Archive for the ‘Disciplines’ Category

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Mission

June 26, 2014

Mission

When you read this, I will be in the air on my way with a group of 11 to work at the Tijuana Christian Mission for a week. Last weekend, I had an opportunity to speak to the church about why go on missions. I had three points.

Jesus

  • Jesus called us to follow him
  • Once we are his followers, then he told us to Go (into all the world making disciples)
  • We can go “Here, There, Everywhere”, that is local, regional and international visits

Individual Spiritual Formation

  • We have to study to be prepared to share
  • We have to learn new people, new cultures, new experiences
  • We return changed

Congregation Spiritual Renewal

  • The renewed spirit of the missionaries helps renew the spirit of the members
  • Members can participate through financial and prayer support, becoming a partner in mission

Your prayers for the success and safety of our group as we work with orphans is appreciated.

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Physical Exercise As A Discipline

June 19, 2014

Physical health is a foundation to productive living. As long as we are able to move, we should be moving. Meditation and study require attention and an alert mind. Physical exercise as a discipline impacts all the other disciplines.

There are two men who are regulars at the gym I frequent (when I’m in town). I started there in 2000 and they were already regulars. One just turned 84, the other is 86. The first walks every day. He rides his bike for an hour or two during summer evenings. The other one still runs marathons–yep, the 26 mile variety. He just won his age group (OK, not tons of competition there, still…) three weeks ago in one. He did a couple of triathalons after he turned 80 (biking, swimming, running).

I began running in the mornings in the late 1970s when one spring I discovered that I was terribly out of shape. Mostly I run with the goal of being able to referee soccer rather than run in competitions. But it keeps me moving.

My “Getting Things Done” mentor and developer of the Nozbe productivity application, Michael Sliwinski, just wrote on his blog about running–✔ Born To Run by Christopher McDougall – (audio) book of the week. He discovered what I discovered a year ago–modern running shoes are bad for you.

I heard about minimalist running shoes and thought those would be great to pack on my trips (lighter, less space). Then I discovered that this is actually a movement. You shouldn’t have to beat yourself up and wind up in pain from running. Our ancestors could run for miles a day chasing their next meal.

Running may not be ideal for you given physical restrictions. But keep moving to the extent your body allows. It sharpens the mind, improves your outlook on life, and helps you make new friends. Physical activity improves your spiritual life.

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Prayer as an Action Verb

June 18, 2014

Prayer rightly understood and practiced is the most potent instrument of action. Gandhi.

Did you ever think of prayer as an instrument of action? Prayer seems so passive. You sit or you kneel and talk to God.

Maybe you’ve heard of the early Chrisitan mystics who also prayed while walking or preparing dinner. But that still seems passive.

Think about Gandhi. He led a revolution that freed a huge nation from the imperialism of another country. He did it without forming a guerilla army in the mountains and fighting a prolonged and bloody war. Essentially he did it through prayer.

Jesus said that prayer could move mountains. Is your prayer so feeble that you ask for something and then say, “If it be your will”? Jesus taught us to pray boldly.

Jesus prayed for his followers. They started a revolution that captured an empire. Without starting a war. I would say without bloodshed, except the blood of the followers was often shed.

Prayer toppled a godless Roman nation converting it to an officially Christian one.

What are you praying for? Make it a bold one! Change the world.

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up

June 9, 2014

Do you have long-term goals? Can you visualize yourself twenty years from now?

How does the long-term goal that you have set for yourself or for your organization affect your daily life?

I’m reading and reflecting on Daniel Goleman’s latest book, “Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence.” Goleman presents and discusses a wealth of research into brain functions and resulting human behaviors.

Self-help and motivational gurus have told us for at least the past 30 years to set long-term goals for ourselves and for our organizations in order to be successful.

Yet for most of us, it’s hard to get past today’s goals–or even today’s to-do list. Let alone think about this month’s goals, or this year’s goals, or our goals for five years out.

If you are in business or leading an organization, it’s hard to think even a quarter out. Thinking this month can be a challenge.

Goleman points to research about the human brain. It is still wired to respond just as it did for our ancestors on the savannahes of Africa–totally focused on immediate threats. There is nothing in our brain that is wired to respond to distant threats of which we may be aware. Therefore the lack of concern about climate change–it’s too far away.

The successful leader and person is one who is able to keep the future in mind, though, and can juggle the immediate while also working on the future.

In terms of Spiritual development (which Goleman does not discuss), this involves understanding not what we want to be, but who. The purpose of pursuing intentional Spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation and study is to mold us into the kind of person we wish to be. We are building our future selves.

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How They’ll Know Us

May 30, 2014

How do the people outside the church know who the people inside the church are? Can they tell that there is a difference? When the church gathers, is it much like a Rotary meeting?

I’ve been reading in John’s Gospel for some time recently. There is a part toward the end where Jesus is instructing his followers on life after he’s gone. And he looks around at his ill-assorted group of followers, and he tells them, “This is how they’ll know you, by how you love one another.”

The church as described in Acts 2–long before it got so over-organized–grew rapidly because the people lived differently than people in the area. And that difference was good. And that difference is contagious.

And that difference has all-to-often gone away.

On bad days, one wonders if the whole life-style of love among Jesus-followers has evaporated completely.

The practice of Spiritual Disciplines is not an end in itself. The practice should lead us toward an attitude of love towards others. Love in such a way that others are attracted to this man called Jesus. Love such that others want to join together to celebrate and worship and participate in acts of service.

We can read the history of the church and see the immense divisiveness leading to bloodshed during the past 2,000 years. But we can also see those acts of love that kept the fire burning.

If we sense divisiveness in our groups, it’s time to practice loving others. They will know us by our love.

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Value of a Smile

May 15, 2014

When you walk into a room, what do you bring with you? Cheer, or gloom?

I recently met a woman. I know when I see her again that I will recognize her. Yet, I cannot really picture her in my mind. What I remember is her smile. It is so friendly.

Last night at dinner, I noticed that when I dealt with my server or the hostess with a smile, it seemed contagious. My server was OK, but she seemed to become nicer and smiled, too.

Maybe these are contagious. Maybe like they say about love, the more you give away the more you receive.

Then there are the people who seem to spread gloom or discord wherever they go. They talk about other people’s problems and faults. They scowl. (Ever look at an older person’s face and see how it is set–either in a permanent frown or smile?) The just seem to deflate the atmosphere.

There is a line in a detective novel I’ll never forget. Someone is describing a man and says, “He smiles, but his eyes don’t seem to match the smile.”

The smile must be part of your person, or people will feel the masquerade.

On the other hand, maybe you don’t feel on top of the world. Things are weighing you down. Yet, when you meet someone, if you can smile a greeting not only do they feel better, but so will you.

I don’t think Richard Foster listed smiling as a Spiritual Discipline. I think it fits.

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The Discipline of Simplicity

May 14, 2014

I have more books than you, in fact, all the walls of my office are lined with books.

There was a conversation recently where we were discussing reading print versus electronically. I own a lot of books. They mostly are not in my office any longer. That is because we moved them all downstairs a couple of years ago in order to paint and recarpet my home office. So now, two of the four walls of our downstairs guest bedroom are filled with bookcases.

But one guy bragged about how many books he had. He didn’t mean anything by the comment, but it made me think.

If simplicity is a Spiritual Discipline, then how many books do we need? Is it like a library where we may need to reference them? Or is it clutter? Something to point to with pride? Filling up our rooms.

I’m not going to answer that directly. Simplicity is a state of mind. Are we tied to things, or do we use things?

Maybe like my choice in cars. After many years of trying to go cheap on cars and worrying about constant repairs, I spent a little more money (not Mercedes or Lexus money, though) and bought a car with reasonable styling but great reliability. Given where I live and what I do, I need a car. If I am going to own one, I want one that does not complicate my life.

Clothes are another item that can bring clutter or suck up too much space. How many do you really need?

How many things do you have that get in the way of simply living–or living simply? What can we divest ourselves of? Uncomplicating our lives is a useful goal for enhancing our deepening life in the Spirit.

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Merely Religion

May 12, 2014

Just going through the motions.

That’s what many people think of when they internally define the word “religion.” They think that “religious people” merely “recite” prayers.

My wife was raised in a fundamentalist, independent Baptist church. She was taught many misconceptions about other people and their religions. The teachings about Catholicism were so off the mark, for example, that her mother was amazed to discover that the Catholic Bible was pretty much the same as hers. She was probably 60 at that time.

I’m part of a generation that tended to reject “organized” religion. When I was younger, I thought that true worship had to be in “house churches.” There was a movement in the 70s. I only reluctantly joined (actually rejoined) a denominational church back then. Now, of course, I’m sucked into the structure.

Our pastor hit on something yesterday. “Respect for God without intimacy with God is religion.”

You can respect God, yet not live with Him. You can respect God, yet fail to try to live a pleasing life. You can respect God by coming to a worship service, yet feel nothing. You can even sing the hymns, yet be unmoved.

Jesus pretty much didn’t discuss formal religion often, and when he did it was to point out the hypocrisy of the leading practitioners. He taught right relationship and right living.

The reason to develop Spiritual discipline–reading, study, meditation, prayer, simplicity, worship, praise, fasting, and the rest–is that these practices have been proven over many centuries to aid people in developing that right relationship with God through Jesus in the Spirit. As your focus is sharpened every morning through practice, the life you live that day will be more pleasing to God.

Worship does not have to be going through the motions, yet for many it unfortunately is.

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Change What You Do

May 9, 2014

If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten. — Henry Ford

Ever feel in a rut? Are you old enough to remember the little cartoon passed around captioned, “The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get”?

Lately, I’ve been exposed to several instances (all names deleted to protect the guilty–which may include me) where people persist in doing (or wanting to do) the same things as always, but they expect different results (I believe that’s an Einstein quote regarding insanity).

Sometimes we have to step back from the daily gerbil wheel and reflect on where we are going. David Allen (“Getting Things Done”) suggests weekly and monthly reviews along with an annual review. These are appointments for meetings with yourself to review where you are going in short, medium and long time horizons. They work.

Sometimes we see that we are trying to sell the same old product in the same old way hoping for lightning to strike that will suddenly make us millionaires.

Maybe we make a commitment to practice a couple of Spiritual disciplines–maybe read the Bible daily. We put it on the To-Do list. We get up, read for a few minutes, then close the book and get on with the day.

Then we step away from the busyness and take time to think. We see that we either need to change the product or the target market. We see that just quickly reading so that we can check the item off the list isn’t getting us anywhere without building in time for reflection on what we read. And then we add prayer/meditation. And then that leads to service.

I’ve gotten so busy over the past year, that I’ve looked at things to change. I’m the sort of person who will do the work. I’m learning to let some things go. I simply can’t do it all. Where can I find others to take up some of the load. I’m also learning to teach others the same thing.

Two things I’ve learned: never stop growing in Spiritual maturity; never stop learning.

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Three Types of Focus

March 21, 2014

Can you maintain focus long enough to read a book in the Bible? A chapter? A story? Can you read a book?

Many people feel that a combination of today’s information deluge and our attachment to the instant gratification of smart phones with email, Facebook, Twitter, and so on are ruining us of our ability to sustain focus on a task.

This problem can affect relationships, career, and a living a good life.

My current reading is Daniel Goleman’s Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. You may have heard of Goleman through a previous book, Emotional Intelligence. If you have not read that one, grab it today.

Focus can be described as placing one’s attention on one task/event. When you are at a reception and talking to someone, do you focus on them? Or on everything else? Or have an urge to pull out the old iPhone and check for texts?

Focus affects ability to study, pray, even worship.

Goleman says that leaders especially, and everyone eventually, need to cultivate three types of focus.

  • Inner–keeping you in touch with intuition, values, reflection, making better decisions
  • Other–building relationships with others, connecting with others, being aware of other people
  • Outer–lets us navigate in the greater world around us

As that Star Wars Sage, Yoda, says, “Your focus is your reality.”

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