelter like when I found her, having a roof over her head, a big yard to play in and a friend to play with while I'm away, she felt the affects of not spending enough quality time with me. So I determined I would begin purposely spending extra time with both Ginger and Jetta. Of course, this was when I noticed they were scratching and had fleas. To top that off, Ginger had been out and smelled horrible and her hair was all matted and she was shedding all in the house.

So I figured that for me to be able to love on her the way I like to and the way she wants me to, she needed some cleaning. I sprayed my house and yard for fleas and then started on the dogs. Ginger's hair was too long to really wash her good, so I took almost 2 hours to shave her. No, I'm not the best groomer and yes, she looks a bit like a rabid dog now, but (most of) her hair is super short now which allowed me to see just how many fleas she had. I bathed Jetta first with the flea shampoo and then started on Ginger.

As happens so often through my animals, God taught me a lesson as I was washing Ginger. Since she had busted my fence, I've had to keep her in the garage during the day while I'm at work. While I was shaving her, she looked dejected and kept trying to crawl away from me whenever I cut the clippers off. And now I'm bathing her - which she hates. She especially hates water on her head, but I'd seen fleas on her head and face and so I couldn't leave a single square inch unwashed. I realized while I was scrubbing her down that she probably has now completely given up hope that I love her. She probably thinks I hate her more than ever because after all the neglect she's felt, I've now locked her in the garage (to keep her from getting out and hit by a car), shaved her (so I could see how bad the fleas were and to make it easier to get them off), and am now bathing her (to get those fleas and dirt and grime off her). What she didn't realize was, not only would she feel better without the fleas, but she would be able to come inside more now that she's shaved and clean. I'll also get on the floor with her more and wrestle with her and love on her more. Not that I didn't do that before, but omgosh her horrible smell made it really hard to get and stay close to her.

While I was standing over her I had one of those, "Ahhh...yes Father, I understand" moments. There are times when I, too, must go through periods of cleansing. There are times when I break out of your fence (that you put there to protect me) and go rolling in the mud and get myself covered in fleas. And then, without ever really realizing it was happening, I find myself filthy and feeling distant from You. And like the loving Father you are, you draw me back to you as soon as I look back and wonder where you've gone. You shave off the excess so that I can see how dirty I've become, and then you wash me clean again so that I'm rid of all the impurity and can sit in your presence and begin growing closer to you again.

And it's possible that as we go through that time of cleansing, we feel as if God is moving further away; that He is loving us less or even beginning to dislike us for what we've gotten ourselves into, but that's never the case. We just can't see at the time that in order to strengthen our relationship with Him, we've got to let him cleanse us and then choose to put our whole heart into loving him. In order for us to love God the way we want to and for him to bless us the way He wants to, we've got to be willing to go through periods of purification.

Right now Ginger is sitting contently here in the living room with me. Does she need more shaving and does she still have a few fleas? Yes to both. But I think she's withstood as much as she can handle in one weekend and so the rest will have to wait for another time. What I love though is already she's back to getting up to come find me whenever she looks up and I'm not in the room anymore.