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Results of Ideal Family or Relationship Survey

May 10, 2018 By R. Brad White 1 Comment

We recently asked our fans to answer a simple question: “How would you describe the type of family or relationship (with your child, with your parent, with your spouse, etc) you would LIKE to have?

We got ton’s of responses…and were honestly overwhelmed by the diversity in your answers about the type of family or relationship you want. Here is a list of the words you used, in rank order from top to bottom.

For everyone who responded to our family survey…thanks! And if you didn’t get to respond before, feel free to add your response using the comments section below.

Loving (7 votes)
Christ-centered (6 votes)
Close (closer, closeness) (4 votes)
Supportive (2 votes)
Forgiving (2 votes)
God-centered (2 votes)
Godly (2 votes)
Enlightened
Precious
Authentic
Unified
Harmonious
Cohesive
Open
Glue
Better
Great
Traditional
Happy
Christ-like
Merciful
Biblical
Intimate
Jesus led
Communicative
Honest
Healthy
Encouraging
Reconnected
Serene
Peaceful
Beautiful
On fire for jesus
Agape
Accepting
Understanding
Wonderful
Serving God together
Transparency
God-honoring
GOD-pleasing
God glorifying
Holy
Safe place
Compassionate
Virtuous
Faithful
Working
Trusting
Known (to know me)

That’s quite a long list! Our prayer for you and your family/relationship is that you get exactly that! Remember…it often takes work, patience, forgiveness, and prayers…but you can get there. God Bless!

 

Filed Under: Christian News and Insights, Question Of The Week Tagged With: family, relationships

Why Do You Pray Like That?

January 12, 2018 By R. Brad White 3 Comments

My mind has been on prayer lately, and I’m trying to look at it as an out-of-body experience. In other words, I’m looking at my own prayer life and the prayer life of others from a 3rd person perspective…and questioning…WHY do we pray like we do?

Here are a few examples to clarify what I’m talking about:

  • We mostly pray with our eyes closed
  • We often bow our heads
  • We sometimes hold our hands in a certain position
  • We sometimes hold each other’s hands
  • When a group prays for an individual, we often wrap our arms around one another and the prayer recipient
  • We repeat “Lord, Father, God, Jesus, Abba, etc” over and over AND OVER again

NONE of these practices or prayer rituals are inherently bad. I don’t believe God judges us for our prayer technique as much as our motivation for prayer and the sincerity of our hearts.

These are certainly learned practices and likely culturally influenced. For example, I see these types of prayer practices consistently in the USA. I’m sure people from other countries could identify practices which are more common in your area of the world (if so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below). So the concept of these prayer rituals applies really to all of us in one way or another.

Now, let me say most importantly here that NONE of these practices or prayer rituals are inherently bad. I don’t believe God judges us for our prayer technique as much as our motivation for prayer and the sincerity of our hearts.

God’s word gives us some suggestions, such as not going on and on with our words…when done so to impress others with our prayer mastery or how amazingly Christian we are. Matthew 6:6 says to go into our rooms, close the door and pray in private. Jesus gives some specific instructions in Matthew 6:9 when he starts off “This, then, is how you should pray:…” But this instruction is more in the form of the content or focus of your prayer life…not so much the technique or ritual/habits.

One suggestion I have is to talk to God like you would talk to another person

One suggestion I have is to talk to God like you would talk to another person…with obviously a lot more reverence and respect than we often give to our fellow humans. When talking with a friend named John, do you use his name over and over again, such as: “John, I pray to thee. John, please bless us for…., John…, John…, John…”? Then, why do we find ourselves saying God, Father, Lord, Jesus 20+ times in 2 minutes? God knows you are praying to Him!

My next suggestion is to do whatever you want to do with your eyes, hands, head, etc. There is no perfect positioning for prayer. In a perfect world, when we pray we should be able to shut out all distractions. If closing your eyes helps…great! Just don’t feel like this matters to God. Just don’t think that closing your eyes, bowing your head, or getting on your knees inherently increases the value or validity of the prayer. God hears you regardless.

My last suggestion here is to focus completely on God and who your prayer is directed at, such as the person in need of help, grace, blessings, etc. It’s not about closing our eyes, bowing our heads, or any other culturally learned prayer practices. If you do those things, it’s totally fine. Just remember that it is totally NOT about that. Prayer is about you…connecting with God…on behalf of yourself and others…and building a rich relationship with the Creator…your Lord and Savior.

the next time you pray…try shedding some of these traditional prayer practices and see how it impacts your prayer life. 

So, the next time you pray (how about right now?)…try shedding some of these traditional prayer practices and see how it impacts your prayer life. And please do share your culture’s prayer practices and any comments below. It would be fascinating to hear from people in other parts of the world.

Filed Under: 2 Minutes to Christian Maturity, Christian Advice Column Tagged With: Prayer

Are You in a Prayer Rut?

January 7, 2018 By R. Brad White 2 Comments

It was just a normal day…praying over dinner with the family; same routine as pretty much every day. As I finished my prayer I was struck with the realization that I had basically said the same things many times…maybe even like every day for a long time. I was in a prayer rut.

I was struck with the realization that I had basically said the same things many times

Now, when it come to prayer, I believe that ANY prayer is fine. IF you are praying, then it is good…no matter how many times you have said the same things. There is no judgment here as long as you aren’t praying for the purpose of making yourself look more religious. God knows your hearts and what you really need.

Matthew 6:5-8 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Now having said that, I do propose that if your prayer life has devolved into the routine, where you heart and mind are on autopilot, it may be time for a change.

if your prayer life has devolved into the routine, where you heart and mind are on autopilot, it may be time for a change

Below, I’ve outlined a few thoughts on what you can do to get out of a prayer rut. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments as well.

How to get out of a prayer rut:

  1. Pray for other folks that aren’t able to pray for themselves. For example, pray for those that haven’t accepted Christ yet. Pray for children around the world that are suffering from disease and starvation.
  2. Pray that God will open your eyes to those around you that need prayer.
  3. Ask friends, family members, neighbors, and acquaintances how you could pray for them…then do it.
  4. Pray for your enemies…folks you aren’t getting along with or folks that you have recently vented about. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
  5. Pray for your neighborhood, your community, your country, your pastor/church leadership, your local leaders and state representatives in government.

Obviously, this list could go on forever. There really isn’t any shortage of people needing prayer in this fallen world. The key is to be focused and intentional. Before it is time for prayer, take 1 minute and think about who needs to be prayed for. When a name or people-group comes to mind during the day, write it down for your prayer list. Just be mindful that like me, we sometimes get into a prayer rut and lose sight of the goal…to connect with God and present our thanks and requests for ourselves and others. If you are in a prayer rut, just climb out of the rut and start praying for something new.

Filed Under: 2 Minutes to Christian Maturity, Christian Advice Column Tagged With: Prayer

Offer Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice…Really!

September 5, 2015 By R. Brad White 1 Comment

Are you offering your life as a living sacrifice to God and others?

Romans 12:1 (NIV) 1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.”

It’s way too easy to be self-focused. But that’s not God’s calling in our lives. We are called to offer our bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE. As an act or expression of WORSHIP to the God we owe our eternal lives to, we are to offer ALL of ourselves to loving God, serving God, loving others, and serving others.

How does your life reflect this teaching?

How does your life reflect this teaching? My confession is that I fail at that over and over. I can do it when It’s on my radar…but getting it on the radar and keeping it there is the challenge.

So, consider this an invitation to put on your radar this teaching: to offer your lives as a sacrifice to God and others, instead of being self-focused.

Some Questions to Ponder and Discuss:

  • What strategies do you use to keep God and his teachings on your radar?
  • What are some ways you can live for God and others?
  • What’s one small thing you can do when you notice you are being too self-focused?

Feel free to discuss using the comments.

Filed Under: 2 Minutes to Christian Maturity, The Bible - Opened Tagged With: love, sacrifice, worship

Confession Leads to Forgiveness

April 24, 2015 By R. Brad White 1 Comment

 1 John 1:9

  
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ NIV)

Share your anonymous confession online and read and encourage others at www.myconfession.org.

Filed Under: 2 Minutes to Christian Maturity Tagged With: confession, forgiveness

Reading the Bible With Your Kids

March 10, 2015 By R. Brad White 1 Comment

 

parents reading bible with kidsHello,

My family (12, 9 and 4 year old children, myself and my hubby) would like to start reading the bible together every night. Can you suggest a plan for us?

Amy C.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Christian Advice Column Tagged With: asking questions, Bible, christian advice, dear larry

2014 Year-In-Review

March 2, 2015 By R. Brad White Leave a Comment

 

Now that 2014 has come to a close and 2015 is off to a great start, we would like to take a moment with our readers to reflect on the many accomplishments you helped us achieve this past year.

On the Changing the Face of Christianity website, we saw an impressive amount of activity among our followers throughout the year of 2014. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Christian News and Insights Tagged With: 2014, CFC, discipleship, goals, review, world, year

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