Faith Venture

I decided last Sunday that the next post would be on distraction. Very appropriate. See, I’ve been distracted. Didn’t get around to writing until Friday, even though I thought about it every morning this week. Guess I was distracted.

Between business and vacation, I’ve been on the road part or all of every week beginning the last week of April. I may still have five weeks to go before I spend an entire week at home. This week, I flew to Los Angeles Sunday afternoon. Checked into the hotel, caught up on email correspondence and went to bed. Monday morning I thought about the post, but got distracted by news feeds, email and the many things I had to do for work. All that cut my morning workout down to less than half and hour and I was off for breakfast and a day in meetings and interviews at the conference. After the conference was dinner. Back to bed at midnight. Up at 5 am, but again distracted by many things–correspondence, proofing (I’m an editor), sending cover ideas to the art director, work out. Thought about the post, but — distracted.

After a full day of interviews and sessions on Tuesday, dinner with my nephew who had moved to LA a few years ago. Back to my room at 10. Up early, interview for an article at 7, then check out and begin a day of driving–down to Brea for a meeting, then Temecula, then San Diego for dinner with a friend. In the room at 10 only to get up at 3:45 am to catch the shuttle and a 6:45 flight home.

It only takes 20-30 minutes of focus to write a post. But focus is the key. I’d stare at the email client. Then my news reader (I never watch TV news and seldom a newspaper–my news intake consists of “feeds” or selected news sites pushed into my reader). I’d stare at my Bible, think about getting on the Web page, but then — distraction.

I’m an observer–too many years of refereeing soccer, I guess. I noticed something Sunday that I’ve often observed at church. Perhaps you’ve noticed it, too. You should be focused on the service, the speakers, the singers, God. But you’re distracted by odd thoughts. Something happened last night you need to share. Somebody dropped something on the stage. Someone misspoke–and you’ve got to notice that and giggle rather than maintaining focus on important things. Perhaps it’s someone’s dress, or hair, or mis-applied makeup. Someone marked all over the hymnal. Whatever–you’re distracted. And then you actively distract others.

I’ve written on focus and attention before. They are complementary. Where you choose to place your attention is crucial to what you will think about. Then you apply your focus. It’s not always easy. Sometimes you drift. But then you must gently correct your course back to the object of your attention.

Oh, yes, I was still focused. The speakers talked about staying close to the vine (see John 15). Practical advice. It’s best to live tapped into the source of true life.

For many Christians, faith begins and ends with a statement of belief in Jesus. They’ll repeat some words and feel that all is right. Mark writes that Peter says that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ coming from the Greek word that translates Messiah from Hebrew). But Mark follows that confession with a story of Jesus teaching about the true nature of what being the Messiah means, that is, suffering and dying not kingship and political victory. Peter then rebukes Jesus.

That is strange. Why would Mark first write that Peter gets it right, then that he gets it wrong. In fact, Jesus strongly responds to Peter’s rebuke of the vision of Messiah by saying, “Get behind me, Satan.” Wow, that’s blunt. Jesus continues his teaching by saying that Peter is thinking about the world of humans, not the world of God.

In the world of God, we focus on the Gospel. (Remember what that is–living in intimate relationship with God and serving others.) In so doing, we will wind up sacrificing our life–our will, desires and sometimes our physical life. But we will gain spiritual life–things such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Back to Peter. Just like I wrote last week, Jesus is good at breaking your flow of thought in order to force you to go deeper. It takes more than a confession of belief. It takes your life. It’s not about politics or forcing everyone to be good. It’s about God. And doing what God wants. And in so doing you find the reward. God knows what’s best.

Often when I’m in the Chicago area I’ll attend Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. Bill Hybels has a depth that few achieve. When I’m not there, I download his messages and listen to them on my iPod while I work out or travel (note: I also listen to John Ortberg, Andy Stanley on leadership and a host of podcasts on technology subjects–it’s a great way to learn)

Last weekend Bill gave one of the best talks on grief I’ve ever heard. Hope it helps you in your grief. Here is the link:

Letting Go

Imagine that you can’t hear well and can’t express what you want to say when speaking. Imagine that your mind is in working order. It must be frustrating. Jesus was presented such a man. Mark records interesting detail. Jesus stuck his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spat (spittle has great healing properties) and touched the man’s tongue. He said, “Be opened.” And they were.

You could say, “Well this is just another one of Jesus’ miracles,” and then go on with life. Think about the people in the Bible that God tapped to be messengers and couldn’t talk. Moses. Jeremiah. You? God found a way for each.

Listening and speaking go together–actually listening first. I see the wrong side among salespeople all the time. They speak first, then listen–if they listen at all. If you first listen to God, then you know what to say and to whom to speak. God will tell you. If you listen to others, they will tell you their hurts and needs. Only then can you speak God’s message of hope and healing to them.

I don’t think it’s coincidence that Mark included this story in great detail when he obviously left a lot of things out. Listening and speaking are important. The Jewish people had stopped listening to God. They had stopped speaking for God. It was time for healing. Same can probably be said for us. We live in a time of spiritual searching, much like the first century. Some will be able to listen to the call of God and the needs of people. They will, with the help and grace of God, be able to speak healing words. It could be you.

Listen! Speak!

So, you want to make an important request for help from a very important and busy person. And you don’t feel that you yourself are all that important. You are imposing on that person, and besides, he’s a different nationality from you. But you ask anyway, because it’s really important. Could even be a life or death situation.

Mark records an exchange between a woman who was not Jewish and Jesus, who was. So far, Jesus’ ministry has been to people of his own tribe. But he decides to go to a foreign country (about 20 miles away) into what we now call Lebanon. Trying to be incognito, he is recognized and approached by the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter is ill. She asks for help from the great healer. I don’t know if he was forcing her to assert herself or if at this point he was still focused on healing his own tribe, but whatever, Jesus says that he should first feed the children (meaning Hebrews) and not feed the dogs (certainly a pejorative term).

The woman to her immense credit teaches us a lesson. She stands up to the great religious man and healer and retorts, “Even the dogs get crumbs from the master’s table.”  Jesus, always one to recognize deep faith, heals the daughter from afar.

This isn’t the only story of persistence in the face of authority in the New Testament. But it reminds us that sometimes we have to assert ourselves to God. It may be a test of faith where God wants to see how much you want it and believe it can happen.