Pray for men

I'm always curious how authors come up with ideas for their books. I recently started reading "Healing the Masculine Soul" by Gordon Dalbey. In the introduction (pp. xxii - xxiii), Dalbey shares how he felt that God was encouraging him to minister to men:

I first realized this following a church showing of the antiabortion film 'The Silent Scream.' Deeply touched by the film, the audience of perhaps a hundred men and women moved into prayer. When the pastor invited individual prayers aloud, one person prayed for the young pregnant women; others prayed for the parents of these women, for the doctors and nurses at abortion clinics, for the unborn babies themselves, and for the nation's conscience. As I sat, head bowed, my spirit agreed with all these prayers. And yet a restless uneasiness prodded me. Something was missing, overlooked. Father, I prayed, is there something else, something maybe even more key to the issue than what's being mentioned?

Almost at once the words burst forth in my mind: Pray for the men! No one is recognizing that without a man to impregnate the woman, the abortion issue would not exist. The men are the problem, and no one even recognizes the need for My transforming hand upon them. Even if a woman agrees or even seeks sexual intercourse, she cannot force herself upon the man. It is he who has the ultimate responsibility to say No, and it is he whom I therefore hold ultimately accountable.

OK, Lord, I prayed. How shall I pray for the men?

In my heart, I sensed a clear answer. The men are not submitted to Me. They have become passive in the face of responsibility. They are not living in response to Me; they have given up the ability to respond, that is, their response-ability. Pray that the men surrender to Me, that they would receive My heart of caring for women, that the spirit of passivity would be bound in them and they would walk in responsibility.

When I spoke this prayer aloud, a unanimous murmur of approval and Amens! swept the room.

So, in Dalbey's case, God encouraged Him to pray for men. I'm thankful that Dalbey followed God's word and took it even further by writing his books.

Presence of Jesus

Jesus is omnipresent -- he is everywhere that we go. On page 183 of "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus," author John Eldredge shares the story of a friend who feels a little embarrassed about listening to "New Age Jazz":

At times I've felt a little odd and maybe even guilty listening to this genre. But as I was walking out to my car from a particularly difficult sales call, I was asking Him to give me peace and rest. I asked if He minded that I listened to this station. As I got in the car, I sensed Him saying, Oh no, that's fine, I'm here, too. I started the car, punched in my station, and on came an instrumental of 'Fairest Lord Jesus.' I said, laughing, 'Ah, so You are here!'

I love how creative Jesus is. We can expect Him to show up in our lives anytime, anywhere.