I don't like to pray - An Update
Writer's Block
Ok - moment of honesty. I'm a chronically late person, and I'm terrible at deadlines. I'm also in a pretty sustained period of stress-induced writers block. I'm in the middle of writing at least five different blogs, three of which are for this space, but I can't seem to finish one.
Despite all of those things, I have a deadline set for today by my dragon of a managing editor (full disclosure: his name rhymes with Bat Bailey) and I need to deliver. So with that in mind, here's an update on my November blog:
I still don't like to pray
...but I'm trying harder.
For the original blog, click here.
I've never received more feedback on a piece of writing than I did on "I don't like to pray." - which tells me two things: 1. People appreciate truth, and 2. Other people feel like I do. That is unbelievably comforting as both a dedicated seeker of truth and someone who struggles consistently with imposter syndrome. I don't think I ever understood how common of an issue prayer is in the modern church; I grew up around "prayer warriors" and I just thought that was how everyone over 25 treated prayer. (SPOILERS: I'm 26, and I haven't hit prayer warrior status.) So as a reminder - if you feel like prayer just doesn't come naturally for you, you're not alone. The blog linked above has some great resources, but I wanted to share a bit of my progress as well.
- I've recently attended a few Centering Prayer groups (More Info), and I've found that centering prayer is really my cup of tea. Centering Prayer is a practice defined by silence, which on the outside sounds terrifying to most people but is unbelievably comforting to me as an introvert who is constantly surrounded by extroverts, music, and loud noises. I've found centering prayer to be a welcome addition to my week, though it's hard to do alone without a large amount of discipline.
- I've continued to enjoy Shane Claiborne's Book of Common Prayer, and the February readings and prayers have been unbelievably insightful, especially in light of the current political climate. A prayer that has stuck out for me: "Lord, remind us that it is not always agitated uprisings and nonstop activity which lead to justice, but that change often comes through the quiet commitment of a small group of people. Help us raise our small body of people to set about quietly becoming the change we want to see in the world. Amen."
- And finally, here's the prayer I've been praying this week, in the midst of some personal turmoil, courtesy of the 2017 Abington Worship Annual:
Choosing life sounds like such an easy thing to do,
yet it always ends up being difficult.
Choosing life means letting go of our resentments.
It means forgiving the injuries we have received.
It means taking the high road.
It means we are called to be better,
that we may receive the blessings
that true life bestows.
Be blessed.
-Matt
Matt Dailey serves as Worship Director at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2013. When he's not leading worship and designing graphics, he enjoys baseball, comic books and team trivia (his team is nationally ranked. #micdrop). Read more about Matt here.
The Book
The Bible is the most read and best-selling book in the world. According to a 2012 article on the Business Insider website, 3.9 billion copies of the Bible were sold in the last 50 years. The next closest competitors are The Quotations of Chairman Mao (820 million) and the Harry Potter series (400 million). So, it is not a stretch to say the Bible is one of the most important books of all time.
Often, however, the Bible is sorely neglected by many of the people who claim to believe it. Why? Well, there are many reasons. Some do not think it is important. Others wonder if it is relevant. Still, others question whether it is trustworthy. But many simply do not understand it.
For the next few weeks, we are going to explore those questions and even try to answer some of your questions.
One of the most important passages regarding the importance of Scripture comes from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, one of his protégés.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17).
In the context of a first-century church. The scripture Paul refers to is what we would call the Old Testament because the New Testament was in the process of being written.
The Bible is important, as Paul says because it makes us competent and prepared for the good things God wants us to do. If we are to be competent and prepared, we should allow the Bible to teach us, reprove us, correct us and train us in our life with God.
Entire essays could be written on how the Scriptures accomplish each of those tasks but suffice it to say, God uses his word in those ways for the primary aim of preparing us for the work we are called to do.
"We are all called to lift up God through our words and actions as his people, or as Jesus put it, we are to let our good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise [our] heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16, NLT). Which fits nicely with our vision, “To Be a light to the Emerald Coast and beyond.”
Blessings,
Alan
Click Here to read this week's Faith Notes.
Alan Cassady serves as Senior Pastor at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2011. When he's not preaching and teaching, he enjoys sci-fi movies and FSU Football. Read more about Alan here.
Drawing in my Bible
About a year or so ago, I stumbled upon this growing community of people who doodle, paint, sticker, and illustrate right in the pages of their Bible. I joined a Facebook group that was filled of people sharing their Biblical art. As I have watched, and attempted to learn myself, I have learned some things and thought I would share them with you.
Bible Journaling is About Expression Not Perfection
Acrylic Paint Scraping and Stickers
So, I'll just say that I am not a very good artist. I can't draw at all. So, I do a lot of tracing and such. As a perfectionist, I love that it isn't about making something perfect, but trying to find ways to express the scripture passage in a way that speaks to me. Sometimes things come out the way they are in my head and sometimes they don't. In the end, it's the interaction with the art and the scripture passage that matter. Art has been used as a form of worship for centuries. This is a new way to take art to a personal level.
I Can't Compare My Art to Someone Else
Stamps and Watercolor Pencils
Worship is between me and God. When I am singing, I can't compare myself to someone else. The same is true when it comes to Biblical art (or any other form of art). The key for something being worship is us doing it for God, not others. As I watched people in the Facebook group I was in, I watched them struggle with not getting caught up with the approval of others. There is a difference in being encouraged by others and seeking people's affirmation. When we worship God, we only seek his affirmation.
It's a Learning Process
Pencil Tracing, Acrylic Paint Scraping, and White Pen
Every page I do is an opportunity to learn. On the last Friday of every month we gather together to learn new ways to interact with art and the scriptures through an instructional video then practice the techniques. When you do something for the first time, you're going to make mistakes. That's ok. It's a learning process. Learning what works for you, what you like, and what you don't like is what make things unique. Everyone has their own style and personality and that come out in art. Click Here to see what we are learning right now.
Vellum Printed by Computer Inserted in Bible
We have created a Navarre Facebook community for sharing and encouraging one another in the journaling of worshiping through Biblical art. If you're interested in getting started, or want to connect with others who love it, then join us. We're small, but everyone is enjoying learning this next form or worship and scripture interaction.
Happy Drawing!
Faith
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
Guard Your Heart
My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body.
Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.
Proverb 4:20-27, NLT
I'm going to make a confession, don't tell anyone. I can be a bit...emotional at times. There, I've said it. And the truth is, I'm not ashamed of feeling. I'm not ashamed of feeling joy, or sadness; anger or love. God created all of these emotions. But, have you ever noticed how much the world wants us to lock up our emotions and just walk around like we don't feel? They want us to be robots who aren't affected by anything. Everyone wants us to be tough and wear armor that is unpenetrable.
So, I'm going to make another confession. I like to watch Once Upon a Time. The first season was the best, but they've hooked me. What I've noticed about the show is the over arching theme of "the heart". All of the character, the heroes and the villains, are trying to either save or protect their hearts. There are even characters who can enchant hearts and use them to control another person.
I feel like this them is much like our world today. Emma Swan, the show's savior, learns in an episode that she needs to find a way to have armor to protect herself from the world, from being hurt emotionally. She uses her red leather jacket as that armor. It seems so silly that a piece of clothing could protect her emotionally.
The proverb above says that we should allow God to protect us and guard our hearts. We don't prevent ourselves from feeling or loving, we just give it all to him and he will keep us safe. I hope you'll join me in worship on Sunday as we talk about how we can take this idea further and finish our series "Never Again."
In Christ,
Faith
Click Here to download this week's Faith Notes.
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
Explain These Bad Grades
by Ned Martin's Amused
Most of the comics that are shared on social media are good just for wasting time or just for a quick laugh. But every once in a while there’s one that sticks with you. I have no idea when I first saw at the above comic of a side by side comparisons from 1969 and today.
On the 1969 side, there is a student looking down in shame while his parents and his teacher are on the other side of the desk telling the kid “Explain these bad grades.”
On the today side, the parents are on the kid’s side of the desk and are angrily asking the teacher to “Explain these bad grades” while the kid is wearing a pretty confident smile.) While I never had to explain bad grades, I still know that if I did have any, I would be doing the explaining to my parents, not my teacher. I can’t verify how accurate this comic is to the 1969 side, but the today side is fairly accurate for most parents.
While this is a great insight into the educational system, it also gives us a lot of insight into the church discipleship system as well. Often people will hold the pastor or church staff responsible for their spiritual problems, or to be more true to the comic and my ministry focus, the spiritual problems of their children. “My kid is struggling with x, so you should do more lessons on x so that they know how to deal with x.” And while the “x” is meant to be a stand-in for any number of issues, it also applies to the drug x which isn’t too far off from a real conversation I've had with a parent before.
Grades and Church
While that particular example might sound absurd, maybe this example will sound more realistic to you. “My kid doesn’t like coming to church, can you do something so that they want to come?” I’ve heard everything from giving away iPods, bringing in more kids their age, buying giant inflatables, to bringing in a Super Bowl MVP (seriously) to make a particular student want to come to church.
I don’t know how many variations of this I’ve heard, but every time I’m conflicted. On the one hand here is a parent who cares about their kid coming to church who has come to me asking for help (which is part of what I’m supposed to be doing). But here’s the other hand… They are trying to outsource their responsibility to someone else. They are setting the precedent that you only go to church to get an iPod, or because your friends are going, or because of whatever else that isn’t Jesus.
We all have the same goal in mind, we want students to have an authentic relationship with Jesus. The difference is the responsibility is actually with the student, not with a church staff or even ultimately with the parents. Just like in school, each person has their own responsibilities. The teacher/church staff person is there to give the students the tools they need to learn and to apply knowledge to their life. Parents are responsible for making sure their student shows up, making sure they are dedicating enough time to learn what they need, and helping the students where they have questions.
The students are the ones ultimately responsible for what they learn. They have to put the time in to learn what they need. The quadratic formula doesn’t just appear in your head because your math book sits on your night stand anymore than atonement theories pop in your head because you have a Bible on your shelf. In the end it’s a collaborative effort where the best results occur when all parts work together, but parents will have the biggest impact on their kids spiritual lives.
-Nathan
Nathan Persell serves as our Youth Director. When he's not leading devotions and playing basketball with teenagers, he enjoys disc golf and bike riding. Learn more about Nathan here.