Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.” The phrase was repeated by his brother, James.
Maybe is not an answer.
An invitation comes your way, social, business, request for something. If it’s within your boundaries and time constraints and ethics, say yes. If not, say no immediately. Don’t stew around with maybe.
When you say yes, mean it. People will learn to trust you.
I’ve long contemplated rewriting Noel Paul Stookey’s song Hymn to update to today’s experience. This was a Jesus Movement song of a person critical of organized religion. It includes the phrase, “They passed a basket with some envelopes; I just had time to write a note; And all it said was ‘I believe in You.’“
The net result of the Jesus music of the late 60s and early 70s was the capture of the music by music producers leading to the rock and roll mega church model.
My take on that movement is that people want to be entertained—a rock concert with a TED talk. Not much community. Some have bustling missions service, but other do not.
Yesterday’s daily tip from Seth Godin re-energized my thinking when he said, “Most people in our culture would like to be entertained not transformed, lectured at instead of learning.”
What about you? What about me? Are we like that?
A study found in The Pump Club newsletter, Researchers examined 105 studies, including more than 70,000 people. Their goal was to test whether the psychological and physical wellness costs of chasing external rewards were universal, and the results were surprisingly consistent. Individuals who strongly pursued extrinsic aspirations (such as financial success or popularity) reported lower subjective well-being, less vitality, and more symptoms of anxiety and depression. The effects weren’t minor, either. Across the board, extrinsic goal orientation resulted in reduced well-being. In fact, the effect size was similar regardless of nationality, age, or gender, suggesting this isn’t a culture-specific issue — it’s a human one. On the flip side, people who prioritized intrinsic goals — like personal growth, relationships, and community — consistently showed higher life satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms, and better overall health behaviors.
It’s like Jesus told us over and over—trying to be successful trying to chase after stuff or trying to simply follow the religious law was a journey to death. The journey to life led through getting right with God and serving others by becoming aware of their needs. Be others-focused. Chasing stuff is like a dog chasing its tail.
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.
My music life began with percussion lessons at about 8 or 9. I was in the University of Cincinnati band a year. Feeling percussion was a bit awkward to move around with, I taught myself guitar from books and friends.
My practice slipped for a few years for several reasons among which were moving and Covid.
Then I did a little performing discovering that a few years off from both playing and singing causing major negative effects.
I also have a hereditary condition (prominent among those of Irish and Nordic descent, and I have Irish ancestors) called Dupuytren contracture. Hardening stiffness of the tendons of the hand cause fingers to contract. My case is mild. The massage therapist helps. I picked up guitar seriously again as a method of stretching my hand.
Starting again was not like riding a bike. My mind said it knew hundreds of chords and patterns and progressions. My hands said, “What???”
Why all this detail? This bleeds over into spiritual practice. It’s all about doing things intentionally.
There is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong. HL Mencken
Some people sit in libraries or their studies reading books and deriving theories about how things should work and how other people should think and act.
Mencken’s thought reminded me of a saying that undereducated people develop simplistic answers to complicated problems, while overeducated people develop complicated answers to simple problems.
Some problems are simple problems requiring simple solutions.
Many times problems are messy requiring compromise and rethinking. The solutions may not satisfy everyone.
We need to learn to live in a world without perfection. Living within paradox has some tension but in the long run is most satisfying.
Every person who goes clothes shopping is already wearing clothes.
Almost every new worshipper in the local church came from another church.
We often sell wants not needs.
Maybe we should sell clothes to someone who needs clothes—or at least a particular item.
Maybe we need to introduce Jesus to someone who needs to begin a spiritual journey, not just a different venue.
Sometimes just sitting with someone hurting is enough.
Maybe saying nothing more than, it’s tough.
Sometimes listening with our whole heart is enough.
Sometimes asking kind and gentle questions is better—followed by real listening.
The key part—being. Presence. Acknowledgement.
My wife and I vacationed in Scotland for a bit longer than a week. While experiencing Edinburgh and perhaps a Scottish ale or a Scotch whisky, we also toured areas and heard many stories of the history of the land.
Several guides recounted the tales of Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic clumsily beheaded by her Protestant cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England. About the same time in Scotland appeared a Protestant preacher called John Knox. (Presbyterians should know who he is.)
And once again as in many vacations in Europe we heard stories of devastating violence and bloodshed as Christians took up arms against Christians.
Even in America today, while we have only a little blood shed, we experience Christian v Christian strife.
Andy Stanley recently spoke on finding out what breaks your heart.
One thing that breaks mine is this strife and bitterness between groups of people each professing to follow Jesus. There is some sort of paradox with this.
I’ve studied theology. It can be a way to challenge the thinking power of the brain.
I’m much more interested in developing the practice of experiencing God and following Jesus’s instructions to act out love toward the neighbor—wherever or whomever they happen to be. Why go out of our way to make things complicated?
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.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 