Faith Venture

Sailors once upon a time checked a map to determine the direction of their destination. They left port, set their compass for that direction, and followed the course.

We have GPS today. I am contemplating a vacation to Scotland. Part of the desired destination is to visit the Shetland Islands. OK, only because we’ve watched a TV series based on a series of novels where the setting is there. 

I visited Google Maps. We would fly into Edinburg and spend some time. A ferry crosses to Shetland from Aberdeen. The GPS told me the route from Edinburg to Aberdeen (1 hr 27 min if you’re interested). When we visit, I’ll set the GPs for the destination and follow the course.

Some people teach that the goal of someone entering Christianity is to go to heaven (sometimes incorrectly visualized as somewhere in the sky) by praying a magic prayer. And that’s it.

That concept has always made me uncomfortable in the sense that it’s (one) too easy and (two) there’s no “then what.” 

I’m one of those strange people who believe that Jesus meant what he said. And, much of what he said taught how to live with God in the Kingdom of Heaven starting right now.

Perhaps instead of trying to short-circuit to the goal, we should set our compasses toward the goal and practice living a life with-God.

Just as I wrote a couple days ago, stories evolve in layers unveiling new and more important meanings. As we live out our vision of progressing toward a goal rather than being completed resting on our laurels, we live a better life.

The idea of leading a disciplined life gradually came to me the spring following a “promotion” at work from a position in manufacturing where I walked constantly (before the days of tracking steps) to a desk job the previous summer. I could barely run to first base in the first spring softball practice.

That led to a discipline of early morning runs before heading to work. That discipline got me through COVID when gyms were closed and we had just moved to a new state. I lost some fitness and gained some weight, but it could have been much worse.

Two books came my way years ago—Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster and The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. I have taught classes based on these books.

Recently I sketched an outline for a new class on Spiritual Disciplines. Thinking on these and my experiences, I concluded that a further introduction was needed for the students. Perhaps an introduction of habit forming, such as from Atomic Habits or the Power of Habit.

Then this report on research on exercise and mental health from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club newsletter—Researchers conducted a powerful statistical method that combines data from multiple studies to uncover underlying connections between exercise and mental health. The findings were clear: physical activity was strongly linked to increased resilience, and resilience, in turn, was associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and overall psychological distress.

Before we jump right into studying prayer, for example, as a spiritual discipline, perhaps we need to pay attention to our bodies and minds and their role in beginning and maintaining discipline. Unless, that is, we join a monastery where we are forced to rise at 4 am for morning prayers.

Pursuing Spiritual Discipline is a “full-contact sport.” We must involve mind and body, as well as, spirit to the extent of our capabilities.