Spiritual disciplines

A Spiritual Kick in the Pants

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

“Pursuing Christ is not an occasional hobby to receive some spiritual high but rather a way of life because he loves you.”

The above quote is something I wrote and posted on my Twitter feed (Feisty Pastor, @EricSpeakingUp). I wrote it because of personal experience; using spiritual practices to feel good and/or (believe it or not) to ensure that things will go my way. I would engage in spiritual practices; diving into scripture, writing, reading theology books, praying and meditation, to find this closeness with God and thus feel this sense of peace. And I would continue this for awhile until something would happen or I would slowly fall out of “practice”. And after going through a low time or feeling nervous about something coming up, I would start all over again.

Basically, using God as a drug to deal with life.

The weird thing is, deep down inside, I knew something wasn’t right but yet I kept at it because God was (and is) always faithful. God gave me this sense of peace when I would pursue Christ. And of course God knew what I was doing but yet God continued to love me and bless me with this peace. Part of me wishes that God would not have done that because I definitely did not deserve it.

I am not sure what happened but some spiritual kick in the pants woke me up to the reality of what I was doing. Maybe it was God’s love that kicked me. Maybe this peace that surpasses all understanding overwhelmed me to the point of conviction. I am not sure, but whatever it was I saw the error of my ways. But more importantly, I saw what I was missing.

An intimate relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus.

The fact of the matter is, pursuing Christ is NOT a hobby. A hobby is something we do to take a break from life. It’s also something that does not consume one’s life (at least it shouldn’t). A hobby is only a part-time commitment. One of my hobbies is reading, but I only do that in my free time. Jesus being a hobby means that Jesus is not really part of your life. It means that you control the terms of the relationship. It means you are in charge. And this flies in the face of what it means for Jesus to be your Lord. A lord is in charge, not the subject.

But also, it flies in the face of what it means for Jesus to be your Savior. Jesus has saved me from my sins through dying on the cross. Through faith, Jesus has saved me from eternal condemnation. Through faith, Jesus gives a comfort that gives me strength no matter what this world throws at me. And therefore, why wouldn’t anyone want to get to know this Savior better and be close to him ALL the time?

Knowing this and receiving this should move “pursuing Jesus” from hobby status to a way of life, and not to get a spiritual high to get through your day, but rather to get to know this Lord and Savior better and better. Pursuing Jesus, then, is something that is every bit natural as breathing is natural.

If pursing Jesus is only a part time activity or hobby in your life, then you don’t know Jesus; you don’t understand what he did FOR YOU. Pursue Jesus ALL the time because he loves you and has died and risen FOR YOU. Pursue Jesus not for some spiritual high but because you want a relationship with him. Pursue Jesus FULL TIME.

Pursue Jesus and live with eternal joy as you look forward to living with Him on high.

The Pastor -|—

Jumping off into 2013

/ The Pastor

…and just like that, life is returning to “normal”.

The hustle and bustle
The frantic gift searching
The multiple sermon writing sessions
The celebratory aroma in the air
The ugly Christmas sweaters
My wife’s delicious homemade fudge

…all seem to be gone with the wind.  The warmth of the Christmas season has seemly been replaced with a Wind Chill Advisory; reminding us of the cold tundra that we live in here in the upper Midwest. And even though we are technically still in the Christmas season, it seems a distant memory in the rear view mirror. The calendar has now crept up to the precipice of a new year where we are forced to jump off and see what 2013 will bring us.

And even though I enjoy Christmas, I am looking forward to jumping off this proverbial cliff (and not the fiscal one).  I am excited to see what this new year will bring.

I am looking forward to:
~ (God willing) Welcoming a new baby into our family.
~ Running some more 1/2 marathons.
~ Reading more books.

I am looking forward to seeing:
~ What God is going to do here through Salem and Belmont Lutheran Churches?
~ How God will continue to mold and shape and use me in the body of Christ?
~ What kind of father I will be?
~ How our lives will change with a baby in the mix?

I am looking forward to continuing:
~ My spiritual discipline of writing (here on this blog).
~ My spiritual discipline of scripture reading.
~ My spiritual discipline of prayer.
~ My spiritual discipline of worship.
~ Etc…

And if you need a New Year’s resolution allow me to suggest that you chose a spiritual discipline for yourself to focus on.
~ Start a Bible reading plan.  Maybe it’s not a one year through the Bible plan but commit to reading scripture everyday.
~ Pray daily.  When you wake up in the morning start your day conversing with God. Praise him for what He has done; thank Him for what He has done for you; offer up your petitions and listen.
~ Worship…daily. Worship God through how you live and respond to the needs of others…daily. Worship God with your whole life; everywhere and at every time. And of course, worship with the body of Christ on a weekly basis.
~ Write. Jot down your thoughts as you pray and/or read.  Record what you hear God speaking to you.

…and that is just the start 🙂

So…as you jump off this proverbial cliff into 2013 remember that we are never in control.  You never are as you free fall.  But as you do make that leap (or I guess I should say as you are pushed over because we are going over into 2013 whether we like it or not) place your trust in God’s grace.  Remember that his mercies are new everyday and that his love is never ending.  And remember that God is faithful (even when we are faithless).  In the end God will be glorified.

So here we go…ready or not.  God bless us as we “fall” into a new year.  See you in 2013 🙂

All praise, glory and honor to God.  Amen.

The pastor -|—

Lenten discipline – Prayer journal

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It has been placed on my heart recently to do some reflecting on various spiritual disciplines throughout Lent.  One of the reasons is my recent rebelliousness of not giving something up for Lent.  I have found that when I give something up for Lent that it doesn’t help me focus on God more but rather it distracts me.  Instead of focusing on God I find myself focusing on how much I miss the thing I have given up.

So I am changing the rules.  Instead of giving something up for Lent I am taking something on.

And when I say that I mean taking on a spiritual discipline such as:
Bible reading
Prayer
Journaling
Mediation
Worship
Fasting
Study
Serving
Etc…

Something I have started doing recently is keeping a prayer/study journal.
On the left is my Bible.  The book on right is a leather bound journal for taking notes during scripture reading and meditation.  The white paper in the middle is my prayer list that I update often.  All of this is contained in a canvas Bible cover with storage compartments for writing utensils and other items.  This is super easy to carry around with me and use as needed.  If a prayer request comes my way I make sure I immediately write down the name, date and circumstances…and also make sure I follow up.  I do this through personal visits, Facebook messages, email or phone calls.

I have found that this discipline has drawn me closer to God and closer to others as I work through this prayer list.  Something else I am starting is praying through the church membership list; a couple names/families at a time.

But this is not just a Lenten discipline…this is something I plan to maintain after Lent is done.   You see…the old Lenten rules said that when Easter arrived you could STOP giving up what you gave up and begin indulging in what you had deprived yourself of for 40 days (not counting Sundays).  The NEW rules encourage you to continue what you began.

Don’t give it up after Lent…keep it up.  Let it become a daily ritual for fostering and nurturing your relationship with God.

So there you go…the NEW rules:
Don’t give up but take on and continue.  Pretty straight forward.

So…who’s in?

And…

What are you going to take on?

edh -|—