CROP DUSTER OR CONCORDE

FAITH:
Mark 9:1-50
Jesus explained what God's Kingdom was about. The disciples could not fathom God's eternal plan. Jesus brought Peter, James and John up on a mountain top. There Jesus' true glory was revealed, and Elijah and Moses appeared to the disciples as God spoke to them.

Even the majestic son of God sympathizes with our most desperate cries.

Some of you pray like a Concorde jet--smooth, sleek, high, and mighty. Your words reverberate in the clouds, and send sonic booms throughout the heavens. If you pray like a Concorde, I salute you. If you don't, I understand.

Maybe you are like me, more a crop duster than a Concorde. You aren't flashy, you fly low, you seem to cover the same ground a lot, and some mornings it's tough to get the old engine cranked up.

Most of us are like that. Most of our prayer lives could use a tune-up.

Some prayer lives lack consistency. They are either a desert or an oasis. We go days or weeks without consistent prayer, but then something happens---we hear a sermon, read a book, experience a tragedy ---something leads us to pray, so we dive in. We submerge our selves in prayer and leave refreshed and renewed. But as the journey resumes, our prayers don't.

Others of us need sincerity. Our prayers are a bit hollow, memorized, and rigid. More liturgy than life. And though they are daily they are dull.

Still others lace well, honesty. We honestly wonder if prayer makes a difference. Why on earth would God in heaven want to talk to me?

If you struggle with prayer, I've got just the guy for you. Don't worry, he's not a monastic saint. He's not a calloused-kneed apostle. Nor is he a prophet whose middle name is meditation. He's not a too-holy-to-be-you reminder of how far you need to go in prayer. He's just the opposite. A fellow crop duster. A parent with a sick son in need of a miracle. The father's prayer isn't much, but the answer is and the result reminds us: The power is not in the prayer, it's in the one who hears it.

He prayed out of desperation. His Son was demon-possessed. Not only was he a deaf mute and an epileptic, he was also possessed by an evil spirit. Ever since the boy was young, the demon had thrown him into fires and water.

Imagine the pain of the father. Other dads could watch their children grow and mature: he could only watch his suffer. While others were teaching their sons an occupation, he was just trying to keep his son alive.

He was desperate and tired, and his prayer reflects both.

"If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us."

Listen to that prayer. Does it sound courageous? Confident? Strong? Hardly.

One word would have made a lot of difference, Instead of if, what if he'd said since? "Since you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us."

But that's not what he said. He said if. The Greek is even more emphatic. The tense implies doubt. It's as if the man were saying, "This one's probably our of your league, but if you can...."

A classic crop-duster appeal. More meek than might. More timid than towering. More like a crippled lamb coming to a shepherd than a proud lion roaring in the jungle. If his prayer sounds like yours, then don't be discouraged, for that's where prayer begins.

It begins as a yearning. An honest appeal. Ordinary peole staring at Mount Everest. No pretense. No boasting. No posturing. Just prayer. Feeble prayer, but prayer nonetheless. by Max Lucado

Applying it: What is your most desperate prayer? Does a rebellious child cause you much grief? Is a parent dying without Christ? Are you frantic about tomorrow's bills? Tell God about your grief and anxiety.
Exploring it: Accepting Christ--Luke 2:9-10; 9:7-8; John 3:3.

FRIENDS:
Father, Today you reminded me of the 100th Psalm that the whole earth should "shout for joy to the Lord". This day Lord, I am shouting praises for an answered prayer. I should be shouting every day and praising your goodness to us for giving us life, health, friends, freedom, our possessions and I need to make sure I always share my gratitude to you. But today I am overjoyed with family and I want you to know I am blessed beyond measure and I praise you. In Jesus' name, Amen

BIBLE CHALLENGE
Acts.....
They aren't the same men.

Oh, I know they look like it.They have the same names. The same faces. The same mannerisms. They look the same. But they aren't. On the surface they appear no different. Peter is still brazen. Nathanael is still reflective. Phillip is still calculating.

They look the same. But they aren't. They aren't the same men you read about in the last four books. The fellows you got to know in the gospels? These are the ones, but they are different.

You'll see it. As you read you'll see itl In their eyes. You hear it in their voices. You feel it in their passion.These men have changed.

As you read you'll wonder---are these the same guys? The ones who doubted in Galilee? The ones who argued in Capernaum? The ones who ran for their lives in Gethsemane? You'll wonder, "Are these the same men?"

The answer is no. They are different. They have stood face to face with God. They have sat at the feet of the resurrected King. They are different.

Within them dwells a fire not found on earth. Christ has taught them. the Father has forgiven them. the Spirit indwells them. They are not the same.

And because they are different, so is the world.

Read their adventures and be encouraged. Read their adventures and be listening. What God did to them, He longs to do for you.

January 7
Matthew 4:1-11; Acts 4:23-37; Psalms 7; Genesis 18-20
January 8
Matthew 4:12-17; Acts 5:1-16; Psalms 8; Genesis 21-23

10 THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. The power of prayer
2. The way the Spirit moves as directed by the Father
3. Answered prayer
4. God's miraculous ability to direct and solve things in a way we can't imagine
5. The unbelievable amount of love a Mother has for her child
6. Unexpected phone calls with good news
7.God's encouragement to us to never give up hope
8. The fact there are no coincidences
9. God's ability to soften an angry heart
10. The words, "Mom, I love you."

FOOD:
Love Risotto but hate to stand at the stove and cook it forever? Here is a great alternative.
Oven Made Shrimp Risotto
2 Tb butter or margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots or onions
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked aborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
4 cups Knorr Chicken Broth
1 package Knorr Spring Vegetable recipe (soup) mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound uncooked large peeled and deveined shrimp
1 cup frozen baby green peas thawed.

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 2 quart baking dish and set aside.
Melt butter in a large pan and cook shallots, tarragon and pepper,
stirring occasionally until tender about 2 minutes.
Combine wine, chicken broth and Knorr soup mix and gradually stir
into rice mixture.
Bring to boil stirring.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spoon into prepared baking dish, stir in cheese and bake for 20
minutes.
Stir in shrimp and bake till shrimp turn pinkand rice si creamy
about another 10 minutes.
Stir in peas and let stand until peas are warm.

4 servings. Prep time:10 minutes Cook time 40 minutes.

Some options to consider; about a 1/4 cup each of chopped mushrooms and chopped poblano pepper in with the shallots.



FUN:
This was sent to me by a gorgeous, natural blonde.......

Two blonde girls were working for the city public works department. One would dig a hole and the other would follow behind her and fill the hole in. They worked up one side of the street, then down the other, then moved on to the next street, working furiously all day without rest, one girl digging a hole, the other girl filling it in again.

An onlooker was amazed at their hard work, but couldn't understand what they were doing. So he asked the hole digger, 'I'm impressed by the effort you two are putting into your work, but I don't get it -- why do you dig a hole, only to have your partner follow behind and fill it up again?'

The hole digger wiped her brow and sighed, 'Well, I suppose it probably looks odd because we're normally a three-person team. But today the girl who plants the trees called in sick.'