As Often As You Drink It

Gail Bones is one of the most caring people I know. Heart tender and oh-so-wise, she uses her words and music (like her new CD, Still) to offer women biblical truth as she calls them to hope in God. In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she focuses on a unique way to pray for those who do not know Him.

“Jesus calls us the ‘salt of the earth.’ Whose spiritual thirst are you meant to arouse?” Gail asks.

“Is there someone in your circle of loved ones who stands outside the circle of faith?

"Who can you enlist to form a prayer circle around this beloved unbeliever to pray regularly and systematically for their salvation?”

I (Dawn) have to admit, I never thought of this creative approach to praying for loved ones who have not yet met Jesus.

Gail continues . . .

At the Last Supper, Jesus raised his cup said,

“Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:25). 

What if those you call together to stand in prayer for your loved one were to use the simple act of drinking a beverage as a guide and reminder?

1. COFFEE

The first step in making coffee is grinding the hard bean and crushing it to a usable powder.

Perhaps your loved one has a hardened heart toward God. As you enjoy your morning coffee, pray that the Lord will soften their heart toward Him and that they will sense his loving care as they experience trials in the daily grind of life.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Exodus 26:36).  

Next, the ground coffee is placed in a filter, which removes both impurities and bitterness as the boiling water streams through it.

Ask God to work in your loved one’s heart to reveal impurities or bitterness toward Him or others that hinders their ability to repent and trust God.

Pray that they would find mercy and grace to turn to him for salvation.

As you stir in the sugar, ask the Holy Spirit to enable them to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 38:4). 

When you pour in creamer, pray that they’d begin to desire the “pure milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2).

2. TEA

As you cradle a comforting cup of tea, ask that your loved one would begin to experience the warmth and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

The teabag, when immersed in the hot water, transforms the water by infusing its color and flavor throughout. Ask God to give them eyes to see the rich color and flavor of the Lord in your life and to desire it in theirs. Pray that they would receive Him and be changed as their lives are steeped in the Holy Spirit.  

3. GRAPE JUICE or WINE

The fruit of the vine must be first crushed before it is drinkable. Jesus used the symbol of wine to represent His blood shed for the sins of mankind.

As you drink it, ask God to give your loved one a vivid sense of the sacrifice Jesus made, and to have faith to believe that Jesus died for their sins to bring them peace and healing. Pray that they would soon be able to come to the communion table to share in the fellowship of those who rejoice in the salvation that is found in Christ alone.

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

4. WATER

As you take a sip, ask the Lord to give your loved one a longing for Jesus Christ, the Living Water, and to come to him so that they will never thirst again.

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice. ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink’” (John 7:37).

“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:14).

Drink by precious drink, let your beverages remind you to come to the Living Water today.

Who do you know today who needs to be drenched in prayer for salvation?

Dr. Gail Nelson Bones is the author of Living CrossWise: Hope and Help for Navigating Transition. She is a speaker, Bible teacher, singer-songwriter and worship leader. Her latest release, Still, features 10 original songs encouraging listeners to “Be still and know that He is God.” Her website is www.gailbones.com.

How to Keep Criticism from Crushing You

Gail Bones is an accomplished musician, educator and author. God has taught her much about dealing with criticism, and she remains vulnerable and transparent. I love that about her.

Gail shared this UPGRADE post, part of a longer article she wrote for writers and artists, but with helpful input for all of us:

I’ve been playing guitar my whole life. When I was a full-time performer, I could play guitar for six hours a day without feeling the strain. My secret? Industrial strength calluses. You get them the way oysters get pearls—by pressing through pain.

Writers are famous for having to learn how to handle rejection. We must develop a thicker skin, we are told. Even though I usually pretend to welcome it with open arms and a grateful heart, receiving even constructive criticism usually bothers me.

I don’t recoil, however, at the thought of pressing my fingertips against the hard steel strings of my guitar. As I’ve persisted over the years in leaning into the source of pain, my fingers actually have developed thicker skin.

Unless you have the courage to develop calluses, the beauty can’t flow freely from your hands.

There’s a lesson here about life.

Six Kinds of Criticism: Six Kinds of Pain

1. When It’s Right

When I joined my first writer’s critique group and started regularly seeing “wordy” written across my submissions, I didn’t believe it at first. I had to be alerted to the fact that I had this tendency and that it worked against the clarity and readability of my prose.

My critiquer was right. I leaned in to her insights, and my word counts began to drop dramatically.

2. When It’s Wrong

Not everyone who wields a red pencil gets it right 100% of the time. Don’t get discouraged; get a second opinion before you delete a month’s worth of work.

3. When It’s Gracious

Force yourself to accept that the commendations bookending the criticism are accurate.

Don’t highlight the negative and ignore the positive comments. Give yourself some credit!

4. When It’s Mean-spirited

Who knows why people feel they must spew venom when they get on the Internet. Anyone who gets that worked up, who uses capital letters and multiple exclamation points to slam someone else’s heart-felt words has issues that go beyond the scope of what you need to concern yourself with.

Just don’t go there.

5. When It’s Personal Preference.

Cross-stitch this if you need to, and hang it on your wall: Not everyone is going to love you. Not everyone is going to get you. But somebody will, and they are worth persevering for.

6. When It’s Self-Criticism.

I find I have to repeatedly scrape off the barnacles of pride masquerading as perfectionism that keep attaching themselves to my hull.

Being a people pleaser and a perfectionist will make you crazy. Being your own worst critic can sometimes be a sign that you have the discernment and sensitivity you need to be a writer. But you have to know when to silence that carping voice and let yourself believe positive and uplifting words.

The truth is, some criticism is tough to hear, but “If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise” (Proverbs 15:31).

How do you deal with various kinds of criticism? Which is the hardest for you?

 Dr. Gail Bones is a speaker, retreat leader, songwriter/worship leader,  former professor of education and the founder of CrossWise Living, an intergenerational ministry devoted to helping people navigate change. She and her husband Jeff have two married children. From the east coast but now living in San Diego, Gail says “happiness” means always having one or more of the following in her hands: a dog leash, a sailboat rudder, bicycle handlebars, a kayak paddle, an acoustic guitar, a big fat book or a hazelnut coffee. Read more about Gail at her website/blog.

Note: Guitar Photo Image courtesy of artemisphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net