Hear the word of God:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
(John 15:1-8, NIV)
You are the vine, I am a branch
Life flows from the vine out through the branches. When Jesus calls himself the true vine, he describes our relationship with him as one of dependence. We cannot bear fruit without remaining connected to the vine. A branch by itself is nothing; the only thing to do is cut it off. A vine has a special connection with its branches, though. As long as the branches are connected to the vine, the vine sends out life to the branches
You are the vine, I am a branch
"Remain in me and I will remain in you," Jesus says, indicating the scope of that connection. The fullest realization of who Jesus is comes when we are so fully consumed and subsumed in him that we are unable to distinguish who we are apart from who he is. When we remain in Jesus and he remains in us, we know who he is at a gut-level. We have become so saturated with who he is that we know his identity deep down, in the pits of our stomachs.
You are the vine, I am a branch
This call means letting go of the pride and self-sufficiency that suffocate us. Holding to the true vine means acknowledging that he is the vine and we are branches. We cannot do anything on our own, so we must learn to abide in the vine. We cannot produce fruit without him, without the power that always flow from vine out to branches, never the other way around.
You are the vine, I am a branch
Our fruitfulness brings glory to God, and so he prunes us to make us even more fruitful. Here is yet another dimension of Jesus' metaphor - as branches, we are the agents of God's work in the world, the hands through which he touches the world. We are the fruit-bearers of the true vine, receiving life and power from the vine and bearing fruit that is visible to all. A vine does not simply bear fruit itself, it breathes life into its branches so that they can bear fruit.
You are the vine, I am a branch
Blessings,
Greg
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Hardship as discipline ...
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
Being trained by discipline; it's a strange thought, isn't it? We associate discipline so closely with punishment. It's no wonder that we're not overly fond of the imagery of God disciplining us.
I wonder what would happen, though, if we thought of discipline as a school teacher thinks of it. What if we thought of discipline as part of moral formation, part of the child-rearing process. I'm not thinking about groundings and spankings (punishment), I'm thinking of discipline that is given in order to build the recipient into a better person.
In fact, we do a pretty fair amount of this kind of discipline. Allowing a boy to miss out on some activity when he has failed to make adequate preparations would be an example of discipline. Think about when we take a group of boys to Wal-Mart and some boys have money to spend while others do not. If we are making a quick stop at Wal-Mart, we might require those without money to wait in the car. The action is not punitive, it is simply a manner of correction intended to encourage and create better money management skills in the future.
Maybe we can see the value of discipline by looking back. Although sometimes we don't understand why we must endure hard times while we endure them, later on we may recognize that we are now stronger, healthier, more faithful, etc. because of the way we were formed by "enduring hardship as discipline." Maybe there is or can be a reason in fear, exhaustion, and suffering.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
The discipline we face is always uncomfortable. In fact, when we haven't done anything wrong and we still suffer, we can even come very close to scrapping it all and forgetting about it. But sometimes our suffering can be discipline, and in those times it is also important that we hang on. In those times, we must recognize the difference between punishment and discipline. We must realize that God is treating us like his children, not as his enemies.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
(Heb. 12:7-13, NIV)
Once more, we find that we must hold on. Again, we find a reason to hold on. If we face hardship in the form of discipline, we must hold on in order to reap the benefit of that discipline. I love the imagery here. Haven't we all been so overwhelmed that we just couldn't hardly stand up at some point? Haven't we all woken up in the morning feeling that we barely had the strength to pull ourselves through the day? On days like that, we always seem to struggle with "drooping hands and weak knees." When we hold firm, though, we see the outcome of our perseverance - growth, sharing in Christ, and citizenship in the heavenly city.
Here is a poem to help us understand suffering as development and refinement:
Mixed Metaphor
Mold me to your form
that I may pour out love like a spigot
Work me over with chisel and hammer and fire
You are the vine, I am a branch, the Father is the gardener
Impoverish me, in preparation for treasure in heaven
Humble me as your servant
Let me participate in your suffering, and so in your resurrection
Into the water, into the grave
Death is life
Suffering tears away the unnecessary things like an umbilical cord
I yearn for my birth into your realm
even as I call to you for strength
to let go of the death in my realm
Bring me to my knees, where you are
Resurrected one, create new and different life in me.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
Being trained by discipline; it's a strange thought, isn't it? We associate discipline so closely with punishment. It's no wonder that we're not overly fond of the imagery of God disciplining us.
I wonder what would happen, though, if we thought of discipline as a school teacher thinks of it. What if we thought of discipline as part of moral formation, part of the child-rearing process. I'm not thinking about groundings and spankings (punishment), I'm thinking of discipline that is given in order to build the recipient into a better person.
In fact, we do a pretty fair amount of this kind of discipline. Allowing a boy to miss out on some activity when he has failed to make adequate preparations would be an example of discipline. Think about when we take a group of boys to Wal-Mart and some boys have money to spend while others do not. If we are making a quick stop at Wal-Mart, we might require those without money to wait in the car. The action is not punitive, it is simply a manner of correction intended to encourage and create better money management skills in the future.
Maybe we can see the value of discipline by looking back. Although sometimes we don't understand why we must endure hard times while we endure them, later on we may recognize that we are now stronger, healthier, more faithful, etc. because of the way we were formed by "enduring hardship as discipline." Maybe there is or can be a reason in fear, exhaustion, and suffering.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
The discipline we face is always uncomfortable. In fact, when we haven't done anything wrong and we still suffer, we can even come very close to scrapping it all and forgetting about it. But sometimes our suffering can be discipline, and in those times it is also important that we hang on. In those times, we must recognize the difference between punishment and discipline. We must realize that God is treating us like his children, not as his enemies.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
(Heb. 12:7-13, NIV)
Once more, we find that we must hold on. Again, we find a reason to hold on. If we face hardship in the form of discipline, we must hold on in order to reap the benefit of that discipline. I love the imagery here. Haven't we all been so overwhelmed that we just couldn't hardly stand up at some point? Haven't we all woken up in the morning feeling that we barely had the strength to pull ourselves through the day? On days like that, we always seem to struggle with "drooping hands and weak knees." When we hold firm, though, we see the outcome of our perseverance - growth, sharing in Christ, and citizenship in the heavenly city.
Here is a poem to help us understand suffering as development and refinement:
Mixed Metaphor
Mold me to your form
that I may pour out love like a spigot
Work me over with chisel and hammer and fire
You are the vine, I am a branch, the Father is the gardener
Impoverish me, in preparation for treasure in heaven
Humble me as your servant
Let me participate in your suffering, and so in your resurrection
Into the water, into the grave
Death is life
Suffering tears away the unnecessary things like an umbilical cord
I yearn for my birth into your realm
even as I call to you for strength
to let go of the death in my realm
Bring me to my knees, where you are
Resurrected one, create new and different life in me.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Lightening our load ...
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
As I look back on this spiritual formation experience, I remember our times of devotion together. I remember the times of sharing, the times of worship, the times of simple silence where we all sought out the heart of God. I chose this verse from Matthew as the passage of scripture that I would like to close out with. We are told that we need to be the one who decides to come after Jesus. He focuses on all those who are weary and burdened, but isn’t that all of us? We are told that we will receive the promised rest, and that he is willing and able to help us to learn from him. He wants to lighten our load.
Have you felt that time of lightening? It is a time where we feel like we can make it. It is a time where we feel like we don’t have to go it alone. I have learned that we all need help with our daily walk. This help can come in many different forms, but some of them are as easy as actually praying for each other. We have sat in silence together and worshiped. We have studied and meditated on certain passages of scripture. We have spent time in a prayer exercise for our boys where some of us were praying so hard for our boys that tears flowed.
Many of you commented that this was a great reminder for you, to work harder at your spiritual walk. Many of you told me of ways that you are trying to implement some of these spiritual disciplines in your life as you work with each other and help our boys. I have enjoyed these stories, because it has made me realize that all was not in vain.
There have also been times when some of you have told me that our times together have been very challenging in ways you have never experienced. Not everyone in our group is at the same place when it comes to working through some of these disciplines, and that’s ok. I am reminded that our boys are all at different places as well when it comes to drawing near to God. They may have a hard time when it comes to focus and meditation. Some of our boys may have a hard time going to that quiet place with God, because they are not prepared to open up their heart out of fear or even rejection. These are all thoughts that we need to ponder individually and as a group as we try to share our faith with those around us.
This project has been called “Overflow,” and I hope that you have been able to see God’s love flowing out of your heart as you hold out the Word of God. That was actually one of my objectives. I wanted us all to be able to take some of the things we have learned and apply them to this ministry. I feel we have learned how to focus a little better. I feel we have learned how to use the Word of God to battle those challenges that come up in our lives. I feel we have learned how to do so many things including service, simplifying our lives, and even being reminded what worship can be like. I feel our lives have been challenged, and our spirit has been encouraged. This is where the “overflow” comes out. This is where we learn how to take our own experiences with God and share those with our boys and our families. This is where we work together as a community to help transform the lives of our boys.
I have been feeling that sense of “Holy Expectancy” that we discussed during our worship time together. Instead of it being towards our worship service, it is towards our ministry together. I have found myself coming to God and praying for us all as we work ourselves to exhaustion to try and help our boys learn to live and learn how to be loved. We have a hard job, so it is important that we spend as much time as possible in the Word, in worship, in prayer, in silence with God, simplifying, and serving so we can be prepared for anything that comes our way, and our spirit is so full, that it overflows more and more each day into the lives of those we love.
Thank you for participating in this project and thank you for loving and caring for me enough to be honest with me about your feelings throughout this project. You have all blessed and encouraged my life.
Jason
Matthew 11:28-30
As I look back on this spiritual formation experience, I remember our times of devotion together. I remember the times of sharing, the times of worship, the times of simple silence where we all sought out the heart of God. I chose this verse from Matthew as the passage of scripture that I would like to close out with. We are told that we need to be the one who decides to come after Jesus. He focuses on all those who are weary and burdened, but isn’t that all of us? We are told that we will receive the promised rest, and that he is willing and able to help us to learn from him. He wants to lighten our load.
Have you felt that time of lightening? It is a time where we feel like we can make it. It is a time where we feel like we don’t have to go it alone. I have learned that we all need help with our daily walk. This help can come in many different forms, but some of them are as easy as actually praying for each other. We have sat in silence together and worshiped. We have studied and meditated on certain passages of scripture. We have spent time in a prayer exercise for our boys where some of us were praying so hard for our boys that tears flowed.
Many of you commented that this was a great reminder for you, to work harder at your spiritual walk. Many of you told me of ways that you are trying to implement some of these spiritual disciplines in your life as you work with each other and help our boys. I have enjoyed these stories, because it has made me realize that all was not in vain.
There have also been times when some of you have told me that our times together have been very challenging in ways you have never experienced. Not everyone in our group is at the same place when it comes to working through some of these disciplines, and that’s ok. I am reminded that our boys are all at different places as well when it comes to drawing near to God. They may have a hard time when it comes to focus and meditation. Some of our boys may have a hard time going to that quiet place with God, because they are not prepared to open up their heart out of fear or even rejection. These are all thoughts that we need to ponder individually and as a group as we try to share our faith with those around us.
This project has been called “Overflow,” and I hope that you have been able to see God’s love flowing out of your heart as you hold out the Word of God. That was actually one of my objectives. I wanted us all to be able to take some of the things we have learned and apply them to this ministry. I feel we have learned how to focus a little better. I feel we have learned how to use the Word of God to battle those challenges that come up in our lives. I feel we have learned how to do so many things including service, simplifying our lives, and even being reminded what worship can be like. I feel our lives have been challenged, and our spirit has been encouraged. This is where the “overflow” comes out. This is where we learn how to take our own experiences with God and share those with our boys and our families. This is where we work together as a community to help transform the lives of our boys.
I have been feeling that sense of “Holy Expectancy” that we discussed during our worship time together. Instead of it being towards our worship service, it is towards our ministry together. I have found myself coming to God and praying for us all as we work ourselves to exhaustion to try and help our boys learn to live and learn how to be loved. We have a hard job, so it is important that we spend as much time as possible in the Word, in worship, in prayer, in silence with God, simplifying, and serving so we can be prepared for anything that comes our way, and our spirit is so full, that it overflows more and more each day into the lives of those we love.
Thank you for participating in this project and thank you for loving and caring for me enough to be honest with me about your feelings throughout this project. You have all blessed and encouraged my life.
Jason
Monday, April 6, 2009
Ordinary human beings ...
“We must not be led to believe that the Disciplines are only for spiritual giants and hence beyond our reach, or only for contemplatives who devote all their time to prayer and meditation. Far from it. God intends the Disciplines of the spiritual life to be for ordinary human beings: people who have jobs, who care for children, who wash dishes and mow lawns. In fact, the Disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors.”
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
This is how Foster introduces his book about the disciplines. So many times in my own life I have wanted someone to come along and help me grow in my faith and give me the tools to help me on this journey. Through many years in college, mission trips, youth rallies, retreats, weekly devotionals, and just wonderful times out in God’s creation, I have been inspired in so many different ways to spend time with God. You may think that since I have been the one writing these devotionals, that this has been an easy task for me. It has been hard. It can be difficult to work through some of these disciplines. We are in such a fast paced society, even in such a small little town like Hollis. We are constantly feeling the pull to go, go, go. God wants us to be, be, be in His presence and let his love, grace, peace, hope, and encouragement flow over us.
There are so many other disciplines we could have looked at, but we just had the time to focus on these few. Just because our class times are done, it doesn’t mean we need to stop working on these disciplines. In fact, we should all feel a challenge to take it a step further by working on these disciplines and helping someone else develop their own. Wherever we are, at the end of this class, my hope is that it is closer to God than when we began.
When we began, we started out by focusing on Zephaniah 3:17. Do you remember this time together? Do you remember taking the time to be alone and quiet yourself down and recite this over and over again? Let’s look at it one more time.
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
Our God wants all of this for us. He actually longs for us to quiet down and rest in his arms of love. I know that many of you felt that as we participated in some of these exercises. God is with you and He is daily waiting for you to spend that time with Him. Over the next few days we will be looking back at some of the disciplines we have worked through. I am going to ask a huge favor of you all. Since we will not have another time to get together and discuss our feelings on this experience before I have to turn my final project in, I would like you all to consider at least one devotional or experience that we worked on together and share that with me. You can email it to me directly at theroarks4jesus@aol.com. I will then take your thoughts and use that as one of our devotional thoughts for the following week. That way we can all take a part in closing down this “overflow” of our hearts. “Closing down” is hopefully the wrong way to say this, because one of the goals of this project is to allow this experience to overflow into the lives of those around us. Are you experiencing any overflow?
Thanks!
Jason
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
This is how Foster introduces his book about the disciplines. So many times in my own life I have wanted someone to come along and help me grow in my faith and give me the tools to help me on this journey. Through many years in college, mission trips, youth rallies, retreats, weekly devotionals, and just wonderful times out in God’s creation, I have been inspired in so many different ways to spend time with God. You may think that since I have been the one writing these devotionals, that this has been an easy task for me. It has been hard. It can be difficult to work through some of these disciplines. We are in such a fast paced society, even in such a small little town like Hollis. We are constantly feeling the pull to go, go, go. God wants us to be, be, be in His presence and let his love, grace, peace, hope, and encouragement flow over us.
There are so many other disciplines we could have looked at, but we just had the time to focus on these few. Just because our class times are done, it doesn’t mean we need to stop working on these disciplines. In fact, we should all feel a challenge to take it a step further by working on these disciplines and helping someone else develop their own. Wherever we are, at the end of this class, my hope is that it is closer to God than when we began.
When we began, we started out by focusing on Zephaniah 3:17. Do you remember this time together? Do you remember taking the time to be alone and quiet yourself down and recite this over and over again? Let’s look at it one more time.
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
Our God wants all of this for us. He actually longs for us to quiet down and rest in his arms of love. I know that many of you felt that as we participated in some of these exercises. God is with you and He is daily waiting for you to spend that time with Him. Over the next few days we will be looking back at some of the disciplines we have worked through. I am going to ask a huge favor of you all. Since we will not have another time to get together and discuss our feelings on this experience before I have to turn my final project in, I would like you all to consider at least one devotional or experience that we worked on together and share that with me. You can email it to me directly at theroarks4jesus@aol.com. I will then take your thoughts and use that as one of our devotional thoughts for the following week. That way we can all take a part in closing down this “overflow” of our hearts. “Closing down” is hopefully the wrong way to say this, because one of the goals of this project is to allow this experience to overflow into the lives of those around us. Are you experiencing any overflow?
Thanks!
Jason
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Undivided ...
Hear the word of God:
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:11-12
Undivided! Closeness with God involves moving other things out of the way so we can fully see God. Simplicity is like fasting from the things in your life. Simplifying involves emptying self so we can become hungry for the things that should be the really important things. Getting rid of the distractions allows us to refocus. This is how we remain in the world but not of it.
Undivided! Are you? What if I challenged you to simplify? What is dividing your attention? Between today and Thursday, I would like to ask you to take just one distraction out of your life. What would you choose? We’ll see if anything has happened in your spiritual walk. God bless us all as we try.
Jason
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:11-12
Undivided! Closeness with God involves moving other things out of the way so we can fully see God. Simplicity is like fasting from the things in your life. Simplifying involves emptying self so we can become hungry for the things that should be the really important things. Getting rid of the distractions allows us to refocus. This is how we remain in the world but not of it.
Undivided! Are you? What if I challenged you to simplify? What is dividing your attention? Between today and Thursday, I would like to ask you to take just one distraction out of your life. What would you choose? We’ll see if anything has happened in your spiritual walk. God bless us all as we try.
Jason
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Principles of simplicity ...
1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away.
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Time saving devices almost never save time.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. Walk whenever you can. Listen. Marvel at God's creation.
7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.
8. Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech. Let what you say be simply 'Yes or No'.
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
10. Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God.
Taken from Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline.
Think about it!
Jason
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away.
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Time saving devices almost never save time.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. Walk whenever you can. Listen. Marvel at God's creation.
7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.
8. Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech. Let what you say be simply 'Yes or No'.
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
10. Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God.
Taken from Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline.
Think about it!
Jason
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Simple or complex?
I know that our discipline classes have been so spread out over the last two months. Spring Break took us away from getting together, and so many of us have been in and out of town. If you have paid attention though, you have noticed that the devotionals have not stopped on our devotional blog. There has been a discussion every day about involving ourselves in a spiritual discipline. The point of all of these times together is to help us grow closer to our Father, with the hopes that our faith in our God will overflow into the lives of our boys, our families, and our community. How are we doing? That is a question that we will be discussing next week in our final disciplines class. I do want us to prepare ourselves for that time together. We will be going through the disciplines we have discussed and sharing any thoughts or feelings we have had along the way.
“God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.”
Ecclesiastes 7:30
Worries, stress, arguments, strife in marriage and friendships. How many of us have had at least one of these problems in our lives? As we have worked on our time with God, I know that there have been things in my life that have automatically changed because my time has been centered more on Him, than on myself. Some of you have made comments similar to this in emails, blog comments, and in your own personal journals that you have shared with me. We all have so many things in our lives that keep us from having more time to spend with God and our families as well. I would like to ask you to pause as you read this and make a list of things that you think you have placed ahead of your relationship with God.
God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising! I enjoy this quote. It sheds so much light on the problems that we have allowed to take over our lives. Remember those worries, stresses, arguments, and problems in relationships? How many of them were caused by God, and how many of them were caused by some of those things that we have allowed to come before God?
“The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward life-style.” - Richard Foster from the book, Celebration of Discipline
We live in a world where everyone wants to have what their neighbor, co-worker, friends, and other family members have. I made that list of people because I have heard someone say as much about those people just this week. My own son was saying how much he wanted the Transformer that he had seen another child have. We want, want, want, but have you ever thought about what you give away with each and every thing you buy or receive?
I can look back on many of the problems I have been through in my life and many of them were caused by me misusing my time doing and getting things. What if we tried to think of our lives in a more simplistic manner? What might change if we focused on simplifying our own lives? These are questions that we will be discussing during this next few days. I do want to end this thought today by asking each of us to take our problems and give them to God. Ask him with sincerity to truly help you to do an overhaul on your spiritual life. Use some time in study, prayer, and solitude to think about your life and those you love, especially God and just meditate on some of the things we discussed today.
May God bless us as we seek simplicity.
Jason
“God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.”
Ecclesiastes 7:30
Worries, stress, arguments, strife in marriage and friendships. How many of us have had at least one of these problems in our lives? As we have worked on our time with God, I know that there have been things in my life that have automatically changed because my time has been centered more on Him, than on myself. Some of you have made comments similar to this in emails, blog comments, and in your own personal journals that you have shared with me. We all have so many things in our lives that keep us from having more time to spend with God and our families as well. I would like to ask you to pause as you read this and make a list of things that you think you have placed ahead of your relationship with God.
God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising! I enjoy this quote. It sheds so much light on the problems that we have allowed to take over our lives. Remember those worries, stresses, arguments, and problems in relationships? How many of them were caused by God, and how many of them were caused by some of those things that we have allowed to come before God?
“The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward life-style.” - Richard Foster from the book, Celebration of Discipline
We live in a world where everyone wants to have what their neighbor, co-worker, friends, and other family members have. I made that list of people because I have heard someone say as much about those people just this week. My own son was saying how much he wanted the Transformer that he had seen another child have. We want, want, want, but have you ever thought about what you give away with each and every thing you buy or receive?
I can look back on many of the problems I have been through in my life and many of them were caused by me misusing my time doing and getting things. What if we tried to think of our lives in a more simplistic manner? What might change if we focused on simplifying our own lives? These are questions that we will be discussing during this next few days. I do want to end this thought today by asking each of us to take our problems and give them to God. Ask him with sincerity to truly help you to do an overhaul on your spiritual life. Use some time in study, prayer, and solitude to think about your life and those you love, especially God and just meditate on some of the things we discussed today.
May God bless us as we seek simplicity.
Jason
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Joy into life ...
Let us read a few excerpts from Foster’s book, The Celebration of Discipline, to help direct our minds and hearts as we learn about the Discipline of Celebration.
“Celebration brings joy into life, and joy makes us strong. Scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) We cannot continue long in anything without it. Women endure childbirth because the joy of motherhood lies on the other side. Young married couples struggle through the first difficult years of adjustment because they value the insurance of a long life together. Parents hold steady through the teen years, knowing that their children will emerge at the other end human once again.”
“Joy is the part of the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Often I am inclined to think that joy is the motor, the thing that keeps everything else going. Without joyous celebration to infuse the other Disciplines, we will sooner or later abandon them. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us strong.”
Richard Foster places the discipline of Celebration at the end of his book, partly because he says that you must work on your other disciplines first. Truly being able to celebrate is one of the hardest disciplines. How easy is it to look at our new born baby and be joyful and be so excited and ready to celebrate our love for our God? How easy is it to celebrate on the day we give our life to our spouse? How easy is it to celebrate when we watch someone we love give their life to Jesus and arise from the waters of baptism?
But can we celebrate on a daily basis? Can we wake up and see the joy in life that day? I believe Foster was right to have this as one of his final disciplines. Finding that joy and that ease to celebrate is something that happens from the overflow of so many of the other disciplines. How is your joy today? Are you able to Celebrate, and what does he mean by Celebrate? We will talk about this over the next few days. Let me leave you with this challenge.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7
Jason
“Celebration brings joy into life, and joy makes us strong. Scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) We cannot continue long in anything without it. Women endure childbirth because the joy of motherhood lies on the other side. Young married couples struggle through the first difficult years of adjustment because they value the insurance of a long life together. Parents hold steady through the teen years, knowing that their children will emerge at the other end human once again.”
“Joy is the part of the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Often I am inclined to think that joy is the motor, the thing that keeps everything else going. Without joyous celebration to infuse the other Disciplines, we will sooner or later abandon them. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us strong.”
Richard Foster places the discipline of Celebration at the end of his book, partly because he says that you must work on your other disciplines first. Truly being able to celebrate is one of the hardest disciplines. How easy is it to look at our new born baby and be joyful and be so excited and ready to celebrate our love for our God? How easy is it to celebrate on the day we give our life to our spouse? How easy is it to celebrate when we watch someone we love give their life to Jesus and arise from the waters of baptism?
But can we celebrate on a daily basis? Can we wake up and see the joy in life that day? I believe Foster was right to have this as one of his final disciplines. Finding that joy and that ease to celebrate is something that happens from the overflow of so many of the other disciplines. How is your joy today? Are you able to Celebrate, and what does he mean by Celebrate? We will talk about this over the next few days. Let me leave you with this challenge.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7
Jason
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Simple, quiet rest ...
A Prayer by Henri Nouwen
Why, O Lord, is it so hard for me to keep my heart directed toward you? Why do the many little things I want to do, and the many people I know, keep crowding into my mind, even during the hours I am totally free to be with you and you alone? Why does my mind wander off in so many directions, and why does my heart desire the things that lead me astray? Are you not enough for me? Do I keep doubting your love and care, your mercy and grace? Do I keep wondering, in the center of my being, whether you will give me all I need if I just keep my eyes on you?
Please accept my distractions, my fatigue, my irritation, and my faithless wanderings. You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire. Look at me, see me in all my misery and inner confusion, and let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil. All I can do is show myself to you. Yet, I am afraid to do so. I am afraid that you will reject me. But I know--with the knowledge of faith--you desire to give me your love. The only thing you ask of me is not to hide from you, not to run away in despair, not to act as if you were a relentless despot.
Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless soul into your arms and give me rest, simple quiet rest. Do I ask too much too soon? I should not worry about that. You will let me know. Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Amen
Today we will be starting our next spiritual discipline, or experience. You may read this before or after our classroom experience. I have read and reread this prayer many times since I have been studying spiritual disciplines. Just reading it today as I type, I realize how much it represents where my tired and restless mind goes every day.
My challenge to you all is to use this as a prayer to begin and end your day with. I know that this may be difficult to remember to do this. Take this and print it off. Place it where you will see it often. Over this next week we will be praying this prayer. There will be other focuses of prayer that we will be dwelling on, but I wanted to give you something to aid you in your prayer life. It may seem strange to say the prayer of someone else for your own personal time with God, but think of it as taking the words of a close friend and brother and allowing his wisdom to help guide you when you don't know what to say yourself.
Out of our conversations with God will come streams of living water, refreshing and rejuvenating to your soul. Let this overflow into your life and to the lives of those around you.
Jason
Why, O Lord, is it so hard for me to keep my heart directed toward you? Why do the many little things I want to do, and the many people I know, keep crowding into my mind, even during the hours I am totally free to be with you and you alone? Why does my mind wander off in so many directions, and why does my heart desire the things that lead me astray? Are you not enough for me? Do I keep doubting your love and care, your mercy and grace? Do I keep wondering, in the center of my being, whether you will give me all I need if I just keep my eyes on you?
Please accept my distractions, my fatigue, my irritation, and my faithless wanderings. You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire. Look at me, see me in all my misery and inner confusion, and let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil. All I can do is show myself to you. Yet, I am afraid to do so. I am afraid that you will reject me. But I know--with the knowledge of faith--you desire to give me your love. The only thing you ask of me is not to hide from you, not to run away in despair, not to act as if you were a relentless despot.
Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless soul into your arms and give me rest, simple quiet rest. Do I ask too much too soon? I should not worry about that. You will let me know. Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Amen
Today we will be starting our next spiritual discipline, or experience. You may read this before or after our classroom experience. I have read and reread this prayer many times since I have been studying spiritual disciplines. Just reading it today as I type, I realize how much it represents where my tired and restless mind goes every day.
My challenge to you all is to use this as a prayer to begin and end your day with. I know that this may be difficult to remember to do this. Take this and print it off. Place it where you will see it often. Over this next week we will be praying this prayer. There will be other focuses of prayer that we will be dwelling on, but I wanted to give you something to aid you in your prayer life. It may seem strange to say the prayer of someone else for your own personal time with God, but think of it as taking the words of a close friend and brother and allowing his wisdom to help guide you when you don't know what to say yourself.
Out of our conversations with God will come streams of living water, refreshing and rejuvenating to your soul. Let this overflow into your life and to the lives of those around you.
Jason
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Rhythm of life ...
Why do we spend so much time in prayer, in devotion, in times of renewal? Consider these words from Christine Pohl:
Because hospitality is so demanding, we must find a renewing rhythm of work, rest, and worship. Without periods of rest and solitude, and without access to spiritual nourishment, we wear out quickly. It is easy to overlook prayer, study, and rest when the demands of hospitality are urgent and overwhelming. It is impossible, however, to sustain hospitality without attention to both the spiritual and physical needs of the practitioners.
Out of his years of experience in offering hospitality, Jean Vanier concludes, “It is easy to be generous for a few months or even years. But to be continually present to others, and not only present but nourishing, to keep going in a fidelity which is reborn each morning, demands a discipline of body and spirit.” Quoting a Franciscan prior who works among the urban poor, Vanier offers an important warning:
“If we do not care for our bodies, and if we do not find a rhythm of life we can sustain in the years to come,” he said, “it is not worth us being here. Our job is to stay. It is too easy to come and live among the poor for the experience, to exploit them for our own spiritual ends and then to leave. What we have to do is stay.”
A distinctive of Benedictine life is their vow of stability – a permanent commitment to a particular monastic community in a particular place. In accepting certain spatial and communal boundaries on their lives, they are able to establish a strong sense of place, which can welcome, anchor, and nourish both monks and guests. Settled boundaries and commitments can provide an environment of rest and freedom that enhances a capacity to offer hospitality.
Most communities and individual practitioners of hospitality have learned the hard way about the necessity of finding time and space for renewal. Communities of hospitality close down periodically to allow workers time to be refreshed. Every person needs some time during the week to get away from his or her regular activities. Persons and families need at least small amounts of personal space. These needs become intensified when people are offering hospitality to a steady flow of strangers who require significant attention and investment.
We nourish our lives with personal prayer and community worship. We are fed through reading and studying Scripture, and we are renewed through serious observance of Sabbaths. Meals, worship, and the [Lord’s Supper] combine together to nourish those who offer hospitality.
May God bless our day with time for these kinds of refreshing,
Ron
Because hospitality is so demanding, we must find a renewing rhythm of work, rest, and worship. Without periods of rest and solitude, and without access to spiritual nourishment, we wear out quickly. It is easy to overlook prayer, study, and rest when the demands of hospitality are urgent and overwhelming. It is impossible, however, to sustain hospitality without attention to both the spiritual and physical needs of the practitioners.
Out of his years of experience in offering hospitality, Jean Vanier concludes, “It is easy to be generous for a few months or even years. But to be continually present to others, and not only present but nourishing, to keep going in a fidelity which is reborn each morning, demands a discipline of body and spirit.” Quoting a Franciscan prior who works among the urban poor, Vanier offers an important warning:
“If we do not care for our bodies, and if we do not find a rhythm of life we can sustain in the years to come,” he said, “it is not worth us being here. Our job is to stay. It is too easy to come and live among the poor for the experience, to exploit them for our own spiritual ends and then to leave. What we have to do is stay.”
A distinctive of Benedictine life is their vow of stability – a permanent commitment to a particular monastic community in a particular place. In accepting certain spatial and communal boundaries on their lives, they are able to establish a strong sense of place, which can welcome, anchor, and nourish both monks and guests. Settled boundaries and commitments can provide an environment of rest and freedom that enhances a capacity to offer hospitality.
Most communities and individual practitioners of hospitality have learned the hard way about the necessity of finding time and space for renewal. Communities of hospitality close down periodically to allow workers time to be refreshed. Every person needs some time during the week to get away from his or her regular activities. Persons and families need at least small amounts of personal space. These needs become intensified when people are offering hospitality to a steady flow of strangers who require significant attention and investment.
We nourish our lives with personal prayer and community worship. We are fed through reading and studying Scripture, and we are renewed through serious observance of Sabbaths. Meals, worship, and the [Lord’s Supper] combine together to nourish those who offer hospitality.
May God bless our day with time for these kinds of refreshing,
Ron
Monday, September 8, 2008
Love and discipline
This week’s devotions come from Shiann’s pen:
Having been a Christian for what seems like my whole physical life and having attended church almost weekly since my birth, the stories of the Bible are old hat to me. I enjoy SO much when I get to see/hear them with fresh eyes. Please look with me at a couple of stories with new eyes over the next couple of days.
In Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw’s book Jesus for President, there is a very interesting depiction of the Flood.
So, by the sixth chapter of the Bible, things had already gotten really ugly. We read. “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. (Gen 6:11)” Violence infected the earth like a disease. What was God to do?
At first glance, the flood might seem to us like the most violent thing that has ever happened, especially in the wake of contemporary storms and tsunamis. But the biblical narrative treats it as an act of protection from the corruption and violence that had plagued the creation. It’s like a divine chemotherapy, or the pruning of a diseased plant to save its life. God loves humanity so much that watching us kill ourselves is absolutely intolerable. So God saved humanity through the flood.”
I had to read this section several times to digest the weight of these thoughts and it has stuck with me over the last few weeks. I believe this may be a more accurate statement of how God sees the Flood story than the one I had thought. Mostly, we tell this story as a children’s story, giving little thought to the whys of the situation, just passing on the content with limited context.
If we look through the lenses of the new information, I believe we can see that discipline as discussed throughout the Bible is because “God loves humanity so much that watching us [kill, damage with words, hurt with social isolation, you fill in the blank] ourselves is absolutely intolerable.” We are to show the Fruit of the Spirit and not fall into worldly habits not because God expects us to be perfect. God sees that the alternative to these positive behaviors and attitudes is consistently hurtful to us and others.
Let us keep this in mind as we approach each other in corrective situations.
Blessings,
Shiann
Having been a Christian for what seems like my whole physical life and having attended church almost weekly since my birth, the stories of the Bible are old hat to me. I enjoy SO much when I get to see/hear them with fresh eyes. Please look with me at a couple of stories with new eyes over the next couple of days.
In Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw’s book Jesus for President, there is a very interesting depiction of the Flood.
So, by the sixth chapter of the Bible, things had already gotten really ugly. We read. “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. (Gen 6:11)” Violence infected the earth like a disease. What was God to do?
At first glance, the flood might seem to us like the most violent thing that has ever happened, especially in the wake of contemporary storms and tsunamis. But the biblical narrative treats it as an act of protection from the corruption and violence that had plagued the creation. It’s like a divine chemotherapy, or the pruning of a diseased plant to save its life. God loves humanity so much that watching us kill ourselves is absolutely intolerable. So God saved humanity through the flood.”
I had to read this section several times to digest the weight of these thoughts and it has stuck with me over the last few weeks. I believe this may be a more accurate statement of how God sees the Flood story than the one I had thought. Mostly, we tell this story as a children’s story, giving little thought to the whys of the situation, just passing on the content with limited context.
If we look through the lenses of the new information, I believe we can see that discipline as discussed throughout the Bible is because “God loves humanity so much that watching us [kill, damage with words, hurt with social isolation, you fill in the blank] ourselves is absolutely intolerable.” We are to show the Fruit of the Spirit and not fall into worldly habits not because God expects us to be perfect. God sees that the alternative to these positive behaviors and attitudes is consistently hurtful to us and others.
Let us keep this in mind as we approach each other in corrective situations.
Blessings,
Shiann
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Multiplying forgiveness
Once again we come to the end of the week. Tomorrow, being Sunday, will be our regular Sabbath from this daily enterprise. Then, for the next week, Greg Steele will be writing the daily devotional thoughts and I will be forwarding them on to you. Greg has kindly consented to give me a break so that I can prepare for the board meeting next week, and rethink exactly how I want to continue with the devotional thought project. I think that it has some value. I know that some of you do, too, but also probably a few of you wish I would spend my time doing something else. I’m open to suggestions. I do think that maintaining a spiritual focus in our work is job one.
Now today’s thoughts.
To My Mother
by Wendell Berry
I was your rebellious son,
do you remember? Sometimes
I wonder if you do remember,
so complete has your forgiveness been.
So complete has your forgiveness been
I wonder sometimes if it did not
precede my wrong, and I erred,
safe found, within your love,
prepared ahead of me, the way home,
or my bed at night, so that almost
I should forgive you, who perhaps
foresaw the worst that I might do,
causing me to smile now, looking back,
to see how paltry was my worst,
compared to your forgiveness of it
already given. And this, then,
is the vision of that Heaven of which
we have heard, where those who love
each other have forgiven each other,
where, for that, the leaves are green,
the light a music in the air,
and all is unentangled,
and all is undismayed.
An imaginary dialogue
(You’ll have to guess who the speakers are)
Forgive.
OK, I will.
Forgive. Forgive.
Why should I? I already did.
I know; do it anyway.
But they’re not even saying that they’re sorry!
Do you confess everything to me?
. . .
I guess that would be a “no.” Forgive.
OK.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
Isn’t this solution just a bit simplistic?
It appears to be working in our relationship.
. . . Sometimes I just don’t know how to answer you.
Try saying, “Yes.”
Yes.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
This has got to stop; they’re not repenting.
So how are you coming along with your . . .
OK, OK, let’s not go there. I’ll try . . .
Do you want me to try, or to forgive?
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.
OK, I get that this is the seventy times seven thing, but
do you not see what this is doing to me?
Yes, I do.
But this is abusive.
It is my job to deal with impenitent abuse, not yours;
do you think you can cure abuse with abuse?
But this is killing me.
Do you really want to go there? It has already killed me.
You’re sounding pretty healthy now.
I will forgive the sarcasm and note that perhaps my good health
is connected to my ability to forgive.
It’s just that you don’t sound too broken up to me.
Every time a soul rebels against my Father it breaks my heart.
I understand.
I don’t mean this in a mean way, but there is no way
that you ever have, that you ever will understand
the depth or breadth or intensity of the pain in
the heart of God.
I’m sorry. It’s just that this is so painful.
Growth can be painful.
What does that mean?
Forgiveness is one of the disciplines that shapes
your character with the virtue of forgiving,
And shapes you into an image of me.
I will do what I can.
And I will help.
------
Jesus, forgive me for putting my words into your mouth,
but for millennia, my sisters and brothers have done this;
imagining what you might say, thinking about how
the conversation would go.
We search for answers knowing that you are the Truth.
May we know you well enough to speak the truth, to
speak a word of peace, on your behalf.
May that word of peace always imitate
Your grace and your forgiveness.
Show grace, discover peace.
Ron
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Spiritual food
Toward the end of one of the most intriguing narratives in the gospel of John, Jesus speaks some curious words. Although exhausted, he has been talking with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well at Sychar while his disciples go into town to buy some food. This shopping trip takes a while, so the disciples expect Jesus to be as famished as they are when they return to the well:
. . . . . . the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something."
So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?"
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”
Jn 4:31-34
Now, even though Jesus confuses the disciples, John makes it obvious to us that the Father must have filled Jesus with some sort of spiritual food. This idea of “spiritual filling” makes us think about the words from Jesus’ sermon:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” - Mt 5:6
Consider the wisdom of Gregory of Nyssa as he explains these words of Jesus. Hear how the virtue that makes up righteousness can satisfy us:
To me, this saying seems to mean that none of the things pursued for the sake of pleasure in this life satisfies those who pursue them . . . Are not all pleasures that are accomplished through the body fleeting, since they do not remain for long with those who have attained them? . . . Only the pursuit of virtue that is planted with us is firm and lasting. For a person who aims his life straight at the higher things—such as prudence, temperance, [or] piety toward the divine—does not in those virtuous actions obtain transitory and unstable enjoyment but enjoyment that is firm, enduring, and extends to all of one’s life.
Why is this so? Because one can always do these things and there is no time throughout our lives that produces a satiety of doing good. For prudence, purity, unchangeableness in every good, and avoidance of the bad can be done at all times. As long as one longs for virtue, one’s enjoyment grow through its practice. For those who give themselves over to improper desires, even if their soul is always attentive to licentiousness, the pleasure does not last indefinitely. Satiety puts a stop to the gluttonous enjoyment of food and when thirst is quenched, so is the pleasure of drink. It is the same with other things; once the desire for please has been quenched by its satisfaction, a certain interval of time must pass before the desire for pleasure is again called forth.
On the other hand, when the possession of virtue is firmly established within someone, it is not limited by time or satiety. It always provides those who live by it a pure, ever-new, and flourishing experience of its own good things. . . . The possession of virtue follows the desire for virtue, and this ingrained goodness brings unceasing enjoyment to the soul. . . . Virtue is both the work of those who live uprightly and the reward for virtuous deeds.
On the Beatitudes, 4
To hunger or thirst after righteousness is to desire virtue. To desire a particular virtue is to value it, which is the first step toward possessing it. The practice of a specific connected discipline begins to develop the virtue in us. Such practice requires us to displace the opposing vice, as well as the connected fears. After we practice the virtue long enough for it to become a habit, we acquire a taste for it, a taste that can be satisfied by more of the same. Gregory explains this to us, and Jesus demonstrates.
If, for example, we desire the virtue of peacemaking (Mt 6:10), then not only must we give up anger (or sarcasm, impatience, or incaution), we must also put aside our fear and avoidance of conflict in order to come close enough to bring reconciliation. When God uses us to make peace enough times, he fills us with the joy of knowing that we are truly behaving like children of God. That joy will overflow into the lives of other people. Remember the woman at the well? Jesus told her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." Jn 4:13-15
Ron
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