Signal Flares

One of the apps on my phone sent me a “Signal Flare” email because my battery was getting low. If the battery completely died, the phone couldn’t respond to requests to locate it was lost. So, just before it died, the Lookout app set me a map of where my phone was getting ready to go dark.

In the movie Life of Pi, Pi shoots flares from his raft in a vain attempt to be noticed and rescued by a passing ship. He falls into dispair as the ship doesn’t notice his flying fire trails and continues on its course.

Too bad we don’t have an app that automatically senses when we are low on resources and sends out a flare for help. An alert to others when we are in danger of not getting home on our own power.

Some folks use social media as a flare for friends, updating their status on Facebook or tweeting about their hard day. All those “copy and post this” are flares to see if anyone sees them. 

Cell phones, even before they had GPS directions, were used by the lost to find guidance. (In my family, folks have been known to call ask a relative to “walk with them” to their goal via their computer with Google Street View!)

An old school way of social connection is church participation. More times than not, a new person coming to worship, especially after a long absence, recently has experienced some trama or crisis in their life. Will anyone see him at church? Will God see her? 

Hope you notice the flares sent up around you, and change course to bring the lost and alone back on board. I also pray that when you are sending up flares, someone helps walk you home.

Old Time Religion

Here is my first recorded sermon. I was asked to preach at Carol McDonald’s installation as Associate Synod Executive. Scripture readers include Lucia Bamgardner (sp?) and Sue Whitford. Thanks to Jay Hudson for running the video (He was NOT expecting the preacher to move!)  Enjoy!

Does Praying for Fun Count?

What two things do millions of people spend time doing and convincing others to do that many think is a waste of time? Vote and Pray.

Steve Levitt on the Freakonomics podcast of October 25th talks about voting turns around the idea that a person’s vote doesn’t make a difference. He argues people vote not to make a difference in the election result, but because it is fun.

…most people understand that their vote doesn’t really matter for the election, which is exactly why I said it’s only the not so smart people who vote because they’re actually going to influence the election. I think the reason most people vote, and the reason I occasionally vote is that it’s fun. It’s fun to vote, it’s expressive, and it’s a way to say the kind of person you are,…

What are your reasons for praying? Is it to effect the outcome of an event or to make a difference in the world? Here is an article reviewing some studies on the effectiveness of prayer on recovery from illness. It examines a lot of assumptions made by the studies, but doesn’t question that the purpose of prayer is to make a difference in outcome of events, in these cases, healing from surgery.

Four hundred years ago Francois de Fenelon taught that “Time spent in prayer is never wasted.” I like to tell folks that prayer is time spent with God. Understood this way a prayer is not a question to be answered, a magic method of control of events, or a vote for change. Prayer expresses the kind of person you are, one who spends time with God.

A prayerful life is not measured by how many things prayer changed, but by how the life which spent time in prayer was changed. Experiment with backing off the scientific approach to prayer, which measures results and keeps track of “answered prayer”. Instead be mindful of what kind of person you are when you are a person who prays, who spends time with God. Express what kind of person you are by voting for God by praying.

Matthew 6:5-6

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989
by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

How To Get Your Wish

Some rights reserved by AndiH  

Blind Bartimaeus and Mark 10:46-52 inform a message about “How To Get Your Wish”. Here’s some recommendations given in the message:

Be Present

Be Praying

Be Persistent

Be Prepared

Be Personal

Click to listen to the message given by me at the church I serve at Goodyear Heights Presbyterian Church, in Akron, Ohio on October 28, 2012

Listen to Make A Wish Come True

My Favorite Olympic Video Spoof

My daughter claims she was embarrassed when I performed this Olympic homage at the community pool in the late eighties….

From the Google Video description: Harry Shearer’s masterpeice on the art of Synchro swimming, featuring Martin Short and Christopher Guest.