My Thoughts on Prayer

A dear friend of mine, a woman of deep prayer and great wisdom, shared with me her thoughts on prayer. I thought they were so profound that I wanted to share it with my readers and she has graciously agreed to allow me to post them here. I know you’ll be encouraged. So, sit back and enjoy what Linda has to say about her times of intimate conversation with her Father.  To read more about Linda, check out my previous post.

Linda’s Thoughts on Prayer

A daily touch with God – from the deepest most intimate places in our heart and mind. A sharing of all needs and wants. To give our most sincere thanks for everything – whether it be big or small, material and human, emotional or life. He is there ALWAYS to listen and understand our prayers.

Like a daily talk with a very dear friend. Not always getting the answer we want but He is ALWAYS there to listen. Like having a “dear Father” to lay your head on his shoulder, especially in times of trouble. Needs, worries – He is there!

When I have a very serious need no matter what kind, I talk to Him like he is my best friend because he really is!! I talk day or night – driving, working, during the night, just when I am deep in thought about a particular need, whether it be my need or the need of a dear friend or family member – I know all I have to do is say “Father.” He is there!! What a wonderful gift he has blessed us with, to the able to share everything with him. I always try to remember to spend more time praising and thanking him:

1) Just for being God and always being there.

2) For seeing our needs always and answering our prayers.

3) For the comfort he only can give, letting us know he is so constant and ever mindful of us and our human weakness.

4) I sometimes sing during prayer. If I have a song in my heart about one particular situation, I will sing it to my Father. He gave us all those beautiful hymns and he loves to hear them, from our hearts and voices. So I give them back to Him.

When I have a friend, like Aida who shares a need with me, I can’t wait to talk to Father about it because I love her. Prayer is another way of expressing love. When you call their name to a loving Father, from a heart of love, about someone you love – It is all about LOVE!

One more thing about prayer, you never have to be ashamed to tell Him anything or ask anything of him. He already knows anyway but he wants to hear from our lips and hearts. He has developed "a need – love – faith – trust method" to help us see how we must feel about Him.

I pray out loud when I can. It is good for our own ears to hear what we say to the Father. It is a reminder that we are talking to our wonderful God and that we evidently believe there is someone listening or we wouldn’t be talking to Him.

When our Father sent his Son Jesus to be the savior of the world, he not only sent a bundle of himself in the flesh, he sent all his love and to be able to access that love, we need prayer. That is why I believe prayer is love. For, when we pray, we do so because we love, either us or someone else. All out of Love.

In prayer, we not only give our thoughts and prayers to God, we give ourselves to him and to each other. Truly united in prayer and supplication for our brothers and sisters.

“Sweet hour of prayer, Sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from a life of care
He bids me at my Father’s throne
Makes all my wants and wishes known.

In seasons of despair and grief,
My soul has found relief
I’ll lay on him, my every care and lean on him
Sweet hour of prayer.”

That was my granddaddy’s favorite hymn. I can hear him singing all over his farm. He believed and loved our Father with all his heart. Many times, I saw him on his knees in prayer. He lived through some very bad times but I don’t ever remember his faith ever wavering. I believe it was because his prayer life was the most wonderful thing about his life. He always blessed his food and asked God for every good and perfect gift. He was a strong man and made no bones about how much he loved God.

I know where he is right now – Singing with Jesus in heaven.

Linda

Watering the Kernels of Truth

Lately, God has been changing how I look at the people around me and what I’ve been focusing on. I’m seeing more and more that this journey isn’t about who’s right and who’s wrong but it’s about people and relationships. Religion has convinced us that what we believe is what is most important and we have to do whatever we can to convince others of our truths. While I do think it’s important to have correct doctrine, I think we’ve blown it all out of proportion and the result is that believers think that it’s their job to correct wrong beliefs, even the smallest ones.

The truth is that the Holy Spirit is the teacher of the church and, while he may work through other believers, he usually does it through relationships. In concentrating its emphasis on correct doctrine, I believe the church has gotten off and the result has been a church that is divided into various camps based on what each group believes. The result is anger and vicious attacks on one another and on those outside of the camp.

However, when we focus on relationships, the fighting stops. While I’m not saying that we should compromise our beliefs, I do believe we need to recognize and appreciate the kernels of truth that are in all of us because each of us has some aspect of truth that’s alive in us. I’m coming to believe that instead of focusing on what I view as a person’s wrong thinking and feeling like I have to fix it, I now want to water and encourage those kernels of truth that are shining so brightly in them and watch them grow.

Recently, one of my friends was describing a conversation he had had with another mutual friend of ours. During the conversation, our mutual friend said, “I don’t care if you’re right or wrong. I care about you.”

That simple statement exploded in my heart. I really believe that’s the secret to this journey in Christ. I’ve determined that this is how I want to live my life, seeing and encouraging the life of Christ that’s in each of us and giving others the freedom to grow and to discover truth in their own way and time.

Savoring the Lord's Supper

I’ve been on Weight Watchers now for about a year and a half. Since I’m still in the process of losing weight and trying to learn to eat healthy, I think it’s great whenever I find an article that gives me suggestions that I can use to develop a healthier lifestyle.

I tend to eat too quickly so recently, when I read an article about eating slowly, it immediately caught my attention. The author said it takes time about 20 minutes for our sense of full to kick in so when we gobble our food too quickly, we don’t give ourselves enough time to feel full. So, as a result, we tend to overeat. Instead, the article said that we need to eat slowly and savor eat bite. This is a concept that I’m trying to learn but unfortunately I’ve usually consumed most of my meal before I remember to slow down and savor it.

In the Christian religion, a tradition has developed which is called the Lord’s Supper. In this tradition, the participants sit quietly in neat rows while they are each given a tiny piece of bread to eat and a thimbleful of grape juice to drink. When the activity is over, they’re told that they’ve just participated in the Lord’s Supper. I believe this tradition cheapens the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was never meant to be tiny snack quickly consumed in a mournful atmosphere. Instead, it was supposed to be a full meal enjoyed by the family of God.

Dictionary.com defines savor as “to give oneself to the enjoyment of: to savor the best in life.”

I think this is a great description of how we’re supposed to eat the Lord’s Supper. It’s a time to relax and savor the meal in a thankful, joyful atmosphere surrounded by family and friends. Instead of sitting quietly and eating, it should be a time filled with conversation and laughter as we celebrate our lives together as believers.

Today, it’s known that an important part of healthy family life is the time when the family gathers around the dinner table and shares with one another the events of their day. We live in a busy society where during the day, family members are scattered going their separate ways. The communal family dinner is important for keeping the family together. Of course, some families sit at the same table and each eats his or her own meal in total silence so the food really isn’t what’s important. What is important is that each member takes time away from his or her busy schedule to connect with the others in a meaningful way and this always involves conversation and sharing.

The same is true for God’s family. As we gather together and share our lives over a meal, relationships are formed. Instead of being a people of rituals and traditions, as children of God, we’re to be people of relationship.

I believe the Lord’s Supper actually takes place when the church gathers for a covered dish supper. Each participant brings a meal to share with the rest of the family. As they gather to eat and share the events of their lives, walls come down in this relaxed atmosphere. Together, they remember and re-count the blessings of their salvation and the family experiences the unity of fellowship. Before his death, Jesus asked God to bring the church into oneness with one another and also with him and God. I believe the unity of fellowship that is experienced when the church gathers together to eat a meal is an answer to this request.

The Necessary Element of Prayer

Monday night of this week, Darin Hufford’s daughter Emma was rushed to the hospital after she fell off the monkey bars onto her back. She broke her arm in two places and there was concern that she might also have spinal injuries. It was stressful for the family as they waited. The doctors finally decided to do an MRI but she reacted badly to the medicine they gave her so the MRI had to be cancelled. Darin later reported that she was fine and was being released.

While I waited, all I could think of was sweet little Emma lying on a hospital bed with possible major injuries. What was going on with my friends was difficult for me since I was so far away plus I had just seen them the week before. (To read my post regarding the wonderful weekend I spent with Darin and his family, follow this link.)

On this journey that I’m on, I’ve struggled with knowing what prayer should look like. As I worried about Emma and her family, I thought about putting this need on a prayer list. Instead, I ended up asking only one friend to pray. When the good report came that Emma was fine and that she was home, I told my friend, Linda, and the joy and relief on her face was obvious. I told her that I knew she would pray and it was obvious to me that she had.

I thought about why she was the only one I had asked to pray even though there were other friends I could have asked and the answer that came to me was love. I knew that even though she didn’t know Darin or Emma, she knew me and loved me. Because she loved me, I was confident that she would care about and pray for what was important to me.

We hear so much about faith being the secret to effective prayer. Although faith is important, there’s another element that I believe is just as important and maybe even more important than faith and that element is love. Without love, we won’t pray and, if we do pray, it’ll be a half hearted prayer that we do to get over our feelings of guilt and then we quickly forget to pray again. The bottom line is we don’t pray because we don’t love.

Love will compel us to pray and to continue to pray even when we don’t see the results we want. We can’t work up love but, as we’re set free by God’s love and acceptance, love will become who we are.

As I look at this friend who prayed for Emma, I see love personified in her. Linda is love and, even though she struggles with issues in her own life, she doesn’t hesitate to talk to our Daddy because love compels her.

It's Good to Be Seen

As a followup to the first podcast I did with Darin Hufford and Aimee Dassele while I was in Arizona last weekend, we also did one entitled "It's Good to Be Seen."  That has now been posted and, in it, we talked about how many people who suffer abuse have learned to cope with it by rationalizing the abuser's actions away until they've convinced themselves that they're really not being abused.  It was a great conversation which I think you'll enjoy.

To listen to it, go here.

Discussing Spiritual Abuse

I recorded a couple of podcasts with Darin Hufford during my recent visit with him and his family. How exciting it was to be in the recording room and to see what goes on behind the scene of the “Into the Wild” podcast. I had never realized how much prep work is necessary even before the actual recording starts so I now have a greater appreciation for all of the time and effort that Darin puts into recording and posting two podcasts a week.

Darin has just posted the first of these podcasts, “Spiritual Abuse – An Interview with Aida Calder.” I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Impressions of an Amazing Family

I’m writing this while sitting on an airplane headed home from Phoenix, Arizona after having spent the weekend with Darin Hufford and his family. Darin and I have been friends for a number of years and I have spoken to him and his wife on many occasions. I had finally gotten to meet him earlier this year when he was in Alabama. That weekend in Alabama was absolutely wonderful!  My life was radically changed and I’m still living in the freedom that I experienced while there. I wrote a post about that amazing weekend and, if you’d like to read it, follow this link.

I arrived in Phoenix Friday night and Darin picked me up at the airport. He was accompanied by his two youngest daughters, Emma and Eva, two absolutely gorgeous little dolls. When we got to his home, I was greeted by Angie his wife. Angie and I are also good friends but this was my first time actually meeting her in person. I also met Darin’s other three children as well as their dog, Snowball. Actually, I had already met his oldest daughter Landin while in Alabama and fallen in love with her so it was great to see her again. However, it was my first time meeting their second daughter Sidney and their son Jude so I was excited to be able to see the entire family together.

Although Darin and I have been friends for quite some time, by spending time in his home with him and his family, I was able to see him in a totally different light.

Darin is an amazingly gifted person and, because he’s an author and speaker who travels throughout the world, people tend to look at him with starry eyes and fail to see the real man. I’ve heard people say that he’s arrogant but the Darin that I know is a man of great humility who is passionately driven by his love for people and his desire to see them set free. Since I met him a number of years ago, my life has been transformed in a major way and I know that has also been the experience of thousands who have heard him teach or have read what he has written.

Darin and his family live simply and enjoy life together. I was immediately put at ease and I was able to just kick back and be myself. Knowing that I’m loved and accepted unconditionally caused me to feel like I didn’t have to pretend. I could just be myself. What I discovered about the Hufford household is that there’s no pretense there. What you see is what you get. How refreshing that is in a world where people are always wearing masks.

While there, I also had the privilege of meeting Aimee Dassele and Amy Ramos who both help Darin with the "Into the Wild" podcasts. It was great putting a face to a voice and to spend time getting to know them as well.  Because of his work schedule, I was unable to meet Robert Ramos and that was  a disappointment.  Maybe it'll work out next time.

And now about . . . Angie! What a gift she is to Darin and the Free Believers Network. I was immediately struck by her gentle nature but I also saw that she’s a woman of great strength. She’s a support for Darin and the two of them work together as one to take care of their family and to share the message of God’s love and grace. Darin told me that she’s the perfect wife for him and I could immediately see that was true.

Their children are typical children with a lot of squabbling but, in spite of that, it was obvious that there was a lot of love among them all. The level of love in the Hufford household is unique and I was immediately surrounded by it and it felt good.

Darin is founder of the Free Believers Network, a website devoted to sharing the message that God is love and that he loves you. He’s also author of the bestselling book, “The Misunderstood God.” His ministry has been life changing for me and, if you haven’t read his book, I suggest getting a copy, making yourself comfortable and start getting to know the God that religion has hidden from us. And, I’m sure you’ll discover the God that you’ve always known in your heart.

To order a copy of “The Misunderstood God,” follow this link.