Faith Venture

Before the gatherings of Jesus-followers became rich and politically powerful after 340, before bishops controlled wealth and had the ear of kings, before the law sort of made all citizens members of the church, there was an active, thriving, although underground, church.

This church performed services unheard of in ancient times. When plagues rolled through Rome and the wealthy class fled to the mountains, the Christians came out from their hiding areas and nursed those who were ill disregarding their own health. When the cultural practice of leaving unwanted babies (usually because of being female) out for wild animals to kill, Christ followers took them in and nursed them.

Because of the witness and service of these early disciples hospitals were founded and schools were started. Women were held in higher esteem.

What if we were more like that today? Not rich. Not politically powerful. But leading through service. Attracting people by what we do, how we live.

What if…

Andy Stanley and Adam Grant accompanied me on today’s walk around the community’s ponds. Grant was on the Andy Stanley Leadership podcast.

Ancient peoples discovered long ago that you are what you repeatedly do. Read early in the book where Matthew records Jesus’ long “Sermon on the Mount”. No, actually, go and read it slowly. Good. Now, what was the punch line?

Not a trick question. Jesus concludes by saying whoever hears his words and does them is like a man who builds his house on a solid foundation.

Beware of a person’s words only. Observe what they do.

Grant is a respected writer and researcher of human behavior. He looked at some recent research determining that there are three behaviors that we may fall into: preachers, prosecutors, politicians. Preachers tell you what they believe. Prosecutors accuse you of bad things. Politicians seek to divide us to gain praise from some.

These he contrasts to the person who is always curious, seeking new knowledge, willing to admit being wrong in order to find the truth. These are doers rather than believers.

Jesus continually invited people to follow him. Follow is an action verb. You don’t sit on your behind talking if you are following Jesus. You are seeking, serving, helping, washing feet.

You can listen to what people say who are trying to influence you, but most important is to observe closely what they do.

Walking around a retention pond at sunrise.

Light snow covers the grassy areas. Glistening in the bright sun reflecting from a pure blue sky.

An eagle glides easily overhead.

An otter swims across the pond.

Ducks are pairing in preparation for mating season.

Beside me a red-winged blackbird sings to me.

Beautiful morning to be alive.

Joy. Let the experience infuse while it can.

As the formula goes, forgive me, for I have sinned.

I posted a comment on a controversial subject on Facebook.

“Let’s have a good, rational, reasonable discussion on Facebook…” said no one, ever.

But it reminded me of a thought I have pondered too long.

There are two ways of reading the Bible (or many other types of books):

1. Look for phrases or sentences I agree with, compile a list, measure other people by how much they uphold that list;
2. Look for the broad view of meaning of the whole and apply the core teachings.

Practitioners of 1 are discussed in the gospels. They are even named. Pharisees. They are not the heroes of the gospels. They are the bad guys. In the end, they killed Jesus.

The practitioner of 2 had his story also told in the gospels. He was named. It was Jesus. In the end he won by losing. He returned from the execution. His followers grew so numerous that they took over the Roman Empire 300 years later.

The Pharisees? Nothing is heard of them after 70 AD (or CE depending upon your politics).

Jesus left one measure by which we know if we have the correct interpretation of scripture. I follow this line of reasoning. “Love one another as I have loved you,” he said. “By this everyone will know that you are my followers.”

There was a discussion recently about who has authority over whom—in a contemporary church and in a family. One writer missed an important sentence in the story of the last days of Jesus’ life. The story where he talked about love. He also said, “All authority has been given to me…” By all, it’s pretty obvious he means, well, all. There is none left over for me. None for you.

Roman and Judaic social structures were all about authority. Defining who had authority over whom to the minute degree. Jesus turned that all upside down when he washed his friends’ feet in the upper room. And he said that he had all authority. Love one another.

The famous story about Michael Jordan was about being cut from an early basketball team. He came back to be a star as a senior in high school and then college and then the pros. Until the end of his career what distinguished him from lesser basketball players, even elite ones, was how hard he practiced.

The young musician on her way to a performance at the famed arts center Carnegie Hall asked someone on the street, “How can I get to Carnegie Hall?” He replied, “Practice, my child, practice.”

According to Jesus and Paul and James and other early writers, our spiritual life encompasses both our relationship to God and our relationship to our fellow human beings.

How do we grow and develop those spiritual muscles?

Practice.

We must practice more fruitful quiet time with prayer and meditation. We must practice being kind—both to ourselves and to everyone we meet.

For some people, it’s almost a dynamic tension—being alone and being with others. To be complete followers of Jesus, we must master that tension. How? Through daily practice. Beginning right this moment.

An old joke in America asks, “How can you tell a lawyer if lying? His lips are moving.” (Or substitute your favorite other profession, such as politician, marketer…)

I do not feast on current event news. On the other hand, I do have a few sources I check twice a day. I saw some news this morning. I thought, “Are there no ethics left?”

Even in my most rebellious adolescent years complaining about authority figures telling me what to do and all the other adolescent rants (that we still hear people in their 30s through 70s going on), I never considered lying, cheating, stealing, killing, and so on. There was a core of ethics that I seldom breached. (I must admit I wasn’t perfect, something I regret to this day.)

I used to know Republicans with ethics. Where have they all gone? The same with Democrats. That’s an American illustration. Substitute your own favorite politics wherever you live.

We must have a foundation of ethical behavior in order to breed and cultivate trust.

We must start in the mirror in the morning. What ethical lapses have we perpetrated in the past 24 hours? What will I do today to do the right thing? Can I teach someone else today?

Podcasts and newsletters from researchers on health and longevity comprise a substantial chunk of my weekly mind food. Everyone has a list, and I just saw one from Peter Diamandis. I endorse these seven disciplines and have followed them for years.

1. Beliefs. At one end of the spectrum are people who see 75 years old as the end. And at the other end are people who see aging as a disease, and who actively track breakthroughs in biotech that have the potential to slow or even reverse aging. Which are you?

2. Media Diet. The films, books, articles you consume have a deep, direct impact on how you think. Does your media diet reinforce the anti-longevity mindset? Or are you reading books like David Sinclair’s Lifespan, blogs like mine, and newsfeeds like Longevity Insider?

3. Community. The people we spend time with also shape our mindset. Do you spend time with people who constantly worry about death? Or do you hang with a younger, more vital crowd who surround you with optimism and a youthful vision of the future?

4. Sleep Habits. We physiologically need eight hours of sleep per night. Do you burn the candle at both ends? Or do you prioritize this most valuable resource, using the best techniques to help you?

5. Your Diet. You very literally are what you eat. The nutrients (or non-nutrients) you consume become your body, your mind, your spirit. Do you overindulge in good-tasting (sugar-rich) but destructive foods? Or do you craft a sensible diet and practice intermittent fasting to maximize your energy and longevity?

6. Exercise Habits. Exercise—especially that which increases muscle mass—is crucial to longevity. Do you exercise a minimum of three times a week—perhaps taking peptides to maximize growth hormones and increase muscle mass?

7. Mindset. Do you cultivate your Longevity Mindset? Do you see your future as bigger than your past?

My advice adds spiritual disciplines such as meditation, prayer. This added dimension boosts our mindset and attitudes helping to overcome negativity.

We had a typical spring day with light, steady rain. The ground was already saturated as the frozen turf thawed.

As the water level in the turf rose, earthworms escaped drowning by finding dry spots. These were usually hard surfaces such as asphalt and concrete driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks.

We humans know what comes next even if the earthworms don’t. Things will dry. The sun will shine. The earthworms will shrivel and die. On the pavement that saved them yesterday.

Sometimes we humans act just like those earthworms. We find a quick and simple solution to a complex problem. Perhaps one sentence from the entirety of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles.

That sentence may temporarily make us feel good. Saved. But tomorrow, maybe things change and clinging to that one simple solution may cause us to stumble.

Let’s take another look at the earthworm problem. Robins. Those orange-breasted birds called (in North America at least) the harbinger of spring.

They have been scouring the yards relentlessly from dawn to dusk looking for worms.

This morning the sidewalks and streets were a veritable buffet feast for the robins. Earthworms right there in the open just for picking up.

This morning I was out exercising for about an hour. Never saw a robin.

Sometimes God provides a feast for us, and we fail to recognize it. We let an opportunity go by without a thought.

In both cases, we need to open our eyes and minds becoming aware of the traps and the feasts. God’s there. Where are we?