tlamarca.com

Learning Prayer and Holiness

tlamarca — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:42:49 +0000

…Commitments are made, habits are formed, and battles are fought against a real enemy…

That quote from J.I. Packer has stuck with me ever since I read it five days ago. He was writing about how prayer and holiness are learned. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we do not automatically know how to pray, and our lives do not immediately appear to be holy. Instead, we must learn holiness and how to pray through experience. It’s difficult to know how to pray for something that you’ve never experienced. If you’ve never personally experienced healing, it can be difficult to pray for healing with the same faith and passion as someone who has experienced it first hand. In the same way, we do not learn how to live our lives differently until we start living our lives differently. Holiness is learned as we experience it.

This commitment I have made to read, journal, and pray every day is a new thing I am learning. It’s difficult. I’ve made the commitment, and habits are beginning to form. I wrote in my journal five days ago that I don’t think I’m ready to battle a tea enemy, but the truth is that I am in the midst of that battle every day. I neglected my commitment three days in a row this week, and I could tell by the way I was acting and feeling, that it made a difference. Here is an unedited excerpt from my journal entry yesterday, showing the third part of learning prayer and holiness.

Like I said 4 days ago, missing a day easily snowballs into missing so much more for me. In the midst of missing my “devotion” time, I’ve found it to be more difficult to resist temptation and fight the lies of Satan with Truth.

Lies that I hear:

God doesn’t really care about what I do.

My actions won’t hurt anyone.

I am only human. Failure is inevitable.

My responsibilities are not as important as getting some rest.

It doesn’t matter what I do.

Nobody cares about me.

Do you see how it’s a real battle? I’m sure many people have heard those same lies. Some of you might even be hearing more difficult lies right now. How are battles like this won? By the power of Christ. That power flows through prayer, but how do we pray? It starts with trusting the promises of God.

Promise-trusting faith is indeed at the center of the Biblical prayer pattern. – J.I. Packer

Since I had finished 1-3 John, it was time to move to another book of the Bible. I was encouraged when I came to a promise to trust in my prayer time.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. – 1 Peter 2:25 (ESV)

I thanked God, The Shepherd and Overseer of my soul, for accepting me with unconditional love. He does care about me. I am redeemed by the blood of The Perfect Lamb of God. He has surrounded me with a family and a community that care about me. He will never leave me, even in the midst of my struggles. The prince of lies has no power over me or my family. At the mention of the name of Jesus Christ, he flees. ”Battles are fought against a real enemy,” but my power comes from the One who has already overcome. My victory is in Jesus Christ.

Still Working On It

tlamarca — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:57:22 +0000

So my plan has been to wake up early to spend 30 minutes in Scripture, devotions, journaling, and prayer. It has been two days and I still have not been able to get myself out of bed early. I’ve still accomplished my 30 minute goal later in the day on both occasions, but I am getting frustrated with my morning routine. I tried going to bed earlier, but I am such a snooze addict that it hasn’t helped. Maybe I should revisit the routine that I tried to start a while ago. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I would probably sleep all day if given the opportunity.

In my devotional for today, J.I Packer writes about going back to the old ways where God used to work in my life. Sometimes new alternatives are nothing but empty wells. While I want to apply that here, I know that I cannot. I want to experience God on a deeper level than I ever have in the past and I think it starts with a new well (this 30 minute commitment). I’m not worried yet about my failure to wake up early, but I do hope to overcome that hurdle soon.

Even though I have continued in my habit of snoozing, the time I’ve spent in The Word and devotions has been great the past couple days. It’s not like the time I made a resolution to get through the entire Bible in a year. I am actually growing and seeing where I need to apply what I am reading to my life. I think if I could actually do this first thing in the morning, it would affect how my days turn out.

As I journal, some of what I write will end up here on the blog while other writings will remain in my new journal. Today I want to share part of my prayer in response to 1 John 2.

Show me Your ways Lord. Teach me to turn to You in the face of distraction and temptation. Guide my heart back to You when I falter. I want display Your holiness and be wholly Yours.

Theme For The Year

tlamarca — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:49:06 +0000

I keep hearing people talking about their “word for the year”. It’s a lot like having a resolution, but more general. Some say they want to be more patient or productive. Some want to focus on worship while others want to be more obedient or disciplined. Although we’ve done this together as the staff of a church, I’ve never done it personally. Some of that probably has to do with my aversion to new years resolutions. I think my longest resolution lasted just over a month.

The more I thought about it this year, the more I felt like I could do a word for the coming year. A song that I haven’t heard in a while came on the radio yesterday morning and as I listened to it, I began to feel like it could be my theme song for the coming year. David Crowder’s Wholly Yours opens with lyrics describing the depravity of man juxtaposed against holiness of God. The introduction of grace leads to a chorus that declares God as holy. Continuing through the second verse and chorus there is more imagery of God’s majesty and grace, and then we come to the turn. The bridge takes a turn that connects the grace of God to the depravity of man; “Your grandness in me, making me clean.” After worshipping through a third chorus, the lyrics turn once again. Instead of wanting to be holy like God, the desire turns to be wholly His.

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Anyone who has worked in a church knows that it does not automatically bring you to a point of full devotion to God. It can be easy to fall into a pattern of spiritual complacency and routines. I don’t want to be there anymore. In meeting with my mentor yesterday, he recommended 30 minutes of reading scripture and/or a devotional, journaling, and prayer. It starts today with waking up early. I can spend 30 minutes in the morning, six days per week on that. I’m sure after a few weeks, it won’t even feel like a sacrifice anymore.

10 minutes of reading through scripture and a devotional.
10 minutes of journaling either here on the blog or in a pen and paper journal.
10 minutes of prayer that will likely be guided by the scripture and journaling over time.

It’s not a resolution. I’m just acting on a desire to be wholly His this year. It starts today.

Zeitgeist 2011

tlamarca — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:59:31 +0000

Google's Global Fastest Rising Searches, 2011

It’s always interesting to me to see what the world has searched for over the past year. Google has done a great job in the past years of showing that information through their Zeitgeist, and this year is no different. From the fastest rising searches to the fastest falling, it’s interesting to see what people wanted to know about the most and what they stopped caring about this past year.

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If you’re like me, you had a few “Oh yeah, I remember that,” moments as you watched the Google Zeitgeist video.

I didn’t really spend a huge amount of time online this past year. I should probably rephrase that. I didn’t spend a huge amount of time online via my computer over the past year. Most of my online ventures have been through my iPhone, and I didn’t really do a whole lot of searching. I mostly followed links that my friends sent me, checked up on Facebook and Twitter, and researched technologies that I could implement at work. Other than that, I did some blogging, shopping, and the occasional directional help via Google Maps or Waze.

How did you spend most of your “online” time this past year?
Did the search trends from the Zeitgeist match up with your search tendencies?

A New Chapter

tlamarca — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Over the past few years, the idea of becoming a consultant or at least doing some consulting work has come up in conversations I’ve had with friends, coworkers, and even some of my bosses. Every time it had been nothing more than a fleeting thought for me, and I continued on with what I do, sometimes complaining about my vocational status along the way. It’s not that I didn’t think I had the knowledge to do it, I just didn’t know where to start. Beyond that, I was afraid. Nothing is scarier than venturing out into the unknown. Why do you think most kids are afraid of the dark?

My mix tapes always had Bryan Adams and/or Goo Goo Dolls. How about yours?

Just a few months ago, the topic came up once again and I started to give it some serious thought. Church production has been my full-time job for the past 5 years, but it would not be a stretch to say that I’ve been doing it to some extent for the past 16 years. Over that time, I’ve seen technology change. Transparency projectors have been replaced by edge-blended HD video walls, iTunes Podcasts have taken the place of cassette tapes (I don’t think my kids have ever seen one), and bigger sanctuaries have been passed by in favor of smaller video venues closer to where people live.

While the technology has changed significantly, the message has not. It has been my role to find ways to use the current technology available to help the Gospel reach as many people as possible. I’ve been a part of everything from creating an atmosphere through video and lighting that helps people let down their guard and engage in worship to recording and playing sermons as big as life in other campuses where you almost forget you’re watching a video. I understand the technology that is out there, and I’m always learning the new stuff that is coming out. I know how to take systems that are in place and make them achieve more.

Beyond having a technical mindset and a natural ability to solve problems to get the most out equipment, I also have a strong artistic side and the perspective of a worship leader. I’ve been a worship leader just as long as I’ve been in the production world. This experience gives me the ability to better relate to worship leaders and pastors. I have an understanding of what they are looking for and I understand the technology and work it takes to make it happen.

Over the past month, I have been approached with three opportunities that could kickstart a possible church consulting business. So over the next few months I plan to help these churches out and get an idea of how this consulting thing might work. Hopefully I can combine what I do there with what I’ve done at my home church to create a nice portfolio for myself. I’ve already got web space for WorshipVenues Consulting (which looks a lot like my new online business card), and to have a portfolio there would help me establish myself in the world of church consulting.

Thank You

tlamarca — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:45:21 +0000

Sometimes it’s hard for me to say thank you. I encourage my children to say thank you at every appropriate time, but I myself fail at it often. I’ve been getting better at this recently, but sometimes the little things that people do for me happen without recognition. To all of you whom I’ve failed to thank, I’m sorry.

While I sometimes forget to say thank you for little things, I would like to think that I don’t miss the big things. I was recently given a check to get my kids the things that they really wanted for Christmas. I was sure to thank that person a few times, and was probably on the verge of becoming annoying. Then there are times when gifts are given anonymously. There was a season when my family would receive anonymous gifts in the form of gift cards to the local grocery store quite often. The timing was almost always perfect in that season, and we were always grateful to God because we had no one else to thank.

That season of nearly regular anonymous gifts is behind us now, but two weeks ago I was handed a card that had that familiar “cushion” to it. I was told that I was not allowed to know who the card was from, and I didn’t press to find out. I knew that it was our needs being met once again, and although it was meant to bless my family, my need was much greater. I needed to refocus on God, and the gift of His Son. He’s the whole reason we celebrate this season.

If I had known who gave us that gift, I would have thanked them and moved on. Instead I was almost angry because I didn’t have someone to thank. I didn’t want to thank God because I didn’t want to accept that He was providing for my family once again. Over the past month, I have been working (or at least trying to work) two jobs to just that; provide for my family. I didn’t stop to thank God for the financial gift He gave us from a friend, so He blessed us again through an unnamed person.

This week, I started to realize that my attempt to provide for my family under my own power is futile. No matter how much money I make, there are always more bills or things to buy. I can’t provide everything for my family on my own no matter how much I try.

As someone who works at a church, it might seem odd that I would have issues in trusting God, but I do at times. I thought I was trusting Him by hoping that my wife would be hired at one of the two places where she interviewed for a new job. Hope is not the same as trust. God will provide a better working environment for her and maybe even a higher salary. I trust that He will provide the right place, and I’m not just hoping that she’s hired for the next position that opens up. I thought I was trusting God when I found a second job. I was saying that I trusted Him enough to provide a second job for me, but I was thinking that I needed to work more to provide instead of trusting His provision.

I’m sorry God, that I did not fully trust You. Thank You for providing for me and my family. And to whomever gave us that card, thank you for your gift, and more importantly for turning my eyes back to God and His provision.

Joe Paterno

tlamarca — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:38:51 +0000

I find it interesting how the status of a person can elevate them above consequences in the minds of their supporters. The news of Joe Paterno losing his job sparked riots in State College. To his supporters involved in the riots, Paterno is not culpable for anything in regards to the scandal that has flooded media outlets this past week. I don’t know if they feel that he fulfilled his duty in the matter, or that his actions (or lack there of) are not that big of a deal, but it seems that they are more worried about who’s going to coach Penn State football than the lives that have been affected by what has happened.

I do believe in forgiveness, mercy, and grace. I also believe in submission to authority. There is a time and place to stand up to authority, but this is not one of them. I’ve worked with students to some degree for fifteen years. If I had ever known about the abuse of any of those students, or even thought that abuse might be happening, my first step would be to inform my leaders. I would also be responsible for notifying Child Line (an 800 number for reporting suspected child abuse in Pennsylvania). Reporting abuse of any kind to Child Line is mandated for anyone who works with children in the state of Pennsylvania. According to The Child Line website, when a call is placed to Child Line the caller is guided through the next steps to take:

Each call is answered by a trained intake specialist who will interview the caller to determine the most appropriate course of action. Actions include forwarding a report to a county agency for investigation as child abuse or general protective services, forwarding a report directly to law enforcement officials or refer the caller to local social services (such as counseling, financial aid and legal services).

Allowing wrongdoing to continue is sometimes just as bad as doing it yourself. To simply tell your boss about child abuse and not follow through to ensure proper action is taken is to neglect moral and possibly legal responsibilities. To see so many people wanting to pardon Paterno for the sake of a game sickens me. Where is our culture headed?

Patience

tlamarca — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:26:50 +0000

I remain confident of this
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

Am I being patient? I have not learned to wait on the LORD. I have an idea of what my general calling is, but am still trying to discern my specific calling. Any time I’ve had an idea of what my specific calling might be, I’ve chased after it instead of being still and waiting on God. I have a burning desire inside of me to do certain things in ministry, but when I try to quench those desire I tend to get stuck and fall back to where I was before.

I need to learn to stop and listen before acting. Just because God has put a desire in my heart does not mean it is the right time to act on that desire. I am beginning to find contentment in the place where I am right now. It wasn’t long ago that I was looking for any possible way to move on from it. While my desires have not been quenched, I have noticed that they have changed slightly over the past few years. I don’t know if that is a result of failing so many times before or a thread of maturity, but I do know that my desires seem to burn differently now.

Learning to wait is difficult. I think that any time I get tired of waiting, I end up having to wait even longer. My life is like a kid learning to fish. I wait for a while, and when I don’t catch anything, I reel in the line and cast again. Eventually my cast get closer together until I’m no longer waiting at all. As the day comes to a close, I have yet to catch a fish, but I’ll be back the next day and the next.

How long must I wait? At least as long as it takes me to hear. Maybe I should be learning to listen instead of learning to wait.