What causes people not to finish well? The question lodged in my mind following an illustration used by my pastor in a recent sermon. Noah, served God faithfully, followed God’s instructions to the letter (or maybe to the cubit), saved his family, then ended in a drunken stupor (Genesis 9:20-21). Jacob dreamed of God’s promise and vowed a powerful vow to God (Genesis 28:10-22) yet later worshiped false idols in his home (Genesis 35:1-4).  God described David as “a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22), yet David had an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and arranged the murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11:1-4). Sarah served God faithfully, but in her advanced years, when told by God that she would bear a child, she laughed at God in faithless doubt (Genesis 18:12).  Gideon lived up to his name which meant “mighty warrior” and was listed in the great hall of fame of the faithful in Hebrews 11:32 yet he made an object of worship out of the gold won in battle (Judges 8:27) and bore seventy sons from his multiple wives and concubine (Judges 8:30-31).  Even the Apostle Paul had a fear that “when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Nor is this just a biblical issue. There are ample examples of this late-life descent in modern day spirituality. Is the cause physiological, psychological, emotional, mental, spiritual, or all of the above? I’m not sure, but it has become my daily prayer to finish more like Paul who wrote, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). 

I confess that sometimes I fall asleep while praying on my bed at night. I have often felt guilty of this, especially when I wonder how excited God is about my prayer, when I can’t even stay awake to complete it. On other occasions, I feel OK with it, since sometimes God responds to my prayer while I sleep, and I awake refreshed, with a new answer. After all, the Psalmist says that God, “Shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).  Furthermore, since God is awake while we are sleeping, “He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (Psalm 127:2).  I’m not alone. For instance, as far back as the late 1800s Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as “The Little Flower of Jesus” and one of the most popular Catholic saints of the early 20^th century, wrote in her autobiographical manuscripts, “A Story of a Soul” that she often fell asleep while praying. She was of the opinion that like all parents, God probably loves His children best when they are asleep.  She also popularized the theory that if you fall asleep while praying, your Guardian Angel finishes it for you. I'm not so sure about the angel part, but it is good to have company in falling asleep while praying.  I’ve seen this idea on t-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, and posters, and it’s been attributed to any number of authors/speakers.  I’m not sure who originated it, but I like it: Some fall asleep while counting sheep, I prefer to fall asleep talking to the Shepherd. Give it a try.

I was new on the Seminary faculty.  He had been around awhile. I was honored that he and his wife invited my wife and I to their home for dinner. The meal was delicious and the fellowship around the table was even better.  Then he said he wanted to show me something.  Down the hall we went into what was originally designed to be a middle bedroom.  As we entered the room he said, “This is my prayer room.” In the room there was only a kneeling bench – an old pulpit that some students had cut lower so that the reading area was at eye level for one kneeling on the attached bench. On the reading area sat an open Bible and a note pad. The room was illumined with only indirect light. Stepping from the hallway into the prayer room, was an experience I could only liken too how the biblical priests must have felt when they entered the Holy Place of the Tabernacle/Temple (I Kings 8:10-11). Speechless, all I could think was, “This is different, like entering the very presence of God.” Then I thought, why not? If the only activity ever experienced in this room, was communion with God, then the special Shekinah glory, the presence of God, never left the room.  Thus, it was felt upon entering. But it was just a suburban bedroom! My later reflection was that there is no holy ground, just ground made holy because we repeatedly meet God there. I expressed appreciation for allowing me to see the room, and we went back to the table for desert, but I was not the same. Thank you, T.W. Hunt for your special friendship. Thank you for helping me to see more clearly, and to know more fully! We will miss you but rejoice that as you bow before our Holy God in a place prepared for your eternal dwelling; you now see and know the full presence (I Corinthians 12:12).

If I took time to list all the medical/dental issues I’ve had in the past two years, readers would get depressed and I’d go beyond my intent to share a one paragraph spiritual jump-start. Needless to say, it’s good that I retired so I’d have time for all my medical/dental appointments. The problem is I keep getting invitations to speak/teach/consult/mentor and the medical/dental issues sometimes cause me to have to cancel my engagements, and I hate cancellations. I need to remember some advice from an early colleague who said when unwanted or impractical invitations come, open your calendar in front of you, cover both eyes, and say, “I don’t see any way that I can accept your gracious invitation.” But that is incredibly difficult for me to do, having been raised and mentored by workaholics with a degree of perfectionism mixed in. I confess I need help with this – when and how to say “no” especially when everything in my calling says, “say yes.” Research is mixed on who first said, “I rather burn out than rust out” but I confess to be on a rather slow burn, struggling with Paul’s advice, “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame” (Romans 12:11, MSG). So I will pray on and press on slowly– in between medical/dental appointments. In the words of Robert Frost, “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

Lately, I’ve seen an interesting quote circulating. “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, Thank you, that would suffice.” Is that true? How does one reconcile this idea of only saying thank you, with Jesus’ comment to Peter, “I have prayed for you” (Luke 22:32), Paul’s frequent reminder to those to whom he wrote that he was praying for them, or James’ instruction to “pray for one another” (James 5:16). A colleague, who took the time to count, says 78% of the prayers in the Bible are prayers for someone other than self. So, who made this questionable quote? The quote is attributed to Meister Eckhart, also known as Eckhart von Hochheim, a German theologian, philosopher and mystic, who lived in the late 1200s and early 1300s. In later life he was accused of heresy and brought up before the local Franciscan-led Inquisition, and tried as a heretic by Pope John XXII. I encourage you to pray lots of “thank you” prayers, but don’t stop with the advice offered in a popular quote from a heretic theologian. Go ahead and practice biblical praying through intercession, petition, and supplication.

The quote hung on my wall as a teen-ager. I would not know much about the author until Seminary days when his name was prominent on reading lists. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference,” so wrote Reinhold Niebuhr in his Serenity Prayer. American theologian, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years, Niebuhr offered me my first motto. Over the years I would learn that there were many more things that I could not change than there were that I could change. I found a fine line between serenity - the state of being calm, peaceful, untroubled and acquiescence - the reluctant acceptance of something without protest. Sometimes I didn’t know which I had experienced until after the fact. Courage was different - the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear. Moses said to Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). In my early, eager years, I mostly needed serenity. Today, I need courage. The Lord has been ever-present with me in both.

Read more from Dr. Dan at www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

Bright, Shiny Faces Surely some of you remember the children’s song we used to sing first thing in the mornings: “Good morning to you, Good morning to you, We’re all in our places With bright, shiny faces, Good morning to you.” I had no strong feelings either way about the song, but I remember wondering if my face was really shining? Then I began to hear phrases like, “Her face was radiant (radiant: sending out light; shining or glowing brightly) and, “He was beaming (beaming: shining brightly). Seems a bright, shiny face was one that shed light, like into the darkness around it. A few years later I came across a Bible verse about a shining face. It was actually a part of the first benediction in the Bible, a benediction being a declaration of blessing from God upon His people. In this benediction prayer, spoken first to Aaron, and repeated at the conclusion of worship services through the ages, Moses said, “The Lord make His face shine upon you” (Numbers 6:25). The shining face of God was to be desired as opposed to God hiding His face, as with Job (Job 13:24), and with Israel (Deut. 31:17-18); and as opposed to God’s face being against someone (Lev. 17:10, Psalm 34:16). I don’t know about you, but I pray that God’s face will shine upon me today to brighten my path, to give me direction, and to reflect off of me on to others.

Often, when I am preaching on Sunday morning, I have a sleepless Saturday night, or at least partly so. But this was Thursday night and there appeared to be nothing of great significance on my Friday agenda. With her recent death, poet Maya Angelou has been widely quoted. Once she wrote of sleepless nights, “There are some nights when sleep plays coy, aloof and disdainful. And all the wiles that I employ to win its service to my side are useless as wounded pride, and much more painful.” So it was for me, that Thursday night. I simply did what I learned from my prayer-warrior mother, I prayed – for everything and everyone I remembered. I’ve seen the quote on bumper stickers, and bookmarks, on wallpaper, and wall plaques, on coffee cups and clothing, on church bulletin boards and in church bulletins – “Don’t count sheep, talk to the Shepherd.” So, it must be a popular subject and I knew I was not alone in my sleepless state. Even Paul, twice wrote about his own “sleeplessness” (2 Corinthians 6:5 and 2 Corinthians 11:27) and added in the second reference, “in sleeplessness often” implying it happened to him more than a few times. Next time you have a sleepless night, I highly recommend prayer. Even if it doesn’t put you to sleep, it will be a night well spent.

Last Friday, as a Citizen of Patrol (COPS), I drove through my neighborhood, and noticed a small American flag on the curb of every home. It was, after all, the 4th of July. So, you ask, “Do you live in a neighborhood of all red-blooded Americans?” No, actually we have neighbors who were born in other lands, and in fact, may not even have U.S. citizenship yet. In fact, like me, they may even be upset with this country occasionally. But on this day, this day of our independence, they allowed the Neighborhood Association to place a flag on their property as we all celebrated, and as some of us followed the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to Timothy: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). I wonder what American would be like if we prayed more and criticized less. Oh, I’ve got my list of issues, as we all do, but this I know: (and I have only been in fifty-six other nations, so I am by no means of measurement, an expert on the conditions of the world), every time I’m on an airplane that lands on American soil from another country, I breathe a deep sigh - Home! So, last Friday, I had Bar B.Q., beans, and sweet tea for lunch; wore red, white & blue; placed my hat over my heart for The National Anthem at a baseball game; ate a hot dog; enjoyed a root beer float; watched fireworks; and felt pride. So, my fellow Americans, whether you were born here, enjoy the privilege of living here, or live in another country with an American citizenship, I hope you felt pride last Friday. And I hope you’ll intercede for our leaders today.

There is a popular acronym that some use to assist them in the content of their prayers. The origin of ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) as a prayer outline is unknown, although some believe it is displayed in and derived from The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Spiritual leaders, from Christians to Catholics, including such well-known personalities as Billy Graham, have promoted its use. While this is a good, helpful prayer-starter, there is much more to prayer than adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Acknowledging that every acronym has its limitations; may I suggest a longer version? The Psalmist made reference to “the mighty acts of the LORD” (Psalm 106:2). So let’s work with MIGHTY: Meditation, Intercession, Giving Up (as in fasting. Remember how often prayer and fasting are mentioned together?), Humbling ourselves, Travail (remember this lost word?), and Yielding (the “nevertheless, Your will be done” idea). It’s not much of an acronym, but its mine. Feel free to substitute your own words, but let’s acknowledge that while prayer is ACTS, it is more than ACTS.

I never understood spiritual warfare until I got heavily involved in global evangelism and intercessory prayer. Two things that greatly irritate Satan and cause him to attack are the sharing of the Christian faith with intent to convert, and intercessory prayer for the non-believer and the backsliding believer. When Christians do things that lead non-Christians to change their affiliation from Satan’s Kingdom to God’s Kingdom, Satan gets upset and goes on the attack. When Christians do things that cause wandering believers to return to their first love of Jesus, Satan gets upset and goes on the attack. Concerning Satan and witnessing, Martin Luther said, “Where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel.” Concerning Satan and prayer, Corrie ten Boom said, “When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy,” and William Cowper wrote, “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.” When Paul finished describing the armor of God, he wrote, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:18-19). Let’s make Satan mad this week

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I’ve heard it all my life, but when I heard the expression again the other day, I paused to reflect on the exact meaning of, “Lo and behold”! It’s actually an exclamation meant to draw attention to something. It is used especially to announce things that are considered important, thus it is often written with an exclamation mark. The word “lo” is a shortening of “look”. So, “lo and behold” has the meaning of “look! – behold”!. “Lo” is also akin to “O”, and has been in use since the first Millennium. In the early 1970s Bob Dylan sang: “Lo and behold! Lo and behold! Lookin’ for my lo and behold,” and said the words were based on an oft-repeated phrase of the Old Testament prophets. Something not very far removed from “lo and behold” appears in the Bible in Genesis 15:3 (King James Version): “And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” The person using the phrase (that sent me wondering) was giving their testimony, and said “Lo and behold, I discovered that God loved me more than I loved myself.” “Lo and behold” indeed! Have you had any “Lo and behold” moments lately? This might be a good time to pause and thank God for the “Lo and behold” experiences in your life.

For more of Dr. Dan go to www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

Two specialist surgeons in my county accept my type of medical insurance. I used Dr. X on my first surgery and despite the fact that he was very highly rated and recommended by my physician assistant, I was not pleased. It was not just him, but his entire staff that made me uneasy with their attitude and comments. So, on surgery #2, I went with a prayed-up, faith-based decision rather than the prevailing logic, and chose the lesser rated, and not-recommended-by-my-physician-assistant, Dr. Y. On the day that I was awaiting surgery #2, I discovered that Dr. X had suspended his practice and all his patients were being referred to Dr. Y. Is there a lesson here? Absolutely! Sometimes the rightness of faith-based decisions are known before the fact; other times, after. But we have two choices when making decisions – we can walk by faith or by sight. In the case of surgery #2 I walked by faith and it turned out to be the right decision. Come to think of it, that’s biblical. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).

For more of Dr. Dan Crawford, go to www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

One of my new, favorite compliments came this week. I had communicated with a former student and good friend during a difficult time in his life and assured him of my prayer support. He replied with thanks for the prayer and concluded with, “I’ve always thought you and God had each other on speed dial.” For you non-techies, Wikipedia defines speed dial as, “a function available on many telephone systems allowing the user to place a call by pressing a reduced number of keys. This function is particularly useful for phone users who dial certain numbers on a regular basis.” While I appreciate the compliment and understand its meaning, the same should be said of every believer. God said, “Call to Me, and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3). There is no reference or even implication of a delay – hold, busy signal, automated voice mail, or an answering machine (Wouldn’t you hate to hear a deep voice say, “This is your Heavenly Father. I can’t talk right now, but please leave a message at the sound of the harp?”) I am reminded of an old gospel song, using an analogy from an earlier day, “Jesus on the main line, tell Him what you want. You can call Him up and tell Him what you want. His line ain’t never busy, tell Him what you want.” So, if not already there, how about adding God to your speed dial today and “tell Him what you want.”

The last hours of a year are always a mixture of looking back and looking forward. What Ralph Waldo Emerson said about a past and future day, could well be applied to a completed and coming year: “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” The Apostle Paul said it this way: “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). So mix your New Year’s Resolutions with some of last year’s memories and let’s pray our way into the new year. Published in 1908, the following poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, is appropriate: “I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’”

For more from Dr. Dan Crawford check his blog site at www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

As word spread of my radiation treatments, the responses began to flood in – via E-mails, Facebook entries, Twitter posts, Cards, Telephone calls, Personal visits – everything from a simple, “Praying for you” to much more creative, imaginative expressions of support.  One particular response caught my attention. “We’re praying you through,” a friend wrote. It caused me to remember what God said to His promised people, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43:1-2). My collection of words comes up short when I try to explain what it feels like to pass through six weeks of five-day-a-week radiation treatments. Whether the cancer is severe or as simple as mine, words fail one in a time like this. What I find myself needing, perhaps as much as anything else, is accompaniment on the journey.  As expressed in an earlier edition of “Manna,” I know God is with me.  Beyond that, it really helps to know friends are with me also, praying me through.  Have you prayed anyone through lately?

For more from Dan Crawford, go to Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Manna at www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

A sleepless Saturday night was complicated by what one minister-friend calls, “Intestinal uncertainty.”  For me at least, it is a rather frequent Saturday night experience when I am preaching on Sunday morning. Even though I’ve spent Sunday mornings doing just that for more than fifty years, the butterflies keep coming and some nights they turn into buzzards. One can either resent this scenario or accept it as a way to keep from becoming self-sufficient on Sunday morning.  This kind of night makes preachers extremely God dependent.  Preaching on little sleep is a learned activity.  This is Pastor Appreciation Month.  May I suggest that one of the ways you could show appreciation for your pastor is to pray for Saturday night rest? Maybe before you go to sleep on Saturday night you could pray for your pastor and if you awaken in the night, ask the Lord to “enlighten” the “darkness” (Ps. 18:28) of your pastor’s possible sleeplessness. Most pastors could use more sentries of the night, especially on Saturdays.

To read more of Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Manna go to

http://discipleallnations.org/blog.

We had a rather unusual prayer sung at our wedding.  We selected it because we believed that God had called us to ministry and knew there was biblical proof that when God calls, God also accompanies.  Moses was dead.  Joshua was the new anointed leader.  Three times in Chapter 1, God said to Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage” (Jos. 1:6, 7, 9). Why? Because Joshua had been called to lead the people to the promise land, and he had heard God’s promise to, “be with you wherever you go” (Jos. 1:9).  How would God accompany Joshua?  In empowerment and encouragement!  It has been our experience, through seven separate geographical ministry locations spanning fifty years, that when God leads, God accompanies and when God accompanies, He grants power and courage for the assignment. Changing the words from singular to plural, our wedding soloist sang, “Our heart, our life, our all we bring, to Christ who loves us so; He is our Master, Lord and King, wherever He leads, we’ll go.” We were willing to go anywhere as long as God empowered and encouraged. Are you feeling God’s power and courage this week?  You may be exactly where God wants you to be.

Read more of Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Manna at http://discipleallnations.org/blog.

Every day, during my prayer time, I pray for my family, my colleagues, a few friends, folks on my prayer list for that day, those who have requested special prayer, but there is one group that is often missing from my prayer list – my enemies. Frankly, I’d rather not pray for them. It would be far more comfortable to ignore them, maybe even despise them. Apparently, the disciples had a similar problem.  In His Sermon of the Mount, considered by many as the most important sermon Jesus ever preached, the disciples heard Him quote Leviticus 19:18, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’ then add, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). OK, I have very little problem with the outward acts proposed by Jesus – love, bless, do good, but when it comes to the inward, intimate act of prayer, well, as they say, “He stopped preaching and started meddling.”  How can I pray for my enemies, when I don’t even like them, don’t even want to think about them?  Seriously, when someone “spitefully” uses me and “persecutes” me, I’m supposed to pray for them? For me at least, this is a sign of maturing discipleship, and it only happens on my more spiritual days.  But happen, it must. And I must discipline myself to include this more often in my prayer life.  American Newscaster David Brinkley once said, “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”

Read more of Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Manna at http://discipleallnations.org/blog.

I’ve often wondered what prompted the disciples of Jesus to ask Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). Many things happened between their call to follow Him and their request to be taught prayer. According to Luke, just one chapter prior to their request, Jesus described the harvest as “great” and the laborers as “few” and then told them to pray (Luke 10:2). Since He was sending seventy of them into the harvest, two-by-two, they might have been surprised that prayer was included in His outreach strategy. They obviously understood the commands to go, to serve, to share, to minister, to teach, to preach, etc.? But the command to pray? This may have been the most confusing command of Jesus. Today, in many circles, it is the forgotten command of Jesus. I have heard, read and been a part of the planning of more outreach strategies than I can remember. Those saturated with prayer were in the minority. It must have thrilled Jesus to be asked about prayer, on the heels of His command to go to the harvest field. It would no doubt, thrill Him today, if we made prayer more a part of our harvest-field strategy.

Read more of Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Manna at http://discipleallnations.org/blog.