Nazarite Call

For my last entry this season I’ve chosen to write about another subject that’s been brewing in my prayer life for a while now. Perhaps my need to release this topic on my blog is simply to remind myself to be watchful and to pray without ceasing. The subject is regarding MEDIA. The reality that our major fact finding resource in the area of politics is instituted through TV, radio and newspapers has hit me in a new way this season. When I ponder the idea that most opinions and thoughts towards our nation is primarily driven by this powerful agent I felt struck to pray afresh for this area in my watch.

Once again starting with a teaching at NHOP I began to learn about the direct influence media had in regards to our Federal Government of Canada. The first thing I learned and surprised to grasp is that topics set up for Question Period each day are primarily based on what is written in the morning newspaper. How it works is that research teams from both sides of the house scour the morning tabloids in search of the biggest events or subjects of the day. My first thought was how this must be a bit of a gamble on both sides. I’ve often wondered how each party exactly determine what questions will be asked of them, and how each know how to answer them without the element of surprise. I suppose there is a common system of thinking at work here, or enough practice to determine generally what Canadians want to know, or an ability to predict the raucous that each caucus will draw out that day. It’s intriguing never the less.

I also found it really enlightening to listen to an MP share about the power of media one evening as we hosted him for dinner. He explained to the group that the reason so much time is devoted to morning research and practiced responses, prior to Q.P, is for the purpose of injecting each parties position, in hopes that the evening news will pick it up and transmit it to the nation. Each side is in actuality preparing their response for a potential 20 second visual clip, or they’re vying for their statements to be released nationally through a reliable news casters report. Either way the media has full control of what the nation will hear each morning and night. As I looked at my previous response to politics before coming to Ottawa I can concur that my thoughts were directed in this manner.

I want to make clear that global communication is vital for our response as a nation but for some reason something feels a miss. This MP continued sharing with us that Media has a responsibility to report objectively but this is often not the case. An example can be seen in the way a columnist reports something in the morning newspaper, and in their ability to state something as fact but in essence it’s their bias opinion. This saying, if the Canadian reader does not make a proper assessment in what they’re reading, the columnist thoughts and even tone can be easily adopted as a personal conviction when really it lacks perspective. In addition this MP stated that it’s been incredibly hard to place any kind of legislation or parameters on Media to report the straight facts. Also, opinion polls show that most media figures are primarily LIberal. He concluded with his standpoint that the opposition party in parliament is not the mix of Liberal, NDP or Bloc party members (as it should be) but rather it is the MEDIA.

To make my last point on the power of media in politics: Actually, the best example I found was in The Globe and Mail. By now everyone across the country has heard that Oprah Windfrey is leaving her show in 2011. The article I read last week shared that even though she will be a lesser presence in everyday life this will not effect her status as the Empress of TV, print and radio (Harpo, Inc./ Associated Press). They emphasized how she was a media phenomenon, starting as a ‘local’ show in Chicago and morphing into a top-rated show for more then two decades. Her show airs in 145 countries and reaches an estimated 42 million viewers a week in the US alone. What does this have to do with politics?…. The article went on to share that a study was published last month that concluded that Oprah’s endorsement of President Obama attracted as many as a million votes in the democratic primary contest against Hillary Clinton. So all that to say the media has a big impact on the development of a nation.

I feel I could write a few more thoughts to share my awakening but instead I want to return to the main purpose of my blog on Media; a renewed conviction to add my intercession along with many others for the purpose of raising up a honorable political representation without bias and strong voice through Media. Praying for God to raise up good public sources as well as integral communicators who will relay truth filled information. The ultimate hope is that we would know His way, His truth and His life throughout our nation, and continue to fulfill our Creator’s mandate for Canada which is to bring healing to the nations.

Rev 22:2 … and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

So today is not my blog day, but since I have missed the past 3 post dates, I thought it would be ok

I could never have imagined what God could do with almost three months committed to be spent for Him at NHOP. With the end date in the near future, I have spent the last few days thinking about what has actually happened in the past months. My final statement in the last blog that I wrote was “ I am very excited to see what God does with my seeking heart.” Oh, If I had only realized what God would do with that desire in my heart. Challenges, extreme growth in so many areas, stretching, amazing prayer times, and speech writing? Yes, that is what God has chosen to throw into my lap since I have given Him this portion of my life. Honestly? When you place yourself fully into God’s hands, completely letting go of control, and letting Him have it all, I have come to the realization that He definitely takes full advantage of it. I am not the same person who stepped off the plane in September. This program is life changing, and I am changed.

~Chelsea

I attempted the walk  to Parliament Hill yesterday with my Myers-Briggs personality twin (Christine Dearden) I say attempted this walk because  I discovered very quickly that we were made very different.  Christine has these amazing daddy long legs which carry her along at a speedy pace. One could call me a Mrs. long body. As I encouraged her to go on ahead I lifted up a complaint to the Father about my short little legs.  He so gently answered me. I have made your legs shorter so that you ARE slower. I want you to see the things that others do not see. I want everything to be bought to  my throne room so I have made each member unique to carry out my purposes. Today I stand in gratefulness for my short little legs. I thank God that He has slowed me down.

Michael Card came up on my playlist this afternoon. There is a song on his Poeima album (1994) called “The Basin and Towel”. It’s a beautiful song; have a listen.

In an upstairs room, a parable is just about to come alive.
And while they bicker about who’s best,
with a painful glance, He’ll silently rise.

Their Savior Servant must show them how
through the will of the water and the tenderness of the towel.

And the call is to community, the impoverished power that sets the soul free.
In humility, to take the vow, that day after day we must take up the basin and the towel.

In any ordinary place, on any ordinary day,
the parable can live again when one will kneel and one will yield.

Our Saviour Servant must show us how
through the will of the water and the tenderness of the towel.

And the space between ourselves sometimes is more than the distance between the stars.
By the fragile bridge of the Servant’s bow we take up the basin and the towel.

I was really touched by several things in the lyrics: that our call is to community, “the impoverished power that sets the soul free”, and the line about “the will of the water and the tenderness of the towel.”

All of these things are so key when we start talking about what it means to live in community. To live with other people — to really live with them, I mean — means daily taking a position of humility before them. It means, every day, that you lay down a bit of yourself in favour of the other. And, as the song says, it is equal measures of will and of tenderness.

Last week the Nazarites washed and anointed each other’s feet as part of a morning worship session. There was will there: it takes a definite decision and an aquiescing both to wash someone else’s feet and to let your own feet be washed (which is often the harder thing: it is easier to us to serve than to be served). So the will was definitely involved. We had to will ourselves to bless others, and we had to give ourselves permission to be blessed, to receive a blessing that can occasionally be hard to swallow.

But it wasn’t just mind-games, or a cold battle of wills. There was great tenderness there as well. When we washed each other’s feet, what we were really saying was this: You are my brother. You are my sister. I love you and I want to serve you.

That’s what it’s about. When we take up the basin and towel — literally or figuratively — that’s when we really start to live in the community we say we belong to. That’s the challenge. That’s the call.

Whose feet can you wash today?

Christine

Over the last couple months The National House of Prayer has become home for us Nazarites and Prayer Missionaries. In this experience we have learned what it means to live in community and to serve in our government. Today I would like to give you a brief glimpse at the teaching we receive and the practical aspects of life at NHOP.

On the teaching/learning side of life at NHOP, we started our program with intensive teaching all day for two weeks and then moved into balancing our weeks with teaching sessions on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. In our teaching sessions we have been given tools to use in our lives in respect to daily devotions, worship and prayer. In addition we have learned that lifting up the nation in prayer is very multi faceted. We have learned about the value, importance, and scriptural teaching around prayer for both an individual and corporate setting. This includes learning about the importance of authority, reconciliation, thanksgiving, and informed/strategic prayer.

Aside from the teaching sessions we also get to learn through the practice of both prayer and teaching. As the program progresses we get to step into various leadership positions and lead corporate prayer watches, devotions, worship, and some preaching/teaching (at least in a practice setting with our peers). On the other side of this we get to practice prayer in our quiet times through reflection, meditation, and other practices that really help us in focusing on God.

On the practical side we have learned that living in the NHOP community means surrendering your day for the service of others. We get the opportunity to serve our fellow residents on a daily basis, but that is just the beginning. At NHOP we get to serve and host government leaders including MP’s, we serve prayer teams that come on a weekly basis, we serve at a local mission, and we serve any other guests who come to pray, rest, teach, or learn. This service is done in many ways, part of which is not too much different than a hotels hospitality and meal service. We get to do many hospitality services on a daily basis; such as aiding in the preparation and delivery of meals along with maintaining the cleanliness of every aspect of the house.

At NHOP we are learning that our lives are not our own, rather we are servants of God. Through humility and devotion we ask God to use us in serving our nation. In this process however, We have quickly learned that in order to serve this nation God will first change our hearts and lives; teaching us to focus on His will and not on our own.

Bill

Often times I know when God is speaking to me about a particular matter by the amount of times that he brings something to my attention.  Since His Sheep hear His voice and I am one, I can’t deny a prayer focus that keeps coming back to me from His Heart.  It is a subject the Lord continues to expand my understanding in, plus he is beginning to fill me with some prayers.  The subject? …. How to pray for a strong Opposition party.

So today was the day I chose to sit on the west end of the House of Commons.  The side of the House that looks towards the  NDP, LIberal and the Bloc leaders.  Canada’s Opposition Parties.  I felt particularly focused as I sought to understand how to pray for these leaders,  keeping fully in mind that God appointed them  to lead our nation. In addition to listening to the subjects during Q/P today, I found myself observing faces.  My head continually panned the leaders in the same way one would following a hockey player handling the puck on the ice.  I listened intently as they  responded to the conservative party and  to one another.  I attempted to do this with a prayerful focus,  my ear eager to hear from God.  Surprisingly the word that came to my mind to describe what I was viewing was ‘Powerless’.  I attempted to find a more positive contribution to what I observed but I couldn’t. Not today.

I found my heart extended fully to these leaders as I witnessed blank stares, apathetic looks, heads shaking  back and forth and cursing remarks streaming across the floor.   I’m not sure if my gauge is correct but the people that  seem to have the most well known reputation in this party also seem to contribute the most disruptive behavior.  One would wonder if mouth guards would be wise to consider for safety.   Now,  I’m not talking about a passionate tone that emphasized a conviction, but the attitude that manifests mocking, discrediting and accusation that breeds mistrust and stirs fear amongst people.   I first noted this mean spirited nature behind election campaigns and it’s tactic to stir up skepticism, hesitation and suspicion against the running leaders.

To be honest, I fail to see this strategy winning the vote or confidence of a people,  but I  can clearly see how it places a lot of miscommunication and division over a nation.    As I sat in QP more then once,  I have truly sought to hear valid statements in our Opposition party’s  causes, but as they continue to  present their indignation through dramatics, it’s become wearing and ineffective.  I hear many people excuse this when I hear words like… “Auh, that’s Politics for you!”  … Sure, I suppose a good fight in a hockey game is not all  that bad and can even let off a bit of steam and be a bit entertaining, but at the end of the day it’s not about the fight but how the team sticks together during play that determines the outcome of a game.

So how does one even begin to raise the standard so that an Opposition party can be effective leaders and fulfill their role to keep our Conservative government accountable? Strong Conservative Party vs. Strong Opposition Party!  This a burning question for me at this moment. Scripture says that God appoints the leaders over the nations (ROMANS 13:1-2) . Surely then His arm is not to short to save them and make them men of integrity and strong character.   Perhaps the challenge is still within me?  Can I believe by Faith that God is Sovereign and that He  will fuel us with the intercession required to shift the response of these leaders.  The fervent prayers  that will call them to walk in the stature they’ve been appointed to.

The final outcome of my day:  After QP I chose to walk home alone because my mind and heart was still in the process of connecting.   I was still on the Parliament grounds when I saw a man walking towards me that looked vaguely familiar. Why it was the Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh!  Liberal MP leader for South Surrey BC, close to my home. Interestingly enough, earlier in the House I had spotted him for the first time and now here he was walking towards me.  In a split second I found myself making the decision to introduce myself.  There seemed to be no one for miles and  like a game of chicken,  we were walking on the same path towards each other.  Could this be a divine moment?  Before I knew it, I called out his name.  Hello, Mr. Dosanjh?!!!   With a smile he said,  “Yes!”…  For the next 30 seconds I relayed to him that I was from B.C. staying in Ottawa for 3 months and that I was residing in the National House of Prayer for the sole purpose of praying for our Government.  He cocked an eyebrow and remained cheerful when he said that the Government could sure use prayer.   Finally,  I shared that we would be praying for him and his family and that we were here to honor him as a leader in our nation.  He kindly said Thank You, we shook hands good-bye and went our ways.

As I continued my walk home my words to Ujjal Dosanjh began to rerun in my own ears.  The event was not only set up by a repeating and  faithful God, but this  moment reinforced for me the importance of a much needed and healthy union between church and government.  What a privilege it is to serve King and Country through the eyes of a loving Creator!

Izzy

If God has given me the faith to do something magnificent, I must take hold of that faith,  make it my own and believe. And when I believe I would know that whatever I ask for in prayer I will receive.

So God HAS  given me the faith to do something magnificent. I have taken hold of this faith, I have made it my own and I DO  believe.

I want you to stare into this picture and behold it’s magnificene. This is the miracle  of a  father turned to the heart of his daughter and a daughter turned to the heart of her father. This snapshot radiates the expectation that I hold in my heart for your dad. This is what I ask for and this is what i believe you will recieve. I want the hearts of Canada’s father restored.

LAureEn

I’m not sure if it is because I am a woman or simply because I have a short attention span, but I enjoy doing multiple things at once.  For example, if I’m talking on the phone, I’m probably also reading emails, making dinner, or cleaning the house – perhaps all of the above.  My brain tends to be in perpetual motion and I just can’t make it be quiet. This presents a problem when it comes to prayer. How do I just talk to God…just that one thing and nothing else? It can be very challenging!

Through the excellent guidance of our dear and wonderful Terry, we Nazarites have been ushered into the world of contemplation and meditative prayer. We have been given numerous tools to aid us in quieting the mind and focusing on God. I am extremely thankful for the discipline of these exercises. However, while I am learning to be more silent, God has also revealed to me that my propensity for multi-tasking is not a curse, but a gift that can be channeled for his purposes. Through this, I have found prayer walking to be a great passion of mine!

Yesterday, Richard took us on a prayer walk through our neighborhood. He instructed us to be alert – pay attention to what is going on this area. What are the demographics? What hints do the housing and businesses give us about the people and some of the problems they may face? I felt so engaged throughout the entire prayer walk. I discovered new ways to more specifically pray for all those immediately around me. It was amazing!

I passionately love being outside. Many of my fellow Nazarites have found quiet spaces in the building for private worship and prayer, but my favorite place isn’t in this building at all – its walking along the river. It is when I’m moving in his world that I’m most able to talk to God or even just “be” with God. So, I guess prayer walks really just make sense. Seeing as I love to multi-task and I love to be outside – walking and praying outside seems to be a good fit. Why did I not think of this before?? Now, prayer walks are different from my little retreats along the river as they are much more intentional. Nevertheless, going on a prayer walk allows me to be in God’s creation (putting me in a worshipful state which is ideal for prayer), has me looking around and paying attention to my surroundings, asking God to reveal things or people I need to be praying about, and keeps me in constant conversation with God. My experiences in prayer walks has me drawing closer to God and speaking to him more effectively than ever before. What an awesome gift!

God uses all types! In fact, he made all types! God has shown me that he gave me my crazy racing brain that just won’t stop, and he can use me if I let him.

Natalie

Today we had the pleasure and the privelage of attending the Rememberance Day Ceremony at the War Memorial. A few of our Nazarite team had gone ahead to find a good spot, but the thing is when you’re dealing with crowds of thousands, you can pretty much forget about being able to find your friends. Even if they do tell you where abouts they are. I was personally really excited for this event, because of the rumored possibility that Prince Charles and Camilla would be attending. Thing is I have never been to anything of this size and really didn’t have a clue where a good spot to stand was. So as Izzy and I began to wander, I was getting nervous and I began to pray, “Father, I really really want to find a good spot. Where do I go?”

At this point, because we were on the back side of the War Memorial, which was on the opposite side of the main red carpet and ceremony proceedings, our only real hope was to maybe catch a glance of Prince Charles and Camilla in the closing parade. We struck up a short conversation with a girl, native to Ottawa. She mentioned that the platform just accross the street from where we were was not usually there and that it could be a significant. It was a faint hope, but as the ceremony began, I began feeling a little disappointed. I really couldn’t see much of what was going on on the other side of the Memorial and was loosing hope that I would see anything at all. In the midst of all of this, I felt the Father laugh and say ”Just hang in there, just wait.” So I waited, and tried to catch glimpses of what I could on the Jumbo Screens a block away.

As the ceremony began to come to a close, I noticed that there was a bit of movement to the left side of the War Memorial. And before I knew it, the crowd was cheering and there was Prince Charles and Camilla standing on the little podium, right smack in front of me about 20 meters away. I was like “NO WAY!! You have GOT to be KIDDING me!!” And as God often does, He nudged me to say,  “See, I told you.”

I used to feel guilty if I wasn’t constantly making “an effort” to figure out my life, to do everything  just right. But now, I dunno, all I’ve really figured out is I really can’t. Quite hilarious and yet profound. Even if it’s something as small as where to stand for a Memorial service, I’ve discovered God really does care about the little things. He’s begun to show me how much He loves being God in my life. How much He loves it when I take a risk on Him, when I take that leap of faith to believe He’s actually who He says He is for me.

Since arriving in Ottawa, I have found that living at NHOP and lifting up the nation in prayer is very different than one might first conceive. To live at NHOP is to live in community. This means that you have 13-35 brothers and sisters all living in the same home (otherwise known as a mansion). The key to this lifestyle is being willing to serve others above yourself, share anything you own, and occasionally waiting for a bathroom or having a cold shower (even though there are 12 bathrooms). In addition, living in community is to live, work, play, and of course pray in unity. Unity means to come together as a community, building upon each others strengths and weaknesses along with realizing that we are all equal to each other no matter age, education, experience or any other possible ranking formula.

The next thing one can expect while living at NHOP is to be weaved into the fabric of our government. As a group we attend Question Period a couple times a week, serve in MP’s offices, attend a weekly prayer meeting in Eastblock and attend various MP committee meetings. In summary we get to spend a lot of time praying on the hill, right in the midst of our governments operation. On top of this we are given the opportunity to do further research on chosen committees and important issues that are affecting our government. It is through this integration that we are able to pray in an informed and strategic way.

Living at NHOP is an experience like non other. Where else can you spend hours a day in prayer, devotions, and worship while also interacting on a regular basis with our nations leaders? It has been quite the experience seeing what God has done this far in the Nazarite program and I am looking forward to where God is taking us in the coming weeks!

Next weeks part two will look at the teaching, practical application and further insight into the life of a Nazarite.

Bill Mintram