Fighting boredom in our faith?

This is just a quick note for today. I met with a friend this morning to talk through some of what life has thrown each of our way. In doing so, he brought up a recent conversation he had with his men’s group. Following is a mixture of my words with his.

Yesterday they were working through the first half of 2 Thessalonians. Long story short, they were thinking about how to grasp the relevance of Paul’s message of hope and end time revelations to this young, struggling, persecuted church. They were trying to grasp it within our experience with “church” in a society/culture that could arguably be categorized as “Christian” or “Post-Christian.” When they broached the idea that our brothers in Africa and the east were experiencing a concept of “church” that was much more similar to the Thessalonian church, a friend leaned in and offered something rather profound.

“The difference is that these churches are in a very real fight in faith, while we are fighting boredom in our faith.”

Wow… I have read about this idea off and on for a while now – about how the churches that fight for their existence are sometimes viewed as deeper in their faith. They rely on God before man, while locally we have a tendency to rely on man before God. Not everyone mind you, but many.

With this conversation, a lot of questions came to mind –

• Is fresh, new love different than mature love?
• Do we show it differently?
• Do we praise God the same way we did when we first received Christ into our lives?
• Does our culture show love for Christ differently?
• Does culture matter?
• Should culture matter?
• Are some of us bored in our faith, or just appear to be?  Or have we settled in like a 50 year old marriage – loving deeply, and are so totally in sync that there is that chance of cruising along with a very good thing?

My friend ended it with the following … Is that it, were we called to hang out and try not to fall asleep (like the parable of the ten virgins in Mt 25) before the bridegroom comes? I think we know the answer. So do we believe that Christ has something special for each of us to walk in faith? Maybe, the better question is whether we’re prepared to truly ask Him to reveal Himself to us.

I love conversations like this. I love to be nudged. I love to refresh my lantern.

My daughter – Arthur Blessitt – and a big cross

I have always heard that you need three people in your life – someone further along in their faith, someone at your level, and someone who is only just beginning to live a life with Christ.  For me it makes all the sense in the world.  I have mentors, and talk openly with friends, and I am a mentor to others.  I love it though when God steps in and allows someone who I mentor to keep me honest and open to hearing Him – last night was one of those times.

 

We at Westside had the opportunity to hear Arthur Blessitt talk about his amazing journey across the globe carrying a large wooden cross.  Sharing the story of Christ.  Showing the world God’s love and following what He told us to “Go out…”  I heard Mr. Blessitt talk on Sunday and then again last night.  Now I wasn’t planning on going last night – work, life, and serving on a non-profit board were keeping me away from the special session where Mr. Blessitt talked about his experiences in more depth and shared a trailer or two from his movie “the Cross”. 

 

Then in steps in my daughter –

 

Conversation on the way home from Church – “Dad can we go to that?  It is a once in a life time experience…please.”

Me – “I am not sure… I have to… “

Text message yesterday, “If we end of going to church tonight – which I hope we do – then Emily would like to come.”

Me – “I am working… I have to… “

Phone call – “Dad can I go with Emily if she drives.  I really want to go? Mom said to ask you.”

Me – “sure you can go…” (Thinking but what about me… should I go?)

Phone call – “Emily’s mom doesn’t want her to drive that far, so she is taking us as long as you can pick us up.”

Me – “sure go, and I will pick you up.” (Thinking again but what about me… should I go?)

Board meeting – ends a little early – hmmmm…. I end up driving to church and hearing almost an hour of the 1.5 hour message that Mr. Blessitt shared.  What an amazing man.  What an amazing story.

 

I thought I would share just one story that stood out to me the most.  A story about him being captured in a Spanish speaking country (I am not sure now which one).  I know I will not do this story justice, but here you go:

 

He was pulled from a trailer he was staying in and held up in front of a line of men holding guns.  Basically a firing squad.

 

The leader was saying in Spanish, “Uno…” and he knew what was coming and he started to pray.

 

He said to himself that he was not going to die without his bible, so he turned to a box of bibles nearby and started pulling some out. 

 

He was scrambling.

 

He was on his hands and knees. 

 

He pulled one close to his chest and then thought, “I am going to give one to each of the men here.”

 

They were trying to pull him up.

 

Trying to make him stand before them.

 

He kept reaching for the bibles.

 

When he finally got some extra bibles Mr. Blessitt turned to give the bibles to the men with guns. 

 

When he turned, they were all laying on the ground. 

 

As they started to get up, he still tried to give them a bible, but they all ran away.

 

Shortly after, he saw that his camp was surrounded by a group of villagers.  All on their knees.  They had witness what happened.

 

They had seen a bright line come from the sky and knock the men down. 

 

They had seen God save a man – actually save a man physically right before their eyes. 

 

They had seen God save a man.

 

They had seen God save a man.

 

They had seen Him.

Half way through Lent

I came across this article today and thought that it was worth sharing.  It really hit home for me.  I mean think about it.  If we used Lent to really bring us that much closer to God by using “our Lenten practice as a way to deny every thought floating around in our heads and hearts that compromises the freedom Christ wants for us.”

Wow…read on or head over to the website.

Michael

Your Head

Jim Palmer

We are in the middle of Lent, a 40-day season that began on February 25 and ends on April 11, which is the day before Easter. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter when Christians sought to purge their lives of anything that hindered their devotion to Christ. By observing the 40 days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for 40 days. A common practice associated with Lent over the centuries had been the act of fasting or self-denial.

The most common form of fasting during Lent is fasting from food, of which there are many variations such as abstaining from meat or omitting an item or two from your diet that you are accustomed to eating daily. The idea is that every time you get an appetite for one of these items items, you are reminded of your fast, which prompts you to embrace the spiritual significance of the season. In essence, your hunger pains serve as the Southwest Ding that draws your attention to Christ.

Some people are more creative with their form of Lenten self-denial. Giving up television is a common alternative. Some churches stirred up controversy by deciding to go on a “Carbon Fast,” a 40-day period of reducing the amount of greenhouse gases they produce in an effort to tackle climate change and in living out their call as “stewards” of the earth. 

One blogger announced she was going on a “Facebook Fast,” 40 days unplugged from her Internet social networking world. She’s in pretty good company; Roman Catholic bishops in Italy are urging the faithful to go on a high-tech fast for Lent. No MP3s, no surfing the Web, no text messaging—a total Twitter blackout until Easter. 

I wonder what Jesus would think of all our inventive Lenten practices. One thing I know for sure is that Jesus desires our freedom. Jesus said his mission was to set captives free, and that knowing the truth would set us free. I know a lot of Christians who are knowledgeable, zealous, moral, and disciplined, but who are not free. There is always some inner malady or life circumstance disturbing their peace, stealing their happiness, diminishing their worth, disconnecting them from love, or filling them with fear and anxiety. 

What would it be like to be free? Free from the emotional baggage that sabotages your life, free from that static anxiety that interferes with enjoying the moment, free to be yourself, free to be at peace regardless of your circumstances, and free of all the self-conscious preoccupations constantly ricocheting around in your head. Jesus never promised we’d be rich or that our lives would be void of difficulties and hardships, but he did say we could be free. 

Paul wrote in Galatians, “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” I can think of no better Lenten practice for embracing the significance of Jesus Christ then to take our stand in freedom. Sometimes the person who is putting “a harness of slavery on you” is yourself. Paul admonished in 2 Corinthians to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 

What if our Lenten practice was to deny every thought floating around in our heads and hearts that compromises the freedom Christ wants for us? What if we took advantage of the Lent season to give up every idea we have that opposes freedom and embrace the truth that offers peace in whatever situation we find ourselves in?

To be “free” would mean you were not affected or restricted by any condition or circumstance. Freedom in Christ means nothing can affect or restrict your experience of love, peace, fulfillment, and contentment because these spiritual qualities emanate from the presence of Christ within you. In every moment, those spiritual realities are alive within you and available to you without condition. 

So why don’t we experience these realities? Because we listen to that voice in our head. What voice? You know; that voice in your head that is constantly telling you that you lack something. You know the one? It’s the voice that tells you that you’re not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, gifted enough, cool enough, creative enough, disciplined enough, spiritual enough, or competent enough. The voice also tells you that if you were somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else you’d be happier. 

The voice gets you striving after possessions, money, beauty, success, status, power, recognition, or a special relationship. It promises as a result that you will feel better about yourself, feel complete and loved and worthy, and be happy. What the voice doesn’t bother telling you is that it’s a bottomless hole you are trying to fill. As long as that voice is running your life, you will never be at peace or fulfilled except for those fleeting moments when you briefly obtain what you wanted before realizing it’s not enough, and you need and crave more. 

Why not develop a new pattern in your life during the season of Lent? For the remainder of Lent, deny that voice in your head. You could give up food or Facebook, but why not give up your addiction to that voice instead. How? You can’t stop the voice from speaking, but you can stop yourself from listening. 

Let’s break it down into slow motion. As we’ve learned in March Madness, the outcome of a game is often determined in just a few seconds. So think of it this way―five seconds left in the game:

00:05 – The voice in your head speaks, “You’d be happier if…”

00:04 – You acknowledge the voice, “Oh, it’s you voice. Playing that game again, huh?”

00:03 – Turn to the truth, “I have all things in Christ.”

00:02 – Personalize it, “I already have the love, or worth, or peace, or contentment I desire right now through the Christ life inside me.”

00:01 – Let it sink in; embrace it, feel it, absorb it.

00:00 – Standing in freedom!

Jim Palmer is the author of Divine Nobodies and Wide Open Spaces. You can find him at divinenobodies.com, and on Facebook and Twitter. 

from one prayer to waking up

So, this is my random post/thought for the day… week… month. Anyway, it struck me, after looking back over my post for the past several months, that there is a bit of a trend to my journal postings. Other than the obvious discussion about family, one distinct part of my post has been about “faith” and “reaching out.”

I never really intended for this blog to be solely about my faith walk, but that seems to be the theme these days, so I am going with it.  It just feels like I am in a unique time in my life where for the first time I am actually trying to listen.  I am trying to read for understanding rather than reading to read.  I am trying to reach out – not just through my united way payroll deductions and small donations, but in individual ways.  I am trying to be more open about my faith, where before I was quieter about it.  Have I succeed all of the time? Nope – not even close.  Have I tried every day? Again – nope, not even close.  It is a struggle, but an exciting one none-the-less.

So with that said, I have two thoughts today.  One a prayer I am saying today, and the other is about waking up.

Part I – the prayer:

I pray that God works on those hearts that surround me in His time and in His way.  I pray that my faith never falters.  I pray for the strength to continue to pray consistently…to pray daily…to pray passionately.  I pray for the strength to be an example for my family. I pray that God provides me with the strength and words I need when an opportunity arises to help another.  I pray that I listen to God when He prompts me.

Part II – waking up:

I have been thinking through this thought off and on for a while now.  Basically it is as followings:  I read once that there are times when God allows us to see what He sees – if we are only willing.  To say what He has places in our heart – if we are only willing.  To follow the path that He has set for us – if we are only willing. 

As I see it, we are all droplets in other people’s lives.  We all touch people throughout the day in small ways, and in some cases large ways.  There are times when God uses these small touches to impact our lives.  There are so many people I can point to that God has used to allow me to actually see what is going on around me with a more compassionate eye.  There are people in my life that have impacted me with their words – both written and verbal.  With the help of these people, I hope I am waking up and seeing what I am suppose to see…saying what I am suppose to say… and following the path I am suppose to follow.

Thanks for reading this rambling series of words, and as always comments are always welcome.

My 2 cents – long vs. short

Okay, this is what started this thought process… the subject of short attention spans and if sermons should be broken up.

My two cents- for what they are worth… To set the background, I originally came from a church where the sermons were 12.3 minutes long.  Then I come over to Westside where the sermons are something like 29.8 minutes long. 

Now the comparison: The 12.3 minutes sermon – (and throw out the lead pastor equation), I walked away each Sunday feeling pretty good, remembering a lot of the message, thinking about my faith, thinking about God, wanting to know more.

The 29.8 minute sermon – (again throw out the lead pastor equation), I  walk away each Sunday feeling pretty good, remember a lot of the message, thinking about my faith, thinking about God, wanting to know more.  In addition, I feel challenged, compelled, and alive.  When I look at my watch, thinking a couple of minutes have passed, 20 have.  

Think about it this way – if you go to a party and it is a dud – 5 minutes is too much.  If you to a party and it is THE place to be – you are wishing you had 5 more minutes.

So, what does that mean to me?  If the message is dead on – the audience will respond.  Time will fly by.  It is the party you want to be at.  If you are having a blast “at the party” – you are laughing at the message, crying at the message, struggling with the message, holding your hands up in response to the message.  If all that is true, in my mind, if you go to a “station break” it is hard to get that back.

Is that a good thing?  I don’t know.  It could be.  I understand the need for sound bites.  They even make sense in various settings – especially on the internet.  But there is something to be said about the “noise” in our life – the need to be connected to everything and only getting a portion of the story, and from there basing our actions and beliefs on that piece of the story.  

Another guy I follow talked about something similar yesterday.  It is rather long in terms of a blog, but read it and you will see what he is getting at.  In particular he said, “I think in our culture of today’s sound bite mentality we no longer have the ability to absorb and understand the whole story.  We don’t have the time, nor do we care, we just come to some conclusion, right or wrong, and move on.  This is the same with friends, co-workers, acquaintances, or just those passing by on the street.  We are so busy that we only have time to take a snap shot of the things that pass through our life and then forget about it and move on.”

I hope we still have the ability to absorb the whole story.  I hope you can stay still long enough.  I understand the need for sound bites. But I cannot help but wonder what that says about our ability to stop and listen to God? To tune out the noise in our life and to tune into Him?

I don’t know… but this is my ramble for the day.

 

Another discussion to think about – The History of Worship

I stumbled across a blog by Mandy Thompson that got me really thinking about worship service and if we consider history when we worship.  The questions she was asking included:

“A right use of the knowledge of historical forms of Christian worship could assist us in the 20^th century American Church by helping us to break free from bondage to our own culture.” ~Jeffrey Meyers

do we have a right use of our knowledge of historical forms of worship?

do we have accurate knowledge of historical forms of Christian worship?

do you think a right use of this knowledge could help?

are we in bondage to our own culture?

My first thoughts…

My first thoughts seem to have run all over the place.  Hitting from all different directions.  But it really came down to a couple of points – (1) the word “right”, and (2) the method of delivery.  With that in mind, here are my amended words:

I will pick on the one word repeated above that is hardest to define – “right.”  How do you define right?  If you define “right,” is that actually “right” defined by our culture? In addition, for me this is more about the “method” than the message.   I hope we don’t get to a point where people stop being creative because there are others that feel it is just right the way it is, or for some reason we feel God does not want us to be creative in our passion for Him.  

With that said, Church is about Christ.  Christ and the bible are our historical knowledge.  Notice I did not say which version of the bible is followed, what songs are sung, or whether a person wears a suit vs. a pair of shorts.  Church is about Christ – plain and simple.  History points that out for us.  The bible points that out for us.  Personally I am glad that things have changed.  I like the fact that I can feel more relaxed in God’s house. I like that I can dress the same as I do every day, thus reinforcing the fact that every day is God’s day – not just Sunday.  I like to hear contemporary Christian songs.  I like a lot of the changes we see today in the church – we are adapting and changing to our culture to stay relevant from a “method” stand point – to stay in front of the world and continue to capture their attention.

So, like I said, for me it all comes down to the method not the message.  As you read the Bible, Jesus did things differently, radically, in a way that bucked the current system.  He told the religious leaders that they just didn’t get it if all they did was hold onto their traditions and preaching those same traditions. As a perfect example to that – remember when Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer – His intent wasn’t for us to blindly recite it over and over again – no He was giving us a sample prayer because we wanted to know how to pray.  If all we do is follow the tradition of saying the Lord’s Prayer without actually feeling anything then we missed the point…

Now I realize that there are some that will say for them reciting the Lord’s Prayer is powerful…hearing it in unison is powerful… to that I say fantastic.  Include the history, but don’t forget that there are creative ways to praise our God.  And those creative ways are just as powerful to others.

So to sum it up, the methods have changed over the years.  We have different types of music, different types services, different days of worship, different approaches altogether. In terms of worship, for me history gives me a base to work from, but not an absolute.  The only absolutes I have are God, Jesus, and the message that was brought to us via the bible.  

So what do you think?