THRILL RIDE

DISCLAIMER: Please be forewarned. What follows is not for the weak. It probably contains some thoughts that might be better kept to oneself. What follows takes you deep inside the mind and spirit of a man that is searching... wanting to know what it is to deeply trust God. It is as if you are being allowed to see into a personal journal. The judgements made and conclusions drawn are not intended to point to anyone other than me... the author. If you decide to go ahead and read it, please take none of it personally, as it is not my intention that you should do so.

Either God is managing a couple of billion prayer requests per day, or life is a terrific thrill ride and He is the designer of the rails.  Today, I don’t see any other options.  I’m not sure there is any logical standing between the two.   And to be honest with you… I’m personally leaning toward the “Thrill Ride” option.

If prayers have any power at all, then the question must be asked, how much power?  Limited?  Unlimited?   The answer certainly cannot be unlimited.  For if that were so, then we wouldn’t need God.  Or if we did, it would only be to carry out our will.  He would have the power; we would have control.  We all know that is not the case.

So then, is the power limited?  If it is, then by what?  Is God out there somewhere handling each and every prayer?  “Ooh, that’s a good idea.  I’ll get right on this.”   “You’ve got to be kidding.  That’s a horrible idea.”   “It’s you again… grow up, ya big wuss.”  Is there a big desk out there somewhere with boxes for “Good Ideas”, “Bad Ideas”, “Great Ideas”, “Silly Ideas”, and lastly, “Stupid Ideas”?  Is prayer limited by the “merit” of each one?

I know...  God answers prayers that are in agreement with his will.  Prayers that disagree with God get rejected.  Prayers that agree with God are acknowledged.  If so, then that raises a couple more questions.   Are we to believe that God’s will / power can be withheld in a certain matter until released by the key of prayer?  Is God waiting for us to pray so that he can then accomplish his will?  If so, then that would mean that God is subject to the creation, in contrast to the other way around.  Again, I think we all know that this likewise is not the case.  I’m pretty sure that the very definition of God is that he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to do it; with or without me.

Years ago, I received a request for money to help pay for the expenses of “The Largest Prayer Meeting in History”.  No, I’m not making this up.  The Assemblies of God were planning this huge prayer meeting and they needed money.  In the letter, the implication was made that this prayer meeting would result in revival all over the world.  Furthermore, the lost would be saved.  So… send money.    (And though they didn’t come right out and say it like this)  For, if you don’t… prayers won’t get prayed, and the lost won’t be saved, and it will be your fault!  

Even worse yet, they implied…  If we get enough people praying, God will certainly hear and answer our prayers.  I mean… God cannot ignore “The Largest Prayer Meeting in History”, can he?   It would be unthinkable that God would not respond to such a large turn out, right?

I will take it one step further…  If God ultimately answered just a single prayer prayed in such a meeting as this, then God can be bought.  For, it took money to make such an event happen.  Is there any way to detach answered prayer from the economy of the Church?

The other option is that God is the designer of the rails and we are just along for the ride.  It is kind of like the woman on the roller coaster screaming / praying for God to save her.  I will save the person in charge of the boxes the trouble of sorting this one out, it goes in the “Stupid Box”.  What a stupid prayer.   The rails are designed not to kill us, just to make us think we’re going to die.  Once a person figures this out, they can sit back and “enjoy the ride.”  Praying on a roller coaster is just about the dumbest thing a person can do.

I have such a confidence in the designer of the rails that I always wait in the extra line so that I can ride “front seat”.   After I wait for an hour to ride, I’m sure not going to want to watch the back of someone’s head.  No, siree.  I want to get the full “thrill factor”.  So… I am more than happy to wait a few more minutes so that I can have front seats to the show.   And once the ride starts, I’m sure not going to waste a fleeting moment, praying a needless prayer.   (If you’ve been paying attention, this paragraph is the one you need to focus on… you may want to read it again.)

All of these thoughts are subject to what we really think “prayer” is.  And, I have arrived at a place where I’m not sure prayer is anything close to what we have been taught over the years.  I’m not sure that prayer has anything to do with “circumstances” whether they appear to us to be good or bad.  I believe prayer is simply time spent with the Lord.  Simple.  Uncluttered.  It is passion.   It is caring more about what pleases God, than what necessarily pleases us.  It can be simple and calm, or it can be hot and passionate.  It is not always the same.  Prayer is relationship…

THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

I grew up playing cards.  I was playing Euchre and Rummy before I could multiply.  Rook, Pit, Authors, and Mille Bournes were other favorites.  My love for mathematics is probably due in part to my not being able to remember a time when I was not around a card game.  My parents played cards with friends and family each and every week.  When I got too big to fall asleep on my Mom or Dad’s lap, many nights I remember falling asleep on the floor next to their chairs while they continued playing cards well past my bedtime.  I remember how great I felt when I would set on my Dad’s lap and he would let me play a trick or two.  But perhaps my fondest memories are of Holiday gatherings when a table would be looking for a 5^th player for a game of Cutthroat or Five-handed Euchre; IMHO, one of the best card games ever. 

 Growing up as I did, it was only natural that I would learn to play games of Solitaire with a Deck of 52, more formally known as a French Deck.  There were several different Solitaire games that I learned over the years.  We even played a game called Nertz, which was an adaptation of the very familiar Klondike Solitaire, but was played with either 2 or 4 players competing against each other.  As technology has advanced, I have learned that a computer can certainly make a game of Freecell a lot more convenient.  But when it comes to games of Solitaire I still prefer to play old-school style with a real deck of cards in my hands.   It’s simple.   I don’t have to worry about having to recharge a battery.   

I always carry a deck of cards with me when I travel, and I find my favorite time to play is when I’m flying.  Yes… I’m the guy who annoys everyone with the shuffling noise.  My favorite game of Solitaire is one for which is simply called One Hand Solitaire.  It was taught to me by my parents.  My Dad really enjoyed it.  It is very simple and doesn’t require a table for a big spread of cards.  It is basically played as you hold the deck in your hand, dealing from the bottom of the deck to create a top pile of visible cards from which you play the game from the top 4 cards.  I haven’t played any other Solitaire game in many years.

So why would I care to write about my favorite game of Solitaire?  Well… as I sit here at 34,000 feet above the ground on a trip from St. Louis to Detroit, I began to wonder if it is possible to know something about a person by observing the games they play.  The game that I enjoy so much is nearly impossible to win.   The mathematical odds of winning have been calculated at 0.7%.  I have been playing it for over 4 decades and I only remember winning one time.  That’s right: One Time!!!   On this flight, I twice had 4 cards remaining – the object of the game is to have none – and I felt really good with the results.  What does it tell you about a person that is willing to play a game for over 40 years, playing it over and over again, and though they’ve only won it one time, they continue to play it still?  I do not know….