Faith Venture

Have you ever met someone who steadfastly refuses to confess? You can see a child doing something wrong. You call them over. “Did you do that?” you ask. “No,” they answer.

God saw Cain rise up and attack his brother. “Where is your brother?” God asks. “I don’t know,” Cain answered.

It was a lie. He knew it. God knew it. There is a moment in the encounter where a decision must be made. Did the thoughts go through his mind, “Should I confess to God that I did it and ask for forgiveness, or should I just maintain my innocence?”

It was not that Cain did not believe in God. Cain was talking with (not to) God. He had offered God a sacrifice. Cain knew God existed. That wasn’t the issue. Whether or not grain offerings were not as pleasing as animal offerings was not the issue.

The issue was Cain’s heart. God said to Cain, why are you so disappointed in my rejection of your offering? If you do well, will I not be pleased? Watch out, for sin is crouching by you. The  point is that Cain could not control his emotions. His jealousy turned to rage which turned to murder. When he still had an opportunity to confess, his heart would not let him do it.

That’s why Jesus was so concerned with the condition of our hearts. That’s why John (in 3:16) composed a word that said “faith toward” which is in the same meaning as trust. God wanted a trusting relationship with Adam and Eve. Didn’t happen. Then with Cain. Didn’t happen.

I started a notebook for capturing thoughts on confession when I heard Dallas Willard talk about how confession is so little used as a Spiritual Discipline these days. Then a small group I’m in decided to read all the old stories from Genesis. And there it was. One of the first stories recorded about the relationship of God and humans. And failure to confess is second after succumbing to temptation.

That made me sit in meditation this morning thinking about the things I should have been confessing. That is, bring out in the open between me and God and seeking forgiveness.

Every morning Archie Goodwin would rise, get dressed and come downstairs in the old brownstone. After breakfast served by master chef Fritz, he’d go to the first floor office he shared with famed detective Nero Wolfe. He would dust the furniture and book shelves, organize the files and desks, and prepare for another day.

That’s a description generalized from the series of detective novels written by Rex Stout featuring the genius detective who weighed 1/7 of a ton (not so much by today’s standards) and favored yellow shirts.

The image of organizing and cleaning the office before sitting down to work has intrigued me ever since I read the first novel more than 15 years ago. Do I do that? No. I just sit (or stand at my standing desk) and start reading or writing.

Usually after a business trip, I’ve dumped a week’s worth of press kits and books on my desk. And there they stay. A reminder of the organization that my mind needs in order to focus.

Jon Swanson wrote a post this week, “The Messy Office is Just a Symptom.” I don’t know Jon, but I feel like he’s a friend after reading his various blogs and books for several years. He’s another one of the people that I should try to meet for breakfast when I’m making one of my trips through northern Indiana on my way to Chicago. Anyway, his meditation on messy offices stuck with me.

But he is right. A messy office is just a symptom of a messy mind. And a messy life. When I catch my winter cold (from which I’ve just recovered–almost made it through the winter), it’s usually because I’ve allowed my life to get out of order. If that continues enough, then my body sends a message. Usually in the form of some sort of illness that forces me to slow down.

Quite a few readers of this blog are journalists–personal friends. Often journalists, especially if they come from a newspaper background, have extremely messy desks. Papers and notes piled up everywhere. My dad was that way even though he was an accountant–and they are supposed to be anal about order. Anyway, just wondering how order and disorder affect you. Do you find when you’re organized, it’s easier to sit down and meditate and pray? I do.

Forming Your Spiritual Life.

“Spiritual Formation is not about changing behavior but changing the causes of behavior.” Dallas Willard recently made this statement in an interview.

We are in the first week of March. I know because there’s a foot of snow on the ground waiting for me to fire up the snow blower one last time (maybe). It’s also the time when New Year’s Resolutions are history.

Ah, January First. So much hope. We’re going to begin eating right. Working out. Reading the Bible.

We are going to change our behavior.

Didn’t work, did it. The extra 20 people who signed up for my Yoga class showed up once–or not at all.

Why are we overweight? Spiritually lax? Relationship challenged?

Andy Stanley, teaching on another topic, talked though about getting to what we call in manufacturing the “root cause.” In Lean Manufacturing, there is a technique called “Five Whys.” Confronted with a problem, you ask, “Why is that?” Then again, you ask, “Why is that?” Soon you will get to the real cause.

Back to Stanley. He was talking about emotions in a relationship. You might say, “I’m angry at you.” But if you went to the root cause (my words, not his), you might define the real emotion causing anger as insecurity, jealousy, fear.

What are the root causes in our lives that block us from living a life in the Spirit? Laziness, insecurity, feelings of inadequacy, pride?

Those are the things we need to work on. What kind of person do you wish to become? Focus on that, work on it, and the rest will follow.

What does your calendar say about you?

What does your calendar say about you? Is it filled with appointments for work or church? Who are you seeing? If I looked at it, would one or both of us be embarrassed?

How are you feeling about your time right now? Stressed? Not enough time for things you would like to do? People you would like to see? Books to read — or write? Kids to play with?

Time is a Spiritual discipline.

The Bible does not spell it out. But Daniel took time out of his busy days to pray three times daily. Jesus went off alone often to play and meditate. It must have been on their schedule.

Did you know that you could put time on your schedule just for you? There. You have my permission. Right on your calendar you can block out 15 minutes for prayer or meditation. 30 minutes for Spiritual reading. An hour with your spouse or kids. Date night. Block out time for growth and reflection. Another meeting? Sorry, I’m busy at that time.

Bill Hybels talks about the power of the schedule. When you set out to enter things, he advises, don’t ask what you want to get done. Ask who you want to become.

View your use of time as a Spiritual Discipline. Use it to become the person God wants you to be.

“Religion tends to make you closed and dishonest. Alcoholics Anonymous works, but in church we just don’t trust enough to confess to each other.” Dallas Willard, a brilliant philosopher and theologian, made this comment recently.

James advises us, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”

Confession may be one of the Spiritual Practices (or Disciplines) that is least done–ranking up there with fasting.

I have not heard my American Catholic friends talk about the formal “going to Confession” (is it a Rite or a Sacrament?) for many years. Is this something slipping away even there? In the Catholic tradition, you would confess your sins to a priest in complete privacy who would offer forgiveness in the name of Jesus and the community. In the Protestant tradition, we remove that intermediary.

But all the same, when was the last time you confessed any sin to another Christian? In my case, most likely never aside from the times as part of a worship service when the leader makes us repeat something printed in the bulletin or liturgy.

Willard suggests a problem. Do we trust those around us in church enough to stand and confess before the gathered community? Probably not. We know too many gossips in the group. Or, we’re afraid of the gossips–or those who would use the information against us.

And that’s a tragedy.

What a lost opportunity to help others heal! What a lost opportunity for us to heal.

My last post talked about opening our eyes to see our failings. The next step is to confess to someone. Confessing to God in private most assuredly helps. But having someone around us offer assurance is necessary for healing.

The small group movement–which I’ve been involved with for 40 years probably–always begins with a covenant that “what is told in the group, stays in the group.” (And you thought Las Vegas invented that line!)

We need that covenant in church. We confess, receive assurance and it stays there.