THE CLOUD OF GOD'S PRESENCE

This morning during my Quiet Time I sat looking out of my window at the exquisite clouds rolling through the sky.  With the trees standing tall in their winter bareness, the sky is big and so were the clouds.  It was beautiful.  As I watched them I was reminded of a poem I wrote about clouds back in the 60s.  They spoke to me about wandering and freedom.

CLOUDS

White puffs of smokeless smoke, airless air, cottonless cotton,

Floating freely and uninhibitedly through the sky

Wandering aimlessly, coming from everywhere, yet going nowhere

Changing their patternless shapes with no hesitation

Not one taking the form of another.

Scattered haphazardly and helter-skelterly across the

Brilliant blue background of the sky

The white puffs attract the attention of dreamers

And romantics everywhere

Their nomadism and freedom is admired and desired by all.

I thought about the Exodus story and how God Presence was always with the folks walking through the desert in the form of a cloud by day; how when Moses used to go to the Tent of Meeting, the cloud of God’s Presence would descend upon the tent and Moses would speak to God face to face. On the Mount of Transfiguration God came in a cloud and said, “This is my Son.  Listen to him”.  Jesus’ disciples watched him ascend to heaven in a cloud; and Jesus will return to gather us together in a cloud at his Second Coming.

The clouds that surround me day by day are really God’s Presence, which is everywhere.  It made me appreciate clouds all the more.  I was reminded of times when my mom and I would lie on the ground and look up at the clouds and see all kinds of shapes and forms in them.  She was a cloud watcher as well.  Going through her photo albums there were pictures and pictures of just clouds.  It’s nice to know she is up there within touching distance with them now.  It’s nice to know that she and I both are continually immersed in Clouds of God’s Presence, both on this side of heaven and the other side as well.

IN DUE SEASON

“Work at your tasks in due season,

And in His own time God will give you your reward.”

Ecclesiasticus a well known name,  51:30

This verse jumped out at me this morning.  I had a down day yesterday, one of those “what’s it all about Alfie?” days that come occur from time to time, when I think about all I’ve done and didn’t do, and asked, “So What”.  So I saw this verse as a note from God, so I would have a better day today.

I was especially taken by the “in His own time God will give you your own reward.”  I tend to be more of an immediate gratification type and kind of want to see some acknowledgment and appreciation after I do something; nothing big, just some kind of response. When I don’t get them and it causes me to go to places in my head that I really don’t want to go.  I have tried to discipline that habit and many times it works; sometimes it doesn’t.

After reading the verse over again several times I then had to ask, what are my tasks, and what does it mean to work them in due season?  I have had many due seasons in my life and I have accomplished many tasks in those seasons.  As I look back I can honestly say I did the best that I could do at the time.  I feel good about the work I did with the folks in the various Church positions I had through the years.  I feel good about the work I did in all the various jobs I had through the years.  I especially feel good about my Camp work, may raison d’etre so to say.  I also feel good about the work I am doing now, in these on my own days.  All in all I feel I have been faithful to work at my tasks in due season, and for me that is reward enough.

Where I get in trouble is when I look at where others have gotten in this life with all their accomplishments; fame, fortune, a well known and respected name for themselves.  Outside of God and a few family and friends, no one knows I exist.  Most of the time I could care less, but every once in awhile I wonder why some people, and not others?   Thankfully I don’t stay in that mind set for long.  My go to verse in those moments is when Jesus is talking to Peter on the shore, telling him about the struggles he will have.  Peter turns around and points to John and says, “Lord, what about this man?”  Jesus says to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?  You follow me!”  (John 21:21,22).

I do well to keep my focus on me and work at my tasks in due season.  Whatever reward I have coming will be in God’s own time and it will be sufficient.

HOW I SEE THE CHURCH

The history of the church is not good or pleasant to look at.  There have been many mistakes and I agree that things need to change and get back on track to what I believe God would want the church to be.  Unfortunately, in times of change it happens that we throw out the baby with the bath water.  I believe this is happening today and the results will be just as harmful to people as we have seen in the past history of the church.  I am offering my humble vision of what I see the church the church can be in these days.

I see the church as a fountain of forgiveness, a realm of redemption, a community of compassion, a city of refuge where it is safe to expose one’s sins, wrong doings, and waywardness.

I see the church as an encourager and enabler of conviction, not condemnation; confession, not concealment; change, not conformity.

I do not see the church as a country club for the comfortable, the content, and the cozy with anything goes.

I see the church as a place to alleviate quilt by alleviating sin, not accommodating it.

 I see the church as a place that does not conform to the world’s standards of eliminating guilt and sin by negating them altogether.

I see the church filled with love and compassion that opens its doors to all sinners and encourages conviction, confession, forgiveness, repentance, and change, and stands by and with those who need to do those things to be right with God. At one time or another that is true of all of us.

True love and compassion don’t overlook or accommodate sin.  True love and compassion help others deal with their sins and then experience the joy of knowing that God will forgive and remember their sins no more.

MALACHI 2:17

“You have wearied the Lord with your words.

“How have you wearied him?” you ask.

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord,

And he is pleased with them.”

Sin, where is thy sting

Quilt where is thy sting

Remorse where is thy sting

Repentance where is thy sting?

Fondled now in human acceptance

Feelings of worth fanned by humans

Forgiveness is a forgotten gift

For now one is included and one with the world.

Saved from the hatred

Saved from the sneers

Saved from the persecution

But not saved from the separation from God.

The doors of the world are open

The doors of the government are open

The doors of the church are open

The doors to the kingdom of God are closed

But not locked.

How can you look to human affirmation

And neglect the need for God’s?

How can you be pleased with “doing it my way”

And neglect the Way of God’s?

How can you sell your birthright

And settle for temporary inclusion

How can you settle for temporary acceptance

And sacrifice eternal blessing?

All In One

There is One I can trust

Who’s been tested by time

The Source of all being

The now and the then

The beginning and the end

All in One.

There is One I can turn to

Who’s been faithful and true

The Source of all seasons

The good and the bad

The fruitful and barren

All in One.

There is One I can love

Who’s been steadfast and pure

The Source of all life

The joyful and mournful

The happy and the sad

All in One

There is One I can worship

Who’s been awesome through time

The Source of Creation

The special and the ordinary

The beautiful and the plain

All in One

THE GREATEST FREEDOM I 'VE EVER KNOWN

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30

I have gone from seasons of freedom to seasons of control in my life.  As I look back on those times I can see I was never truly free and never rightly controlled; both of those conditions left me a mess; I grew weary and worn out from both.

My seasons of freedom were in the 60’s and 80’s.   The first was to follow the hippy generation and throw off all the standards and rules I had been raised by.  The second was to follow the advice of mental health therapists who were telling me how to release the “real and authentic me”.  In between those two seasons I put myself under the control of “men of God” who were telling me, according to them, how God wanted me to live my life.  The freedom seasons left me empty and weary; the control season left me heavily burdened.  None of it left me happy, finding my “authentic self”, or well taken care of; I was miserable, not knowing who I was, and abused by myself and by others.

Thirty years later, in the 90’s, I took a long vacation from the life I had made for myself that had gone so badly.  I quit my job, packed my car with all my possessions and went to Stockbridge, Ma.  I had visited there before several times and always seemed to meet up with the real Pat there.  I wanted to find her again and make sure I kept her.  I did a lot of reading in my Bible and a lot of writing from my heart.  Eventually I found where I had a disconnected wire deep within.  That wire was my true connection to Jesus; not what others told me but what I had heard from him the first time I experienced him face to face. 

For the next several months it was just me and him and the Bible.  I yoked myself with him during this season of healing, found the real me, and have never regretted it.  Being yoked with One who truly loves me and wants the best for me, enough to be yoked with me, gave me the true meaning of being controlled as a servant of a loving Lord, and the greatest freedom I have ever known.

ALL YOU NEED IS GOD... THE LOVE WILL COME

“I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me.”

Exodus 20:3

I am a child of the 60’s.  The word of that era was LOVE.  There was love in the air and everyone believed that love could conquer all.  Love one another was the standard of the day.  Communes were created as groups of people lived in love with one another.  The Beatles sang the anthem of the day; “All you need is love.”  It was all beautiful, groovy, far out, and unfortunately short lived.  It was missing a major element.

Fifty years later I hear the same sentiment; all we need is love.  The movement of spirituality over religion is raising up groups of people just loving each other and everyone else in the world.  They are reimaging the church on a foundation of love.  New communes are being formed where people are committed to love one another.  It all sounds beautiful, groovy, and far out; but it is missing a major element.

The missing element is God.  God IS love.  It is an attribute of His; a gift of the Spirit.  A love that isn’t subjected to God will have no substance; it will merely be a wishful sentiment and will not be steadfast and sustainable.  To worship love is to worship one of the things of God rather than God Himself, and that is idolatry.

Those who consider themselves to be God’s people, God’s children, are commanded to have no other gods before Him.  Love is not to be a foundation; God is the only firm foundation.  From that firm foundation love will come, as will the other attributes of God, like compassion, social justice, care for the poor, and truly caring for one another.

Love is beautiful, groovy, far out, and an attribute of those who love God.  But it is God who IS love who is to be the firm foundation from which to build on.  It is God who is to be honored, worshiped, and lifted up before all else.

BE STILL AND KNOW I AM GOD

Psalm 46:10

I love studying and learning new things, especially new things that enrich and enhance my relationship with God.  I want to know all I can so I tend to binge on books and binge on teachers.  I immerse myself in the words and ideas, not wanting to miss anything.  But, I always come to a place where it all gets so jumbled together that I lose clarity.  I have to stop and confess that I have crossed a line and have become a knowledge junkie.  I come to a place where my spirit is vexed rather than calm.  I’ve got three or more books going and I’m checking four or more websites to listen to the day’s meditation by teachers I follow, all from different denominations or faith communities.   Along with all of that I faithfully do my own personal devotions and studies.  I feel like I am running around in all of the trees in the Garden and God is calling out, “Pat, where are you?”  It is at the point I understand the Preacher in Ecclesiastes when he writes, “For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

God says, “Be still and know that I am God.”  I don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head chopped off, chasing after the wind.  I can be still and know all I need to know.  It’s sobering to realize that even good intentions can turn into idolatry.  In trying to know more about God, I ignore His Presence that simply reveals Him to me, Spirit to Spirit. Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day; Elijah sat in his cave until he heard that still small voice of God; David sat in the field looking up at the stars and was filled with awe, and Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, having found that one necessary thing.

Slow me down Lord.  You are faithful to teach me all I need to know about you.  Help me in my quest to know and love you to cease striving, relax, and let go, knowing you are God, and knowing that is all I need to know.  Help me be more like David, as he wrote in Psalm 131:

“O Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

NEW WINE IN NEW WINESKINS

Mark 2:22

When the Israelites crossed through the Red Sea they entered into a new world.  Everything would change for them.  They had lived for 400 years as slaves in Egypt.  Their lives developed a pattern and rhythm.  That would all change. That pattern and rhythm gave them an identity, how they saw themselves and thought about themselves.  That would all change.  Their eyes, ears, and tastes were developed according to their surroundings.  That would all change.  When they crossed through the Red Sea, they entered a new world where everything would change for them because they would have to change in who they were, what they did, and how they lived.

Those changes didn’t come instantaneously.  It took forty years of walking in the wilderness to transform a nation of slaves into a people of God.  It took forty years of walking in the wilderness to gain full freedom from the old curse to the new promise.  Change doesn’t come quickly; it takes time, hard work, discipline, and most important, a desire to change.  But in the end it is well worth the effort.  After the changes in the wilderness came the rest in the promise land, where they were given safety, security, and sustainability.  It was important that they remained faithful to the changes they had worked hard at accomplishing.  Once they are there they must look forward and never look back, or like Lot’s wife, they would suffer the consequences.

Palm Sunday, April 15, 1973 was the day I crossed through the Red Sea, the day I entered a new world, the day everything changed for me.  My rhythms and patterns, my identity, the way I related to life in this world, all changed.  Like the Israelites it took forty years of walking in the wilderness to transform my earthly minded being into a spiritually minded being.  It has taken time, seasoning, hard work, and discipline.  Behind it all was a desire to change, a desire to be all that God had created me to be, and a faith that believed God would do His part in the transformation by honoring my desire with His power.  After forty years of ups and downs, of getting on and off the path, of letting go and reaching out, I felt I had finally crossed over into the Promised Land, where I felt safe, secure, and sustained.  I knew I would have to maintain my discipline, my diligence, and continue in my desire, but I had reached the point of not looking back and only looking forward.  I had reached the point of true trust in a God whom I love with all my heart, soul, and mind.  I had reached the point where I could truly say, “Now that I’ve found heaven, hell don’t matter anymore.”  “The things of earth have grown strangely dim”, just as the hymn said they would, “in the light of his glory and grace.”

Everything has changed for me.  I no longer buy into the lies and delusions of the temporary ruler of this world.  I know that wisdom and being like God does not come by eating fruit from the tree of good and evil, but from knowing God; by listening to and obeying Him.  I know that the things the devil offers are material kingdoms and will fade away like all things of the flesh will fade away.

God’s kingdom is supernatural and will last for all eternity.  My eyes see beyond the physical realm to the spiritual realm; my ears hear beyond the physical realm to the spiritual realm; my mind is on things beyond and is being conformed daily to the guiding of the Spirit of Truth, who speaks from the spiritual realm.  The return of the King is promised.  He will come and take his people to the place he is preparing for us; he will take us home, to himself, where we will dwell with him forever.  I am ready and waiting.

“Come Lord Jesus…Come”

THE SIGNS OF GOD'S PRESENCE ARE ALL THERE

“How long will this people spurn me?  How long will they not trust me,

Despite all the signs I have performed among them?

Numbers 14:11

There was a song we used to sing as we gathered together in the McLaren’s living room where we met every week as a fellowship of followers of Jesus.

“I’ve seen the Lord come through, time and, and time, and time again.”  We sang that song because it was true in all of our lives.  But sometimes it’s easy to forget how faithful God really is.  So it was a good thing to sing, to bring that truth back into our hearts, minds, and souls.

The whole earth is filled with the life Presence and glory of God.  All of His invisible attributes, and His eternal power and divinity are on display 24/7.  He speaks loud and clear so He is able to be understood and perceived by ALL.  In the end I have no excuse for not knowing, loving, and obeying God…no excuse.

If I don’t see God in all things, it is my state of mind, my lack of vision, or my inability to hear that are the culprits.   I fill my mind with frivolous things; I allow it to be distracted with trivial matters; my eyes are clouded by the illusions of the world; my ears are clogged with the senseless chatter that fills the air space all around me. 

It is east to get over saturated with the artificial and empty offerings of the world and miss the substantial and sustainable gifts from God.  The insurmountable demands of living my life cry out loudly at times.  In making a living I miss the things that make my life real and make sense.  True life gets lost in the debris and withers away, leaving only a dried out, neglected soul.  It’s like the Israelites walking in the desert for forty years, complaining and looking at their day to day woes rather than seeing all that God has done and continues to do for them.  Because they refused to see what God was doing they ended up never reaching the destination that was waiting for them, the promised land of rest, where they were destined to live eternally.  God was clear and gave them all they needed, so they were without excuse.

I don’t want to end up missing all that God has for me because my mind, eyes, and ears are filled with anything else other than God and His promise for me.  I have lived long enough to sing that song in all truth.  I have seen the Lord come through, time and time, and time again.  His Presence and His promise are true and those are what I want to keep strong in my mind, eyes, ears, and soul.  This reminds me of another song we used to sing as we gathered together.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in his wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of his glory and grace.”

WE HAVE FORGOTTEN WHO OUR REAL ENEMY IS

Ephesians 6:12

Jesus continually gives his disciples authority over unclean spirits, demons.  They used that authority and drove out demons and cured the sick.  This was the mission Jesus gave them and his authority gave them the ability to accomplish it.

In our present day authority issues revolve around who can be at the pulpit, who can oversee the giving out of the sacraments, and who is in charge of leadership in the church.  Those were not the issues Jesus concerned himself with.  He was clear who the real enemy of God and Christians was.

“For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). 

We have been “enlightened” and have grown too sophisticated to believe in evil spirits or demons, so rather than fight the real enemy we fight each other over eternally insignificant and frivolous things.  Mean while the enemy’s stronghold gets stronger as he walks around free to do as he pleases, and what he pleases is to rule and reign in the place of God, over all the world.

He took his claim to this position right in the face of Jesus.  “Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me” (Matthew 4:8); pretty arrogant move on the devil’s part to stand face to face with God and say that.

Due to the fact that we are too sophisticated to believe in the devil anymore, he has been free to walk around and work his tactics over all the earth; and he has.  For those who don’t know how the story ends it appears that he has made God and the people who love and follow God impudent, weak, and inconsequential in the world; but the master of delusion is himself deluded.  When the appointed hour comes he will be exposed and destroyed. But until that hour comes God’s people are to stand strong, in battle mode, against the true enemy and not one another.  God provided a suit of armor for His people.  It has been chipped away at by the enemy but can be repaired and made ready once again.

It is interesting that it is the very armor of God that the enemy has been working on to chip it away and leave God’s people defenseless and open to attack.  The devil is experienced in the use of his tools and his tactics; he has been using them since the beginning of time.  His tactics of deception, lies, distortion of and fostering doubt in God’s word, the promise of being wise in our own eyes, distraction, and disobedience, have been honed throughout time and appear to be working in our world today.  Look at things that have been under attack for awhile now; Truth, Righteousness, the Gospel, Faith, Salvation, Prayer, the Bible, and the Word of God.  These are all the elements of the Armor of God.

The darkness has continued to get darker, but something is happening.  People sick of being saturated in darkness and being fed lies that have no substance and offer no sustainability are now opening their eyes and seeing through the deception.  It is time to open our eyes and ears, to mend the Armor that God continues to provide and make it strong again, so that we can stand strong against the tactics of the devil. 

QUERY

What Does the Armor of God consist of,

And how do we mend it and make it strong?

EVEN THE WIND & THE SEA OBEY

Mark 4:36-41

One of the perks of working as a camp director is I got to live at the beach during the winter.  I worked year round but only had to be on property during the spring and summer.  My winter work could be done anywhere so I chose to live at Rehoboth Beach Delaware.

My love affair with the ocean began early in my life.  My father was in the Navy and my mother chose to follow him from port to port.  Much of my life was spent living close to the ocean and I would spend most of my time on the beach.  I have seen the sea calm and I have seen the sea at its roughest.  My mother taught me early to both fear and respect the ocean because its water and waves are uncontrollable by human hands or intentions.

It was this love of the ocean that subconsciously taught me about God before I was old enough to want to seek Him out.  The winds and the waves had a definite life flow to them; the tides come in and go out just as I breathe air in and out of my body.  The ocean was wild and nothing or no one human could control it.  I saw there was a definite power and rhythm to the ocean and I attributed that to the God who created it.  As I grew older and began getting more involved with God, I knew without a doubt that God, and God alone created and was responsible for that rhythm and power.

I find it hard to understand how anyone who loves nature, especially the ocean, can deny the existence of God.  Nature is full of evidence of the existence of God, especially the ocean.  People who deny God become their own god and feel they control their own life and all that is around them.  Life at the beach would challenge them; I would challenge them.  Can you control the wind and the waves; can you control the coming of morning and the going of the day?  You may understand them but you cannot control them.  Only God can do that.

I am not a scientist but I appreciate their efforts.  They have accomplished many good things.  People like Stephen Hawking, who expend much of their time and energy developing and proving theories amaze me, for they live in a realm that is not where I live.  I read that he is on a quest to find the theory of everything; one unifying answer to all the questions of life.  I looked at some pictures of pages and pages of equations and it blew my mind.

My only question is how can you do that without bringing God into the equation?  For me God IS the one unifying answer to all the questions of life.

God is not a theory.  God is the one True thing, Truth Himself.  As much as the realm of thought of the scientist is above my thoughts, so God’s thoughts and ways are on a higher realm than theirs.  They may eventually know how everything works but they can never have control over the way things work.  Their theory of everything may be proven at some point in time, but it will not be the Truth.  God’s Truth is proven every morning as I watch the daylight come, and every evening when I watch the daylight go, and all the other times when I watch the wind whip up the waves on the ocean.

THE BIBLE IS GOD'S PERSONAL WORD TO ME

I remember hearing a preacher, who I respected a great deal, say something that made me bristle.  He was talking about being in a Bible Study and people were sharing what the scriptures they were studying said to them and meant to them.  He exhibited a bit of anger and said, “I don’t want to hear what they said to you; I want to hear what the scripture said.  I don’t want to hear what the scripture meant to you; I want to hear what they mean.”

I understood his intention.  It is important to maintain the integrity of the Bible.  But if it can’t be taken personally what good is it?  It simply becomes a scholarly book we can learn from and keep on the book shelf for reference.

My Bible is not such a book and never has been.

Since the beginning of my walk with God my Bible has been like a friend to me.  God speaks to me through it, face to face, as I read and meditate upon the words that are written there.  I don’t just study it, I interact with it.  The words are alive to me.  Because the Bible is important to me I have spent time learning how to handle it in a responsible way.  I have attended Bible College, sat under amazing teachers, and went to seminary.  I learned the tools to be scholarly in my working with the Bible; but in the end it is still the heart relationship I have with it that means the most to me.  I have exegetically horrified some of my seminary teachers, but I have never offended God.  He knows my heart and is faithful to correct any misinterpretations I may have concluded from my reading and studying.

The Bible isn’t a book to be merely studied.  It is a book to be lived.  That means taking it personally as God’s words to us for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in right living.  I am called to follow Jesus and be his disciple.  I look to the Bible to be taught by the Spirit of Truth.  It is a personal interaction.  I trust that the Holy Spirit will keep me on track and not allow me to go into error.  As I read, meditate, and study the Scriptures I interact with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, and it is delightful.

I can appreciate the scholarly study, the exegetic tools, knowing the original language, and all the work that goes into knowing every jot and tittle of what the Bible says.  But in the end my mind, heart, and soul are captures and fed by the collection of words, stories, and teachings that are truly inspired by God and full of His life and love; for me and for all of His creation.

THE LAWS OF GOD ARE A DELIGHT

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”

Mark 2:27

God designated the Sabbath as a day of rest, first for Himself and then for His people.  It was a gift.  The Pharisees turned it into a restrictive law that brings a sense of fear and oppression rather than a sense of gratitude; a concentration on the ‘thou shall not’ rather than look at all that God has given us and has said, ‘thou shall.’

God gave His people commandments and statutes, not to restrict us but to enhance our lives; not to keep us in bondage but to give us true freedom.  “If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).

God’s ways are given to His people in His commandments, statutes, and testimonies.  They show how true and abundant life is to be lived.  They are standards that keep life in order and working well.  I am to delight in these directions.  They are perfect, sure, right, and true.  They revive my soul, keep me simple, rejoice my heart, enlighten my eyes, and are the real deal.

When I consider God’s ways a beautiful gift to make my life good and meaningful, as sweeter than honey from the honeycomb, and more to be desired than much fine gold, I will follow them with great joy.

WHY ARE WE DOING WHAT WE DO?

A friend of mine called to ask for prayer as she prepared for a workshop she would be leading in February.  It caused me to remember when I was a part of a Lay Witness Team back in the 70’s.  Months before the event weekend a group of us would gather together to plan and to pray for weekend activities.  Then the week before the event we would ask the church to set up a twenty-four hour prayer circle.  When we did this at my church I took some of my MYF kids down to the church for the 4am-6am slot.  It was exciting for me and for the kids to be a part of that kind of commitment.  It laid a good foundation for the weekend, that turned out to be and amazing time.  Everyone acknowledged the Presence of God during the weekend and lives were changed as folks committed and recommitted themselves to their relationship with God.  It was a powerful time and the affects lasted a long time after the weekend was over.

I was a part of several more of these events in various churches and the results were the same.  The people were different, the activities were different, but the one thing that was the same was the amount of time spent in prayer before, during, and after the event.  I believe that is what changed everything.  This was the work of the Holy Spirit and that was what provided the transformational power.

It’s been a long time since I have experienced that foundation of prayer in the programs and events I attend now.  I believe the difference is in the preparation and the follow through.  My experience now as a facilitator and attendee of these events is the practical things of the event are being taken care of by the Event Coordinator or committee, including the put up and take down of things.  The program happens, people attend; it is exciting, entertaining, and informative, but then it’s over, everyone goes home and it’s back to life as normal until the next event.   This sounds like a typical church service as well.

This comes close to gathering together to just have ears tickled, but not producing any change in people.  So, what is the point?  I remember several times wanting to follow through with what was taught but found no one wanting to continue the conversation.  I found it disappointing and concerning, especially because of my experience with the Lay Witness Mission experience earlier in my life.  So, I guess I am left with the query;

Why are we doing what we do?

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Do people come to church to be entertained

Or

Do they come expecting to be healed and transformed?

Are they there to have their ears tickled

Or

Are they there to have their souls mended?

Is the Priest or Pastor consumed with the program

Or

Is the Priest or Pastor concerned with the people?

Jesus walked the roads healing and casting out demons

Jesus walked the roads offering forgiveness and redemption

Jesus walked the roads loving and engaging with the people

Oh Jesus, where did we go wrong?

Where did our road make a turn?

Oh Jesus, show us why we do what we do

And make that be what you would have us to do.

ELEMENTS OF MY FAITH & PRACTICE

Two of the most important elements of my religious life are the Bible and worship.  They both are ways of communication and communion between God and me.  The Bible enhances my worship and worship enhances my reading and studying of the Bible, so the two go hand in hand in my walk with God.  They are both Fountains of Living Water for my heart, mind, and soul.

I am more of a devotional reader than a scholarly reader of the Bible; but I believe both methods are important.  The more I love someone, the more I want to know about that someone.  The more I know about someone, the more I love that someone.  So I intentionally use both methods as I study and simply read the Bible.  Both ways of reading the Bible must be done with a firm foundation of faith in God so that I know that the Bible is God speaking to me.  I listen and obey His words and ways He is sharing with me, not forming my own opinions as to what the words are saying. 

There has been a lot of damage done by interpreting the words through a personal agenda, or using the words to backup a personal opinion.  I come to the Bible empty of my words and drink in God’s words.  Then I build my ideas and thoughts on God’s words and thoughts, with the Holy Spirit of truth guiding me.  I drink them in and let them work an inner transformation and then let my faith and practice grow and mature from inside to outside in my life. I continue to use the Bible as a plum line, a standard to measure my faith and practice by.  I also use the Bible as a way to correct myself when I realize I have gotten off the path.  God knows I am not perfect and lovingly “recalculates” the way back on the path.  This makes me love Him even more.

How can I not worship a God who cares so much about me?  The God who created the heavens and the earth cares intimately for His creation, and that includes each and every one of us human beings.  He created everything good and is actively involved in keeping everything good.  He hates everything that would effect His creation in a harmful way and will do everything to protect all of it.  That should invoke a sense of fear in the minds and hearts of people, not a bad fear but a good fear; a fear motivated and driven by ultimate love.  It is a fear that causes me to bow down to Him, not run away from Him.  It is a fear that results in a sense of awe and worship of Him, not a hiding ourselves from Him.  His protectiveness over His creation is a trait of worth and is worthy of worship.

MY WAY OF BEING IN THE WORLD

In the beginning God created the world and gave life to everything He created.  Jesus came into the world and gave life to those who believed and received it.  There is an order to life, a rhythm to life.  Nature reveals God’s power and His attributes.  Nature reveals a divine order and a divine balance to life.

I feel it most in solitude and silence.  There is a letting go and a decompressing that I settle into, a stillness that lets me know all is well.  I cease striving and simply BE.

My tree teachers outside my window are covered with snow; they are standing tall, still, and majestic against the sky.  They are at peace and I am at peace as I look at them.  They are in their place, not struggling to be anything or anywhere else than where they are now; in divine order and in perfect balance.  They live quietly as each season comes and goes; not their own rhythm but God’s divine rhythm.  That is their way of being in the world; what they do to be that way is their religion.

I don’t worship these trees but I do learn from them.  I don’t worship nature or the things that God created, but I do learn from them.  They reveal God to me.  They point me to the Creator of all things, as all good teachers are to do.  God reveals Himself in nature and I do well to watch and wait in its presence. I do well to learn from its order and rhythm my way of being in the world; this is my religion.

MASTERED BY DIVINITY

I have a portfolio filled with diplomas, certificates, and awards for accomplishing many programs of learning and training I have taken throughout my years of preparing myself for this and that.  I would begin the class, do the work, pass the test, and then I was prepared to go forth and do what I was to do.  If it wasn’t an official program of learning I would consider the 10,000 hours makes an expert rule.  Whatever route I took the concept was I was ready to go out on my own, doing my thing that I had spent time preparing for, and I should feel a sense of confidence because of the accomplishments I had made.

I have noticed something different in Jesus’ method of schooling and training for his disciples.  His first words are “follow me” and his last words are “follow me”; they are not the words I heard, “go out and do your thing.”  In the economy of God’s kingdom Jesus’ disciples may go out to teach, lead, and serve, but it is always as a disciple of Jesus, a follower of Jesus, and a servant of Jesus; it is not of ourselves or by ourselves.

My aim in life is not self sufficiency.  I will never “Master Divinity”, no matter what the diploma says.  My confidence comes from communion with God and being obedient to the Spirit of Truth; following Jesus and walking in his Presence, observing and teaching all he commanded.  I can do nothing on my own which is why Jesus promises his Presence and the power of the Holy Spirit who works in me and through me.

My aim in life is to follow Jesus as his disciple and allow his life to flow through mine.  The only diploma, certificate, or award I want at the end of my life is to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

THE BIBLE TELLS THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

I was talking with an old friend last night and the conversation got on to religion…surprise, surprise.  She was relating on an experience her sister had at a Bible Study.  The leader of the study asked, “What myths have you recently stopped believing?”  Her sister answered, “The virgin birth.”  My friend said she had recently stopped believing in that myth as well.  Several things came to my mind. First, why do we think we have to stop believing in our myths and second, what does it matter whether or not we believe in doctrines such as the virgin birth?

I began to ponder why do I not have a problem believing in all of what the Bible says and don’t see a need to give up believing any of it?  It all helps me in my walk with God and strengthens my faith and practice.  I consider myself relatively intelligent and I have been studying religion for over forty years.  I just recently finished a course in Apologetics so I know the whole Enlightenment and appeal to Reason over superstition explanation, of doing away with the supernatural influences in religion, such as the virgin birth; but personally I just don’t buy it.  The so called myths and stories are what I enjoy in the Scriptures.  I learn real life lessons from them and therefore I will continue to simply believe them.

I believe that myths and stories are very important to a culture.  The American Indians used their myths and stories to make a connection to what was unknown to them and give meaning to their lives.  They used the stories for healing and general well being.  I think this is true in many, if not all primitive cultures.  If Christianity destroyed that then it was wrong to do so.  Jesus used stories in the form of parables to make his teachings understandable to people, to make connections to the unknown so it could be known.

That is what stories do for me.  They connect the dots of reality and bring form to the truth I may not see in the dots; but clothed and enhanced in the story it makes sense to me.  Thinking rationally about The virgin birth doesn’t make sense or seem real. But when I ponder my experience, my story of how God entered my being in an instant one day and how I have grown from that seed that was implanted into my inner being, then I see the connection and I have no trouble believing in the virgin birth.  It is supernatural…it is true…it is God at move in mysterious ways I don’t understand but I do experience.

I have no plan of getting rid of any of the myths.  I will continue to simply delight in the greatest Story ever told recorded in the Bible.

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES OF THESE THINGS

Luke 24:44-49

Jesus did not come to earth to start a new religion or political movement.  He came to fulfill the Word of God spoken since the beginning of time, the Word of God in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.  His life, message, and mission were deeply rooted in the Scriptures of the Hebrew Scriptures.  He opened the minds and eyes of his disciples so they could understand that their lives, message and mission were to be rooted in these Scriptures as well.  Rooted in the Scriptures and witnesses of Jesus’ life, message, and mission, they were to proclaim these things to all nations; the death and resurrection of Jesus, and repentance and forgiveness of sins. 

Is this the witness those of us who claim to follow Jesus are proclaiming these days?  Are we opening minds and eyes to the Scriptures?  Are we saying to those who need to hear it, “neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more”?  Do we begin by acknowledging that we are first among those who need to have our minds and eyes open to the Scriptures, and we too need to hear go and sin no more as much as everyone else?

Self righteousness is a delusion, a deception, a distortion, and a lie from the enemy of God.  It is the fruit that was swallowed by the first humans in the garden and continues to be swallowed today by many who claim God as their Lord and Master.  But God is clear that we cannot serve two masters.  God cannot be claimed as Lord and be disobeyed in the same breath.  Self righteousness is evil in the eyes of God. (Jeremiah 2:13)

The disciples began their mission knowing their faults and failures and witnessing first hand the forgiveness of Jesus and the repentance that crucified any self righteousness they had.  They witnessed first hand the love and compassion Jesus had for them and for all people.  They also witnessed first hand the consequences of sin.

It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth that “convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness, and judgment.”  Disciples of Jesus are to witness to the repentance and forgiveness that follows that conviction and show the way to secure God’s righteousness within us so that we can live our lives according to the ways of God.  We are to witness the truth that the enemy of God has no rule over us; he was judged and defeated by the work of Jesus.  This is what people need to hear, see, and experience from those who are witnesses of Jesus life, message, and mission.

GOD REWARDS THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM

Hebrews 11:6

I like to consider myself a student of life.  I love learning new things.  There is something delicious about starting a new quest into an unfamiliar area and discovering thoughts and ideas I had not had before.  I especially enjoy studying God and His ways in the world and in people.  That quest is inexhaustible and will keep me busy for eternity.

Studying God and His ways enriches my soul and fulfills my life.  As I study about Him I get to know Him; the more I know Him the more I love Him.  Know God is a paradox.  On the one hand He is mysterious and so much higher than my thoughts can ever reach.  On the other hand he makes Himself totally available for the most intimate of relationships with people who seek Him.  He lets Himself be known to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.  He responds to those who seek Him with all their hearts and search for Him as treasure.

It is because of that intimacy that my sense of awe and fear is magnified.  He is God, who created the heavens and the earth and everything them; and yet He desires to be intimately involved with His creation.  That amazes me and causes me to worship Him all the more.

I feel sorry for those who dismiss God’s Presence in the world or deny that He exists.  They think they are enlightened and wise; but they are walking around with their minds closed, in a world that they created, a world that is barren, void, and without substance or meaning.  I feel sorry for them.  Who do they thank for a beautiful sun rise or sunset; who do they thank for the food that grows and feeds them; who do they thank for their new born babies; who do they thank for their very lives?  What rewards do they receive for all their knowledge and work; certificates, public accolades, honors from other men? All these will fade away and be forgotten.

The reward I receive for the discoveries I make on my quests is knowing God and loving God. I receive a life filled with thanksgiving because God knows and loves me in return.  That reward never fades and is never forgotten; it is eternal.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE

Proverbs 1:7

It is not enough to have knowledge and wisdom.  It must be founded on the firm foundation of the fear of the Lord.  It must be rooted in obedience to God.  Knowledge and wisdom are good things to want; good things to have.  When God asked Solomon what he wanted from Him, Solomon asked for “an understanding mind to discern between good and evil.”  God gave him what he asked for but also said to him, “walk in my ways, keeping my statutes, and my commandments.” (I Kings 3:1-15)

Wisdom and the knowledge of good and evil have been a quest of human beings since the beginning of time.  In the garden the first humans were tempted by the promise that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a good thing, even though God clearly told them not to eat of that tree.  But, “the woman saw that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and was to be desired to make one wise.  So she and her husband ate from the tree and disobeyed God, suffering great consequence for themselves and for the rest of the world for all time. (Genesis 3)

Knowledge and wisdom are rooted in obedience to God.  Knowledge and wisdom come from the counsel of God and the reproof of God.  When we obey God and walk in His ways, keep His statutes, and keep His commandments we will walk in knowledge and wisdom.   If we eat the fruit of our own way and depend on our own devices we separate ourselves from God, just as Adam and Eve did when they were sent out of the garden.

Knowledge and wisdom derive from the fear of the Lord, a respect for God, and the worship of God; anything else is false, of the flesh, and is only the fodder of fools.  The new atheist movement is made up of highly intelligent people who are convinced they can find all the answers to life on their own through knowledge and science.  They believe there is now no need for the “God hypothesis”.  Humans have the intelligence to supersede the primitive superstitions and supernatural beliefs of earlier years.

I am a simple soul who says to these self sufficient intellectuals the same thing David that David would say to them, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 53:1)  Do as you like, walk in your ways, and come to your own end.  I want more.

COME TO THE QUIET

“Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your

own hands…That you may walk honestly toward them that are

without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.”

I Thessalonians 4:11

I am drawn to the quiet life, the meditative life, the life outside of the camp where the tent of God is pitched.  I am drawn to the simple life, the life with a lot of empty space, not waiting to be filled but intentionally left empty and spacious.

I love God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit with all my heart, mind, and soul.  I desire to dwell in God’s Presence all the days of my life.  The quandary I deal with regularly in my wake with God is that I find such conflict with Institutional Christianity and Church.  I have tried to fit my faith into that form and mold and have failed at every try.  At times I thought it was my fault.  At times I thought it was the Institution’s fault.  I am tired of trying and tired of trying to find fault.  I just want to live a simple and quiet life in the Presence of God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit.

What can I study to be quiet?  Nature is quiet; mindfulness and meditation is quiet, bringing inner awareness; working with my hands is quiet, either creating things that are functional to use or creating things that are beautiful to admire.  Seeing life and work as sacred helps me honor time as sacred.  I am a part of any process I put my mind and hands into.  There is a give and take of energy that prevents me from becoming exhausted and provides me with enrichment. 

There is a flow of life energy in stillness.  I have felt that life energy while walking in an ancient forest, while sitting in a canoe on an undisturbed lake, and while observing an empty field.  Life is growing and transforming, yet all is silent and still.  Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth is entering into the stillness of life and connecting with the energy that comes from God, the same energy that created all of life; that created me.

 I am drawn to the quiet life, the meditative life; the life lived outside of the camp where God dwells.  That is where I feel most at home and most at peace and that is where I study to be.  My business is loving God with all my heart, mind, and soul; obeying God with all my heart, and loving my neighbor, which in reality is everyone, as myself.  The cares of the world, of Christianity, and of the Church are God’s business, not mine.  He knows in fullness; I know only in part.  I am called to pray for the things of God not criticize or try to correct them. 

“God is in heaven and you are on earth,

So let your words be few.”

Ecclesiastes 5:2