dennis martin papp

Prayer Initiative :: Part 1

COVID-19 is starting to hit closer to home. With the virus now present in our region, we have people going to work, serving among those who are infected.

 

I want to pray, by name, every day for our church's first responders as well as those in roles that place them in the path of this deadly disease. We have community servants, medical professionals, prison personnel and others who are daily going toward the danger. 

 

I know many of you by name, but do not want to leave anyone out. Send me an email.

 

[email protected]

 

Share your name and your role. If you are willing, I'd like to share your name with SouthField for prayer. However, I know some of you are in sensitive roles and would prefer a less public profile. When you sent your name, would you indicate if it is ok to share your name with the church? The more prayer the better!

 

Please include, if you have one, the specific burden or concern you feel at this time. Maybe it is not your concern, but that of your spouse or family. We can guess what might concern you, but to hear it from you would be helpful.

 

I also want to be praying for those we know who get infected by the virus. So far, I know of no one personally. I suspect that may change in the next several days.

 

Thank you for letting me pray for you,

 

Dennis

Hope

Today we wrap up with Step Five of our five-stage Daily Check-in Prayer.

Step Five: Look Toward Tomorrow With Hope

I really appreciate this step.

My personality is bent toward unproductive, even morbid introspection.

I can go dark on myself pretty quickly.

The thinking behind reviewing the day's events and emotions is not to beat one's self up.

The review process leads to a hope-filled tomorrow!

We review to be renewed, refocused and reenergized by God!

We live life, one day at a time, with vital optimism.

God will see me through. God will grow me.

The prayer wraps up by leaning into a better way forward.

Rather than staying stuck, let God's Spirit guide you to see a new path.

Ask God's Spirit to empower you to embrace lasting life-change.

Hope!

Be Hopeful!

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Conversation

Are you ready for Step Four of this five-stage prayer practice?

Step Four: Choose One Feature (Emotion) of the Day and Pray From It.

Step Four flows out of Step Three. 

In Step Three we comb though the previous twenty-four hours with an eye toward our emotions.

We review the day's events and identify the feelings that the events evoked.

Upon reviewing, we will hold in our hands a collection of light and dark emotions.

Now choose one. Just one. Pray from that emotion.

Rather than posting our frustration to Facebook or phoning a friend to share a joy, talk to God.

Let Him process it with you.

Ask God's Spirit to guide your conversation. 

Ask Him to help you discern what prompted the emotion. 

Ask Him to reveal the impact your reaction had on your soul and those around you.

Talk to Him like you would talk to a friend about your feelings. He is the best Friend you will ever have!

Talk to Him freely about the state of your soul. 

Follow the Spirit's leading.

He may prompt you to confess a sin or to celebrate more fully a joyful moment!

Please remember, there is no emotion we experience that is hidden from God. 

We are not telling Him something He does not already know.

Truth is, we are the ones who are often in the dark about our true feelings.

Talk freely. He is a safe and willing listener.

You may wonder, why choose one emotion?

A few reasons...

First, this is intended to be a brief check-in with God repeated consistently.

If it becomes too long, we will be more likely to put if off until we have more time, which is never!

Second, focus is essential to this practice as we will see in Step Five.

Finally, I promise you that if you commit to this daily, the emotion you skipped today will come up again very soon.

Do it now.

Have a heart talk with God today. 

Inventory

Today we look at the third step of our Daily Check-in Prayer Practice. 

Step Three: Pay Attention to Your Emotions

In this prayer, we conduct a scan of the past twenty-four hours.

An emotional review is central to this whole prayer practice. 

We are not just looking at the events of our day. We move deeper to the feelings the events evoked.

Did you experience joy, sadness, anger, frustration, light-heartedness, relief, etc?

This will take a few minutes. Comb though several events with an eye toward how you felt. 

I've found two questions very helpful:

For what moment(s) am I most grateful?

For what moment(s) am I least grateful?

For some of us, identifying emotions will flow freely.

For others, emotions are a bit of a frozen place.

Make sure to move beyond the event(s) to the emotion(s). 

The classic terms used for our emotional reactions are consolation and desolation.

What moved me toward God and connection?

What pushed me away from God toward inwardness and isolation?

Where did I experience peace and contentment?

Where was there unease and dryness?

Again, a journal may be helpful, but I'd also encourage you to not let it get in your way.

With a vivid imagining, walk though your day. Feel your day.

Next post we will walk though what to do with our listed emotions.

Gratitude

In this series, we are unfolding a prayer practice that raises awareness God's presence in all things.

Yesterday we looked at Step One: Become Aware of God's Presence.

Today we build on that awareness by dwelling upon the past twenty-four hours.

We do this with an eye toward gratitude.

Step Two: Review the Day with Gratitude.

Combing through your moments, what surfaces a spirit of gratitude?

Ingratitude has a way of shriveling our souls.

When our emotions are disordered, we struggle to see the good in life. 

At times it takes intentional effort to see the goodness of God in our daily existence. 

His goodness is there, I promise you it is!

Gratitude is a pathway to wholeness.

For a minute or two, let the moments of your day pass before you.

List the reasons, large and small, for which you are grateful.

One wise writer on this prayer says, "This is not counting your blessings, it's savoring your blessings!"

Savor the goodness of God.

Personally, I do this with a journal. I find writing my moments of gratitude life-giving.

Why not try it today? Do steps One and Two.

Begin by quieting yourself in your sacred space.

For a minute or two, become fully aware of the presence of God.

Then, let the past twenty-four hours pass before you. Ask God's Spirit to bring moments to mind.

List several reasons for which you are grateful.

Savor them!

 

You might find it helpful to catch Sundays teaching on this Daily Check-in Prayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq1264i87qY

Presence

Last Sunday we walked through the five steps of an ancient prayer practice.

It is an especially useful prayer in this emotionally volatile season.

Each day this week we will look at one of the five steps.

Practice each step with each day's post.

Either focus on one per day, or build each day, adding the new step to the previous ones.

 

We start with becoming aware of God's presence.

How often do we rush into prayer without pausing, preparing our souls to be present with God?

God is always there. We live most moments unaware of His constant closeness.

So stop and remember.

Find a quiet place, a private place, your sacred space.

Close your eyes. Focus your gaze.

Slow your heart. Relax. 

Hit the pause button on life.

For a minute or two, fix your mind and heart on God.

He is with you. Be with Him.

Catch His loving gaze. Behold God beholding you and smiling.

Say the words, "God, I believe that I am in your presence, and that You are loving me."

Prayer is more than handing God His to do list. Prayer is relational.

He is near. He is real. He is.

For no less than a minute, and maybe even for a couple minutes, pause in His presence.

Be with Him without all the wordiness. Just be with Him.

Love Him and be loved by Him.

Stop. Know Him. Be known by Him.

 

You might find it helpful to catch Sundays teaching on this Daily Check-in Prayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq1264i87qY

Really Connected

On the grounds of Green Lake Conference Center there is log house.

It was built in the 1840's by Briswold family, settlers on an 80-acre lot.

During the Civil War, dad went off to war for several years.

He left his wife and family behind in a one-room log house with five children.

From time to time, usually on a snowy day, Kim references that family.

Imagine being stuck in a small cabin during harsh Wisconsin winters with five kids?

No idea where your husband is or if he will return home?

Surviving. Disconnected.

We did virtual church for the first time in 139 years yesterday.

Can I tell you the strange part? I felt more connected than normal.

The connection started with our teams, both artists and production. 

I was connected to my family, teaching with Brian and hours of production with Shellie.

(She was the weekend's rock star! I'm telling you. More hours than anyone to make yesterday happen.)

During the service we had fun with the chat along the side of the livestream.

Then, all day yesterday--social media, phone calls, emails, texts, Zoom, dropping off materials at homes.

I connected with more people this one Sunday that I normally do in four!

We often site the words of Mordecai to Esther: "...for such a time as this."

There is no better time to be ordered to stay at home than 2020.

Home, but not disconnected. Separated, but not out of touch.

And we get to do it all over again this week.

How cool is that?

It's a Gift

It's Friday! The weekend is hours away.

Strange, isn't it? This weekend will be like no other in our lifetime.

No running. No going. No frantic schedule.

No sports. No kid's activities. No church service. 

It's a total shutdown.

It's a gift.

While I want no one to be sick, this is exactly what we've needed.

We needed the merry-go-round to stop.

We need some deep rest. Rest of body. Rest of soul. Rest from the race.

It's a gift.

Can I encourage you to not squander the gift?

Sleep in this weekend. You have nowhere to go.

Sit at the table and eat an entire meal with your family, device and screen-free.

Engage with those you love. Play a game. Talk.

Rediscover your back yard. Toss a ball with your kid.

Take a long walk. Wave at a neighbor. Hold your spouse's hand.

Have that deep conversation that keeps being delayed until we have time.

Phone a friend. 

Rest. Rest deeply. Recharge. Feel it. You've not felt rested, deeply rested, in years.

It's a gift.

Unwrap it!

Catching Up

Wouldn't it be great if a magic folder existed for every actual and possible scenario?

I've been looking everywhere for my **COVID-19 2020 Church Leadership Plan**

So far, no luck.

Instead, it's been long days of recalibrating and catching up. 

To make it more challenging, moment by moment "the plan" is outdated.

Not complaining. Not even looking for a mini-pity party.

All this gives me great compassion for anyone in a large leadership chair.

         President, Vice President, Governor, Mayor, School Superintendent, Principal

These people are neck deep in an impossible situation.

It is easy to complain, criticize and let the world know how we would handle it differently.

It's not that easy.

I am in a very tiny chair. Technically, I have a standing desk, so I don't even have a chair.

My chair is small and the challenges are daunting.

One day at a time...

This evening, lift a leader up to God. Choose one and pray for them.

You may even choose the one you like the least. They need God's help too!

Kindness

As this virus sweeps our nation, I am being intentional about my role. 

I want to be an encourager and a supporter. I choose to be a light in the darkness.

This said, I hope you don't hear me as preachy today. It is not my intent or my heart.

I headed to Jewel yesterday to see if the TP aisle was restocked. Nope. 

With a few items in my sanitized cart, I headed over to the Checker and asked what I often ask,

                                     "Are people being kind to you today?"

She was quick to respond. No.

She said that people were angry, edgy and taking it out on her.

Here's a lady just trying to bring a paycheck home for her family.

She loves her job. And normally, she loves people.

She could have stayed home, avoiding potential infection. She chose to serve.

I engaged her in friendly conversation. I could tell she just wanted one normal, kind conversation.

More than once she expressed gratitude for my kindness. Our conversation served as a momentary shelter from the cruelty.

We talked. She laughed and her heart lightened. 

As I headed out she asked me if I was playing Monopoly. I said yes.

She handed me a thick stack and said, "You deserve this. Thank you."

I kidded that I have friends saying these Monopoly cards are going to come in handy if TP doesn't get restocked soon.

We laughed. She laughed. She just need to laugh.

Salt and light. That's our calling. A light in the darkness and a different flavor than everyone else.

Anyone can whine, pointing out personal frustrations with political leaders. Be different.

Anyone can be mean, taking out our corona fears on a poor Jewel Checker. Be different.

Be different. Be salt and light. Be Jesus. 

This is our moment to shine!

Actually, this is His moment to shine through us!