Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Better than eHarmony

photo from movie website

My Year Listening to God: God answers prayer and He is a matchmaker.






I can still hear the song, "Matchmaker," from Fiddler on the Roof.



Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Make me a match,
Find me a find,
catch me a catch
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Look through your book,
And make me a perfect match

In the dialogue throughout the song, I feel the fear and the apprehension of matchmaking. Read it for yourself.


photo from movie website



Here in Genesis, Abraham asks his trusted servant to find a bride for his son. The faithful steward prays for success and God grants His petition. He finds a bride for his master's son. Whoa!


I love the fact that here is a prayer from someone in Abraham's household. It is not the patriarch, but the patriarch's servant who receives the blessing of answered prayer. Wow! The blessing of Abraham extends to even Abraham's household. God's work in humankind's lives makes a positive difference.


God brought two people together. They did not create a profile on eHarmony and discover compatibility levels as well as "values, character, intellect, sense of humor, spiritual beliefs, passion, and up to 24 other dimensions (eHarmony)." God directed them to each other in the most unimagineable circumstances. Some may claim, chance. Others may deride, luck. Even others may chide, archaic, old-fashioned, neanderthal. But I believe that God always oversees everything and is involved with everyone, even computer compatibility algorithms. Though some may declare online success, I trust God and His principles for working in my life and within the spectrum of my relationships. I am not opposed to compatibility results, but in addition to tests I believe that God's principles and precepts can be followed to maximize great relationships and to offer comparable success for those who abide by the Bible's teachings. God brings people together--whether by culturally arranged means or scientifically calculated algorithms, I believe God still presides over all relationships.


I wonder what you think. I wonder if you believe that God uses even computer sciences to do His will for arranging couples into marriages. Let me know what you think.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

No gas, no go


I appreciate the help of Simply Youth Ministries. Before joining Wooster Grace I served at Northwest Chapel in Dublin, OH. One of my many pastoral roles was shepherding students. I always appreaciated my friends Doug and especially Kurt because I was leading junior high ministries.

This article "from the field" convicts me. I need to commune with God. I send out a prayer letter for missionaries. Yet I fail to pray consistently for them. In my Prayer Force Update I challenged our prayer warriors to see prayer as communion with God, not merely presenting prayer requests. So I need to unplug, to commune with God.

Just like my co-laborer, David Norman, I need to fill up the spiritual tank and go forward in the power of God. I need to go get alone with God. I love his tips (visit link above)--the one I will put into practice is using a reading schedule to daily read the Bible in a year. I am celebrating my birthday on June 1. So for my forty-third year of life on this earth, I choose to read through the whole Bible in a year. I may even join a group--one year bible blog.