Colloquy

What is it?

So, for a class assignment we were asked to write our own “working definition” of the Church.  Up until it was time to do this assignment I thought to myself, “this will be easy!”  But, of course this wasn’t easy.  Perhaps the whole experience of church is likened to a 2 year old kid who is experiencing the taste of ice-cream for the very first time.  I saw it and touched it!  I’ve had a taste of the sweet goodness.  Of course, I’ll have some more.  And, like the 2 year old, I’m still left with the question, “What is it?”  Asking myself again and again, “What is the Church?” is a beautiful reminder of the divine mystery that Jesus has blessed us with.  It’s where the Divine dwells with-us.  May we, like the 2 year old loves ice-cream love the taste of the church and always be willing to wrestle with the questions that rise up from our hearts, wondering what is it?

The Church is always broadening with depth and width as my own experience of Christ’s love matures.  Typically, I’ve referred back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:20 whenever I’m giving a quick and short definition: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”.   

 My first experiences in the church were as a child growing up in the Southern Baptist denomination where my local church community embraced some legalistic thinking and beliefs.  Therefore, I struggled with doubt as a child/young adult with my salvation. I wanted assurance that Jesus was actually in my heart.  I experienced years of praying the sinner’s prayer and living in fear of disappointing the local church community as well as God.  It wasn’t until my college years when I was exposed to grace in a Bible-teaching church that I began to learn what the Bible truly taught about salvation and that discipleship was the tool for learning how to follow Jesus and be transformed.

 I’ve been spending a lot of time in 2 Peter, lately.  As I consider the Church, I think of an inclusive group of Jesus followers who resemble the community Peter was talking to in 2 Peter 1:3-15.  We, (The Church) exist as a very large troop of people who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, Who is healing us through our salvation.  In all of the restoration that God is doing within each of us individually as well as communally, we are participating with God in his divine nature to bring his kingdom to the world (vs. 4). 

As imperfect as we are, we love God and we’re patiently learning how to do life with God as Jesus modeled it.  Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we have vision and meaning that supports our faith (vs. 5-8); the Spirit draws those who are looking for vision and meaning into the community.  As the Church, we worship together, love on one another, and remind one another of the truth and the beauty that surrounds us (vs. 12 – 15).  We are the Church.

Whoever has ears to hear…

One of Jesus’ popular expressions throughout the Gospels was, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!”  Jesus’ parables were spoken to those who possess a disposition and readiness to discern His teaching.  Jeannette Bakke says, “Our ability to discern is influenced by our willingness to observe” (Bakke, 212).  As I consider my own experience with discerning what may or may not be of God, I have a common practice of taking Jesus’ words mentioned above and praying, “Lord, please give me ears to hear” as a way to attentively invite God into that particular occasion.

Insight that I appreciated from Campolo and Darling is the significance of inviting our trusted spiritual friends into the discernment process.

“One of the best ways to discern whether or not you are listening to God’s voice is to examine, through prayer and with trusted others, the beginning, middle, and end of possible life choices” (Campolo & Darling, 167).

Living in such an individualistically driven culture we can easily believe the lie that we would not wish to be a burden to anyone else.  So, rather than invite someone (or anyone) into the conversation, we keep to ourselves and potentially make an impetuous decision.  But, if we’re seeking to become like Jesus, desiring to “live my life in the manner that Jesus would if He were me” (Willard – my paraphrase), than inviting a few safe and trusted friends into these sacred moments just like Peter, James, and John all experienced as Jesus’ closest friends is wise, indeed.

Whenever I have invited my own trusted others into the discernment process, I have found Dallas Willard’s VIM (Vision, Intention, Means) illustration to be a very resourceful “grid” in helping me articulate and pray about as well as communicate my thought process to others.  Whether I am sensing a conviction to address a sin issue I’m dealing with or to step out in a decision of faith, I usually find myself processing the thought within this framework: 

• Vision (The Vision of Life in the Kingdom) Does my desire as an apprentice of Jesus line up with and reflect His heart and His character?

“we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’… For those who do so seek it, it is true even now that ‘all things work together for their good (Romans 8:28), and that nothing can cut them off from God’s inseparable love and effective care.  That is the nature of a life in the kingdom of the heavens now” (Willard, 86).

• Intention (The Intention To Be A Kingdom Person) Do I intend to do as I say I intend to do? While I may know the right answer, do I truly intend to follow through with the decision?  Or do I intend to procrastinate?

“Now an intention is brought to completion only by a decision to fulfill or carry through with the intention” (Willard, 88).

• Means (The Means For Spiritual Transformation) I have the means of the Holy Spirit within me and God’s presence in the community that surrounds me, therefore I can trust in God’s faithfulness and presence.

“The means of spiritual transformation are for replacing the inner character that is ‘lost’ with the inner character of Jesus – his vision, understanding, feelings, decisions, and nature.  In the attempt to find such means, we are not left to ourselves.  We have rich resources available to us in the example and teachings of Jesus, in the Scriptures generally, and in his people” (Willard, 89).

In my local community, I’ve often referred to VIM as a personal discipline that functions as a “discernment 101” that calls me to question and beg whether or not my thoughts are or are not from God.  Please note that my post hasn’t embraced Willard’s full teaching on VIM.  If you would like to learn more about VIM, Willard’s book Renovation of the Heart is a great resource.

Bakke, J. (2000). Holy invitations: Exploring spiritual direction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. ISBN# 978-0801063275

Campolo, T., & Darling, M. (2007). The God of intimacy and action:
Reconnecting ancient spiritual practices, evangelism, and justice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN# 978-0470345214

Willard, Dallas A. (2002) Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the character of Christ.  Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. ISBN# 978-1-57683-296-7

Zechariah’s Prophecy

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

Thus he has shown mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.  By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:68 - 79

Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.  You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”  NRSV

I remember reading Dallas Willard’s narrative on this passage in his book The Divine Conspiracy and found Jesus’ words almost as intimidating as those who heard Him speak those very words with their own ears.  Willard illustrates how Jesus’ discourse would have originally played out as He was looking at these new compatriots of the Kingdom telling each of them, “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world…”  As I reflect and try to replicate how Jesus’ message was heard by these people, I can’t help but to think they must have found His words a bit scary, at first.  Being told that they would be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” would be large drink to swallow.  Again, Jesus is literally looking at them and telling them to be salt and light and also He reminds them that once a person becomes salt and light, it wouldn’t be right to hide this from other people around us.  Instead, we place it upon the “lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”  In the midst of not only being the poor, marginalized and outcasted people of the day, these people were told to share their salt and light.  To give salt and light freely would mean to help the people around them to taste the salt and see the light even in the simplest form, by their very presence. 

Yet, if these people were thinking to themselves as Jesus spoke wondering, “what’s He going to say next?”, they probably wanted to retreat from the world they found themselves living in right then and there and go start their own “new” safe community.  If I had been in the crowd my initial reaction to Jesus would have been, “So where are you taking us, Jesus?”  Instead, His response is more like you will be the light and salt, right here.   Right here in this very country, state, city, neighborhood, street, house, and family.  You are the salt and light.

After reading the latest news of the CT school shooting this past Friday and now another shooting at a hospital in Alabama, my heart is just absolutely broken.  Grief, fear and sadness are good words to describe how I and many others in our country feel right now as we continue to learn of these unfortunate events as they unfold.  Without turning this post into a political topic or bolstering an opinion of gun control, I’ve decided to think about the control that I do have.  My initial reaction in this grief and sadness is to allow my mind to run wild in fear and anxiousness.  Of course, it’s only natural that upon hearing of this gruesome event and realizing this isn’t a nightmare, it’s real.  Who wouldn’t be fear stricken?  Grief stricken?  Sad? Anxious?

But, Jesus gives us hope to move beyond all of that.  The Holy Spirit gives us life abundantly and we’re not salt and light alone, but He is with us.  Jesus is the hope that stirs my heart to move through the tears.

The hurt.

The pain.

Into His presence embracing life-with-God right here.

Now.

Picking up the trash

During lunchtime when the weather permits I enjoy taking a walk in the neighborhood just behind the office where I work.  Today as started out on my stroll I came upon a cup that was blowing around as if it were bouncing along the sidewalk just ahead of me.  The cup eventually came to a stop in a resident’s yard shortly ahead.

The cup was merely trash.  Just plain old trash.

I picked up the trash and noticed that one of the houses just ahead of me had a dumpster sitting by the driveway just off the sidewalk I was walking along.

I did just what any person would do and tossed the cup in the dumpster.  After all, that would be the right thing to do, wouldn’t it?

Just the moment that I dropped the trash in the dumpster I heard a middle-aged gentleman with a stern voice appear from his garage and say in a defensive tone, “Hey, what did you just do? That’s my dumpster!”  My reply was, “Hello, I’m just throwing away some loose trash.  Thanks!”

I found his rebuttal mildly off-putting, “Try using your own dumpster!” as he turned to walk back inside his garage.

Well, okay.

Maybe this guy had no idea what I was doing?  Maybe he just didn’t realize that my reason for using his dumpster was to throw away the trash that was practically laying in his own yard.  Regardless, was his response warranted?

This is a temperate reminder of just how inconvenient “trash” from other people can seem at times, especially when their trash crosses over into someone else’s life.  I spent the rest of my walk reflecting on the conversation that had just transpired. 

So, what if I’m ever asked to serve someone else by picking up their “trash” in a way that’s totally inconvenient for me?  What response am I inclined to give?  What if they don’t want me to pick up their trash? Would my tone be like the gentleman in the garage, defensive and inconvenienced?

 Serving others is not something that’s supposed to be preventable, but rather welcomed.  It’s not “if”, but “when” someone else’s trash crosses into my own life how will I respond?   Richard Foster defines the discipline of Service as “looking beyond my own needs and wants to serve the needs of others.”  What if serving the needs of others isn’t welcomed?  Am I willing to be used by God to serve the needs of others whatever the looming outcome might be?

As I enjoy this cup of coffee, here are some random thoughts on History…

Doing history is like manually grinding the perfect cup of coffee.  It is a timely process that requires patience to pulverize each bean in order for the hot water to extract just the right amount of coffee.  If you fail to invest enough time to grind the beans long enough, you will end up with a shallow extraction that will result in no more than a wasted bean and a cup of hot water to be tossed away in disappointment.  However, if you unhurriedly grind too long, you lose interest in the upcoming aroma as well as end up with a bitter dense cup of sludge.  Just as grinding coffee requires just the right amount of effort, patience, and time investment to drink the rich flavor it has to offer, doing history requires similar dedication for one learn from and chew on rich experiences of the past.

Eating God’s Word

“Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey His word. It is that simple. I wish I could make it more complicated for those who like things difficult.” (Celebration of Discipline, Foster)

Richard Foster, does a great job explaining what Christian, biblical meditation is. I often find the word “meditation,” in the biblical sense, to be a taboo of sorts. Meditation is the habit that we (evangelicals) often refer to as being “too Catholic” or “too new-age” to be introduced to our stagnant holy habits.

Meditation. Isn’t it scary? Defined in biblical terms it means to think about God’s Word or to study and reflect upon how I engage with God’s Word. Maybe it is scary to consider how little I really do meditate on God’s Holy Scripture throughout my day!

The Bible actually refers to two different Hebrew words that are synonymous with the act of meditation: contemplating and thinking. They are used 58 times combined.

What does it mean for me to regularly meditate on God’s Holy Word? It means I can think about, contemplate, reflect, and engage with His word and how it intersects with my life. Eugene Peterson would call biblical meditation, “eating the Word”.

Below I’ve listed the verses I’ve found the most helpful for cultivating a biblical familiarity when it comes to meditating on the Word. These will be reassuring as I think about eating or meditating on God’s Word for this month’s discipline.

Psalm 1:2 “but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.”

Psalm 63:6 ”when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;”

Jeremiah 20:9 ”a burning fire shut up in my bones” is how Jeremiah described the Word of God.

Matthew 4:4 ”One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus’ words to the tempter while in the wilderness as He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3.

Matthew 7:24 ”Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Mark 4:9 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Jesus states these words in numerous accounts)

Revelation 10:9,10 ”So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.”

Will this holy habit lead to character transformation in my life? After all, it’s not the discipline in and of itself that changes anything, but it’s the work of the Spirit. After all, “grace is opposed to earning, not effort!” as Willard would say.

Coupled with the habit of study, perhaps a steady diet of biblical meditation would lead me to pay attention to the words that come out of my mouth? Meditation on His Word would lead me to reconsider my thoughts, intention and motives revealed in my actions. Would God’s presence be revealed in my life in a more profound way?

Is it possible that the Holy Spirit would reveal a fresh perspective on Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:10-20?

“Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ Then he said, ‘Are you still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’”

Let’s see where this goes…

Celebrating my journey with God…

As I was driving home from work tonight I was wrestling with a decision of whether or not I should work out.   Throughout the whole 15 minute drive from the office until I got home I had decided TO work out and NOT to work out probably more than 6 times!  In other words, my mind was set on being indecisive.

As I stepped out of the car I was convinced that this wasn’t the night to go out on a jog, and I would veg in front of the TV for a good bit until dinner, BUT I changed my mind again once I got in the house… Does this sound familiar?  Am I the only person in the world who changes his mind as often as the temperature changes in Nebraska?

So, about mid-way through my jog I was thinking over why this decision to come out and engage in healthy physical activity was so hard?  I mean, staying healthy is a reason enough… Right?  But why is this such a hard choice to make?

I then started to ask myself about other areas of my life that I’ve been indecisive, particularly in my own spiritual rhythms.  Do I spend time in prayer?  Do I spend time exercising my mind in Bible study?  Do I engage in the act of loving and serving my neighbor?

In his book,Life with God, Richard Foster says;

“…the Spiritual Disciplines in and of themselves have no merit whatsoever.  They possess no righteousness, contain no rectitude.  Their purpose – their only purpose – is to place us before God.  After that they have come to the end of their tether.  But it is enough.  Then the grace of God steps in and takes this simple offering of ourselves and creates out of it the kind of person who embodies the goodness of God; indeed, a person who can come to the place of truly loving even enemies.”

I have been telling Joanna (all summer) about my summer project of blogging about the Inward and Outward Spiritual Disciplines that Richard Foster writes about in his book, Celebration of Discipline.  And I ask myself, where has the summer gone?  Perhaps my faltering on decisions reveals a need to practice the discipline of follow-through and let my yes be yes.  And my let my no be no.

My intention is not to strive for perfection, but it is to disengage and refocus on my rhythms in my with-God life. 

Using Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline, during the months of September through December, I am going to highlight two themes each month.  Of course, these will not be the only spiritual habits I partake each month, but they will be the two that I will write and converse about in Colloquy.

September

·         Meditation

·         Prayer

October

·         Fasting

·         Study

November

·         Simplicity

·         Solitude

December

·         Submission

·         Service

One of my favorite Dallas Willard quotes from the Divine Conspiracy;

“Our commitment to Jesus can stand on no other foundation than a recognition that he is the one who knows the truth about our lives and our universe.  It is not possible to trust Jesus, or anyone else, in matters where we do not believe him to be competent.  We cannot pray for his help and rely on his collaboration in dealing with real-life matters we suspect might defeat his knowledge or abilities.” (pg. 94)

As I embark on this journey, I do so trusting the Holy Spirit as my guide that I may hear the soft spoken voice of Jesus my Teacher revealing truth in areas of my life that perhaps I’ve neglected.  

When Jesus saw their faith…

I was reading the Gospel of Mark last week and found myself drawn to the passage in chapter 2 where Jesus heals the paralytic. My eyes were fixed on verse 5, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

I’ve read this passage many times and have always taken note of the statement, “Son, your sins are forgiven,” Those are very beautiful words.

However, during my recent reflection, I was captivated by the words, “saw their faith”. It’s interesting that the story of the paralytic in both Matthew and Luke’s records also state that Jesus “saw their faith” (Matt 9:2; Luke 5:20).

I was captured by God’s observation of seeing their faith and it got me thinking about the paralytic and his buddies a little more. I enjoy picturing myself in the shoes of the Bible characters and this time I imagined being one of the paralytic’s friends who put him on the pallet. Or better yet, one of the guys who approached the paralytic with the idea of taking him up the roof, laying him on a pallet and lowering him down to Jesus. In order for this man (paralytic) to be transported on the pallet, he became aware of his own need to get to Jesus. And his buddies helped him make it a reality.

So, I wonder how did that conversation play out between the paralytic and his friends? Did the paralytic instigate going up on the roof or was it the paralytic’s friends who suggested it? Either way, the paralytic’s friends knew that he needed to see Jesus.

I realize these guys would not be scaling the Empire State Building, but there was an element of risk involved. Yet they all exercised faith.

How many people have we crossed paths with who needed to be carried to Jesus?

Jesus says that whatever we do for the least of these, we’ve done for Him. The paralytic’s friends would have known Jesus and understood the urgency that getting their friend into the presence of Jesus couldn’t wait until later. Rather than wait for the end of Jesus’ visit and catch him on his way out of the home, they took it upon themselves to act immediately!

There are many passages in the Bible where people have rushed to Jesus. What about our friends who can’t physically, emotionally, or spiritually rush to Jesus? What’s our part?

What will we do to get our friends into the presence of Jesus? Would we climb up on a roof even if we’re afraid of heights? Would we act out of courage even if there’s a risk of embarrassment to our own reputation?

Would we muscle up the strength to carry someone’s burdens and pain by sharing in their own struggles so that they, too, can be met by the presence of the Holy Spirit and healed by Jesus?