Posts Tagged ‘spirit’

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We Are Spiritual Beings

July 1, 2015

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Teilhard is one of my favorite philosophers/theologians. He was a Jesuit priest and scientist. He was often on the wrong side of Roman orthodoxy on certain matters. 

This quote just popped up in my reading. I started to contemplate on it. 

What if… What if we lived as if we were spiritual beings? What if we stepped outside our human wrapper and saw life from a spiritual perspective?

Would we get so wrapped up in worrying about what others are doing? Would we take a broader view of issues? Could we stop being as narrow minded as we often are and start seeing the world and its inhabitants more as God sees it (us)?

Would we be so insistent about formulating rules for others to follow in order for them to prove to us that they are “Christian” or “saved”?

Would we see the spiritual side of people? Discern the evil from the good and shun the evil?

We would live like Paul describes in Galatians. Or like Jesus described in the Sermon on the Mount. Or like Isaiah or Micah described.

Be free, Paul said in Galatians. Live in the spirit, receive God’s grace, and live a life of freedom.

And what is freedom? Living in the spirit and doing God’s will is freedom.

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When Words Become Meaningless

June 25, 2015

Upon becoming a CEO, a former research scientist turned to obsessive reading of management books to help make the transition.

He found lots of memorable phrases (my favorite–“focus, focus, focus”) but very little actual help. The author of the focus phrase neglected one very important piece of the puzzle–just what should the manager focus on!

Some phrases were repeated so often and regularly misused that the words–for example quality and excellence–had lost meaning.

Sometimes I wonder if we do the same think as Christians (or Jews or Muslims, too). We repeat phrases that lose their original meaning and their impact. They become just words. Sometimes just words that we can use to self-justify (remember my recent post) our actions or lack of action.

I’ve witnessed people who have a favorite phrase (“praise the Lord” or “I love Jesus” or “I’m saved”) and then flagrantly commit adultery. Or even worse, pick up a weapon and injure or kill someone.

One of the original “God is dead” theologians whom I read probably 50 years ago was merely trying to explain that when the word “God” loses its power and impact on people–when it just becomes a word that is repeated–then it is as if to those people God is dead. Indeed, He is dead to them.

The word is there, but the spirit is missing. Or, as we used to say, the lights are on, but nobody’s home.

When we use words without power or spirit, we devalue the word, the thought, the spirit.

And remember, adverbs are not your friend. And adjectives should be acquaintances who seldom visit. And yes, when I wrote that last sentence I paused and scanned to count adverbs. I think one too many. What do you think?

God is a real spiritual being who desires a relationship. Jesus was a human being who, being the pioneer of our faith, died and then returned to life. Real beings, not just words.

Words have power, use them wisely.

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Drawing From The Deep Source of Life

June 1, 2015

She was confronted by the owner of the company where she worked. His demeanor was angry as was his usual way of relating. Frustration boiled over him like an untended teapot on a hot stove. 

He was accusing her of many examples of wrongdoing. She was confused. The accusations were either greatly exaggerated or outright fabrications. She has told someone something. Huh? The accusation was vague. She had done something–it had never happened.

Then at a deep internal pause, the idea crept into her consciousness–she had been betrayed. Someone was out to get her, promoting themselves at her expense.

There are only a few choices at that point. She was on the defensive. The other person had the initiative. She could fight back, but the owner was famous for never backtracking. She could refuse to play the game and just continue doing the best work she could–oh, and also begin quietly probing contacts for job openings elsewhere.

I have just begun reading a book called Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth by Samuel Chand. He opens with a chapter on betrayal.

While I was contemplating my own experiences with betrayal, this verse from Jeremiah was part of a daily devotional:

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of the drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. –Jeremiah 17:7-8

I love this metaphor. Jesus uses a similar one when he says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” Or also when he talkes about the Living Water.

When I’ve had some of these painful situations or when I’ve observed others going through the trials, I’ve seen where there is that life force that flows through life that provides strength and perspective.

Leaders who lack that life force drift into operating by pride, greed, narcissism. Parents not connected to the life force of God parent through intimidation (screaming) or by bribery. Others crumble into despair, depression, bitterness, anger, and hatred when going through trials.

I love to sit in contemplation of God’s Living Water flowing through my body and mind and soul. It’s the pause that refreshes. Then I can go and create.

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Three Days That Make Us Different

April 3, 2015

Today is what we’ve come to call Good Friday. I have to admit that as a kid I wondered about that phrase. What’s good about that day? As an adult with thinking skills, I could come up with a lot of reasons to justify calling it good. But still…good?

Good Friday–a remembrance of the day Jesus was killed. Leaders of the day just couldn’t get over their fixation on the way history was supposed to play out. Especially the part that they were to play–that is, they were to lose their jobs. So, they killed the threat.

But, Good Friday leads inevitably to Easter.

Ah, Easter. More than a remembrance. A celebration. Our culture places so much celebration on Christmas. But Easter. Without Easter, we have no faith.

No person of Jewish faith has ever commented on this blog or emailed me directly. But I have had a conversation with a teacher within the Islamic faith.

Within Islam, Jesus is acknowledged as a prophet. Maybe so. I think at that level he was more of a Wisdom teacher than a classical prophet. But then, I’m not a learned scholar. Just a disciple. And he certainly acted as a prophet in several examples.

Within Judaism, Jesus is not recognized. During a recent Bible study, one of the men blurted out (since it’s so obvious to us), “Why don’t Jews believe?”

I found this very consise, rational, scholarly statement from a Jewish rabbi detailing the Scriptures that prove Jesus was not the Messiah. Like I say, thinking people can come up with lots of reasons.

I just finished 1,500 pages of scholarly work showing how Paul (the ex-Pharisee, Jew above Jew) re-interpreted his Scriptures in light of his meeting with the risen Jesus. Jesus, himself, in fact re-interpreted his scriptures.  And he taught his followers to do so. I understand the reluctance to abandon a faith based on what you see as faulty interpretation.

Easter, though, has nothing to do with interpretation of scripture.

Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus lives again.

That’s all. Everything else is mental exercise.

Faith in the resurrection is what makes us different. More than that. It’s how lives are changed by the power of God’s spirit when we accept that reality. 

We are different from other religions. But we are also different people. Changed people. That power has been proven over 2,100 years. And it continues to be proven with each new Jesus-follower today.

I cannot help it that so many people claiming the title “Christian” behave so poorly–even to the extent of killing great numbers of people. The power of the resurrection lives in too many of us to deny the fact.

Therefore, I guess we call it “Good” Friday. But it’s all about Easter. Enjoy.

PS. Since my feeble attempts at writing are read around the world, even in places where calling yourself Christian could be life-threatening–my prayers go out to you that you can celebrate the day without fear. And that peace will come to you soon.

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Practice Treating Your Body Well

January 27, 2015

Paul, the apostle, often used athletic metaphors for training for spiritual life or as an example of spiritual life.

Even beyond that, he talked about how our bodies are the temple of the spirit. We can only vaguely understand how revolutionary the statement would have been in the first century. Temple? That was the huge compound build atop a high hill where God dwelled and sacrifices were offered.

As a follower of the risen Messiah, Paul figured out that when the spirit came as Jesus promised that it needed a home. But the Temple was now history. The home was the human body and the ekklesia.

Is everyone’s New Years Resolution to lose weight? 15 in15 as our pastor has been preaching?

Let me be practical. Give up drinking sodas. Regular or diet. Both whet your appetite for even more sugar. The only time you can use that in your body is following intense physical effort–really intense. Otherwise, stay away from soda.

I think the best thing that the fast food restaurants have done lately is provide unsweetened ice tea. If you have to eat there, at least you don’t have to drink the soda.

If my vision of myself is that as the temple of God’s spirit, then I will intentionally consider what I bring into my body to keep it as clean and strong as possible.

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Don’t Turn a Spiritual Problem into a Political One

December 2, 2014

My heart continues to break over the fallout of the Ferguson, MO events.

One thing that really affects me is the number of posts on Facebook from my “Christian friends” that perpetuate a meme making the situation a political one. It goes something like this, “If you are a true Conservative, then you will back the police officer. Only the nasty liberals back the black man.”

The situation is far more complex than that.

Sunday I worshipped at Willow Creek Community church. Senior Pastor Bill Hybels read a carefully composed statement about the situation. He noted that there are stories. These stories may not contain all the facts of the situation (many of which may never be known). But the stories are different for each of the actors in the drama.

He was correct. People tend to believe a story. Trouble is, there are usually many stories. Each person believes his or her own story.

It takes vast amounts of courage to step back and look at other people’s stories. See how they believe them. And then start the work of reconciliation of the various stories into a common one.

That is part of the work of the Spirit. Politics only constructs sides to an issue so that everyone can complain about the other. The Spirit draws together so that one side of the many can begin to at least see the other sides. And then see that they need not be enemies. They could be co-workers for good and growth in the community.

Those of us who want to politicize the issue should just stay out of it. If you don’t have a solution, you’re part of the problem.

For those of us far away, prayer is a powerful part of the solution.

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Getting Outside Yourself

August 15, 2014

When I was younger, I tried writing poetry. There was a recurring theme that just happened. It wasn’t planned, necessarily. The theme was getting outside yourself to get to know yourself.

Leo Babauta, in a recent blog post, talked about living in a little personal bubble and how we need to get out of that bubble.

What was it, 30 or 40 years ago, when Time magazine labelled my generation as the “Me Generation”? Books have been written over the past few years about the age of Narcissism. I recently counted more than 10 recent books on living with or relating with a narcissist.

I don’t think that “me first” is unique to this generation, though. When I reflect on literature of every age even into the most ancient texts, I read men and women full of wisdom teaching about getting out of that “personal bubble” and living first for God and then for others.

One of the top goals I had for leading people into missions is to get them to see the plight of others and perhaps get outside their personal bubble and begin to think of others first instead of themselves.

One of the reasons to practice Spiritual Disciplines such as study, prayer, celebration and service is to put yourself on the track of placing your attention on God and others.

One of my small groups is studying Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. The author takes us into the personalities of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples and look at how he changed them. Regarding Phillip, he writes that Phillip was the sort of person who needs a list. But Jesus gave guidelines. Jesus gave him the freedom from lists to go out and concentrate on other people.

Jesus guidelines? Love The Lord your God with all your soul, and heart, and mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.

It’s all about getting out of your bubble and living for others. What actually happens is the joy and satisfaction and fulfillment you were seeking from within your personal bubble doesn’t arrive until you get out of your bubble.

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The Discipline of Simplicity

May 14, 2014

I have more books than you, in fact, all the walls of my office are lined with books.

There was a conversation recently where we were discussing reading print versus electronically. I own a lot of books. They mostly are not in my office any longer. That is because we moved them all downstairs a couple of years ago in order to paint and recarpet my home office. So now, two of the four walls of our downstairs guest bedroom are filled with bookcases.

But one guy bragged about how many books he had. He didn’t mean anything by the comment, but it made me think.

If simplicity is a Spiritual Discipline, then how many books do we need? Is it like a library where we may need to reference them? Or is it clutter? Something to point to with pride? Filling up our rooms.

I’m not going to answer that directly. Simplicity is a state of mind. Are we tied to things, or do we use things?

Maybe like my choice in cars. After many years of trying to go cheap on cars and worrying about constant repairs, I spent a little more money (not Mercedes or Lexus money, though) and bought a car with reasonable styling but great reliability. Given where I live and what I do, I need a car. If I am going to own one, I want one that does not complicate my life.

Clothes are another item that can bring clutter or suck up too much space. How many do you really need?

How many things do you have that get in the way of simply living–or living simply? What can we divest ourselves of? Uncomplicating our lives is a useful goal for enhancing our deepening life in the Spirit.

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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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Merely Religion

May 12, 2014

Just going through the motions.

That’s what many people think of when they internally define the word “religion.” They think that “religious people” merely “recite” prayers.

My wife was raised in a fundamentalist, independent Baptist church. She was taught many misconceptions about other people and their religions. The teachings about Catholicism were so off the mark, for example, that her mother was amazed to discover that the Catholic Bible was pretty much the same as hers. She was probably 60 at that time.

I’m part of a generation that tended to reject “organized” religion. When I was younger, I thought that true worship had to be in “house churches.” There was a movement in the 70s. I only reluctantly joined (actually rejoined) a denominational church back then. Now, of course, I’m sucked into the structure.

Our pastor hit on something yesterday. “Respect for God without intimacy with God is religion.”

You can respect God, yet not live with Him. You can respect God, yet fail to try to live a pleasing life. You can respect God by coming to a worship service, yet feel nothing. You can even sing the hymns, yet be unmoved.

Jesus pretty much didn’t discuss formal religion often, and when he did it was to point out the hypocrisy of the leading practitioners. He taught right relationship and right living.

The reason to develop Spiritual discipline–reading, study, meditation, prayer, simplicity, worship, praise, fasting, and the rest–is that these practices have been proven over many centuries to aid people in developing that right relationship with God through Jesus in the Spirit. As your focus is sharpened every morning through practice, the life you live that day will be more pleasing to God.

Worship does not have to be going through the motions, yet for many it unfortunately is.

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