This weekend, I read this prayer at the end of the message. Perhaps you'd like to hear it. I love that it's written by a well known explorer. This is the prayer of Sir Francis Drake...Disturb Us Oh Lord...
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life:
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope and love.
And also a little fun- the destination really does matter! Just ask Jack Handy:
"One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. 'Oh no,' I said, 'Disneyland burned down!' He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late."
May the conduct of your life take you closer to the ultimate destination on this journey-
Nick
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Chew Your Food
I don't know why, but I've always assumed that when I read the Bible, I'm supposed to read a lot. Like the more I read, the better. If you are "spiritual", you read a couple chapters a day. If you're really "spiritual" you read more. Billy Graham read 5 psalms a day. THAT must be spiritual. Quantity matters more than quality.
While this may have increased some general Bible knowledge, a mentor pointed out to me that this isn't the best way to grow. It's like eating at a buffet- you eat and eat, and most of it's good, but in the end you don't really enjoy it because you tend to over-do it. He encouraged me to eat slowly- in other words, to read just a small piece of Scripture at a time, and then meditate on it throughout the day.
For this to work for me, I can read no more than 2 or 3 verses. Sometimes I read more until I get to a verse that really speaks to me, but lately I've been reading through Philippians a couple verses at a time. This little letter is so crowded with food for thought that a couple of verses is more than enough to chew on. And something good is happening in this meal. While I still have to fight the nagging doubt that no one truly "spiritual" would only read a couple of sentences at at a time, I find this routine gives me a chance to really reflect.
One quick example. Philippians 2:12 and 13 is good food for almost a week, but one thought in particular has stood out to me. Here, Paul encourages us to, "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear." In the next sentence, he reminds us that, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what please him." Isn't that a great thought? I love the idea that even as we give our all to please God by following His word, He is working in us at the same time. What's more, this verse would seem to suggest that by the nature of our working hard to obey, we open up our lives even more to God's work in us. We work. God works. We work out what God is doing in us while God works in us doing His will. This kind of divine partnership provides strength for the journey.
Had I been reading my typical 3 or 4 chapters at a time, I likely would have never paused here. But here I am, still chewing several weeks later.
What are you chewing on? Is it time that you slow down enough to believe that quality out-does quantity, even in spiritual matters?
Today, may you know the kind of God that is working in you- both to give you the power to please him AND the desire to do so.
Enjoy the journey-
Nick
(I realize that it's been sometime since my last blog. Let's just say that our family vacation was good and getting ready for the Fall has consumed quite a bit of time- but God is good and the next season of ministry looks great. Thanks to you who read regularly and have checked back about 100 times with nothing new. As always, I'm honored that you read what I have to say...NS)
While this may have increased some general Bible knowledge, a mentor pointed out to me that this isn't the best way to grow. It's like eating at a buffet- you eat and eat, and most of it's good, but in the end you don't really enjoy it because you tend to over-do it. He encouraged me to eat slowly- in other words, to read just a small piece of Scripture at a time, and then meditate on it throughout the day.
For this to work for me, I can read no more than 2 or 3 verses. Sometimes I read more until I get to a verse that really speaks to me, but lately I've been reading through Philippians a couple verses at a time. This little letter is so crowded with food for thought that a couple of verses is more than enough to chew on. And something good is happening in this meal. While I still have to fight the nagging doubt that no one truly "spiritual" would only read a couple of sentences at at a time, I find this routine gives me a chance to really reflect.
One quick example. Philippians 2:12 and 13 is good food for almost a week, but one thought in particular has stood out to me. Here, Paul encourages us to, "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear." In the next sentence, he reminds us that, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what please him." Isn't that a great thought? I love the idea that even as we give our all to please God by following His word, He is working in us at the same time. What's more, this verse would seem to suggest that by the nature of our working hard to obey, we open up our lives even more to God's work in us. We work. God works. We work out what God is doing in us while God works in us doing His will. This kind of divine partnership provides strength for the journey.
Had I been reading my typical 3 or 4 chapters at a time, I likely would have never paused here. But here I am, still chewing several weeks later.
What are you chewing on? Is it time that you slow down enough to believe that quality out-does quantity, even in spiritual matters?
Today, may you know the kind of God that is working in you- both to give you the power to please him AND the desire to do so.
Enjoy the journey-
Nick
(I realize that it's been sometime since my last blog. Let's just say that our family vacation was good and getting ready for the Fall has consumed quite a bit of time- but God is good and the next season of ministry looks great. Thanks to you who read regularly and have checked back about 100 times with nothing new. As always, I'm honored that you read what I have to say...NS)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
I Can't Remember Your Name...
I have this thing that happens to me nearly every time I watch a movie. I'll see an actor or actress whom I recognize, but I can't recall their name. I will literally spend the next several hours, if necessary, trying to recall their name and what else I have seen them in. This drives my wife crazy because she's happy to just enjoy the movie. It drives me crazy because my mind literally will not rest until I've put a name to the face.
Names mean something. Names are a big part of our identity. When you know a person by name, you ascribe to them a level of value and worth that might not be given to a nameless face.
Genesis 4:26 reads, "At that time, people first began to worship the Lord by name." God had an identity and he had begun to reveal his name to people. He was being made known. And as people understood God's identity, they began to worship Him.
In my estimation, the rest of the Bible becomes a battle of names. God's name is known, but humanity begins to worry about their own name. As people become more concerned with their own name than the name of God, big trouble happens. When people seek after the name of God and place His name above their own, His peace grows.
I am reflecting today how worried I can be about my own name- how many people know me, who remembers me, who values me. And in this mindset, I see myself being drawn away from the one great Name. How about you- whose name are you worried about?
Your name is a strong and mighty tower
Your name is a shelter like no other
Your name let the nations sing it louder
'Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your name (Your Name, by Paul Baloche)
My his name be on your mind today.
Enjoy the journey-
Nick
Names mean something. Names are a big part of our identity. When you know a person by name, you ascribe to them a level of value and worth that might not be given to a nameless face.
Genesis 4:26 reads, "At that time, people first began to worship the Lord by name." God had an identity and he had begun to reveal his name to people. He was being made known. And as people understood God's identity, they began to worship Him.
In my estimation, the rest of the Bible becomes a battle of names. God's name is known, but humanity begins to worry about their own name. As people become more concerned with their own name than the name of God, big trouble happens. When people seek after the name of God and place His name above their own, His peace grows.
I am reflecting today how worried I can be about my own name- how many people know me, who remembers me, who values me. And in this mindset, I see myself being drawn away from the one great Name. How about you- whose name are you worried about?
Your name is a strong and mighty tower
Your name is a shelter like no other
Your name let the nations sing it louder
'Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your name (Your Name, by Paul Baloche)
My his name be on your mind today.
Enjoy the journey-
Nick
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A Poem for the Busy and the Hurried
We have spent some time this week in class talking about the Biblical idea of Sabbath that God gives to Israel. He invites them into the same cycle of work and then rest that he exhibited in creating the world. This idea- of taking a whole day to quit doing and just be- is largely lost in our society, even in religious circles. It seems out of touch and like a big waste of time.
I can't help but think, though, that in our hurried and frenzied pace we have lost something. We have lost sight of who we are- not human doings, but human beings. This poem was a good reminder to me to slow down. To take time and let go of all that I hold on to and think I control.
Gentle me,
Holy one,
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting go
of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple
and filled with joy
that is you.
Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace
May your journey be marked not by the speed at which you rush through life, but by the quality of life you are taking time to live...
Nick
PS- In our series at East Hills on spiritual practices, we're talking about Sabbath this weekend! I hope you'll join the rest of the crew there...
I can't help but think, though, that in our hurried and frenzied pace we have lost something. We have lost sight of who we are- not human doings, but human beings. This poem was a good reminder to me to slow down. To take time and let go of all that I hold on to and think I control.
Gentle me,
Holy one,
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting go
of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple
and filled with joy
that is you.
Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace
May your journey be marked not by the speed at which you rush through life, but by the quality of life you are taking time to live...
Nick
PS- In our series at East Hills on spiritual practices, we're talking about Sabbath this weekend! I hope you'll join the rest of the crew there...
Monday, July 20, 2009
You Are What You See
In class today, we discussed a great short story called "the student, the fish, and the agassiz". In this story, a student is asked by his professor to study a fish called a haemulon for hours on end and carefully record all of his observations. After 10 minutes, he's ready to call it quits, but the professor insists. So for several DAYS he looks and records, looks and records, eventually shocking himself by how much there is to see when one slows down enough to pay attention. He reports that after this experience, any fish he draws ends up looking just like a haemulon. He studied it so closely that when he thinks of fish, this pattern has been forever etched in his mind.
It occurs to me that the human brain works like this. Our mind comes back to some topics repeatedly, either by choice or by assignment, and this forms a pattern in our brain that begins to shape how we view everything else. This can happen in positive ways or negative, but I am convinced that it does happen.
If someone is addicted to video games, everything they see will start to remind them of screen images and game characters. They will be ordering lunch at Burger King and thinking about game strategy. If someone is addicted to sex, they will see sexual references and innuendos all over the place- even in places they know they shouldn't. If someone is addicted to looks and appearance, their mind will begin to obsess about dress, fashion, and hair style at bizarre moments. Unbidden, these thoughts return because the brain has been taught what to think about.
Romans 12:2 tells us to let God transform us by the renewing of our mind. What does it mean to be renewed? If I renew a gym membership, I sign on again for the experience and benefits I've had before. If I renew my driver's license, I revisit the qualifications and get certified for more years of operating a motor vehicle. I think to renew our minds means to mentally revisit what truly matters. We are renewed by going back to the image, the picture that can truly change us, namely, the loving, sacrificial life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As we return to this image, and this passion, over and over, it will begin to transform us. We begin to see life through a new lens, and much like the student in our short story, when we go to draw life, all we can seem to draw is pictures that look like Jesus.
If my mind and my life will be shaped by something, and I believe that it will, then I want to make sure and choose wisely what is shaping me. Is it culture? Sex? Entertainment? Or is it Jesus? And the best part, I believe, is that when we look at him over and over, he brings true fullness and life to everything else.
What are you looking at? Because THAT'S what you are becoming.
On your journey, I hope you will be looking to Him...the one who is worthy.
Nick
It occurs to me that the human brain works like this. Our mind comes back to some topics repeatedly, either by choice or by assignment, and this forms a pattern in our brain that begins to shape how we view everything else. This can happen in positive ways or negative, but I am convinced that it does happen.
If someone is addicted to video games, everything they see will start to remind them of screen images and game characters. They will be ordering lunch at Burger King and thinking about game strategy. If someone is addicted to sex, they will see sexual references and innuendos all over the place- even in places they know they shouldn't. If someone is addicted to looks and appearance, their mind will begin to obsess about dress, fashion, and hair style at bizarre moments. Unbidden, these thoughts return because the brain has been taught what to think about.
Romans 12:2 tells us to let God transform us by the renewing of our mind. What does it mean to be renewed? If I renew a gym membership, I sign on again for the experience and benefits I've had before. If I renew my driver's license, I revisit the qualifications and get certified for more years of operating a motor vehicle. I think to renew our minds means to mentally revisit what truly matters. We are renewed by going back to the image, the picture that can truly change us, namely, the loving, sacrificial life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As we return to this image, and this passion, over and over, it will begin to transform us. We begin to see life through a new lens, and much like the student in our short story, when we go to draw life, all we can seem to draw is pictures that look like Jesus.
If my mind and my life will be shaped by something, and I believe that it will, then I want to make sure and choose wisely what is shaping me. Is it culture? Sex? Entertainment? Or is it Jesus? And the best part, I believe, is that when we look at him over and over, he brings true fullness and life to everything else.
What are you looking at? Because THAT'S what you are becoming.
On your journey, I hope you will be looking to Him...the one who is worthy.
Nick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)