Tag Archives: mistake

Praying Myself Into Trouble

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trainYesterday, in our bilingual service, one of our college kids was helping with the Lord’s Supper. He spent the summer studying Spanish, but I could tell he was nervous as he led the prayer. He even made a grammar mistake, which he quickly corrected.

Took me back to my first public prayer in Spanish. I’d been in Argentina all of a week. Yep, four days of language classes under my belt. And I was invited to help with the Lord’s Supper. I didn’t have to say a prayer, but was invited to say one before we passed the cup (and it was just one cup, not for doctrinal reasons, but just because that’s what they had). I thought quickly and realized that I knew enough Spanish to say a simple prayer.

Unfortunately, I didn’t stick to a simple “Thank you for this cup, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Nope, I decided to express something a little more complex. Something beyond what I really knew how to say. I soon found myself at a point where I didn’t know how to go forward with the prayer.

This was in the little town of Fray Luis Beltrán. The building sat about 50 yards from the train tracks. And at that precise moment, a train went by. A long one. A loud one. One that allowed me to pause my prayer, collect my thoughts… and say “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” when the train was past!

So what about you? Have you ever talked yourself into trouble when praying with someone else or leading a public prayer?

Photo by Kaya Tanyel

How do we admit we were wrong?

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compass“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,” (1 Peter 1:18)

Those of us who love and respect our parents and grandparents, who look up to our teachers in the faith and appreciate what those who went before us have done, we face a dilemma at times. How can our views evolve without that being a tacit condemnation of the very people we care about?

Take, for example, what happened in the United States in the 19th century with the subject of slavery. Christians had defended slavery on biblical grounds. Many had owned slaves. At some point, someone had to stand up and say, “We were wrong.”

It happened again last century with the subject of racism. Christians had to say, “I was wrong. Dad and Granddad were wrong; whites are no better than anyone else.”

What will be the topics or topics for our generation? And will we have the courage to stand up for truth? Will we have the grace to do so in a loving way? Will we be able to show love and respect for those that have gone before, while continuing to grow in our understanding of the truth?

And how will we react when our children stand up and point out our errors?