Stewing Is Not Praying
A seasoned couple once had a quarrel. It was over a trivial matter, but their clash had not blown over. There was a sense of dis-ease in the air as they did the dishes in silence.
Afterwards, the husband retreated to the den to read the newspaper. The wife marched upstairs to their bedroom and slammed the door. She could be heard pacing the floor of the room above, and her voice on the telephone was animated and punctuated with statements like, “And then I told him…” and “Then he said…”
When the husband finally retired to their bedroom some hours later, his wife glared at him from the bathroom. After a few minutes of awkward shuffling, she said:
“Well, I’ve been praying all night long, and…”
The man interrupted her and said, “Now honey, I am sorry. I misspoke earlier and then I made it worse when I denied it. So there. But as for you praying all night long, let’s be clear on this: you weren’t praying. You were stewing.”
Praying is not stewing. If it was, our righteousness would outshine the sun.
Let’s face it, stewing is far more enjoyable than praying. When we stew on something, we replay an event over and over in our heads. We write a verbatim of our conversations. We craft the perfect script of our encounters. Our responses are pitch-perfect in our recreated histories. They benefit from hindsight and we are never at fault.
This, brothers and sisters, is not prayer.
Sometimes, we’re not able to showcase our talents, so we replay the hurts or sleights that we experienced in a never-ending loop. Like getting pleasure from pressing a bruise, we revisit the pain and feel justified in feeling sorry for ourselves.
This, brothers and sisters, is not prayer.
And then there are the moments when we can’t help but to talk about it with someone else. This tends to escalate the issue, doesn’t it? But at this point, we’re okay with the heightened state of anxiety because we’ve been able to highlight to others how we’ve done no wrong.
This, brothers and sisters, is not prayer.
Finally, we turn things over in our heads with such frequency that the experience feels burned into our souls. We worry, we fret, we stress; all with the intention of making sense of circumstances that somehow feel beyond our control.
This too, brothers and sisters, is not prayer.
It’s stewing. It’s running in place. It’s suspending progress in favor of the past.
In the Gospels, Jesus encourages us to avail ourselves of prayer so that we can be honest and transparent with God. Jesus teaches us to depend on God, to pray for others, and to pray that we might have the strength to do as God commands.
If that’s what prayer is, then let’s acknowledge that it’s hard work. It’s hard work because our faithful prayers often devolve into fantasies—fantasies about things that we wish would have been different in our past, and fantasies of things we desire for the future. When this happens—when our prayers become our stewing—our strength is sapped, and our souls are soured. And this is not what God wants for us.
Paul’s statements that we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and in all things (Philippians 4:6) lend themselves to a kind of stream of consciousness experience. And while that may be well and fine, let’s hear this cautionary note: God is not our journal. God is not our diary. God is on the other line, so to speak.
Our thoughts and our musings, our reflections and our deliberations become prayers when they invite God to change and transform us. Our prayers transcend our stewings when we selflessly consider God’s will—not God’s providence, mind you—but God’s desire for His Kingdom.
In this way, prayer looks like Jesus in the Garden. He honestly shares his desire, but he ultimately chooses God’s desire.
May we have the strength to spend more time on the latter, rather than the former. Because, when our prayers focus on our desires, we’re just stewing.
Whiffle Ball Derby Winner
Congratulations to our home run derby winner, Andrew Beck! In second place was Zeb Mathis, and in third place, Weston Thompson. Thanks to everyone who came out to our end-of-summer picnic at East LaPorte!
Following the God Who Comes Up Alongside Us
“We are travelers on a journey, fellow pilgrims on the road.” *
Beginning this week, the road that I will be venturing down will be to Buies Creek and Campbell University Divinity School. I am beginning the second year of my studies in their Doctorate of Ministry program.
My journey will be a three-year experience. It will culminate in the project—or experiment—that I will conduct in the Fall of 2019. I will write about the results of this Doctoral project and will defend it in the Spring of 2020. All of my classwork, independent study and research these first two years of my program will prepare me for my project, where I will invite our church members to participate in a study that will test the power and efficacy of Celtic Spiritual Practices in the life of our faith community.
“We are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.” *
The story of the two disciples who encounter the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24 features prominently in my studies. I am drawn to this moment in the post-resurrection narrative because it carries such honesty and hope for fellow travelers on the road of faith. You may recall that the two pilgrims in Luke’s Gospel had been followers of Jesus until he had been crucified in Jerusalem. They were once insiders in the Jesus-movement, but the reader learns that they had given up and are returning home to Emmaus. The travelers are grieving the loss of their leader and in the one they hoped would be their Messiah. They are disappointed and downtrodden. Unbeknownst to these two pilgrims, Christ comes up and joins them on their trip. He speaks truth to them and becomes the way for them to understand the greater story of God’s love for His people. The story culminates with the revelation that the person who has been traveling with them is none other than Jesus, himself. This epiphany moves them—literally—and they spring up to race back to tell the Twelve in Jerusalem what they had experienced firsthand.
This story will form the Biblical foundation for my project. The travelers’ journey, their destination and their walk together with Christ is the framework for my experiment for I believe that both the Way and the Place in faith matters.
This semester, I will take another step down this path. My time in Buies Creek will be limited this fall as most of my work transitions to independent study. The class that I am taking at Campbell this fall is “Social Context of Ministry in Today’s World” and will focus on the discipline of pastoral care. The other class that I am taking--my independent study--will be made up of research and personal experimentation with the Celtic distinctive called Anam Cara. Anam Cara—or “one who shares the cell”—was the practice of soul friendship in ancient Ireland and was the way in which faithful Christians shared their lives with one another. Anam Cara was the way in which they provided encouragement, support and accountability to fellow believers.
“I will hold the Christ-light for you in the nighttime of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.” *
I cannot do this journey alone. And because of your love, support and encouragement along the way, First Baptist Church, I haven’t had to. I am so very grateful for your presence with me and our family while we walk this path. You have provided me with space to ask the deeper questions of our faith while making yourselves available to learn alongside me. Thank you for blessing this journey. I pray that my discoveries will be a blessing to you, to our church and to others who are striving to be faithful along the Way.
“I will share your joy and sorrow, till we’ve seen this journey thro. When we sing to God in heaven, we shall find such harmony. Born of all we’ve known together of Christ’s love and agony.” *
* ”The Servant Song” was written by Richard Gillard and is featured in the Baptist Hymnal, hymn number 613.
New Offering Envelopes
We have new offering envelopes! These envelopes can be used for regular tithing or for special giving, and they're not dated so they can be used at any time! Please remember when using these envelopes to fill out the name, address, and what the offering is for before turning it in.
Envelopes can be picked up in your Sunday School classroom, or in the foyer of the church sanctuary. Feel free to take as many as you need. If you still have old envelopes, please try to use those up first!
Teachers at All Ages and Stages
"I'm very thankful for our volunteer teachers at the Ready for School Program, a literacy based program for refugee preschoolers and their parents which helps prepare them to enter U.S. schools. Between the four classes in Fort Worth, we touched the lives of 100 refugee families this past year. Our volunteers are from all ages and stages of life and lovingly give their time to invest in the lives of refugee families. To these families they are all 'teacher' as they learn colors, numbers, shapes and skills they will need to begin school. A big thank you to all the teachers as we begin another school year. Please pray for our volunteers and families as the new school year beings, and pray that we have even more volunteer teachers this year."
- Karen Morrow, CBF field personnel in Fort Worth, Texas
Adult Bible Study
Join us for a new Adult Bible Study, "When the Path Becomes Dark", beginning Wednesday, August 22nd at 6:00 PM in our Mission and Fellowship Center.
Sylva 1st Wednesday Evening Programs Begins August 22
Your family is invited to come and take part in our Sylva 1st Wednesday evening programs. There is something for everyone! Our Wednesday night programs will resume on August 22. Supper will be provided (youth and children eat for FREE!) at 5:30 PM followed at 6:00 PM by Mission Friends for Pre-K and Kindergarten and our SHINE ministry for grades 1-6. 7th – 12th Graders will participate in Youth Group and programs designed for their age level.
Fun Times together!
SHINE, for grades 1-6, includes children’s choir, drama class and a liturgical dance class. The “SHINE” ministry is designed to help children learn to actively participate in worship through these disciplines. These groups assist in leading worship on Sunday morning from time to time as a part of their spiritual development. This is a time packed full of fellowship and working together to learn how we praise God through different elements of worship, with the focus on music, drama, creative movement and art.
Mission Friends is a time for our Pre-K and kindergarteners to learn about how Christians are spreading God’s word around the globe and in our own country. They will learn to pray for these missionaries and find ways that they can help with some of those ministries. It is an opportunity for them to learn and take part in supporting mission efforts around the world.
Learning with friends
After supper, Youth in grades 7-12 will participate in Youth Group which includes Bible Study, creative worship, game nights, discipleship, and chances to participate in ministry to others. All this is designed to build community and provide spiritual growth for those in their teen years. This time is informal, and questions are encouraged. The teen years are a time of searching and becoming the adults they will be. A safe place to ask questions about faith and spiritual growth is essential as they grow in their own walks with Christ.
Wrapping presents for a Christmas project
And, of course, there is also an Adult Bible Study which meets in the Mission and Fellowship Center immediately following our prayer time at 6:00 PM. Our Bible Study provides parents and other adults a chance to go deeper into scripture, searching out the truths that shape our faith. There is truly something for everyone in the family!
We invite you to make this time a priority for your family as we grow together as a community of faith!
Mission Education for Children & Youth Begins on August 22 at 4:30 PM!
Mission education for our school aged children and youth begins at 4:30. R.A.s (Royal Ambassadors) is for boys in grades 1-6 and G.A.s (Girls in Action) is for girls grades 1-6. Like our Mission friends, they will be learning how to pray for and support missionaries at home and abroad. These groups also engage in activities that allow them to participate in missions through local projects and collecting money and supplies for missionaries in other places.
At the same 4:30 time slot, the youth participate in their own mission education experince. Through Acteens or Youth on Mission, youth grades 7-12 learn about our mission endeavors, and how to pray for our missionaries. They will also actively participate in mission projects both local and around our state.
End of Summer Picnic at East LaPorte
Our end-of-summer picnic will be at East LaPorte Park on August 26th starting at 4:00 PM! Please bring food for your family plus some to share for our pot-luck meal. We will be swimming and playing whiffle ball as well!