Tag: theology

Faith In Work Is Rest

The past week felt like a month.  On Friday (or was it Saturday?) B. said, “This was a big week.”  I agreed, but neither of us could quite pin down why.

Was it my disillusionment with working out and frequent cries of “This is all pointless!“?  Perhaps it was the extra concert at school or the fact that B’s been working extra late this week.  I did finish reading two books and start another three; that could have something to do with it.  Or maybe my senses are all awakened now that Spring finally broke upon us.  My ambitions are no longer hibernating in the freeze of winter and I’m all aware of my shortcomings and tiredness.

Of course, it’s all of those things that have contributed to my sense of “so much” this week.  We know that life is life and often it feels like quite a pile of busyness–and often it IS a pile of busyness.  Work, meetings, Bible studies, rehearsals, readings, exercising, house projects, etc. 

We are working forward, ever striving.  We are building ourselves up while hopefully not tearing ourselves down in the process.  Oh we hope, we hope.

Instead of striving, I want to stride in meaningful, efficient, effective, rhythmic strides.  Instead of only hoping, I want to have faith that my work is paying off.  (Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1 NKJ)

How can I do this?  How can I boost my faith to a place of knowing that my work is beneficial and long-lasting?

By keeping the Sabbath holy.  (Exodus 20:8-11)

Yes, as I was finishing my third book of the month today, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Peter Scazzero), I was impressed once more how completely necessary a consistent and true Sabbath is for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.  I have always enjoyed taking Sabbath and have usually seen little need to work on my days off.  However, I have a lot to learn yet about taking a meaningful and impacting Sabbath, where its very pattern makes a difference in my life.

Here’s what Scazzero says about a true (Biblical) Sabbath, along with my own interpretation and application:

1. It should include STOPPING.  No running around, no big errands, no to-do list, no bill-paying, no chores, no work, no work e-mail, and maybe even no smart phone, or regular phone for that matter.

This provides a release for us in obligations.  By setting the boundary of communication and activity, we lessen the busy feeling and increase the “free to do whatever we want” feeling.

2. It should include CENTERING.  Stillness, deep breathing, closed eyes.  Attentive hearts, ears, and eyes to the good things of the Lord and what he says to us.  Praise and thanksgiving.

This allows our hearts to commune with God and our emotions to stabilize.  This is what makes our hearts feel calm and balanced.

3.  It should include SILENCE.  No chattering, no music, no internet, no TV, no traffic jams, only a select number of long conversations and only after a time a silence with the Lord has been had.

This allows our minds to move to the back of our consciousness, while our spirits to move to the forefront.  Our real selves, our spirits, can then hear the whispers of the Lord without distraction and disruption.

4. It should include SCRIPTURE.  Reading The Word of God, meditating on it, memorizing it, even speaking it out loud.

This allows us to know God both spiritually and intellectually.  We study so that we know God’s character, thoughts, desires, ambitions, and work for us–both what He has done and what He wants us to do.

Doesn’t that all sound lovely?  Don’t you want to have a full day to just be, to do what you want and enjoy?  A day where your spirit feels lifted and centered and whole? 

You can have this day; take it and guard it.  It is your Sabbath.  Take its rhythm and live in it–each week.

In this way, in allowing the mind, heart, spirit, and emotions to be free from the burden of busyness, we find true rest and rejuvenation. 

Scazzero re-tells a story of a group of pioneers traveling west by wagon.  They were devout Christians and stopped each Sunday to rest, remembering the Sabbath.  However, as winter approached a group of the travelers decided to give up Sabbath rest in effort to beat the snow to Oregon.  Despite their humanly efforts, they did not reach the west first.  No, the group who continued to rest each Sabbath was stronger and moved more efficiently the rest of the week.  They arrived at their destination first.

This is how we can be full of faith that the rest of the week will be fruitful and produce the desired results, by the strengthening power of rest and holiness.

*In order to notice a difference, a weekly Sabbath must be kept regularly, with diligence and intent.

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Natural Freedom

It was a big deal to me when I first read that nothing, absolutely nothing, could separate me from the love of God.  This very large idea set on the table of Romans 8:38-39 resonated with a very large desire: to be loved no matter the circumstances.

I once asked my parents if they would love me even if I became a drug addict.  They responded, “You’ll never do that.”  I was dissatisfied.  I wanted to know if they would love me in depravity.  When pushed, they gave way to my set up and said, “Of course.  We will always love you.”  When I asked this question of God, he responded that there was no thing that could separate me from his love.  “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NKJV)* 

My only question as a young Christian was “Why, then, do I not feel loved?”  This answer to this is multi-faceted and a long history of me, but there is one important aspect to remember, true then and today.  Although the love of God is ever present, seeking me, I can create obstacles that hinder my experience of God’s love.

Consider stepping back a bit in Romans 8 to verse 20:

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it to hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” 

We are like creation in that we were once subjected to futility, a purposeless, unfruitful existence.  Now, with the work of Christ, defeating principalities and releasing our spirits from the bondage of futility, we can be fruitful and life-giving in our spirits.  But we still have our bodies which “groan within ourselves.”

The body: My flesh and mind get in the way of my spirit, my true self.  I have long, and often, said that walking a Christian life is allowing your spirit to be its natural self.  My spirit naturally longs to walk with God.  To know God’s thoughts toward me, about me, toward others, and about others.  My spirit was created for God.  In some ways, you could say God is my soulmate.  However, I sit here at my desk subjected to a physical life.  My spirit is free to live its natural life, but my body has its current subjected condition to deal with.

Sometimes my body is tired or frustrated or my mind is bombarded with thoughts in “enmity against God.”  (Romans 8:6)  However, these things I can put off by the release Christ gave and the hope God set forth even at the beginning of time.  Like creation, we are subjected “in hope.” (verse 20) And we are “saved in this hope.”  If I am downhearted not seeing my Lord each day, I remember that “hope that is seen is not hope…but if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

So I pick up my body and my mind and set them aside.  I allow my spirit to walk through Christ’s redemption and into God’s love and communion.  It is precisely this act of setting aside my carnality that tells me, oh I am hopeful.  I am persevering towards God’s glory.

This is my part in my spirit’s freedom.  Pick up the weights and cast them aside.  “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”  (Colossians 2:6)

Since then I have been taught that nothing can separate me from the love of God, neither should I separate myself.  I know truth that God loves me, so I walk in it, rejoice in it, and find my most natural freedom in it.

*A similar list is found in Colossians 2 speaking of those things which Christ disarmed and triumphed over in the cross.

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Epiphany

A joyful Epiphany to you!  On this day that we celebrate Christ’s revealing as Messiah King, I pray your heart allow Him to be manifest in an honest, reverent, and happy way.  ‘O rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, “Rejoice!” ‘  (Philippians 4:4)

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Notes from a Sunday Sermon: Hope and Healing

Our message today is by Pastor C. John Steer
Hope and Healing for Hurting Marriages [People]

No. 8: Towards a Loving Marriage
Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12; John 2:1-11

Hope and healing come in the form of:

A Permission:

because sometimes it cannot be avoided
value determined by who you are in Christ
God creates and permits room for hope and healing
God clearly permits us to create space for hope and healing to flourish

A Person:

an ever present help in time of trouble
major problems require special help
God washes out pain and hurt with the cooling waters of hope and healing

A Practice:

Jesus begins with what’s available and proceeds to the miracle
Regular healthy habits create healthy relationships
Unified, supported, Biblical, corporate (2 or more) prayer and seeking

So what? One thing that struck me from the Bible today:

When it comes to miracles, God often simply speeds up a natural process.  Wine from water.
–> Usually, this is how God creates hope and healing in any situation: permissions, a person, a practice.

Make way for hope in your life.  Make way for healing.

*Above is a transcription from my notes during the services this weekend as my scanner is being a bugger.  Italicized words are my personal thoughts.

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Rice Day

Very naturally, in the course of discussing her daughter’s impending first year at school, she said, “I will miss being able to connect with my daughter’s heart throughout the day.  Today, we ate only rice all day to help us [as individuals and as a family] appreciate the choices available to us and understand what many people throughout the world feel lucky to have each day.”

They made rice in the morning, put it in an ice cream bucket, and drank water from their bathroom because they usually drink filtered water and nobody likes the taste of bathroom water.

Her kids are all under six and there was no fussing.

I love that she did this all on her own [with her husband] without being a superhero and without a corporate cause.  She wasn’t raising money.  She was simply living a life of solidarity.  She was connecting and impacting with the biggest reward being that she connected with someone’s heart.

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Loving the Truth: Sunday Sermon

The pastoral staff has made the series for the season “Summer of Love.”  I find this apt and appropriate for me at the moment.  I hope and pray for hope in love these days.  I hope for truth and light and deep, sincere, lightness of heart.  I seek it in reality.  This weekend, Pastor C. John Steer lead us to love by the path of truth.  He pointed to John’s use of the word know in his epistle of love (I John).  It is important to know what God says about us in order to belief in his love.  It is important to know the words in order to know the reality, the reality that God loves us.

John (I John 4:1-6) tells us to think, listen, and watch when we are hearing others’ words about God.  Are the ideas from God?  Does it acknowledge that Jesus is God?  Is there evidence of the truth being lived out consistently and honestly in the speaker’s life?

John (I John 4:-12) tells us that God is love and God loves us.  We see evidence of God’s love in our personal transformation from failing to victorious people.  We see it in our transformation from fearful to hopeful, peaceful people.  We see evidence of God’s love at Calvary, where Jesus gave up himself to create a new covenant with us.  We see evidence of God’s love in other Believers as they feed, clothe, and care for one another, among many other beautiful ministries.

John (I John 4:13-21) tells that we can be saved from separation from God.  We know the truth of our salvation by the gift of the spirit, even when our own spirits rejoice in the company of God.  That is when we realize we were meant to be God’s children.  We see evidence of salvation in the gift of faith, knowing that faith is ours for the taking.  And we see evidence of salvation by the gift of love.

And we know what love feels like.  Love is secure.  Love is peaceful.  Love is full and makes you whole.  Love is deeper than our imaginations, visualizations, and even our far off dreams of a one day.

*Enlarge the copy of this Sunday’s notes to see who Pastor Steer quoted in his sermon.

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Daily Prayers

As I search for a modern life connected to an plus-ancient spirit, I find myself meekly desperate in the midst of various quotidian activities.

Here are some of the ambiguous and unambiguous prayers I find myself reciting in the car, washing dishes, alternating laundry, scrubbing sinks, and getting dressed:

Oh, God…

Help me to find the words.
What am I doing?
Let me keep my mouth shut at the appropriate times.
Calm my heart.
Keep him safe.
Please foster some passion in my heart and his.
Let there be love.
Keep me going, keep me faithful, keep me simple, keep me trusting.
Thank you for this coffee.
Clean my heart, too.
I feel so lost and yet inexplicably held.

In response, I most often hear a gentle voice saying, “I am here.”

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[Christianity]

“[Christianity] exists outside of cool–it’s the sort of thing you come into when you’re done trying to redeem yourself with people.”

–Donald Miller

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Matrimony

If you can get over the intimidating nature of their band name, Matrimony just might become a new favorite of yours.  Joining Irish folk rock sensibilities and North Carolina indi-ness and harmonies, Matrimony shows that true love [and of music] and heartfelt words really can cross oceans.

I have to be honest that I saw this link on a friend’s facebook and I was not keen on clicking through to hear the song.  I didn’t want to be reminded of matrimony.  I didn’t want to look at someone else’s plaid-skirted, tights, and ballet shoe-ed wedding shower pictures.  I didn’t want to listen to another mandolin play “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”  I didn’t care about a stranger’s journey of love, I just wanted to shut down–more than even the computer.

But then I took a breath and refreshed my heart with humility, hope, and truth.  Perhaps there was more to this music than the next hip thing.  Matrimony, did you know, stems from the Latin mater.  Mother.  This ceremony of leaving and binding is deeply rooted in family, in beginnings, in mothering.  Marriage is about the new two, but matrimony, in the ceremonial sense (as opposed to the sense of state) is transitional.  Like motherhood, it is herding, it is caring, it is speaking, it is promising, it is believing.  Matrimony is a moment heaved upon with purpose, conviction, and all-out fighting [not necessarily dramatically] for the best in someone.

Maybe that’s why Jimmy Brown and Ashlee Hardee Brown (lead singers of the band) felt compelled to live their musical lives in the shadow of such a dusty, onerous term.  Matrimony, marriage, mothering, songwriting–all creating new, all pushing from known to unknown.  In fact, all of these acts and states combine new, old, known, and unknown in every way and degree imaginable every day.  A mother uses her youth to guide her children and her ideals to set them on unknown paths.  Wives and husbands learn from each others’ pasts and even ancient wisdom.  They keep the old that works and strive to make their own, better future history.  Songwriters mix mystery and hope with reality, dreaming of impact and connection.

So matrimony has suddenly become very relevant to me as a teacher, a songwriter, a sister, a learner.  It’s no wonder the term is scary; it’s edges can be quite sharp.  Be attentive, then, to speak and write and promise words that mater [matter].

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