On Monday mornings at 11:30am, some people from our church gather together for an intentional time of prayer… Those participating come from various backgrounds – some are older… some are younger… some are retired… some are unemployed… some (like myself) are on church staff… etc…

As we gather, our prayers generally begin in a positive manner… We adore God’s nature and character… We praise Him for lives that are changing… We thank Him for meeting our needs… From there we may begin to pray with a more somber spirit as we voice supplications concerning specific needs, fears, and requests… Our modern-day Moses – Jim Schindler – usually closes our time by reading a Scripture and praying in regards to the text…

Now to the significance of all this…

Have you ever noticed the “Hmmm”??? You know what I’m talking about… It’s the noise we all crave to hear when we pray out loud… or share a thought in a group… or give a speech… the “Hmmm”… It’s that noise that people make when you say something profound or thought-provoking… the “Hmmm”… You get my drift…

Today, while in the prayer meeting described above, I noticed something very alarming… and if you stop to think about it, maybe you’ll notice it too… Sometimes I really need to hear the “Hmmm” in order to feel like I prayed really well…

Then I got really REALLY convicted… because I realized that I was becoming more concerned with hearing the “Hmmm” from the crowd than I was with authenitally pouring my heart out to my God…

Since when did public prayers become more like a public address… since when did it become OK for me to disguise a speech as a conversation with God… and since when did hearing the “Hmmm” from my people become more important the hearing from the voice of the God I claim to love…

Let’s avoid the need for the “Hmmm”…

to be a follower of Christ??? to obey God’s will??? to be a person of faith???

Hebrews 11:32-38
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Have we been mislead into believing that the Christian life should be one of happiness, pleasure, and success???

HMM… In don’t know about you, but I often find myself desiring a “better” life… or at least an easier one: My desire for money and wealth is sometimes consuming - buy better house… drive better car… more investments… STUFF!!! My felt need for human recognition can be overwhelming… reward me… mention my name… notice what I did… AFFIRM ME!!! and an easy lifestyle quickly becomes something I deserve and expect…

but should this be the expectation of a person of faith in Christ??? It seems that Hebrews 11 (aka - the Hall of Faith) depicts the life and death of the faithful with terms of tragedy, difficulty, torture, and pain… this is not what I expect for the person who is a “good Chrstian”… To my knowledge, none of my modern day “role models” have experienced such difficulty… and when “tragedy” strikes someone who I hold in high spiritual regard, I respond with words like - “that’s terrible” or “no way” or “how awful”…

But maybe suffering is the mark of the faithful… not money… or maybe the faithful are those who couple suffering with endurance… not those who write the best-selling books…

I think I need some new modern day hero’s… Bring on the martyrs!!!

So… What is so amazing about grace??? Well, this book pretty much answers that question…

If you’re a Believer that has lived within the legalistic confines of a unloving church, you’ll probably do a little dance after reading this book… You will be exposed to a new picture of God presenting Him as a loving friend as opposed to a angry judge… Philip Yancey assists you in finding the freedom of God’s grace!!!

One of my favorite lines in the book is as follows - “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.”

Strong Points:
1. Great use of real-life stories that display unimagineable grace…
2. Excellent challenge presented to Christ-followers to extend grace to specific groups that we tend to reject, condemn, or verbally abuse - liberal politicians, homosexuals, pastors that make mistakes, criminals, ethnic groups,
3. Great chapter on legalism - called “Grace Avoidance”
4. Chapter 14 gives a direct admonishment to never abuse grace or use it as a “loophole” for sin…

Weak Points:

*** none that stand out, but I can’t remember every word on every page… So those let the skeptics begin their criticisms… but please remember to show grace… even to authors with whom you disagree… HA!!!