http://virb.com/jfhey2 Virb 2.0 (@jfhey2) en http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/3031729 Thu, 21 May 2009 13:44:18 -0700 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/3031729 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/2582892 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:13:06 -0700 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/2582892 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2575296 Prayer 101: Gurus, Pictures & Habits? Prayer...so easy and yet so hard... I believe that prayer is the most important of all the spiritual assignments. There is no relationship of Christian faith without prayer. Prayer is our primary mode of communication with the God who loves us and wants us to finish well. The assignment of prayer should be easy enough--after all most of us were taught how to pray at an early age. Do you remember this prayer…Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take? Do you remember learning the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples—Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hollowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever? During the in-between-time of learning those two common prayers we can sometime pick up some bad habits and pictures of prayer. Habits like HOLY HUDDLE PRAYER—prayer that not of this world in a bad way. Holy Huddle Prayer folks only use the AUTHORIZED King James language and angelic words. It’s a prayer time so beautiful and so holy that the angels in heaven bend near the earth to play their harps of gold. The second bad habit and picture we can pick up is COSMIC SANTA CALUS PRAYER—a prayer method that consist of figuratively standing in line to sit on God’s lap and get a picture taken so one can ask for a whole bunch of stuff. The picture is that of A GIANT VENDING MACHINE—you say a prayer, pull the lever and get whatever you want. The third bad prayer habit and picture is the SPIRITUAL-HIT & MISS PRAYER. It’s the prayer of a spiritually flabby Christian that hopes that a little cardio training here and there will get them get back in shape. They head to the local spiritual fitness center and do a little prayer workout and feel better—that is until they realize that hit and miss prayer with its starts and stop is way to hard to sustain and they just give up. The picture is of an UNUSED TREADMILL that takes up space in the basement—the perfect image of broken promises and yesterday’s dreams. I think we need some new prayer habits and pictures. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some great prayer gurus in my life. Somewhere between my Now I lay me down to sleep… & …Our Father Who Art in Heaven prayers God allowed some mentors—some prayer gurus if you will, into my life to help me trade some bad habits and pictures for some good ones. I’ve learned three lessons from my prayer gurus that have helped me form some new habits and pictures for prayer. My 1st Prayer Guru Mr. Andy My 6th grade Sunday school teacher: taught me that prayer is a conversation with a Father who loves me. He likened prayer to a conversation between a dad and his son at the kitchen table. Doesn’t sound very profound. In fact it's ordinary and that's the point. The Kitchen table is not like the fancy dinning room table that I could never go near when I was a kid—because it had the fine china that was rarely used. You know, the fine china that eventually gets passed down to the next generation s they can hardly use it too. The kitchen table at our house is where life is lived. It’s the art table…the bill paying table…the homework table and the all-purpose everything place. The kitchen table is so important that it has changed the design of most houses because most families hang out at the kitchen table. Our prayer should be comfortable, messy, warm and inviting like that kitchen table. Mr. Andy taught me that God loves me and no matter what my relationship was with my human father there was a heavenly dad that wanted to communicate with me—one who loves it when I pulled up a seat at the kitchen table just to talk. There is no need for Holy Huddle Prayers at the kitchen table. You can just be yourself—you can just share what on your heart and then listen to the wisdom of the ONE who care for and loves you. You can swap your holy huddle harp for the God of the kitchen table. My 2nd Prayer Guru Russell Metcalfe my college pastor: taught me that the Lord’s Prayer is not just a one-way communiqué of my needs but rather a pattern for communicating with the Creator of the universe who wants to be in an intimate relationship with me. Pastor Metcalfe changed my view of the Lord’s Prayer from a rote recited prayer to a pattern for real communication with God. He taught me that the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, once properly prayed can move us beyond a God-relationship based upon shopping list grabs and the give-me—give-me’s. The reality is that allot of people treat God and prayer like Santa Claus and a Christmas list. You know a prayer relationship where you go to the mall, pay for a picture, sit on a lap and then do the big ask. The Santa Claus prayer relationship is based upon your performance so if you’ve been a good little boy or girl you get your wish. A more mature picture might be that of a vending machine. Your prayer is like money—you put your money in the machine (God) and then you select your desired treat and there’s hell to pay if you don’t get what you paid for. The Lord’s prayer moves us beyond a vending machine relationship of prayer and into the realization that God knows what we need before we ask. Let me give you another picture of prayer. The picture is that of a shelter—a place that covers the whole of our lives. The shelter calls us out of the weather of life and into the protection of the God who never fails. The Lords prayer presents a pattern that gives God his proper place in our world, our reverence and our lives. The phrase--Our Father in Heaven, holy be your name help us to acknowledge God’s transcendence, holiness and sovereignty. Your kingdom come your will be done as in heaven so on earth, says, God, before we do the big ask we know that you do all things well so we submit our wants to your wisdom and will. The next three phrases give us, forgive us and lead us reminds us that we can bring God our NEEDS, FAILURES, and VULNERABILITIES. God knows us better then we know ourselves. God knows we need some basic things to survive. He knows we are human and that we blow it and need do-over’s and forgiveness. God also knows that without his protection and leadership we are vulnerable to the enemy of our souls plan to steal, kill and destroy. Our new prayer picture--the shelter invites us to come out of the weather and to depend on the God who is the Great I Am to meet our needs, direct or way and forgive our failures. So we can swap out our vending machines picture of prayer for the God who is a shelter in the time of storm. My 3rd Prayer Guru Mark Sanford, my college chaplain: taught me that an hour of prayer can change the world. He introduced a small group of pastoral ministry guys and I to a book entitled: Prayer the Hour that Changes the World. He challenged us to move beyond a hit and miss spiritual life of inconsistent prayer into a life reflective of the Apostle Paul’s admonition to pray without ceasing. He challenged me to include an hour of focused prayer in my daily spiritual exercise regime in order to keep spiritually fit. In an age of little self-discipline Mark challenged our little small group to go deep by becoming men of prayer. Mark knew that a hit and miss, start and stop prayer life becomes the stuff of dusty treadmills hidden in the backs of the closets. When prayer is just another fix that makes us feel good for a little while we miss the opportunity of a lifetime and then return tour old treadmill inconsistent ways until the next fix. We were created for a consistent life of relational prayer with our Creator. Once we embrace a 24/7 lifestyle of prayer the dusty outdated hit and miss treadmill prayer life will no longer due. So what the picture for this consistent prayer life? A good pair of walking or running shoes—you know, the kinds that are comfortable because they’ve been broken in. They’re the shoes that help you keep going when you feel like giving in and giving up on prayer. They’re the shoes that you put on everyday because they fit just right. So we trade our hit and miss treadmill prayer life in for a prayer life that fits like a comfortable pair of running shoes and we run the race set before us keeping our eyes fixed on the One who has already crossed the finish line before us. I love new pictures. Why? Because new pictures mean were still trying and haven’t given up. So go ahead trade your harp, vending machine and treadmill prayer life for the closeness of the kitchen table, the safety and security of a shelter in the time of storm and a pair of comfortable shoes that will keep you praying until he comes. GOT ANY NEW PRAYER PICTURES? -Jfhey2 ]]> Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:29:41 -0700 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2575296 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/2422237 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:10:38 -0700 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/2422237 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2422231 Jesus’ Journey: Assignments to Help You Finish Well Silence and Solitude 101 • The God of The Gentle Quiet Whisper Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire… I’ve been thinking… why is it so hard to embrace the spiritual assignments of silence and solitude? Silence and solitude seem like such easy assignments. All you have to do is be quiet and then push the easy button—“that was easy”. But as you probably know from experience practicing the disciplines of silence and solitude is not very easy at all—at least not for me. I think it because I grew up in the era of the BIG spectacular God—the God of the earthquake, the storm, the fire--the loud booming voice God. You know the God who makes his power known by mighty acts and deeds. The God who needs to make sure you know who you are and WHO HE IS! I don’t know where I was when the God of the gentle quiet whisper was introduced but I missed it. I must have skipped Sunday school that day. Somehow the God of the loud outshines the God of the quiet in my journey. Even as I type this blog entry in my bedroom with the door closed I can hear the sound of noise all around me. I hear the shower going in my children’s bathroom…the voice of my son Jae…the clothes dryer’s beeping at the end of a cycle and my wife getting ready for the day. In the quiet I can even hear the sound of my finger hitting the keys. I just can’t seem to escape the noise. Now, sometimes I can be the prime noisemaker because I’m a talker. Not only am I a talker but, I come from a long line of talkers and I live among a family of talkers. And since most talkers love to hear their own voice things can get a little loud at times. You should hear dinner conversations at the Heyward’s—with everyone trying to talk at the same time. And if the “symphonic talking” gift isn’t bad enough I have inherited and passed down to my kids Jasmine and Jae the “second blessing” gift of loud talking too. So we aren’t just talkers we are LOUD-talkers. I am sure that my wife’s continued move toward introversion is due in large part to her family of loud talkers. So how does a loud talker in a family of loud talkers practice the spiritual assignment of silence and solitude? Is it even possible to wade through the external and internal noise of life and find a place of silence and solitude? Are there any examples to emulate? If anyone had to wade through the noise and crowds in order to make time for silence and solitude it was Jesus. He constantly had to deal with the “noise” of crowds grabbing for his attention. But Jesus still knew it was important to get away, power down and spend quality time with the God of the gentle quite whisper. Jesus shows us by example how to get away with God. “As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.” Luke 4:16 The Message So how do we follow in the footsteps of Jesus—how do we learn the lessons of Jesus’ journey? Here are 3 easy steps to begin embracing the spiritual assignments of silence and solitude. 1. BE ALONE Dig out some time to be alone—steal some moments of silence solitude here and there. Maybe its after everyone else is in bed or before they get up. But try to find and protect some alone time. 2. BE QUIET Get rid of visual and auditory distractions turn off the radio, tv and computer. And just settle down with God. You don’t have to say anything sometime things are best not said wait on the Lord. Listen for him he’ll speak up 3. BE STILL The hardest thing to do sometime is to just be still. The Bible says that God’s word to us sometimes is just… “be still and know that I am God.” ….and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. When Elijah heard the quiet voice… I Kings 19: 11-13 The Message It’s amazing what you can hear from God when you practice silence and solitude by being alone, quiet and still. –Jfhey2 ]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:08:25 -0700 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2422231 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2259658 SABBATH GOD’S GIFT TO ME… The older I get the more I like the idea/promise/command of Sabbath. I exist in a continuing mode of fast paced living so I seldom have time for “real rest”…whatever that means. That’s why this week’s topic of Sabbath is intriguing to me. Can I really do rest and feel good about it? What will happen if I slow down and take some real time to reflect renew and reconnect? Will the work get done and the bills paid? And what about devotions, prayer and all that good stuff? I’m thinking these days that something in the fast pace world of me is changing. So here’s what I’ve discovered about Sabbath. 1. I have Sabbath running though my veins. The God who created me—the ONE whose image (Imago Dei) is stamped deep within me rested on the 7th day. I was created to be a person of Sabbath. So why is it then that Sabbath, (created for my good), becomes something that I tend to spurn, avoid and run from like the plague. Maybe it has something to do with me…become so well-adjusted to my culture that I fit into it without even thinking (Romans 12:2*). Maybe there is some Kingdom value in continuing my role of the SUPER—pastor that needs no rest—Not. I’m not alone in my lack of Sabbath. It seems that the worst models of Sabbath living in our society and faith communities are pastors. By the time I finish my responsibilities on Sunday, (the only day I really work), I’m worn out and next Sunday is coming fast. Who has time to take Monday off? And of course Monday runs into Tuesday and you know the drill—you look around one day and discover that there is no Sabbath rest in your life. I’ve been trying hard to reverse the lack of Sabbath in my life. So I started taking two-half days off a week for rest, reflection, and renewal a year ago. I’m not where I want to be, but I’m doing a whole lot better this year then in the past. 2. Sabbath comes from The Greek word sabbaton—IT means—rest from labor. Sabbath seems to be having a new birth—a resurgence of importance and observance among the youth of the Church. But the old arguments, Sabbath in the light of Jesus’ birth death and resurrection; Sabbath in light of New Testament grace and freedom; and Sabbath –vs.- Sunday still remain. There are still many questions… Is Sabbath an exact day…is it as our Jewish friends celebrate—from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday…is it an extended rest…a spiritual pilgrimage…a Sunday service? 3. God established the Sabbath • He was the One who rested on the first seventh day… By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. -Genesis 2:2* • He was the ONE WHO blessed the day… God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. -Genesis 2:3 * • He was the one who gave the instructions concerning Sabbath to Moses… No working on the Sabbath; keep it holy just as God, your God, commanded you. Work six days, doing everything you have to do, but the seventh day is a Sabbath, a Rest Day—no work: not you, your son, your daughter, your servant, your maid, your ox, your donkey (or any of your animals), and not even the foreigner visiting your town. -Deuteronomy 5:12-14* 4. Jesus confirmed the Sabbath When Jesus was asked about his observance of the Sabbath he said, "The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren't made to serve the Sabbath. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath. He's in charge!" -Mark 2:28* In other words the Sabbath was created and commanded for my good. There are those who believe that Jesus’ moved into the neighborhood did away with the Sabbath command. Nice try, but that logic would not be in keeping with Jesus’ Sermon or Manifesto on the Mount when he said… "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them…You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment...You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. -Matthew 6:17, 21, 27-28* Jesus never abolished or did away with the law or commands he always took them to the next level, i.e.-- adultery and lust—the same, Murder and hate—the same, Jesus talked about my motives and what’s going on in my heart. So it is with the Sabbath I can get all wrapped up in the legalize of the command/idea/promise at the expense of the spirit of Sabbath. 5. Sabbath is God’s Gift to me Sabbath is more then…. a day off, a command to be kept, a smaller workload, or a Sunday. Sabbath is a mindset—a spiritual assignment that I gladly take-on and even relish because I know that it is in the rest, renewal reflection and reconnecting of Sabbath that I and my Creator become one…Sabbath slows me down and allows me to unplug from the stuff (even good stuff), that is constantly competing for my time and attention…Sabbath is being distracted by an audience of ONE…it’s a call for me to take Jesus up on his offer. JAMES… "Are you tired? [YES] Worn out? [YES] Burned out on religion? [YES] Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30* I accept…Thanks LORD! –jfhey2 * Bible verses are from Eugene Peterson’s: The Message ]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:52:36 -0700 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2259658 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2208221 I don't like March. Why? Because March represents the inconvenience of an in-[BETWEEN]-time. And I don't like in-between-times. Winter is great and spring is great but March is an in-between-time. There is no consistency in the weather pattern or for that matter much else in March except 31 days. For example, Monday’s temperature was 25-degrees and the ground was covered with 7-inches of freshly fallen snow. Now don't get me wrong, I love snow and winter, the problem is that today’s temperature is forecasted to be Sunny and 70-degrees and therein lies the stuff of in-between-times. One day cold, the next warm…one hour rain the next hour sun, how do you plan i.e. wardrobe, outings, sports, etc in the month of March—the in-between-time of winter and spring? Truth is, I just don't much like in-between-times period. In-between-times are constricting, stressful, inconvenient, and stifling. I like to be in the know...I like to plan...I like to do what I want, when I want, and how I want…(does that make sense?). I like to be in control and in-between-times steal away my control. I wanted to go to work on Monday. I had things to do, people to see and appointments to keep. So I just pretended that the weatherman was wrong again and that this March was not going to be an in-between-time...wrong! It snowed hard and made my commute a pain and my appointments couldn’t show anyway. That’s the frustration of in-between-times. I'm a fast paced, a-type personality, ESTJ who likes to be on the go...in the car...moving and shaking fast. But, in-between-times slow me down...make me wait...cause to stop long enough to think and reflect and I'm not in control when I slow down. The good news is I don't get much input in how in-between-times happen. Reality is that I need (we need) in-between-times that help us to slow down, ease-up and focus. I believe God allows in-between-times to interrupt our lives in order to prepare us for what's next. They slow us down so that we can reflect, relax and renew. The journey of faith is full of in-between-times. In Advent we experience the in-between-time—the wait for the arrival of the Messiah—the Christ. In the biblical narrative of faith we see the desert as the in-between-time of Egypt’s slavery and a promised land of freedom. As much as I hate them, in-between-times are necessary preparation for the next step in the journey of faith. The Lenten season—the season between Ash Wednesday and Easter is an in-between-time. Lent is the rest in a musical score before the big finish. During Lent we prepare ourselves for the passion of Christ—his betrayal, trial, scourging, execution, death and yes his resurrection. It’s a time to slow down to remember a-new what Jesus did for us on the cross. I’ve chosen to focus on some spiritual disciplines (like fasting, Sabbath, prayer, meditation, solitude, scripture memorization, and celebration), during the in-between-time of Lent. I believe they will help me focus and see with fresh eyes what coming around the corner. I guess in-between-times aren’t so bad after all…if you make the most of the opportunity. I STILL DON”T LIKE IN-[BETWEEN]-TIMES…but I don’t usually like many things that are good for me...can you say lima beans? -jfhey2 ]]> Sat, 07 Mar 2009 05:13:26 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2208221 http://virb.com/jfhey2/audio/405727 He's the one who love you beyond measure...he pursues you...forgives you...and loves you no matter what. He's GOD the Crazy Lover

]]> Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:03:08 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/audio/405727 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/2070823 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:00:59 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/status/2070823 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2049337 HE CREATED US ANYWAY! You know how crazy that is? Say I’m putting together a blog post and by chance I can peer into the future and sit where you are sitting reading this, and I realize that it’s awful...it totally stinks—what do I do? What would you do? You and I both would scrap the post and start all over again. Right? (Now some of you are thinking James delete this one then…that’s beside the point) Not our God of crazy love—he created us anyway with a plan to forgive us after we blew him off and restore us (ring, shoes, coat, fatted calf and all), to an intimate relationship with Him. That’s how much he loves us—the world would deem that as Crazy… I'd say that’s God’s love. Now this plan was accomplished through his sacrifice of His Son, who willingly leaves his place in heaven—moving into the hood…becomes a man, lived a life without sin then in the ultimate act of crazy love offers himself up on the cross. So that we might get access back into the original place the we left in the first place...crazy! Now, do WE--the created say, "hey God did this and I appreciate it so I’m going to love him back?" NO! We keep on blowing him off…turning our backs…breaking our promises…ignoring his guidelines. And yet he keeps on giving and forgiving again and again and again. If that aint crazy love I don’t know what is. Listen to what John writes about our God of crazy love. "This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God." 1 John 4:9-10 The Message by Eugene Peterson CRAZY LOVE! -jfhey2]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:18:28 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2049337 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2048876 question…What do you call a God who …is relentless in his pursuit of us—a God who just keeps on coming for us? …keeps the porch light on way after we’ve taken he inheritance and gone off to party? …continues to loves us when we have long ago denied, rebuffed, ignored, and blown him off? …loves his creation so much that he lays down his life for it? …leaves all that is true, holy, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient behind in order to be in relationship with all that is false, dirty, and mortal? …delivers instead of destroys, gives instead of takes, loves instead of hates? answer... A CRAZY LOVER •If you relentlessly pursue me and I don’t like or want you near me… I’d call you a stalker-- •If you keep waiting on me when I want nothing to do with you…I’d call you obsessed-- •If you keep on loving me after I done all to hate and rebuff you…I’d call messed up in the head— •If you leave the good and hang out with the bad—if you live like them, eat like them and become like them …I’d call you a corrupted God’s love is so amazing! It is so unbelievable! It is so radical! It is “Crazy Love!” That the Sovereign Creator and Lord of the universe would love each of us so deeply, intensely and intimately is an unbelievable. God is love and He wants us to understand and embrace this fact in each of our individual lives. to be continued.... -jfhey2 ]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:48:46 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2048876 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2048644 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:27:00 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/posts/text/2048644 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763079 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:51:27 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763079 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763078 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:48:17 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763078 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763077 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:11:28 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763077 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763076 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:07:30 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/videos/1763076 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722598 ]]> Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:18:41 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722598 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722596 ]]> Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:18:19 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722596 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722595 ]]> Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:15:34 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722595 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722594 ]]> Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:15:08 -0800 http://virb.com/jfhey2/photos/1722594