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Connecting the Spark Plug Wire

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1 John 5:14 NKJV

God taught me a lesson about answered prayer during my battle trying to start my lawn mower last week. Here in Florida, we’ve had lots and lots of rain this October. Lots of rain is great because we were in drought, but lots of rain also means lots of lawn mowing (Every 5-6 day recently). Last Saturday I went out to start my mower, but when I pulled on the starter cord, it wouldn’t even budge. I decided to take a peek underneath and immediately noticed that it was totally clogged with grass clippings from the previous mowing. So, I carefully disconnected the spark plug wire, turned the mower on its side and spent several minutes scraping and cleaning. Feeling I had the problem licked, I turned the mower back up and tried again, and to my great relief the cord pulled back smoothly, yet the machine still wouldn’t start. Figuring that I had probably flooded the engine while leaning it on its side, I went inside, had a snack and a cup of coffee and came out to try again…but still no results. This time I went in again for a bit longer and came out determined to get my lawn mower started before it got too hot to work. I pulled…and pulled….and pulled, still with the same results. Just then, the neighbor, from whom I had bought my mower passed by and asked, “What’s up Pete?”

“”This lawn mower just won’t start for today.” I replied between deep breaths, and then, suddenly a little light bulb went off in my brain, “The spark plug dummy!” Sheepishly, I reconnected the loose wire and do you know what happened? Yup! That stupid lawn mower started! Many times, that is exactly what is happening with our prayers. We pray and pray, pulling with all our might on the cord, but nothing is happening, because we have become disconnected from the Lord Jesus Christ. Our mind, our heart and our schedules are so filled with everything else besides God’s will. We grow impatient, discouraged and frustrated yet all the while God is waiting for the spiritual light bulb to go off in our minds.

Sometime in the 1960’s in Namibia, Paul Makai wrote a simple chorus we call, “God is so Good.”. It became so popular that in 1970, when a missionary named Marilyn Foulkes, heard it, she loved it and translated it into English for us. But whatever language we speak, that truth rings clear, God is so good: and one of the first verses of this chorus that we sing adds “God answers prayer, He’s so good to me.” Does it feel as if you are singing about God answering prayer, yet experiencing very little of it? Remember the spark plug wire! I do hope you will enjoy this simple video, where I share this message and song at Life Care Center this past Friday. Have a blessed weekend everybody!

Waking the Christ Within

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” Mark 4:38 NLT

When we read from the beginning of this story, we discover that the disciples ended up in the storm, not because they did something wrong but because Jesus told them to get in the boat. That whole day, Jesus stood on the shore teaching about the Kingdom of God in parables to tremendous crowds. As the sun was setting and the people began drifting towards their homes, Jesus asked the disciples to get in the boat. At this point Jesus is probably exhausted, and though He was God’s Son, He needed a nap. So, while the disciples manned the oars, Jesus lay down in the back of the boat and drifted off to sleep. Soon the wind picked up, clouds rolled in and before they knew it, they were in the middle of a storm. I picture the scene a bit like this:

Andrew: Hey Peter, He put you in charge. Why don’t you go back there and ask Him what to do.

Peter: No way! We can handle this bro and besides, Jesus needs his sleep.

John: Hey guys, the waves are coming in faster than I can bail them out. Let’s wake Him up!

Thomas: What’s the use? Jesus is a Rabbi, not a fisherman. I doubt He would be any help right now.

James: That’s it! I’m getting Jesus. If we don’t do something, we’re all going to drown!

Now the actual behind the scenes conversation may have been a little different, the outcome was the same. Somebody had to wake up Jesus before it was too late! Why do we wait for emergencies to wake up Jesus? Oh, I know that Jesus is always awake in Heaven. But what happens is that the Christ who lives inside us falls asleep, because we get so wrapped up in the busyness of our lives. The endless search for entertainment, comfort and success leaves very little space for Jesus Christ. Like the disciples, we think we are the professionals when it comes to sailing our own boats. We don’t want to bother Him, because we think that He must have more important things to do. Just like the disciples, we allow Jesus to doze in the back of the boat until it becomes a life-or-death situation, and we are about to drown. But Jesus is always there and we can come and ask for help at any time. Are you in a storm today? Is Jesus sleeping in your boat? Don’t be afraid to wake Him. He might correct us, He might even rebuke our attitudes and motives, but He will never allow us to drown. Jesus wants to command our hearts just as He commanded the wind and waves, and when He takes control, there is no storm in the universe that can sink our little boat!

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Surprise!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Genesis 2:21-22 NKJV

Before this verse, there are two things we learned about Adam: He was made in God’s image, and it was not good for him to be alone. So, God decided on something different. After Adam grows sleepy after standing all day long naming the animals. He yawns and decides to lie down for a moment for a nap. God smiles, while he watches Adam snoozing, and He takes a rib, from Adam’s side, and creates Eve. She is perfect, glowing with beauty and eagerly waiting for God to wake up Adam. Then God shakes Adam by the shoulder and whispers: “Wake up son. I have a surprise for you!”

That same surprise that our amazing God designed for Adam, should be the spark that lights a fire in our poetry. Many of us string together predictable rhymes, comfortable topics, and hope that if we thrash about hard enough, that somehow something beautiful will be born. Somewhere, between our inspiration and hoped for publication, we forgot the wonder of surprise that started us on our journey in the first place.

Think of the endless parade of superhero films. Whether you are a fan of Spider Man or Wonder Woman, Hawk Eye, or the Hulk, we like these folks because in some surprising way, they have been transformed, and given a gift that will “Save the World.” In poetry it has been the same, from Shakespeare to Dr. Seus, the poems that have had the power to stir us, have been fearfully and wonderfully different. So this morning, be like Superman and Batman. Step into your phone booth and strip off the clothing of the same old same old, or descend into your bat cave, start up your own unique and powerful vehicle, and then come roaring out with a poem that shouts, “Surprise!,” and go save the world today!

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