Rick Alvey's Posts

Divine Interruption

Posted by Rick Alvey on December 10, 2010 at 7:00

The other day a friend sent me an email with a link to a YouTube video clip of a flash mob performance. If you've never seen one they are pretty amazing. The link for this one is posted below.

These types of surprise gatherings involve large groups of people who mingle into an open public space to carry out an unexpected performance. This one takes place in a common food court of a mall. One of the best parts of the video is how it catches the faces of onlookers full of surprise and awe.

I've seen some of these flash mob performances before but this one uses the Hallelujah Chorus done in dramatic fashion. It left me with a sense of the divine breaking through into the ordinary. Isn't that the essence of celebrating Christmas? God breaking through into the ordinary?!

Reread the Christmas story in Luke 2. You'll notice words like terrified... amazed... rejoicing... We see the same kind of thing recorded in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit breaks into the ordinary to birth the church ...

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ~ Acts 2:42-43

Since God is everywhere, always... isn't every moment an opportunity for the divine to break through into the ordinary?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Nothin' but net!

Posted by Rick Alvey on November 7, 2010 at 20:03

What a shot! It was the end of the first half. Time was running out but we had the ball at our end of the court. Kyrsten doesn’t usually spend much time that far out from the basket but there she was just outside the three-point line when the ball came to her with about 4 seconds left on the clock. Almost effortlessly she let it go. It was her very first three-pointer ever and it was nothin’ but net!It’s been a long journey from when she was little and just learning the basics. How to dribble, how to pass, how to shoot, how to play defense. She’s a freshman in High School now and does much of it without thinking. But that’s the goal. To practice a skill often enough that it becomes second nature. To have your muscles so trained that they respond naturally as if they were created just for that particular movement.It’s that way for all of us in a variety of ways. Take walking for example. When we were just starting out it took all the mental effort we could muster to put one foot ahead of the other. Little by little it became easier until one day we could do it without even thinking.For those of us who are following Jesus and learning the unforced rhythms of God’s grace it is a similar process. To practice thinking and acting like Jesus often enough that it becomes second nature. To automatically respond like Jesus without even having to think about it.A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. ~ Luke 6:40Don’t get me wrong. There will always be those situations in life that require prayerful consideration before we respond. But interacting with others in the way that Jesus would is something that should increasingly become second nature to us. It should flow effortlessly because of the transformation that the Spirit of God is accomplishing in us.Are we becoming more like Jesus every day? Is it obvious in how we are interacting with others?

We are not alone!

Posted by Rick Alvey on September 4, 2010 at 9:30

We mention praying for each other all the time and toss it around like most people toss out “hello” as a greeting. I’m certainly not opposed to this but have you ever had someone who was truly a prayer warrior tell you that they are praying for you? I’ve experienced it on a few occasions and can tell you it is both humbling and unbelievably encouraging!So as I’ve spent the last few weeks reading, blogging, preaching and reflecting on the Holy Spirit and His role as our Guide on this journey through life I’ve come to have a much greater appreciation for Him as our divine prayer partner. Look at what Paul writes in his letter to the disciples in Rome…In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. ~ Romans 8:26-27My prayers were much more specific when I was a younger Christian; I was fairly certain of what God was up to. I guess I assumed that I’d know more as I grew older and offer up prayers with even more detail, but I was wrong. The older I get the more I see life as God’s story and only He knows where the storyline will go next.So I find myself praying a bit more generally these days; asking God to accomplish His purposes within His story even when I have no clue what that will look like. Through the years I’ve had various situations about which I simply didn’t know what to pray, but I’d never experienced it to the degree I have these last 10 months.I have to admit that not even having words to offer up to God initially struck me as a little disheartening; sort of like “Gee, what’s wrong with me?” But lately I’ve become much more comfortable because I realize that it doesn’t all depend on me. Paul says that the Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray. (Heavy sigh of relief)What a comfort! What an encouragement! We have a divine prayer partner who is constantly interceding for us! I… I’m not sure how to express the depth of gratitude I feel.We are not alone!PS - Rick also blogs at www.ilifejourney.wordpress.com

Passionate Prayer

Posted by Rick Alvey on May 10, 2010 at 11:03

I wish I were better at prayer. I'm not exactly sure what "better" is but I have this strong sense that I'm not experiencing prayer fully in the way that the Father intends. I have this uneasy angst that there is lots of room for improvement.

So I plod along thankful for God's patience. Constantly looking to learn from others about this privilege of talking with the Father. And one of those people I look to for insight is the Apostle Paul. We can learn a lot by observing how others pray.

Paul had an amazing relationship with God and was used in powerful ways to advance God's kingdom here on earth. Consider his prayer for the believers in Ephesus...

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." ~ Ephesians 3:14-19

It is a passionate prayer! And there are many things we can learn from this one simple prayer. I have my own observations...but I won't offer them just now. I think there's more benefit when we meditate and wrestle with something ourselves.

So I encourage you to reread this passage numerous times and ask God to speak to your heart regarding what can be learned about prayer. And then... pray! Pray for your church family and any other followers of Jesus that you know.

Who needs a touch of God's grace or presence right now that you can pray for?

Are we ready to listen?

Posted by Rick Alvey on April 29, 2010 at 14:30

One of my favorite quotes about communication comes from a book by Norm Wright and goes something like this...

"I know you think you heard what I said, but I don't think you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."

Being a family of eight we have more than our fair share of miscommunication. No matter how hard we try it seems to happen daily. Most of the time it's because we are much more concerned with being heard than being ready to listen. If we're honest we'll admit that this is a common human ailment. It's no surprise that our Creator gave us only one mouth but two ears!

One of the most remarkable aspects of Christianity is that God created us for a relationship with Him. I wish I heard God more often, more clearly than I do. I'm not referring to any audible voice from above. While I suppose God can operate that way if He chooses, that particular form of interaction is outside my realm of experience. It typically comes in the form of a notion in my thoughts or a subtle nudge in a certain direction. But I wish it happened more often. (Some times He even chooses to speak to me through my wife! But that's a topic for another day).

God speaking to Samuel in the middle of the night is one of the more popular Biblical stories. (1 Samuel 3:1-21) Samuel hears his name called and goes to Eli his mentor. Eli, not having called for Samuel, sends him back to bed. This happens three times before Eli finally realizes that it is God speaking. So Eli tells Samuel ...

“Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, God. I'm your servant, ready to listen.’ " ~ 1 Samuel 3:9

What is it that makes Samuel such fertile ground for hearing God? Could it be that he didn't have any personal agenda? Could it be that he was fully surrendered to God's Lordship and prepared to serve? Could it be that he was ready to listen?

Scripture is very clear that the Holy Spirit dwells in us as Counselor and Guide to draw our attention to Jesus. Do you suppose the Spirit would be willing to help us become ready to listen if we asked Him? I'm betting He would!

Are we ready to listen?