Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

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How To Come to Understand Righteousness

August 28, 2014

We find in Proverbs 2:

making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding

leads to:

For The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding;

concluding:

Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;

This is like one of those “if…then” statements in computer programming. Only in this case, it is God teaching us about our programming.

If we tune into God, because God gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, then we will understand.

Henry Cloud, speaking last Sunday at Willow Creek Community Church, told a story about “Joey” and his dad.

Seems dad owns a very large business. He is thinking about succession planning and wants Joey to take over. But Joey doesn’t seem to have the fire in him to run a big company. Dad wanted to keep on providing experiences for Joey in the hopes that he might eventually catch on. Henry told dad, the fire must come from Joey. It can’t come from dad, or anyone else.

God is that way. He is always out there ready for us. But we must be the ones to catch on and ask.

If we tune in to God. How do we do that? First we decide. We’ll do a 15-minute “chair time” with God, reading from the Bible and listening for what God is saying. Then we find a small group of like-minded people with whom to share. That would be a great start.

Oh–a forewarning to you poor readers. I just got my sweaty little hands on 1,500 pages of N.T. Wright’s “Paul and The Faithfulness of God.”

In my college years while full of the liberalism of the time, I had great dislike for Paul and his supposed dislike of women and his preaching conformity to the state. (Hey, it was the late 60s. Need I say more?)

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate Paul greatly. I can look beyond all the vast misinterpretations that have been spouted as theology. Romans is the greatest spiritual formation book I’ve ever read.

So, there will be more of Paul to come.

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Posted in Disciplines, Faith, Learning | 1 Comment »

You Become What You Worship

August 8, 2014

“You become what you think about.”

Earl Nightingale, a writer and radio broadcaster, researched what made people successful in life for his entire life. His thought had a great impact on me.

After many years of reading the world’s greatest thinkers, it occurred to him that over and over he read that our thoughts determine our actions. We become what we think about.

The Menlo Park Presbyterian Church is replaying “Best of…” messages this summer. This week I listened to a conversation with theologian N.T. Wright. I’ve only read one of his books, but he’s now on my shopping list for more.

He dropped this comment into the conversation, “You become like what you worship.” Sound familiar?

Jesus taught that you cannot worship both God and money. Do you worship power (Mars in the ancient world)? Love/sex (Aphrodite)? The ancients knew psychology.

If your thoughts, like the prevailing worldview of the Romans, dwell on power and how you can obtain power over others, you may or may not become powerful in the eyes of the world, but you will become shallow, cynical, not liked, and apart from God.

Many of the objects we worship–even if we don’t call it worship exactly these days–lead us to personal places of loneliness, despair, unhappiness. We just go from experience to experience looking for the next high.

Focusing on God through the disciplines of study, prayer, meditation, service, and so on lead to a personally fulfilling life.

We become like God.

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Fear or Faith

August 7, 2014

Yes, I’ve been traveling again. Conferences start too early in the morning for me to keep up my daily routine. But I’m in Austin, Texas and enjoying my early morning runs along Town Lake like I’ve done for the past 16 years at this conference.

A remark was made Sunday that people can react to circumstances with fear or faith.

Psychologists who study such things have noticed for years that people have fears they may not even recognize.

People in business often fear, not failure, but success. For some reason, they are uncomfortable with success and do something to screw it up. It’s worth thinking about in your own life. Are there projects or ministries or businesses where you reacted with fear of the unknown that comes with success or with faith in the future?

I’ve been contemplating the horrors of the Middle East with this latest invasion of Gaza by Israel. So much of that conflict is where fear meets resentment. And it seems like a vicious circle. I’ve been to Israel. I’ve sensed the underlying fear. I’ve been around poor people and talked to a few Palestinians. I also sensed this in Egypt several years ago. The resentment. Even educated people with no prospects.

Fear and resentment played a part in US history–remember the summer of riots in the late 60s.

Both sides in all these cases claimed a faith. But the reactions are fear.

And what of us? Do we step out in service in faith? Or do we shrink from helping others from fear?

Time for a personal check up?

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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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The Tension Between What Should Be and What Is

July 10, 2014

In the old TV sitcom, Cheers, there existed a dynamic tension between Sam, the owner/bartender, and Diane, the waitress. Would they become romantically involved or not?

TV writers just can’t hold dramatic tension for long, though, and eventually Sam and Diane slept together and that tension was broken. Humans, it seems, cannot live in that sort of tension.

Jesus had no problem with dynamic tension.

Andy Stanley brings up the story of the scholars asking Jesus about divorce in this week’s “Your Move” message.

The scholars wanting to test Jesus to see if he is faithful to the tradition of Moses, asks him if a man can divorce a woman. (Note: it didn’t work the other way around at that time.)

Jesus answered by asking them if they had read (a direct hit on them) that when a man and a woman marry they become one flesh that no one can tear apart.

That is the “what should be” part of the problem.

Then why did Moses give us a method for divorce? Because our hearts are hard and we fall short of the ideal.

Jesus lived comfortably with the tension of what should be and what is. He understood that people are not perfect. That’s why he brought forgiveness.

The question is, can we live within that tension? Or, are we more like the Pharisees of his day or the “church lady” of Saturday Night Live fame–people who know rules and enjoy pointing out where others fall short of perfection?

I am painfully aware of what I should be. And what I am in reality. All I can do is ask for forgiveness for the gap.

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Letting Anger Pollute Us

July 8, 2014

The US was caught up in World Cup fever even more than in the past. Soccer news has become more prominent. Unfortunately, not all that news is good. A referee in Michigan was just killed when an adult player became angry with a call and “sucker-punched” him in the head.

I’m not going to weigh in on the Second Amendment arguments, which carry more emotion than logic anyway. I do watch with increasing discomfort the wish of many to want to carry guns with them wherever they go. So many of the people I know about or read about who want guns are carrying anger with them. If there is someone I definitely don’t want around me, it’s someone with anger issues carrying a weapon where once you pull the trigger, there’s no “do over”.

Politics in America today involve much anger. I’ve read about “angry white men.” But there is no monopoly on anger in the country by any one group.

The thing that disappoints me more than about anything is reading Facebook posts from self-proclaimed Christians that are full of anger and cynicism.

Let’s look into Proverbs for guidance. “One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.” (16:32)

I can remember a time in my life when anger was perhaps my controlling emotion. Then one day I had one of those experiences where you are outside of your body watching yourself in action. I thought, “How stupid.” I was maybe 13.

As Robert Burns, the Scottish poet put it (from Wikipedia):

Burns original
O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,
An’ ev’n devotion!

Standard English translation
And would some Power the small gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!

That one experience led to a life of controlling anger. Realizing that anger is an honest emotion that can help us overcome obstacles. But uncontrolled, it is a blazing sword that severs relationships and a poison that pollutes our lives.

The antidote is the inner peace and security that comes from nowhere but God.

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Word Vs Deed

July 7, 2014

The mission trip to Mexico ended less than a week ago. We painted, gave away food staples, played with orphans. Our short-term missionaries seemed to grow a lot from the experience.

I used my early-morning and late-night meditation time to read and ponder “Word Vs Deed: Resetting the Scales to a Biblical Balance” by Duane Litfin.

There are people who believe that to fulfill Jesus’ teachings and commands, we should emphasize preaching (word). Others believe that Jesus’ commands require us to go and do–at various levels from helping individual members of our family or tribe to solving world-wide economic and environmental problems.

Litfin wants us to do both (I think). And he wants us to do it for sound Biblical reasons. “It is a gospel that not only must be preached; it must be lived,” he states at one point.

He includes this quote, “Christians cannot be governed by mere principles. Principles [can] carry one only so far. At some point every person must…know what God is calling him to do.” —Eric Melaxas, Bonhoeffer

And one I particularly like, “Christians need to look like what they are talking about.” — John Poulton

We earn trust from others when our words and our deeds are congruent. Hypocrisy can mean saying one thing and doing another.

But as I read, I pondered his struggle for an “accurate” and strict Biblical interpretation. I suddenly wondered if he had studied the way that Jesus and Paul used Scripture to prove their points or as a jumping off place for presentation of their teachings.

This book is a good read, especially for those who are caught up in one or the other ends of the pendulum swing and are seeking a reasoned argument for balance.

Word or Deed? Yes!

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When You’ve Lost That Zen State of Being

June 13, 2014

Thirty-five years of meditation changes your personality and state-of-consciousness. You can become more relaxed. Open to the flow of life. To the reality of other people–more of observer less of judge.

But what do you do in the times that you’ve lost that “Zen feeling.” (Sorry Righteous Brothers.)

Sometimes stresses get to you. Sometimes worries get to you. Sometimes other people get to you.

Reflecting back on myself over the years, I can identify times where I’ve lost that state of being.

Here are some examples from the recent and not-so-recent past.

  • I took some “herbal” weight loss tonic (OK, I’ve already been yelled at for that–when you’re 5’10” and 175 lbs, you’re hardly overweight) several months ago that brought on anxieties.
  • I’ve struggled with quite a number of people to get some things accomplished. That’s not within my normal personality.
  • Then, do you ever notice the impact of food on your body and emotions? Yesterday’s lunch left me lethargic all afternoon. I didn’t regain full energy until evening. No more Bob Evans Pot Roast Sandwich Platter for lunch for me 😉

This morning I read Jon Swanson’s 300 Words a Day post and he nailed it. It’s when you stop thinking at least 90% of the time about others.

I mean, when we read that Jesus says,

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

we do it.

Yes, if we go back to the basics of the faith, that helps. Focus outwardly–God, ideas, others. We must be reminded of this constantly lest we slip into old, bad habits.

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It’s Hard To Focus On the Distant Future

June 2, 2014

Much Christian preaching involves the idea of “repent and someday you’ll inherit eternal life.” One of the study groups I attend has been working its way through the book of Revelation for the past eight months. They are trying to come to grips with the “someday the world will end” interpretation of the writing.

Daniel Goleman brings a wealth of science research into his writing and makes it both informative and approachable. “Emotional Intelligence” is my guidebook to emotionally healthy growth, right along with “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” by John Climacus, and early Desert Father of the church. Goleman’s latest book, “Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence”, includes a chapter discussing climate change and the trouble people have trying to be concerned about something where the results are far in the future.

It seems that our brains are wired to help us survive–but only from immediate danger. That would be the “fight or flight” response you’ve heard about. This is the most likely reason why public discussion about the climate has degenerated into polarized opinions rather than rational looks into the data.

I think some of the same brain physiology is at work in the “repent or someday you’ll go to Hell” evangelizing. That’s a someday thing that does not relate to our immediate survival.

It’s also a misreading of John, the apostle and writer. John is clear in his Gospel that eternal life comes to you the moment you believe. That moment is when we begin living in eternal life. Eternal life is not someday, it’s now.

We just acknowledge, “I was living like that, then I became aware that that life was not fruitful, so I decided to live in a different way as a follower of Jesus.”

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Is Belief Bad

May 13, 2014

Poor John Lennon. His songs are on background music at restaurants now. Last night I heard “Imagine.” Imagine there are no countries. Imagine no religions.

It was an honest emotion that Lennon acknowledged. He was in a time of wars, racial strife, hatred, religions fighting religions. Forty plus years down the road, things have not changed much.

The question is, can we really have a world where we just sit around and love each other? No other real purpose in life?

I guess many of us have moments when we wish problems would just go away and we can live quietly in peace.

The true triumph is when we can live at peace with ourselves in the midst of chaos. It is belief that holds us anchored during those times.

Few religions, if you probe deeply into the foundations, teach hatred, strife and conflict. Definitely I never was taught those values in any Christian education I’ve endured–er, experienced.

Truth is that there is evil in the world. Childlike wishing will not make it go away.

“Religion” (as I wrote yesterday) can be good or bad. But living in the Spirit and practicing “religion” in the Spirit is our foundation. That’s belief. And belief is necessary for a life that matters.

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