A Call to Pray and More About Bob

It's a little embarrassing to me that being a stay-at-home mom who nurses an infant has meant considerable time watching television for me. Not that I'm against watching TV, mind you, but I truly don't want it on all day nor do I want my toddler to be glued to it. But earlier this week I caught a few minutes of The View and was really disheartened by a thread of conversation in which the hosts discussed what sort of behaviors of other passengers on an airplane would bother them. One of their answers was if someone was praying, quoting Scripture or reading the Bible aloud. One of the ladies elaborated, saying that any behavior that she deems "out of the ordinary" would prompt her to get off the plane.

Since when did praying and reading the Bible become such odd behavior? Why is that so offensive? Is it simply that airplane passengers don't want to be reminded of the hereafter when they're in a situation that could potentially deliver them there sooner than expected? (By the way, death usually comes sooner than one expects it.) No, I think it has more to do with two states of our society: First, many in our culture don't want to be told that they're accountable to anyone, let alone a sovereign God. Second, Christians have become so silent in the public arena that few recognize our practices or motivations behind them. We've all but lost our saltiness.

In recent months, the Lord has put a heavy burden on my heart to pray for His people, and I would ask other believers to do the same. Of course, a good deal of this stems from a deep concern for this country in particular, but I think that it's His church on the whole that needs revival in a most serious sense. For those who have an ear for the Word, you know what season we're in, but the Lord has called us to continue to serve Him by spreading the Gospel in truth and love. We're still called to work for Him. We're still called to care for widows, orphans, the poor and others who cannot care for themselves. We're still called to stand for what we know to be true - not resign ourselves to the cultural entropy. Worse, we're signing off on it as if societal norms are OK. Not only are they not OK, but they dishonor God.

Please, please pray fervently for God's people to be emboldened and for our nation to ask for forgiveness, turn from its wicked ways and seek the Lord because it's only then that we can expect our land to be healed.

In completely unrelated news, Monday's MRI showed no changes in Bob the Benign Brain Tumor's size from 2005 - very good news, as surgery to remove him would involve metal objects up my nose. Bob sends his love.