Prayerful Farewells

After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. Acts 21:5b

The summer season brings opportunities to re-unite with loved ones. I always feel rested, recharged, and very blessed after a visit with close friends or family. The apostle Paul made many close friends during his travels as he spread the Good News about Jesus Christ. This week we find him visiting these brothers and sisters in the faith during his third missionary journey.

Paul and Luke were returning from Greece to Jerusalem along the coast of Asia Minor. The Holy Spirit had told Paul that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, and he knew this would be the last time he would see these believers in Christ whom he had loved and taught. (Acts 20:25) Paul was particularly close with the members of the church at Ephesus, so when they stopped at Miletus (along the coast of Asia Minor), he asked the elders of the Ephesian church to meet him there, which they gladly did. Paul gave them a farewell “last lecture” sermon before praying with them and all said very emotional good-byes. (Acts 20:18-35)

Another stop was made to see the believers who lived in the city of Tyre (along the coast in what is now Lebanon), where Paul and Luke stayed for seven days. (Acts 21:4) This time when they were ready to leave, men, women and children walked with Paul down to the beach. Here they all knelt down and prayed together before Paul and Luke set sail. What a good model for our own parting moments with loved ones.

Prayer is a way to share concerns not only with each other, but with God who loves you and cares for you. Jesus said “for where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Matthew 18:20)

If you’re not sure what to say, you can use some of the prayers written in Paul’s letters in the Bible. For example, Ephesians 1:15-21 contains Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians where he asks for wisdom, enlightenment, guidance and growth in the knowledge of God. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray (the “Lord’s Prayer,” found in Matthew 6:9-13 and the Psalms contain many verses which serve as beautiful prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and requests for help of all kinds.

Praying together affirms our faith in the one true God, draws on His strength, eases anxiety, and strengthens the ties of fellowship. As it says in Acts 1: 14, “these all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” Paul and Luke and their friends were praying on the beach, but you can pray anywhere! Next time you say "good-bye" to loved ones, take some time to pray together.

And speaking of the beach...

Warm weather has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and many people think about a trip to the beach. This week we will use a toy for our exercises – a beach ball! You can pick one up easily at a dollar store, Target, Walmart, etc. The other thing you need is a wall (or large tree if you are outdoors) which is at least as tall as you are. We are going to strengthen the muscles in your upper and middle back. The greatest benefit will be for your posture.

Inflate your beach ball until it is firm but still has some give to it (so it compresses slightly if you push your hands into it). Now stand with your back to the wall and place the ball between your back and the wall. (If it is difficult for you to reach around to your back you might want to have someone hold the ball for you while you get into position.)

The ball should be at the level of your upper back, about even with your shoulder blades (but keep your shoulders down away from your ears). Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
Now use your body to press against the ball, holding it in place, pushing the ball into the wall. There will not be any motion (which makes this one relatively safe), but you want to press as firmly as you are able to, as long as you don’t have any pain. Do you feel the muscles of your back at work? Continue to press against the ball and count to ten. Keep your abdominals pulled in toward your spine and breathe normally. Then release, rest a moment, and press again, holding for ten counts. Build up to ten repetitions.

What you are doing is really a back extension, but it is very safe because you are not moving your spine (even though the muscles are working). This makes it a good exercise for people concerned about bone density. As always, check with your doctor if you have any pain, or if you have osteoporosis or any other concerns about your back, before trying a new exercise. (We also did the back extension in an earlier post and you may click here to review that.)

The next exercise focuses on the muscles on the very upper back. This is designed to counteract the “forward head” tendency which so many of us adopt as we get older. Move the ball so it is behind your head. Keep your chin level and this time press your head into the ball.

Hold for the count of ten. Rest and repeat again, until you gradually build up to ten repetitions. (We did a different version of this one last year and you may review by clicking here.)

You may do these exercises every day if you wish, but at least three times per week. By consistently practicing these exercises, you will see improvement in your posture and alignment. With stronger back muscles, you will be able to stand taller. (This will make you appear younger and slimmer when standing on the beach!) This improves your Length and Strength. So make use of your beach ball year round!

For those of you interested in a more sophisticated inflatable ball, you might want to consider purchasing an “Osteoball.” It designed for people who wish to safely strengthen their muscles, and is particularly geared for those with low bone density. It comes with instructions and a small pump. Click here for more information.

Photo credits: Soil-net Library, loriwagner.wordpress.com, both from Creative Commons; L.E. Lang collection

Wrestling in Prayer

from portagechurch.org

In the middle of the night while Jacob was alone beside the River Jabbok, a man (whom he later learns is God) came and wrestled with him. (Genesis 32:24-32) Jacob was filled with anxiety at the prospect of re-entering his homeland and encountering his estranged twin brother, Esau. Two days earlier, before sending his family and cattle across the river, Jacob was “greatly afraid” and turned to God in an honest and clear prayer in which  he poured out his fears about what Esau might do to him and asked for help (v. 11). Jacob admitted his unworthiness to receive all the blessings he had (v. 10), repeated God’s command to return to the Promised Land (v. 9) and claimed God’s earlier promises to take care of him and give him a family (v. 12).

Now alone, Jacob wrestled with God. Have you ever “wrestled” with God spiritually, in prayer? Perhaps you asked God  “Why do I (or my loved one) have to go through this?” or “Please give me….”  Or  “please, Lord, take this burden/fear/temptation, etc. away!”  Deep, serious praying can involve the body and the emotions. Hosea 12:4 says that Jacob wept while he was wrestling. Believers in Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit to help them when struggling to put their thoughts and feelings into prayers. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)

Although Jacob held his ground in the match, God showed his superiority:  with a mere touch He  dislocated Jacob’s hip. (v. 25) Jacob showed his perseverance by not letting go without receiving a blessing. (Earlier in his life (Genesis 25 and 27), Jacob had been so desperate for his father’s blessing that he went so far as to buy the right for it from Esau – for a pot of lentil stew – and to trick his father, Isaac, into giving it.) Jacob did get a blessing from God, but he had a limp from his dislocated hip, a sign that he had been touched by God.

Pray without ceasing.  1 Thessalonians 5:17

Now, let’s talk about the hips.

Today you are going to learn how to keep your hips level. Why? Because doing this can prevent problems with your posture and alignment and prevent pain in your back, hips and legs. So here we go!
 

The pelvis is shapped like a bowl.
from wikipedia.org

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and put your hands on your hips. The slightly pointed bone you feel on each side is part of your pelvis. Remember seeing a skeleton in science class or in a Halloween decoration? Notice that  the pelvis is shaped like a bowl and I want you to imagine that the bowl is full of soup. Now you are going to tilt the "bowl" forward as though soup were going to spill out the front. (You will feel like your tail bone is sticking out behind you.)  Then rock your pelvis backward and pretend soup is spilling out the back. (If you have any pain, stop.) Now we're going to bring your pelvis to the in-between position so it is level. This is neutral, and that is how you want your pelvis to be when you are sitting, standing, exercising, sleeping, etc. (In other words, all the time!)  Practice  rocking your hips forward and back and stopping at “neutral.”   In the future, we will be doing other exercises to help strengthen the muscles around your hips to make it easier to hold this position.
 
Try to be aware of having your hips level when you are standing in line, working in the kitchen and while seated. It will be the starting point for some of the other exercises we will be doing, so it's an important step to master. This is one small exercise that can go a long way in improving your length and strength!