Faith Venture

The famous body builder and “governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger has started a daily newsletter meant to be a positive corner of the internet. His prescription is to do something a day at a time. Mark it off on your calendar and then do it the next day.

It’s a bit like the way the language learning app I’m using to learn Spanish, Duolingo, makes a game of things in one place celebrating daily learning streaks.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

What’s your message to anyone who is struggling to get started on their fitness journey? This is my favorite quote for any type of self journey: “progress, not perfection!”

Striving for perfection is a race to frustration. A step at a time makes a steady progression toward the goal. Make your first step or your next step now.

Note: you can sign up for his newsletter here.

Going with the crowd gives one false courage. Social media encourages you to “like” and “share” posts that others have copied from most likely some foreign group. When there are already 400 likes, not like seems traitorous. Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard had something to say about the crowds.

Christ was crucified because he would have nothing to do with the crowd (even though he addressed himself to all). He did not want to form a party, an interest group, or a mass movement, but wanted to be what he was, the truth, which is related to the single individual. Therefore everyone who will genuinely serve the truth is by that very fact a martyr. To win a crowd is no art; for that only untruth is needed, nonsense, and a little knowledge of human passions. But no witness to the truth dares to get involved with the crowd.

Søren Kierkegaard

Politicians in many parts of the world are claiming Jesus as their leader and yet trying to be the leader of the crowd, instigator of new political parties.

Jesus would say, that’s the easy part. People are easily persuaded.

The hard part, living the life of a disciple, like Jesus told the rich young man (or ruler in some translations). Do the hard part and live.

A fitness and longevity newsletter comes my way every evening. Last night relaxing before bed after driving to see our grandson in concert, I read to my wife about thinking of chores as a way of getting some exercise. She said, “Well, you could unload the dishwasher.” Always practical thinking of things for other people to do, that one. 35 years as a teacher.

During meditation time this morning, I thought I’d channel my inner Brother Lawrence, and unload the dishwasher putting away the dishes (OK, I needed a mug for coffee). Brother Lawrence was known for being in conversation with God while doing his kitchen chores or whatever else he was doing.

That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD’S Presence, by continually conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to think of trifles and fooleries.

I wonder if more of us were in continual conversation with God what the impact on our society wherever you are would be. I know I forget…often. But, Brother Lawrence adds some advice that sounds like the modern build-a-habit writers.

That in order to form a habit of conversing with GOD continually, and referring all we do to Him, we must at first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty.

Facebook leaders were concerned people were only looking at posts from friends and not spending enough time on the app looking at ads. They told engineers to develop rules that would search the entire database and present people with posts that Facebook thought you want to see.

Twitter executives faced a similar problem. They wrote similar rules, called algorithms, to keep you on the app longer. 

So, I wondered about our spiritual reading—the Bible and other writers. Do we allow someone to determine what parts we read and spoon-feed us just their point of view?

I have spent little time on social media for several years. What they thought I wanted to see was not congruent with what I really wanted to see. (Interestingly, the number of referrals to this website from Twitter has dropped by 90% over the past few months. Go figure.)

Fortunately, there is no app filtering what I should see in the Bible or in my other spiritual reading. I read out of curiosity and out of desire to refresh my poor memory.

Things like the thought I just heard, “He’s God. I’m not.”

Things like, “The first is to love the Lord your God… and the second likewise is to love your neighbor…”

I need those reminders to keep me on the right path and likewise to guide my reading.