Am I Ashamed to Pray in Public?

I remember a very good statement made by a Pastor in one of the Bible study groups I participate in.  He said "Public prayers should be short, if you want to pray a long prayer you can do it in your quiet time with God."  He explained further that people, especially adults have very short attention spans, in order to keep them in the spirit of the prayer, we should try to keep our prayers made in public as short as possible.

This was a confirmation of what I always believed in, and also what other in our group believed in.  When we say short prayers before affairs, there have been instances when people have asked me whether I was ashamed of praying in public.  The answer is a resounding NO.  I am not ashamed to pray, whether in public or in private.  I just don't get the point of praying long prayers before affairs and meals.

Praying Hands

First, when I am asked to pray before or for an event or meals, I believe I am asked to ask for God's blessing for the event, affair or meal.  I am not asked to impress other people with the way I pray and my vocabulary.

Second, people are not there to hear me pray, they are there to eat the food or to participate in the event and eat thereafter.

Third, people's concentration tend to drift away from prayer after a minute or two.  Yes studies show that the attention span of an average adult lasts a maximum of 20 minutes but that sustained attention does not last on prayers, trust me I know!  And I know you know it too.

I have to admit that when someone leads a very long period of time, my attention tend to drift away and before long I would be daydreaming.  Has that ever happened to you?  Never?  I guess I am alone in this then...  But really it does tend to end that way right?

And lastly, when we pray too long we tend to turn people off, we give of a holier than thou aura that other people shun.  Instead of people opening up to us, they tend to shut us out.

This is the reason why I would recommend that if you have to pray in a public event or gathering, keep your prayer brief.  Reach out to people by mingling with them during the event not during your prayer.  Your long (or very long) prayer won't do it for you.  On the contrary, your long prayer may be the reason why they won't be there to mingle with during the event.

Of course there are instances when you could pray a long prayer in public, but these are exceptions, the general rule is you should keep them short.  At least it is from my point of view.  If you disagree, let me knoe and we could discuss your points.

There is None Like You - Hillsong and Michael W. Smith

As I searched the internet for familiar songs that used to be sung in Christian and Charismatic gatherings in the past, I came across this familiar refrain by Michael W. Smith.

Michael W. Smith - There is None Like You

And as I also found a version by Hillsong, which had an additional verse to the familiar refrain.  I do really know whether the Hillsong verse is an addition or part of the original, I just know that it makes a lot of sense and flows easily into the song.

Hillsong - There is None Like You

There is None Like You
by: Hillsong
Chords by: Ultimate Guitar
Aternative Chords by: Shane Bernard via E-Chords

Em  C  G   D7sus4  D G         D         C    G  There is none like You C        G                Am7            Dsus4  D  No one else can touch my heart like You do G       D               G         C I could search for all eternity long and find G        D         G There is none like You (repeat at your own choice)      Cmaj7    C          G       Em7 Your mercy flows like a river wide     Am7     D                G And healing comes from Your hands Cmaj7        C          G             Em7 Suffering children are safe in Your arms Am7        C         D

     There is none like You

The refrain is just amazing.  Indeed there is no one like our God, the way he loves us and touches our hearts is just incomparable.  Men have been searching for an alternative to God since time immemorial, unfortunately there is no alternative.  Fortunately for Christians, we know that that whole in hearts can never be filled by earthly things, it can only be filled by God.

That hole in our beings that constantly need to be filled is shaped like Jesus, when he died on the cross and resurrected, after the third day he provided the exact matching piece to patch up the hole in our heart, all we needed to do was believe and receive him as our personal Lord and Savior.

Knowing about him, about Christ and God is not enough.  For it is written in Roman 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Without Jesus Christ, we all fall and sink into the holes in our being, but by the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ he has brought us Salvation.  However, we must believe!  For there is none like Christ, no one else can touch us the way he does, and there is no alternative or replacement for his presence in our lives.

There is a big and wide difference between knowing Jesus Christ, and knowing something about Him.

For instance, you know your father, mother, brother or sister.  You could also know your best friend more than your family.  But do you know LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, Chris Bosh, Russel Westbrook or James Harden?  I picked them in random (?) because they are all over the news this week and I am an NBA fan.  And despite being a fan and reading all the articles written by so-called NBA and ESPN insiders, I could honestly say that I do not know any of these guys.

Sure I know about them, I've read almost every article written about them these past 2 years and more.  But I don't know them in an intimate way, in a personal way.  There is a difference.

And if you are reading this post and per chance you know any of these guys personally, please send out by congratulations for a well played NBA finals, and Congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning the 2012 NBA Championship. (If you could also send me a signed game jersey or pair of sneakers, that would be awesome! *SMILE*).

So getting back to the point, if you know of these guys personally, think of celebrity you know of but don't know personally, it is easy to do so, think of Elvis Presley for instance, you know he was a great musician and performer, but do you know what he does before he sleeps?  What he does when he sleeps and how e goes about his personal routine?

I hope you now see the difference, and I also pray that you continue to seek the Lord for it is written in James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

If you you have any comments you want to discuss or suggestions, don't hesitate to drop one below.

PS:  While posting the two videos, I also saw one by Don Moen and Lenny LeBlanc so I'm posting it below.

 Don Moen and Lenny LeBlanc - There is None Like You

Only A God Like You - Tommy Walker

I have not heard this song for quite some time even though it is on my praise and worship play list.  One of Tommy Walker's first songs, which was actually what led me to know more of his songs.  So when I saw a rendition of this song on my FaceBook Newsfeed by Wale Adenuga and Kunle Fadahunsi, it brought me back to my first days as a Christian and remembered the thirst I had for the presence of the Lord.  It was, in a word, nostalgic.

For those that have not heard this version, I included it in this post as well, you may want to give it a try.

Only A God Like You
By: Tommy Walker
Chords by: Ultimate Guitar
Alternative Chord by: Higher Praise

Intro

  G  D  Em  C

VERSE 1

G                   D          Em           C

For the praises of man, I will never ever stand

        G                 D                 C2

For the kingdoms of this world I'll never give my heart away

     Dsus4    D

Or shout my praise

      G               D                 Em             C

My allegiance and devotion, my heart's desire and all emotion

      G                    D              C2  Dsus4 D

Go to serve the Man Who died upon that tree

CHORUS

G                D  Bm7       Em7

Only a God like you   could be worthy of my praise

    C

And all my hope and faith

   G                 D    Bm7    Em7

To only a King of all Kings  do I bow my knee and sing

  C

Give my everything

  Am7        G/B     C         Em7

To only my maker my Father my Savior

  Am7        G/B     C         Em7

Redeemer Restorer Rebuilder Rewarder

   Am7              Dsus4   D            G  D  Em  C

To only a God like You, do I give my praise

VERSE 2

G                D

Only the God Who left His throne above

           Em                       C

He came to live with us, came to be one of us

   G                           D

To only the One Who stopped to heal that blind man

        Em7                C

Took the time to save that one lost lamb

G                              D

To only the King Who wore that crown of thorns

B7(b9) Em                C

So I     could wear the crown of life

       G                          D

And to only the One Who conquered sin and death

            Em                       C2

So we could be set free, so we could stand here and sing

BRIDGE

G

Only a God like You.  Only a God Like You

Only a God Like you

(Repeat 3 times)

  Am7        G/B     C         Em7

To only my maker my Father my Savior

  Am7        G/B     C         Em7

Redeemer Restorer Rebuilder Rewarder

   Am7              Dsus4   D            G  D  Em  C

            To only a God like You, do I give my praise

This song helps to keep me firm in my belief and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  For indeed there is no other God like our God.

God the Father gave everything for us, even the begotten Son, which is Christ, to save us from our sins.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but through we are made perfect through Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28) when Christ died on the cross he conquered sin and death and gave us life.

This was the perfect song for me then, and I can still relate to it fully now.  Such a great song to sing to our God!

Oh Manny!

Last Saturday evening in Nevada (Saturday morning here in the Philippines), Manny Pacquiao lost via a controversial split decision against Timothy Bradley.  A decision that was so shocking that the judges were immediately labeled the Three Blind Mice (Well, I do feel sorry for the judge that scored in favor of Manny!).

Fans and Celebrities around the world wen to Twitter and Facebook to air their outrage.

Via Facebook Credit to the creator.

Like most people, we were shocked by the decision.  ESPN Boxing Headline that day read "What Were THEY Watching!"  Arum was quoted saying that Bradley admitted to him after the fight that he cannot beat Manny, yet he still won the fight.  

Fans were not content with just making their opinions known through their words, some were very creative and funny.

Pinoy Laugh Page

Others were just down right nasty which we will not include in this post.

While the controversial decision was stunning, what really stuck in our mind was the way Manny responded to the decision.  He praised Bradley's skill and while he believed he won the fight, he took the high road and congratulated Bradley even posing with Bradley for a friendly pose after the fight.

Manny Pacquiao take the High Road

Later we read from Productive Pinoy about the Two Things That Manny Won and Cito Beltran's article in the Philippine Star When Losing is More Like Winning.  And we realize that Manny Pacquiao has indeed matured as individual.

As Filipinos and as as Christians, we were afraid that Manny would lose his faith, indeed Cito Beltran was right when he wrote "why do bad things happen to good people?"  We were afraid that Manny Pacquiao would have backslidden and lost his new found relationship with Christ.

However, our fears were misplaced, he is a more mature individual than we thought he would be.  AND more importantly, he has made us believe, as well as some other skeptics, that his new found faith is real and not just for show.

Never have we felt that a boxer who lost a fight, won so much Respect for a loss as when Manny Pacquiao lost to Timothy Bradley on June 9, 2012, and deservedly so.  

We pray that you continue to grow in your relationship with Christ, and that you continue to give glory to his name in your words and in your actions.  May God's grace and mercy follow you all the days of your life!

The Voice of Truth

I have not posted in a while, I guess since not many people read this blog it doesn't really matter (*smile*

).  Then again, I started this blog to release my faith and not necessarily for site traffic, so I thought it would be better for me to do so again, just in case people would come across it, I would like to have helped even a little.

My song for the past few months that I have been going through over and over is the Voice of truth by Casting Crowns.  Somehow it feels like until this day, this song is something that pulls me in.  If you have not hear the song before, play the video and I hope you will like it.  If you like it and want to play it the chords follow shortly.

The Voice of Truth
Casting Crowns
Lyrics and Chords from Ultimate Guitar
Alternative Chords from Higher Praise (with Capo 3)

                             3fret

 Fsus4    Dm7  Bbsus    Bb     Eb    C2

xx--00 xx--00 xx--00 xx---0 xx-0-0 ----0-

xx---- xx-0-- xx---- xx---- xx--0- ------

xx0--- xx---- xx00-- xx000- xx0--- -0----

xx---- xx---- xx---- xx---- xx---- ------

Verse 1:

Fsus4             F               Dm               Dm7  

 Oh what i would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this

Bb          Eb                Bb       Fsus4        F                Dm

boat i'm in onto the crashing waves to step out of my comfort zone into the

Dm7                        Bb                 Eb              Bb

realm of the unknown where Jesus is and he's holding out his hand but the

C          Bb                          Fsus4     F     C           Bb

waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me reminding me of all the

           Fsus4              F          C                 Bb          Bb   

times i've tried before and failed the waves they keep on telling me time

     C      Dm          Bbsus           C2         F

and time again "boy you never win, you never win"

Chorus:

F                    C                          Dm                Bbsus

   But the voice of truth tells me a different story the voice of truth

                     F                     C                         Dm

says "Do not be afraid" and the voice of truth says "This is for my glory"

                       Bbsus           Dm                 Bbsus

out of all the voices calling out to me i will choose to listen and believe

      Fsus4      F

the voice of truth

Verse 2:

Fsus4             F               Dm               Dm7  

oh what i would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a

Bb                 Eb         Bb       Fsus4            F            

giant with just a sling and a stone surrounded by the sound of a thousand

Dm        Dm7              Bb                 Eb             

warriors shaking in their armor wishing they'd have had the strength to

 Bb           C              Bb                  Fsus4     F    C

stand but the giants calling out my name and he laughs at me reminding me

    Bb            Fsus4    F                    C                 Bb

of all times i've tried before and failed the giant keeps on telling me

 Bb      C      Dm            Bbsus           C2                   F

time and time again "Boy, you never win, you never win"




What I really like about the song is truth behind what we are told by the world (the giant and the waves) that we've tried before and fail or simply that we can't succeed.  As Christians, we do not answer to the world, we answer to a our God and our God says "Do not be afraid".

Roman 8:31 suddenly come to mind "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?"  We must remember, however, that we must walk the right path, if we are in the right path we should not fear and believe, for the Lord will guide us and work for us.

I remember one of the pastors from a long time ago told us that "if you are walking in the will of the Lord you do not have to pray for God to bless your way, your way will be blessed because God has ordained it to be.

What do you think of the song?