Leaving 99 for 1

Mark Pritchard,
College of Business,
Central Washington University

[Dec. 4, 2011] –
An experience several years ago from our staff & faculty Christian fellowship group at Arizona State gives me cause to reflect on God’s heart as He works in and around us on campus.

Our leadership team met to select our speaker for the monthly luncheon. After praying, the team asked a well-known philosophy and religious studies professor from campus to speak. He had just published a book on the topic of forgiveness.

What prompted us to extend the invitation was not that the speaker or his book proclaimed a Christian message; instead his subject matter was something we believed needed emphasis. Forgiveness is at the heart of our faith; keeping it central helps make sure that the salt never loses its saltiness (Matt 5:13).

Some regular attendees of our campus group criticized the decision, arguing the invitation had unwisely given up “the place of honor at the banquet.” Negative emails, and an encounter on campus had me a little shaken by this resistance. Our team met again and reaffirmed that this was something our fellowship group, which goes by the name Aslan, should sponsor.

The luncheon ultimately proved to be quite successful, with many commenting on the vigorous discussion that ensued and the engaging nature of the event. While this was encouraging feedback, I must admit that it was the word of thanks from our guest speaker that has stayed most clearly with me. He remarked “I never thought that Aslan would invite me to speak,” and then added that the discussion had really given him some things to think about.

When I recall the many well-known Christians we had previously invited to speak at our luncheons, I view this single guest as one of our more important. Although we never thought of it in the context of “one,” I believe our Lord does when he asks our willingness to “leave the 99 in the open pasture, and go after the one” (Luke 15:4).

Jackie Pullinger spent nearly half a century in mission work on the streets of Hong Kong, in some of the worst parts of that city. She concluded from her experiences that His disciples need soft hearts and hard feet, yet all too often go with soft feet and hard hearts.

Hard hearts and cynicism come easily to us pilgrims in the academy. If you are around campus long enough you will encounter prickly responses to matters of faith. These should bring us to our knees, asking if this is where we are to stand, and for His equipping to do so. After two decades as a professor I regret not asking this question more often.

Being spiritually unprepared in the past left me with soft feet, where I all too quickly took offense at things, hardened my heart, and removed myself from the uncomfortable. Instead, I needed to ask for the same spirit a reluctant prophet from long ago noted of the Lord who told him to go. Jonah remembered that God is “…gracious and compassionate… slow to anger and abounding in love”(4:2)

My students and colleagues need to see the compassion God showed for Nineveh, the compassion God showed each of us when He sent His Son. Merry Christmas!

© 2011 Mark Pritchard
photo © flickr Adam Foster

Lord Teach Us To Pray

[October 9, 2011] –
Q: What is the least popular, least attended church function?
A: There is evidence that it is prayer, way ahead of whatever is second.

And I understand; I find it extremely hard to pray. Luke 11 records that the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray.” I think they meant, Lord inspire us be self-disciplined to pray, rather than teach us HOW to pray. When Jesus answered them He did not just give the model prayer, He talked about why to pray as well.

More In A Micro-Second

I remember hearing Howard Hendricks of Dallas Seminary say that every time the disciples turned around, they found Jesus praying. My prayer has become, “Lord cause me to pray more.” God can do more on our campus in a micro-second than I can do on my own in another 26 years, so why not invite HIM to act?

God has used my wife and children to help me pray, in contrast to church attendance for 50 years that never did. My family put me in the habit of frequent prayer. That habit led me to pray with a graduate teaching assistant last semester.

An Indian M.D., working on a Ph.D. here and scheduled to teach his first University course of his life, he was nervous. He stopped by my office a few minutes before his first class at 8 AM. I offered to pray and he gladly took me up on it. He seemed to really appreciate it, but I didn’t realize how much. He is teaching a new course this term and asked to come by and pray again, so we did.

An Offer To Pray

One of my former undergrad students came by my office this week. He accepted a grad assistantship at another university, but discovered that he was getting something quite different from what he had expected. We prayed about his distress.

I have prayed with students, former students, former student’s spouses, and ministry leaders. We have prayed about jobs and direction, health and spouses, and spouse’s jobs and deaths in the family. We have prayed on the phone and face to face.

A faculty member once gave testimony to offering to pray with non-believing colleagues when they are in crisis. He said they never turned him down.

My record is almost that good. After offering to pray with someone, I have been turned down only ONCE. Every student, every colleague, and every acquaintance I have offered to pray with, has eagerly accepted. Only my second youngest brother turned me down, with some odd theological objections to my praying for him.

If there in one thing we can do that is sure to impact our campus, it is to pray for our students and co-workers. Why don’t you think about finding a time and place to invite a few Christian colleagues to gather for prayer?

Don’t count on many; remember this is an unpopular undertaking. We can’t control others, but we can endeavor to act on the knowledge that we have. And remember whether you gather to pray with others or not, YOU can always pray.

My heart cry is “Lord teach us to pray.”

© 2011 Phillip A. Bishop © istockphoto

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