Faith Venture

“If I continue to live like this, will I go to hell?”

OK all of you judgmental personality types–you’ve already said “yes”, right?

But…

I think the question is somewhat wrong. Really it should be “Am I already living in hell?”

When Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of Heaven was here, he meant, well, here. Now. Not a geography, but within us.

We can live starting today in one of two ways.

One is driven by our fears, insecurities, desires, emotions.

The other is living in the spirit.

Some Christians worry way too much about someday.

Someday is today.

“Can I trust you?” the new church member asked her pastor.

Was this guy going to feed her false teachings to simply enhance his own status?

“No,” he replied.

Shocking!

But, he then laid out a Bible study plan and a spiritual practice of study so that she could truly be a disciple (learner) on her own, but guided.

That is so wise. Jesus didn’t tell us to make puppets in our own image. He told us to make disciples–of his.

When you simply pass along memes on social media without thinking, whose disciple are you? Did you think through issues before reading that stuff? Or, are you a puppet of someone else whose aim is to simply get you all fired up? And by the way, spending more time on that social media platform so that that company can extract even more attention and data from you?

My preferred practice of helping someone who has a problem with their computer is to have them put their hands on the mouse and do their own clicking. The muscle memory and experience sets them free.

Similarly, teaching someone how to study and how to meditate and how to think sets them free rather than creating a puppet that simply reflects the teacher.

I’m going on hearsay, but I’m told this is International Women’s Day. I knew it was coming, because PR people have been calling for a couple of weeks offering interviews with women engineers (my other blog focuses on technology).

So last week, I interviewed a woman with an MIT PhD who is Chief Technology Officer for a semiconductor company. This week, I interviewed a woman who is a high level cybersecurity leader with a major technology company.

Yet, I am distressed.

We’ve had more than 50 years of “women’s liberation” (showing my age), yet, society still has this problem.

A leading evangelical preacher disappears from the public stage due to his abusive relationship with women close to him. Heck, even the Southern Baptists, that bastion of moral rectitude, are wrestling with the sudden publicity of abuse of women by male clergy.

We can look to many sources for inspiration, but Jesus is a good place to start. A careful reading of his life reveals that he had women disciples. That was extraordinary. Revolutionary. He consistently treated women as, well, human.

It blows my mind that we haven’t learned the lesson some 2,000 years later. Even among men who claim to be following him.

Maybe we can someday have a day that just celebrates humans…all humans.

Fat Tuesday is now behind us. I hope you celebrated well. Today, the beginning of Lent, begins a time of fasting and reflection–at least for the more liturgical of Christians. For some evangelical Protestants it is not something emphasized.

I did not grow up in a family or church that emphasized fasting during Lent–or any other time for that matter. We kids made fun of the Lutherans (the majority in my home village) who fasted by giving up a food for Lent. Famous was the guy who gave up watermelon. That is a fruit unavailable in March and April in Ohio.

Giving up something that you couldn’t get anyway is obviously making light of the ritual and not practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting. God warns us many times (Isaiah 58, Jeremiah 14, Joel 2, Zechariah 7 for example) about fasting with the wrong attitude.

That is why Isaiah says this:

“Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of injustice,

to undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover them,

and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;”

Isaiah 58:6-8

Jesus also tells us that if we are fasting, do not go around looking sad and burdened. Appear as normal. But between you and God, you agree to give up some food or drink as a discipline for a period of time.

Tip: It can also be healthy. I had a Catholic friend who gave up desserts, fried foods, and beer for Lent. Lost 10 pounds every year. Then Easter Sunday came and it all went back on. But he had the right attitude any way.

Traveling this week. At the airport yesterday I experienced twice incidents where I (we) could make a judgement drawing a conclusion from the appearance of someone’s story, only to find out the rest of the story and come to a startling different conclusion.

Today is Mardi Gras–in English, Fat Tuesday. It is a final day of eating and drinking before entering Lent. Lent is a time of inward looking, fasting (for some), penitence, preparing our hearts for the victory of resurrection.

So maybe we see someone tonight partying, eating rich foods, perhaps an extra glass of wine. Then tomorrow we see them with ashes on their forehead. If we saw only one or the other would we have their story?

Or perhaps we need the rest of the story. We need the inner discipline to refrain from the rush to judgement about other people. Or even ourselves.

We have to walk that lonesome valley,

We have to walk it by ourselves.

Oh, nobody else can walk it for us.

We have to walk it by ourselves.

–Jesus Walked That Lonesome Valley, American Folk Hymn

What a joy for a child when he can tie his own shoe laces, she can button her own shirt. It’s a sort of freedom.

We grow up. We come to expect others to do for us. A guru bestows truth on us. A doctor gives a magic pill.

We become fit without feeding ourselves nutritious food. We become fit without exercising. We think someone else will do the work.

We expect someone else to do the hard work of spiritual practices and then bestow the truth of enlightenment upon us.

We have to walk it by ourselves.