journaling - the authentic me...

"...as a spiritual practice, journaling is really about authenticity...finding our unique self and personal call is at the heart of understanding our identity and purpose as Christians.  Like the treasure hidden in a field, or the pearl of great price, journaling is the discovery born not out of what we know or have but out of our awareness of who we are and whose we are...God comes to the place where we are and says our name.  Where are you?  he asks."

Surely, God knows where we are, even when we are lost.

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?

to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!


If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon,


You'd find me in a minute— you're already there waiting!


Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!


At night I'm immersed in the light!"


It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

Psalm 139:8-12

Can I answer the question he asks of me today?

J. Heinrich Arnold writes,

 "We are tired of words; they are cheap and can be heard almost anywhere."

My talk of prayer has been greater than the actual bent knee and repentant heart toward God.  I entertain prayer conversations with God inside my head - wishing them into dreamlike thoughts that I hope translates into talks with God.  I continue to vacillate between praying aloud and writing out my prayers within my journal. 

WHERE IN YOUR LIFE HAS YOUR TALK BEEN GREATER THAN YOUR WALK?IS 'SPOKEN' PRAYER THE QUALIFIER OF TRUE PRAYER? 

Entanglement

I am often convicted of attitudes or images that hold me trapped in the past or glued to a failed experience.  I know or can quickly confess that in my efforts alone - I can do nothing.  The sin of omission - not knowing the wrong I do - traps me.  Dallas Willard calls this 'entanglement.'

"...as the will is surrendered, we come to grips with our fallen character, which positions every element of our being against God.  We must move out of this entanglement to single minded focus upon doing the will of God in everything, distracted by nothing..."

They explain that many times these hidden character tic's of mine are foundational sins  - sins that make many other sins possible -

A great help in battling this duplicity that is buried are spiritual disciplines.

"...{spiritual} disciplines make room for the Word and Spirit to work in us.  They permit destructive feelings to be perceived and dealt with...those feelings are normally clothed in layers of self deception and rationalization.  They enslave the will, which coerces the mind to conceal or rationalize what is really going on."

Willard sites these examples:

• Our righteous judgements of others are really ways of putting them down and building us up.
• Our extreme busyness may be revealed as inability to trust God or an unwillingness to give others a chance to contribute.
• Our readiness to give our opinions may turn out to be contempt for the thoughts and words of others or simply a willingness to shut them up.

So, where do I go from here?  What discipline has God been nudging me towards?  How has he suggested I practice this discipline?

Lord, what do you have in mind for my next step?

Solitude

Silence

Community

Prayer

Confession

Service

Secrecy

Frugality

Fasting

Study

Meditation

Worship

Celebration

A Christian Response to Bin Laden’s Death

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

-Hebrews 12:14

from the blog of Sarah Cunningham

 

As you can imagine, there were a lot of horrific images attached to my experiences working in the disaster relief efforts at Ground Zero.

Hollow, exhausted eyes of loved ones posting MISSING fliers on every stationary object they could find.

Frenzied, locked in jaws of New York fire fighters and policemen determined to find survivors in the rubble.

A seemingly never ending trail of smoke extending into the sky.

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Amamchara

Do you have an Amamchara?  The celtic word for 'soul friend' or spiritual director is Amamchara.  St. Brigid, a 6th century saint said, 'A person without a soul friend is like a body without a head.'

A soul friend provides: sanctuary, a safe place to reveal, to ponder, to learn and confess so that the words may be heard in the audible way - making us more aware of our sins and accountibility.

In today's society, we lack safe places and we often grow restless in our spirits. We are afraid to voice our honest questions because of fear of condemnation.  An amamchara can help.

Tracy Balzer in Thin Places, tells the story of a friend who spoke to her students about 'the power of the secret life and the need to break the secret.' Do you have a secret life - is there something you engage in that you fear others will discover?

The amamchara asks questions and listens well.  In essence, they enable a person to hear from God, listen to God, and walk the life of faith better. 

It is not a good thing to be your own guide...

Thoughts on taking Jesus at His word...

READ:

"...at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  So Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him,

 "Your son will live."

And he himself believed, and all his household."

-John 4:46-54

Did the official travel to Jesus over 20 miles when there might have been other possible ways to heal his son? No! He was desperate. He was helpless and hopeless apart from Jesus.

God often brings adversity into our lives ---- adversity beyond our ability to handle so that we must come to Him as our only hope and to trust in Him alone.

God delights in answering our prayers in a way that highlights His power, glory, grace and sovereignty. We do better when we trust Him to answer our prayers His way.

Is the mighty hand of God with you today?  Do you feel hopeless, unable to cope with what you are facing?  This could be the gracious hand of God -- drawing you to Himself for mercy and grace in your darkest moments.

A ministry of presence...

I experienced a divine conversation today which stopped me dead in my tracks.

Tonight as I try to contemplate our exchange, I am mentally weary from the weight of it all.   If you were to ask me to describe the greatest gift or benefit she received from our discussion, I would reply 'my quiet spirit.'  I gave her my presence - my attention. 

During our time together I whispered to myself - "wait with her and listen"  "be with her."  

This does not come naturally for me.  I continually fought the urge to suggest or assign a task to help her 'fix' everything. 

It is hard to trust the slow work of God and to recognize my own discomfort at my powerlessness in situations where I am called to wait -patiently.

"...waiting can be the most intense and poignant of all human experiences -- the experience which above all others strips us of affection and self-deception, and reveals to us the reality of our needs, our values, and ourselves."

-Margaret Guenther

Contemplating...

In my silence,
I mull over a thought - considering every angle.

(pause)

Is this it?

Yes
...the impression is instant.

(pause)


How will it work?
...help me Lord to understand.

(pause)


ok, I'm ready.

I feel Your presense - nearer.

God replies
"I am with you."

amen.

Spiritual Rhythms:: a RULE OF LIFE

Taken from Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton.

"It is not until we have settled into our desires and named them in God's presense that we are ready to recieve what our hearts are longing for...a ROL is not a glorified self-help project.  It is rooted in the understanding that we cannot transform ourselves...but what we can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place.

...there are creative ways of putting {spiritual disciplines} together in a rhythm of life that works for you and great freedom to add other practices and experiences as you feel drawn to them in the future. 

An effective ROL is going to be very personal; it will be tailored to your personality, your spiritual type, your season of life, the sin patterns you are contending with, and the places where God is drawing you and stretching you.  It will be realistic in view of your stage of life and the particularities of your life situation.  It will also be balanced among the disciplines that come easily and those that are more challenging."


I don't know about you, but I yearn for the freedom and peace of a life that is completely engaged with the reality of God.  I long to experience my soul hidden and content in the very depths of God, so that what is seen on the surface is transformed and energized by what takes place in those depths.  That's why I live my life a certain way - intentionally with a rule of life.

What about you? 

What do you long for?

In the words of Thomas Merton,

" Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat...Ask me what I am living for and what I think is keeping me from living fully for that."

Spiritual Rhythms:: a RULE OF LIFE

We all have rules like 'Do your best' or 'Never give up.'  These phrases tether us to certain behaviors and attitudes so we can be successful.  They help us live toward what we want most. 

Have you ever considered developing a 'Rule for Life' (ROL) to help you live more intentionally for God?  Establishing a ROL is simply a way of ordering our lives around the practices, values, and relationships that keep us open and available to God.  It helps to produce structure and space in our life to help us grow.

Anne Calhoun in her book, The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook - Practices That Transform Us  describes a ROL as the regular rhythms we choose in order to present our bodies to God as our "spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1).  Each rule or rhythm is a way we partner with God for the transformation only He can bring.  ROL aren't burdensome and don't include a huge list of do's and don'ts.   

Calhoun states that a ROL can act like a plumb line, allowing you a still point from which you can gauge the intentionality of your spiritual journey. My rule is found at the top of this blog...

RULE OF LIFE: Pray always... Work for Others... Read the Scriptures

 

Interested in creating your own ROL?  Here are some basic questions to get your started:

• What do you currently do to realize your goals and longings?  Work?  Study?  Pray?  Socialize?  Diet?  Work out?
• Which of these things hinder and help your spiritual journey?
• Where do you want to change?  Where do you feel powerless to change? 
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you do through grace what you cannot do on effort alone.
• Choose several disciplines that arise from your desire for God's transforming work and that suit the limits and realities of your life. 
• Begin your practice.

Thomas Merton

'Every moment and every event of our lives on earth plants something in our souls.  For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in our minds and wills.

Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because we are not prepared to receive them: for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of freedom, spontaneity, and love.

Great blog post this morning by Michael Hyatt...

SEVEN BETTER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY

I have several friends who are going through enormous uncertainty right now. Some are out of work. A few others are on the precipice of divorce. Still others have been diagnosed with cancer—one who is pregnant. In these situations, most of us ask, “Why is this happening to me?”

Years ago, two months after I became the publisher of one of our book divisions, we lost a major author to a competing company. This had a significant negative impact on our bottom line. At first, I was angry. Then I became discouraged. Finally, I realized I was asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking “Why did this happen?” I started asking, “How can this make us better?” Immediately, I sensed a shift in my spirit. It began energizing me. In retrospect, losing the author was one of the best things that could have happened to my division. We grew from the experience in ways that would have never happened otherwise.

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Singing...

Why do Christians sing when they are together?

"...because in singing together, it is possible for them to speak and pray the same Word at the same time; inotherwords, because they can unite in the Word."

 - Bonhoeffer, Life Together

"I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you..." 

Ps. 144:9.

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord."  Ephesians 5:19

FYI - to sing a new song to the Lord, it must first be sung in my heart.

Listening to Dallas Willard

Food for thought...

"In teaching and/or modeling the gospel, am I producing legalists or disciples?'

Word study:

I came across the word crag and have wanted to do a word study for sometime.  Upon my research, I have realized the LORD led me to this place...

crag  n [krӕg]; a rough, steep mountain or rock, hiding place, cliff or steep bank.

Job 39:28

"Was it through your know-how that the hawk learned to fly, soaring effortlessly on thermal updrafts?  Did you command the eagle's flight, and teach her to build her nest in the heights, perfectly at home on the high cliff face, invulnerable on pinnacle and crag?"


 

2 Samuel 22:2 

"God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God—the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout..."

Here is the paradox - someone or thing is in need of defense. 

In the verses above, a crag is described as a 'safe place' God provides or grants through the natural world.  A soldier wouldn't stop to build a trench, but would instead try to conceal or protect himself by hiding in his natural surroundings.  Therefore, a crag is a safe spot that a person might find in nature to defend himself against beasts and foes. 

Crag is a metaphor for the Holy One - my Rock.

Lord, I am here.

Seeking direction and yet something more.

a crag...a shelter...a safe place...

The Steadfast Love of the Father...

Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.

- Psalm 31:21

Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. 

 - Psalm 32:10

He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

- Psalm 33:5

Behold the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love...

- Psalm 33:18

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

- Psalm 33:22

Steadfast love...
Theologians often combine the twin ideas of love and loyalty in defining the steadfast love of the Lord.  Both of which are essential, but it does not sufficiently convey the idea of the steadfastness and persistence of God's sure love. Contrast that with my 'steadfastness.'  It is like the wild flowers, here today and gone tomorrow.

The Word of the Lord is steady and sure, firm and reliable.

Someone you love shares something going on in their life.

1. THINK BENEATH.  Don't speak quickly.  Think about the battle between religion and Christianity.  Is this person more aware of their desire for blessing (world) or their desire for God?
2. THINK VISION. Reflect on how this person would be talking about their life if they wanted God more than the blessings.  What would it mean for this person's life to not be wasted?
3. THINK PASSION.  Are you self-obsessed?  Feel it and confess it to God.  Let brokenness put you in touch with the true desire to love this person.
4. THINK STORY.  Listen with curiousity to hear the hidden story of fear and shame.  Listen to hear shaping events that directed this person away from God.  Asks lots of questions.  Be stingy with advice.
5. THINK MOVEMENT.  Pay close attention to any movement toward brokenness.  Help them to put words to repentance.  Encourage them into specific acts of trust.  Share your confidence in God.

-Larry Crabb, SoulTalk

Think through how you will...

• Lead others by listening with my ears not my mouth.

The next time someone you love shares a struggle, lead with your ears.  Lean in and say little.  Listen for evidence of the 'old way' - performance and pride.  Discern where God may lead the conversation into a 'new way' - a grace filled life.

• Be curious beyond the normal range or level.  A curious person is eager to investigate.

When I ask them questions, don't meddle.  Don't pry or push.  Be curious and caring.  Discuss what you see - fear, resentment, self-protection, hope, and brokenness.

• Ask the Lord to help you recognize your next opportunity to speak words of Truth to a hurting friend. 

As you listen, reflect on your motives.  Am I trying to impress?  Am I afraid I won't?

Something is going on in {FRIEND} that's going in all of us.  I wonder what the real battle is?

"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires... For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." 

ROMANS 8:5,13

THINK BENEATH. 

Things to ponder...

God knows when we suffer unjustly.  My assignment?  

 "..remain faithful, pray for justice; look expectantly for the judge."

I must adopt God's perspective and priorities.

When I allow God to shape my priorities, adversity takes on a whole new meaning. I see it as an integral part of what God is doing in my life.

Adversity is a tool that launches me into periods of intense spiritual growth. I am learning that adversity is sometimes a means to greater joy and peace.  I shouldn't panic and assume God has forgotten about me.  Rather, I can rejoice.  Why?  Because God is in the process of bringing about another good in my life.

Considering... 

 God wants to use the adversity I am facing right now to advance my spiritual growth.

^{EPH 22} "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds;²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

What makes YOU a christian?

Are you thinking...

  Religion or Love affair?

Do you want your heart to beat in time with God's?

Do you want to feel His rhythm, His timing, and His direction?

Do you want to dance with Him and abandon yourself in all that God calls us to?

early morning thoughts...

As I still here in the darkness of the morning hour, evaluating yesterday and the day ahead, do I  contemplate how BIG God is?  Big as the Colorado Mountains, the oceans of the Caribbean, and the miles and miles of Indiana cornfields?

I am quickly humbled by the comparison.

Who am I that you care to know my name?
Why do you care for me when my disobedient heart is breaking?


I hear a voice...soft, strong, and steady speak to my heart.

Because you belong to me.