This is a night of great battle. Serious conflict is taking place even as I type. Odds are good that this is a war with the potential for significant damage. One does not enter the field of battle without knowing the risks involved. I never look forward to these times. There are occasions when the conflict turns out on the positive side. Sometimes the conclusion of such skirmishes end in bitter defeat. You should know what this is all about. Perhaps you can avoid the same troubles that come my way in moments like this. My computer and I are waging an intense conflict over what it will and will not do. My efforts are valiant but it does appear as if I will be on the losing side of this endeavor.

You know that I am pretty "old school" when it comes to all the new gizmos and such today. This extends to a very limited knowledge of computers. If you cannot point and click to get one to work then I am way over my head. The same thing is true in my relationship with cell phones. Did you know that such devices are being used more for texting than actually making phone calls? My phone was upgraded on Monday. I now have a cell phone that is sturdy enough for my travels as well as for my son to use. My question to the salesman was why do you not call them "cell texters" now? Our students do not talk to one another as much as they type messages on their phone. If my life requires a cell phone then my expectation is to use it to hear voices. Guess I am old fashioned that way.

My mind does not even begin to try to understand contemporary technology. I would vote for the old rotary style phone if allowed. My hero from television is Jethro Gibbs from the series NCIS. If pencil and paper are good enough for him then they are good enough for me. There are many advantages to keeping up with the latest tools to be sure but my brain is limited on how much knowledge it holds. I am fully aware that not making room for this information is my loss. Every time I give in to stretch my boundaries in similar areas is a good thing. Some people are just resistant to new methods. This is not limited to technology but it can be applied to anything we encounter. What we do not know at times can matter as much as we do know.

My mind is thinking about the topic of prayer as the battle rages. This is going to be the theme of my message on Sunday as we work through Romans 8. I wrote recently that we tend to overlook the discipline of prayer far too often. Someone once preached a message in a similar vein titled, "It's only a prayer meeting." Seems as if I ended up hearing it twice for some reason. We do tend to elevate listening to bible studies over being involved in prayer. But my point of this post is to notice how we dismiss prayer at times until there comes a crisis. That's when we usually turn to God as some type of last resort. It seems that we may not always want God's involvement until we desperately need it.

Battles are fought on a regular basis that go far beyond computers or cell phones. This is where being able to pray becomes so crucial. I don't mean just how we verbalize our prayers but it's about connecting with our Heavenly Father. This is not about being old school or remaining current in what happens around us. It's about knowing that God can handle our weaknesses even when we can't. We do not have to live as victims while moving through life. God is more than able to not only be in our corner but join us in our conflict. He will examine our heart so we can eject stubborn sin from our life. God will guide us so we learn what His will is all about. We begin by not being in conflict with Him over whether or not we will pray. Perhaps that is the best place to start with praying. Once we let God capture our hearts then we won't resist bring our prayers to Him. We will know what it is to remain in constant contact even when the battle goes on.

Bro. Trey