I often pray a very specific prayer for my children.  I was already certain that the Lord hears my prayers, and that he answers them.  It’s just that this particular prayer is more of a long-term prayer of eternal consequence, a prayer for their salvation.  Ultimately, I hope that they get to know the Lord Jesus the way that I know him, or better.

The glimpses of seeing the Lord at work in the lives of my kids are seemingly few and far between, but tonight I had perhaps the most satisfying moment as a father.  Oddly enough, the moment came tonight after a questionable decision to watch the movie “Avatar” with my six-year-old son over the past two evenings before bed.  He seemed to enjoy the the first half of the movie so I agreed to let him watch the second half with me tonight despite my knowing that there would be violence.

*Spoiler alert* Please skip to the next paragraph if you haven’t seen Avatar and you intend to!  During the final battle scene, when the Na’vi had finally turned the tides and the forest creatures joined in, my son was thrilled to see the “bad guys” get destroyed.  He gleefully shrieked when a pack of giant hammer-headed beasts crushed the mechanized warriors that had decimated the good guys just minutes before.  He absolutely loved seeing the “dragons” fling the flying warships into the cliffs.  He really had a great sense of who to root for, particularly against the evil forces.  In the past, my son had often rooted for the bad guys in various movies and shows, but not this time.  Amazingly, this is not the end of my story.

When the movie finished, it was time to head off to bed (an hour late because of the movie).  We laid down on his bed and talked a bit about the movie.  I was interested to hear his favorite parts as well as finding out if any of the violence had scared him or impacted him.  He told me his favorite part, which involved the “dragon”, and he said that he wasn’t scared or sad or anything, and then he got quiet for a minute.  I was about to ask him what the scariest part was when he said “Daddy, I don’t think they worshiped the same God we do.”  He meant the “good guys”, that they didn’t worship our God.  I was floored, so I probed a little deeper.  I said “You’re right, buddy (my heart is full at this point)… there was something/someone missing from the story, wasn’t there?”  He said “Yeah, they didn’t know Jesus.”  WOW!  He continued “They were worshiping, but they were worshiping the wrong thing.  I mean, they prayed and stuff, but they prayed to a tree or something.”  Then, as if I wasn’t already fully blown away, he concluded with this nugget of spiritual wisdom.  Mind you, this is ALL unprompted…  he said “How can a created (the tree) be THE Creator.  It just doesn’t make sense.”

I about fell off the bed.  I told him how right he was, how proud I was, and we immediately prayed, among other things, that the people that made the movie would meet the Jesus that we know and love.  I really think that he was praying with me in his heart and not just listening to his bedtime prayer before zonking out.  Even now, as I write this an hour later, I am still full of thankfulness to the Lord that captured my heart.  I am thankful that he is answering my prayers for my kids.  I trust that my kids will both be believers, and true warriors for the Kingdom of God.

One more thought before I wrap this up.  I’ve talked to lots of people about Avatar, even though I hadn’t seen it until yesterday.  I had heard from a source or two that there were bits of bad theology mixed into the movie, mainly pantheism.  So, I was prepared for it when I saw it, and I wasn’t surprised at all.  Most people I talked to about Avatar, though, made no notice of the theology and just enjoyed the movie.  Mind you, I enjoyed the movie, too.  Anyway, leave it to my six-year-old, as if he were a mature Christian, to solemnly point out that they weren’t worshiping the right God.  I find that highly ironic and totally amazing.

Nights like tonight are so gratifying, comforting, fulfilling, and all kinds of other words ending in ING.  I am just so happy that the Lord is taking hold of my kids’ hearts and that the time I spend telling them everything I know about the Creator of the universe is actually sinking in.  Wow… just wow!

I’ll likely be leaving this year, and yet I feel more passionately than ever that I care for the well-being of Cleveland, Ohio.  Still trying to overcome the stigmas of “The Mistake on the Lake” and “Burning River”, it strikes me that Cleveland is on the brink of renewal.  I don’t mean economic revival, because, quite frankly, I don’t see that happening here for quite some time.  The renewal I’m thinking about it the kind that REALLY changes lives, a spiritual renewal.  This renewal has even been prophesied, and it seems like just the kind of thing that God would design for His divine purposes.

Now, in order that this renewal to happen, we have work to do.  We’ve got to get praying for Cleveland.  Certainly, innumerable people have been praying for Cleveland for decades upon decades, but I think that a more concerted effort of focused prayer for renewal in Cleveland is in order, and on a grand scale.  I’m thinking of numerous groups of prayer warriors, from numerous churches, praying for Cleveland and its numerous facets… leaders, residents, employees, visitors, and SPORTS TEAMS???

Yes, I think we ought to be praying for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  I think we ought to be praying for LeBron James.  LeBron is clearly a person of significant influence, and for the most part, he seems to have his head on straight.  Occasionally you’ll hear him give thanks to the Lord for his God-given talents.  He keeps his nose clean and stays away from trouble and controversy.  I have a slight problem with the whole “King” thing, although I don’t think he asked for that moniker.  I think we ought to pray for him (and his elbow).  I pray that LeBron will embrace his high-profile circumstance and use it to give glory to God’s majestic name.

A championship would be such a blessing for Cleveland, although perhaps not in the way you might think.  I would like to see a championship in Cleveland not merely because it makes rooting for Cleveland sports more fun, but rather it’ll allow us to get over our wallowing in self pity.  Maybe it’ll even help us to recognize the renewal that’s unfolding in this city.

The name of a blog I check from time to time summarizes the condition we’ve become accustomed to in enduring Cleveland sports… “Waiting For Next Year“.  Isn’t that what we’re always doing here in Cleveland?  Let’s get past this incessant waiting for next year and focus on the moment we’re in.  Let’s give thanks for the blessings we’ve been given keep our eyes open for opportunities to glorify God in the now.  Finally, if we want to look to the future, lets consider only the coming of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.  And while we have our sights set on the return of the real King, I think it’d be alright if we ask him to bless the Cavaliers and grant us a championship!

Last night my Christian small group began the Truth Project as our study for the summer.  If you haven’t heard of it, this series is a production of Focus on the Family, and it focuses on developing a Christian worldview.  It’s taught by bright and engaging guy named Del Tackett.  While I’ve  already been through the course once before, I’m excited to experience it again.

I can remember the passion and eagerness I felt after each and every video session the first time through.  I can remember wishing each time that the hour long lecture/video could somehow not end.  I remember how empowered each of us in the group felt as we were equipped with some new knowledge and perspective.  I remember clearly the feeling I had as my worldview was being transformed and solidified.

I’m excited to relive some of those feelings and to see others share the experience.  I’m looking forward to discussing the course particulars in a smaller setting.  I’m pleased that we’ll be able to pray amongst friends about the issues presented to us each week.

I know that the Lord has a plan and a message for each of us as we delve into the Truth Project… so cool!

Here’s a link to a teaser video if you’re curious what this series is all about…  The Truth Project

Today I received my acceptance letter from Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC.  I was admitted into the Master of Divinity program, which is a typical prerequisite for pastoral ministry.  I’m so excited!

While I think this needs a massive asterisk followed by “SUBJECT TO CHANGE”, here’s the plan as it stands right now…

• Enroll and register for my first online course, History of Christianity I
• Apply for financial aid/scholarships and humbly ask for financial assistance from family/friends
• Take 3-4 more online courses over the next year through RTS’s Virtual Campus
• Prepare our home, ourselves, and our friends and family for the upcoming change in circumstances
• Sell our house and move to Charlotte, NC in Summer 2010
• Continue to work for my company, Expert Networking, remotely (thank God for this possibility!)
• Find a wonderful Christ-centered church in Charlotte to encounter the Lord, make friends, and practice ministry
• Take my first on-campus course in Charlotte, Greek I, in August 2010
• For the following three years, hopefully maintain a healthy balance of school, family, work, church, and most importantly, my relationship with the Lord
• Hopefully graduate with a Master of Divinity degree in Spring 2013
• Only the Lord knows what He has planned for us following graduation, but I trust that He’ll put our family in the best possible position to fulfill His kingdom purposes.

For the curious folks, I’ve created a page that consolidates all of my school, degree, course, financial aid, and resource information on one page here: Seminary

Please pray for me and my family as we go through this transitional period.  I ask that you pray for defense against attacks from the enemy, for prosperity for my business even without my physical presence, for Jill and my kids for a smooth adjustment to work and school in a new location, for the Lord to privide us the financial means to accomplish these goals, for the Lord to fully capture our hearts and use us for His greater good, and for me to be prepared to learn and grasp the concepts presented in seminary courses.

You might hear the word “pray” a lot.  It gets used liberally in regular conversation, probably more than any other spiritual word.  It seems to be less taboo than other religion-related words, doesn’t it?  Lots of people I know, including self-proclaimed atheists, claim to pray at least occasionally.  How can that be?

First of all, I think that the word “prayer” has taken on more meaning than it should.    What some people call praying, I call meditating.  Their prayer time consists of establishing inner focus, relaxation, and self-awareness.  Sure, I could see that definitely being useful to relieve stress and settle nerves.  But that’s not prayer… not to me.

Still other people do pray to their God, but the prayers seem very benign to me.  They often say the same prayer as part of a routine, perhaps at bed time.  That was me for much of my life, in fact.

Another large contingent prays regularly, but their prayers are typically requests to fix their problems and that’s it.  Sometimes I believe it’s appropriate to ask God to help fix our problems, but I think we need to pray a bit more dynamically than that.

Prayer for me has taken on a whole new meaning in the past couple years, and during the same time period I feel like my relationship with Jesus has grown by leaps and bounds.  It’s no coincidence.  Let me explain what prayer means to me now.

Before I go there, let me tell you a little story.  A little over a year ago, my wife and I were going through a bit of a hard time and we rightly decided to turn to the Lord and our church to help us solve the problem.  (I’d like to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit was responsible for this, not our superior intellects).  In the process, we decided to sign up for our church-sponsored small group program.  It was a six week commitment to last through the Lent season.  As we signed up, not knowing much more about it than what I just told you, I said to my wife “I sure hope we don’t have to pray out loud!”  What a joke that turned out to be!  The name of the study we were to use was “When God’s People Pray”.  Yes, I had to pray out loud on the very first night!  Ever since then, I’ve realized that God has plans for me.  Of course, I believe it was no coincidence, and I was destined to be a part of that prayer study.  I had to get over that fear of praying out loud, and I did it.  Fast.  God doth have a sense of humor, but more importantly, he has a plan.

God’s plan for me has been a process of removing the barriers that prevented me from having a close and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Slowly but steadily, those barriers have been eliminated in my life.  My poor/ineffective prayer habit was one of the most important ones to overcome.

Now, prayer for me fosters a relationship with Jesus.  I pray much more often, but not on a routine.  Prayer has become somewhat of an ongoing conversation, at random points in the day.  As God reveals His creation and His presence to me, I acknowledge it by saying a prayer of thanksgiving or praise.  As I realize when I’ve committed a sin, I ask the Lord for forgiveness and for the strength to overcome my weakness or propensity to that specific sin.  As I encounter a person in need, or if I have an immediate concern myself, I pray it right away.  Sometimes my prayers are long and elaborate (though not fancy like you hear from TV evangelists), and other times my prayers are short, sweet, and to the point.  I’ve become comfortable asking God for specific things (like guidance), and I’ve even been known to ask God questions.  When I ask God for signs or advice, I often ask for Him to be obvious about it, in a way that I can’t confuse His providence with my own reasoning.

The most amazing part of this change in my prayer life is that God answers my prayers!  His answers aren’t usually what I expect, but they almost always address my problem, concern, or question directly and intentionally.  As I become more convinced that my prayers will be answered, God is more faithful in answering my prayers.  Weird, huh?

Again, though, he does things His way, not mine.  That’s fine by me, because I’ve learned that my way is lousy and flawed, and His way is perfect and beautiful.

I implore you to pray.  If you already pray often, try praying a little differently or more often.  Give it a try.  What have you got to lose?  For me, it’s been the most important and profound change in my life.