Purpose in Spiritual Disciplines

Please enjoy a blog writing by Elder Chairperson Jerry Verseput:

Several years ago I was visiting family in Southern California and attended a church service down there.  During the service they had an open-mic opportunity for people to share what God had been doing in their life.  Having grown up going to church, I know this is always a dangerous situation.  You run the risk of getting the guy who just likes to talk into microphones.  There’s the lady who can’t stop crying about her neighbor’s dog who has some sort of a blockage. The couple who needs prayer about whether they should get the XL or the XLT version of the car their thinking about.  As soon as the mic started going around I had already started my internal eye-rolling.

It turns out I was in store for a spiritual slap in the head.  A lady, I’ll call her “Marge”, stood up and mentioned that she was just going about her day a couple of weeks ago when she got this overwhelming feeling to write “Sarah” a note.  She commented, “I don’t typically write notes, but I felt like I was going to go crazy if I didn’t write Sarah a note.”  So she jotted down something simple, like “I just wanted you to know that Jesus loves you, and so do I” and put it in the mail.  What she didn’t know was that Sarah’s adult daughter had died a few days before.  Sarah was feeling overwhelmed and that God had abandoned her, and then she received Marge’s note.  Marge said she felt good that God could use her in this way, gave a few more details, and then sat down.

A skeptic would see this as a coincidence.  A Christian might think this is a wonderful story of how God works; more significant and obvious than little Johnnie getting over his cold or the house finally selling, but an extension of the same thing.  But this was not the typical “God told me…” story I was expecting, and I felt a little ashamed for my preemptive eye-rolling.  Everyone in that church service was getting a window into what it looks like when God needs something done, and a Christian has put themselves in a position to do it.  Here is a lady who just lost her daughter and is experiencing untold amounts of grief.  This doesn’t escape God’s notice, and although He has an infinitely bigger picture of life and death, He feels her pain just the same.  So He taps Marge on the shoulder and tells her to write a note to Sarah.  If this is true (and it sure sounded authentic to me), then the Creator of the Universe…let me repeat that, the Creator of the Universe just demonstrated a personal awareness and compassion for what Sarah was going through, and pressed Marge into service.  There was no sense of “please.”  In Marge’s words, “I was going to go crazy if I didn’t write a note.”  Now, admittedly, Marge certainly felt good about being able to bring some comfort to Sarah, but that wasn’t what had the impact on me.  The impact was that THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE looked around for someone who had the spiritual maturity to listen, found Marge, and said (commanded) “Marge, write Sarah a note.”

 

I want to do stuff like that.  If God is real, then we have no purpose than to serve Him and carry out whatever part of His plan He has for us.  On that day for Marge, it was to comfort one of His children who was hurting by writing a note.  In order to put herself into a position where she would "go crazy" if she didn't do what God was telling her to do, Marge probably has a fairly rigorous spiritual discipline regimen.  It probably involves prayer, and solitude, and study, and community with others.  But the goal isn't to fulfill an obligation to practice spiritual disciplines, or make her life more fulfilling.  It's so that when God says "go do this," she can hear it (obviously fairly strongly) and respond with "I got this covered."  Marge didn't know it (another by-product of her doing what God told her), but she really had an impact on me in terms of how I should view my personal and professional life, the purpose of spiritual disciplines, and the immaturity of eye-rolling in church.

God is Good

Please enjoy a blog post by Elder Ben Harrison:

Last weekend Mike closed the sermon discussing how Paul might have experienced the goodness of God in all his hardships.  This is a subject that resonates with me.  I feel that God keeps drawing me into a deeper understanding of how good He really is.

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home.  We went to church and Sunday school.  I was taught early in my life that God is good, and if asked, I would have answered that He was.  Even so, I was afraid that God might not be trustworthy.  I mean, what if He required some major sacrifice from me such as becoming a missionary or serving people in some way that I did not like.

About ten years ago I attended a Renovare conference sponsored at Oak Hills.   Something wonderful happened to me during that weekend.  When it was over, I wasn’t afraid any longer about what God might require of me.  Instead, I became fearful of what I might miss out on if I wasn’t willing to obey God in whatever He asked.  I switched (I believe through a merciful gift from God), from fearing God’s required obedience to fearing my lack of obedience.  I don’t know if it is possible describe the impact that has made on my relationship with God.

Just recently God has reminded me of His goodness in a way that surprised me.  In the last few weeks I have struggled through a particular circumstance.  The specifics are not as important as what I am learning.  I felt as if I was on a forced journey; on a path which I did not choose and which I did not want to take.  That path lead me to a point of profound sorrow; almost a grieving (including tears, etc).  At one point, I prayed for God to rescue me.  Almost immediately, I felt an answer.  God was lovingly allowing me to feel His sorrow in what is a very sorrowful situation.  I understood He is much more mournful about this problem than I am.  In His goodness, He allowed me to feel a little bit of what He feels.  I sensed His goodness, a gift from Him, even though I was deeply sad.  How extraordinary.  I pray that all of us will continue to discover more deeply how wonderfully good God is, in all circumstances.

Mutuality in Mission/Life

Please enjoy the following blog by Elder Tim Hooey:

In one ear is a voice. The voice is encouraging and prompts me to write. “You have something to say, something people should hear. Yes, it could get messy, but you need to share in order to build up the body.” 

In the other ear is a voice. The voice is compassionate and asks that I keep my thoughts to myself. “Don’t you see, by writing about this you are only creating more hierarchy, objectification and distinction. You are losing the trust you have worked so hard to build.”

Mutuality in mission and life is a messy endeavor.

I have been a part of a group that, for the last year and a half, has attempted to engage a marginalized community in Folsom. We have gone about this, not by creating programs, but by seeking friendship. 

Creating programs for, or “serving”, the marginalized has a tendency to create space between the one who has all of the answers and the one who needs direction. Grant it, not all programs are bad. Many are useful and necessary. But when a large group of middle to upper class folks enter a community of people with less resources in order to “help” the result can be demoralizing and humiliating. The effect on both the marginalized and those “serving” is subtly thwarted.

Mutuality in friendship requires humility, trust and an openness to learn from one another. Entering more fully into God’s Kingdom and being complete in Christ means learning from those we have a relationship with, and not in a backhanded “Through this experience I have learned to appreciate all I have” sort of way. Learning from each other means actually hearing what people have to say and then hearing or seeing God through the person. The person whom God uses may be a nine year old in need of a mentor, an illegal immigrant, or a single dad struggling to take care of his kids.

A friend of mine once attended a church that would sometimes gather to share a meal together. Everyone would bring a dish to share with the group. They referred to this tradition as a Pot Faith. I find this ridiculous and funny. Once a month the group I am apart of from Oak Hills has a pot-luck (taboos and all) at Theodore Judah Elementary School. We eat with families from the school and neighborhood. Having a pot-luck is an intentional way of creating an environment where everyone contributes and we are all on equal ground (my strange green jell-o is no different than your strange green jell-o). For more than a year we have shared a meal once a month with marginalized families. There has been nothing magical about this time together. Much of the time it is awkward. However, over time many relationships have been created and many of those relationships are now friendships. I guess it is fair to say we have had great luck faith in relationships.  

If you are interested in talking more about engaging the community surrounding Theodore Judah Elementary school through mentoring programs, conversational english tutoring, or developing friendships though pot-lucks email Tim Hooey at thooey@gmail.com.

Trustworthy

Please enjoy the following blog written by Elder Allison Carlos:

Basic explanations of what trustworthiness means can be found from various sources, in books, articles, or online. A number of interesting points are made, such as the description of it as a moral value, considered to be a virtue. Intrigue seems to surface as explanations reflect upon trustworthiness in terms of how well actions meet expectations or beliefs. Yikes … that can be a little hard to think about!

Maybe it is not so hard for more obvious matters of trust, such as when we are asked to keep a confidence of another person. That seems fairly straightforward. However, trustworthiness is a more difficult concept when considered in terms of how one acts in a manner that is in conflict with stated beliefs and expectations. Now that is truly painful to think about, yet is such a challenge in so many areas of life. And,… the challenge doesn’t evaporate as one becomes a believer in Christ.

A well quoted example of this is the apostle Peter in his denial of Christ. In Matthew 26:34-35, Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of Him. “I tell you the truth”, Jesus answered, “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”. But Peter, declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” In subsequent verses, 26:69-75, Matthew recounts the three times Peter denies Christ in fear for his safety, the crowing of the rooster, and Peter’s despair at recalling Christ’s words to him. Well, by most measures of trustworthy behavior one would typically consider, this would seem to rank pretty high on the “gee whiz” scale.

In the book Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray reflects upon this event in Peter’s life. He provides a description of the progression of Peter’s transformation through his failings as he denied Christ out of concern for himself. He suggests that although Peter believed in and was devoted to Christ, Peter was not ready to fully follow Christ. He had not been brought to an end of himself; he did not know himself (the shadows and fears of his own heart), and he therefore could not fully follow Christ. Remember, as much as Peter loved the Lord, he was often quick tempered and had great confidence in what he thought he knew of the Way of Jesus.

A.W. Tozer comments in The Pursuit of God that self (self-love, self-righteousness, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, etc.) is an “opaque veil that hides the face of God from us”. That the whole work of God in redemption is to undo the tragic effect of sin and bring us back into right and eternal relationship with Himself. Thankfully, God is faithful and trustworthy in his plan that restores that which is broken in us when we cooperate with Him.

After the betrayal, Peter had choices. He could have continued to focus and trust in himself and his understanding about life in Christ, never experiencing fullness as he ultimately did. Or perhaps, still focusing on himself, he may have deemed himself unworthy and become weak and imprisoned in that failure. He chose neither of those paths, but instead a path walked by one who has put their worth and trust only in Christ. Peter was humbled. His love for God’s truth in Christ allowed him to stand in the pain of his betrayal. He wept bitterly, allowed Christ to pierce him to reveal his true heart and mind, repented, accepted mercy and grace, took his place within the community of disciples with greater vision and wisdom, and surrendered his life to be kept by the power of the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-2 provides a wonderful reminder that as we are surrendered in Christ we can live without condemnation because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death.

When confronted with a spiritual formation challenge in his walk with Christ, his self-sin, in faith and love Peter acted in a manner worthy of trust. He accepted that his hope is only found in the power of Christ and not within the confines of self and human understanding.

Thanksgiving

Not surprisingly, as Thanksgiving approaches, I have been giving extra thought to what it means to be thankful. Many of us probably have traditions at this time of year that include counting our blessings or verbalizing what we are thankful for to others. These are beautiful and redeeming practices, and I always enjoy participating in them and hearing what others are thankful for.

I have begun to appreciate a different side to being thankful lately. Gratitude is more than expressing how much we like certain things. Gratitude is responding with joy to our lives and the things that make up our lives. It is easy to be thankful when we are happy, content and do not lack. It can be much more difficult to be thankful when we are hurting or struggling. Our thoughts and emotions can get clouded by what we do not have and what we wish we had.

In Philippians 4, Paul states:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(v. 4-7.) Later in the same chapter Paul explains:

. . . I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

(v. 11b-13.)

One thing that stands out in this passage is that Paul’s exhortations to rejoice are explicitly unrelated to external circumstances of being in need or having plenty. Rather, Paul’s thankfulness and joy are directly tied to “Him who strengthens me.” Paul has a vision of the world that is rooted in something other than himself and his circumstances. Paul’s vision is centered on the peace of God and guarded in the name of Jesus Christ. (v. 7.)

Put another way, Dallas Willard states that the disciple of Christ believes and understands there is nothing in this world that can irredeemably damage us while we are living in the Kingdom of God. When we are in the thick of our own problems and suffering, this can be hard to believe. If we pause to take a step back and connect with “Him who strengthens [us],” we realize the truth. We are safe and provided for in the Kingdom of God, and we have much to rejoice about and for which to be thankful.

How do we do this? Paul provides the answer to that question as well. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (v. 8.) We can choose what we think about. Here, Paul instructs us to focus upon those things that are true and good. This Thanksgiving, let us choose to dwell upon things that are good and true, such as the fact that we are safe and provided-for in the Kingdom of God regardless of our earthly circumstances. Then, we can stand before God with joy and thanksgiving, and our requests to God will be made, not from a heart of fear and scarcity, but a heart confident in God’s love and provision for our lives.

Until We Meet Again . . .

As many of you are aware, Oak Hills has lost two members tragically in the span of a couple of weeks. Hugh Reed was a leader within the Oak Hills community for many, many years. He was unexpectedly diagnosed with extensive cancer on June 22. He passed away on August 8 from complications before he had the chance to thoroughly battle his cancer. Tarrah Mead was actively involved in the Youth Ministry at Oak Hills both as a student and a leader for several years. She was involved in a catastrophic car accident on August 12 that left her body alive but broken, and her brain irreparably damaged. She passed away on Sunday. She was 21. It was obvious from the first time you met or even observed Hugh or Tarrah that they were the type of persons that made this broken world a brighter place. Since they have been gone, the world has seemed dimmer and colder.

Oak Hills has lost wonderful people in the past and will unfortunately lose wonderful people in the future. But the tragic, sudden and unexpected deaths of Hugh and Tarrah have sent a shockwave of grief through the church. Our community is reeling.

As I attempt to process my grief, I cannot escape the pain. I don’t think we are supposed to. Death is the inevitable and gut-wrenching result of a fallen world where disease and violence reach everyone. It hurts. Our Leader, Jesus Christ, knew and felt the pain of death and loss. When Lazarus died, he wept. (John 11:33-36.) When Jesus overlooked the city of Jerusalem, he lamented its destruction and loss. (Luke 19:41-44.) When faced with his own impending death, Jesus pleaded for an alternative. Even God incarnate felt the sting and ache of loss and death. Jesus’ mourning shows us that our mourning is alright, because all things have not yet been set right.

I have realized that this grief is a temporal matter. That is, in the Kingdom of God, our loss is not permanent. We will be with our brothers and sisters again in the Kingdom of God. In my experience, this truth does not do much (if anything) to lessen the pain of loss, but it does underscore that pain with hope. All is not lost to the very real pain of grief. Our hope in God can carry us forward to the day when we will be with all of our loved ones and the grief and pain will finally be fully healed. Our hope in God helps us live our lives out of our love for God and those we miss rather than being controlled by our pain and grief.

When I was a child, the idea of eternity frightened me. Eternity (I thought) was an endless stretch of time that could never be understood. The older I get, and the more loss I face, the more I realize that eternity is a place without the constrictions and boundaries of time where we will enjoy the sweet fellowship of those we love.

Lord, we miss Tarrah and Hugh and our other lost loved ones. It hurts. It breaks our hearts to be without them. But we place our hope in You, knowing we have an eternity without bounds to be in Your presence with them.

Prayer

Please enjoy a blog written by Elder Allison Carlos on Prayer:

What do we really think about prayer or praying? Maybe, a more interesting question is, what do we, as Christ followers, allow prayer to become in our lives? Could it be at times that the idea of prayer invokes images of routine or performance of ritual, in our own lives and as promises in care for others?

It is painful to think of all we would compromise and abandon if prayer were reduced to a habit formed to compartmentalize and create discrete packaging for what we engage in, simply becoming something else we do. Frankly, if we were so inclined to neatly package important nuances of our lives, “tidy” treatment of prayer life would come too easily for comfort. That would be immeasurably sad and an unfortunate discarding of what God provided for His good pleasure and our benefit.

What if we believed prayer was the avenue by which we could be known for who we are, and experience peace, truth, and reality? Wouldn’t we listen and speak into that all the time for comfort and clarification? Perhaps at times we hold back or are discouraged from fully accepting that the God of the universe would be so available and instructive to us in an intimate way.

In recently reading of the life of St Theresa of Avila, her description of her struggle around prayer was striking. In many of her most difficult and early years of distraction with illness and temptation, she describes her courage to still practice intentional prayer. She beautifully explains the courage it takes to know that even in ones betrayal of God, with at times a divided heart, He will be present to us. She describes His presence not merely as being near us, but so attentive and intimate that it is as if He is looking directly at only us.

The thought makes the bones quiver while the soul is slain in gratitude. How humbling is the image, and how well we can see His beckoning nature and the pureness of what He offers. If it were not for His mercy and love for us, we could not withstand His gaze in the midst of our imperfections.

But we can have courage that is woven with the threads of humility that helps us accept that we are not so much for God’s eyes to gaze upon in our own right. It is by the power of the cross through Christ that with great anticipation and faintly beating hearts we stand affirmed and can boldly offer our praise and present our petitions.

It is His instruction that we pray continually; at times as joyful utterances or burden laden groans. Not out of routine, but in faith and watchfulness that we may better know his will through spiritual wisdom by the Holy Spirit, and be kept by His power and in His fellowship.