Won't You Pray for Snow?

Last night, as Heather and I were crawling into bed, Heather turned to me and asked, "Would it be wrong to pray for snow? Will God answer my selfish prayers?" I laughed and sort of brushed off the question until, a few minutes later, she asked me again. "I really would like to see snow tomorrow. If I asked God to let it snow tonight do you think He would mind?" I turned to her and said something like, "Honey, God wants us to come to Him with our desires, though I'm not sure asking Him to let it snow would be a high priority for Him." I didn't pray for snow, though I prayed about a few other things, with one or two being a little selfish on my own part. I have no doubt Heather prayed for snow. Funny how my selfish prayer didn't get answered but when I woke up there was 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. No school for Haley and no work for Heather!

They were happy. So was I. And we had a great day today. We went out and played in the snow; I had a snowball fight with some kids down the street - accidentally hitting one in the face and I had to apologize for having such a bad aim; we watched our dog prance around trying not to get her feet wet, finally giving up and then scooping the snow with her nose. When we got back from our walk I soaked in the tub while I read a book and watched the snowflakes fall to the ground from the window by the tub. Then Heather and I watched the inauguration, talked about our hopes for the future and our hopes for the new president. Then the three of us went to see the movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and then came home and got ready for Wednesday.

A good day.

I really like good days. With our busy schedules, work and school demands, long days - and nights, it's hard to get really "good days" very frequently. Usually, by the time we get home, we're tired, hungry, still have work to do, and just plain out of energy, so when I can spend a day with my wife and daughter, when we can be laid back, be engaged in conversation about other things besides work related issues, and be a couple/family, it's really a good day.

So Lord, thanks for answering my wife and daughter's prayer for snow!

The Sharing of Hearts and Minds

It's been a few weeks since my last blog entry. I'm still working on centering my thoughts in a way that will allow me to be a little more consistent in my entries. I do have a couple of things that are unfolding and hopefully will get written in the next week or so, including about the Second Gathering of Elders that took place last week.

However, I want to reflect on something that happened last night (Tuesday).

I am currently attending the South Carolina United Methodist Annual Conference in Florence, SC. It is a time when the business of the conference is taken care of - beginning Sunday evening and running through Wednesday afternoon. The worship services have been great and I have enjoyed the Bible study times. The meeting sessions tend to be long and, at times, drawn out but this year hasn't been as bad as it seemed last year.

One of the frustrating things about conference, for me, is that I really don't know very many ministers and the few I do know already have their circle of friends and peers that they hang with. So I tend to feel a little out of place. Certainly I did last year but not so much this year. I've gotten to know a few more folks/ministers and have had the privilege of having dinner with a few of them. It was a good time of sharing and connecting and I hope these new relationships will continue to grow.

During conference I have been sitting in one of the sky box seats that is located next to the prayer room. Since I can't vote because I am not a member of conference (ordained in the UMC) it really doesn't matter where I sit, just as long as I can hear what's going on. Anyway, I've been sitting in the sky box seats because they are SOOO much more comfortable on my tender and sore backside (story forth coming in a future blog). As a result I met a pastor, Jeff, and we started to talk during the breaks. It was a good time of give and take and getting to know each other. We exchanged names and numbers, with the hopes that we'll contact each other after conference.

Last night around 9:30, I received a call from Jeff and he invited me down to his room, along with two other pastors, for a time of sharing and prayer. I got dressed and headed down. There were four of us in all. We talked a while, laughed, answered questions about life and ministry, and then went into a time of prayer that consisted of laughter, discussions and sharing. I guess we went for over an hour. The praying was open and honest, confessional and repentant, uplifting and full of praise. Needs were shared and prayed for, struggles laid out and discussed. And God's presence was felt.

Now, I really didn't know these guys, and yet, that didn't prevent us from connecting together in the Spirit of God. It was what I needed. It was what I long for in my own life - a circle of men to be accountable to and to pray with.

I left last night filled with the memories of a time long past when a dear friend and I as teenagers would slip into the church that we attended (where my Dad was pastor) late in the evening and we would kneel at the altar and pray together for hours, talking and sharing, being silent and looking at the cross, reading scripture. Those times were special times with a dear friend who still remains a dear friend, even though he lives far away and we haven't seen each other in years, though we continue to email each other and, on rare occasions, call.

As I left Jeff's room, I was stirred within me again the strong desire for such relationships in my life.

It's hard, being in a strange land, leaving friends and family behind, and having to start from scratch in building friendships. It isn't as easy as it used to be because peoples schedules are so complicated and busy; circle of friends are already have been established; and, as a pastor, that deep type of intimacy is not easily developed among your congregation because of all the congregational dynamics that are involved. And yet, the need for those of us in ministry and, in fact, for all Christians, to have accountable relationships are important to have but so easily ignored and difficult to cultivate.

One of the issues that prevents us from developing those types of relationships is fear of exposure - we are uncomfortable with being too open with others about the struggles, fears, and doubts we have in our lives. We don't like to talk about our near failures, short comings, and sins with others, let alone be honest with ourselves about them. But having such people in our lives are important because they help keep us more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, His leading, and His convicting.

I walked back to my room after our time together with a refreshed sense of God's Spirit, a renewed conviction to stay intimate with Him, and with a sense of urgency to find such men (for me) and families (for my family) that will help us stay focused on the Author and Perfecter of our faith.