Retreat Prayer Experience

prayer-experience-we

Recently, for a retreat, I revised an older prayer experience I used in college based on Psalm 97, Romans 12:1-2, and Philippians 4:8. The experience is designed to help you renew your mind, either at the beginning or the close of the day. I hope it ministers to you.

Simply read the scripture and follow the instructions below:

Read Psalm 97 below and take some time to meditate on the identity of the Lord.

1 The Lord is king!  Let the earth rejoice!  Let the farthest coastlands be glad. 2 Dark clouds surround him.  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 Fire spreads ahead of him and burns up all his foes. 4 His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees his glory. 7 Those who worship idols are disgraced—all who brag about their worthless gods—for every god must bow to him.

8 Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced, and all the towns of Judah are glad because of your justice, O Lord!

9 For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.

11 Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. 12 May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name!

Write down five words that describe the greatness of God:

Now use those five words in a brief spoken prayer to the Lord.

Read Romans 12:1-2

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Living Sacrifice Prayer: Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our lives as “living sacrifices” to God as an act of worship. Where you are, kneel before God as a sign of surrender and worship. Pray and ask Him to show you how to be a living sacrifice to Him.

Things of the World Prayer: Romans 12:2 says to conform no longer to the patterns of the world. Make a list of ways you struggle with conforming to the world, then pray a prayer, asking God to help you no longer conform to each of the items you’ve listed. 

Read Philippians 4:8.  

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Pray and ask God to help you fix your thoughts on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable throughout this staff retreat. Ask Him to help you speak what is excellent and praiseworthy…

Finally, craft a note of thanks to the Lord for helping renew your mind. 

photo- courtesy of Unsplash - photo by Greg Rakozy

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , 1 Comment

countrylights5-1

Psalm 103 Night of Worship Outline

Opening Worship Set

Welcome

Explanation of Service and Prayer

Song – 10,000 Reasons – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM

Scripture – Psalm 103:1-5a

Let all that I am praise the Lord! With my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; May I never forget the good things He does for me.

He forgives all my sins and heals my diseases. He redeems me from death

And crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.

Expounding on the Goodness of the Lord – Campus Pastor or Representative

People Sharing In Small Groups about God’s Goodness

Pastor Led Prayer –

Song – This I Believe – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-m9sRRN9MA

Scripture – Psalm 103:6, 8-12

The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve,

For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height

of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

Expounding on the Forgiveness of the Lord

Live Campus Specific Salvation Testimony –

Intercessory Prayer at Front –

Suggested Song – How Can It Be? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UXn_OuJkvE

Or

O Come To the Altar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYQ5yXCc_CA  

Scripture – Psalm 103:13-17a

The Lord is like a Father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.

Our days on earth are like grass; Like wildflowers, we bloom and die

The wind blows, and we are gone – As though we had never been here.

But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him.

Expounding on the Love of the Lord

Pastor Led Prayer

Suggested Song – To My Knees – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZs26lTjAuM

Praising the Lord Section –

Scripture – Psalm 103:19-22

The Lord has made the heavens His throne; from there He rules over everything.

Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out His plans, listening for each of His commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve Him and do His will! Praise the Lord, everything He has created, everything in all His kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Suggested Song –

The Lion and The Lamb – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ujBoud26k

Optional Continued Worship Set

(Campus Specific Selections)

Offering/Closing Prayer

 

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , Leave a comment

Pornography Showing At Church

At a church not too far away, in the Sunday morning worship service, the pastor was introducing a well known guest speaker. To aid in his delivery, he called for a video to be played. The technicians followed his instructions…

And pornography appeared on the screens.

shocked-face

Most people understood that it was a mistake. A few left and never returned.

I was shocked when I first heard this story, but honestly, I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often, not just in worship services, but in youth classes and children’s gatherings.

Here are some steps churches can take to make sure this never happens.

  1. Preview every video that is supposed to play in your service from start to finish. This just makes sense. You can’t always control what people are going to say, but you have complete control over whether or not you show a video.
  2. Never show videos straight from the internet. It’s just too unpredictable. A similar version of the most godly video could contain pornography. An unseemly ad may play when you least expect it. Someone could accidentally hit the wrong tab and play the wrong video. It’s just not worth it. Download the video and play the file.
  3. Protect your presentation computers. You can install filters if you think that is best, but the best protection is keeping it away from public use.

In the case above, too many people had access to the church worship center computer and unfortunately, someone had used it to view pornography (which is tragic in itself). When the speaker called for the video, which he was having the technicians play from an online source, a wrong button was pushed and the rest is history, or at least the church was, especially for many of their former members.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Biggest New Thing

On this day in 1969, Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York opened the first automatic teller machine (ATM). By the 1980’s, these money machines were everywhere from banks to gas stations to cruise ships. It’s hard to imagine what today’s world would be like without them.

ATM

What was inconceivable before is now commonplace.

Five years ago, a friend said he thought it was rude to read scripture from your phone during the worship service. This year, he shared with me about how excited he was about how the people at his church all check-in on You Version for their scripture and their sermon outline.

YouVersion

What he rejected before has now become the new norm.

A few weeks ago, I had never heard of a MEVO. A month ago, I approved a purchase of one of these new small cameras with live streaming and recording capability. Two weeks later, we ordered seven more.

MEVO

What we didn’t have before suddenly became a necessity.

Today, we use planning center for worship planning, tithe by text, and tag our pastor during his sermon. I never would have dreamed of doing these things ten years ago, not because it was bad. Just because it wasn’t how we lived then.

Makes me wonder what will be different in ten years in both life and church.

If you have any thoughts, let me know and I’ll share it next week.

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

I Ain’t No Professional Ain’t Cuttin’ It No More

I saw a sign in a restaurant the other day proclaiming “The Only Thing Worse Than Our Food Is Our Service.” Unfortunately, I’d already ordered the pancakes.

reverse-marketing-tic-toc-diner

By the way, the sign was right.

“I ain’t no professional” is a phrase I’ve heard once too often in my life in various capacities. I think it’s safe to say that if “You ain’t no professional then there ain’t no need to say it. Everyone already knows.”

The difference between the amateur and the professional is simple. The professional is willing to roll up his sleeves and go to work.

photo-courtesy of Unsplash - Matthew Wiebe

The word professional is defined by Google dictionary as someone “engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.” This means the person is serious about it and is willing to work hard.

My profession for most of my life has been ministry. In some of my positions, I haven’t always acted professionally for various reasons. I sometimes I didn’t know what to do or who to trust and I often let my insecurities keep me from doing the work that needed to be done. In those moments, I was allowing myself to become an amateur.

The author of Proverbs 22:29 once wrote: “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”

Some people want to reference the above verse and say that we shouldn’t associate with certain people. Believe it or not, they may be right, but not in matters of race, socio-economic status, or sports team affiliation. However, we should be careful with associating with those who are going to wastefully absorb our time and keep us from the professionalism we should strive to achieve.

In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield writes:

“Grandiose fantasies are a symptom of Resistance. They’re the sign of an amateur. The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not come, whatever they like.”

It’s time to quit whining. It’s time to do the work that’s set before us. It’s time to be professional.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Creativity, Discipline, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

I Am Greater Than You

mathsymbolsgreaterthanbnw

I am greater than you.

We say it all the time, in many different ways to various people all around us.

Kids say it on the playground.

Teenagers express it through segregation at lunchtime.

Adults express it when they drive off of a new car lot.

Pastors, deacons, teachers, and worship leaders convey it in their attitudes toward each other and toward others in the church.

I am greater than you.

churchbusinessmeeting

Huge ministries sometimes fall because of leadership corruption and abuse, small church plants often begin out of spite, and confusing divisiveness invades the worship services, Bible studies, and prayer times of countless congregations. And all the while, the unchurched learn more about our vindictiveness and positional desires than our Christlike compassion and concern for their eternal destiny. What they see is Christians pointing fingers at each other, declaring to the world and the rest of the church:

I am greater than you.

Jesus had the same problem with His disciples. Shortly after His transfiguration, Luke reports that His disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest (Luke 9:46 NLT).

I first heard this story when I was a child in the 70’s. I envisioned the disciples walking behind Jesus, acting like Muhammad Ali, saying, “I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and everyone knows I am greater than thee.”  Even as an elementary student, it seemed so childish and stupid to me that the disciples were standing right behind Jesus, God the Son, and they had the audacity to argue with each other and say:

I am greater than you.

Muhammad-Ali-Greatest

I love how Jesus handled the situation:

But Jesus knew their thoughts, so He brought a little child to His side. Then He said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” (Luke 9:47-48 NLT)

In Jesus’ day, children were not regarded as highly as they are today. This helps us see that He was saying that whoever welcomes and is willing to serve the lowest of the low welcomes and serves God Himself. It’s not hard to discern that this is not an attitude most often exhibited from those who want to exalt themselves over others.  

The apostles learned this lesson when James and John asked Jesus if they could sit on His right and His left in the kingdom. The Bible reports that the other disciples were angry with these brothers because of their request.

“So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His live as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45)

Jesus, the greatest person who has ever lived, took on Himself the attitude and position of a servant. He did this, even though He could have looked at us all and said:

I am greater than you.

jesus-washes-feet

If Jesus, the Son of Man, came not to be served but to serve others, shouldn’t we be able to do the same in our dealings with each other and with the world around us. If we do, we’ll be showing the world and other Christians that we believe:

He is greater than us.

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

The Biggest Problem With Creativity

At a recent conference, I learned about the biggest problem with creativity. Here it is:

People want creativity to be like this

FullSizeRender (3)

People most often want creativity to be linear – straight from the need to the end result. Archimedes said that the shortest distance between two objects is a straight line. That seems to make sense, right? If that is so, creativity should work like that too, correct? We should have the ability to be creative on demand with our best ideas, right?

It may work that way for some, but most often not.

Creativity is really more like this

FullSizeRender (4)

The best creativity comes from a crockpot instead of a microwave. The best creativity involves starting with an idea, allowing your to marinate (ponder) what you have, making adjustments along the way, and finally coming to a finished product.

The secret is giving yourself time to ponder, edit, soak, and revise.

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Creativity, Discipline, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Repentance and Restoration Night of Prayer and Worship Outline

FullSizeRender (4)

Welcome and Opening Pastoral Prayer

  • Pray a “We need You God” type of prayer.
  • Posture – Have everyone raise their hands to the Lord in prayer and surrender.

Suggested Opening Song – We need you God type of song – Here’s My Heart, Lord – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xD-Wz6CWOw

Praying for Justice Section – Praying against murder, violence, racism, etc…

  • Posture – Have people pray in groups around the worship center
  • Suggested Scripture – Psalm 7:14-17 – The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads. I will thank the Lord because he is just;  I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
  • Suggested Song(s) – The Lion and the Lamb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ujBoud26k

Praying for Christians Section – Praying for all Christians to come together.

  • Posture – Have everyone in the room join hands for prayer
  • Suggested Scripture – 1 Peter 2:9-10 – But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.
  • Suggested Songs: I Need You to Survive by Hezekiah Walker  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5_7LEWnGaQ

IMG_5749

Praying for our Nation Section – Praying for our nation to turn to and follow Jesus.

 

  • Posture – Ask those who are physically able to kneel and bow before the Lord.
  • Suggested Scripture – 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

 

Praying for the Church Section

  • Posture – Hands outstretched toward one another
  • Being salt and light in the world – Transforming the culture from within
  • Suggested Scripture – Matthew 5:13-15 – “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
  • Suggested Songs – This I Believe – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUNQpu2b7Q

FullSizeRender (3)

Praising God Prayer Section – Praising the Lord, thanking Him for who He is.

  • Posture – Ask everyone to clap after the scripture is read.
  • Suggested Scripture – Psalm 97:1-6 –  The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice!

Let the farthest coastlands be glad. Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire spreads ahead of him and burns up all his foes. His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees his glory.

 

FullSizeRender (3)

Closing Song(s) – Powerful upbeat song(s), thanking and praising God!

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Difference Makers, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Why People Skip Church On Father’s Day*

images1

Father’s Day worship services can be lots of fun with giveaways, man-centered services, funny videos, and testimonies. However, Father’s Day Weekend is often a weekend when people skip church.

Father’s Day most often means “Dad’s Choice” Weekend

Let’s be honest, going to church isn’t usually on men’s top ten list of things to do. Moms and children often tell dads, “This is your day, Dad! We can do whatever you want to do!” Given this option, most dads won’t skip breakfast in bed and say, “Ok, everyone up! Get dressed and get in the car! We’re going to church!”

Men Are Afraid They’re Going To Be Lectured

Think about it. Churches often use mother’s day to shower love on moms. Often, these same churches use father’s day to tell men to step it up and be a man. Writer David Murrow, the Director of Church For Men, in his article The Futility of Father’s Day Services*, has reported that only 4% of pastors consider Father’s Day as a high attendance weekend. Murrow attributes one cause to the pastoral beating up of men on Father’s Day. He writes “Can you imagine a pastor standing up on Mother’s Day and saying, ‘Women, I know you’ve messed up your families – but it’s never too late to become a great mother.’ Any minister who said these things about women would be out of a job by Monday morning.”

 

Father’s Day For Many Is A Day of Grief

As Father’s Day approaches, not everyone is wondering about whether to get Dad a goofy tie, golf club, baseball cap, or fishing equipment. Many dread the approach of the day, the entire day itself, and the commercialism and celebration that is connected with it because of difficult circumstances.

People who often have grieving issues on Father’s Day include:

  1. Widows
  2. Widowers
  3. Orphans
  4. Children (of all ages) who have lost Fathers (and Grandfathers)
  5. Parents who have lost Children
  6. Single Men
  7. Single Women
  8. Wives and Children of Abusive or Dysfunctional Fathers
  9. Men and Women who are Childless
  10. Recently Separated or Divorced Men and Women
  11. Children of the Recently Divorced or Separated
  12. The Critically Ill and Their Families
  13. Father’s estranged from their children
  14. Children estranged from their fathers

A Few Practical Ways The Church Help Make Father’s Day Better?

  • Make it fun! Why should the day we celebrate dads be boring.
  • Use discernment and be sensitive to those who might be hurting on Father’s Day.
  • Don’t beat up on men in your Father’s Day’s Services. Honor them, challenge them respectfully, and move on.
  • If you have Fathers stand to be prayed for, consider having all men stand instead of only Fathers. You can still pray for the fathers, but you can also pray for all men present to be godly examples to the next generation.
  • Include humor within the service and message.
  • If you give a gift on Father’s Day, give it to all men and not just those who are dads.

There are lots of reasons for fathers, men, couples, singles, and children to skip church on Father’s Day. No matter what pastors and church leaders do, some people will always bail on church that weekend. However, it’s up to us to do our best, count our losses, and continue trying to plan and promote powerful service that will reach and minister to people, even on difficult days.

*This post has been adapted from a similar post in 2015. Hopefully, I’ll learn more about possible solutions by Father’s Day 2017.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , 1 Comment

What Makes Christianity Unique?

photo courtesy of Unsplash - Lee Miller

Once, during a British conference on comparative religions, experts were discussing if there was any belief truly unique to Christianity.  Creation, incarnation, and resurrection were quickly eliminated because of examples in other religions. C.S. Lewis wandered into the room and enquired as to the topic of conversation. When the debate was explained to him, without hesitation, Lewis replied, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

CS-Lewis_620

Grace is so simple that it baffles the experts. Grace is what makes Christianity unique. Because of it, we have the opportunity to know Jesus as Savior and Friend. Grace helps us understand the difference between happiness and joy. It allows us to conquer all of our fears. There is nothing we can do to earn grace and there is no way that we can destroy it. In Ephesian 1:5-6, the Apostle Paul wrote: He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.   

Grace is free and yet it is also priceless. It truly is amazing. 

Since such grace has been given to us, we should always strive to treat others with grace. In doing so, we are imitating our Heavenly Father.

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment