Archive for the ‘Disciplines’ Category

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To Lent or Not To Lent

February 18, 2015

My mind was full of competing thoughts. All were bouncing freely through the brain. There are now three partially written meditations cluttering my computer–and my brain.

Then I noticed that it is Ash Wednesday.

I completely missed Fat Tuesday–Mardi Gras!

Oh, but that is OK. I don’t have to store up all the bad things in order to make it through 40 days of fasting. Among the traditions of my youth, observing Lent was not one that was observed. Most of the kids in my village did. Most were Lutheran, descendents of German-speaking Alsatians who came to America in the 1840s. We (the Methodists) sort of wondered about those Lutherans. Mom said to never marry one.

Mostly when we talked about ritual, we used the term “empty ritual.” This feeling was only strengthened when stories went around about what various people in town gave up for Lent. My favorite was the guy who gave up watermelon every year. Of course, we wouldn’t see any watermelon for another six months! Talk about empty.

We also didn’t have church and get ashes. Didn’t have a clue about that.

Someone just tried to define a ritual as something we do to change God, while a practice is something we do to work on ourselves. But I know many who gain great spiritual comfort from the traditions of ritual. That is not a bad thing.

It is good to set aside time to reflect on Easter. That is the single day/single act that sets us aside from all others. The day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. He was alive. He was hope in person.

It was good to be reminded. I need reminders.

If you give up something, do it wisely and reverently. I have a friend who gives up fried food, desserts, and (hardest of all) beer every year for Lent. He loses 15 pounds. But then comes Easter 😉 But he does it out of reverence for the season. He’s 85. Has been doing this for at least 20 years. It reminds him of why we have Lent.

What will we do in remembrance?

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More on Lying, Fudging, Pressure on Media

February 12, 2015

I’m still in Orlando as I write this. Had an interesting conversation with a reader at lunch on Wednesday about the Brian Williams affair.

The first disclosure is that I am a member of “the media.” So, even though there are not as many marbles at stake in what I’ve done compared to TV news, the principles apply.

So, it seems that this TV anchor guy made a trip to Iraq to do some “on the spot” coverage. Usually these guys fly in, stay at the Hilton, get filmed at a safe spot where there is desert behind them, then immediately leave. In this case, Williams was actually flying somewhere in a helicopter was shot down. Somehow he became “confused” and thought that actually he was on that copter, not the trailing one where he actually was.

Second disclosure–I’ve never been in a battle. Came close to being a Navy pilot, but not close enough to claim anything. So, maybe the “spin doctors” who have been dredged up to blame psychological trauma for this lapse of memory are correct. But somehow I don’t believe it.

Pressure

In my little niche of media, a salesman would frequently come to me and beg, “Gary, if you could just run a friendly story about this company, they will buy an x-month advertising package with us.” I’d just say, “Let me talk to them and see if they have anything worthwhile to say.”

This might be worth $40,000. (By the way, they almost never bought. They were happy with free publicity.)

Imagine that you are the top salesperson or executive of the TV news operation. A dramatic story of being shot down would attract hundreds of thousands of viewers. That translates into higher advertising revenue. See where I’m going? Much of the media works that way.

So, what if Williams had that much pressure from somewhere. That is at least as credible a story as PTSD or something.

Dave suggested a scenario something like this at lunch. I thought, something to consider.

Even so, there had to be many people who knew the simple truth. Yet, the network perpetuated the story for years. Maybe it’s Williams, or maybe it’s someone else. There are still ethics involved.

it would have been just as unethical for me to promote a product just for advertising dollars to readers who depend on my for objective reporting as for NBC. It’s just as unethical when you decide to deceive someone.

I will not attempt to claim 100% ethics in every situation–that would, of course, be a lie. But I hope that I’m close to 100% and apologize when I’m not.

Jesus set the bar so high for us, that those of us who follow him had best get that 100% or know the reason why and ask forgiveness.

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Developing Trust From Others

February 5, 2015

Trust. One simple word scrawled on the page. I carry a small notebook almost everywhere I go. When ideas come from whatever source, I make a note. If they are worth saving, I take a picture with my iPhone and the Evernote app and save the page to Evernote.

For some reason I thought I should write about trust.

Trust, in itself, is not a spiritual discipline. It is the result or byproduct of living with-God and practicing spiritual formation.

Having the trust of your colleagues is crucial to an effective leader. Think about leaders with whom you have served–those you trusted and those you didn’t. Are you like me and still shudder when the mere thought of one of those latter leaders pops into consciousness.

Trust is a belief in the reliability of someone. Have you ever heard the phrase, “How you act speaks so loudly that I can hear what you say”? It’s when what you do and what you say are congruent.

In the Bible, trust is used exclusively in regard to God. God is the one who can be believed to be reliable beyond all others.

About 70 leaders in our church gathered last Saturday to study from “Crucial Conversations” a book written to help people not escalate problems when a conversation turns serious. I guess I thought then that it would be hard to have a crucial conversation with someone whom you don’t trust. At that point, it’s too late and you’ve lost.

What am I saying? When I teach spiritual practices, does my life reflect that I actually do them? When have I promised and not followed through?

The Acts 2 church grew because people were attracted to the way they lived. Would anyone be attracted to my church or fellowship because of the way I (we) live?

As my meditation on this word ends this morning, I’ve concluded that this isn’t one of those bullet point sort of lessons. I can’t give five easy steps to earn trust. All I can say is to look back at the end of every day and reflect on when you were congruent and when you weren’t. Then resolve to do more of the first tomorrow.

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Lure of Lifestyle or Spiritual Discipline of Simplicity

February 4, 2015

One thing about living most of my life in the same small city, I have seen many people grow from stage to stage in life. I remember when a bunch of guys were in their 30s and 40s. They were posturing for importance. Living an upscale and hard-driving lifestyle. Now they are 60s and 70s. They, for the most part, have come to see what’s really important in life—relationships, service, being comfortable in who they are.

Lure of Lifestyle

My friend Jim Pinto, who has turned his attention from automation (since he doesn’t write for me anymore) to thoughts on how to live, reminds us to focus on what’s important. In Lure of Lifestyle, he says, “Now, I don’t feel particularly miserly, but I really don’t understand the rationale of the luxury lifestyle. In fact, I remember the remark of a guy who ignored the champagne at a fancy reception and asked for a beer. “Hey!” he said, “I’m rich enough to drink what I want, not what looks good.”

These days, when I see somebody posturing beyond their means, I remember a Texas cattleman’s wisecrack: “Big hat, no cattle!” This was the name of a song by Randy Newman.”

Fits a Career

I think this fits a career, too. Most of the time I’ve been in leadership (I wish I had been this good all the time), the important question became, “How can I help you?” After defining roles and hiring the best people (I’ve missed a few times, much to my downfall—one guy turned out to be quite the political manipulator), that is the best approach to management.

Spiritual discipline

One of the basic twelve spiritual disciplines outlined by Richard Foster in “Celebration of Discipline” is simplicity or the simple lifestyle.

While there are many products that improve our lives, we can easily acquire a huge pile of junk. Stuff we use for a few days and then gather dust. Stuff that’s cheaply made and don’t last but somehow stays around.

We’ve got to have the huge pickup truck, not to haul things but solely to impress people. Or the Aspen vacation that we can’t afford but that will impress everyone back home.

Practicing the simplicity discipline, we buy what we need. We invest in experiences, not in things to impress. We focus on what’s important in life—not on what we think will impress people who are usually too busy trying to impress other people to notice you’re trying to impress them.

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Make It a Habit

February 2, 2015

Last night’s Super Bowl was an exciting game of American football. The outcome was not certain until only 17 seconds were left in the game.

In the final contested play, a New England defensive back stepped in front of a Seattle receiver and intercepted the pass. After the game, the back was asked about the play. He said he couldn’t describe it. Of course, asking people to analyze something in the height of great emotion is pretty stupid, but I bet it’s true that he didn’t know.

His coaches had taught him cues to watch and responses to make. Then they practiced it over and over. It became a habit. He saw the play develop. His muscle memory recognized the situation and acted just as he had been trained.

Paul uses an athletic analogy at the end of chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians. He talks of an athlete disciplining his body. He says he does not run aimlessly nor box by flailing away at the air.

If Paul had read Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit,” he would have understood. Learn to read the “cue;” take action; reap the reward.

That is why spiritually alive people have cultivated habits to keep them spiritually in tune with God.

You rise early in the morning heading toward your favorite chair in order to spend 15 minutes (or more) reading from the Bible or other spiritual work. You follow that with prayer and meditation for a few more minutes.

It is your habit to regularly meet with other seekers. You regularly gather with others to celebrate and worship.

And many more–fasting, living simply, serving others.

Just as a trained athlete acts to win a game, we can act to deepen our spiritual lives.

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Practice Treating Your Body Well

January 27, 2015

Paul, the apostle, often used athletic metaphors for training for spiritual life or as an example of spiritual life.

Even beyond that, he talked about how our bodies are the temple of the spirit. We can only vaguely understand how revolutionary the statement would have been in the first century. Temple? That was the huge compound build atop a high hill where God dwelled and sacrifices were offered.

As a follower of the risen Messiah, Paul figured out that when the spirit came as Jesus promised that it needed a home. But the Temple was now history. The home was the human body and the ekklesia.

Is everyone’s New Years Resolution to lose weight? 15 in15 as our pastor has been preaching?

Let me be practical. Give up drinking sodas. Regular or diet. Both whet your appetite for even more sugar. The only time you can use that in your body is following intense physical effort–really intense. Otherwise, stay away from soda.

I think the best thing that the fast food restaurants have done lately is provide unsweetened ice tea. If you have to eat there, at least you don’t have to drink the soda.

If my vision of myself is that as the temple of God’s spirit, then I will intentionally consider what I bring into my body to keep it as clean and strong as possible.

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God Works Through Us

January 22, 2015

While I’m studying Paul through the scholarship of N.T. Wright, there was a thought so powerful that I stopped reading. Made a note. Then just paused and contemplated for a while.

Paul thought that God worked through us. God revealed his glory through Jesus. Jesus expected his work after his ascension to be done through us.

Hit pause. Hit rewind. Hit play.

What does that mean?

It surely sounds like an awesome responsibility, doesn’t it,

What have we done with our time? I have a lot of time to look back on. Some of you more. What use have we made of that time to do God’s work?

I was just listening to Andy Stanly talk about making a wise use of our time. Our time “keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future.” (Steve Miller Band)

Our pastor is in the middle of a series on setting goals. Goals are OK. But really, what counts is our schedule. What do we do with that time?

Better than a goal of “I’ll invite 100 people to church this week,” would be, “I’ll set aside 30 minutes, and write it in ink on my calendar, three days a week to call people to invite into a relationship.” The key–write it, in ink.

Try getting out a calendar–paper, digital, whatever. Get the one-week view. Block out what you do each day in the week.

5:30, arise, fix coffee, get out my Bible
5:45-6:00, read Bible
6:00-6:15, pray, meditate
7:00-8:00, exercise/workout/run whatever
then, work, phone calls, planning, time with family

Take a look at where your week goes now. Then plan with intention to structure a week where you attend to your spiritual health, your physical health, your relationships, your God work, your community service.

Grab control of your time. Don’t let it slip away.

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New Year Practice To Simplify

January 16, 2015

Daniel, the one who has a book in the Bible named for his story, found himself as a young man in the palace of the most powerful king of the time. He was surrounded by luxury, wealth, rich food.

He and his friends asked to be spared from the rich food and be allowed to eat simple, yet nutritious meals of fruits and vegetables. Their health proved their wisdom.

Later (Chapter 5), he is offered wealth and position for interpreting some mysterious writing on a wall. He told them to keep the rewards, but he would interpret the writing.

I do not advocate New Year’s Resolutions or goals. For several years, I’d write out a list of goals every year–I’d weigh x amount, I’d write a book (or something), etc. It never really worked.

What worked was seeing myself in the future–how I looked, what I had accomplished, what my ministry would be, and so on. Then, I planned my days to build habits to work toward those visions.

One habit is to look around your life and your surroundings at least once per year and see what you’ve accumulated that you don’t need. If, unlike Daniel’s example, we didn’t turn down things before we got them, then it is timely to get rid of things in order to simplify our life.

I’ve done this for years. Get rid of “stuff” laying around that has no use. Get rid of toxic relationships. Get rid of things that grab my time so that I can focus on doing the things I want.

Too much “stuff” is a burden; it is an obstacle to living a life focused on God.

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To Get Spiritually Fit You Must Practice

January 2, 2015

A friend recently spoke against “Spiritual Disciplines” because he saw them as a list of check boxes–sort of like tasks to complete on your way to salvation.

My response is that if anyone views disciplines, or practices, that way, then they have missed the “spirit” so to speak of the practice. These practices–study, worship, prayer, mediation, celebration, fasting, service, and the like–are things you can do to strengthen and deepen your spiritual life.

Paul often uses athletic language to instruct us in that regard. He tells Timothy (1 Tim 4:7) to train in godliness” for example.

Dallas Willard writing in The Spirit of the Disciplines says, “Just as with the physical, there is a specific round of activities we must do to establish, maintain, and enhance our spiritual powers. One must train as well as try.”

Another way of looking at this is to consider these as habits you’ve intentionally cultivated.

I have an ecosystem of practices that help me exercise daily. It involves going to the gym and then showering and getting physically ready for the day. It’s something I do to maintain as healthy a body as I can.

Similarly with spiritual life. Rising a little earlier (for the past few years, it’s been 5:30 am–without an alarm), I have time for study, meditation, writing before going to the gym. Study, prayer, meditation are woven into the fabric of my morning. Worship, celebration and service happen intentionally at other times of the day or week.

One key is intention. I am intentional about maintaining this routine. It is not rote habit, but habit intentionally chosen and reinforced.

I still have many personality problems to overcome, but this routine has changed my life over time. I expect it will continue to do so.

One thing that it really does is deepen my faith. To be spiritually fit, you have to practice.

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Blessings For The New Year

January 1, 2015

Relax.

Refresh.

Renew.

Pause today to reflect on the past and future before we jump into living in the moment during the year.

What Great Work will define us this year?

I have chosen mine. I will ask each day, “Does this activity relate to my Great Work?”

Simplify and prune the unnecessary activities.

May your 2015 be Blessed.

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