Eye surgery. It seems like every time we turn around, someone is having it: eye surgery for their cataracts.
I surgery. It seems like every time we turn around, someone ought to get it: I surgery for their selfish attitude.

With eye surgery comes better vision.
With I surgery comes better obedience.

Eye surgery cuts out the film that is hindering the vision of things in one's life.
I surgery cuts out the rebellious "I" attitude that is hindering God's vision for our lives.

Romans 6:6 – For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. (NIV 2011)

Ephesians 4:22 – You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. (NIV)

Just as a sailor would respond to the captain with an "Aye, aye, sir!" when given a command, we, too, must become more obedient with our "Aye, aye, Lord!" when He instructs us to do something.

Let our love for Jesus turn our "I"s into ayes!

Prayer: Lord, our creator God, please hear our plea for healthy "ayes" as we strive to serve You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

When the Jesus film is completed in a new language, a premiere showing is often done for the leaders of the area where the language is spoken.

The film was ready in the "Yucatec Maya" language, which is spoken by a third of the population of the Mexican state of Yucatan. The director for Campus Crusade for Latin America, the director for Mexico, and I went to Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan and the largest city of the Yucatan Peninsula, to meet with the mayor to get his permission and to use his influence to help with the showing.

Before leaving the hotel for the meeting, we made a list of seven items that we thought we would like from the mayor, and if we got four of the seven, we would go ahead with the event. We then committed it to the Lord and prayed that the meeting would be a success.

The mayor was so accommodating. "You can use my theatre; you'll need my dining room; you can use my name to invite other leaders; you will need my list of leaders; my secretary is available to help you …" until he had listed off all seven items on our list of things that we thought we would like. We didn't have to ask for one thing.

It was an answer to prayer. Just as Nehemiah had prayed for favour in front of the king, the Lord had granted us favour in front of the mayor.

"When all else fails, pray" is a very common response in many situations. Why not pray first, as last? "The prayer of a righteous person has great power" (James 5:16 ESV). A righteous person is one like Nehemiah who delights in revering God's name. As Christians, when we revere His name, our relationship with the Lord will be such as to have His ear, and we will also have the wisdom to ask first for His favour. When we are in that right relationship, our prayers will naturally become very powerful.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we delight in revering Your name. Give us success and grant us favour today as we go about Your business. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

It all started with a prayer. In the quiet of the night, he prayed, "Lord, please use me in some way to reach out to my new friends and neighbours." Little did he know that God had already begun to answer his prayer one and a half months earlier when he suffered a fall, causing slow but steady bleeding into his brain cavity.

Eventually, the pressure on the brain became so great that he lost consciousness, eventually lapsing into a coma. Hovering near death, God stepped in and, through a series of miracles, extended to him the medical care and miraculous healing that he so desperately needed.

Upon regaining consciousness, he immediately knew what he was going to do, but one key ingredient was still missing. He continued to pray for further guidance.

One and a half years later, through another miraculous turn of events, he made contact with Kevin Mills, a country gospel singer of First Nations heritage from the east, who just happened to be coming west for a series of concerts. Two weeks later, they met for coffee, and three hours later, the puzzle was complete, the plans were in place. They would put on a country gospel concert in the park immediately behind his home.

Prayers continued to be answered. He was my neighbour, and we were invited to participate in the planning. We asked if we could use him for two events: one at our church during the morning service and one in the park in the evening. He agreed.

Then, we thought that we could ask the other church in our area to join with us for the morning service, and when they were presented with the idea of a joint outreach event, they enthusiastically said yes. And they love to pray! So they, too, began praying.

In prayer, we started asking how we could make this a bigger event. We needed more space if we wanted to share with more people. So we asked the chief of the local First Nations community if we could use his outdoor field for a church service so that we could invite more people. He agreed wholeheartedly and showed us their new outdoor theatre that will easily seat 200 people.

Someone suggested that we should do a barbecue as well. That idea came because we had been working with a church in Vancouver as one of our missions projects by going down to help with several of their barbecues in the park during the summer where they would serve up to 1200 people at one time. Because they are now the experts at barbecues, we asked the pastor there if he would consider bringing out a team, and we also invited his friends from other churches who have the big cookers and supply the chicken and vegetables for those barbecues. They agreed and came out to help us with our barbecue.

And so we did two outreach events. And it all started with a prayer.

John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (NIV)

Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV 2011)

We prayed that we might be lights, and now, we are! Everything went perfectly. The weather was perfect. The programs were perfect. The food was perfect. The message was perfect, and all was done to share the glory of God with the community.

The morning "Church in the Park" was monumental: We were honoured to be invited to be on the Scowlitz First Nations land and to have a church service as the first event in their outdoor theatre! Wow! The sweet spirit of involvement of individuals from several different churches with diverse ethnic backgrounds all wanting to serve the Lord in unity and harmony was overpowering. When God is in it, there is no limit!

And all because we prayed!

Prayer: Our Lord and Creator God, we humbly bow before You and give You praise. We praise You for the light of the world. Thank You that we have Him as our light so that we, too, might be the light for others. Use our light for Your glory. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

E-mail, texting, Skyping, blogging … perhaps it's time to rewrite Romans 10:15 to say, "How beautiful are the fingers of those who type good news!" The social interaction is missing in today's styles of communicating, and thus some of the beauty is lost.

However, in having said that, I also realize that the "good news" being referred to in today's verse is this:

Romans 10:13 – Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (NIV)

And then, the passage goes on to ask:

Romans 10:14-15a – How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? (NIV)

The important verb here is "sent". Now, instead of using our feet, we use our fingers. When I write an e-mail, it is in vain unless I hit "Send". Texting, Skyping, or blogging also requires a final step: "Enter".

The good news is news that has to be shared. We are the "feet", whether it's delivered in person or by some other means. Our responsibility is to take it out there!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the good news. Help us to be "beautiful feet" in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone we can in whatever manner we can use. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

On a recent Wednesday, I went to the hardware store to try and get parts for a leaky tub faucet. The man in the plumbing section was very helpful. He took the old part and said that he could try to take it apart so that we could replace the O-rings to see if that would fix the problem and save some money. He explained that, because of its age, it might not come apart. I replied that I was a man of faith, so I was sure that he would get it apart.

He looked at me inquisitively, so I told him that I was a pastor.

"Praise the Lord," he said with excitement, and proceeded to take the valve apart.

He was very happy to share that he, too, was a Christian. As we talked, he told me about his son with whom he'd had no contact for awhile. His son was living on the street, heavily into drugs, unsuccessful at trying to clean up his life, and had even been kicked out of detox.

There was a bench on display in the aisle, so I said, "Let's sit and pray for your son."

We prayed, and then I went on my way.

The repair job didn't work, so I went back early Friday morning to get a whole new valve assembly. I met up with the same man in the plumbing department. While searching for the right valve assembly, I asked him if he had been able to connect with his son.

He hadn't.

I told him that I could relate to his experience, and explained how we hadn't talked to our son for over eight years. Having gone through some emotional struggles, he had walked out over eight years ago. He sent a message once in those years to say that he was okay, but that was it.

He immediately took me over to our "prayer bench", and he prayed for our son. That was at about eight o'clock on Friday morning.

It was a busy Friday, so it wasn't until around midnight on Friday night that I checked my emails and discovered an email from our son saying that he wanted to reconnect. Wow! What a surprise for us — an answer to years of prayers! We immediately phoned the number he had given us, and we talked. By 2 o'clock in the morning, I was still unable to sleep from the excitement, so I went downstairs and reread the email. Although I hadn't opened it until midnight, I discovered that he had sent it at 8:02 Friday morning!

We are communicating every day and have his word that he is coming to visit soon. When we see him face to face, then we will know that it's real. And we are blessed.

Philippians 4:4,6-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

God always answers prayer — but in His own timing. Sometimes, we have to wait for the answer, and sometimes, it is immediate. Sometimes, we like the answer, and sometimes, we don't. Just remember, He always gets the glory! If you are praying for something that doesn't seem to be getting answered, keep the faith; keep praying; keep trusting. The Lord is in control.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we rejoice in Your sovereign grace and give You the glory. Thank You for answering prayers. We love You, Lord our God, with all our hearts, and with all our souls, and with all our minds. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

As kids' camps are preparing for the onslaught of the many campers they will minister to this summer, there is always apprehension and doubt. Will the camps be full? Will we get all the counsellors we need? Will we raise all the required funding? Will the weather cooperate? And the list of questions goes on.

And then there are the naysayers who think that it is more trouble than it is worth. It draws away from other ministries; it's just an expensive paid holiday; I never got to go, so why should I pay for someone else's kid to go? And the list of excuses goes on.

And yet, there are so many positive stories of kids being ministered to at Bible camp: coming to Christ; re-dedications to Christ; new friendships; life lessons learned that are Scripture-based. And the list of life-changers goes on.

Let's commit to holding our camps up in prayer. Prayer is the foundation of all camps. They can never get too much prayer and often don't get enough. Pray for the finances; pray for the campers; pray for the counsellors; pray for the administrators. And the list of prayer needs goes on.

Prayer: Lord, keep us humble; keep us on our knees; keep Your Bible camps on our minds, so that we remember to pray for them throughout the summer as they minister to the children. May we not rebuke anyone who is intent on seeing children come to Christ. May we not be a hindrance, but rather, may we be instruments of help in whatever way we can, be it praying, helping, giving financially. And the list goes on. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Water, salt, sugar, oil, flour, and yeast. It's bread! Well, it could be!

Most Saturdays, you will find my wife making buns for our church lunch on Sunday. She has done this for years now. They are delicious.

But what goes into them? People have asked for her recipe, but she says she doesn't have one, that it is whatever she throws in. But I've watched. She uses pretty much the same thing and the same amount every time. So let me share how I see them being made.

Ingredients:

About a 1/4 bowl of water: holds it together and gives it moisture.
Pinch of salt: gotta have salt; be kinda flat without it.
Two handfuls of sugar: important ingredient; makes it taste better.
Two large squirts of oil: keeps the stuff from sticking to the pan.
One handful of yeast: makes it light and fluffy.
Twice as much flour as water: gives it bulk.

But just having the ingredients isn't enough. It has to be put together and then worked.

Process:

Here's what I see happening to make it into something good. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, continually adding flour until it can't be stirred. Add a bit more flour, flipping it around in the bowl until mixed. Cover with a towel and let it rise until it is falling out of the bowl. Punch it with your fists until it fits down in the bowl. Cover it with the towel again until it rises and starts falling out of the bowl again. Dump some more flour on the counter. Throw the dough around in the flour on the counter for a bit, then break off little pieces. Take a piece in one hand, and using the fingers of the other hand, try to pull the outside and stuff it into its middle. When you have a nice round ball, put it on a cookie sheet. Repeat till all the pieces are round balls on the cookie sheet. Cover them with the towel again until they rise and are ready to fall off the cookie sheet. Put them in the oven till brown.

Results:

Share the buns! Why else make so many?

For Christians, it is the same thing. We have the ingredients, but we still have to put them together and work them into something useful.

Ingredients:

Heart for God: open and willing.
Salvation: knowing Jesus, not just about Him.
Bible: it's the recipe book.
Prayer: helps us understand the recipe.
People to share with.

Process:

Here is what I see happening to make us into something good. Mix the salvation, prayer, and Bible verses together. Read the Bible and pray a lot, then read some more. Take the verses to heart. You might feel like you're getting rolled around, punched, flattened out, and cut to bits. It's called being worked! Then rise up to the challenge; pray for divine appointments.

Results:

Share the faith!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for sending us Jesus, the Bread of Life. We know that just knowing about Him is not enough and that a personal relationship with Him becomes more real when we share Him with others. Help us to put our faith in Him into active service. Help us share this bread with the world. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.