We don't pray because we don't believe...

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I am currently in the middle of several books. One of the things I'm trying to do to improve my life (post to come about this...) is to spend 20 minutes each day reading. I haven't been doing a great job of keeping up with that so far, but I'm hoping that I'll have more time to organize my life after I'm done working my second job (post about that to come as well).

So last night, at 12:30, while I was waiting for my phone to update to iOS 7 (which I don't think I like, btw) I decided to pick up one of my books and use the time a little more productively. Then I had to muddle through the question "which of the 9 (or is it 10?) books that I'm reading do I want to choose?" Based on the fact that it was late, I was tired, and which books were and were not easy to read and digest, (and the fact that it's bright orange) I picked up Craig Groeschel's The Christian Atheist.

Let me give you a little background on this book. The subtitle says "believing in God, but living as if He didn't exist." Really grabs the attention (along with the bright orange mentioned above). In each chapter, Craig goes through various struggles in the Christian life and how so often we act like God isn't really there even though we profess that we have a relationship with Him. With titles like "When you Believe in God but are Ashamed of Your Past", "When you Believe in God but don't Think He's Fair", and "When you Believe in God but not in His Church", this book candidly looks at how we've strayed off course and with many personal anecdotes, how we can retrain ourselves to start living like God exists.

After settling into my reading nook with hot tea in my giant mug, I opened the book and looked at the chapter. "When you Believe in God but not in Prayer." Well that's silly. I thought to myself. Of course I believe in prayer. Guess I'm not gonna get much out of this chapter.

Boy was I wrong. There was a ton of stuff in this chapter that I identified with and within no time had a lot of stuff floating around in my mind that I needed to ponder; areas of my prayer life that needed examined. Craig examined various ways we live as if we don't actually believe in prayer. He shared the story of how his children really wanted a dog, and he told them to pray about it, and if it was God's will, to ask Him for wisdom in finding the right dog for their family.

At this point, as probably a lot of you, I was thinking yeah, ok. Why would you bother God about a dog for your family? Do you really expect him to answer prayers like that? And that's when it hit me. I believe in God, but not in prayer. I know the right "answers" about prayer in my head. I know that we are supposed to come to God about everything. But I don't live it. I don't practice it. I don't come to God with the day to day practicalities. I don't want to "bother" him with the trivialities of everyday life.

The rest of the story goes something like this: Craig's kids prayed that night that if God wanted, He would help them to know what dog to add to the family. Oh, the faith of a child. The next day a puppy was abandoned close to the Groeschel's home, and found it's way to their yard. And that dog has been a member of the family ever since.

We don't pray, because we don't honestly believe God will answer our prayers. Or, because we are afraid that he will.

Or because we feel inadequate.We don't pray because we don't think God will listen to our "um...hey God, it would be really awesome if you could get me gas money. I need to get to work everyday but prices are crazy and I just can't afford it." type prayers. We think that if don't pray with the right speech, the right Elizabethan phrasing using Thee and Thou, that God will turn a deaf ear to us.

Craig explains our need to come to God honestly this way:
Jesus never criticized [in Scripture] prayers that were honest, only those that were long and showy. As a parent, I'd much prefer my young children to climb into my lap and speak honestly. "Daddy, I'm afraid of the dark. Would you help me?" Imagine the same child standing before me and addressing me thus: 'Grand, omnipotent father of the household, I beseech your presence. Great provider of all I have, grant me Thy presence through the long watches of the night, for lingering fears beset me--verily, until dawn's first rays alight my heart with hope.

I don't know about you, but I need to spend a lot more time praying honestly, than planning out the right "Christian lingo" to use and have my prayers become fake. Hey, if you are one that normally speaks poetically, by all means, pray to God that way.

The point is, pray honestly. Pray often. Pray with belief that God hears and answers, even if the answer is not what we were looking for. Even writing this post, I've been challenged again.

So what about you? Do you Believe in God but not in Prayer?

-A.A.

Welcome to the Jungle!

And no, this post has nothing to do with Guns N' Roses.

3 weeks ago we started our kids' club called Olympians. I am one of the coaches for the Challengers (grades 1-2). I am so excited to report that we are expecting 15 munchkins in our class this year!

In order to make our PT (or Personal Training) room inviting the kiddos, I decided to turn it into a jungle theme! After many, many, many hours of hard work and trips to the dollar store and Walmart, I am so excited with how it turned out! And the kids loved it! And I just want to share the excitement with all of you!

In Olympians, the kids start in the PT rooms where they drop off their bags, and books, and coats, and anything else they bring with them. Then after the lesson in the Opening room, the kids come back to the PT rooms again. On an average night, the kiddos are spending about 45 minutes in their PT rooms! Which is why I found it necessary to make a fun and inviting environment for these kids. We want them to be excited about and enjoy coming to church! Yay!

View from the corner of the room. We planned for 10 kids...guess I'll be going shopping and working in the room again this week to get it ready for our expected 15!

Rules of our Jungle: As told by Eloise the Elephant, Edgar the Giraffe, and Tristan the Lion. Posterboard and paper were supplies used from the church and the animals were drawn by my awesome friend Sadie!

This cabinet is cover in laminate. Let me tell you, it was a HUGEEEEEE pain to cover, but it looks great now that it's done! Contact paper from Walmart.

One corner of the room. The wall stickers, the grass skirts for the curtains, the palm trees, and the hanging zebra and leopard decorations I got at the Dollar.

The Quiet Time Hut: a place for the kids to read a book, or work on their memory verses or quiet time books. Or just spend some quiet time praying or any other quiet activity. Except sleeping of course! The chalkboard is from Walmart, and the "No Shoes" sign is made from pictures I found online, covered in clear contact paper that I got at the Dollar Tree.

The Hut. The blanket and pillows are all from Walmart. The hanging lanterns are all from the Dollar Tree. The "Teach me How to Pray" poster is from Mrs. Chalkbox, our local teacher supply store.

Thanks to Mrs. Nycole, we have verse flashcards for the entire year! The word-strip holders are from Target.

This is what the kids see as they walk down the hall into our room! The welcome sign is from the Dollar Tree. The crates are from Walmart. The hanging animal-print things in the doorway are from Dollar Tree. The tree in the middle of the room I got from random decorations found in the church. The vines hanging from the ceiling were made out of brown mailing paper that I got at the Dollar Tree.

The window in the door says "Watch out! It's a Junge in Here!" Washable window paint from Dollar Tree.

Poster from Mrs. Chalkbox. Stickers from Dollar Tree.  Our attempt at keeping 15 short attention spans under control while we spend individualized attention with the kiddos.

So there you have it! Every Wednesday since Olympians started, I have had to go out and buy more supplies because we keep having new kids! How awesome is that!!!!

Having a hard controlling my excitement...
-A.A.

Where were you on that September day?

For most of us, we will never forget the day, the time, the place, when we first heard the news of the 9/11 attack. But for a lot of Americans, we've forgotten the will to fight, the desire to unite and put aside our differences, the push for peace and American pride. I would be remiss as an American blogger to not pay tribute to those men and women, boys and girls who lost their lives; to the ones who survived; to the rescue workers faced with the task of pulling remains from the rubble...

I will never forget that day. September 11, 2001. It began as any other school day for me as a 6th grader. I can even remember the weather. The sun was shining, the air was warm. I caught the bus as usual for the 3 minute ride to Baker Elementary. The school day started in the usual way.

Shortly after class began, there was suddenly a flurry of phone calls. The teachers all met in the hallway, closed their classroom doors, and spoke in hushed tones. One they re-entered the classrooms, the TV's were turned so only the teachers could see them, and the sound was turned off. We had no idea what was going on, and the rumors started to fly.

The rest of the day was spent in lockdown. By the time school ended, over half of the student body had been picked up early by their parents. Still no word as to what had this disturbance in the school.

As soon as I got off the bus, I ran into my house feeling panicked, hoping my parents would tell me what was going on. It was then that I learned what had happened. By this time, all 4 planes had crashed, the towers were nothing but rubble, and all the channels were 24 hour new updates. I can remember my entire family sitting around the tv the entire evening with a feeling of helplessness. I remember my mom made popcorn chicken and tator tots for supper, but most of it sat on the stove untouched. I remember coming home from school for the next few days and sitting with my family watching the evening news, the press conferences, the presidential speeches.

But I also remember watching America come together. I remember prayer vigils, and rallies. Political and religious affiliation didn't matter. What mattered was that we were Americans, and we were going to stand together in the face of National tragedy.

Now, I am not one to flaunt my politics on social media. I know exactly where I stand, and why I've chosen that view. But posting all kinds of political stuff is just not my style. But as I said to begin this post, it would be a disservice, as an American who is in the blog world, to not pay homage in some sort.


12 years have passed since I was an 11-year old sitting around the tv with her family, but I have not forgotten. Let us, today, honor the lives of the victims, of the heroes, of the survivors.

So where were you on that September day?


-A.A.