Faith Venture

Rich Dixon wrote on Jon Swanson’s blog:

Recently I listened as a manager analyzed a struggling player. “He’s too focused on results.” Wait. He’s a big-league ballplayer, paid handsomely to perform. How can focusing on results be a bad thing? Turns out, results-focused athletes take shortcuts and develop bad habits. They stop doing the things that made them successful in the first place. In sports, the best way to succeed is to focus relentlessly on proper principles and great habits. Do those, and results follow.

My decades of meditation practice has taught the same thing. Sometimes in our spiritual development practice, we begin to focus on results. Did God give the answer we demanded? Why didn’t I have a “God experience” every day?

The reality lies in the practice. It’s coming to our chair daily. Perhaps it’s reading a passage from the Bible or from a spiritual writer like Henri Nouwen or Augustine or similar. Then sitting quietly in prayer and meditation. The entire practice can be a brief as 15 minutes. We can get up 15 minutes earlier for a bit of quiet time.

It’s just a system. Rise, fix a coffee or tea, sit, spend time with God. If someone is in need, focus your thoughts on them for a bit while sitting in the presence of God. God knows. But there’s something about aligning with the Spirit that brings peace and understanding…eventually.

Instant results are a lie. The practice is everything.

Remember, motivation is unreliable, but systems are sustainable. From Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club newsletter.

The above quote brings up a fitness and nutrition truism. We read something and our motivation emotions ramp up. But morning comes with the thought of getting up and going out to walk/run, lift weights, go to Yoga class just deflates us. When we set up a system of getting up with the workout clothes draped over the chair waiting for us, and we head out, that is when we’ll begin to see results.

I once played guitar and sang. Then I stopped for a while. Then started again. Then moved at the beginning of Covid and stopped. Something happened that motivated me, but I made no progress. Then I adopted an online teacher who talked of intentional practice. For several months for 30-60 minutes a day (when I’m in the country), I have an intentional practice—some scales to stretch and strengthen my fingers, repeated chord changes especially difficult transitions, different finger-picking styles, then a couple of songs.  And I quit forcing the singing returning me to the ability to pick up a piece of sheet music or hear something on YouTube and find the key right away.

The Pump Club app referenced above guides me through intentional weight training exercises. Over a couple of years, I’ve added appreciable size to biceps, pectorals, arms, quads/hams/glutes, and calves.

Needing a teacher to give assurance that my meditation practice had not drifted in a bad direction, I learned about a Zen monk with an app. Zen is not a religion; it’s a practice. He gave me assurance I was still on the right path.

Practice.

The lack of training for systematic and intentional practice for the spiritual life for us non-monks frustrated me. I found Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. Foster devotes a chapter each to describing ten different disciplines. But we need an app that translates monastery/convent practices for us common folk. I just thought of that. Maybe I’ll do it.

But, just like for fitness and art, a systematic practice of meditation, prayer, study, service needs to become our Christian spiritual practice.

We only need to practice.

Poets across centuries and cultures have developed structures for their poems. Haiku, ballad, sonnet.

Poets especially in the 1950s and 1960s explored something called free verse—that is, no outside structure.

The teacher of poetry writing at university explained how easy it is to get lost in free verse. The poet must discover an internal structure to effectively express themselves.

Some people have expressed that they wish a life totally free from constraints. “That is freedom,” they proclaim.

Just like the early free verse poets (ever tried to read Allen Ginsberg?), total freedom so easily drifts into meaninglessness. One becomes subject to whim, suggestion, cravings. No purpose. No value.

Some constraints actually allow for creativity and true freedom to live a fulfilled life. I’ll try to start your thinking.

• Consistent sleep times
• Consistent exercise
• Regular (for you) work times
• Ability and courage to say no
• Solid moral foundation

Can you add more?

I’ve been in the personal development (non)business. Not something I’ve earned an income from. Just something I have done. Both for others and for myself.

A couple projects in my open queue include looking at the Letter to the Romans as a guide for spiritual development and a new look at a spiritual disciplines course I’ve led a couple of times.

Another development is organizational. I’ve long believed that, especially for churches and other non-profits, leaders must analyze their budget in two buckets (from a financial standpoint, there are other things you need like P&L and capital)—how much is spent on maintaining the status quo (salaries, rent, maintenance) and how much is spent on ministry to others (missions, local and international ministries, supporting people in need). If it’s too much of the former, you need to consider if you are really doing your mission.

Then, let us look at time. Arnold Schwarzenneger suggests, “Instead of changing goals, look closely at how you spend your time. What habits are holding you back? And, maybe more importantly, what ‘good’ habits aren’t getting the job done? The more you assess how you spend your time, the better you can use that time to shape a more desirable future.”

For you, those you are mentoring, your organization—how do you spend your time?

• Endless meetings?
• Gathering with the same people?
• Meeting new people?
• Supporting those in need?
• Sharing your story with someone new?
• Bringing meals to homeless?
• Sheltering refugees (instructions direct from the Bible)?

Take a look at your calendar (diary in English English). What does it say about you? What needs a refreshment?

From Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump newsletter. 

Small acts of discipline, from finishing a workout to choosing a healthy meal, become the bricks in the foundation of self-respect. Don’t chase motivation. Chase consistency. That’s how you earn the version of yourself you admire.

From Shane Parrish of Brain Food. The entire self-help industry in one sentence: Do what makes mornings exciting and nights peaceful. Will this make me excited to wake up? Will this let me sleep in peace? Everything that fails both tests is noise.

Health begins with good sleep.

Meaning comes from getting up excited to serve others according to your talents.

Someone told me that it is a sign of creativity to take ideas from outside your area and apply them to what you are working on. I will take that as a good thing.

My father took me to percussion lessons at about age 8. I played in school bands from junior high through high school to university. Along the way, I picked up a little experience with saxophone and trombone. But I picked up a guitar during my second year of university and have played it off-and-on ever since. Moving and Covid caused a break in the action.

I recently picked up an online guitar teacher called Klaus Crowe. He just posted a cool little essay regarding guitar practice called How To Be A Guitar Monk.

This is really cool. Let us try substituting our spiritual practices in place of the noun, “guitar.” Maybe prayer or meditation or study. Maybe even service. I’m posting some of the original. Make your own substitution for whatever spiritual practice (or guitar, for that matter) you need to work on.

“One guitar. One focus. One day at a time.”

1. Create a Sacred Practice Space

Designate a quiet, clean, distraction free place for your guitar. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just intentional. When you enter this space, you only play guitar. No phone, doom-scrolling or multitasking.

2. Set a Ritual Practice Time

Consistency is king. Choose the same time every day to practice, even if it’s just 15 minutes. Mornings are best for many, but anytime works as long as you’re consistent.

3. Focus on Fundamentals, Not Flash

Monks don’t chase applause, they seek mastery. That means practicing:

• Clean chord transitions
• Slow, accurate scales
• Perfect timing with a metronome
• Tone and dynamics
• Solid technique

4. Limit Your Tools

Many guitarists drown in options: pedals, amps, tabs, apps. A Guitar Monk thrives on limits.

Try this:

• One guitar
• One amp or no amp
• One notebook
• One piece of music at a time
• You’ll be amazed how much more you get done with less.

5. Practice Mindfully

Be present. No autopilot. Pay attention to:

• The intent behind your practice
• Mental distractions
• Your technique
• Your Posture
• Tension in your wrist, shoulders, arms, or jaw
• Slow down. Practicing slowly is a superpower. It builds precision, awareness, and muscle memory far more effectively than rushing.
• Listen deeply to each note. Don’t just play, hear the tone, the attack, the decay. Let your ears lead.
• Practice one thing at a time. Don’t multitask. Choose one goal, like cleaner chord transitions or even vibrato and give it your full attention.
• This turns practice into meditation and your guitar into an extension of your self.

6. Master Your Mindset

Before the fingers follow, the mind must lead.

Becoming a Guitar Monk isn’t just about technique, it’s about how you think.

• Detach from results. Focus on the process, not perfection.
• Replace frustration with curiosity. Mistakes are teachers, not enemies.
• Be patient. Real progress is quiet and gradual, like water shaping stone.
• Let go of comparison. Your path is your own.
• Return to the why. Ask yourself often: Why do I play? Keep that answer close.
• A calm, focused mind is the most powerful tool in your practice. Train it like your hands.

7. Commit Like a Monk

A monk doesn’t dabble, they commit fully, with heart and patience.

To follow the Guitar Monk path:

• Decide once. No daily debate. You practice because it’s who you are.
• Go deep, not wide. Master one piece or technique instead of skimming many.
• Be loyal to the process. Trust the repetition. Trust the slowness.
• Accept the quiet days. Not every session feels magical, that’s part of the path.
• Renew your vow. Each time you pick up the guitar, return with fresh intention.
• Commitment isn’t about pressure, it’s about peace in knowing your direction.

Becoming a Guitar Monk is not about being better than anyone else. It’s about becoming better than you were yesterday, through simplicity, focus, and devotion.

Arnold Schwarzenegger recently wrote a note to The Pump Club (an online fitness community) regarding too much fitness and nutrition advice floating around. Even if much of it is good advice, which unfortunately it is not, too much becomes confusing. Your head fills with more information than it can act upon.

Recently picked up guitar after a few dormant years. I know and have practiced many chords. I know from experience which keys I can sing in—and which genres. But I sought assurance. I visited my old friend Dr. Google. Man—too much advice. How to hold the guitar, what sort of strap and how to mount, what is the appropriate singing range based on an app.

I’ve devoted years to simplifying fitness and nutrition into something that works. Taking that thought back to the practice of guitar, I sought to simplify.

The same with spiritual practice. After 60 years of meditation experience and teaching, I found a new teacher online—just to check in to assure I’m still on the right path. His message—simplify. If the lesson didn’t come right away, well, that’s OK. Come back tomorrow.

Spiritual practice is just that—practice. Every day. If you didn’t receive a lightning bolt from God, well, that’s OK. There’s always tomorrow. Over time your personality will change. Just from sticking with the basics. Day after day. 

Read, pray, love.