Pray in Secret for Someone You Know

A powerful way in which we can demonstrate Christ's love in our lives is to pray for someone we know in secret. There are friends, family members, and acquaintances we know who are going through tough times in their lives. Perhaps they are enduring a prolonged illness (or have a spouse, child, or parent who is). Maybe they have recently come on hard times, having lost their job and now struggling with unemployment. Or, what if they have gone through a recent divorce or another loss in their life? Possibly, they are struggling with depression or loneliness.

We can pray for such individuals consistently and faithfully, asking God to bless them and be with them. Then, we can sit back and see how God moves in their life. This could be a tremendous way to strengthen our own faith as we watch God's power at work. Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” We are called to be prayerful in our lives!

The apostle Paul also says in Eph. 1:16-18, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Let's be praying for God to open the minds and hearts of those we know are suffering to his love and spiritual healing. Prayer works! Prayer changes things because God hears and responds.

Let's have Christ's heart and be his hands in our secret prayer life!

Write a Hand-Written Note of Appreciation (Idea #2)

If you’re new to my Christian podcast, welcome! Last week I began a brand new series entitled, “Ten ways to demonstrate His Heart, My Hands.” The first idea I shared was to “Do a Random Act of Kindness” and, wow, what a tremendous response I have been receiving via Facebook and Twitter. It’s truly been inspiring!

Today, I would like to present my 2^nd idea, and it is this: “Write a hand-written note of appreciation” to someone you need to thank.

We live in a day and age of quick and easy communication, via text messaging and multiple forms of social media. Sometimes, it can feel so impersonal. But I’ve got to tell you: Nothing can replace the joy it brings someone to receive a hand-written note, card, or letter, especially when it comes in the mail. Letter writing has seemingly become a lost art. But it is so personal and meaningful.

In Galatians 6:11, the apostle Paul writes, “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” This took tremendous effort for him in light of his failing eyesight, but it meant so much to the letter recipients.

I have a sweet older lady in my congregation, named Ramelle, who is in the routine habit of writing letters to persons in the church and community. In fact, I’ve been the recipient of a few of those. And believe me when I say that they have really made an impact on me. It’s such a pleasure these days to go to the mailbox and find something other than junk mail—an envelope that is personally addressed to you and hand-written. Yeah – emails, Facebook messages, tweets, and texts are great and convenient, but maybe sometimes they’re too convenient. The time, thought, and effort required by a hand-written note or letter really means a lot to people.

Is there someone you need to thank in a special way for the impact and influence they’ve hand in your life? I’m sure there is. Sit down some time this week at the kitchen table, or somewhere comfortable, get some paper (and it can even be the old loose-leaf lined school paper), and write someone you love and appreciate a letter expressing just that. I promise you -- it will make a big difference!

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Random Acts of Kindness

Who is the kindest person you know? And what makes them so kind?

Over the course of the next few weeks I will be focusing on the theme, "Ten Ways to Demonstrate His Heart, My Hands." Each post will focus on a hands-on, practical idea for you to put into practice.

My present challenge to you is to perform a random act of kindness this week. 

In Micah 6:8 the prophet said, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Some potential things you may try to do along these lines include the following:

• Pay for someone’s drive-through meal (the stranger in the car behind you. It is contagious).
• Be a courteous driver and let people merge in front of you.
• Take a bag of groceries to needy person or family.
• Do something thoughtful for your parents (wash their vehicles, wash their windows, mow their grass, do their dishes, take them out to lunch once-a-month and check up on them—you don’t have to be the center of attention, take time to spend just with them.)
• Do something thoughtful for your spouse (prepare favorite meal; clean the kitchen; fold the laundry; put a positive “Post-It” note on the bathroom mirror or bedside, or car rear-view mirror with something encouraging or complimentary).

Being kind doesn't have to cost you very much monetarily. It just requires your having a heart for others and the desire to make a difference.

Why not try to become the kindest person you know? And I'll do the same.

Beginning the Journey

What are you truly passionate about?

Hi, I’m Dr. Ryan Fraser and this is HeartPoint.

Welcome to my new podcast. I look forward to sharing encouraging and uplifting ideas with you each week and also receiving your personal feedback.

When I think about some of the things that I am passionate about, I think of ministry, pastoral counseling, Christian care and service, and marriage and family issues.

I also think about Jesus Christ and his powerful, unparalleled approach to ministry. His style was unique, countercultural, and extraordinary. Jesus cut through the complexity of the outer layers of problems to get to the very heart of the matter. The Son of Man loved people with an eternal, uncompromising love—one that traversed gender, race, nationality, and socio-economic status. He felt deeply for others, caring for their souls, and reached out to them with his Father’s unconditional love to touch and transform their lives.

Matthew 9:35-36 says, “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Like Christ, we are also called to swim upstream and make a difference in this world. We are challenged to step out with courage and faith with the purpose of loving as Jesus loved, serving as He served, and caring as He cared. Yes, we are told to have His Heart and use Our Hands to be his tangible presence on earth, while we eagerly await his return.

There are many creative ways in which we can provide effective care and empathetic support to the hurting, the lonely, and the struggling.

HeartPoint is a podcast that is dedicated to honing our skills and motivating us to step out of our comfort zones and make a positive impact.

What have you done today to show Christ’s heart to those around you? I invite you to join me on this journey of self discovery as we talk about tangible ways to show Christ’s compassion to others. Thanks for tuning in.

Marriage Matters

Next weekend (February 23-24), I am scheduled to conduct a Marriage Enrichment Seminar at the Henderson Church of Christ. The event will include five different sessions on pertinent topics, each relating to the basic question of how we can go about strengthening our marriages. I believe it's going to be an uplifting and enjoyable time for all participants. By the way, the church is providing this seminar at no cost to those who wish to attend.

Okay, so it seems like the theme of "relationships" has been on my mind a lot lately. Come to think of it, God is all about relationships! In fact, relationality is fundamental to the Trinity's intrinsic way of being. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share with one another in a depth of intimacy simply incomprehensible to our limited human understanding. That being said, marriage clearly matters deeply to God. The Bible testifies to this reality in numerous passages including, but not limited to, the following: Gen 2:24-25; Deut 24:5; Prov 12:4; Isa 62:5; Matt 19:4-6; Mark 10:12; Rom 7:2; 1 Cor 7:2-5, 39; Eph 5:22-33; 1 Tim 5:14; and Heb 13:4.

A powerful and pervasive metaphor in Scripture for God's special covenantal relationship with Israel and, later, Christ's sacred and redemptive relationship with the church is that of marital union. Human marriage is thus intended to be a reflection of the Godhead's own familial intimacy and interdependency. 

It's sad to say that in our worldly society there are multiple forces militating against the divine institution of marriage. Among these formidable foes are such things as: (1) selfishness, (2) secularism, (3) social media, (4) sexual temptation, and (5) stressors. In our daily grind, we can all-too-easily be distracted from the priority of taking enough time and energy to nurture and grow our marital bonds. Let's face it, all good marriages involve hard work! Meaningful and mutually fulfilling relationships don't just somehow happen. They require significant effort, don't they? And they are only made possible when deep commitment is present!

Yesterday, many in America celebrated Valentine's Day, another one of those overly commercialized annual events. While I certainly don't intend to knock big days like that, we must recognize that they can't possibly make up for a glaring deficiency of daily kindnesses and small, consistent acts of love demonstrated towards and received from our spouses. It's the little things that matter most in the long run. They have a cumulative effect. And, what's more, different deeds and words communicate different things to different people. For instance, I'm not really big on greeting cards, but I know that they mean a lot to my wife. So guess what? I'm going to make the effort to buy her a card. On the other hand, she knows that I appreciate a good, home-cooked meal from time to time, so she is happy to oblige. (And, man, can she ever cook!)

Each of us is unique when it comes to our preferences, desires, and needs as related to feeling appreciated and loved. One size (or style) doesn't fit all. We all crave different things from our mates. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each of us as husbands and wives to figure out what it is that communicates to our spouse that we love them, appreciate them, and treasure them.

After almost 25 years of "marital bliss" I must confess: I'm still learning how to meet my wife's physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and--yes--sexual needs. And believe me when I say that I still have quite a ways to go on all fronts. But that's the whole point of growing together in our "one-fleshness" as a couple. It's supposed to be a challenging and fulfilling adventure. Hear me loud and clear when I say that it is absolutely worth it!

Let's try to get more creative and much more intentional as we tune in to our spouses' needs and strive to love them with all our heart. I believe that's what God intends for us to do. That's what Christ does for the church, his bride!

Note: This article originally appeared on my former website blog (www.ryanfraser.org).