Shedding Light On Ourselves

From the Daily Om:

When we choose that which is not best for us, there can be a deep seated part of us that does not want to heal.

In almost every case, we know what is best for us in our lives, from the relationships we create to the food we eat. Still, somewhat mysteriously, it is often difficult to make the right choices for ourselves. We find ourselves hanging out with someone who leaves us feeling drained or choosing to eat fast food over a salad. We go through phases where we stop doing yoga or taking vitamins, even though we feel so much better when we do. Often we have no idea why we continue to make the less enlightened choice, but it is important that we inquire into ourselves to find out.

When we choose that which is not best for us, the truth can be that there is a deep seated part of us that does not want to heal. We may say it’s because we don’t have the time or the energy or the resources, but the real truth is that when we don’t take care of ourselves we are falling prey to self-sabotage. Self-sabotage happens unconsciously, which is why it’s so difficult to see that we are doing it. The important thing to realize is that this very part of us that resists our healing is the part that most needs our attention and love. Even as it appears to be working against us, if we can simply bring it into the light of our consciousness, it can become our greatest ally. It carries the information we need to move to the next level in our healing process.

When we recognize that we are not making healthy choices, we might even say out loud, “I am not taking care of myself.” Sometimes this is the jolt we need to wake up to what is actually happening. Next we can sit ourselves down in meditation, with a journal, or with a trusted friend to explore the matter more thoroughly. Just shining the light of our awareness on the source of our resistance is sometimes enough to dispel its power. At other times, further effort is required. Either way, we need not fear these parts that do not want to heal. We only need to take them under our wing and bring them with us into the light.

Haiti: Turning away from haughtiness that tempts the distant soul.

I got brave enough to watch footage of the remnants of the earthquake in Haiti.  I’ve kept my t.v. off and stayed away from other news sources about the disaster–wanting my heart to remain distant.   After watching the footage, I realized that I had no words and  any/every word would be an inadequate prayer!!  Renita Weems posted a prayer from Pamela Lightsey…Lightsey articulates a prayer that many of our hearts want to say–but can’t.

Keep us from attributing this event as a heavenly reprimand, or from a certain haughtiness that tempts the distant soul. Give us to be compassionate and gentle, servants to those in need.  [go here to see the rest]

Photo by: AP Lynne Sladky

I don’t think we Americans realize how small our problems are in relation to this BIG world.  I ran across some foolery from Pat Robertson’s [and to think millions of people listen to this man every day].  I do have to chuckle a bit, b/c his tom foolery comments have put him as a top twitter trending topic.

At any rate, its amazing the liberties these ‘teachers’ will take in the name of God–as if they ARE God.

Lord, have mercy on us all.

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John 21: Jesus Reinstates Peter

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Valuing Visitation

I found this article by Colin Hansen pretty interesting. I’m a big fan of Tim Keller and I have a few friends who attend Redeemer. I grew up in a very, very small church (less than 50 members), and now I attend a very dynamic large church… I thrive in smaller settings, and the author stirs up my longings to attend a smaller church.

In the hierarchy of church problems, most pastors wouldn’t mind figuring out how to handle a congregation that has grown so rapidly that they can no longer get to know everyone personally. The multisite church boom has met this very challenge by leveraging the best teachers with new technology to reach mass audiences at low costs. Motivated by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, pastors understand the number of new professions of faith as a sign of God’s blessing. There appears to be little downside to adding new church sites. There is little of the personal risk and exorbitant cost of church planting. In fact, there are few arguments against multiple sites that can’t also be made against multiple services in one church building. And most medium and large-sized churches crossed that line without much consternation some time ago. So if people don’t mind watching a pastor on television, what’s holding us back?

The accompanying article from USA Today was also a good  read:

Multi-site churches mean pastors reach thousands: Here:

NEW YORK — Susan Hong stops Pastor Tim Keller as he dashes up the steps of a Baptist church on a hectic corner of Broadway and West 79th Street.

She heard him preach at 10:30 a.m. on the Upper East Side. Now she has brought friends to hear him at the West Side 5 p.m. service. He briefly greets her, then slips into the service just before his sermon.

In 45 minutes, before the final hymn, Keller’s gone — off to deliver the same sermon, “The Gospel Changes Everything,” on the East Side.

Then, again, Keller, founder and senior pastor of Manhattan‘s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, will dash back to West 79th Street for his fourth service of the day at three leased locations.

It’s not the traditional American mom-and-pop church, where the same pastor counsels parishioners, visits when they’re ill or marries or buries them.

God at work or Lifeboard Lies

David (to Elijah):  This morning was the first morning I can remember, that I didn’t open my eyes and feel that sadness. … I thought the person who wrote that note had an answer for me.

Elijah (to David): That little bit of sadness in the mornings you spoke of?  I think I know what that is.  Perhaps you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing.
–M. Night Shaymalan’s film Unbreakable (As quoted in Wide Awake by Erwin McManus)

Rise, Shine and Grind...It's Monday

Commitment to a Career, not Christ
As the new year barrels along, most of y’all are huffing, puffing, moaning and groaning about heading back to work.  I know the feeling…spent 5 years on that cycle, but today it’s different.

I didn’t sleepily join the millions of disgruntled or agitated or hung over or overfed workers scurrying back from the too short winter break.  Thankfully.

Today didn’t mark the hurling of my “self” and my soul into a messy, depressing busy season of 100 hour work weeks–or sitting at a desk surrounded by xanax or adderall induced co-workers pretending they love their jobs.   On this blustery, brick Monday morning, I’m sitting on my bed drinking coffee, and thinking about work, God at work, visions, dreams and vain imaginations.  I’m sitting here wondering about work.

A Death to Vain Imaginations and Delusions of Grandeur?

The oft quoted Luke 9:23-25 says:
23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (NIV Version)
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23-27Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I’m leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn’t, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God.” (The Message Version)

There’s a pretty interesting commentary on this scripture here And the author asked this question:  What does it mean to take up your cross daily? If it doesn’t mean bearing your own life’s burdens (and I don’t think it means that), then what DOES it mean?

I ask, what if dying to ourselves meant we have to kill “our” dreams?  All of “our” self-inflicted  (yes, inflicted) dreams. Every ‘self’ induced vision or goal that you’ve imagined (and perhaps put into play) over the years.

I’ve been pondering this question over the past few months in my unemployed, student state. Most people, preachers and teachers describe this scripture as meaning we must bear our own life’s burdens…we must suffer in this walk and on this journey.  I agree. Partially.

But I wondered, can’t we apply this passage to just about anything we hold of value.  For most of us, its our careers, the promise of success, the striving for achievements and accolades.

[don't judge me for this parallel] …For most of us, its as Lil Kim [in her infinite wisdom] says…Money, Power and Respect–It’s what you need in life, It’s the key to life,  You’ll be eating right AND You can sleep at night.  Wrong.

Money...Power...Respect

For most of us, these are the things, the pieces of us that we refuse to deny or die to our “selves”.

We post “success secrets”…but what if your soul success secret is to let go of your ideas on success, and “take up” God’s idea of success.  What if the only soul success secret is to let go of all of your longings about what you want to do with yourself, and to ask God, what He would rather you do with yourself?

I wonder, how many of us would follow Christ if he asked us to throw down our ideas about what we wanted…career goals, a husband/wife, kids , money, money, money, stuff, simple life crap, and said to us “no–that’s not where I’m taking you.”  Take up–Me and Nothing else.

We conjure up daydreams, life boards, strategic life plans and goal lists and some of us never think to ask God, “Hey, is this where you want me go”… Instead, we keep going and going and going. And sometimes we become less and less fulfilled.  But sometimes we’re (worldly) successful at what we do, yet we miss our life’s purpose because we chased success and selfish desires rather than chasing God.  Isn’t it amazing that we can live a ‘successful’ life without any purpose?

Lifeboard Lies and God as an Addendum
I personally enjoy putting together lifeboards/ vision boards.  I have one in my closest. And two in my entry foyer. Tacking and pasting random stuff about where I want my life to go, and what I want to be fills me with a temporary sense of relief and accomplishment.  We, I, you, create these vain plans from our glorious imaginations, and then ask God to bless the mess we create?  My pastor asked one Tuesday night, what happens when God comes in and burns your life board…Lol. Ouchy.

Someone's Vision board???

Who wants to hear that?  Who wants to hear that the life they’re fashioning, drawing, creating and gluing for themselves could one day be scattered like ashes at your feet.  Woo, woo, woo, and woe to you because those unmet expectations lead many of us down the slippery slope of depression and eventually descending onto the road of seductive suicidal temptations (I will write about this later).

I believe the fear of dreams to ashes is why so many of us don’t loop God into our “Big” life plans. I believe the desire for life control is why “I”  don’t ask God very often what he wants me to do with my life.  I believe our innate selfishness is why so many of us treat God as a life addendum.  I believe this is why so many of us are ineffective in our careers, our families and our personal ministries.

How immature.

We, you, I would rather operate in speculation rather than revelation.   We commit to controlling our lives, we commit to our ideas about our careers and our ideas of comfort.  We commit to our families. We commit to our friends. We even commit to our churches.  But. We do not commit to  Christ. Well, not fully anyway.  We chase our Glory…not God. Or God’s Glory.

Gene Veith says in God at Work, that “When God blesses us, He almost does it through other people”, I wonder how many of us have missed our blessings and missed giving blessings to others because we’ve been on our own vainly, self constructed paths?

I like John 17′s passage about Jesus’ prayer for his followers (from the Msg)

“1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
(emphasis) I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.

Accepting our assignment?

The most predictable paragraph I could insert here would be for me to say, “Well, all of us should quit our day jobs, excommunicate ourselves from our careers and lead quiet lives of greatness as evidenced by servanthood.” But nope, that’s not where I’m going.  Also, I’m not sure if I believe (like some) that God wants to rule every little nano second of your life…I believe He gives us freedom of movement and choice.

However.

I agree with Veith that the Christian doctrine of vocation doesn’t say “what job shall I choose” it says “what is God calling me to do? Our vocation is not something we choose for ourselves. It is something to which we are called.” I think it’s such a novel and yet beautiful idea to turn any type of work we do into a sacred calling–beautiful–but I wonder if it’s impractical :-/  I wrote a few months back that: “It is my thought that a calling is less about an occupation, and more about being who you were created to be. It is the acknowledgment, and acceptance of you. It is walking in, operating in, and functioning as the person you were created to be. We are all called. We are all called into ourselves. You are called to be “WHO” you really are.

Um...I actually like Kanye's The Good life...

I also agree with Ricky Warren in that, “Your abilities were not given just to make a living; God gave them to you for your ministry.  Peter said, God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.” He continued, “We have all heard people say, I took a job I hate in order to make a lot of money, so someday I can quit and do what I love to do”  That’s a big mistake. Don’t waste your life in job that doesn’t express your heart.  Don’t settle for just achieving ‘the good life’ because the good life is not good enough.  Ultimately it doesn’t satisfy you.  You can have a lot to live on and still have nothing to live for.  Aim instead for “the better life” serving God in a way that expresses your heart.  Figure out what you love to do–what God gave you a heart to do–and then do it for his glory. “

I don’t think the better life is working a big money job of quiet desperation.  I don’t think a better life is stuff.  I don’t even think a better life is ‘doing you.’  I believe a better life is embracing who you were created to be.  Now, I’m not trying to end on an idealistic, let’s all save the world type of rant. I’m trying to end on a ‘become who were created to be’ type of rant.  Because creation is waiting.
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As an aside: My pastor is preaching an awesome beginning of the year series on ‘becoming who you believe’…You can check it out here or at (fcbcsermons.com)

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Books used as reference:

• God at Work: by Gene Veith  (I didn’t enjoy the book, but he had some interesting assertions)
• Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (an all time fave of mine)
• Wide Awake by Erwin McManus (Good insights, but overall not my cup of tea)
• Bible:  Luke Chapter 9 and John Chapter 17
• Life Keys:  Discover who you are by Jane Kise and David Stark
• Experiencing God:  Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry Blackaby (chapter on Assignments)

‘God told me’ – really?

God said it

I always find debates about whether God speaks today (or not) very interesting.  I swing more on the side of the continuationism camp–but I do understand where the cessationists are coming from.

I always feel icky using the phrase “God told me” this or that.  I posed a scenario with a friend recently. I asked her, what if there’s a situation, and two people say they’ve heard from God, but what they’ve “heard” is different–then what’s the truth?   I don’t usually evoke that phrase, primarily out of fear…fear that I’ll get it wrong, and fear that it’s me speaking to ME.  On the flip, I’ve wondered if the sheep hear his voice, then I shouldn’t fear getting it wrong.  The problem is, I’ve witnessed enough people getting it wrong, that I would rather err on the side of caution rather than let my mouth write a check my soul can’t cash.

Either way, grace abounds, and I thank God for it.

There’s nothing that makes me yawn quicker than someone overusing “God told me.”  This article sorta kinda gave me a pause for the cause.  I don’t really know much about the author except he’s kinda old, a Calvinist, and goes in on people who disrespect the message of the Gospel from the pulpit.  At any rate, here it goes.

RT Kendall warns us to beware of using God’s name in vain

One of the hardest habits for some of us to break is saying, ‘The Lord told me this’ or ‘Here is what the Lord showed me.’

If you question whether this is truly a bad habit, I answer: yes. It is one of the worst claims being perpetrated in churches today and is almost certainly a violation of the third commandment: ‘You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name’ (Exodus 20:7).

How do you misuse God’s name? By making yourself look like God. That is at the bottom of our claims, ‘This is what the Lord told me.’ After all, we bring in him for one reason: to elevate our own credibility. It is not his name we are thinking of, it is our reputation. So if I can add the weight of God’s name to what I say, it gives me authority and respectability.

I am not thinking of God’s name and glory at all when I do this – I am thinking of my own.

Who makes this mistake? Probably, we all do, especially those who have a prophetic gift or aspire to intimacy with God. If they can say, ‘The Lord told me’, we have no choice but to listen! After all, if it is God speaking, I must stand at attention. And if I tell you that God has revealed something to me, you had better give heed! I am not thinking of the accuracy of such claims – at the moment. I am thinking of our motives in making the claims. I can tell you what my motive is if I tell you “God told me this”. It is to make you respect what I say.

The thing is, if God really told me – since I am in a postcanonical age and not writing scripture, do I need to bring his name into it? In other words, if God himself has shown me something and I pass it along to you, would it not be just as true if I left his name out? My reason for claiming his authority is to elevate my own – in your eyes. Otherwise, I fear you would not listen to me.

God told me!!

There is no sign in north-west Arizona that says, ‘You are now looking at the Grand Canyon.’ When you see it, you know what it is. There are no substitutes or counterfeits when it comes to the Grand Canyon. It would be silly, not to mention that it would cheapen the entire aura, if there were signs reminding us that we are actually looking at the Grand Canyon.

Therefore if I really have a word from the Lord, I can say it without mentioning his holy name. It will speak for itself. And if people don’t recognise my authenticity because I don’t bring in God’s name, that is not my problem.

As for the accuracy of claims when people say, ‘The Lord told me this,’ that is quite another story. When you ponder the thousands of times people have made this claim already today – and then get to the bottom of whether it really was the Lord, the angels must be saying, ‘Really?’ God’s name is brought in for so many ‘words’ that are not from him at all.

Why do we quote people when we speak? It is to give ourselves a bit more credibility. Certainly that is why I quote scripture. And if I quote St Augustine or John Wesley, it is to make you feel that I have a greater measure of reliability on my side. But when I say, ‘The Lord told me this about this verse of scripture,’ I have misused his name. I have a perfect right to say ‘in my opinion this is what the scripture means,’ but if I say, ‘The Holy Spirit has revealed this to me about this scripture,’ I am not thinking of the Holy Spirit but my own credibility. It is misusing the spirit – indeed it is abusing his name.

Most of us do not like name-droppers. Why do we drop names? If I told you I know Oral Roberts or Billy Graham, or the Pope – who would I be trying to make look good? Not them. But when I drop God’s name in my conversation, writing or preaching, I have in that moment violated a trust which must make the angels blush.

By the way, how would you feel if I told you ‘God told me to write this article?’ Did he? You tell me.

Only the poor need apply?

I dislike only a few things in life… locking myself out of my apartment, running out of soap, tissue or lotion (my skin is reptilian-esque), talking on the telephone for hours, saying goodbye to my lil bro’ and the prosperity gospel…lol

Recently, a friend met a man who visited our church from another country.  The man came because he read about the awesome “singing” at my church in his local newspaper and wanted to experience a show it for himself.  My friend eventually struck up a conversation with the older gent, and he told her that he has never had a cause to really seek a relationship with God. He is not poor, he is healthy, he is a professional, he’s not suffering, he has a good life, and he was mentally stable.  He’s also a psychologist.

His assertions struck me.  I, too, have friends that have rejected God [in a sense] because they “have it together” or because they are steady emotionally, mentally, physically and financially.  I even know a few rare souls who escaped adolescence with minimal scaring and zero trauma–and can’t grasp why someone would need an “addendum” to their life like God and Jesus

Ok…to get on with my point…. I’ve sometimes wondered, if God is only for the pit dwellers, depressed, suffering, raped, poor, dispirited, addicted, brokenhearted, tortured, molested, oppressed, and suppressed.  For the abused, for the least of these, for the unfortunate, for the neglected, for the weak and abandoned?  I’ve wondered if this God thing is only for the the messy Molly’s and suffering Sam’s?

I’ve concluded that “we” [the imperfect-perfect-saint sinners], that we–the followers YHWH are definitely weaker than the ‘got it togethers’ of this world–primarily, because we are aware that we can’t save ourselves..and secondarily, because we recognize that we need to be saved from ourselves.  But on the flipside, we ‘weakies’ are the blessed that Jesus spoke about in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)

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As a random aside

There is life on the other side of the pit, on the other side of struggle and suffering. That is what we’re promised. Randomly. But, I wonder.  What about the ‘got it togethers’ [G.I.Ts] that have a relationship with God–but, can’t relate to the liberation teachings, or the coming out of the pit sermons, or even the Beatitudes scriptures.  They may not have been abused, neglected, or abandoned…yet, they’re surely not forgotten by God.

A friend offered that “life not strife” appeals to the GITs…”folks not in the hater or poverty or recovery struggle” prefer to hear about how to live life–not about how to live in a life of strife.

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And as a last aside…and segue into my gospel of greed/prosperity teaching post…

Chris Moore at Christian2.o said “The message of the Bible is a message of redemption, of selflessness, and yes, of prosperity. But it redefines prosperity. Prosperity is fellowship with Christ. Prosperity is participation in God’s great redemptive plan for mankind. Prosperity is loving your wife, your husband, your children and your enemies. Prosperity is moving from ‘me’ centered theology to a ‘God’ and ‘Others’ centered theology. True prosperity is liberation from the material to the immaterial.”

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p.s. if this post is a big disjointed, please understand I’m trying to get back into my style of writing– Journalism school is killing/murdering/mashing my personal writing ‘voice’.

Desire Deeper Relationships

Hi folks,
please find August’s newsletter below.

August 2009 Newsletter

Desire Deeper Friendships

Please find this month’s newsletter here: w.o.w_7.4

Lose Your List of lies

List of Lies

View the newsletter here: May 2009 Newsletter

May 2009 newsletter:
Scripture: (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
Daily Devotional: The proper view of self by Max Lucado
Sermon: Pastor Jazz preaches on the woman with the issue of blood (Mat 9:20-22; Mar 5:25-34; Luk 8:43-47)
Suggested Reading: The Reason for God by Tim Keller
From Carm’s Corner: Losing your list of lies (read more on the topic in the book Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer)

A Lesson in ForGIVEness

See newsletter here: April 6, 2009 Newsletter
Hi All,
It’s been a month since I posted. With life transitions and traveling I’ve been slacking.

Sincerely,
Carm
p.s. Congrats to Jennifer Twitty Strickland and Husband on their new addition (Zion)!!