Posts Tagged ‘lifestyle’

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Spiritual Fitness and Endurance

August 29, 2010

I have refereed soccer for over 20 years. Along the way, I’ve been privileged to work some pretty high-level games. In order to be successful, I had to continually train my body and my mind. Part of training the body is to have the endurance to still be running at the end of the match along with the players and not be so tired that you begin to make poor decisions (mind).

People ask me about the spiritual life. Is it one burst of enlightenment? Or, is it believing in a set of words? Baptists (among others) emphasize the importance of decision. Some think that once you make the decision for Christ, then you’re pretty much done. Nothing else to do.

The answer to all of that is pretty much “no” or “there’s more.” Paul often uses the metaphor of athletic training when speaking of the spiritual life. Just as it is necessary to train your body and mind to be fit to be a soccer referee, you must train your body and mind to be fit for the spiritual life. How do you train? You train your mind by study–study the Bible; study scholars who study the Bible and help explain terms the original languages and the like; study writings from spiritual masters; and, most of all think abut what you’re reading. You train your body by working to avoid sins of the body–sexual, alcohol abuse, and the like. You also train through the discipline of prayer.

James makes a similar teaching at the beginning of his pastoral letter–you gain endurance by living through trials.

Once you decide for Jesus, the spiritual life begins in earnest. Begin training now.

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Spiritual Energy Crisis

August 14, 2010

The motivational speaker industry sort of sprung up in the 70s and eventually became a big business. There are now speakers who target business people, sports people, men, women–wherever there’s money to be made. The first time I heard one of these speakers was at a management conference in the 70s during a previous energy crisis. His point, though, was that the real energy crisis was personal. Too many people just don’t have the kind of energy they need to succeed in life.

Doug Wysockey-Johnson, executive director of Lumunos (formerly Faith@Work, a leader of the small group movement), just posted an essay on the Lumunos blog about this same energy crisis. Have you noticed a lethargy, a lack of energy for your work for God? He links this to “call.” You sometimes need to remember your call, and renew your commitment to it. Your call should give you energy. Check out his essay. Overcome your personal energy crisis.

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Wakeful or sleepy prayer

August 12, 2010

You have a friend facing a great trial. Life or death hangs in the balance. She’ll know shortly. She asks her friends to pray for/with her. But the threat doesn’t seem real to you. Somehow you just cannot work up the same level of concern as she. While she is sweating in anguish over what might happen to her in the next hours and days, you close your eyes to pray and … fall asleep. She wakes you. You try again. And again…you fall asleep. Some friend!

Jesus brought his three closest friends to a hillside garden across the valley from Jerusalem to pray with him. He knew that the events were building and that his final confrontation with the religious leaders was coming soon. He knew it wasn’t a game he was playing. It was for “keeps.” It was life or death. He had the dread we all face when we are about to undergo a trial and can’t really picture the outcome. We don’t know how bad the experience will be. He wanted support. He got…nothing. They went to sleep on him. They just didn’t feel that same sense of urgency that the one about to undergo the trial felt.

In the discipline of meditation, there is a state called “restful awareness.” You are resting, focusing your mind on God, yet you are aware of things around you. You hear sounds, feel presences. Your focus remains on God. In some traditions, masters watch their students. They may ring a gong. Some will be startled. They are the ones who are dozing instead of praying. It’s a lesson.

Prayer is a discipline. It requires training and practice. Earlier, the disciples asked Jesus how to pray. They noticed that he went often to a quiet place to pray. They wanted to emulate him. But in the hour of need, they went to sleep.

What about you? Can you sit in silent prayer, alone with God, for minutes, hours, without sleeping? Try it. Paul used the words of athletics when discussing spiritual training. Think in terms of the hours of practice that a star athlete puts in so that he can perform well on game day. Emulate that. Start practicing and training so that when your friend needs your support, you are a champion supporter.

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Too Much Bluster

August 11, 2010

You know the type. Over the top. Seems to go overboard in telling how much faith, joy, enthusiasm for God they have. Shakespeare, who had great insight into human nature, said, “Methinks thou dost protest too much.” This type of person also seems to deny too vigorously when someone asks something.

Fortunately, I meet few people like this. Fortunately, because a “red flag” raises in my mind when I do meet them. I think that sometimes the bluster and vigor of their profession masks a deep uncertainty. Perhaps they really do want to follow Jesus. Inside, though, there is still something not committed, unsure, conflicted. Some just can’t overcome a deep passion or emotion. And that holds them back. Somehow they just need to get to the point of compete trust in God. Maybe it takes an “existential event,” that is, an experience in life where they truly understand the need for decision and trust.

Peter was just such a person. He believed, sort of, but he was always a little over the top. He professed that for which he didn’t understand. On Jesus’ last night while at dinner, he told Peter that tomorrow he would deny ever knowing him. Peter was aghast. How could that happen? But it did.

While we  should model our lives after Jesus, Peter is a better example of how most of us really are. Peter’s example also shows how you can overcome. Peter went from denial to leadership. Examine your own life. Are you, too, a little over the top? Where have you not committed your life to God. You can. Peter did. He showed the way. It’s not too late.

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Defend Yourself

August 10, 2010

How do you defend your positions? When someone confronts you with a false accusation or with an argument that is counter to everything you believe in, how do you react? Are you defensive? Do you attack the person? Do you lead with phrases that include “you”? Does your defensiveness or insecurity result in angry responses?

What if your life were on the line? You were wrongly accused, and if you can’t defend yourself adequately, you’ll die?

Watch how Jesus handles himself in his final days. He showed some irritability (cursing the fig tree), and he showed anguish. But mostly he was calm, self-composed, self-assured. He quietly answered questions, but with confidence and courage. He didn’t back down. He didn’t speak evil of his accusers. He even reached out to others (the criminal on the cross). In fact, he was still teaching.

What a role model. When confronted, maintain your poise. Be assured in your relationship with God. Answer with civility and gentleness all the while being firm and confident. Wish I could always be that way.

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Betrayal and Forgiveness

August 9, 2010

[Note: I was on another business trip with days that went from 6 am to 10 pm. Somewhere I need to either budget less sleep or budget my time better on these trips. I slipped on all my blogs.]

I’ve reached the end of Mark where he devotes several chapters to Jesus’ last couple of days. I’ve thought about betrayal. The Bible is full of stories of betrayal. Certainly Jesus was betrayed by one of his friends. That happens. Usually this betrayal is a scene in a larger plot–that of enemies trying to undercut you or even kill you in extreme cases.

And that’s happened to me. I worked for a failing company. One day my boss came into my office and said, “X is going to the president of the company telling him you’re not working hard enough.” I was in the habit of eating lunch at my desk and reading the Wall Street Journal and other business information. Thereafter, I went to a restaurant with the group and had a hamburger and beer. That was considered more productive.

Later when I was at another company, I’d run into X around town. He’d smile and greet me like an old buddy. I remember the incident [the old saying “forgive and forget” isn’t always possible], but I don’t care about him. Within me, I forgave him. He was just trying, in vain, to save his job at the expense of me and probably others. Mostly I just thought about the stupidity of the entire situation.

I just read somewhere a quote that went something like, forgiveness is the beginning of healing. If you carry the betrayal within you it will have the ability to destroy your life. If you forgive, then you can get on with your life free of those negative emotions that destroy you.

Jesus seemed to forgive Judas in a way before the betrayal actually went down. Even facing death, he knew someone had to do the act. Judas was playing his part. Jesus knew. He didn’t go to his death carrying bitterness and revenge toward his betrayer. He was past that and on toward his freedom.

We’re unlikely to face a betrayer who is out to kill us. But the same model exists. Following Jesus as the pioneer of our faith (as the writer of Hebrews puts it) means emulating his model. In this case, forgive them the wrong done to you (I’m not talking about God’s final forgiveness here–that’s up to Him) and then you’re free to live with God.

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Betrayed By a Friend

July 30, 2010

You were happily at play in elementary school when the teacher suddenly pulls you aside and accuses you of stealing something from someone’s book bag. You were nowhere near the bag. Turns out one of your best friends told the teacher that you were responsible.

Or, someone tells the police you had inappropriate contact with a young person. Turns out that person was someone you thought was a friend. And now you’re on trial for your life.

We hold the virtue of loyalty to one’s friends as a core belief. How would you react? Hurt? Vengeful?

Jesus hosted a dinner for his closest friends. These 13 men had spent the better part of three years together. Learning, sharing, caring for each other. This dinner was a deeply religious, sacred dinner. Not just a party. Then Jesus announces that one in the room would betray him–falsely accuse him of a crime to the authorities who would have the power to kill him. He seemed rather matter-of-fact about it. It shocked most. They never saw it coming.

Jesus said to Judas, “Do what you must do.” One way or another, Jesus was destined to die. Judas became the convenient path. But, things didn’t go as Judas imagined. We can figure that out because the story says he hanged himself. They did go the way Jesus imagined. He knew he would die and then be raised from death.

So, there’s betrayal. And there’s triumph. I’m not sure what the story says to us about dealing with betrayal ourselves. Other than being true to our mission in life, holding on to our integrity, and living with the consequences whatever they may be.

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You Better Have Figs

July 28, 2010

“I just know one thing, if the creator of the world comes to you and asks you for a fig, you’d better have some–lots of them.”

I’ve been meditating on the Gospel of Mark for the past several months. Getting toward the end, we came to the story (not parable) of Jesus cursing the fig tree. I sort of skipped over that part of the story and went to the explanation. Jesus’ closest friends were shocked to see him exhibit such impatience and pointed out that the fig tree he cursed the day before (May no one ever eat a fig from you again) was now dead all the way to the roots. And that happened overnight.

Driving to Chicago last night, I was listening to the weekend message from Willow Creek Community Church on my iPod. Pastor Wayne Cordeiro from Honolulu was speaking. He cited that passage as one of his examples. He said, I have studied that passage for years. Never could figure it out. Finally I just thought, “If the creator of the world asks you for figs, you’d better have figs.”

A little later in Mark’s story (Chapter 13), Jesus tells his followers to stay awake, be aware of what’s going on around them, be aware of God’s movement in the world and their lives. I bet he was thinking something along the lines of “When I’m gone and you’re the leaders, you’d better have been cultivating figs–and you’d better have plenty. Because you’ll need them. And God’s asking.”

Got any figs?

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Following the Law

July 23, 2010

You are driving. Ack, there’s a policeman ahead. Am I driving too fast? Am I properly in my lane? Did I just signal the lane change? Is there some other law that I’ve forgotten that I probably broke?

Same feelings of guilt and anxiety can occur in church. Ack, there’s the pastor coming. Did I give to the offering last week? Did I say something to someone that will come back at me? Did I do something wrong? Shoot, I missed two services last month.

Moses received 10 commandments from God. Before he died, he turned the 10 into many more. By the time of Jesus, generations of religious leaders continued to add to the 10. They needed lots of laws to “explain” the 10. A whole profession grew up–the scribes–to record and interpret all these laws. Pretty much like our courts and lawyers. But these were religious laws–all meant to show you how to get right with God.

Then Jesus came. He taught that the scribes and Pharisees used the laws to put a burden on people. These laws actually came between people and God–and put the scribes in a position of power over people.

So, in the Temple during Jesus’ last week, he and the scribes and religious leaders engaged in verbal sparring over theology. Finally one scribe asks, “What is the greatest commandment?” What is the one thing you should do above all else?

Jesus replies with the “shema”–“The first is, ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The scribe replied that Jesus was right. Jesus replied that the scribe was not far from the kingdom of God with his understanding.

Jesus says, when you’re feeling burdened, overwhelmed, anxious about meeting the obligations of the church, remember there are two basic things you need to do and the rest will take care of themselves. And remember, love is an action verb. It’s not an emotion. You love God by studying, communicating and witnessing. You love others by doing things to help them. If you are doing this, then there is nothing to worry about regarding your being right with God.

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Just be one

July 22, 2010

Ever go to a meeting where there are endless arguments and discussions about what the committee should be, or what it should do? Ever get bored? Wish everyone would just get off their “backsides” and get on with the work?

OK, this guy isn’t a Christian writer, but Marcus Aurelius was on target with this thought, “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be; just be one.”

I once had a boss who said, “Everyone knows who the good teachers are.” Quantifiable? Not particularly. Explainable in a few words? Not really. But by the quality of the person, truly everyone just knows. By the way, he was an engineer. They are typically fact driven people. But if you just go forth to “be one,” people will know. You will know. God will know.

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