Category: Accountability - IRONSTRIKES

An off-switch for your testicles

1/25/2016

A German carpenter and a urologist are working together on a valve-based "on/off switch" for sperm flow up from the testicles.

This one sounds like it's from the pages of science fiction, and promises to make a lot of people feel perhaps a little uncomfortable.

The Telegraph (UK) reports that a German man has followed through on an idea he's had for over 20 years, to introduce a valve system into the reproductive system of human men, to allow them to effectively switch their fertility off with the flick of a switch.

The inventor, Clemens Bimek, once watched a documentary about contraception when the – conceptually simple, practically very difficult – idea came to him. He is at present the only person to have undergone the procedure, having done so reportedly under local anaesthetic, so that he could guide his urologist through the design.

Excuse me, I'm going to need a moment here... Alright, let's continue.

From the Telegraph report:

The tiny valves are less than a inch long and weigh less than a tenth of an ounce. They are surgically implanted on the vas deferens, the ducts which carry sperm from the testicles, in a simple half-hour operation.

To be honest, the design seems pretty elegant to me. The mechanism involves a mechanical subdermal switch placed beneath the skin of his scrotum.

The idea behind doing this instead of a reversible vasectomy is, simply, because a vasectomy doesn't always end up being reversible. We should note that urologists still have reservations about this new system, of course, but it's pretty exciting that someone's taking an engineering approach to a medical issue like male contraception.

So, next time you feel turned on, make sure you're completely clear on what that means. These switches would introduce a whole new meaning to that idiom.

This post was written by Rowdy de Graaf. You can find his post here: http://www.sciencedump.com/content/switch-your-testicles

8 Unhealthy Christian Behaviors

1/3/2015

If you are a normal Christ-follower, you have probably failed in the past. In fact, I guarantee that there was some crisis moment that called you to repentance. Whether it be something one would consider catastrophic to a simple recognition of the need to change. Whatever the case may be, there was once a time in which God woke you up from a spiritual slumber. The purpose of following Jesus,though, is not to make mean people nice, or even bad people good. It is to reveal to people that resurrection is possible, and in fact, needed. As a Christian, I mishandle the treasure of salvation daily, and there are times I forget that God’s power is available to me. I am in need of a resurrection.

As I have observed Christians as a whole, I have noticed that I am definitely not the only one that struggles (as implied above). There are unhealthy behaviors that become natural temptations for the believer and I think they need to be addressed in all of our lives. I have named a few here but there are many more. Yes, they are sinful and need to be stopped.

The following are 8 Unhealthy Christian Behaviors

1. Gossip- This virus…This rotten, hate-filled, ugly monster of a behavior easily rips through souls and congregations as if they are a paper bag. Think I am being a little harsh? I feel it is not harsh enough. Countless numbers of families, friendships, and churches have been split apart because of the seed that gossip plants. There is a difference between “hearing a prayer request” and gossip. Pray that God gives you the discernment (not the desire to justify) to make the distinction. AND, before pointing fingers, evaluate your own heart. So what if Sandy Smith (made up name) was seen at a rated R movie…have you been in God’s word consistently lately? Take this as a caution not an accusation.

2. Duplicity- One of the hardest things to convince a nonbeliever is that this Christian life is relevant outside of the walls of the church. It absolutely is, but how much of a testimony are we displaying if we abandon our beliefs when we leave the worship service and pick them up again next Sunday? It just doesn’t make sense. The spirit of God is available to us 24/7. He desires to make us whole at home as well. Don’t be a different person in private…stay consistent.

3. Unforgiveness- The Christ-centered life revolves around forgiveness. It is the most unique doctrine in the world. The fact that the Creator of the universe, knowing that we messed up everything, has forgiven us… THAT is powerful. Why, then, do we think we are more powerful? I mean, why do we think we can withhold forgiveness to ourselves or others? Think about that… A precious gift that is given to be distributed. Amazing.

4. Arrogance- Christians should look at themselves as the servants to the world, not the rulers of all in it. This is how we operate. So, to think that our belief system somehow makes us superior to anyone is absurd. Sure, we have an excellent eternity to look forward to, but we are called to serve…not to be served. Yes, we are God’s children so there is a royal implication, but this kingdom is much different that what we are used to reading about. It is a kingdom of willing sacrifice, worship, and surrender.

5. Ignoring Conviction- If you get tired of defending your actions (even when no one is condemning them) you may be under conviction about something. This is okay. It is natural. It is simply God telling you to do something else. Aren’t you glad that we serve a God that cares enough to convict you? Give up your need to be right all the time, and defend your habits, or life patterns. Truly listen to what God has to say. Then, make the changes necessary. You will find joy in it.

6. Discontentment- There is a gray area here that I will openly admit. On one hand, it could be that God is calling you to something bigger. On the other hand, it could be that God is calling you to bloom where you are planted. In any case, though, it seems like we often get into the destructive habit of constantly being unhappy with God’s provision or His call. We want more, and bigger, and better, and rarely praise Him when things are rough or seemingly sparse. Why? He created the universe with His voice. Why can’t He create more out of our little? Sure, we can tell Him we will give more if we have more, but should He really give us more if we are not extravagantly generous with what we currently have? Will He not provide? Be content each step of the way, and pray that you recognize when He is calling you forward.

7. Apathy- I encounter Christians, regularly, who just don’t care anymore. Perhaps they are in a spiritual slump or have unplugged from God for a while for some reason. They would not consider themselves and unbeliever, but there is definitely a hallow feeling…a “blah” feeling in their spirit. In these cases, I think God wants us to pursue Him harder than ever. Get back to the fundamentals. Reading scripture, prayer, and community worship are a great start. You will break through this… Keep reminding yourself that God’s grace does not run out just because you are tired. His power is still fully charged and ready to engage the enemy.

8. Worry- Christians call it “concern”. Stop it. He’s got this. Do I really need to remind you of the thousands of times God has come through? Do I need to remind you of the times God’s people helped you through hard times? Do I need to remind you about the times where God revealed a little personal message to you through His word? Nah…of course I don’t. You remember. If you haven’t heard this lately, let me be the one to say it…everything is going to be fine. Bigger things have happened and greater miracles are right around the corner.

I hope, as you read these, you realize that I am in the same boat. Let’s all get on an exciting new journey where we reject the things that look nothing like Jesus. It’s okay to change direction as long as it is facing toward the Father. Unaddressed unhealthy behaviors can lead to a domino affect that will create a bitterness in your heart for what God considers good.

Reflect. Recalibrate. Return to His design.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. For his original post go to: http://other-words.net/2014/12/26/8-unhealthy-christian-behaviors/

To my porn watching dad, from your daughter

12/18/2014

Dear Dad,

I want to let you know first of all that I love you and forgive you for what this has done in my life. I also wanted to let you know exactly what your porn use has done to my life. You may think that this effects only you, or even your and mom’s relationships. But it has had a profound impact on me and all of my siblings as well.

I found your porn on the computer somewhere around the age of 12 or so, just when I was starting to become a young woman. First of all, it seemed very hypocritical to me that you were trying to teach me the value of what to let into my mind in terms of movies, yet here you were entertaining your mind with this junk on a regular basis. Your talks to me about being careful with what I watched meant virtually nothing.

Because of pornography, I was aware that mom was not the only woman you were looking at. I became acutely aware of your wandering eye when we were out and about. This taught me that all men have a wandering eye and can’t be trusted. I learned to distrust and even dislike men for the way they perceived women in this way.

As far as modesty goes, you tried to talk with me about how my dress affects those around me and how I should value myself for what I am on the inside. Your actions however told me that I would only ever truly be beautiful and accepted if I looked like the women on magazine covers or in porn. Your talks with me meant nothing and in fact, just made me angry.

As I grew older, I only had this message reinforced by the culture we live in. That beauty is something that can only be achieved if you look like “them”. I also learned to trust you less and less as what you told me didn’t line up with what you did. I wondered more and more if I would ever find a man who would accept me and love me for me and not just a pretty face.

When I had friends over, I wondered how you perceived them. Did you see them as my friends, or did you see them as a pretty face in one of your fantasies? No girl should ever have to wonder that about the man who is supposed to be protecting her and other women in her life.

I did meet a man. One of the first things I asked him about was his struggle with pornography. I’m thankful to God that it is something that hasn’t had a grip on his life. We still have had struggles because of the deep-rooted distrust in my heart for men. Yes, your porn watching has affected my relationship with my husband years later.

If I could tell you one thing, it would be this: Porn didn’t just affect your life; it affected everyone around you in ways I don’t think you can ever realize. It still affects me to this day as I realize the hold that it has on our society. I dread the day when I have to talk with my sweet little boy about pornography and its far-reaching greedy hands. When I tell him about how pornography, like most sins, affects far more than just us.

Like, I said, I have forgiven you. I am so thankful for the work that God has done in my life in this area. It is an area that I still struggle with from time to time, but I am thankful for God’s grace and also my husband’s. I do pray that you are past this and that the many men who struggle with this will have their eyes opened.

Love, Your Daughter

This post is anonymous. The original can be found here: http://www.faithit.com/an-open-letter-to-the-dad-looking-at-porn/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

#1 reason why teens keep the faith as young adults

11/10/2014

The holy grail for helping youth remain religiously active as young adults has been at home all along: parents.

Mothers and fathers who practice what they preach and preach what they practice are far and away the major influence related to adolescents keeping the faith into their 20s, according to new findings from a landmark study of youth and religion.

Just 1 percent of teens ages 15 to 17 raised by parents who attached little importance to religion were highly religious in their mid-to-late 20s.

In contrast, 82 percent of children raised by parents who talked about faith at home, attached great importance to their beliefs and were active in their congregations were themselves religiously active as young adults, according to data from the latest wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion.

The connection is "nearly deterministic," said University of Notre Dame Sociologist Christian Smith, lead researcher for the study.

Other factors such as youth ministry or clergy or service projects or religious schools pale in comparison.

"No other conceivable causal influence ... comes remotely close to matching the influence of parents on the religious faith and practices of youth," Smith said in a recent talk sharing the findings at Yale Divinity School. "Parents just dominate."

Parent power

Several studies have shown that the religious behaviors and attitudes of parents are related to those of their children.

In research using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, sociologists Christopher Bader and Scott Desmond found that children of parents who believe that religion is very important and display their commitment by attending services are most likely to transmit religiosity to their children.

This is the fourth wave of the NSYR, a comprehensive national study first conducted in 2002-2003 among teens ages 13 to 17 and their parents. These early findings add powerful evidence of the importance of mothers and fathers as the study traces the path of young respondents, who are now ages 24 to 29.

One of the strongest factors associated with older teens keeping their faith as young adults was having parents who talked about religion and spirituality at home, Smith said.

Other key factors included having parents for whom personal faith is important and who demonstrate that faith through attending services. Teens whose parents attended worship with them were especially likely to be religiously active as young adults.

Among related findings, parents from religious traditions that in general promote greater commitment and encourage discussing faith outside the sanctuary also were more likely to have children who remained active in their faith as young adults.

For example, two-thirds of teens raised by black Protestant parents and half of adolescents with conservative Protestant parents had high or moderate levels of religiousness as young adults. On the other end, 70 percent of teens raised by mainline Protestant parents had minimal or lower levels of religiousness as young adults.

In interviews, many Mainline Protestant parents said they "feel guilty if they think they are doing anything to direct their children toward their religion as opposed to any other possibility. There's a sense of like should you tell your child that what I believe is right," Smith said.

Yet if parents and faith communities are not able to communicate their beliefs, Smith said later, "The game's over, already."

Empowering parents

The role of parents is even more critical today as trust in institutions decline and many children with more demanding schedules are spending less time in congregations, Smith noted.

Yet, he said, there are some powerful "cultural scripts" that discourage parents from taking an active role in the spiritual lives of their teens.

Among those scripts:

• After age 12, the role of parents recedes, and the influence of peers, the media, music and social media take over.
• Cultural messages that encourage parents to turn their children over to "experts." In the case of faith formation, many parents consider that to be the responsibility of clergy, Sunday schools and youth groups, Smith said.

Religious groups can help parents realize their key role in transmitting faith to the next generation by working with them from the births of their children to empower them to take on that responsibility, Smith said.

That includes involving them in congregational activities, making sure pastors and youth ministers work cooperatively with parents and encouraging parents and children to worship together, Smith said.

For their part, parents need to realize a hands-off approach to religion has consequences.

"Parents, for better or worse, are actually the most influential pastors ... of their children," Smith said. "Parents set a kind of glass ceiling of religious commitment, above which their children rarely rise."

This post was written by David Briggs for the Huffington Post. You can find the original post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-briggs/the-no-1-reason-teens-kee_b_6067838.html

Control your own drawbridge

10/20/2014

From Henri Nouwen: You must decide for yourself to whom and when you give access to your interior life. For years you have permitted others to walk in and out of your life according to their needs and desires. Thus you were no longer master in your own house, and you felt increasingly used. So, too, you quickly became tired, irritated, angry, and resentful.

Think of a medieval castle surrounded by a moat. The drawbridge is the only access to the interior of the castle. The lord of the castle must have the power to decide when to draw the bridge and when to let it down. Without such power, he can become the victim of enemies, strangers, and wanderers. He will never feel at peace in his own castle.

It is important for you to control your own drawbridge. There must be times when you keep your bridge drawn and have the opportunity to be alone or only with those to whom you feel close. Never allow yourself to become public property, where anyone can walk in and out at will. You might think that you are being generous in giving access to anyone who wants to enter or leave, but you will soon find yourself losing your soul.

When you claim for yourself the power over your drawbridge, you will discover new joy and peace in your heart and find yourself able to share that joy and peace with others.

__________

Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom (New York: Image Books Doubleday, 1998), 84-85.

This post is taken from Credendum. For the original post, go to: http://www.credendum.net/home/control-your-own-drawbridge

How God used 21 men to awaken their pastor

10/15/2014

One night, I was about to turn off my bedside lamp when my wife turned to me and gently, but firmly, asked, “Does anything bring you joy anymore?”

Since she knew the answer, I just turned out the light and eventually drifted off to sleep.

Quite honestly, during those days, I was desperate. This is not what I signed up for, I kept thinking to myself.

For more than 15 years, I had been the lead pastor of what my denomination would consider a successful church. However, I couldn’t shake the thought that something was wrong with how we measured success. Where in the scriptures do we find the measure of success as the number of people who attend an event where one person dominates the experience? Where does it say that true success is connected to the number of people who become members of your church by profession of faith, or by the amount of money given weekly?

In comparison to most churches, we were doing well in all three of these North American benchmarks. The problem was that I felt like the CEO of an organization instead of a pastor who was developing and making disciples.

Days later, as I was sitting in afternoon traffic and reflecting on my upcoming class at our church, the question came into my mind, Why don’t you offer your class for men only?

I had taught “How to study the Bible” many times and had always opened the class to anyone who wanted to learn more about studying and obeying the scriptures. Typically the participants were women, and the few men who attended would almost always hold their questions until after class. They evidently didn’t want to reveal their inability to navigate or understand the Bible.

I could never have imagined what God was about to do in and through the men who walked into the room that first Wednesday evening. After a brief introduction, I said, “I would like to hear from you. What do you need most from this class? What would you like to accomplish during our weeks together?”

Immediately, a man raised a three-inch-thick Study Bible and boldly pronounced, “I’ve been told I am supposed to be the spiritual leader in my family, but I feel my wife is far ahead of me and I am holding her back.” From across the room, another man chimed in, “I’m right there with you, brother!” For the next few minutes, I experienced a pastor’s dream – men being honest with themselves, each other, and with their pastor about their personal struggles when it comes to how to study and apply the Bible to their daily lives.

For the next 12 weeks, the class progressed from entry-level basics of Bible study to developing lesson plans for use in a family or small-group setting. As we were concluding our journey, a number of the men voiced their desire to continue. As I heard their pleas, I made a commitment to them that has affected me to this day.

I said, “I believe God is using you men to awaken me to what the Lord has been saying to me for months regarding His mandate to focus my attention upon making disciples instead of attempting to build His church. Therefore, I will commit 60-90 minutes with you each week, one-on-one, one-on-two, or one-on-three, pouring into your life what God has invested in mine through these past 40 years of attempting to follow Jesus. But I want you to commit that time in your schedule as well, and then be willing to pass on to at least one other man what God is pouring into you.”

If five of the 18 men had been interested, I would have considered it a win. However, I was scheduling 12-15 discipling appointments weekly, which included 21 men opening their lives as we shared life-on-life through a series of discipleship principles in scripture. For the next 30 months, I had the privilege of having a front-row seat as I watched God begin to transform the lives of these men into men who resolved to follow Jesus as His disciples.

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is now.” It took 20 years as a pastor and 21 willing men to help me experience what I had truly “signed up for” when I said yes to God’s call on my life: developing people into disciple makers. Now I have the honor of training pastors, missionaries, and church leaders around the world as I share the essential steps of becoming a disciple-making follower of Jesus.

I just wish someone had awakened me to Jesus’ mandate 20 years earlier.

This post was written by Denny Heiberg of Seedbed. For the original post, go to: http://seedbed.com/feed/god-used-21-men-awaken-pastor/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Euthanizing the mentally ill

10/14/2014

The number of mentally-ill patients killed by euthanasia in Holland has trebled in the space of a year, new figures have revealed.

In 2013, a total of 42 people with ‘severe psychiatric problems’ were killed by lethal injection compared to 14 in 2012 and 13 in 2011.

The latest official figures also revealed a 15 per cent surge in the number of euthanasia deaths from 4,188 cases in 2012 to 4,829 cases last year.

The incremental rise is consistent with a 13 per cent increase in 2012, an 18 per cent rise in 2011, 19 per cent in 2010 and 13 per cent in 2009.

The rise is also likely to confirm the fears of Dutch regulator Theo Boer who told the Daily Mail that he expected to see euthanasia cases smash the 6,000 barrier in 2014.

Overall, deaths by euthanasia, which officially account for three per cent of all deaths in the Netherlands, have increased by 151 per cent in just seven years.

Most cases - some 3,600 people – involved cancer sufferers but there were also 97 people who died at the hands of their doctors because they were suffering from dementia, the figures show.

The figures, however, do not include cases of so-called terminal sedation, where patients are given a cocktail of sedatives and narcotics before food and fluids are withdrawn.

Studies suggest that if such deaths were added to the figure then euthanasia would account for one in eight – about 12.3 per cent – of all deaths in the Netherlands.

Dr Peter Saunders of the Christian Medical Fellowship said the Dutch experiment proved that doctor-assisted death was impossible to effectively regulate.

Dutch regulator Theo Boer said that he expected to see euthanasia cases smash the 6,000 barrier in 2014 in Holland

‘Euthanasia in the Netherlands is way out of control,’ he said.

‘The House of Lords calculated in 2005 that with a Dutch-type law in Britain we would be seeing over 13,000 cases of euthanasia per year,’ he continued.

‘On the basis of how Dutch euthanasia deaths have risen since this may prove to be a gross underestimate.

‘What we are seeing in the Netherlands is “incremental extension”, the steady intentional escalation of numbers with a gradual widening of the categories of patients to be included.’

He said there was a similar pattern of increasing numbers of assisted suicide and euthanasia in the US state of Oregon, Switzerland, and Belgium.

Dr Saunders said: ‘The lessons are clear. Once you relax the law on euthanasia or assisted suicide steady extension will follow as night follows day.’

He added: ‘Britain needs to take warning as debate on the Falconer bill continues.’

Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill received its Second Reading in July and it will reach committee stage in November after Parliament reconvenes.

Supporters, such as campaigners Dignity in Dying, insist that the Falconer Bill is based on a US model of assisted suicide ‘which has been working safely for over 17 years and has never been extended beyond the criteria of terminal illness’.

But Professor Boer, who has reviewed 4,000 cases of euthanasia in his role as a regulator, told Parliament in the summer: ‘Don’t go there.’

Once a firm advocate of euthanasia, he said that he now the Dutch were ‘terribly wrong’ to think they could control it.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he said his country has witnessed an ‘explosive increase’ in the numbers of euthanasia deaths since 2007 and that he expected the number of such deaths this year to hit 6,000.

He was also gravely concerned at the extension of killing to new classes of people, including the demented and the depressed. ‘Some slopes truly are slippery,’ he said.

Doctors in neighbouring Belgium, which this year legalised euthanasia for children, are now killing an average of five people every day by euthanasia, according to latest figures, with a 27 per cent surge in the number of euthanasia deaths in the last year alone.

In one of the most shocking cases, a Brussels man last week described how he arranged the double euthanasia of his octogenarian parents who wanted to die because they were afraid of loneliness.

It has also emerged that a Dutch woman in her 80s was killed by her doctors just because she did not want to live in a care home.

The case is the first to be referred to Dutch prosecutors by regulators since euthanasia was legalised in Holland 12 years ago.

Euthanasia is permitted in cases where there is unbearable suffering, increasingly interpreted to mean mental anguish.

This post is written by Simon Caldwell. You can find the original post here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2779624/Number-mentally-ill-patients-killed-euthanasia-Holland-trebles-year-doctors-warn-assisted-suicide-control.html

Sunday Meditation

10/12/2014

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16

Sometimes honest confession can seem astonishing, impossible, and dangerous. Because we have learned silence so well, we experience honesty as full of risk. After all, if we are honest, then other people will know what we think and feel. We will be exposed. The appearance of strength and competence we work so hard to cultivate will have to share the stage with our weaknesses, our failings, our sins.

When we practice honesty as a daily discipline, however, something happens to us. The promise of this text begins gradually to grow in our lives. We begin to heal. It is not a dramatic, once-for-all-time, quick-fix kind of healing. Nor is it a private healing, a healing that happens only 'inside' our heads or in secret with God.

Honesty leads to healing because people can now express their love for us in practical ways. Honesty leads to healing because we no longer have to pay the high tariffs that pretense demands. We heal because the experience of acceptance counteracts the contempt we so easily heap on ourselves. We heal because we are no longer alone. We heal because we are known and loved.

Honesty is a discipline with a promise. We will be healed.

Lord, give me the humility and
the courage
to practice confession today.
Heal me as I do the work of honesty.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

Bill Cosby was right

9/22/2014

Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. John 7:24

Comedian Bill Cosby said, “For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked.”

He’s got a point.

Once the masks are fully removed and a couple settles into married life with their differing personalities, year after year, it can seem quite miraculous that the relationship endures.

What may even be more phenomenal is that a marriage need not only survive, but it can actually thrive in the face of two differing and headstrong personalities that face off day after day.

Of course, we can’t x-ray a personality, but we can observe it.

Why? Because our personality is evident in our behaviors.

We can deduce something, for example, about a person’s temperament when we notice that they do very careful research before buying a camera. And we can deduce something about personality when we see someone purchase a high-priced gadget on impulse.

Our behaviors reveal our personalities.

And as Yogi Berra so famously said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” Especially when that “watching” is done around the clock in a marriage.

"In a time when nothing is more certain than change, the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare. Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced." Robert Sexton

Our spouse becomes witness to our traits day-in and day-out. It’s almost as if we are on surveillance without ever intending it. The mere time that marriage consumes cannot help but to make us keen observers of each others’ traits as they become visible in our reactions, our expressions and our behaviors.

So what traits do you think are most consistently seen by your spouse in you?

Make a list of two personality traits, right now, that you think your spouse would note about you, and then test your accuracy by asking each other if you’re right.

This post was written by Drs Les & Leslie Parrott. For more information, go to their website: http://www.lesandleslie.com

2 pray or not to 2 pray

9/16/2014

God has given us instructions in His Word that prayer is something that every Christian needs to be doing.  Prayer is, simply put, the way we come to know God personally.  Earnest, honest prayer that is filled with praise, confession, thankfulness, and requests is what God desires. Prayer also needs to be filled with times of solitude, to be free from distractions, so one can hear from God.

1) Is there ever a time we should not pray? We had a couple of American friends visit us while we were living in Germany and we were out to eat, enjoying the local flammkuchen at a little eatery. My friend ordered water because he didn't want to spend the money on soda and as the waitress opened the bottle and was about to pour, she told him that the bottle was going to be 6 Euro. My friend, who didn't understand European customs, didn't remember that we had told him that water is not free in European restaurants.  He became upset and the waitress withdrew his order of water. Instead she offered soda which was only 2 Euro. He agreed to that. However, you could tell that the waitress was visibly upset. We apologized to her as best we could. When she brought the flammkuchen to the table, we were about to pray aloud when I said, "I don't think we should pray. I'm afraid that it would give this waitress a bad impression of Christians." Now don't get me wrong I think it IS appropriate to pray in public but God reminds us that prayer can become sin.  In this instance we all agreed that praying publicly wasn't God-honoring in this situation.

2) Is there ever a time we should not pray? I had a friend one time who had a severe debt and asked God to pay the debt for him. He told everyone the exact amount and prayed fervently (personally, I don't think it's wise to publicly state an exact amount of money). Within a week, God miraculously provided that money and more. The person again broadcast the exact amount that God provided. The reactions were predictable. "Wow!" "Prayer works." "God is so good." "Praise the Lord!" and so forth...

I wonder what his friends who have been praying that God would work a miracle in their lives thought when God did not seemingly answer their prayers. Maybe they were encouraged. Maybe it lifted their faith. Maybe it caused them to pray more.

or

Maybe it discouraged them. Maybe they were like, "Why does he always get the breaks? Why did God answer his prayers and not mine?" Maybe they told themselves, "I guess I have to pray harder."

I wonder what the reaction would have been if God had not provided the amount or the amount with extra to spare. "Is God still good?" "Does prayer still work?"

3) Finally, I believe that God can heal people. God may choose to heal miraculously or he may heal slowly or he may heal at the hands of doctors. Healing is a biblical concept.

My friend had fallen on an icy patch and went to see his physician who told him it would be 6-8 weeks before he would be pain free. He was having severe pain and muscle spasms. He believed he was going to lose his job because he could hardly move. As he told me, just two days later, you can tell his pain was real. He was almost in tears as he was describing what he was going thru. When he was talking, I heard clearly in my mind, "You need to pray for him." So when he finished I grabbed a couple more guys and we prayed for him on the spot.  I walked away thinking, "OK I did what God told me to do. I was obedient. But nothing's gonna happen."

The next morning, I felt prompted to pray for him again and I did during my devotions. Later that day, I texted him. Here's the convo:

Me: How did it go today?
Him: Pain free and awesome, thanks for asking :-)
Me: You're kidding! No pain? The MD said 6-8 weeks.
Him: No pain, no spasms, no discomfort, no kidding!
Me: Wow! So work was good?
Him: It was great!

I was floored. I told Karyn about his healing and I said, "this is scary. God answered our prayers for his healing." Karyn said, "why is that scary?" I said, "because I obeyed and God healed. What else does that mean God wants to do?"

Later that week, I talked to my friend in person. He said when he woke up the next day (the day after we prayed together) he got ready for work and had forgotten all about his pain until I texted him. He said that it was then that he realized that God had healed him.

When I heard of his healing, I had mixed emotions:

- I had doubt. "Did God really do that?"
- I had some fear. "What else will happen if I pray? Will God do it again?"

but also

- I became more encouraged to pray right away with people in need.

- I had my faith lifted.

There may be people who heard of my friend's healing who may have also asked themselves, "Why won't God heal me? I have asked God numerous times and nothing has changed." Maybe his healing caused them to feel discouraged.

Yet...

Who knows the mind of God?
Who can understand the ways He works?
Who can bring an accusation before God?

These are all definitively unanswerable in my mind.

Still, I will pray.
I continue to attempt to understand, trust and believe.
I try to rejoice with those who have their prayers answered.
I mourn with those who don't seemingly have their prayers answered.

Yet, even in my imperfection and weakness, I point to God. What we see can't be all there is...

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.