Archive for the ‘Prayer/Faith’ Category

Posted on March 11, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

Found this.

Wow.  I found this in my draft folder… Honestly, don’t remember writing it, but apparently I wrote it a while ago.  Looks like I may have been thinking about adding references.  I’m not.

Dear American Christians,

Don’t look so surprised, we both knew this has been coming for sometime now.  First, I want to say, it’s not you, it’s us (Meaning me too).  For a long time, I’ve been underwhelmed by the action of people.  We are so interested in forwarding e-mails.  Saying which administration did what, proving out our leftist conspiracies, and our right wing jibber jabber.  We’ve been consumed.

While you send out that e-mail about what the Bush administration failed to do, 6 people died a poverty related death*.   While you forward that e-mail about Barack Obama’s birth certificate, 6 more people died.  While you spend ten minutes arguing with your friend about what the church really needs, 60 people died.  While you spent 20 minutes talking about what that other church is doing, 120 people died. 

If the healthcare bill gets passed, people die.  If the heathcare bill does not get passed, people die. 

What’s sad is, while we’re talking about our God, and how great he is, and what he commands, people are dying asking, “How could God?” or “How can there be a God.”

And we’re arguing over tax dollars.

Posted on December 29, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Negativity.

My wife knows better than anyone.  I can be the nicest person in the world.  I can also be the meanest, pitbull-esque person on earth.  It’s easy to be negative.  I think that’s why it’s so easy for me to slip back to that place.  It’s easy for me to get mad, hold grudges, stay angry, pick on people.

It’s hard for me to admit that I hold them.  It’s hard for me to confess the plank in my eye.  It’s hard for me to say things like, “you’re right.” or “I’m sorry.” 

I struggle with it daily.  But, I am making the effort to say those things.  I am making an effort to apologize for things I’ve done wrong.  I am working on improving my temper, and in turn my relationships one at a time.

I do not want to sit here and make ‘goals for 2010′.  That’s not my bag.  I do want to say though, that life is a continuous effort, and my effort is going to be focusing on love.  Focusing on sharing that love with anyone I come in contact with.  My effort is to be the husband, father, friend, stranger that people look at and strive to be like.  My effort is to be Love. 

Happy new years folks.  Don’t make resolutions.  Don’t make goals.  Be the change you want to see in others.

Posted on December 9, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Tiger Who?

The rumor mill is running overtime.  There’s talk of a guy named Tiger Woods.  Perhaps you’ve heard the stories.  The ‘rumor’ is he’s been having affairs with, well, just about everyone.  I’m pretty sure Cleopatra just came forward from the dead.

People keep saying, “Is this our business?”  I have two answers for that.  Yes and no.  It’s that easy.  Is it fair that the entire world is obsessed with what you’re doing?  No.  Did you mind it when you were the first black man to win the Masters?  No.

“But he didn’t choose to be a role model! America forced this on him!”

I beg to differ.  I bet Rolex, Gatorade, Nike, AT&T, Accenture, American Express, General Mills and Gillette beg to differ too.

The man’s made billions of dollars to be a ‘Role Model’. Sure, his athletic ability made him marketable, but the fact that he was a likable person that people could look up to and aspire to be is what signed his check.  I guarantee it.

The last thing I want to say about this is:

Forgiveness.  This man is forgiven.  I want you all to remember that.  God has already forgotten it.  I assume that’s why God doesn’t work for the paparazzi.  It’s over.  It’s done with.  Forgiven. My prayer is that the people can do the same thing.  Pray for Tiger.  Pray for his family.  Pray for his children.  Pray that he is confronted by God so heavily that he falls on his face.  Not in a bad way, in a good way.  Pray that he falls on his face in repentance.  Pray that he is forever changed by Jesus Christ!  I was. You were.  He will be too!

Pray for these girls that he’s been sleeping with.  Ranging from actresses, to porn stars to servers, they all need your prayers as well.

We are all dirty, no good, flat on our face worthless sinners.  Jesus was beaten, bloodied, spit on, mocked, denied and killed because he knew that we would screw up.  Because he knew Tiger would do this.  He knew we would all be this foolish.  He knew we wouldn’t want to pray for Tiger, and he knew that you would do that thing you did. Just remember he’s human as well.

Thoughts?

Posted on September 18, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Lord,

Lord, Please restore and help me keep my child like wonder.

Posted on September 3, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

The Prodigal Son

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.^[a]’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Posted on August 13, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Rich/Poor

Times are tight.  It’s no secret for anyone.  Money is harder to come by, and when you come by it, you have to work twice as hard to get it.  Everyone knows that nowadays.

When I was in my early 20’s. (Words I never thought I’d say) I was a bar manager.  What that meant was I got paid 800 dollars base every week.  I also got to take 4 bar shifts of my choice. What that means is I was making an additional 500-800 dollars depending on the week.   Do the math.  It was a good amount of money.  I’m not saying I was rich, but what I am saying is I had money.  Now, what I was spending that money on is something different.  I was spending that money to fill a void.  I spent it to feel accepted.  I spent it (at least 100 dollars a day) to get high/drunk.

Now.  I work as an IT professional.  I’m not going to say my salary, because I’ll probably get laughed off of the interwebs, and we don’t want that.  I have money, but it’s tight.  But what else I have is incomparable. I have a wife who loves me, a strong support from friends and a little baby girl on the way.  I have a found love from Jesus Christ, who died for everything I did when I was at the bar.  And last but not least, I have peace.  Peace.

So, as I sit here convicted, constantly stressing about my bank account and how much money goes into it versus how much comes out, I am reminded by my Savior and Lover of my soul, I am rich in so many other things that money doesn’t really matter.

AND: If I sit around all day long and obsess over money, and argue about money, and cry about money, and pray about money, and think about money, and think of ways to get money and, did I say cry about money?  I might just miss a second to tell my wife I love her, to imagine what my daughter is gonna look like in 15 years, what I’m gonna tell her the first time a boy breaks up with her, what I’m gonna tell that boy the first time she introduces me to him, what an amazing love I’ve found in Jesus, to pray for friends safety (and/or recovery) to pray for my wife’s healthy pregnancy and to just give God all the praise and glory I can.

Amen.

Posted on July 23, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

“I’m an Athiest”

I read that.  I thought about it.  I twittered it.  It hit me hard.

Everyone is searching.  Everyone has a reason to pray. The world is hard for everyone.  It’s rough.  We have issues.  We ALL have issues.

What is so beautiful about this post is this guy (or girl) seems to get something from prayer.  They seem to realize that there is a calming factor from prayer.

that’s huge.  is that God? showing love to an athiest?  Yes. I think it is.  It’s great.  It goes to show, God is working.  On everyone.

That made my day,  thought it might make yours too.

Enjoy.

Posted on July 14, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

I’m Glad.

I’m glad that I have a God who forgives.

I’m glad my life has been saved by him.

I’m glad I don’t have to judge.

I’m glad that he Loves us all.

I’m glad I woke up this morning.

I’m glad He is with me in my day.

even though I don’t deserve it.

Posted on July 11, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

People Watching

I’m sitting at Atlanta Bread Company as we speak.  One thing that I really enjoy doing is people watching.  Especially at a busy place like this.

I put on Jack Johnson, (Who ironically has a song called, “People Watching”.  I listen to music, browse the web, and watch.

I watch the group of people to my left playing with a new born baby.  Celebrating new life.  Wondering what is this little boy going to be like.  Will he like reading, or will he like being outdoors.

The family to my right who looks like they just got done with some sort of ball game.  I wonder if they won.  I wonder if they lost, and if they did, how did that teach that girl to take it so well?  It’s fascinating.

Then I get a phone call.  A phone call from a friend, who is calling to tell me that his dad isn’t doing too well.  They have him on more medication, and the medicine isn’t helping as much.

We share some personal stories, I offer a prayer.  I’m crying.  Not so he can hear me, because he’d probably think I was a sissy…. I look at the family celebrating new life, and it has a whole new perspective, five minutes ago, I didn’t have that phone call, five minutes ago, all was well.  Five minutes ago, the meaning of life wasn’t as precious to me as it is at this moment.  The family to the right has left, they eat fast.

I start to think about myself, the one person  who I don’t like watching.   And I am getting overwhelmed at how awesome His love is.  I don’t deserve it.  In fact, I deserve the opposite.  In this moment, for whatever reason, it’s hitting me hard.  So hard I can’t begin to explain it.

I do want to say, hug your family.  Tell them you love them.  Tell them you forgive them.  Do it.  This moment could change.  In less than a second, your whole world, your whole perspective could be turned upside down.

Posted on June 22, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Lately

I haven’t written a lot lately.

I read Ragamuffin Gospel and it jacked me up.  God has entered my life full time, and it’s really jacking me up.

I am struggling through a lot of things, that I am trying really hard to deal with.  I’ve become my mother in a lot of ways, and it bothers me.

I try so hard to not let my anger show, or worse, say things I will regret, but I do.

I’m praying God will move me through these times.  I’m praying God will soften my heart, and help me be the man I want to be.

Thank you to who ever still stops by.  I will start writing again soon.  Once I work all this stuff out, there will be some real, authentic, and probably uncomfortable writing going on here.

Thanks for your prayers.