TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Don’t Read This Psalm! I recently came across some lines in the book Singing the Ethos of God by theologian Brian Brock that made me pause: “Prayer begins with the acknowledgment that we are unprepared to pray. Faith must flee to Christ’s prayer and allow Christ to pray through it as it clings to God, as he has given himself in the content of the church’s prayers.”  These dense but seemingly innocent sentences contain an uncomfortable truth: When left to our own devices, we have no idea how to pray. We are completely unprepared. But they also contain a

The Four Hardest Words To Say Read: Psalm 51 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy  blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in

How to Pray (Even Sing) Our Laments Read:  Psalm 13 13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have

Read: Psalm 8 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly

A Battle Against God for God Read: Psalm 6 1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,     nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;     heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled.     But you, O Lord—how long? 4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;     save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;     in Sheol who will give you praise?

A Meditation On God’s Love I’m here to write about the love of God.  Believe me, I know that’s an unreasonable goal. The love of God is impossible to comprehend, much less to describe for you in words.  I know my limitations. How do you experience God’s love?  Once in a while a deep, gut-knotting, tear-bringing, awe-inspiring experience of God’s love will wash over me.  If I could share with you how those moments feel or even how they come about, I would, but they seem to be more about the work of the Holy Spirit than anything I do. And they

A Time for Remembering and Reflecting Read:  Romans 16:25-27 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. We've traversed the vast landscape of the book of Romans for over a year now.  God has revealed His glory, confronted our stubbornness,

Read: Romans 16:17-23 17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with

Read: Romans 16:1-16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ

For Those Who Want More Joy I just finished Noah Joyner’s adult discipleship class in which we explored the subject of joy.  Should you get a chance to take it next semester, I highly recommend it.  Noah’s teaching style and research into the topic are, as always, stellar.  The class led me into a deeper understanding of the need for and our capability for joy. God promises we can have more joy.  Sometimes the road to joy is long and winding, but it IS out there.  And it’s worth the work to find it. Our passage from Romans this week hints at one brand of