What Spiritual Discipline Is Hardest

August 4, 2014

I was wondering which Spiritual Discipline I found hardest to do. Which one is hard for you?

Study? Worship? Pray? Meditate? Service?

For me, I think it’s Celebrate.

This might be personal. I’ve been somewhat frazzled over the past four years as my life changed a lot after about 20 years of stability. So, I may not always be in a celebrating mood.

On the other hand, you sort of need a reason, place and friends to celebrate. The worship service I regularly attend could hardly be called a celebration. It’s almost boring, to be frank.

Most of the people I know have quite low-key celebrations. Gather, eat, chat. Doesn’t seem all that celebratory.

Maybe I don’t know how to celebrate? Maybe I expect too much?

What about you? How do you celebrate? Or, do you? Or what is hard for you?

People regain their relationship with God through practicing Spiritual Disciplines. We call Yoga a “practice” not a “workout.”

Maybe I should practice celebration.

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Cause and Effect

August 1, 2014

If…Then…Else

This is a basic statement in computer programming. It is also a basic statement in life.

On a machine in a factory, for example, I could tell the controller “If switch A turns on, Then start the motor, Else remain in wait mode.”

But there is a universal Law of life.

The old prophets of Israel can all be read as, “If you continue to do as you are doing, Then destruction will come, Else you can live with The Lord and be saved.”

Wisdom literature such as found in the book of Proverbs can be read, “If you do this, Then you are a fool, OR If you do that, then you are wise.”

This is the Universal Law of Cause and Effect. Or, as it was stated in the Bible, “As you sow, so shall you reap.”

Now, not all illnesses or calamities that strike people are caused by themselves. But an amazing amount of bad things happen to us because of our lifestyle choices. Many of the chronic diseases in America today are a direct result of things we do to ourselves–smoking, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet.

The Willow Creek Foundation did a study several years ago of more than 10,000 people. One question asked if the person had ever drifted from God. The follow-up question was, how did you return.

Those people all said they practiced some form of Spiritual Discipline–usually reading from the Bible every day.

As you sow…. If you rise early in the morning and spend at least 15 minutes reading spiritual and motivational material, especially the Bible, then you will change your life for the better.

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You Can Choose Your Attitude

July 31, 2014

Are there people who annoy you, but it is impossible to disassociate yourself from them?

Did life just hand you a setback?

Do you feel that other people get all the luck?

Humans have know for thousands of years that what you have power over is the power to choose your attitude in these and all other incidents.

Often people reflect back to you the attitude you show. If your attitude is always negative, you’ll attract negative people. You can all sit around and complain to each other. That’s because people with a positive attitude are out creating their “luck” and avoiding you.

I’ve discovered that you cannot force other people to change. You can only change your attitude toward them. If someone you must see regularly is self-centered for example, then you won’t be able to get them to change to becoming more others centered. At least not quickly. But you can change your attitude toward them so as not to reflect back their negative attitude. You can reflect back to them the humble (other-centered) life attitude that Jesus taught than revolutionized the world.

Your attitude will see you through tough times and you’ll be an inspiration to others. Your attitude will keep you studying and praying through whatever happens.

Your attitude will bring you success–maybe not riches, but success in life which is more important.

Maybe you need a reminder taped to your bathroom wall, or the wall paper on your computer, or a “reminder” notification that pops up on your iPhone at various times to check your attitude and make sure it is the right one.

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How Can I Help

July 30, 2014

How can I help you?

These are the most powerful words of leadership.

I first read about this style of leadership in the 80s and practiced it at a company I was at. I would bring in my direct reports who were project managers (engineers) to get updates on the status of a machine we were designing and building. Then I’d ask if there were something I could provide from my position to help them get their job accomplished.

Long ago I interviewed for a job. They asked about management style. I don’t know what the right answer was, but thankfully I didn’t get that job–a better one came along. But I told them, “If I have to tell the employees what to do every step along the way, then I have failed to recruit and train the right people for the jobs. The group is a team with each having roles. My role as leader is to set the direction of the ship and assure that we are all going the right direction together. That we all know what the ‘win’ is.”

Andy Stanley, in his last “Your Move” podcast, talked about such leadership. Stanley has studied and practiced leadership at a level I’ll never reach. He came to the same conclusion.

And this models Jesus’ teaching on leadership. Remember, Jesus biggest threat to the status quo of the time was to totally invert the leadership style of the Romans (and the Jewish hierarchy).

He said that the Romans lord it over the people, but you shall lead as servants.

The prevailing leadership style was to build up the leader at the expense of the led. Jesus’ leadership style was to build up the followers in pursuit of a common “win”. That “win” was to spread the good news of the Kingdom of God and to live a life pleasing to that King.

We humans keep falling back into the imperial, director type of leadership. But more and more often we are seeing examples of Jesus’ type of leadership.

By the way, this is not weak leadership. The leader must be firm and strong about the vision and direction of the group. But she must also be an enabler of the rest of the team.

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There Are Consequences

July 25, 2014

“There was an old lady,
who swallowed a fly.
I don’t know why
she swallowed a fly.
Perhaps she’ll die.”

I was visiting my son’s house and one of his kids said something about swallowing a fly, and I sang that verse.

“You can’t say that anymore,” my son said. “It isn’t PC [politically correct].”

He was being mildly sarcastic about the PC crowd. I didn’t train one of those. He couldn’t remember the revision that someone put forward so that we wouldn’t mention death to a child.

Kids know things die. Bugs die. Animals die. Sometimes they know humans who die. It’s just a fact of life.

There are consequences to actions.

In fact, Jesus followed an ancient teaching about thoughts preceding actions by teaching that what we think about is as sinful as the action. And there are consequences.

Kids must be taught if…then logic as early as possible. If you walk into the street without looking, then you may get hit by a car and die…oops, something bad might happen. If you touch the flame…. If you tease your sibling….

The Bible is full of if…then logic. Almost the entire Old Testament talks about people of God telling the Israelites, If you keep living in this way, then God will do something or allow something bad to happen.

Jesus also taught us about consequences for our actions.

The earlier we learn the truth of that logic, the better off we’ll be.

If I swallow a fly, perhaps I’ll die. Well, not really. Sometimes things are just silly.

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A Living Contradiction

July 24, 2014

When you think of the Apostle John, you know, the one who wrote a Gospel, three letters and an apocalypse, what is your vision?

Is he the messenger of love? Or a Son of Thunder?

John MacArthur wrote in his book on the apostles, Twelve Ordinary Men that John grew from a strong, opinionated, ambitious person to someone who could also embody the type of love Jesus pointed to.

MacArthur says that John learned to temper his passion for Truth (one of John’s favorite words) with Love (his other favorite word).

How often are we as young people, perhaps freshly educated (or semi-educated) from the university, so full of truth and ourselves that we just want to command everyone into the proper ways?

Then we grow up at some point in our lives and learn that this truth needs to be tempered by patience, empathy, joy, grace (love). Then we are a complete person.

John has always been my favorite, but not so much for either truth or love, but because he seemed the most “spiritual” whereas Peter seemed the most “practical” of the apostles. Paul also was more of a practical preacher than a spiritual teacher.

MacArthur rightly points out that being a walking contradiction is not a bad thing. Strongly defending truth yet showing love to our neighbor–they go together.

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Changing Others

July 23, 2014

When was the last time you tried to change someone? How did it go for you?

Leo Babauta doesn’t write as often at his blog as he did a few years ago, but he recently posed that question at Zen Habits.

He proceeded to discuss ways that you can change rather than getting that other person to change.

You can change your attitude toward them. Become more forgiving, perhaps. Recognizing that you, yourself, do not change easily (when was the last time you tried to change your eating habits in an attempt to lose weight?).

You can change your intention for them. Stop trying to remake them in your mind.

But then I thought, “I write from an evangelical Christian point of view. We believe we can change people.”

It’s not simply “bringing Jesus into your life.” How many people do you know that have an addictive personality? They became Christian and switched their addiction to Jesus? It’s a far better addiction, but they still haven’t truly lived into the peace and joy of a life fully lived in Jesus.

But many of us truly have changed. But we did it not so much through urging of others (although that may have prodded a few of us), but maybe more through the example of others.

As we changed our focus and attitude, we began to live more in prayer and study. We slowed down our inner processes a little. Began to recognize others–their needs, desires.

I’ve not only seen that happen, I’ve experienced it.

But it didn’t come because someone else tried to change me by force of will. I just lived into an example. How Jesus lived, and how some of his followers lived that I thought was pretty cool.

So, check out Leo’s list. But then look at how two of his ideas for accepting the other’s problems actually, over time, can help them grow. Not reflecting back to them their bad habits (say, anger) and providing an example of a better way to live.

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Why Priests

July 21, 2014

The first time I took a deep dive into the book of Hebrews, I went about half-way in. Then something just didn’t sound right. So, I went back to the beginning and pulled out a copy of the book (or essay or whatever, it’s definitely not a letter) and read it along with the author of the exegesis. I thought, what in the world is this guy reading? Closed the book and never read another work by Hal Lindsey–one of the major proponents of knowledge of the secrets of the end of time.

I wrote a post about Why Priests? by Garry Wills a few weeks ago. This is a much better exegesis of the Hebrews. It is researched, scholarly yet readable (we’ll see if my wife makes it through–the test for readability) and well thought through. Not the least of which is that Wills seems to be Augustinian at the core–as am I.

Read this book if you are drawn to deeper understanding of the Bible. I like these works that stretch my thinking and increase my knowledge.

The thing is, I also have never considered priests or ministers as some sort of super-humans with some mysterious power. Every time I considered going to a seminary, I would think through and consider the curriculum and conclude that for the most part a seminary degree is just a ticket into a club. I’m with the the wit (was it Groucho Marx or Mark Twain?) who said “I wouldn’t join any club that would have me as a member.”

I think the model of church that is best for today combines the best of the Acts 2 house churches (small groups) with a combined larger church where you can hear the best of teachers and collectively provide service with much greater impact than a few people working alone. See Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, Rick Warren and many others.

Find your group or groups. Search out good teaching. Study, pray, serve. Follow Jesus.

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Love As A Way of Being

July 18, 2014

Jesus said that this is how his followers would be known–by their love.

English much to the poverty of its ability to define expression only has one word–love–that means so many things. The Greeks, at least, had three. No wonder we become confused.

We make love–meaning having sexual intercourse which all to often has nothing to do with love.

We say “love you” to end conversations leaving the other person wondering if that is just a phrase like “honey” or “darling”.

We tell another “I love you” when what we really mean is we want something from them.

We use the term to refer to the rush of hormones.

Love rightly understood in the context of the New Testament is the direct opposite of the world view of the Romans, which was the world view of all the societies Rome ruled.

The Roman view, which led to a state of being, thinking and acting, was that of power and authority.

For Jesus, love was the opposite. If you follow Jesus, you are the opposite of a follower of Rome. Love is first of all a state of being–that’s just what you are. You live not in a world of power thinking only of yourself but in a world of thinking of others first.

Love is an attitude we carry with us. It is a way of looking at ourselves and others.

It comes from our relationship with God carrying over from that strength to always being aware of the needs of others and aware of how we can help (serve) them.

In this way, Jesus turned the Roman Empire on its head.

The early Christians added to their groups many just because they actually lived differently from others in the same city and society.

This has not always been the case with Christians. Or people. Even today we have such bitter conflict with the taking of many lives. We ignore or worse punish many who have deep needs. And we say we are Christians.

Would Jesus say of us, “I know you are my followers because of your love”?

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Practicing Compassion

July 17, 2014

Conditions at home have reached an unbearable point. “I’ve got to get out of here,” they think. Someone says, there’s hope in America. The word spreads. Groups start the long and treacherous journey. Groups become thousands.

For the past five weeks I’ve either been traveling or deep into a research project. I get very little news in those times. But I know there’s something terrible going on at our border with Mexico.

After writing about gratitude and humility, compassion seemed to be the next logical topic.

Compassion is not feeling sorry for, it is feeling with. I have great compassion for those children seeking a better life. Every one of my American readers came from such stock–people seeking a better life by coming to America. Most of them found it. Our nation was built on that. It is somewhat unique in the world in that way.

Sometime we turn to politics to solve the problem. But most problems are not political, they are human. In politics, lines are drawn, people become things. We construct evil sounding labels for those we oppose. It’s easier to deal with people that way.

My dad would have never had a Japanese friend–not that he ever had the opportunity. There were no Japanese people within 50 miles of where he lived his life. The end of World War II found him on a ship in the Pacific. He was trained to think of Japanese people as less than human so that he could go over there and kill them.

I don’t speak German as a native because of two world wars fought against Germany. People stopped speaking German out of patriotism for America (or out of fear of being called a traitor).

My formative years intellectually came during the Civil Rights Era. I was moved by the treatment of black people–who were usually called names that made them less than human in the mind.

Let’s work to develop and practice our compassion “gene” and let it overcome our “fear” and “anger” genes. I do not know what I can do about that situation right now. But as the opportunities present themselves, I’ll jump on something. I know how easy it is to label people and write them off as less than human. It is a terrible thing.

Someone said in a situation, “Just pray.” But it’s not “just” pray. Prayer is a powerful tool of action. Pray with intention. Pray with expectation. Pray with compassion. That is one thing we can do–now.

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