Something Greater

Religious Rites and Happy Habits I was asked a couple of simple questions , for which I have no firm answer yet: What is God saying to you about your heart right now? What adjustments do you need to make to be more real with God and others about your faith? Here's my response: There are a few simple habits which I treasure, toward which I look forward, and for which I plan and allot time: Daily, I clean my body and arrange my hair and dress to be comfortable and acceptable to others. Daily, I grind flavored coffee beans and press them through hot water to make a beverage that refreshes me and pleases my senses. Daily, I listen to a wide variety of music, played on a pocket-sized electronic device. The music relaxes, enlivens, encourages and intrigues my mind. Daily, I read and reply to messages and news from friends, my community and my circle of interests and passions. I do these things daily, without fail, without complaint, and with great enjoyment. I treas

A System of Prayer: Problem? Is prayer a duty, or is it a privilege? Is joy essential to salvation, or an optional by-product? I had been thinking about the tension a Christian sometimes feels between duty and joy. The next day an unexpected encouragement came from a post by a friend, Paul LeBoutillier (www.ccontario.com). Paul graciously allowed me to repost it. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalms 42:1-2, NIV) The slave to the "system of prayer" soon finds that his prayers lose their freedom and become less spontaneous, less effective. He finds himself concerned over matters that should give him no concern whatever—how much time he spent in prayer yesterday, whether he did or did not cover his prayer list for the day, whether he gets up as early as he used to do or stays up in prayer as late at night. Inevitably the calendar crowds out the Sp