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The Hour that Changes the World

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A while back, my pastor, Dr. Greg Mathis gave me a book called The Hour that Changes the World.  It was written by Dick Eastman and is a practical approach to assisting your prayer life.  I’m glad Dr. Mathis gave me the book and especially glad I’ve taken the time to read it.

Prayer is on of the weakest areas of my devotional life.  I’ve read a number of books on prayer over the years, but this has been one of the most helpful for me.  Eastman addresses prayer with a practical framework that has helped me with structuring my prayer time.

He divides his hour of prayer into twelve five minute blocks with the following segments: praise, waiting, confession, Scripture praying, watching, intercession, petition, thanksgiving, singing, meditation, listening, and praise.  Eastman’s structure is not helpful because of its rigidness, but because of its practical flow from one element to the other.  I personally appreciate how these elements have helped me focus my prayer time while allowing for a sense of conversation and fluidity as well.

If you are looking for a challenging, accessible, and practical resource for your devotional life, then The Hour that Changes the World might be for you.  Eastman quotes freely from some of the classic prayer authors of the past, and his book builds on the influence of such prayer giants like Andrew Murray and E.M. Bounds.  I would definitely recommend this book as a tool to challenge and build your prayer life.

A Mother’s Day Contradiction

One of my favorite celebration days of the year is Mother’s Day.  I have two very special ladies in my life to celebrate—my mom and my wife, the mother of my two little boys.  I will be forever grateful to my mother for modeling a personal relationship with the Lord, for praying for me faithfully, for teaching me the Bible and the gospel, and for always being a support and encourager.  I will be forever grateful to my wife for being a godly and patient nurturer, teacher, and caretaker for her little boys.  I am always deeply blessed when I see my wife give her special, content smile to our boys.  My mom and wife have helped shape the man I am today.  I love you both!

While I’m anticipating a day of celebration on Sunday, I’ve been troubled this week by the story of a young woman who chose to film her abortion.  Her story seems to contradict everything we cherish and love about mothers.  Emily Letts found out she was pregnant and decided to film her abortion as a way of “helping women through an abortion.”  She detailed her experience in  “Why I Filmed My Abortion.”  Dr. Albert Mohler wrote a balanced and clear response bemoaning the culture of death that celebrates choice rather than life.  His article is “’I Feel Super Great About Having an Abortion’—The Culture of Death Goes Viral.”

I would encourage you to read both articles for a number of reasons.  First, Mother’s Day is most certainly a day for celebration.  But for many, it is also a day of pain and hurt.  Many women mourn the loss of their mothers, their children, or mourn over their own infertility.  Emily Letts’ glibness, failure to discern between right and wrong, and irresponsible definition of of guilt are troubling.  It is right for us (particularly if you have experienced the sufferings of miscarriage, infertility, or even a past abortion) to be angry at Ms. Letts’ flippancy and her choice to celebrate it openly.  Yet, we must also remember she is a sinner, just like each one of us.  Sinners are supposed to sin.  I don’t believe it will do much good or reach Ms. Letts’ to castigate her publicly or send her hateful messages.  I believe the best thing we can do is pray for her.  She’s made herself and her story public.  What an opportunity for thousands, maybe millions of Christians to intercede on behalf of her soul. Would you pray for her individually, for her salvation, and pray for her representatively, that God may help others to reject her worldview and to choose life?

Please don’t read my thoughts here and let them discourage you this weekend.  Rather, let them be remind you to thank your mom for choosing life.  Let them implore you to pray for Ms. Letts and the countless other young ladies in our society who might/will choose to abort their babies.  Let these thoughts encourage you to be mindful and prayerful of those who are hurting this Mother’s Day weekend.