Does God Help Students Pass Tests?

"As long as there are tests,
there will be prayer in school."

Get it? Get it? Kids will pray for God to miraculously intervene, see, because they didn't study.

But will He? Does God intervene to help someone because they make a last-minute deal with Him? "God, I promise that if you help me with this, I'll go to church... pray more... be nice to my sister..."
Hmmm. I have a feeling God might see through that. I'm not saying He doesn't help us when we don't deserve it; I just think He's more inclined to let us experience the consequences of our actions. Test scores have borne this out. Study and you do well. Skip studying and pray as you walk in... not so much.

I do believe God answers prayer, but not (usually) in a spectacular way. Here's how it works: I pray well before the test day. I don't just pray for a list of "Stuff God should do for me." I thank him for my family, and for the rain, and I ask him to comfort my friend whose dad died, and, yeah, I pray that I'll do well in school.
Then, still in a positive state of mind, I get my books out and study. I get a good night's sleep. Oh, and I say a quick prayer again when I'm waiting for the test. It can't hurt, right? And...

A miracle!

I pass my test!

So, yes. I believe God does help students pass tests.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Peace, Love, Prayer

I Gave Up Chocolate. So what?

In my church, people give something up for lent (chocolate, coffee, french fries) or do something we wouldn't ordinarily do, such as helping at a local soup kitchen. I gave up chocolate and I'm involving myself in extra activities at church.

But why chocolate? I'm not hungry, as I would be if I went on a "real" fast. I'm not really suffering. (I'm not. I'm not!) And I'm not doing a whole lot of good. I'm not even helping the Girl Scouts out by buying their Samoas and Thin Mints. (Curse their bad timing! Or is this intentional temptation?) I do put a little extra money, the cost of a month's worth of chocolate, in the tithe. That's something, right?

Christians aren't commanded to fast, though the Bible says it's good to do. Jesus' own disciples didn't fast (Luke 5:33) but the book of Acts mentions disciples fasting.

The point of fasting should not be for any worldly gain for myself, so when I "brag" about going a month without chocolate, I'm probably detracting from the intended point of the exercise. I'm not getting any brownie points there. (Mmm... brownies...)

I can't help but dwell on the fact that, compared to this puny act, Jesus' sacrifice was HUUUGE. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 And I'm gently nudged to do a little more... and a little more... to help my own fellow humans.

The reason to fast is to devote time to prayer. So whenever I think about going for a chocolate bar, or a bowl of ice cream, I stop and pray. And I think about chocolate a lot. so... This month I'm praying a lot.

Peace, love, choco... I mean prayer.

Q. Does God answer Tebow's Prayers?

A. Yes. He says, "I'm not that much of a football fan. I'm into baseball. Go Angels!"

If you don't know who Tim Tebow is, you're probably not a football fan. (I'm not, so I had to look him up.) He's a football player who's known for praying on one knee before and during football games, and for pointing up at "God" when things go well on the field.

I'm indifferent to over-the-top grandstanding. It might attract positive attention to God, but it will more likely attract negative attention. Here's why: Tebow prays. Tebow wins games. Christians attribute his wins to his prayer, not to his natural abilities, (not to mention the abilities of the other people on the team!) When the team wins, God wins! Yay! When the team loses (as they did last night...)

Was God watching another game?

Was He mad at Tebow?

Does He even EXIST?

Or... maybe God doesn't work that way at all. Prayer is great, and I'm all for it, but this kind of "Look at me, I'm praying" is dangerous, especially when mixed with frenzied fans. No one questions a player wearing lucky socks if he or she loses, but if a Christian loses, that's fodder for those who are looking for us to fall.

The moral: Tebow; keep praying, and keep practicing. God wants you to have faith in Him. He just might not care if you win the game.

Peace, Love, Touchdown!

Disappointed in God? Lower Your Expectations

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." 1 Corinthians 10:26

Why Did God create tsunamis and cancer and child abuse? Okay, he didn’t create them, I hear you saying. He allowed them. Same difference, if he’s all-powerful.

Why is there suffering at all? God can do anything, and he allowed Satan to have his way with the world. So here we are, stuck with natural disasters, illness, wars, and money problems. We’re stuck having to learn about him through a book that was written long ago by imperfect people who spoke in various languages and lived in various cultures. Even Christians can’t agree on what it means.

God is all-loving? Then where is he? We have to learn how to talk to him in spite of the fact that we (okay, I’ll speak for myself. I…) never actually hear his voice.

Hey, God, could you throw us a bone once in a while? You could enter a burning bush from time to time, just to let us know you’re still here. It’s been 2000 years since anyone actually touched you. That’s a long time for us humans. We’ve got pretty short attention spans.

God, if I were you, I would do such a better job! I’d start by ending all war, all hunger, and all pain. Then I’d have a good long talk with everybody. I’d explain things in plain language. No more parables. No more looking it up in the Greek. Then… I’d give the people what they want. Everyone. Everything. Why not? I’m God, and I can make it so there’s enough to go around!

Then everyone would be happy and grateful and there would be no discussion of hell; because there would be no need for hell!

Impossible? Not for me. I’m God!

Yeah. There’s fantasy, and there’s reality. The fact remains: That’s not the way it is.

I’m not saying that God can’t meet all our needs. Not at all. What I am saying is that we’ve constructed a view of God that’s unrealistic. For many of us (including me sometimes) he’s the “great genie in the sky.” He’s there to meet all our desires, whatever they are. Even though he doesn’t, we continue to believe that he does!

And that’s just not the way it is. God does not intend us to have it all, all the time, so why pretend? He does want us to be happy with what we have.

He wants us to find peace:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

and love:

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

and joy:

I came that you may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance, until it overflows. John 10:10

even in this weird, crazy, imperfect world. So that’s what I’m gonna try to do.

The real world is gloriously imperfect. It’s full of rainy days, crazy in-laws, dust-bunnies, and mosquitoes.

Let’s celebrate it!

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

Peace, Love, and Joy

Let Go of the Wheel

There's an old bumper sticker saying "God is My Copilot." It always struck me as sort of backwards. Shouldn't God be in control? Shouldn't I be in the passenger seat? After all, He's the one with a plan for my life, right? I'm just praying and following his lead.
Well that's not exactly true. Too often, when faced with a choice, I say a quick prayer, then I do or say what I was going to do or say anyway. I've got both hands firmly on the wheel, I'm looking straight ahead and I'm not gonna change course for anyone; even God. (I say this I because I want to admit it. If I didn't I'd be a hypocrite, and we don't want any hypocrites in church!) The truth is I think my course is the right one and the other courses are--well--wrong. It's human nature.

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

My life is a constant battle to turn myself over to God; words AND actions. That’s how I can best honor Him, and that’s how I can best allow others to see Him through me. How do I do this? Well, usually, I pray, pray and pray some more. When I open my bible, I pray. When somebody asks me my opinion... or gives me theirs... I pray. When I say pray, I mean I talk to God, then I listen. (Not for voices in my head!) I honestly try to weigh both sides of every argument. He might speak to me through the Bible, He might speak to me through another person, or he might speak to me through a thought that pops into my head. I try to be open to anything.

"Keep an open mind, but don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out." Richard Feynman

I'm sure of my faith in God. I use the Apostle's Creed and the Bible as my starting point. Beyond that... my mind is never completely "made up," because that wouldn't leave room for God to talk to me.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:2

...Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. - 1 Kings 19:11-13

I hope I’m at least partly successful.

Let go; Let God.