God eventually answers...

...I just know it. 

 

I have been making headway in my relationship to Christ this past year through "closet" prayer and meditation.  I have always prayed and often "meditated" in the sense of day dreaming about life's issues, problems, and blessings.  But lately, as stated, I've been actually doing this in my closet, in the quiet, doing as much or more listening than talking.  I petition about various things, people, and situations in my life and try to await answers to these, as well as a leading as to what I yet need to address.

I rarely KNOW what answers to my questions are, though.  There have been times I felt like I was physically sitting at His feet (almost).  But I still crave clarity as to what HE is saying to ME.

I have read books and heard opinions to the effect, that as long as His children are behaving morally, God doesn't care which road we take (again, as long as it is within His moral will for us).  Then others claim there is a "perfect will" of which God desires us to be in the "center".  This view espouses that each person was made for a specific job, a specific spouse, a specific car, a specific house, etc., etc.  Still yet, some claim one or another paradigm somewhere in between these two.  Each view seems to have some validity.

I will share what my experiences are, that's all I can do.  To be honest, I have rarely received clear direction in which road to take.  The closest I seem to have come, is a feeling of "permission" to go the way I most want to go.  This could mean that I am doing okay, in terms of choosing the options I place before the LORD.  It also could mean that I have no idea how to discern what He is saying.  I have really been working to quiet my life and make room for Him to answer (a long row to hoe, but progress has definitely been made).  So, at leas I think I know that the lack of answers hasn't been because I am not listening, and certainly there is no lack of asking.

Maybe the waiting, the yearning, the occasional weeping, is part of the answer.  While I don't ascribe to much (if any) new age thinking, I do wonder if God seeks to help us find out what we really want before he imposes His "final answer"...a kind of  "seek the answer from within..." statement from God himself.  I certainly don't think that if this was the way things worked at times, that just ANY answer "from within" would suffice.  But, as long as none of the options were out of the wrong motivation, maybe this could work...

When I read in His word, I certainly see times He is silent.  But I always see Him doing what He promised and coming through every time He is needed.  I know that GOD EVENTUALLY ANSWERS.

...need a solution?...try a person!

The best purchase a company can make ... is an employee.  Not the "right" employee, or the "trained" employee (although, arguably, there is merit in both those lines of thought).  The single best invention that has ever, or will ever be made, is a human.  God got it!!!!  He nailed it!!! and He is willing to put Himself in it!!!!

Yes, there are many holes in this idea...many areas with which one could argue...argue that humans can do great - or evil, depending on ...

But, fundamentally, I believe that any employer (church, group, family,...) has the answer for the problems it encounters. 

That answer is investing in its best inventions...PEOPLE.  I don't mean just the "elite" knowledge bearers at the top of the company.  I don't mean everyone from supervisory level, and up.  I mean every single solitary person in the company.

I don't necessarily mean a financial investment, though in many cases, I think that would go a long way.  Many companies just don't yet have the financial resources to pay production in the same range as the executive.  But there are so many ways to invest in people other than monetary!!! 

Time valuing opinions on issues...polling for alternative solutions...thinking through suggestions that don't make prima facie sense...being willing to go against the grain in order to support an employee struggling with some external issue.  All of these are ways to honor the majesty (not supreme majesty owned for One) of people and their talents, abilities, and problem solving skills. 

Those educated in post-secondary institutions aren't the only ones who have problem solving skills, even for large corporations.  In fact, those who are successful at avoiding post-secondary education (in socially and morally acceptable ways) may be some of our best problem solvers ;o).

I have just read an article about Wal-Mart's problems with their technology paradigm.  It is costing them at the bottom line.  They looked for more and more technological solutions to manage changes that only people (humans) themselves could mitigate.  They retained too much control in Bentonville, AR, and relied on data gathered from remote locations to make decisions, rather than trusting the local managers with their individual skills and abilities.

I, also, have been reading and reading about Larry Crabb.  His perceptions on counseling, therapy, and inner healing deal with much the same stuff.  He believes that there is power for personal problem solving in the simple occurences of humans (specifically Christ followers) deeply caring about and relating to one another. 

I see his point.  The times in my life I have experienced the clearest mind, least hindered thought life,  and most simplicity, have been the times that people have been involved in my life in a deeply caring, nonjudgmental way.

Harrison flashing the "blues"

Wheeler playing at Uncle D's lake "beach"

Hurts, Habits, and Hang-ups

 

…the stuff that takes time from the Most important…

…the stuff we don’t like to think/talk about…

…where we are failing…

…where we aren’t performing up to spec…

…the stuff that weighs us down and embarrasses us when the effects are evidenced in our lives…

 

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to deal with this baggage so it no longer holds us back in the way it has? What we need is rest from our hurts, rest from our habits, and rest from our hang-ups.

 

Jesus says to us, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”(Matt. 11:28-30) ^[1]

But the culture in which we live, isn’t very conducive to finding “soul rest”. We are under constant pressure to perform, to produce, to proact, to project. So, we stuff our tiredness in our back pocket to deal with later, and march on. Sure enough, soon we forget we are tired and just act. We learn that focusing on activity, some activity, any activity shields our minds and hearts from the rest and nourishment we need…and we live on.

 

Problem is, we weren’t made to live this way. In the beginning, God took time to rest and reflect at the end of each day and was able to call what He had done, “Good” each and every day. Additionally, the very day after we as a species were created, as I understand it, our creator exemplified for us, rest.

 

When we venture out on our own for too long “conducting ‘busyness’ as usual” (even if with God’s permission assumed by His silence on those matters) we find ourselves no longer focused on God, no longer focused on Jesus, no longer following His Spirit. We confuse fruitfulness with productivity. Jesus is found, apparently, in rest, which he supplies, when we come to Him.

 

In order to really find rest in Jesus we need to 1) come to Him and 2) accept His yoke and 3) learn from Him. This constitutes abiding in Him (John 15:5). “Abiding consists of all those activities of body and mind that put me in the place where I can receive life from God, including such things as prayer, sleep, solitude, eating, hobbies, and long conversations. Of course, none of these activities in and of themselves guarantee that I will be abiding. They become abiding when I learn how to meet God in them.”^[2]

 

Yes, there is effort involved in the rest we need. Rest isn’t related to slothfulness. Slothfulness enables more areas for the enemy to hide new snares or renew old ones – think TELEVISION. I am reminded by the book quoted above, that Steven Covey feels that if we spend too much time in tasks that are both urgent and important we burn out and spend (as payment to ourselves) way too much time in tasks that are neither urgent nor important (sloth-building activities). On the other hand, rest isn’t without work.

 

Part of the effort in coming to Jesus and accepting his yoke is actively learning humility and gentleness.

(to be continued)

---

^[1]Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Mt 11:28-30

^[2]Exley, Richard ; Galli, Mark ; Ortberg, John: Dangers, Toils & Snares : Resisting the Hidden Temptations of Ministry. Sisters, Or. : Multnomah Books, 1994 (Mastering Ministry's Pressure Points), S. 56

...a "light"er note...

I am intrigued by light.  it does so much.  the interest i have in outdoor, nature, and other types of photography is a direct result of light's ability to paint a picture in my brain, of objects in the natural world.  capturing an image of a stand of oak trees yields a much different picture at post-dawn light, than it yields at mid-day, or at pre-dusk.  images captured in successive seasons (of similar objects), yield different images,still - not only because of the passage of time or the difference in foliage, but also because of a different quality of light.  initially though, before i can process an image in my gray matter, i must take the light in through my eyes...i have to be looking, in other words.

I am now aware that maybe i need to think more deeply about that imagery...the true Light indeed shines His rays on objects in my life differently, depending on whatever He chooses to illuminate, but also depending on my season of life/state of mind.  Yet, if i am not looking, it will not matter the subtle way in which He shines differently today(in part, just for me), I will miss it.

to live simply...or what?

Just had a conversation the other day with a guy who said his father, as the result of spiritual compunction over the evils of society, sold everything he had and moved to a spot of land where he could build his own residence (no really build his own not just "have" it built) and did so.  It was 2 or 3 years before the family had electricity.  The friend with whom I was talking reminisced of the care of his neighbors, the warmth of community and fun he had growing up in that environment.

Apparently, several families eventually did this and were very happy and fulfilled to be living simply and living in community on this plot of land.  While I look at the mental picture of this situation, I am struck both with the evident simplicity of that life, and the hurdle of getting there.  I don't just mean the incredible difficulty of the task of achieving closure of all of the open areas of my life, but also of managing to tease apart my rich life and divide up the wants, wishes, desires, and needs of living at this speed, and filter them into those needs I would have living there in that place.  For instance, if I am hungry now, I whip out my plastic (Debit, not Credit, thank you, Dave Ramsey) and buy a fairly healthy sandwich at Jason's Deli.  Then, I would have to either grow or barter for flour of some sort, meat of some sort, legumes and or vegetables of some sort.  Would I dig a water well, or live on someone's farm on the edge of the city to get water and sewer service? ... Hmm, ... push a pin right there for a moment...

Now, more recently even, I had a conversation with a fellow believer who attends a sister congregation in the area. We were talking of how our fellowship (and all religious bodies of people, as far as I can tell) tends to hone in on one or two really important issues that we seem not to budge on, regardless of what else occurs.  Then we are willing to compromise on so many other things that seem to have weight assigned to them in the Word.  We will sacrifice our children to this world by subjecting them to the wide-screen baby sitter and teachers at school we have no real relationship with,  We allow them to play with kids who (due to no fault of their own, at this point) exhibit behaviors so immoral that cable TV wouldn't show them without a disclaimer. Then, we condemn (or at least alienate) some "other" for not being baptized in the way we understand to be most correct... and feel righteously bold that we had enough guts to stand up for the TRUTH.  [Lord, forgive me, please]

Suddenly, adopting a gracious yet, severely reserved life abounds in attraction to me...I don't know about you...

 

God Bless

More thoughts on manhood

After a discussion with a mentor earlier today (which was after a men's prayer lunch), my thoughts have yet, again, turned toward manhood and how this "state of existence" relates to our eternal pursuits.  As posted before, a close group of fellows have hashed out (that is, an attempt has been made to hash out) just what being a Christian man should hinge on. 

The comment to me after the lunch had to do with how much emphasis we do or don't put on the "masculine" and "warrior" aspects of manhood in Christ and how do you balance emphasizing masculinity and the servant heart of Christ. 

A friend and brother replied to my last post on manhood with a definition that means quite a bit to him, personally.  The definition goes like this (it is from Tender Warrior, I believe).  A Real Man is one who

-rejects passivity

-accepts responsibility

-leads courageously, and

-expects the greater reward

 

As far as definitions go, that is a good one, I think.  But, how do you flesh that out like Jesus did?

I now have just read an article in Discipleship Journal about "taking holiness to work".  It shed some light on this subject for me.  The author in this article wrote that we should be"more anxious to give others their rights than to insist upon our own,... prefer infinitely to be the victims of injustice than to be unjust ourselves" and, "...a holy person would a thousand times rather suffer wrong than do wrong.  He watches carefully lest others be the losers through his fault.  He never takes advantage of the ignorance of another."

That may not speak to others the way it spoke to me.  But, somehow, THAT, to me, is the kind of thing that defines biblical masculinity.  The somewhat confusing thing is that it also describes biblical femininity, because it describes biblical Christianity.  Maybe the question isn't what is man-like or woman-like, but what is Christ-like.  Because what is Christ-like defies division between gender, or else, Christ died for men only...? 

 

That's all for now...sometimes the best answer..is more questions...

men and such

what is a man?  no, not that.  i mean, what IS a man?  of what does he consist?  as one one author puts it, when God made a man, what did he mean?  Its not a simple question for me to answer, though it would deceptively seem so. 

i've been part of a "men's group" as part of the body in which I worship.  we have spent hours talking about that question and have at times adopted various (and sometimes conflicting) views of what the answer(s) is(are).  yet as recently as yesterday, we exchaged emails relating to this very question.

see, practically, we have answered that question in this way.  "A man is one who leads a men's group"  all the while claiming to aspire to drawing closer to God and one another in the search for a masculine experience of integrity and authenticity.  We have even titled our men's retreats "Real Men of God" and titled prayer sessions "Real Men of Prayer"  we have attended conferences with great speakers telling us to get real, be men, stand up, press on.  Yet, when we get close to that, we veer off in some tangential path that ends up being our "solution" for other men.  Oh, don't get me wrong, we love our brothers in humility and with grace, it's just that we are just as scared as they to be "real".  The standing up, pressing on, ..., seems easier to do because that is the part of this the American culture may have right. 

See, it's the "real" part that none of us have mastered.  It's the real part, however, that we must advance in before we can be released by God to Stand Up, Press On, ...

Being released by God to move on is a concept I'm afraid I don't have much experience in.  I guess my religious heritage just didn't emphasize the fact that God seeks to have a relationship with us that would dictate his caring much about what we did, as long as it wasn't immoral.  And so my experience is that I progress through life half-cocked, doing a pretty good job at what seems the logical thing to do, and am frustrated that life isn't flowing smoothly. 

This frustration then, produces anger at God or someone else, since "hey, I'm not doing immoral things and I am still not "getting anywhere!"  I may struggle with the frustration a while, but I am bound to run out of energy trying to maintain this inner battle, work hard at my mediocre life, and still retain my moral integrity.  Something always breaks. 

Maybe it breaks by my seeking newness in a new career path, or finding material possessions to occupy my troubled mind with, or taking up a new hobby, or compromising my moral integrity in some way when the above acceptable escapes don't give the peace I depend on them for.

During this whole process, I really believe my Father is calling to me quietly, "Sit Down, stop your movement, be my child in my arms where you ARE real, and I'll show you how to LIVE in that reality".  Whew!! That requires a real paradigm shift...to think God cares not only what bad things I don't do, but about what the activities and involvements are that suit me best individually...even typing about it gives me chill bumps..

Maybe later I'll type on my thoughts about simplification of life (that may be sometime in 2009, when I take time out of my hectic schedule of half-cocked busyness and type some more).