Tag Archives: Jesus

September 10, 2012 · 6:00 am

The Christian Atheist: Do You Believe in Prayer?

Do you pray?

What does it sound like?

Is is a prayer you learned as a child, one recited for a specific purpose?

Is it a self-created prayer, but mentions the same topics in the same order every time?

Is it a different prayer uttered in a different way every time you pray?

When do you pray? Morning? Before meals? Before bed? Daily? On Sundays? Only when you’re really in need?

Do these things even matter– the words you say and the frequency with which you say them, or is prayer really about what’s in your heart?

According to Craig Groeschel’s The Christian Atheist, there exists an entire group of Christians, those who build their lives around their belief in Jesus Christ, who either don’t pray at all, or when they do, believe that prayer isn’t effective.

When I first began reading the chapter on prayer, it blew my mind, mostly because I am a HUGE believer in prayer. In fact, for years I’ve lived my life in a purposeful state of constant prayer.

I pray at specific times of the day, sure, like before meals and before bed, but I strive to have a constant and open communication with God. I pray all the time. About everything. I rarely say “Amen” because I want that heart-line to be open all the time.

But that’s just me.

My husband isn’t like that at all.

He is a strong, God-fearing, Bible believing man who was saved by grace at a young age and has lived his entire adult life as a follower of Jesus Christ.

But he was raised in a very traditional Southern Baptist church. The kind that banned certain types of music in the teenage population and brought in pastors to evangelize hellfire and brimstone.

For him, prayer was boring. It was ritualistic. It was used to scare the life out of others. It was done by those who constantly threw in the “thees” and “thous” and communicated with God like he was the “great and powerful” wizard behind the curtain.

My husband once admitted to me that he wasn’t really sure if God cared about his prayers.

“With war and cancer and people who have real problems, why would God care about the things I pray about?”

This conversation came after we’d been married nearly a decade. For all that time, I’d had no idea that my husband struggled to believe in a powerful prayer life.

And he is not alone.

So many struggle with the idea of prayer– that it’s about the eloquence of your words or the length of the prayer itself.

Surely those who are more “holy” are heard by God first. Surely those who love to pray aloud are those who are heard by God.

But as Groschel points out, there are ways for those who struggle with the power of prayer to realize that prayer changes everything.

It’s about realizing what prayer is and to whom it is.

Realize who you are talking to. The God of the universe. The one who is I Am. The creator. The Savior.

It can feel a bit overwhelming. What do you say to the God of the universe? Whatever you want because here’s the really cool part– He wants to hear from you. He’s excited to hear from you!

Move the focus from yourself onto God. Realize that you are talking to a friend who wants the honesty of your heart– He desires time with you.

When you change your perspective on who you are talking to (the God of the universe) and why (because he wants to hear from you), it helps you to realize that every thought, fear, joy and pain you experience is a treasure to him, and he wants you to talk to him about it.

God wants honesty. He wants you to be real with him. He wants truth. He wants your heart with or without the “thees and thous”.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matt 6: 5, 7

And that’s what prayer is– an honest conversation with the God who created you and knows you by name.

If you feel like prayer just doesn’t make a difference, pray about everything on your heart. God will answer. Maybe not all at once, maybe not quickly. But when he does, you’ll never doubt that prayer works.

I love the verse below because Jesus tells us that prayer works. But he also reminds us that when we pray, we must have a heart that is free from unforgiveness and hatred.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:24-25

Prayer is powerful. Prayer changes things. And more than that, it changes people.

And the best part is that God wants to hear from you.

He doesn’t care about the words you use. He doesn’t care about whether or not your prayers are eloquent and well thought out.

What he cares about is that you take the time to talk to him and that you talk to him honestly.

It’s that simple.

There is so much more wonderful information in this chapter, but I leave you with one of my favorite comedians and his hilarious take on staunch, strict prayer.

Hopefully it will give you a chuckle and help you to remember that prayer is for everyone, no matter what.

I pray for you that you’ll find the joy in the power of prayer.

Share with me: How can I pray for you this week?

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Filed under The Christian Walk

Tagged as Christian Atheist, Jesus, prayer

September 3, 2012 · 8:53 am

You Might Be A Christian Atheist If…

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of studying theology and religions, especially my own, Christianity.

As a born-again believer in Christ, I consider myself a disciple who struggles daily to be more Christ-like.

A while back, I was browsing in the Christian bookstore when I came across a book that caught my eye–

The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel

Believing in God but Living Like He Doesn’t Exist

I added it to be TBR list, excited because I thought, Finally! Maybe this book will help me understand why so many of the people I know are in church on Sunday morning, but are making choices that are so contrary to Biblical teachings every other moment of the week.

With promos from authors and theologians like Francis Chan, Andy Stanley and Dave Ramsey, among others, I was really thinking that this book was going to support my right to be angry and frustrated with some of the people in my life.

When I got the book, I dove in, expecting to be fist pumping in agreement with Groeschel’s assessment of why so many acknowledge God but live like he doesn’t exist.

But instead of fist pumping and nodding along in agreement, ladies and gents, I sat in stunned silence as my eyes moved over the pages–convicted.

Convicted.

I realized that I, too, am a Christian Atheist.

Are you a Christian Atheist, believing in God, but living like he doesn’t exist?

A Christian Atheist is someone who believes in God, but doesn’t really know him. A Christian Atheist is someone who believes in God, but isn’t sure He loves you. A Christian Atheist is someone who:

Believes in God but not in prayer
Believes in God but doesn’t think He’s fair
Believes in God but won’t forgive
Believes in God but doesn’t think He can change you
Believes in God but still worries all the time** (This one really, really hit me hard)
Believes in God but pursues happiness at any cost
Believes in God but trusts more in money
Believes in God but doesn’t share his or her faith
Believes in God but not in His church

This book has really opened my eyes to my own Christian Atheism.

I’m going to dedicate a few blog posts to some of the points that have brought me pause. I have no doubt that they’ll speak to you, too.

If you are looking for a good read, check out this book. You won’t be sorry.

Share with me: Which of those points above about Christian Atheists interests you the most?

8 Comments

Filed under Books, The Christian Walk

Tagged as books, Christian Atheism, Craig Groeschel, Jesus

June 25, 2012 · 6:00 am

Getting Pumped Up For the Storm

Think back to the hardest, most difficult time in your life. Your Storm.

Perhaps you’re in that time now. Maybe you haven’t faced an immense difficulty yet. Perhaps it was years ago, or the wind and rain is just beginning to quiet.

When you look back on that storm now, it’s easy to see all the lessons God was teaching you through it, right?

Is it easy to see your mistakes, your triumphs, and His hand in every aspect?

Even if you don’t recognize those things individually, it’s clear that He was holding you in the palm of His hand as your storm threatened to destroy. It’s clear because you made it through.

Because that’s His promise.

It’s clear that He gave you the power to fight through it– the strength, through his Son, to face your storm and emerge on the other side, maybe a little tattered, but filled with His love.

Because that’s His promise.

But what if you, thinking you’d weathered the difficulties of it, had to face that storm all over again? What if, thinking the worst is over, you realize there’s a new storm yet to come? There’s always a storm on the horizon.

It’s coming. You’re in it. You think you might sink. You don’t know if you have the strength to continue. You feel alone, abandoned; like life just isn’t fair and you might have to give up.

Hebrews 10: 23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

He’s powerful. He brought you through it before, he’ll do it again.

He will always bring you through.

He is faithful.

The Message translation presents that same verse in a way that’s crazy-inspiring.

Hebrews 10:23– “So let’s do it. Full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.”

He gives us promises that keep us going. He nourishes us to weather anything, gives us the power to face down any storm and come out stronger on the other side.

Get excited up about that promise! He always keeps his word.

Not sometimes. Not occasionally.

Always.

Don’t you just want to put your hand in God’s, like a team pumped up to play the game of their lives, or a warrior ready to head into battle to meet the enemy head on, and shout with Him, “Let’s do it!”

Share with me: God is the leader, coach and captain of your Storm Fighting Dream Team. Who else would you want on your team with you? The “talent pool” is vast, so choose wisely.