My Christological Creed

 

                                                        (Pumpkin field, Monroe, MI)

From my book Deconstructing Progressive Christianity.

• I believe Christ died for our sins. 
• I believe all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 
• I believe sin makes a separation between us and God, and us and others. (The wages of sin is death.)
• I believe God hates sin. Sin is rejection of God’s lordship. I believe God’s holiness cannot be grasped without comprehending the nature of sin. The wrath of God flows from his holiness. God’s anger flows from his goodness. (See Kevin Kinghorn, But What About God's Wrath: The Compelling Love Story of Divine Anger.)
• I believe, “since all human beings have sinned, and God as the holy One judges retributively and does not merely overlook sin, sin must be atoned for by sacrifice. 
• I believe the fundamental reason for the sacrifices is atonement, so that sinners could be forgiven by the holy One. 
• I believe the suffering of the Messiah was clearly prophesied. (See Isaiah 53. See The Gospel According to Isaiah 53.) 
• I believe it was the will of God to die in the place of sinners. 
• I believe that the Cross was God’s idea.

• I believe it was God who died in our place. (Behind this belief is Trinitarian theology. Thomas Schreiner writes, “the doctrine of the Trinity forbids us from separating the persons of the Trinity too rigidly from one another.” [Atonement: Four Views, 95] At least we should agree that this man Jesus, hanging on the cross, was no ordinary human. He was the God-Man.)

Piippo, John. Deconstructing Progressive Christianity . Kindle Edition. 

One of my PhD comprehensive exams (Northwestern University) was on ancient Christology.

How to Pray for Our Leaders

 

                                                                (Cross, in our front yard)

FROM the BILLY GRAHAM ASSOCIATION https://static.billygraham.org/sites/billygrahamlibrary.org/uploads/pro/2017/01/How-to-pray-for-our-Leaders.pdf

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” —1 Timothy 2:1–3, NKJV

We are to pray respectfully for leaders. “Honor all people. ... Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

We are to pray with the clear understanding that government authority is established by God. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1). We also pray knowing that God’s Word says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1).

WHO TO PRAY FOR

President

Cabinet members

Senators

 Congressional representatives

 Supreme Court

 Military leaders 

Governor 

State legislators 

Mayor 

Police chief, sheriff 

First responders

PRAY THIS WAY

Open the heart of ______________ to hear and respond to the Gospel message if they do not know you. Acts 16:14

• Help ____________ to accept wise counsel. Proverbs 11:14; 15:22

• Teach _________ to trust in You. Psalm 21:7

• Protect __________ from the influence of the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

• Give __________ discretion, foresight, and understanding in making decisions. 1 Chronicles 22:12

• Deliver ________ from opinions contrary to Your Word. Psalm 119:105

• Protect _________ from harm, and bless and protect his/her family. Psalm 21:11; Ezra 6:10

• Enable __________ to carry out his/her duties with humility toward You and toward others. 1 Peter 5:5

• Give __________ the courage to do the right thing even when urged to do the wrong thing. Proverbs 2:11–15

• Give _________ a tender heart of compassion toward those he/she leads and serves. Colossians 3:12

***

For more detail on how Christians should respond to government leaders they disagree with, see, e.g., N. T. Wright and Michael Bird, Jesus and the Powers, Ch. 5, "The Church Between Submission and Subversion." 

If You Don't Control Your Mouth Your Religion Is Worthless

 

 

                                                      (Our back yard, in colder days)

When pressure is applied to a person's life, we see who they really are. 

In our current, pressure-packed, politicized culture, peoples' hearts are being revealed.

Sadly, in some who say they follow Jesus, the worst is coming out.

Gladly, other Jesus-followers are shining.

Some have succumbed to darkness. Others walk in the light.

This concerns what comes out of our mouths. This is about our words, our attitudes, our hearts.

If you are a follower of Jesus, listen to these words, and take them to heart.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:2-3

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  Ephesians 4:15

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

"The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them." Matthew 15:18

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak." Matthew 12:36

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Colossians 3:8

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:9-12

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 19:20

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. James 1:26

I suggest: print these Scriptures out. Carry them with you for a season. Meditate on them.

Ask God to take them from your mind and grow them in your heart.

If one verse stands out to you, assume this is the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Carry this verse with you, repeating it often. 

Join me in asking God to teach how to speak truth... in love.

And, if your mouth has done harm rather than good, repent, before the Lord. Confess, to the ones you have hurt.

Do not embrace the false, demonic belief that you won't be able to express truth unless you hate.

DECLARATIONS from these VERSES

• When pressure is applied to my heart, the best of Jesus comes out.
• The only words that come out of my mouth are words that build people up, not tear people down.
• I have placed a guard over my mouth, so I don't speak rashly and ruin relationships.
• I am patient with others, because the Lord is patient with me.
• I bear with others, because the Lord puts up with me.
• My consuming goal is unity of the Spirit.
• I speak truth in love. I care for others as I speak truth.
• I prayerfully, while seeking God, guard my heart. There are thoughts I do not allow my heart to entertain.
• No unwholesome talk comes out of my mouth. 
• People come to me, because my words build them up.
• I speak no careless, thoughtless words.
• I am over hating people.
• I never slander people.
• No obscene, unholy talk comes out of my mouth.
• I cannot curse other people, because even if they don't know Jesus, they are made in the image of God.
• I pray and ponder things before I open my mouth.
• I have put a bridle on my mouth, and allow the Spirit to guide my words.

Michael Brown on the 2024 Elections - A Prophetic Message

 

A Prophetic Message Concerning the 2024 Elections.

By Michael Brown

Among many other things, Michael was one of our speakers at a recent Green Lake summer conference.

He also was an important part of the Brownsville Revival.

How to Pray for Our Government Leaders

 

                                                                   (Lake Erie sunrise)

The apostle Paul lived in a time and place where the existing political and religious powers were antagonistic and oppositional to his message of the Gospel, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and to the message of the Kingdom of God that was not, as Jesus said, "of this world."

It's true that Paul gave thanks for the Pax Romana, and the brief historical window this provided for sharing the Gospel. But still his sufferings, at the hands of politicized Jews and Gentiles, were many. He lists some of them in 2 Corinthians 11:21-29.

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

Given this atmosphere of anti-Christian persecution, it strikes me as amazing that Paul writes these words, in 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

     I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for             all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet         lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who             wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Let's add Jesus's command in Matthew 5:43-48.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

What a challenge it is, at least for me, to follow this command of Jesus, and Paul's counsel to Timothy! This takes the agape love of Jesus to another level. I am old, and still learning this Jesus-way of praying.

If you want to take these things to heart, here are some resources that may help.

Blessings!

JP

***

From Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), the ministry I got saved in. Prayer Guide: How to Pray for Our Country's Leaders.

From World Vision. How to Pray for Your Government Leaders.

From Kenneth Copeland Ministries. A Prayer for Our Government.

From the Navigators. Praying for Nations and Leaders in a Time of Difficulty.

From Logos.com. Five Bible Passages About Praying for Those in Authority.

From Focus on the Family. 30 Days of Prayer. (See especially days 21-30.)

From K-Love. Eight Prayers for Your Leaders. 

From Billy Graham Association. How to Pray for Our Leaders. 

Intro to Redeemer Church in Monroe

A Root-Exposing Book (Now Reading)

 

Part of God's calling on my life has been, and remains, getting at the root of beliefs.

The best book I've read, so far this year, does just this.

Character Comes Before Ability in Relationships

 

(On the west side of Michigan, Lake Michigan shoreline)

My physician possesses high character, and great ability. He has both qualities. But if I was forced to choose between a physician of great character, and one of great ability, I'd lean towards ability. Better is a doctor who knows what he is doing. 

But when it comes to relationships, I think differently. Character is more important than ability, when it comes to relationships. In a friendship, or in a marriage, if I have to choose, I'll take someone with high character and low ability before someone with high ability and low character. The latter person will cheat on you, or betray you, or throw you under the bus.

Through the years abilities decrease, but character can keep increasing. As Paul wrote, Though my abilities are wasting away, my character is being transformed day by day. (2 Cor. 4:16, Piippo translation)

In After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters., N. T. Wright says, "The central thing that is supposed to happen "after you believe" is the transformation of character." This is the Galatians 4:19 thing - that Christ be formed in you. Or, as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:12 - "We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

This formation, the development of Christ-character in you, is your calling. It happens as you indwell Christ.

The goal of our own character formation into Jesus-likeness is love. Love is "the greatest of the" core virtues. We may disagree with others, but we must never cease loving them. Jesus loved those he disagreed with so much that he died for them. We are to even love our enemies, in spite of our opposing views. Anything less than this and you have left Jesus. (This does not, of course, mean that we affirm everything the other believes. To do that is not love, either.)

What will character formation look like? Because it comes from attachment to Christ, it will look like Christ. Christ forms you, meta-morphs you into one who loves and lives as Christ is.

Wright's example is Sully Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who landed a disabled passenger jet in the Hudson River and saved 155 lives. The character of a pilot had been formed in him. He no longer needed to wear a wristband that asked, "What Would a Pilot Do?" (WWPD) Rather, "the skills and ability ran right through him, top to toe." 

Wright says "The key to it all is that the Christian vision of character that has become second nature is precisely all about discovering what it means to be human - human in a way that most of us never imagine."

Regarding Sullenberger, "virtue is what happens when wise and courageous choices have become "second nature." Not "first nature," as though they happened naturally. Like an acquired taste, such choices and actions, which started off being practiced with difficulty, ended up being "second nature." (James K. A. Smith and Dallas Willard say the same.)

For Wright, our "first nature" is our subhumanity. The "second nature" Christ wants to form in us is his nature, which is true humanity. God wants to rescue us out of our subhumanity and transform us into true humanity. Some, when they fail, say "I'm only human." They should say, "I'm subhuman." 

Wright's book shows how God metamorphs us from subhumanity into true humanity, how God forms our character into Christlikeness.

What can I do about this? I look at my own self, and focus on my own change. I pray to be transformed into someone who is more like Jesus, and loves their enemies so much they would even die for them. I learn to live an abiding life, which is the place where the character of Jesus flows into me, like a vine resources its branches.

I pray for the character of Christ to be formed in me.

Conflict Reveals Character

(Downtown Monroe)

I've always thought that who a person really is, is who they are in their home. This is because a home is made of people living under the same roof who are not normal like you. The people in your home, whether old or young, are different. We see who you really are by the way you handle "different."

Differences can attract - that's good. Maybe that's why you married the person you did. She had something you did not have, and maybe you thought she would complete you. 

Differences can also collide. Differences can repel, like positive and negative magnetic poles. Differences conflict. A husband and wife are, in a few ways at least, polar opposites. Husbands and wives conflict, at times. There are no exceptions to this. Many are in denial, or fearful, about this.

From God's perspective, this is very good. Differences can complement. In Genesis we read, "And God created polar opposites, and saw that it was good." And, BTW, God is different from you. God's ways are not your ways. That fact is a transcendent good which we minimally grasp.

Conflict, therefore, is inevitable. Conflict is normal. If there's no conflict in your home, you have a problem. Probably, that problem is you. Or, at least, you are part of the problem. Always consider this possibility, for it reorients you on the road to being a peacemaker.

James van Yperen, in Making Peace, writes:

"Conflict reveals the true character of a leader. Jesus told His disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?” (Matthew 5:43-46). Who we are is revealed by how we react to persecution." (p. 26)

If differences irritate you, that is your problem. If different approaches and styles "push your buttons," those buttons are yours. Own up to this and you are on your way to character formation.

***
My books are:

Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God (May 2016)

Leading the Presence-Driven Church (January 2018)

Deconstructing Progressive Christianity

31 Letters to the Church on Discipleship

31 Letters to the Church on Praying

Encounters With the Holy Spirit (Co-edited with Janice Trigg)

Caring and Confronting Attitudes

 

COMMUNICATION AS SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE (CARING + CONFRONTING)

Linda and I have used this template in our own marriage. We have shared this with countless couples. Copy it. Display it on your refrigerator. 

Ephesians 4:15 says: “therefore speak the truth in love; so shall we fully grow up into Christ.” Here we are told, in communication, to be both loving and truthful, caring and confronting.

Work at communicating both caring and confronting in the middle of marital or relational conflict.

Here are the attitudes to have and hold to.

 

 

From David Augsburger, Caring Enough to Confront

Divorce - The Kids Will NOT Be OK

(I'm re-posting this, to keep this ball in play.)

A cover of Time Magazine had the titillating headline "Is Monogamy Over?" Biologist-psychologist David Barash answered: "We should keep it [monogamy] for our kids' sake." Because:

"It’s very rare for any species to engage in biparental care unless the males are guaranteed that they are genetically related to the offspring—confidence monogamy alone can provide. And because human children need so much parental assistance, protection and investment, humans, perhaps more than any other animal, especially benefit from monogamy."

I meet all the time with young adults whose biological parents have separated or divorced. Almost always, there’s devastation. 

I meet with married people who are thinking about divorce. They’ve picked up the village-idea that if they divorce, the “kids will be OK.” There is evidence suggesting that is false. 

Perhaps, for some, it’s their way of trying to justify their own inability to work through their failing marriage. Only a few kids do well, and they are rare. 

Many couples do not have the tools to fix their marriage. The current parentless generation is spawning teens who have never seen a healthy marriage before. Unless something transformational happens in them, they will mirror their parents’ failures.

The best book on this is by former Columbia U. scholar Judith Wallerstein - The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce. She’s done the only longitudinal study of what happens to kids whose parents divorce. Wallenstein followed these kids into adulthood. Anyone contemplating divorce who thinks “The kids will be OK” needs to read this book. 

Wallenstein writes:
“By tracking approximately 100 children as they forge their lives as adults, we has found that, contrary to the popular belief that kids would bounce back after the initial pain of their parents’ split, children of divorce often continue to suffer well into adulthood. Their pain plays out in their relationships, their work lives and their confidence about parenting themselves.”

If you are divorced your kids probably need more help than kids with healthy, married monogamous parents.

***
In an PBS interview Wallerstein responds to a question.

adriana_rome: Is there any information on how divorce affects children at different ages? Say a toddler aged child vs. a teen?

Dr. Judith: Well, children who are little ... 2-6 .... are really very worried that they're going to be abandoned. They have so little capacity to take care of themselves. Their logic is that if one parent can leave another, why can't they leave me? They cling to their parents, they have terrible nightmares, they don't want to go to nursery school and all the times during the day and night where there's separation are filled with enormous anxiety because they're so afraid they'll be abandoned and there will be no one to take care of them, feed them, dry their tears, take care of them.

Youngsters who are school aged ... 8-11 ... are more worried about the fact that they're not going to get a chance to do the things they need to do. There's a stage that's being held up by their parents ... the mainstage is at school, on the playground, with other friends, with sports, with music, with ballet ... all the things they do at this age and they're very angry with their parents because they're afraid it will interrupt their activities. They think their parents are being very selfish as the very scaffolding that holds their lives up is going to collapse.

Teens .... are much more likely to be their parents' confidants at the break-up. They're much more likely to be aware of the trouble either parent has been having and they can be very compassionate and caring. But at the same time, they are very angry that the family is falling apart. They figure they need that family support,: especially at this time in their lives when they have so many questions about their own futures. And thirdly, they worry very much at 15-17, whether if their parents marriage went belly-up ... whether their own relationships are going to run into disaster and they're very frightened.

It's False That an Atheist Just Believes in One Fewer God Than a Theist Does

Card, in a store in Detroit's Cass Corridor

I heard this again, so I'll post my response again. Heard what? The Internet-atheist cliche, given to a theist such as I: "We atheists just believe in one fewer "god" than you do." 

That's cute. But not really. The person who quotes this thinking they are making some profound point is commits the fallacy of equivocation.

I don't believe in "Zeus." Here are some things about "Zeus":

• Zeus is not omniscient - he got tricked by Prometheus, e.g.
• Zeus is a pervert - he changed his shape into a swan, e.g., when he impregnated Leda. When he abducted Ganymede he changed his shape into an eagle. And so on..., kind of like the atheist Bertrand Russell would disguise himself so as not to be recognized when he engaged in adulterous behavior in seducing women. (See Paul Johnson's Intellectuals, pp. 212 ff. Fellow philosopher Sidney Hook said Russell "would pursue anything in skirts that would cross his path.")  Anyway, Zeus is far from all-loving, and Zeus has a physical body.
• Zeus has a beard and long hair.
• Zeus lives on Mount Olympus.
• Zeus is married.
• Zeus fathered many children.

In the philosophy of religion no scholar is interested in "Zeus." The real question that is found in every academic philosophy of religion book that exists is: does a being with the following attributes exist:

• personal-causal agent
• atemporal (therefore changeless)
• immaterial (therefore nonspatial)
• omniscient (knows everything that can be known)
• omnipotent (is able to do everything that can be done)
• omnibenevolent (in morally perfect)
• necessarily existent (never began to exist and never will cease existing; therefore uncaused)
• cause (creator) of all that exists.

Philosophers (atheists and theists), when they argue for or against the existence of "God," refer to this kind of being. The philosophical question is: Does this kind of being exist? Theists say yes, atheists say no. But note they are both referring to the same kind of being, and not to "Zeus" and his many anthropomorphic kin.

So, to call "Zeus" and the theistic God examples of "gods" in the cliche-quote is to equivocate on the meaning of "god." Because the attributes of "Zeus" and other anthropomorphic gods are not the declared attributes of the God of classical theism. Thus, they are two different kinds of beings.

That's irrational. Illogical. 

Don't Consent to the Illusion

(Ann Arbor)

Many people define themselves in terms of their material possessions, their personal appearance, and their accomplishments. These evaluations are all comparative. They function on the punishing honor/shame hierarchy. This hierarchy is brutal, because it requires a constant striving to maintain or upgrade one's false identity.

For such persons, this is all they are. They are nothing more or less than what they own, how they look to others, and what they have done. They create themselves in the image they think others will adore. They are a function of what people think, puppets controlled by ever-changing public opinion.

Thomas Merton knew this and wrote:

"There are many respectable and even conventionally moral people for whom there is no other reality in life than their body and its relationship with “things.” They have reduced themselves to a life lived within the limits of their five senses. Their self is consequently an illusion based on sense experience and nothing else. For these the body becomes a source of falsity and deception: but that is not the body’s fault. It is the fault of the person himself, who consents to the illusion, who finds security in self-deception and will not answer the secret voice of God calling him to take a risk and venture by faith outside the reassuring and protective limits of his five senses."
Merton, Thomas. New Seeds of Contemplation (pp. 27-28)

Disciples of Jesus Meet on Sunday Mornings

 

 

When I was a pastor in Joliet, Illinois, there was a man who was always with us on Sunday mornings. He was handicapped. He lived alone. He walked, so slowly, to the church building every Sunday morning. I mean every. No matter what the weather conditions. My thought was, “This man is committed!”  

Linda and I are committed. This is nothing to boast about. This is basic discipleship. When we were growing up, our families were there on every Sunday morning. We never missed. Sunday is the Christian disciple’s Sabbath.  

One of the Ten Commandments says,  Remember the Sabbath day, and be there.  

Keep it holy.  

My parents did. The DNA of Sabbath-keeping became my DNA.

Linda’s parents did the same with their children. Linda’s dad and mom were on fire for Jesus! Missing the weekly gathering of the people, the church, was unthinkable for them. It formed the center of their born-again life. As it says in Hebrews,  

Do not give up meeting together, 

as some are in the habit of doing,  

but encouraging one another

—  and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

 Real disciples are in community. In “fellowship.” So much of what Jesus has taught me about being like Him has been learned in community.

The letters of Paul are not addressed to individual Christians. They are addressed to Jesus-Communities. Nearly every time the word “you” is used in Paul’s letters, it is plural.  

The precious manifestations of the Holy Spirit (the “gifts”) only make sense within The Community.  

Jesus taught me that the Bible is a tribal document. He is building his Tribe out of all kinds of people.  

​I need The Community. 

The Community needs me.  

We ARE the Church.

(From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Discipleship)

Jesus Had a Praying Life

 

                                                          (Lake Erie, Monroe, MI)

(From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.)

Dear Praying Church, 

Because Jesus prayed, so also are you to pray. When I was a boy, Elvis was my hero. I wanted to be like him. I remember a day when I took an Elvis album cover into the bathroom and propped it against the mirror so I could see it. There I was, with my face in the mirror, next to the King’s. 

Then, I attempted to curl my lip like Elvis did when he sang. I took some hair gel and tried to recreate Elvis’s hair. I began to speak like Elvis did, in that low, smoky, bluesy baritone voice. All this and more was hard work, but worth it if people would see the resemblance. 

Finally, I was ready to walk into the real world. I left my house and Elvised into my friend John’s backyard. I was hoping he would see that I looked like you-know-who. When he saw “Elvis,” namely moi, John said words that shattered me. “So, you’re trying to look like Elvis again.”

Trying? I want to be him! 

We want to be like those we worship. In many ways, we become what we worship. When I began to follow and worship Jesus, I wanted to be like him. I wrote a worship song that was recorded by some Christian artists. It was called “More Like You.” I recorded it myself, and Linda and I had it played at our wedding. 

To be like Jesus. To be formed into greater and greater Christlikeness. (Galatians 4:19) 

1 John 3:2 says, 

Dear friends, 

now we are children of God , 

and what we will be has not yet been made known. 

But we know that when Christ appears,  

we shall be like him, 

for we shall see him as he is.

What was Jesus like? Well, he prayed. 

Here’s my reasoning. 

 1. Jesus is my Great Shepherd. 

2. My Great Shepherd spent much time praying. 

3. Therefore, I spend much time praying. 

We read these words in Luke 5:16: 

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. 

Jesus prayed. Often. 

For decades it has been my habit, weekly, to go to a lonely place, and pray. I do this for several reasons. But mainly, I do it because this Jesus that I worship did it, and I want to be like him. 

As do you.

When you look into the mirror, see the face of Jesus next to yours. He’s calling you to meet with him and talk with him and listen to him, often. 

Love, 

PJ 

CHALLENGE 

Imitate Jesus’s praying life.