Not The Religious Type

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 30)

Taciana Ribeiro-Saab was one of the friends who responded to Scott & Louise's 40 Days of Faith dinner invitation (Day 28). This is her story. (Filmed by Adam Guzewicz in 2007).

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 30)

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Acts 1:1-9
¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 29)

Kim Luzzi takes a leap of faith and trusts in God...

For about ten years, I was running a busy chiropractic practice. Granted the practice was ‘successful’; but the way I was doing it, ultimately unsustainable. When I faced challenges at work, I often used my strength, instead of turning to God for strength. I devised and executed my plan, instead of letting God direct my steps. I kept giving out, and didn’t spend enough time being resourced by Spirit. I was doing it all alone.

For several years, God was telling me in a myriad of ways, to take a break. But, I couldn’t figure out how to take a break. I had many ‘good’ reasons why this was not practical. Then my health started to decline and I was forced to scale back. I went to a handful of specialists, but I was allergic to the medication that was used to correct the situation.

God’s voice became increasingly louder, as I grew progressively weaker. The third week in December 2007, I heard God boldly say, “close your practice by January 1st”. I didn’t know what to do, as I had patients booked out several months. I called the one colleague who could possibly cover on such short notice. Initially, she was not receptive, but agreed to think about it for a week and get back to me. This would leave me three days to tell patients. I prayed for more faith, and a miracle. She called the following week and was excited about the opportunity. She covered the practice for two months; then I closed the practice for the next ten months. I jumped off the cliff and was both terrified and curious; hoping and figuring God must have something up His sleeve.

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 29)

Mark 11:12-26
¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.
¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 28)

Faith Tip #28: Host a dinner for your friends and invite them to partner with you in the 40 Days of Faith. Scott & Louise Walker tell their story from 2007. (Filmed by Adam Guzewicz).

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 28)

John 12:20-33
 ²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." ²² Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
²³ Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 27)

Yesterday Eduardo Sastre told me his story of losing the main focus of these 40 Days and I wrote it down as a faith tip.

The danger of asking what I really want God to do for me is that frequently I lose sight of the real goal of these 40 Days of Faith: to focus on God himself. I have participated in several 40 Days of Faith in the past, and in one way or another, God has pretty much answered my prayers. Sometimes his initial response was not what I was asking for, but it turned out to be the first step in the right direction.

Well this year, I jumped again into the challenge of putting my faith in God. I created my list, and started to faithfully pray daily, asking for God to act on my prayers within these 40 Days. I found myself awaking eagerly each morning, wondering if God would act that day. As the days moved by, my hope began to drag. Where was God? Why hadn’t he acted already? My focus intensified. I began to get frustrated and wondered if God would ever answer me. Wasn’t he listening? Last week, I crawled into bed with my wife, anxious and mildly deflated. Talking with her helped me to realize how restless I had become.

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 27)

John 4:4-26
⁴ Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
  ⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
  ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
  ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 26)

Jennifer Chen shares her thoughts on having faith.

As we near the end of the fourth week of our 40 Days of Faith, I come to reflect on a first-timer’s experience of this journey. I actually came into this on a whim. I have never gone through and fully committed to the whole 40 days before (even though I lived in Boston for 5 years and attended the Vineyard for 4). As someone on the “newer” side of faith, I felt like I was finally ready to tackle it this year. I recently moved and thought trying a 40 Days of Faith with some friends back in Boston would be a great way to stay connected.

What does it take to have faith?

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 26)

Matthew 15   
 ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."
²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
²⁴ He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
²⁶ He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."
²⁷ "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."
²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 25)

God is romantic. If there’s one thing, one deep profound truth that has changed my life more than anything else, it’s this: God is a (hopeless!) romantic. Which is lucky for me, ‘cause, well, so am I.

I think we lose sight of this when we refer to God as “Lord” or “Father,” but check this out: when a religious leader asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus didn’t say, “Wash behind your ears and give 10% to the church.” He didn’t say, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” He didn’t even say, “Love your neighbor” (although that one comes in at #2). No, when asked what is the greatest commandment, what is the be-all and end-all of our faith, the Man himself replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Just stop and think about it for a minute – do you love your boss like that? I don’t. And my dad’s a wonderful man, but I don’t think I love him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. When I think about Jesus saying that, to me it sounds, well... romantic.

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 25)

Mark 5:1-20
 ¹ They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ² When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
  ⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name don't torture me!" ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 24)

It might come as a surprise to some that Lincoln’s now fabled Second Inaugural Address elicited even the smallest bit of contemporary criticism north of the Mason-Dixon Line. With all of the controversy of the day, it might come as an even greater surprise that the disapproval centered around the President’s decision to view the Civil War from a decidedly spiritual lens. Having come to believe that morality rested wholly on their side and that the goodness of their cause should ensure impending success, certain Northerners did not like the President’s idea of a God with “His own purposes,” much less one who might be punishing all of America for the sins of the South. For his part Lincoln anticipated such a backlash, and in reflecting upon the public response to the speech, he astutely noted that “Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them.”

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 24)

Matthew 8:5-13
 ⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly."
⁷ Jesus said to him, "Shall I come and heal him?"
⁸ The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 23)

Luana Rogerio shares her experiences and struggles with the 40 Days of Faith.

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 23)

Matthew 2: 1-12
¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

  ⁶ "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
    for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 22)

The Living Flame of Love

“O living flame of love,
that tenderly wounds my soul
in it’s deepest center! Since
now you are not oppressive,
now consummate! if it be your will:
tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!...”
- St. John of the Cross

Five years ago I took a class on this poem that has since changed my life. This is the first stanza of a poem called the “Living Flame of Love” written by St. John of the Cross (a Spanish Carmelite mystic in the 16th century). It is by far the most beautiful love poem I have ever read, and it's on the longing for the soul’s union with God. (I'm indebted to Fr. Michael Buckley, S.J. who opened my eyes to the world of St. John of the Cross).

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 22)

Haggai 2:1-9
 ¹ On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: ² "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ³ 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? ⁴ But now be strong, Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty. ⁵ 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'
  ⁶ "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. ⁷ I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. ⁸ 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. ⁹ 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 21)

Today marks the second half of our 40 Days of Faith. As a bonus, we get back-to-back Faith Tips from Chi-Ray Chien. In this tip Chi-Ray addresses the question "How do I involve my kids in listening prayer?"

I’ve got two (most-of-the-time) adorable, pre-schoolers in the house.  I’m not sure what others have been able to do to get their kids to start praying anything other than rote prayers at meal-time and bed-time.  In our case, we have a hard time doing even that.  Every night, before bed, we have a routine that includes prayers.  For years, we’ve just prayed on our kids’ behalf and ask if there’s anything they’re thankful for or want to pray for, encourage them to say the words, but almost always, they insist that we pray it.  More rote answers, but no real prayer.

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 21)

Zechariah 8:13-23
¹³ Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong."
  ¹⁴ This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me," says the LORD Almighty, ¹⁵ "so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. ¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷ do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this," declares the LORD.

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 20)

Chi-Ray Chien raises the question "What if I’m really lame about finding a chunk of time every day to pray and connect with God?"

You’d think that after so many years of trying, I’d have found a way to set aside some time every day to pray and spend time with God. So far, I’ve not. My guess is that I’m not alone in this dilemma. I hear of, and know, so many people who are energized by long, quiet, focused periods with God – 5 hours of prayer, 3 days of silent retreat, 2 hours of journaling. Somehow, I just can’t seem to do it and have historically felt guilty, inadequate, and just plain lame. Either my mind is way too full and active, I’m too distractible, or I get bored too easily. Sometimes, if I have more than a few minutes of quiet, I simply fall asleep. Whatever the reason, I find it difficult to spend a chunk of time every day to pray and connect with God.

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 20)

Isaiah 66:18-24
¹⁸ "And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.
 ¹⁹ "I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. ²⁰ And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the LORD. "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels. ²¹ And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites," says the LORD.
  ²² "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. ²³ From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all people will come and bow down before me," says the LORD. ²⁴ "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to the whole human race."

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 19)

Esther Cho shares her thoughts on why music can be powerful source of connection with God.

Recently, I received some disappointing news about a friend of mine who is battling a serious illness. I was left feeling sad and sober about the situation and I could have easily spiraled into fear and despair. But, instead, I felt like I should gather some friends together to seek God’s help on the matter. It was a relatively short and simple time of singing some songs and reading some Psalms, but all of us left with more peace in our minds, hope in our spirits, and faith in our hearts.

Throughout time, people have used music as a language to convey their moods, emotions, impressions, opinions, and experiences. It comes as no surprise to me, then, that music has been used as a primary means of connection between God and people. In the Old Testament, for example, the Israelites often sang, danced, and played instruments when they gathered together in God’s presence. The early followers of Jesus used the book of Psalms (which, in my opinion, includes some of the best worship songs ever written!) during their times of worship. Today, most church services include some element of music, whether that involves a pipe organ, electric guitar, or entire choir.

Here are a few reasons why I’ve found music to be a powerful source of connection with God:

God and the Nations -- A Daily Bible Guide. (Day 19)

Isaiah 56:1-8

¹ This is what the LORD says:
    "Maintain justice
    and do what is right,
    for my salvation is close at hand
    and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
² Blessed are those who do this—
    who hold it fast,
    those who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it,
    and keep their hands from doing any evil."
  ³ Let no foreigners who have bound themselves to the LORD say,
    "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."
    And let no eunuch complain,
    "I am only a dry tree."
  ⁴ For this is what the LORD says:
    "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant—
  ⁵ to them I will give within my temple and its walls
    a memorial and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
    I will give them an everlasting name
    that will endure forever.

40 Days of Faith Tip (Day 18)

Victor Turner shares a story about asking God for help during a hospital run.

During one of the many 40 days of faith I’ve been involved in I was transporting a friend of mine to the hospital - actually the ER. My best friend who I will call Bill has been at the point of death many times due to a severely chronic illness. Bill and I both knew the drill and had traveled to the ER many times; but for me this time seemed to be different. I was mentally and physically exhausted. In the past I would be totally up for hanging out with Bill the customary 8 to 10 hours that it would take the emergency room team to decide that Bill need to be admitted and then settled down in his hospital room for the night. Relationally Bill and I have helped each other get through some tough times: family, finances and friends stuff. This time, however, I was not actually there for Bill – at least not emotionally. After working a 60 hour work week I had nothing left. I begin to pray. I didn’t even ask God to heal Bill I just simply wanted him to be stabilized enough for us to go back home and get a good night sleep. I was praying for a miracle – no hospital stay this time. Not the sort of thing I think a real best friend would hope for but I was being honest. God help me!