Harmony Church News

Happy Campers

The kids and their counselors arrived safely to Lakeview Camp in Waxahachie Monday. Be sure to pray that God will reveal Himself in a special way in the lives of these youngsters. 

Who are you talking to?

I'd like to confess something to you.  This is a vice that I have owned since I was a small child.  It's something I usually engage in secret, but also publicly.  As far as I know, only a few people have caught me doing it.  Most likely, many more have seen me practicing this without my realization.  Are you ready? 
I talk to myself.
There, said it!  I talk to myself.  If you think that's strange, what about this?  I even respond to my own questions.  Whether I'm driving up Bowen Rd, walking through the food court at the mall, or sitting alone at home, I often engage in lengthy conversations with "me". 
Early indications of this behavior were evident in my childhood as I was an only child for the first 8 years of my life.  Factor in my introverted personality, and you have good cause to send the white coats to my doorstep.  I don't know what's crazier though.  Is it self-talk or the fact that I'm sharing this with you? 
This revelation that I'm sharing  comes on a day in which I received my own revelation. 
The Bible tells us to "pray without ceasing".  Go ahead, admit it.  You hate that verse don't you?  Why?  Because it's impossible?  Is it because you hate praying for 5 minutes, much less 24/7?  Maybe you associate prayer with public prayer meetings? Come on, you know you grow tired of hearing  prayer requests for "my boss's aunt's cousin's dog's flea's emotional issues".  So, sometimes we equate the boredom of a group meeting with prayer altogether don't we?
I will admit that the thought of "praying without ceasing" is a heavy weight on my spirit.  I feel stressed about it, because I know that my relationship with Christ will never be right without prayer. Praying without ceasing is not made easier by the fact that verse 17 of 1 Thessalonians 5 is sandwiched between "rejoice always" and "give thanks in everything". 
Okay, back to my revelation.  Today, I realized that the exhortation Paul gave in Thessalonians is not only expected by God, it is POSSIBLE!  Does it take energy to communicate with our Father throughout the day?  Absolutely!  Most of us think unceasing prayer is impossible because we don't think we have the energy to sustain it.  At least, that's what I believed until today.  The fact is, I expend massive amounts of energy talking.  To myself!  Maybe you don't talk to yourself, maybe you call it "thinking out loud".  Maybe you don't talk to yourself.  Maybe it's all thought process.  No matter our personality type, we all use a lot of energy trying to solve our problems, trying to fix other people, or trying to change something. 
We can no longer fly with the excuse that prayer is boring or I don't have the energy to keep it up!  The truth is, we have the energy because God supplies it. Our problem isn't having the energy, it's wasting the energy we've been given.   
If you spend your days talking to yourself, thinking out loud, or thinking to yourself, then you're going to find disappointment repeatedly with the answers you're getting back.  God supplies the energy and the desire, but it's up to us to direct it back to Him!  When we do, we get solutions to our problems, and a new supply of energy for the next prayer.

by Rob Wren - Minister of Worship Arts

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