Uncertain times, really?

Saturday night a couple hundred folks gathered to pray for those in our community impacted by the upcoming changes at NASA. The news reports say as many as 7,000 people in our area could lose their jobs. Add to that a sagging economy, health care reform and a just all the personal stuff people are facing these days and you get a feeling of insecurity. It's hard to predict what the future holds for us. What will happen to our economy, our churches, our schools, and our families if things continue the way they seem headed now? Will we have jobs? More importantly, those who have given their lives to human space flight are wondering even if they have a "job" will it be for anything that remotely matters. Questions abound. Uncertainty looms.

As I was praying Saturday night for all of us facing these "uncertain times" I had a startling revelation: Isn't all our time uncertain?

James 4:13-14 pokes at our well intentioned plans for the future and reminds us that all of life is a mist.

Perhaps God has us living in such a time of overt uncertainty to remind us that all of life is uncertain except for the life which we find in our sovereign and loving God?

I'm not going to give up planning for and working toward the future. I don't think James is asking us to sit on our hands and just let life happen. But I do think he's inviting us to hold our illusions of certainty in an open hand before a God who is the only one we can really count on for sure.

What good is a prayer - or even 500 of them???

The "Friendly Atheist" wonders what good our praying for the NASA community will do? (see blog "How Should We React to Their Prayers.") My atheist friend isn't going to boycott our right to pray and he won't confront anyone face to face with the futility of our praying, but it does make him want to laugh. If I read him correctly, the "Friendly Atheist" would rather we do something that might actually do some good and save jobs.

The "Friendly Atheist" is well of aware of studies that people who are prayed for often "get better" but, according to him, this is due to no more than the person being cared for by another. "But the people doing the praying aren’t thinking that. We know that. They think a god is going to act on their prayers. That’s just silly." (How Should We React to Their Prayers?)

Oh, I LOVE that!! "That's just silly..." "They think a god is going to act on their prayers."

Yup, Mr. "Friendly Atheist" that's exactly what we think happens when the people of God pray.

God acts.

Stuff happens.

Lives change.

And yes, it is silly... just silly amazing to be a part of.

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a relatively new thing for us native Hoosiers. All the time growing up we were one of the few states in the Union who did not spring forward or fall back each year. Just a couple of years ago (2007, I believe) Indiana finally joined the rest of the nation with DST. So, even though I've been a Texan now for almost two years there's still considerable confusion in our house when it comes this time of year. Oh, well. Hopefully all the clocks are set correctly tonight as I go to bed and I won't be late (or would it be early??) for church tomorrow!

Ten Commandments

Several people after worship yesterday asked if I would pass along the Texan/Cowboy version of the Ten Commandments I used in yesterday's message. You Saturday night worshippers didn't get this version either. So, enjoy!

1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No telling tales or gossipin'.
4. Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
5. Put nothin' before God.
6. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
7. No killin'.
8. Watch yer mouth
9. Don't take what ain't yers.
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

(...and to give credit where credit is due, I lifted this from an old blog of Rev. Matt Tittle.)