A changing season

A scene very similar to where I live

As with most things there are seasons that come and go. I love Autumn and Spring especially because they indicate change and are both exceptionally beautiful and colourful. So I have started to think about this blog at the moment and where it is sitting.

When I first started this particular season of the blog it was to work my way through the Devotional Classics book. This was achieved by February this year. I have started to look at a variety of other books at the moment. However because I am pausing to look and challenge a my spiritual practice there will possibly be only incremental progress. What I am doing  is not conducive to writing a weekly blog so I have decided to put it into recession until beginning of 2018. I will reevaluate at that stage.

This is not the first time this has happened. This is the third major season of this blog. There was initially an intense period initially of well over a year followed a time of recession for nearly 2 years where I would have written only a dozen blogs in that time. So this is just part of the rhythm of this blogs life.

I have truly enjoyed sharing with you my readers. I want to thank you for your faithful reading especially my international readers. It has been very exciting to have an audience in 10 different countries. I do want to especially thank my readers in New Zealand, United States and France being my largest contingents but there was another significant group in Russia. I thank you for faithfully reading week after week.

I will look at where I am in February 2018 so until then Bless you in Jesus Name.

A golden experience.

I don't know about you but when I read a "how to" book it all sounds so straight forward. You do this and it is all supposed to work out. It is often a little later in the book that you read about the possibilities of what could actually happen.

This has been my experience with silence and solitude as spiritual disciplines. Especially when in the silence and solitude your mind is all over the place. It is so hard top remain focussed on God. My mind wanders all over things of got to do you name it. But this according to a later part of the book is normal so It may be normal but it is not easy to counter or cope with. You just have to bring your thoughts back to God again, and again and again...........

The other thing I have discover as I spend time with God in this less controlled way is that as the light of a closer relationship with God comes, the more I realise my own internal darkness. I have realised my deep internal anger, well masked and to a large extent controlled, but there none the less. This came as quite a shock and to a certain extent traumatic, but the revelation will allow God to begin to work on it with me. I also discovered that internally I am greedy and self-centred, I think I may have suspicions about this. However spending this time with God as sharply brought it into focus. I have faith that he will help me deal with this now he has pointed it out my sin with such clarity.



It is bit like the old analogy of the purifying of gold. The gold must be super heated beyond melting point to allow the impurities to float to the surface. Then they can be scraped off. This is an opportunity I think, but not for the fainthearted I suspect. The book did go on to tell me that this enlightenment of my darkness was a distinct possibility. So I seem to be on track ..................I will keep you posted on my progress or maybe lack of it.

Is our ladder against the wrong wall?

 A friend and I were talking about spiritual development and he brought up a point that I not really seriously considered before. His statement was that most of us talk about body, soul and spirit but really we should look at it the other way round because whatever comes first is the most important. When we say body, soul and spirit we are saying that our body is the most important. For most of us if we are honest that is the way we live. Our body and soul get the most attention. However our spirit is actually the eternal component, so if we even only applied logic we should look at spirit, soul and body. Our spirit is the most important part of us.

The world in general understands the value of looking after our body and soul. There is a huge chunk of the modern world that devotes itself to the welfare of those two components. Our body with the medical profession, health and fitness programmes, nutritionists, personal trainers, and the list goes on. Our soul is ministered to by the counsellors, life coaches, psychologists, support groups and all minds of other people. These components are both going to disappear to a large extent.

I come back to the fact that our eternal dimension i.e. our spirit seems to be neglected to a large extent. Even the world in the early part of the 21st century is coming to realise the importance of the spirit. They are on a search for truth and we have the answer " Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, no one gets to the Father except through me." This is a spirit statement from one spirit to another it can only be understood "in the Spirit".

If we made a decision to place our spiritual development first or even on a par with the other two. How would that change us? Let us think moving the ladder to the spirit wall first and trust that will lead us to develop the other two.

Spirit, Soul and Body: I took the "Road less Travelled" and it made all the difference. I am beginning to put my spiritual development first, how about you?

An Elusive Comodity

City Light Haze

As I write this blog I am listening to Hillsong which is quite ironic since I want to talk about the potential place of silence in the process of spiritual formation. Our society is silence averse. There seems to be constant noise, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. At any time of the day or night we can easily find a plethora of things to listen to, certainly in the western world. Much as how we are light saturated even in the dead of night in our modern cities.Check out the photo!

Yet if we hark back to the Christian Fathers of old, as well as leading members of the modern mystic and contemplative movement, they would suggest silence is an integral part of spiritual life.

There are two distinct schools of thought although they are not mutually exclusive are both quite different.
Henri suggests:
"As long as hearts and and minds are with words of our own making, there is no space for the Word to enter deeply into our hearts and bear fruit. In and through silence the Word of God descends from mind into heart, where it can ruminate on it, masticate it, digest it, and let it become flesh and blood in us. This is the meaning of meditation Without silence the Word can not become our inner guide; without meditation it can not build its home in our hearts."

There is also another school that suggests that God is so infinite that mere words can explain describe or represent him. The only way to begin to come to terms with God is to allow him to to speak to you through the Spirit in the silence. This is an imageless and wordless form of prayer. Spending time in the silence, transcends the limitations of language, rational thought and human constructed categories.

These two styles would seem to be at odds which I don't necessarily think is completely true and may both have a place in the contemplative lifestyle. But that has yet to be proven for me. I can see the silence working so well in Lectio Divina.  I am getting so much from this discipline at the  moment. After I have done the initial meditation allowing myself to soak in that word for a longer time in silence makes sense. The second type is probably more problematic and I will not even attempt that this week but I am committed to following this through after a few weeks. It would seem to need to be at a very different time from what I am describing above. Otherwise I am not sure how it will work.

It is becoming more obvious that "less is more" and I must attempt less in my time. Maybe even getting rid of my traditional devotional books to allow God to speak. While I am filling my heart and spirit with the thoughts of another person through a devotional book, am I missing God? Well maybe not missing God, but not gaining all I could through a more personal relationship with the Trinity! I mean my devotions have worked okay for the last 25 years but maybe there is just more to be had!!!!

I will continue to refine my journey and keep you posted. I have had my first couple of tries and it is very positive so far!

A New Tutor

To keep up with the modern age we need to be continually in learning mode. There always appears to be something new to know. Now I am very pro learning having spent 34 working in education! The question remains who are my tutors and mentors.

As Christians we are to certain extent faced with an expectancy of learning seeing as we are called disciples. Disciples in the Greek means learner. In the Hebrew it also adds the connotation of teacher as well.

As we start look at disciplines that may add to our learning and ultimately our spiritual formation. Lectio Divina starts to come into focus. Lectio Divina is about "sacred or devotional reading" of the Bible. This is where our present story and God's story meeting under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. This means that I read the Bible slowly and intently with an expectation that God is going to say something that is tailor made for me right now!

I must say in the last month I have changed my devotional pattern to; one Psalm, one chapter of Proverbs and using Lectio Divina through the Gospel of John. I read very slowly and gently through the Gospel of John until something arrests me and God starts to reveal things that matter in my life right now. I must say this has revolutionised my devotions over the last month. It has brought such depth.


I do not have time to walk completely through Lectio Divina but "Uncle Google" will help you work it out if you want to know!

I firmly suggest it is worth taking a look at!

Our hearts and Times

We are constantly being formed by the spiritual activities we take part in and the occurrences of everyday life. This will include our attitudes our activities and our thought life. As I said last week I believe there will be some ebb and flow closer to God and again moving away from God. As we make advances and also struggle with the things of God we aren't quite coming to grips with easily. When we are in the waiting zone, either waiting for God to do something or waiting to hear from him. I do believe however the we may ebb and flow a little or even a lot at times, but we are still travelling either towards God or away from God as a basic trend.

I love this basic paragraph from Henri Nouwen.
"The authentic spiritual life finds its basis in the human condition. The spiritual life is not lived outside, before, after, or beyond everyday existence. No, the spiritual life can be real only as it is lived in the midst of the pains and joys of the here and now. Therefore, we need to begin with a careful look at the way we think, speak and act from hour to hour, day to day, week to week and year to year, in order to become more fully aware of our hunger for the Spirit."

Based on this we start to see the necessity of the examined life. I am not sure that Henri would have us paralysed by "navel gazing" at what we are doing, but he would have us spend time time each day reflecting on our actions, thoughts and feelings. Questions arise what activities are we involved with on a regular basis? Is there a spiritual component to these activities? For some types of activities the answer would seem to be no, but others are a distinct yes, these have distinct spiritual influence.

What are watching on television?
What are we reading or listening to?
Do we read our Bible or Pray?

All of these activities do have a spiritual connection they will either take you towards God or away from him. The ebbs and flows of spiritual life may change on a daily basis, but it about the trend.

One of the things I do on a daily basis is work with pornography addicts and programmes. This is definitely a growth industry and the Christian world is certainly not exempt. Because of the huge shame and guilt factors associated with this type of activity it tends to be one of those that is taking both men and women away from God, although they are trying with all their might to love God.

So it is good to examine our habits and work out where we are and decide is change necessary?

Moving to the dark side!

I am a great Star Wars fan, having been to open day midnight sessions of the movies for all 4 of the last movies including 1,2,3 and last years latest offering. As I was reading  chapter one in the Good and Beautiful Life the opposite sides of the force came to mind.

It is often easy to assume that Spiritual Formation is about moving towards God. But is that the case?

Using Romans 1:18-32 James Bryan Smith points out is easier to move away from God than towards him on some occasions. Now there is food for thought because you are still becoming spiritually formed whether you know it or not.
He uses the scripture to outline six basic stages on a journey away from God into a very different type of spiritual formation. One that is prevalent in the time that we live in.

So what are these steps?
Turn away and want to be God: How many times are we told to take control of our own destiny. We can do anything if we put our mind to it. Refusing to acknowledge God.

The Mind Darkens: We develop a contra reality: By not acknowledging God we move into a darkening form. We deny the truth and the universal principles of God.

Idolatry: We must fill the vacuum with something else in the centre. It may be ourselves or many of the  myriad of spiritual offerings on hand. There are so many people looking for spiritual awakening where they retain control of there own destiny or are trying to find out what might happen to them or for them.

God leaves us alone to our own devices: This is sometimes called wrath. God basically just allows us to pursue whatever it is that we are pursuing.................... unless we turn back towards his direction.

We seek pleasure at all costs: Sometimes for the sake of pleasure sometimes as answer to the pain and suffering we feel. The pleasure becomes an answer although it does not work long term and becomes more depraved and less and less effective.

Sin Reigns: The sin in our lives and continues to separate us from God.

I can so identify with this process because we are being spiritually formed in this process as much as any other. This is indeed can be the DARK SIDE of the FORCE! This was my story too! I was moving further and further from God. But as Darth Vader found out in the end of Episode Three, no one is beyond redemption. If we make the slightest move towards God the Father he moves towards us.This was my story, as I made small steps toward God he was moving towards me. So Spiritual formation is never static we can move mainly in one particular direction but there is an ebb and flow.

Even as I travel toward God today there are ebbs and flows as I move in the spiritual realm. They may not be huge but they are there .

.........And I don't believe God would have it any other way, after all he gave us free will.

Can I do it my way safely?

We live in an age where individual freedom of choice is highly valued. I want to be able to do what I want without hindrance. This sounds great to have that freedom, but is it wise and is it safe in the spiritual realm? We have returned to an age where multiplicities of spiritual forms are not only active, but quite common. This is very similar to the age that the Book of Acts was written. This can make it a time great excitement but also potentially spiritually dangerous.

Those seeking deeper encounters with God will realise the essential roles of prayer and meditation. These are actually disciplines that cannot safely be allowed to just be free-floating experiments, without high risks of encountering ungodly spiritual entities that may do more harm than good. Without guidance and discernment it may be more difficult to distinguish between the Spirit of God and an array of other spirits trying to influence us.

Here is where Christian traditions and methods start to make our activities safer, while still allowing us to develop spiritually. There are many different Christian “schools of thought” that have developed over time usually around a key proponent during a certain time in history. For example Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola or John Wesley. Many Christian traditions appear to have been claimed by other faiths as their own. Which can make a little wary of getting it wrong. The one that immediately springs to my mind is meditation and Buddhism. However the early Christian Fathers were meditating before Buddhism was even in existence. We cannot afford to lose our traditions to fear or smoke screen from other beliefs. This is where our discernment is necessary.

There are 5 basic practices that the early church followed in search of spiritual formation:



Home of the Desert Fathers

1.       Reflection on living documents

2.       Lectio Divina or Devine Reading

3.       Silence

4.       Community

5.       Service

  These will give me a framework to look at my own Spiritual Formation. So I will address each area individually as I work through the process in the coming weeks. They are not unfamiliar to me, but my use  of them may have been sporadic at best  in the past. These will grant me a degree of safety navigating the highly charged spiritual world in which I live.

Until next time, keep safe but keep moving on spiritually.

The same rules don't apply.

As a life coach I take people through a process of making decisions and then help them to work out how they can implement those decisions. That is a defined cognitive and sometimes emotional process which can be relatively clear cut.

 

The journey of spiritual formation is a journey to the heart. Which is not cognitive or necessarily rational, it is spiritual and emotional. Therefore the same rules don't apply.

 

One of the observations I have made that there don't seem to be too many constants. When you open your heart to the spiritual world you need to be careful. Not all elements in the spiritual world are good nor interested in your welfare. Sounds encouraging to be involved in spiritual formation doesn't. However having previously been involved in education for 34 years I can affirm to that little learning takes place without mistakes and failures. We must be prepared to risk and confront danger in the search for goodness.

 

I love the way that Henri Nouwen puts it:

 

"But how can avoid this danger? I think by no other way than to enter the heart, the centre of our existence, and become familiar with the complexities of our inner lives. as soon as we feel at home in our own house - discover the dark corners as well as the light spots, the closed doors as well as the drafty rooms - our confusion will evaporate, our anxiety will diminish, and we will capable of creative work and a spiritually informed life."

 

I have experienced this over the past weeks as I purposely open myself to God. I have discovered the dark spots in heart; the judgement, anger and pride for starters. God has highlighted the sin I have chosen to ignore. As I come closer to the Father the light shines onto  my darkness to bring forth confession and allow the healing touch of the Holy Spirit to minister to my heart. I must say it is not always fun being confronted with your own reality. I have understood the importance of the lost discipline of confession but now I know practicing it at a level I haven't experienced previously.

 

I am starting to understand my heart a little more.

And the lights came on!

Isn't funny how things can come together in the most unlikely ways. Connections become clear when you weren't really looking for them, it just happened, in that moment of revelation.

The other night I was working with my Conquer group and the lights went on about a connection I hadn't expected. A Conquer group is a group which helps men deal with their sexual addictions and in particular their problem with pornography. I lead this small group to support men overcome this major issue which is a blight on the 21st century Church and society in general. It is an issue that appears to be more and more rampant as reality comes to the light. After 20 -30 years of the internet revolution the magnitude of pornography's development and the effect that revolution has had is now becoming frighteningly obvious.

The scene is now set so what was the revelation? Well............it dawned on me that on of the major reasons for the growth of pornography on the modern church is in fact of our lack of spiritual formation in any depth. We do not have real understanding of what the Father and the Son were up to in the new covenant and what they means for us. We stay sick because we don't realise the answer is with us all the time. It will take time, effort and a certain amount of pain to heal the wounds that we medicate in so many ways in modern society. From pornography, Facebook or internet shopping to food, we try it all.

So when looking at spiritual formation in any way would be remiss not to use the resources I have available. I am going to look ay The Conquer workbook and 7 Pillars of Freedom as well. I believe they will bring a very practical balance to your life and mine as we explore our journey with God towards Christlikeness.

I am really excited about this because it will bring me real purpose to this process. We are in fact contending for ourselves, our families and many hurting and wounded Christians out there. Let  alone a lost and spiritually oppressed generation that we have been given to introduce to Jesus Christ. As we begin to make sense of the real implications that a deeper spiritual formation will have on us, the potential is breath taking.

In a generation that is content to know information about the Christian faith, we must shift to an understanding of what we truly believe........................... and then use it everywhere we can! We must move that most difficult 12inches from our head to our heart.

"Spiritual formation requires taking an inward journey to the heart" Henri Nouwen

Spiritual Formation is not a formation of the head but a formation of the heart. So unlike the previous year we are not time scheduled with a new topic and author each week. We will slow down and read sources as in "Lectio Divnia". I will read slowly until God brings revelation then I will share what he shows me. I believe there will be multiple sources confirming the same message.



I believe God has just joined strands and passions of my life together in a way I wasn't expecting. I hope it will bless your life too!

New Year in March.

 

Along the lines of some ancient Roman calendars we were going to start our new year at the beginning of March. As we finished our last entry last week, we start considering where we go with our new topic. I have thought about for quite a while and I have decided that I am going to work with two books and see where God takes as we journey through them concurrently.

So you may well ask, what the two books are.

The first is “Spiritual Formation – Following the Movements of the Spirit” by Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird. This book was actually written after Henri Nouwen’s death in 1996, being first published in 2011. It is a compilation of Henri’s thoughts from articles, sermons and lectures. I particularly like Henri’s work, so I hope we are in for treat. I have not read either book, so I am literally on the same journey of discovery as you.

The second book is The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith. Although I have not read this book I have read the books on either side in the Good and Beautiful Trilogy. They are the Good and Beautiful God and the Good and Beautiful community, sometimes referred to as the apprentice series. These are very sound theologically but imminently readable and practical. This should not only give us some interesting reading but huge scope for growth either in the micro or the macro level.

Next week be prepared to jump in again, into our ongoing journey. Thank you for journeying with me thus far!

 

Freeing last words.

I love last words, so this week we are looking at the last words of our time with The Devotional Classics book.

Our final author is Watchman Nee one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century. I am literally going to quote the last paragraph of the book.

"The basic condition of a sinners salvation is not belief or repentance, but just honesty of heart towards God. God requires nothing of us except that we come in that with that attitude. for it is a fact of the Gospel, making possible the initial touch of Jesus Christ, that saves the sinner and not sinners understanding of it." - Watchman Nee

I find this such a freeing statement from this evangelist because it gives a very specific prayer target for the friends or family (or anyone else for that matter) that are not walking with Christ.  We need to pray for an honesty of heart to meet Jesus. There is a huge interest in Jesus and in areas spirituality in the world at the moment.  We can pray that this honesty of attitude can develop, because as it develops it will leave a Jesus size hole, that only he can fill.


Who do you know you can pray for this week?

And next week until the job is done

Despite being last words, we will be back next week!!

Revival the cry of our heart? Really?

We are fast approaching the end of this series that we have been involved in for a year. I have found it an interesting and rewarding journey that has been  a pleasure to share with you over the time. This is our second to last text.


I am going to use this paraphrased text from Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892). He was a phenomenon in his age.
Habakkuk 3:2 "O Lord revive thy work"
" All true religion is the work of God. God is indeed the author of salvation in the world, and religion is the work of grace. If there is anything good or excellent found in his Church, it too, is entirely God's work from first to last.
It is God who quickens the soul which is dead, and it is God who maintains the life of the soul; God who nurtures and protects that life in the Church. We ascribe nothing to ourselves and everything to God. We do not dare for single moment to think our conversion or sanctification is effected by our efforts or the efforts of another."

I am not sure that this a widely held belief in the modern church any more than Spurgeon thought it was wide spread in his own time more than a century ago. At least in his time church was a little more fashionable than it is today. In our modern highly programme driven church there would seem to be little space for God on occasion.

What really grabbed me was his thoughts on revival. We so often say we want revival and begin to pray for someone else. What if we began to pray for revival in ourselves and watch what happens to us and through us. After all as Spurgeon says it really is all down to God. Some of the time we just get in the way.



Allowing God free reign in us. Now that takes some courage!


He also said if we really wanted revival we would pray to God to do whatever he needed to do start revival. That would start with you and me! It would be messy loud and dramatic. Are we ready for this?

I took the road less travelled and it made all the difference

This has certainly got me thinking!

back to basics

Until recently I have spent nearly 35 years of my life working in and around education. In that field one of the huge catch cries that is toted out on a reasonably regular basis is "lets go back to basics". Which is an interesting statement in itself because the fundamental basics in the digital age were not even conceived in the 1970's. I am sure there are skills in reading and writing that are timeless, so back to basics is not without some merit in a crowded modern curriculum.


So the question begs are basics that we should be more conscious of in the complex spiritual age that we live in. Would Christianity be better for going "back to basics? This weeks author would suggest yes and I am inclined to agree with him. John Chrysostom was baptised 386AD and one of the most powerful preachers of his age. A trained orator before conversion he was able to use his skills well for God.

One of his key points that is a basic of Christianity is that we are baptised into death with Christ, so as he was born again, so are we. In that process we are dead to sin. His conjecture is that we have been empowered to reject sinful behaviour, so why don't we? The question was valid then, if not popular. It is also valid now and still not popular! We as Christ have been born into resurrection power to live life differently.

Do we accept too much in the modern Christian church? They certainly did the early church, otherwise Paul wouldn't have had to write so many letters. There are a myriad of things that are part of the culture around us that are not compatible with the House of God. They were there in 386AD and they are here now, but does it make it right?

So the question is not new. Are there areas in your life that are a bit murky? It may be time to do some about it!

We have been empowered to overcome. I guess we just have to use it!

Prayer of the word

Madame Guyon spent 25 years of her life in the Bastille (prison) in Paris. This was to provide a base for her to learn and experience much of the her spiritual life. She worked with a couple of techniques but we shall only look at the the first; "praying the scripture."

In essence her technique seems to be very similar to "Lectio Divina" or "Divine Reading." I have mixed the techniques to produce this list.

This involves four distinct phases:

1. Read: Do not read quickly, read very slowly.
2. Meditate: Do not move on till you have received the heart of what you read. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
3. Pray: Use that understanding to pray into what the scripture has shown you. Sometimes this can mean literally praying the scripture.
4. Contemplate: What might that mean to you today and tomorrow. Lectio Divina word term it resting in God.
   
   

I have decided to change my practice. I had made a decision to bulk read a chapter a day of the Gospels to immerse my self in the teachings of Jesus. This is fine, but I have noticed that my familiarity tends to mean I gloss over things and miss things out.

So  I am going to practice "praying the scripture" or "Lectio Divina" in the gospels for the rest of the year. I will start with John, because I am near the end of Luke in my bulk reading. I also chose John because it is so different to the other gospels.

Looking forward to starting tomorrow.

The Real Dr Doolittle!

I have heard of people preaching in all sorts of ways and to a wide variety of audiences, but this one is a little different. In fact a very different audience!

 

Our author this week, well not so much an author as the subject of a biography, The little flowers of St Francis. Which is of course about St Francis of Assisi. Following his brief 44 year life time this man's voice has echoed down through the ages to this day. This preacher and founder of the Franciscan Order of monks. St Francis lived on the cusp of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. 

 

Having confirmed his calling to preach salvation to the world through the most prominent intercessors and mystics of his time. He went about his task with great gusto. He had such authority that he could command the birds to be silent and to sing, which they duly did! As I said he preached to a very different audience............. a flock or more precisely a collection of different bird species. He told them about salvation and gratitude to Christ. That they needed to lift their voices in praise in gratitude for their Saviour and they did as he commanded. So next time you here the dawn chorus, you may take a slightly different slant on it.

 

 There is a simple lesson in here for us. We like the birds need to regularly acknowledge with gratitude and praise the work of our Saviour. Practicing an attitude of gratitude and praising God will change you life. I know, I have been consciously practicing gratitude for the past year and it has made such I difference in my life. I look at things so differently. Try it you may like!

 

I am just starting to really come back to private praise and worship. However, I must say it was such a blessing to be back in God's House after nearly two months away. Our corporate worship was awesome last weekend!

Heartfelt Cry!

You ask a lot people what they want out life, they will tell you they want to be happy. Upon observation this would seem to be quite an elusive commodity. As a society and community there would not seem to be too many "happy people." The question then begs why is that?Especially in the western world when we have such material wealth.

I think for myself that we as a culture are looking in the wrong place and in fact looking for the wrong thing. We are seeking happiness and expecting happiness because that's what the movies and the media tell us is our right, so why isn't happening. The answer maybe that we are listening to the voice seeking the wrong answer. Happiness tends to be an externally driven process dependent on events, possessions and happenings that please us. Things that go our way giving us what we want which may in the end be inherently selfish. It comes with entitlement, we figure we should be happy everybody selling anything will tell us this is the answer if you have just one more thing.

I think this maybe the old story of I climbed to the top of the ladder and found it was on the wrong wall. I would humbly suggest that the commodity we are missing or looking for is Joy. Joy is driven from within not by circumstances and while they would appear to our culture to be similar, they fundamentally different. Joy to my understanding comes from within. It is a by-product of recognising the grace by which we are saved. It is the deep understanding of grace that brings joy even when as the Bible suggests our circumstances can be less than ideal. James suggests that we should count all joy when we are in trials. This does not match with our culture.

I have not mentioned our author this week because they simply did not resonate with me to any large extent with me. What did happen though is that God has brought the beginnings of revelation about how important grace is to us living a fulfilling joyful life. I am at the beginnings of working this out.  I am sure this is not about knowledge and learning, but about revelation of the Holy Spirit and the changing of our inner structure. So this will be a journey will be truly a spiritual journey and  will take the rest of my natural life. I will be seeking further revelation of God's grace on my life and I will see were it takes me. This is becoming a heartfelt cry of the my spirit!

Maybe a revelation of grace worth having for you as well. Like me you could ask "Father reveal your grace to me so I can begin to grasp a little of the joy you intend."

 

Moving habitually closer!

My last blog ended the Compassionate Life section now we are moving into the heartland of the evangelical tradition the Word Centered Life. the double edged sword of the centrality of scripture and the importance of evangelism.

Our first author is E. Stanley Jones is known for his missionary work in India and the Ashram Structured Retreats of the mid twentieth century in the United States. He had a keen understanding of spiritual life and the means of spiritual renewal. These excerpts comes from his work "Conversion".
He comes from the perspective that we are constantly being converted it is not a one time occasion. Some may see this as sanctification but as long as we understand the term it really doesn't matter.

Stanley bases his structure on 3 simple examples that Jesus modelled in his walk on earth. He calls Jesus the best man who ever lived, who did these three things by habit.

1. He stood up to read as was his custom - He read the word of God by habit.
2. He went to the mountain to pray as was his custom - He prayed by habit.
3. He taught them again as was his custom - He passed on to others by habit what he had and what he had found.

The habit of reading especially in the morning allows the cleansing power of the revelation of person of Jesus to wash over us. It is not knowing about Jesus but the knowing of Jesus through the inspired word of God that brings the cleansing. He cleanses your mind, your motives and emotions.
Stanley states "Take the prescription of the Word of God daily. No Christian is sound who is not Scriptural"


The habit of private prayer is key. It is so easy in our modern busy age to go to the occasional or weekly corporate prayer meeting and feel that we have ticked that box. We need to think again! In prayer we have a conversation with our Father. A conversation where both speak to each. it can take practice. If it is not working persevere! Interestingly the famous United States President Abraham Lincoln said these words "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go; my own conviction and that of those around me seemed insufficient for the day." Lincoln's habit was to spend between 4.00-5.00am in prayer and reading the word of God.

Sharing and passing on what we have learnt brings life to others but it interestingly brings life to you. I can personally testify to this in the simple act of writing and sharing this blog has brought new revelation and depth to my spiritual formation. As I think and ponder what to share with the prompting of the Holy Spirit I gain clarity and depth. Try it! It works if you work at it. It is after all the essence of coaching. Jesus practiced it with the disciples every day for 3 years, look at the difference it made to them! This simple act makes you evangelistic depending on what sort of revelation you are sharing. Evangelistic people are growing people. You are not necessarily trying to convert them you are just sharing your revelation of what works for you in your life and why it works? Not necessarily how it works because you may not know! But you do know it works!

I have loved this weeks reading it is so encouraging while still be so challenging. Practice your habits or start you new habits have a great week

A view that could change your world

As a 21st century person who lives in a modern western democracy, I think it is probably difficult for me to grasp the sense and understanding that Jesus had of community. His whole life was spent was spent in close proximity to others. He did take time away for himself to refresh and spend time with "the Father." I think it was not just a cultural thing, but actually he was modelling what Christian community could look like.

Our author today had some decided views on Christian community. Dietrich Bonheoffer  was a theologian and pastor in Germany at the time of Nazis Regime. He was fiercely opposed to the regime whicheventually resulted in his execution by the Nazis on the final day of the Second World War at Flossenburg Prison.


Bonheoffer made this basic statement: Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.

These are his 3 basic premises:

1. A Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ.
2. A Christian only comes to others through Jesus Christ.
3. In Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.

The part that stands out for me in that statement is the second statement that A Christian only comes to others through Jesus Christ. I find that challenging simply because I had never really considered my relationships with others in the light of coming through Jesus. When you think about it makes perfect sense that it is our knowing of Jesus and our relationship with Jesus that will effect every other relationship we have. I am not just talking about Christian community I am talking about all relationships.

We are the carriers of the Gospel in words, deeds and interactions with others. We are the directors of others towards salvation in Jesus Christ. When we come to others Bonheoffer suggests that we come with Jesus is our "Prince of Peace". Which makes us purveyors of peace to those we meet, making us significantly different from those in the general culture around us.

Only in Jesus Christ can we truly be bound together. To eternity he remains the one mediator.

Food for thought as we start the new year.

How is your peace quotient?