Faith Venture

These are attitudes that will lead to your fall.

It may be sooner. Maybe later.

As you are crushed by the fall from grace and presumed adulation, you leave a trail of abused people. Some physically. Some emotionally. Just the same.

Wisdom tracing back farther than 3,000 years warns us.

But we don’t listen.

When we are filled with ego and pride, rules and wisdom don’t apply to us. We embody wisdom and rules.

Pray every day that we don’t fall into that trap. It’s there. Right beside us. Ready to suck us in. But we can avoid it.

I talk with people at times about being a disciple of Jesus. Then, I run across stories like this one.

Part of my day is devoted to scanning hundreds of news sources. These are mostly in my field of technology, but some are political news or other generally useless items.

I couldn’t read more than the headline and lede, but it was enough. Enough, that is, to send me running back to studying physics rather than people.

Where do some Christian people go for values education?

Seems this guy is a pastor of a Christian church. Gained some notoriety by praising the guy who shot up a bar that was a noted hangout for gay people. The shooter killed many people.

Pause to consider.

A Christian (or at least someone who self-identifies as one) praises killing innocent and unsuspecting people.

OK, back to the story.

Seems this pastor was recently fired from his job. The reason? Not for advocating killing people he doesn’t like. No. It was for being caught hiring prostitutes (I quit reading, but I assume they were female–male ones would have been too ironic).

Killing? OK. Sex? Not OK.

I know this from many sources, but let’s just check the beginning chapters of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. We all have the capacity for sin. For thinking and doing bad things.

Pointing fingers at other people’s sins or rejoicing when tragedy strikes people we don’t like should be a signal to pause and reflect on our own shortcomings. Of which I have many. Just ask my wife… 😉

“For it is in giving that we receive.” From St. Francis’ prayer.

A recent “study” revealed that people who give live longer than people who don’t.

I don’t know if that is true. But there is evidence any way.

I read that as the thought after Yoga class last night. It struck a chord with many. Shortly after I was in a meeting where the study was cited. It’s amazing how these thoughts come in bunches.

Giving is a spiritual practice. Richard J. Foster may not have it listed, but it’s there.

The act of giving–money, time, talent–turns our focus from ourselves to others. It’s part of the salt I talked about yesterday.

And it is in giving that we receive. It’s a paradox, but it’s true.

You are the salt of the earth, we are told.

Salt?

When used in small quantities, salt enhances the flavor of food.

It only takes small quantities of us in every interaction to enhance the lives of other people.

That is the key–it’s not about us. It’s all about how we help bring out the best in others.

How do we practice Love God and Love My Neighbor (see yesterday’s post)?

Try enhancing each person you meet today.

I was sitting in contemplation and a vision came to me.

Practicing two things every day will change your outlook, attitude, relationships, and life.

Practice Jesus’s commandment–Love God and your neighbor.

All the time, practice this. Practice it until it’s an integral part of life.

And two, practice mindful meditation twice a day.

Reach out with one practice; reach inward with the second.

Practice this every day in 2019. When 2020 comes, you will look back and marvel at how you changed.

Alfred E. Newman. The face of Mad Magazine, one of my youthful favorites. He has that goofy grin and mantra, “What, Me worry?”

I often joke that he’s my hero.

Are you a sports fan? Read much about your favorite team in whatever sport you choose? What is the common theme of what must be 70% of the writing?

Conjecture!

So and so wants to be traded to X team. These will be the coaches of those teams next year. This team is moving to another city (an American phenomenon).

Totally worthless reading. Why worry about all that?

Same with political news. It’s all about “what if” that and “this could be” there.

Why worry?

Give me the actual news, somebody did something that affects me. Briefly. With enough context to understand. Move on.

Maybe it’s a fun pastime to sit around with friends and conjecture about sports or politics. I don’t know.

But I do know that Jesus told us not to worry about such things. One good life-enhancing habit for this year would be to pare these idle gossipy things out of our life and concentrate on more worthwhile pursuits.

And don’t worry.

My wife and I stopped by a fast food restaurant to pick up a sandwich after her meeting. Got a “meal deal” that included a small soda.

I sat at the table contemplating that soda (most likely the only one we’ll have all month). I thought, “In my life I’ve seen that size called a large; now it is called a small.”

Have our desires and expectations grown so much that what today is a large soda in a restaurant is a quantity not even dreamed of 30 or 40 years ago?

No wonder we have an obesity crisis.

Sometimes emergency medical teams cannot move people from a second floor bedroom to the waiting ambulance without a struggle. Even before medical training, the teams need weight training to build their muscles.

How about our desires and expectations toward other people? Do we need to be served all the time as if we are little princes and princesses?

How about our desires and expectations toward God?

Do we worship “Vending Machine God” where we deposit a quick prayer and expect a miracle to come out?

This is not a recent phenomenon. The apostle Paul refers to the dangers of rampant desire often. So also, see my favorite writer, James.

That is a reason we need to sharpen our spiritual practices. Maintain focus on the other rather than on ourselves.

Jesus warned us once, “Beware the yeast of the Pharisees…”

Yeast is a little thing that infuses the entire dough changing entirely the bread that emerges from the oven.

The Pharisees were teachers who had developed a curriculum that included memorizing 600+ rules and then following them in your life.

The game they played was Gotcha.

They watched people only to pounce–“Gotcha, you broke rule 562. You’re going to hell.”

We know modern Pharisees.

The point isn’t to worry about them. They’ll do what they do. They will get their reward. Just shrug them off.

The point is for us to watch within us for signs of the yeast of the Pharisees growing in us.

When did I point a finger (maybe only metaphorically) at someone and condemn them?

When did I say something about someone judgmentally?

Better–when did I catch myself about to say something and then stopped?

If my resolution this year is to be a better person, then what better way to start?

A year is not an arbitrary construction. It marks the completion of another trip of the Earth around the sun. The day we mark it is an arbitrary agreement to pick a day to start counting toward the next year.

It is useful to reflect back on our experiences and growth and setbacks.

It is not useful to dwell on the past days in nostalgia.

I am prone to looking forward. How will I grow? How will I handle whatever stresses and opportunities that come my way?

After all, spiritual growth is very much about growing as a complete human.

Pray with intention for God to bring new people into our life this year.

Pray with intention for God to reveal a new or expanded service or ministry.

Pray with intention for God to lead us to a fuller life.

May 2019 be a blessing to you all.