I can’t hear you

I think my phone is broken. My wife often says “You’re breaking up… I can’t hear you.”

I also heard that  from my friend John. He said  “I can’t hear you. Is there something the matter with your phone? ”

Friends often tell me.” I’m losing you… You must be in a dead zone… ”  or, ” How many bars do you have?… your voice sounds so far away.”

In a blast back to childhood, somebody told me that I sounded like I’m   “…. talking into an orange juice can with a piece of string attached…”

Some days that’s how I feel about my prayers. Like they are just bouncing off of the ceiling and back at me (… anybody else ever feel like that?), just as if I were talking into an orange juice can.

Speaking spiritually,

Is it my phone,  or did I choose the wrong provider?

It’s time for a Neil update.  Neil Polk,  Jr.  is my friend. Three weeks ago,  he was in an accident. He has a mountain bike with a little motor on it.  It’s pretty cool.

Here’s a formula for disaster :

Pouring rain + cool motorized bicycle + late at night + bad lighting + dead end + brick wall =broken neck

Many of us have been praying that Neil will walk again… I mean Now ( YESTERDAY WOULD BE BETTER.) Does that sound like a demand?

I’ve been praying for Neil. My prayer has morphed into:”Hello God,  It’s been three weeks… I do not care how freaking long it took to build Rome. Waaaaaaaaahhhh.“

I just don’t know what’s the  matter; sometimes it seems like I’m just not getting through. Nobody seems to answer….. Anybody? …
Anybody? …
Buehler? …
Buehler?

It’s odd to feel invisible. My ego wants to shout “Hey,  you.  Don’t you know how important I think I am?”

Here’s the truth as I see it:

Self-help” experts” have said that “NOBODY IS COMMING” So take care of yourself. I don’t buy that.

The DIY psychologists tell us in book after book:
“The Lord helps those who help themselves… “,  right??…wrong,  WRONG,  WRONG

As social animals,  we humans have two particularly helpful advantages:

1. We live in a community and can depend on our community for help. The early Christian community was instructed to love one another (Romans 13:8, Gal 5:13) and they were the ultimate “village ” as in… “It takes a village…”
2.  On another, deeper level, we have reassurance that God is present in every fiber,  every atom of our bodies. He is here to help us. God works on another level; a different frequency. God is oxygen for our spiritual lungs.

This ultimate authority has communicated with us throughout history- through natural and supernatural means that He is the “…author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 2:12)

He, that urgently necessary, ALWAYS-present force we call God, is our warm blanket,  hug from Mom,  puppy curled next to us, call from a friend, encouraging note, kind word type of presence in our spiritual bodies. God is a fact,  our basic  nutrition…all 4 food groups,  all of the time.

HEY,  help me test my phone.  Test YOUR spiritual phone. Get on the horn and dial up the
Author of the Universe. He will (and continually DOES) help us even when we can’t help ourselves.

Please pray for Neil… And pray for me,  and you,  and our community,  and pray for better phones.

Try 1(800) I’M-LOVED
(You may also want get a new service provider:-)