A Grateful Charge

Dear Faith Family,  

Tomorrow, you'll likely find yourself around a meal with friends, family, or both. Whether a meal labored over in traditional preparations or arriving via APP, whether as a part of a larger day of activities or not, there will be a moment tomorrow where you're encouraged to remember with gratitude the actions and relationships that brought about your living, here and now. And, in remembering with gratitude, feeling the charge to carry on similar actions and relationships for those who will dine together long after we are gone.

While tomorrow is the day of Thanksgiving, let's get the giving thanks started a few hours early! 

Rather than giving you a bunch of commentary or guidelines, I just want to simply say that as you let Paul's words lead your heart to gratitude and as a charge for tomorrow, do so with our Orbiting Jesus Together conversations in mind. 

Thinking of, and thankful for you today. Love you, faith family!

Rise to the heights! Live full lives,
full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know—
far more than you could ever imagine
or guess
or request in your wildest dreams!
He does it not by pushing us around
but by working within us,
his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

 

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do...
I want you to get out there and walk
—better yet, run!—
on the road God called you to travel.

I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands.
I don’t want anyone strolling off,
down some path that goes nowhere.
And mark that you do this with humility and discipline
—not in fits and starts, but steadily,
pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love,
alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

 

You were all called to travel on the same road
and in the same direction,
so stay together,
both outwardly and inwardly.

You have one Master, one faith,
one baptism,
one God and Father of all,
who rules over all,
works through all,
and is present in all.
Everything you are and think and do
is permeated with Oneness.

 

But that doesn’t mean you should all look
and speak and act the same.
Out of the generosity of Christ,
each of us is given his own gift...

He handed out gifts above and below,
filled heaven with his gifts,
filled earth with his gifts.

He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet,
evangelist, and pastor-teacher
to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work,
working within Christ’s body, the church,
until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other,
efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son,
fully mature adults,
fully developed within and without,
fully alive like Christ.

 

No prolonged infancies among us, please.
We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods,
small children who are easy prey for predators.
God wants us to grow up,
to know the whole truth
and tell it in love—like Christ in everything.

We take our lead from Christ,
who is the source of everything we do.
He keeps us in step with each other.
His very breath and blood flow through us,
nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God,
robust in love.
(Ephesians 3:19-4:16)

Remembering The Call

Dear Faith Family,  

Whether offering a structured center as it does in Van Gogh's painting above or a series of activities and ambitions around which to organize our lives as it does in our part of the world, "church'" plays a significant role in our life of faith. There is no arguing it. Yet, perhaps because of its significance, even conscientious attempts to examine the proper place and purpose of "church" feel like an affront to our history or the experiences of our sisters and brothers in the faith, a criticism of something sacred. But isn't that our habit as humans to idolize the means over the end? After all, our scriptures exhort us to grow up into Jesus, not church: 

"we are to grow up in every way into Him
who is the head [of the body], into Christ"
(Ephesians 4:15) 

While, as we've said the last couple of weeks, the church is neither the goal of our faith nor even the primary "place" where our faith matures, that doesn't mean our being a part of the community of faith, the part we play in the body, isn't a necessary means of maturation. As we said on Sunday, our life together orbiting Jesus is meant to cultivate the root of our faith: awe and response to God with us. 

At its fullest, our life together in Jesus, structured or otherwise, draws one another's attention to the marvelous wonder of life in, through, and for Jesus in which we exist at this very moment (Col. 1:15-23). That was Van Gogh's message, and that is the message of church bells too. 

For a period in history, in particular parts of the world at least, the church's placement and physical construct within a town or village allowed the church structure to fulfill this function practically. Accompanying every spire was a bell or set of bells that rang out to signal the commencement of various sacred occasions. Whether singing out in celebration of a new beginning in marriage or baptism, tolling in hope of life again and different in a burial, or a beckoning welcome to worship; whenever a church bell rung, the attention of the community was caught, called to awareness of something significant at that moment. Yet the bells didn't just ring at exceptionally sacred moments, but in ordinary sacred moments too. 

Sometimes randomly, sometimes regularly, the church bells would ring out even when the building itself was intentionally empty. The purposed sounding was a recollect. The sound calling to mind that wherever you are, in that very moment, God is with you. And that whatever you were doing in that very moment is in response to God with you.

Whether laboring in the field or the home, crafting with metal, wood, or words, conversing with a neighbor, arguing with an employee, or mindlessly about routine tasks; when the bells rang your attention was called to the significance of that very moment. It became custom that at the sounding of the bell, those with ears attuned would pray a brief prayer in awareness of the sacred ordinary. These prayers became known as "recollected prayers." And it is a recollected prayer that I'd encourage you to pray this week. 

While we might not have church bells, we do have chimes on our phones! So...

• Start by setting two alarms on your phone. For example, Jewish tradition contains a similar habit of prayer at 9 am, Noon, and 3 pm. Pick two times that will sound during "ordinary" activities. 

• When your alarm goes off, recite the verses below, remembering the story from which it was first prayed (Lk. 23:39-42).

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

• Recite it once more, briefly acknowledging that wherever you are and whatever you are doing at that moment is in, through, and for Jesus. 

May we live by faith today, in awe and response to God with us in even the most unanticipated places. 

Love you, faith family!

Prophetic Pictures

Dear Faith Family,  

"The Bible is an answer to the question, What does God require of man?" 

We might rephrase Rabbi Heschel's observation of the ultimate question our scriptures answer: What is required to live: truly, wholly, and free? At least, that's been the question wrestling with us over the last seven or so months since Easter. 

From the resurrected rhythm to the simple basics, and most recently, looking into the depths to flourish, we've spent what on the Church calendar is called "Ordinary Time" getting into all the everyday, foundational, and granular contexts in which life is made whole and holy, free and flourishing, or something less. Well, almost all the contexts. 

Before the "Cycle of Light" (Advent...Christmas...Epiphany) begins anew, there is one last place our scriptures would have us look to see, hear, and feel what God requires for Life: Church. The fact that this place is a place we go in and for faith, makes it all the more difficult to discern what's off in our orientation to it, which is why we need prophets to help us see clearly what is easily missed.

The prophet's role throughout our faith's history has been through words, performances, and their own lives, to call our awareness to the way, the work, and the with-ness of God in hopes that we might be attentive and live; truly, wholly, and free. Prophets like Isaiah and Van Gogh (yes, you didn't misread that!), which, as we learned Sunday, paint wonderous pictures of real Life, helping us see what we might be overlooking in our church-centered orbits. 

If you missed Sunday, I'd encourage you to listen to the sermon or read through the notes and gaze at a Starry Night. But even if you don't, at least allow the prayer below to provide you a glimpse of the prophetic picture of Life and Light from, through, for whom we live, today. 

Love you, faith family!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

St. Patrick's Prayer Adapted 

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, entreating the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of the Rock.

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
From every knowledge that corrupts body and soul;

For I arise today
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, entreating the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

Put Away the Pretense

Dear Faith Family,  

What if I told you the thing that keeps us (re) building our lives in the shallow sandiness of unawareness instead of standing firm on the deep foundation is our pretense in our faith practices? If we want to flourish from the depths of our life in God's life, then we can't hide behind false portrayals, ideals, or self-assumptions. 

In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount (I know you thought we were done with that!), Jesus warns,

“practicing our righteousness
(or “practices of relating rightly with God's commands and heart")
before other people in order to be seen by them…
will have no reward from our Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 6:1)

Jesus goes on to urge us not to put on a show for others, ourselves, or even God, for that is what hypocrites do (6:2,5, 16). Hypocrites are concerned with what is seen rather than what is secret (hidden behind the actor's mask). Instead, Jesus says, whether in generosity, prayer, or fasting to do so,

“in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:4, 6, 18)

Now, what does the Father, who sees in secret, see? Surely, it’s not just our right religious actions, our faith practices, but what the psalmist has recognized that God knows,

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me
(hiding who I truly am),
and the light about me
(what’s good and true and knowable),
be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as day the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb…
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being formed in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them…

I praise you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully
set apart for purpose.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

(Psalm 139:1,11-13, 15-16, 14)

 
What Jesus invites us into is a genuineness in our relating to God, not a posturing that keeps God at a distance and us living in the shallow. Jesus invites us into being fully known, and the reward of being fully known is, as the psalmist found, a soul content—fully aware of who and whose and for what it is. 

While we spent several hours Sunday responding to Jesus' invitation by going deeper through Solitude and Silence, which our Eighth Practice walks you through, might I encourage you to take 20 minutes today to be yourself with God? The exercise below will guide you through moving from the shallows into the depths. In doing so, may you find what our Father sees and its reward. 

Love you, faith family!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Being Yourself With God*

1. Acknowledge that you are here at the invitation of God, who has searched and known you. There is nothing to hide and no expectation to be hidden.

2. Set a 5-minute timer, which you'll reset after each movement. Then, take note of the following as you move from the surface into the depths of yourself with God.

   BODY (5 mins) What is your physical condition lately? Are you tired, energized, satisfied with your level of health and fitness, eating well or not, caring for health issues, and so on?

 Talk with God about these things and listen for His response.

MIND (5 mins) What concerns or questions have occupied your thoughts recently? How has your mind been working on these questions, and what is the result?

Let your questions sit in silence with God. Don’t grasp for answers; just let them settle in what God sees.

HEART (5 mins) What emotions have been most prevalent recently? What feelings are you living on or pop up most often? What are your persistent longings?

Let your questions sit in silence with God. Don’t grasp for answers; just let them settle in the presence of God with you and take note of what happens emotionally, physically, spiritually.

SOUL (5 mins) What is the condition of your soul these days? What concerns are weighing on you? What joys or successes are you celebrating? Where do you hurt? Where do you feel whole?

Bring these to God as a child would bring squeals of delight or tears of sadness or frustration to a loving parent. Allow yourself to experience everything you are feeling right now
without censoring anything. Speak to God directly about what you are experiencing, recognizing He knows and is with you in this place.

When the last timer sounds, enter the day formed for you, doing the work for which you were formed. 

*This exercise is an adaption from Ruth Haley Barton's "Invitation Into Solitude & Silence," pages 136-139. 

Perpetuating The Problem

Dear Faith Family,  

I doubt we are unfamiliar with the "Golden Rule." Whether from family members, Sesame Street, or teachers, some version of  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" has found its way into our ears and expectations. This reciprocal ethic is espoused across generations as well as socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Nearly every people and place has an adaptation of this treasured precept. And while the acculturation of this "rule" gives credence to its universal truthfulness, it is also a source of our relational frustration. 

Think about it. When floating out there on its own, the rule is, as Chaz mentioned on Sunday, a little egocentric. Detached from something other than "you" (or me!), how we relate (what we "do unto others") becomes preferential and dogmatic. "I" becomes the central evaluator of what is desired (i.e., "best") for not only myself but for others as well. And so, when "I" don't get what "I" want from "you," that means it is a "you" problem. Is there any wonder then why we are prone to judgmentalism and easily offended?! 

But here is the thing: even though my translation of the Bible has the heading "The Golden Rule" above Matthew 7:12, dividing it from the verses before, Jesus grounds the valued wisdom in the foundation on which he has been building, keeping our preferences or perspectives from perpetuating the problems: 

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." 

Jesus uses the same phrase here as he did in Matthew 5:17, connecting the "do unto others" to the revelations of our unease and restlessness which he's made us aware of between them, and closing the loop on his reoriented image of a "Blessed" life already and forever. A good and purposeful life experienced in greater depth as we grow in being present to the Presence in us and with others in the granular interactions of our day.

Our Sixth Practice is designed to ground "The Golden Rule" in these most intimate, ordinary, and often anxiety-riddled relations, so that we and those we share life with might truly flourish. So, as you take time this week to do the work to be a differentiated presence, may you come to see,

"how much more will your Father who is in heaven
give good things to those who ask him!"
(Matthew 7:11)

Love you, faith family!

OH the Drama!

Dear Faith Family,  

We are a funny people. On the one hand, we are obsessed with making life easier. From the technology we buy to the fads we buy into, we are always on the lookout for means and methods of de-stressing the labors of living. On the other hand, we are addicted to drama. From Stranger Things to Survivor, from Serial to Spare, look at the bestsellers to the most watched and top listened. You'll find we consume an amalgamation of dramas, good and bad, compelling and corny, tragic and triumphant. We may want to avoid trouble in our lives, but we sure are gluttons for it in others! 

While there is nothing wrong with tackling real troubles nor even the energy, emotion, and entertainment of a good story, our diet sheds light on why unease and restlessness are near-constant companions for most of us. As we discussed on Sunday, if we want to make peace in the troubles, we must step out of the drama (our own and others). 

We're drawn to dramas because they are representations of real life, but only partially so. All dramas read, watched, listened to, or narrated in our souls are scripted to tell a story from a particular angle to draw others into the depiction's conflict, often with a sympathetic perspective to the author. And while that is all good and well for entertainment purposes, in real life, when we dramatize our troubles, we cultivate anxiousness in us and others. 

Anxious, at least the term Jesus used for it in Matthew 6:25-34, describes unsettledness as "a part as opposed to the whole" or "going to pieces." The term describes both how we feel and why. So, whether in an interaction at the office, at a moment of opportunity, or in the middle of a conversation, when we experience the physical symptoms of anxiousness, an elevated heart rate, a racing mind, and a tightening stomach; we should ask not just what's wrong, but, what's missing? What's the story I'm telling or being told, and is there something missing, a perspective not seen or left out that's creating a drama and drawing me in? 

Our Fifth Practice is meant to help us learn to identify and step out of the drama and, as Jesus encourages, clearly see and thoroughly grasp the whole story in which we are caught up. And while we may miss the drama, we'll find a deeper satisfaction. 

Wonderful are your works; 
my soul knows it very well. 
(Psalm 139:14) 

Love you, faith family!

Taking A Closer Look

Dear Faith Family,  

Where do you look to get a bead on where you are? When you feel unsettled (physically, emotionally, spiritually), where do you look to know if you're in our Father's kingdom come and will done, or not quite there at the moment? 

If you're like me, you answer the question by zooming out and assessing the present circumstantially--what's working and not--or perhaps historically--the decisions and situations that led here. While such a big-picture assessment has its time and place, Jesus encourages a more granular perspective. 

As we said on Sunday, if we want to know why we are unsettled, we don't need to zoom out; we need to zoom in. Take a look, Jesus exhorts in Matthew 5:17-48, at those ordinary and minute interactions in any given day, and you'll discover what's easily overlooked. Whether in a conversation with your coworker, an argument with your spouse, correcting a child, counseling a friend, or any of the dozen daily collisions; when you get granular, you can see that unsettledness is often relational. 

The source of our anxiousness and unrest is often the disposition of our interactions, how we come into contact with others or a reaction to their disposition towards us. Remember, unsettledness is contagious. But, so too is peace! 

The wonderous paradox of Jesus' revelation is that when we look at the granular, we not only discover (become aware of) what's going on under the surface in us and sometimes in others, but we also see the kingdom of heaven's entrance. The place where we feel tension, the daily interactions and collisions that make life real, is the same place we experience the "Already Blessedness" of life in God's life. And so, Jesus encourages us, don't avoid the collisions, pay attention and participate in what's happening within them.

Love your enemies and
pray for those who make life hard on you. 
(Matthew 5:44)

After all, that's our familial expectation:  

You therefore must mature, reach your end goal,
as your heavenly Father is already at the end.
(Matthew 5:48) 

Our Fourth Practice is meant to help us mature, get better at paying attention to participate! I encourage you to set aside space to work through the practice this week. Perhaps with a friend or spouse? As you do, may you find,

...the kingdom of God is in
the midst of you...
within you...
within your grasp.
(Luke 17:21) 

Love you, faith family!

Uncovering Happiness

Dear Faith Family,  

"If I could only __________, life would be good."

"If only __________, I'd be living with purpose." 

How would you fill in the blanks above, today? Would today's answers differ if you were asked the same question at a different moment? I'd wager what filled the void, say, while in college was different than within your career. In fact, as you consider each stage or phase or circumstance of your story, I'd imagine that your answer to "What do I need to live happy, to experience a good and purposeful life?" has been as varied and vanishing as the moment in which it was asked.

Whether something to get, or do, or change, our answers to the question have been in constant motion and so too have our efforts to secure the apparently elusive prize of a happy, "Blessed" life. If a good and purposeful life is an ever-moving target, changing as the terrain of life changes, then no wonder we find ourselves exhausted. But is it?

Is a "Blessed" life something to be captured, achieved, or even reached? Is the life we are after truly an ever-moving target, or does the perpetual motion of what we think we need to experience it create an illusion of elusiveness? 

What if the way we frame the question is the real source of our anxiousness and unrest, not the apparent elusiveness of our desire? Think about it: the way we phrase the question of happiness implies what we desire is somewhere out there, just out of reach or a million miles away. And, what lies between where I am and what I seek is a host of obstacles, whether people, objects, situations, or something more internal or ethereal. Regardless, the question assumes that there is something that we must get over, get through, or simply get to get where we want to be.

Yet, as we discussed a couple of Sundays ago, Jesus' opening words in the Sermon on the Mount imply that the life we are after is the one we already have. In other words, Jesus doesn't provide us with another list of answers; Jesus reframes the question! 

Instead of asking what you need to be happy, which implies we go looking for the ever-changing answers, Jesus asks: What dilutes or covers up your "Alreay Blessed-ness"? Jesus' question still presumes there are difficulties even in a flourishing life. A good and purposeful life is still something to be faced. Yet, the reframed question settles the desire. What we are after is already ours.

So, it's not about finding what we lack but cultivating or maturing in what is already ours. The change of question shifts our efforts. Instead of figuring out what to get, grab hold of, or go through, which is, as we've attested, ever-changing, we now spend our energy uncovering happiness.

What we find exposed in our digging is the shroud of our particular anxiousness and unrest (which we'll see throughout the Simply to Flourish series) and the depths and wonder of our Father's providential affection. 

So today, with Jesus' reframed question in mind, spend a few moments meditating on a favorite of our faith family: Psalm 139. And as you do, may your life, inside and out, settle in the gracious surety of your "Blessedness." 

Love you, faith family!

Getting Oriented

Dear Faith Family,  

At the end of my senior year of high school, I drove from Wichita Falls, where I grew up, to Flint, a little town in east Texas. My destination was program and counselor training for a family camp where I'd spend the summer working. You might not think this roughly four-hour trip was a big deal, but it was my first relatively long, solo road excursion. Oh, by the way, this was not only pre-smartphone days (so no GPS); it was pre-cell phone days (at least for my family!). So I was making this trek old school, with a foldout map, printed turn-by-turn directions from Map Quest, and a strict demand from my mom to call her when I arrived. 

I'd love to say I was confident and relaxed in my travels. After all, I had a map, I had directions, and I knew what I was headed to would be a good thing. But the truth is, my eyes darted from the map to the directions to the odometer (remember having to mark the miles!) and back again for nearly the entire journey! Especially nerve-racking were the interchanges in Dallas, not to mention the drastically different driving styles, as well as the half dozen or so farm-to-market roads seemingly every three-and-three-quarter miles I was supposed to keep a lookout for! 

There were multiple times along the way that I experienced all the physiological indicators of anxiety: heart racing as hundreds of cars flew by as I naively kept to the speed limit, head spinning at how many different I-35 and I-20 signs and exits there were, and stomach tightening wondering if I read the directions correctly (Was it FM 349 or FM 439 that I'm supposed to be looking for?!), if the map was accurate (Maybe this thing is dated, every road is under construction!), or if my orientation to the map was just off (Where the heck am I, really!). 

Eventually, I arrived at my destination, though emotionally exhausted. A few hours into the training, a year-round staffer got up in front of the several hundred trainees to let one particular trainee know that he should call his mom since she had called the main offices to ensure he was indeed safe and sound. 

Maybe you've had similar experiences. Not forgetting to call your mom, but the unease accompanying doing something you've never done, navigating through unfamiliar territory, and dependence on tools that may be accurate enough but don't provide a vivid picture of the path at any particular point. 

In truth, much of the underlying anxiety and restlessness we experience in life, especially our spiritual life, stem from our navigational processes: how we relate to the world and others around us based on the maps and models shaping our imagined place and path. Perhaps that is one reason Jesus' first actions with his apprentices was to ensure they were properly oriented. 

As we discussed on Sunday, in the opening to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:2-16), Jesus makes sure those following Him know where they are because of where they are going. In doing so, Jesus empowers us to be content in facing the real rather than imagined obstacles along the way. 

This week, I encourage you to set aside some time for our second guided practice to help us live simply to flourish. Today, wherever you are literally or metaphorically navigating life, listen and rest in Jesus' orientating revelation. 

Blessed (already happy) are you utterly dependent on God's presence and power,

for you have it. 

Blessed (already favored) are you who feel the losses in life;
for refreshment and strength are yours. 

Blessed (already whole) are you appropriately angry and evidently gentle,
for you are in peace amid the chaos. 

Blessed (already happy) are you whose most genuine desire drives you,
for you have your daily fill. 

Blessed (already favored) are you who illogically & inconceivably forgive,
for you share what you've received. 

Blessed (already whole) are you laborers for wholeness and health,
for you're living on your inheritance, what was made for and given to you. 

Blessed (already happy) are you in conflict with the old navigational tools,
for you're living in/by something new. 

Blessed (already happy) are you in the run-ins and put-downs,
for you are distinctively with Jesus,
and those blessed to be a blessing,
shown to reveal in word and deed a world different,
have always been a bit tangy. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

A Place to Start

Dear Faith Family,  

You don't have to be a social scientist, cultural commentator, or medical professional to recognize we (as individuals and society) are experiencing the ill effects of an ever-churning current of unease permeating our daily existence. Though such persons are regularly reporting the fact, often contending that the levels of anxiety and restlessness we live with are unprecedented. The solution of most pundits and professionals is to manage the effects, treat the symptoms, or, worse, attempt to escape the pressure. Yet, as Steven Cuss points out, 

“[Humans] face a steady onslaught of internal and external pressures we are not trained to handle. We focus on skill development and hone our gifts but too often neglect the most powerful [life] tool: awareness of what is happening under the surface.

All manner of triggers, reactivity, and stories we tell ourselves bubble just under our conscious awareness. This boiling collective blocks our capacity to be present because it takes energy to manage, especially when we’re not aware of it or when we’re reacting unconsciously to anxiety in someone else."

Acknowledgment that we are constantly facing anxiety—whether yours, mine, or ours—is not the same as awareness of the particulars of our unease and restlessness. Recognizing our mechanism for management, identifying our triggers and reactivity, and exposing the stories we live by won't automatically make us less anxious or more apt to cultivate peace, however. There are no quick fixes. Still, awareness is the place to start: 

“Awareness is critical to be sure, but it is not the path of growth; it is simply the gate. We unlock it and walk through it, but on the other side of self-awareness is difficult work that brings deeper freedom for us and those we [share life with]." (Steven Cuss) 

This Fall, we'll be doing several things to help us unlock and walk through the gate of awareness as we continue (discover) the difficult work of deeper freedom, of living simply to flourish. In addition to offering the Entering Awareness Group (see the image above), we'll learn to pay attention to our racing hearts, spinning minds, and tightening guts as we listen to Jesus' words and the Spirit's examening. You can find the first guided practice here. 

As we take responsibility this week and during the weeks to come to open the door of awareness, may we enter into the steady work of living abundantly (Jn. 10:7-10), at peace amid the raging currents of today and every day:

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
(Matthew 7:24-27)

Love you faith family! God bless.

The Final Word

Dear Faith Family,  

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?
Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
You desire and do not have, so you murder.
You covet and cannot obtain,
so you fight and quarrel. 
(James 4:1-2)

The Tenth and final of our Ten Words takes us to the essential tension we experience in living a free and whole life: the war within that manifests as fights amongst our foundational relationships. 

You shall not covet...anything that is your neighbor's.
(Exodus 20:17)

As we mentioned on Sunday, the Tenth Word is surgical. The Tenth Word exposes the disease at the heart of our daily tensions: a desire willing to destroy what we do have - relationships, integrity, resources, potential, i.e., your life - for what someone else has - things, success, opportunities, i.e., their life. Yet, surgery is not merely about exposing an issue but correcting or removing the malcontent at the source. And so, the Tenth Word prohibits inordinate longing for another's life and empowers us to live content. 

Before you stop reading because you've heard the exhortation to be content too many times, remember what the word doesn't mean. To be content does not mean to "be happy" with or "don't complain" about what you have. In contrast to what most of us assume, the encouragement to be content is not the slogan we used around our house when the kids were toddlers: "You get what you get, so don't throw a fit." If content were just be happy or don't complain, we'd have to eliminate nearly half of the Psalms! 

Contentment is much deeper than our surface reactions to life's circumstances. To be content is to be self-sufficient. Contentment is the inward experience of sufficiency, of possessing all you need for life in that moment. In being satisfied with my ability to flourish in my life, contentment cuts out the source of daily disputes, "the passions at war within me" for someone else's life. Another's life, James reminds us, is something we'll never be able to obtain, so no wonder we get frustrated! But my life, now that is a gift I can do something with. 

In step with the First Word's revelation (Ex. 20:2-3), the apostle Paul points out the self-sufficiency that brings peace to the wars within and the quarrels between is a relational sufficiency on the One in whose life we are caught up:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (self-sufficient).
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.
In any and every circumstance,
I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
I can do all things through
the One strengthening (sharing power-ability with) me.
(Philippians 4:11-13)

As Paul said, the secret of living at peace within ourselves and between one another is something "learned." If it took Paul a while to become intimately acquainted with contentment, I imagine it will for me and probably you as well! So, will you join me this week in letting the Spirit and scripture do a little heart surgery? 

Set aside a few moments this week and allow the Spirit to examen the heart of your daily actions and attitudes, asking: In what ways am I trying to live another(‘s) life? Consider writing down what the Spirit brings to mind. Then, allow the Spirit to lead you to delight in God's life in you, asking: In what ways has God empowered me for my life? 

As we trust in the Lord and do good this week, may we feed on the faithfulness of God, delighting ourselves in His life, finding that He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:3-4). 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

More Power Than You Think

Dear Faith Family,  

Death and life are in the power of the tongue
and those who love it will eat its fruit. 
(Proverbs 18:21)

Even with how well acquainted we are with feeling powerless, Wisdom says that we indeed possess great power. And, as we all know, "With great power comes great responsibility." 

Okay, that last sentence might not be from the most reputable source of wisdom, though Uncle Ben/Aunt Mae seemed to have had enough life to have figured a few things out. And if you're lost to what I'm talking about, you're probably better off! 

Regardless, the truth of the matter is that words are powerful things. As Paul reminded the faith family of Colosse, it is our words along with our deeds that make a life, good or not (Col. 3:17). Or, as one translation of Proverbs 18:21 puts it: 

Words kill, words give life;
they're either poison or fruit - 
you choose. 

The words we use and the manner in which we use them matter. The Ninth of our Ten Words declares our submission to this truth essential to living free and whole with God and others. 

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
(Exodus 20:16) 

As we mentioned on Sunday, at the heart of the Ninth Word is the prohibition against any speech that corrupts the judgment of others in our favor. Whether in a legal proceeding or at the watercooler, whether to secure a favorable ruling or favorable perception, whether spoken in ignorance, arrogance, from hurt or fear; when we use words to twist or manipulate how another person(s) are perceived (judged), we are violating the Ninth Word. That's why throughout our scriptures, not only is lying condemned, but so is slander, gossip, 'othering,' stereotyping, 'gas-lighting,' and the like. And these ways of using words are not merely called improper, but evil, for in truth, they kill life in relationships rather than cultivate it. 

I doubt you'd have to think too hard to recall the power of words in your life- whether your own or another's. Times when words poisoned a relationship and times when words made bounds deeper and more satisfying. 

It is humbly to think that the Lord would entrust us with such power. Which is why Paul encourages us, as Uncle Ben did Peter Parker, to use our words with great responsibility:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up,
as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear.
(Ephesians 4:29)

May our words make life good, as we speak truth in love. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Never Too Late to Learn

Dear Faith Family,  

The stunning simplicity of the Ten Words in Exodus 20 is magnified by how remarkably exhaustive these foundational words are. As we've seen over the summer, and as Leviticus details, an entire civilization, a community's every day customs and culture in life together and with God, can be built upon these ten simple words. The simplest of which might just be the Eighth Word:

You shall not steal.
(Exodus 20:15) 

From early in life we learn that taking what is not ours is wrong. Whether it be our playmates toys or candy from the store, by two-years of age most every human knows that stealing is an action to avoid, or to hide! While the Eighth Word may be the earliest espoused command, it may also be the most frequently transgressed. 

As we said on Sunday, the word used for "steal" allows us to expand the prohibition from no unlawfully appropriation of someone else’s property, to do no action to take advantage of another. 

The truth is, we can take advantage of others in as nearly as varied ways as we can run off with their possessions. Whether through mindless consumption that takes advantage of unjust labor costs, or a demanding dependence on the kindness of others, idle and half-hearted labor, or even inconsiderate production; taking advantage of others is the failure to take responsibility for ourselves, a failure in stewardship.  

A steward recognizes both what they have and what others have belong to someone else. For a steward, there is true and only owner of possessions, prosperity, and persons, who has entrusted the stewards to use what they've been given in ways that honor the owners character and intentions. And the owner to which we are each of us stewards, as Paul reminds us, intends for us to take responsibility for what we have been entrusted by doing good work well with a generous spirit. 

Let the thief no longer steal,
but rather let him labor,
doing good work with his own hands,
so that he may have something to share
with anyone in need.
(Ephesians 4:28)

While you might not be directly taking what is not yours, I'd be willing to wager that like me, you are taking advantage of others, whether our "stealing" is self-evident or (as thieving tends to be) a self-deception. So, today, lets take a few moments to allow the Spirit to examen our hearts in the ways we interact with our daily responsibilities and employment, our possessions and persons, and our community. 

Pray:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Examine me, and know my disquieting thoughts. See if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way ancient and everlasting." (Ps. 139:23-24)

Then listen as the Spirit reveals: 

• The ways am I taking, rather than taking responsibility & 

• What I need to do to give up “thieving." 

May our souls know the grace and freedom of a thief who recognizes in Jesus the means of living differently and forever: "Today with [Him] in Paradise" (Luke 23:43) 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

An Old Word

Dear Faith Family,  

The word fidelity is probably not a part of your everyday vocab. Unless you are an avid Wendell Berry fan (like me!), you may have had few run-ins with the fifteenth-century French word. We're more likely to use words like trustworthy or faithful to describe a person who keeps her or his commitments, who adheres to the reality of life through relationship. While fidelity implies the same integrity of duty as our usual descriptors, the word also discloses what it takes to live true to the bonds we make and make us. Fidelity is: faithfulness to a person, a way of life, or a community, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support. 

As we discussed on Sunday, like the Seventh Word ("You shall not commit adultery"), the word fidelity presumes that life is made good through integrity in our bound relationships. Like the Sixth Word, the seventh is not merely a prohibition against an act fundamentally destructive and dishonoring of relationship; it is a directive to nurture the relational bonds of our commitments continuously. So, when we stop cultivating the relationships in which we are bound, it can be said that we are practicing in-fidelity--even if by "the letter of the law," we've remained faithful. 

Our scriptures tell the story of humans (individuals and entire civilizations) constantly binding themselves to something or someone in order to live. Even if the image offends our modern tastes, living bound has never been an issue for humanity. Faithful, committed relationship has actually been how we have survived over the millennia. Our problem is remaining true for the long haul to the bonds that produce flourishing.

Like we said on Sunday, "adultery" is the action and word that epitomizes our inconsistent loyalty to others. Adultery is not merely the failure to keep the letter of a covenant, not solely the dereliction of duty or expectation. Adultery is the breaking of commitment through entanglement with someone or something other than the one you are committed to. As 1 Corinthians 6 reveals, adultery is giving what belongs to another (person/Way/community)--that is, your body or heart, spirit or soul--to someone/thing to which you are not bound. 

From the opening chapters of our story (see Gen. 3), we discover that our loyalty is under perpetual persuasion away from what is true, good, and beautiful. So while you may not "technically" commit adultery, you, like me, have entangled some part of yourself with someone/thing in disloyalty of your bound relationships--whether through willful action or apathy. Good thing for us; from the opening chapters of our story (see Gen. 3), we discover that despite our consistent inconsistencies, One is endlessly demonstrating continuous loyalty and support to our relationship with Him. 

Out of reverence for the fidelitous One, through whom we've received and continue to live in grace upon grace, let's keep the Seventh Word by following His lead, demonstrating our loyalty by intentionally nurturing our bound relationships. You might call this intentional nurturing, loving the ones you're bound to like you love yourself. The apostle Paul did (see Ephesians 5:21-33). 

Just imagine how true your heart would remain if you started off each day asking the Spirit to lead you, in the same way Jesus did, to "understand and support," honor, and respect those you're committed to so that everything you do and say might "bring out their best." After all, don't we ask Him to lead others to do the same for us? Add in the devotion cultivated if you were to listen to the voices encouraging and challenging your fidelity to others, not just your contentment, much like Jesus did, and there'd be little room for someone/thing else to get entangled in your bound relationships. 

Being faithful to our essential-to-flourishing relationships takes work. No matter how frayed or secure the bonds of our relationships may be at this moment, each day, we have the opportunity, by the Spirit, to cultivate fidelity or something less. 

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap decay,
but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap life unending.

And let us not grow weary of doing good,
for in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up. 

(Galatians 6:8-9) 

Might we know our lovers' grace in our failings, and experience the "very good" of lives lived true to God and others.

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Something To Talk About

Dear Faith Family,  

Be angry and do not sin;
do not let the sun go down on your indignation,
and give no opportunity to the devil.
(Ephesians 4:26-27) 

As Chaz helped us see on Sunday, the Sixth Word is more than a prohibition against taking life. At its heart, the sixth of the Ten Words is a proclamation that life is of supreme value, and protecting and caring for life is of utter importance. The detailed laws which follow the Sixth Word in Israel's history testify to the reality that not taking life is a mindful endeavor. Valuing the life of another is not a thoughtless action; rather, when we fail to consider the fundamentals of life, we are most prone to destroy it--whether apathetically, accidentally, or in anger. 

While we are rarely in a position of power over life, and not all accidents can be avoided, nevertheless, we've all felt Cain's anger, the deep frustration at a fellow human in a particular moment for specific circumstances (see Gen. 4:3-5). Yet being momentarily angry wasn't Cain's fundamental issue; after all, God said, his particular situation was not permanent (Gen. 4:6). Cain's issue, like ours, is failing to take responsibility for our hearts while angry. 

And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.
Its desire is against you, but you must rule over it.
(Genesis 4:7) 

Anger is a normal and acceptable (even healthy) emotion in our image-bearing experience. Especially when we are confronted with difficulty, disappointment, and evil. The problem is not anger; it is when our anger at what is not right is not met and mastered by a hunger and thirst for what is righteous that we find ourselves acting under the coercion of our indignation and the enemy rather than in our God-given freedom.

In our exasperation, we fail to believe that "if you do well, will there not be a lifting up" (Gen. 4:6). We fail to see the fundamental truth that there will be an end to the source of our anger in our "well" or righteous response. Instead, like Cain, we see the end of our anger not in resolving the particular situation but in destroying what angers us. And it is then, when our hearts are more than angry, when we feel contempt for the supposed source of our indignation, that we are prone to take life--whether physically as Cain did (Gen. 4:8) or through all the variety of daily deaths which hate fosters. 

So, how are we to keep the heart of the Sixth Word, to value protecting and caring for life rather than taking it? Especially in daily roles and relationships and amid a culture where anger is ever waiting to boil up? We speak gently. 

The apostle Paul assumed that we could be angry and not sin, but only when we were mindful of how we lived, "not as unwise but as wise" (Eph. 5:15). And as our wisest words remind us: 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger...
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but crookedness in it breaks the spirit.
(Proverbs 15:1,4)

When you are angry, how do you speak? How do you speak to others and yourself about the persons/objects of your anger? Whether internally or in venting, in posts or in person, are your words (which we use to make a life) harsh or crooked (not true)? You'll know if they are if anger moves to violent action or if the spirit to strive for life is broken--whether your own or the one(s) your speaking with. 

Perhaps one of the best ways we can keep the Sixth Word in daily living at our time in history, is to consider how you speak--to yourself and one another. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts value life and not take it, allowing us to be angry at what is not right, and live well so that it will be. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

A Family Matter

Dear Faith Family,  

For freedom Christ has set us free;
stand firm therefore, and
do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
(Galatians 5:1) 

Paul's words were not written to the people whom God "brought out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Ex. 20:2), but they could have been. At least Paul presumes that what happened in Exodus 20 is happening still in his day, and so too in ours. That, by God's gracious and mighty efforts, we are being freed from all that oppresses and opposes life whole and holy. 

The question we started asking a few weeks ago is how are the Ten Words that follow this grand and perpetuating rescue about freedom? How can words that bind us, grounding us in our limitations, help us live free? 

As Dylan mentioned a few weeks ago, freedom is not realized in autonomy, in isolation or separation, but in proper relationship. Remember, the Ten Words are like the law of gravity; they describe reality as it is, regardless of our cognitive or willful assent. According to this "natural law," life free from oppression and slavery (internally and externally) is a matter of relationship. To live free is to relate rightly to God, one another, and even ourselves. Ironically, our relations are where we feel the most oppressed and stifled, whether by boss or parent, child or coworker, spouse or sibling. But we feel this not because relationships inherently oppress our freedom, but because we are not giving proper weight to (i.e., honoring) how we relate. 

Most of us probably have little trouble believing that how we relate to God's person and providence matters for how we experience life. The first four of the Ten Words, while not always easily or willingly submitted to, are not argumentatively resisted. Yet, the assumption that our free life is not merely a product of our relation to God but how we relate to others, that's where we tend to push back. 

We have no problem arguing that how others relate to me impacts how I live. Like our first parents, we are accustomed to blaming our tensions and predicaments on others--any other-- rather than taking responsibility (Genesis 3:8-13). Yet our scriptures are clear from beginning to end that our attitudes and actions towards others (not primarily theirs towards us) determine the type of life we experience. Or, in the words of Jesus, 

So whatever you wish that others would do to you,
do also to them,
for this is the Law and the Prophets.
(Matthew 7:12) 

 

There is no more evident context for validating this reality than in the fundamental and inescapable relation of our immediate family, especially parents to children and children to parents. And so the Fifth Word, 

Honor your father and mother,
that your days may be long in the land
that the LORD your God is giving you.
(Exodus 20:12)

The Fifth Word brings what is unseen (life with God) into unavoidable visibility (life with others). We cannot theologize our way around our relation to our family, no matter how difficult or "abnormal" they may be. 

Our relation to family is complicated, so we need the simplicity of heart that comes through living in harmony with the first four words (as we said last week). Yet, it is our properly weighted attitudes and actions towards those we did not choose, but were chosen for us that have the power to influence how we "live in the land" of promise, that is, in the free life God has rescued us for.  

The essentialness of this fundamental truth is not meant to burden us with acculturated expectations of relation. The Fifth Word is not never question your parents, nor retain a codependency on your parents. Nor does the Fifth Worth assume your parent's parenting is intrinsically right or good or worth imitating. Remember, all the parents of the ones hearing this word for the first time had all but forgotten their God and knew life only as those enslaved. Instead, the word is to take seriously how you relate, how you respond to and treat your parents. In doing so, this word frees us to not have to strive against or overcome those things out of our control: our history, the actions of others. Instead, we are empowered to take appropriate responsibility for the only thing we can, for who we are and how we relate. 

Some of us have good relations with our family, some of us not so good. However, if we are honest, all of us struggle with our responsibility in relating to others. So, instead then getting entangled in our particulars (though a concentrated de-entanglement is helpful), let's step back and consider the fundamental reality of this word: how I relate to others is essential to how I experience life--whether I live free or under a yoke of slavery.

Where and in what ways do you experience the truth of the Fifth Word -- positively and negatively?

As you reflect, consider sharing what the Spirit brings to mind with your DNA, spiritual companions, Gospel Community, and/or spouse. While our inescapable and intimate relations are where we feel the tension, our faith family relations are here to help us live free by sharing the burden of the load we carry (Gal. 6:2-5). 

I am praying today that we may experience the freedom that is made for us as we "Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Taking the lead (outdoing one another) in honoring one another" (Rom. 12:10).  

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Free In Fear

Dear Faith Family,  

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 
(Exodus 20:7)

There is an unnerving aspect to the Third Word. Especially the last part about not getting away with living as if God's primacy and providence are empty ideas. Coupled with the vivid portrayal of the arrived consequences of wrong perceptions (Ex. 20:5), and there is no wonder "fear of the LORD" becomes a prominent promotion from God's people. 

Most fears add layers of complexity to our daily labors and relationships. Whether we fear exposure, failure, loss, pain, or disconnection, fear often fosters hesitation, aggression, and anxiousness. Ironically, the humility and respect that God's ultimate primacy in life and ceaseless (even if incalculable) providence engenders, is the essential disposition to cultivate life freed from the entanglements of fear,  "with simplicity of heart" (Col. 3:22). In "fearing the Lord," living in amazed awe and submitting wonder, our identity, purpose, and future are not potentials or puzzles but promises. Words spoken, like the first Word, that create and keep life in intimate relation, and which are never spoken in vain:

'I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.'
        God’s Decree.
'For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.'
(Isiah 55:8-11)

It is our propensity to get entangled by the complexities of life, all the striving to unlock the puzzle and potentials of roles and relationships, that makes the Fourth Word's rhythm fundamental to living free. Essential to being the persons we are made to be--the women and men, husbands and wives, daughters and sons, employees and parents we are fashioned to be--is a day of delight in the certainty of the Word. A day, as Dylan reminded us a couple weeks ago, to practice the promise of our foundational relations, and renew our awe and wonder so that we might live unbound by over-complication.  

In between and in preparation for that necessary day, when your heart is vexed, disquieted by the opportunities and anxieties of today, take a moment to simplify your heart by fearing the LORD. Take a moment to remember His promise from Isaiah (above), that the life He speaks into existence, your life, is a word that "shall accomplish that which [[He] purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which [He] sent it." And here's the key to freedom, that 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
(Psalm 139:6) 

May  "The sheer mystery of God's purposes and God's works exhilarate us, causing us to live daily life with gusto" and grace. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Let's Not Squander This

Dear Faith Family,  

What God does, is free us from the things that suppress our flourishing, keeping us from being who He made us to be. He often does so in a timing and manner that leaves us in awe at His intimate affection and might, yet bewildered at His unpredictability.

After all, who could have imagined God would use a slave boy inadvertently rescued and raised by his oppressors, who lost his way and wealth only to return to the roots of his shepherding ancestry as the vessel for returning God's people to their place and purpose in the world? Not to mention the apparently odd yet contextually spot-on cosmic displays that accompanied this spokesperson's obedient actions? Did anyone see that coming? God acting on behalf of His own, sure. But in those specific ways? 

Fast forward a few millennia and the same awe and bewilderment accompanied God's once and final freeing actions, this time through the carpenter's kid, who happened to be the King of the universe. This time, cosmic power was displayed not in overwhelming force but in a sacrificial death and its short-lived victory. Who could have seen that coming? Oh sure, a few did, or at least had an idea that God could work that way, but even they were caught off guard by the timing and methods of their rescue and restoration. 

From beginning to end, our scriptures testify to the reality that we can know and trust that God is for us and God is with us, but when and how He does His thing often evades our forecasting. If we miss that, that God's work on our behalf is primary to living  (i.e., The First Word) and that His working in our living is beyond what our limited visions can craft (i.e., The Second Word), then we are likely to go about making a life in a way that makes the name (the character and work) of God empty.

Like Chaz said a couple of Sundays ago, The Third Word is not a prohibition on coarse language (though, as he rightly pointed out, our words evidence our hearts' dispositions), but rather, an admonition to, as the apostle Paul would later say, not squander our freedom by submitting again to the yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1-15). Or to say it positively, the third word exhorts us to remain ever in awe and wonder at the surprising grace of our Father's ceaseless, shaping care.

Remember, the 'natural law' of these foundational "Ten Words" is a movement towards more freedom, becoming our true selves: ones bound by love in liberty, whose everyday existence in work and rest and relationship and responsibility is a non-anxious transformative presence for the good. One's who do not squander Jesus' hard-won gift of freedom but who use freedom to serve one another in love, who see it grow in us and those around us in whatever we do, in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father.

So, take a few minutes today and ask yourself, "Am I living amazed by grace?" Then read Psalm 139:2-18, letting the Spirit guide you to ponder the wonderous work and innumerable ways our Father has cared for and crafted you to be who and where you are this day, and then enter your labors empowered by grace. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

When More Words Are Needed

Dear Faith Family,  

Some of us are crafts-persons in the traditional sense. You are able to construct the material world (whether from wood or metal, fabric or color or code) into the manifestation of your imagination. And while the rest of us less apt at shaping the material into something recognizable (much less beautiful or sturdy as my "home projects" continue to attest) may decry our lack of "craftiness," the truth is our daily living is no less an attempt to shape our little worlds into the images of the life we desire. And that's the way it is meant to be! 

We are, remember, formed and fashioned to participate with God in the cultivating of creation, working with Him to construct and shape the world in goodness (Gen. 2). When we fail to take our God-given responsibility for trying to make something of our life, that is when we find ourselves on the wrong side of the Master's joy (Matt. 25:14-30). The warning of the second word, then, is not so much against our aptitude to craft our little worlds as it tells us that the images informing our crafting- whether in our homes or offices, with our hands or with hearts- actually shape us. 

At this point, you may be wondering why more words on "the second word"? Well, if you notice, the second word gets a lot of extra words (Ex. 20:4-6), with only the fourth word on Sabbath and work getting more. It seems like there is something important about this word that requires some nuance or at least a little extra attention. 

We are made to craft, to cultivate a good life out of the created material of our existence. Yet, we are limited in imagining the good, what it is, and how we get it. So, as we said last week, we are prone to craft from false ideals, false idols, perpetuating our misrepresentations of what is true about ourselves, others, our world, and ultimately, God. While the solution seems straightforward enough, "don't craft false images," representations of life that you submit to, the truth is, we are not very good at recognizing the stories that shape our crafting. Or, as one author says is, 

"We are not very good at recognizing illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves...For most of the people in the world, there is no greater subjective reality than this false self of theirs...A life devoted to...this shadow is what is called a life of sin [i.e., missing the mark of our true selves]."
(Thomas Merton)

Yes, we "shall not make for ourselves a carved image," but how we do that is not a cold stop on crafting, but a relational examine of the images (stories) that shape our shaping. While we are not good at recognizing our illusions, our Father is. 

Once again, take a few minutes today or this week and let God examine your ways of crafting. Add to "Step 2" in the linked guide the revelations of last week's examine, specifically what the Spirit revealed about the stories of life you submit to, and let the Spirit lead you into the good crafting.

May the Love in which we are bound allow us to see clearly what binds us from living whole, holy, and free in the One "who brought us...out of the house of slavery." 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

The Stories We Tell

Dear Faith Family,  

When you hear "idol," what images pop into your mind? I'd imagine one of two things. Either you think of some deity of the ancient or unlearned world or the more modern notion of "inordinate desires," good things that we make ultimate things--whether a career, a person, a pleasure, etc. While both images of idols are valid representations, I don't think either is what God had in mind when He spoke the second of "The Ten Words,"

You shall not make for yourself a carved image...You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6) 

The carved images of old were not pocket gods nor possessed vessels (though I am sure some thought they were), but mainly, they were visual representations of the stories of reality, tools for telling the stories of how things really are in the world seen and unseen, including where we fit and how we get what we need and desire. Like their physical representations, the stories were forged in the pain of daily living and the felt absence of conflict with transcendence, though some were crafted in the chase of pleasure, of some life more. In this way, they were images submitted to and served in the struggle to live and live abundantly. 

The problem, we know, is that, like the carved images themselves, the stories behind them were fashioned from a limited perspective, in the shape, "the likeness of" something real but not of reality itself. And so, even the best stories made for a false image of the world, of others, and even of self. 

It's this false story of who we are in relation to others, the world, and ultimately God that puts us in conflict with what is true. Conversely, its submission and service not to an image of God, but in relation to God for us and God with us, responding to His presence and voice, that ensure the blessing of becoming ourselves truly. 

Our propensity to craft stories of reality, even of ourselves, means we are just as prone today to submit and serve a false representation of reality rather than God for us and with us. In this way, we are just as inclined to remain bound, not by love--God's steadfast love towards us and our love for Him--but rather by our false selves.

So we must ask, what story(s) are you crafting out your experiences in life? What images of life--of how it works, your place within it, and how you get what you desire--are you submitting to and serving? 

While it might be easy to fly by the second word as something from another time or for another place, the truth is we haven't advanced much beyond our early ancestors. While the carving methods have developed over the centuries, and the specifics of the stories have been tweaked from generation to generation, you and I are no less prone to bow down to the meanings we've made from our experiences in life, which is why we need someone else to tell us our true story. 

Take a few moments today or this week to let God examen your story. I think doing so will help us better discern what images we are crafting, put those aside, and continue our movement towards living free by keeping it simple.  

Love you, faith family! God bless.