As I have sought to hone the skill (or should I say, grace) of listening to God I have been repeatedly arm twisted by God (i.e. humbled) to admit that, yes, He does speak through my wife too. Maybe what has made this realization a bit harder for me is the fact that I married someone who was raised in a more liberal church tradition - one that the tradition I was raised in would consider not as "in tune" with God (how arrogant is that!). But one of the chief attractions to me in regards to Becky was the integrity, the love for the truth, that I saw in her. She has a purity of heart that often allows her to hear God quicker than I will, especially in certain areas.
One such area where I have discovered she is much more in tune than I am, is in the area of personal dreams/heart's desires. It has always been difficult for me to identify what I REALLY want in life, what the deepest desires of my heart are. Maybe it's because of a certain pietism or spirituality that I took on early in life that felt that submitting to God's will meant squelching one's own personal desires. What mattered most, I came to believe, was knowing and doing God's will. My own desires were therefore invalid and thus ignored (and lost).
Well, I married someone who was very good at letting me know what HER desires and longings were! And it would irritate me at times because I thought of it as being unspiritual, as not submitting to God's will and desires - especially when her desires cost more money than I had!
Well, this struggle between us came to the fore this past summer right after we had looked at a property for sale in a geographical location that we felt pretty sure God was leading us to. To me, this property looked like it had "God's will" written all over it. There were just too many things about it that couldn't simply be coincidence, that had to be God. Except for one thing. Becky's desires. That property wasn't big enough - neither the land nor the house - to accomodate the dream that was in her heart. Needless to say, as we were driving away talking about all this, I felt righteous indignation rising up in me and an argument ensued.
Long story short, we got past that crisis OK, continued to seek God's leading about the property, and because nothing else was showing up on our "radar", felt like we just needed to submit to all these "obvious signs" of God's will.
January 25 was my birthday and something amazing happened that day. Becky and I listened to a sermon during which the story of Perez's birth was retold (end of Genesis 28). Perez means "breaking out". Perez literally pushed his twin brother aside, in the womb, in order to be born first. He was carrying on his grandfather Jacob's proclivity to do everything in his power to achieve his desired goal. God liked that trait in Jacob (not the unrighteous, selfish part, but the determined, not-to-be-put-off part), and he liked it so much in Perez that he looked past the fact that he was born of incest and included him in the line of Messiah! As Becky and I reflected on Perez's story we got to talking about "the property" again. Becky could not shake her disappointment in that property, and it finally dawned on me that she was being like Jacob and Perez. She knew what she wanted and didn't want to let go of it! And that stubborness (I finally realized) was a good thing, a God thing! When I was finally able to get past this false, religious spirit in me that kept putting down Becky's desires as being unspiritual, or unsubmissive, and affirm them as valid, God-given desires - desires worth fighting for - we both experienced a joy that I must say we'd never experienced before (well, I guess we felt that way when we got married - but where did it go?!). It was a feeling of lightness that comes when a cloud or weight has been lifted, when one knows that they are really doing the right thing (to acknowledge the deepest desire of our heart and go for it, regardless of seemingly impossible obstacles).
In the words of that pioneer of the modern-day missions movement, William Carey,
"Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God."
And joy will follow.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)
I just love the simple eloquence of God. . . and that he can speak through something as nasty as a head cold as easily as through the majestic symbolism of an eagle!
As I have been recovering from this head cold of mine I've reflected on the two basic options in overcoming such a thing. One is the pharmaceutical route, where you take one or more drugs to alleviate the symptoms until the body somehow does the real work of throwing off whatever you're fighting. The other route, which in my mind is the much preferred route, is to work with your body's natural functions and give it all the help you can. This more "natural" approach may not appear as neat and tidy as the pharmaceutical way, but in the end it actually is neater and tidier. The drug route tends to work against your body's natural functions (hence all the "side effects"), and if the science of psychology tells me anything, I would think that suppressing a symptom rather than getting to the root cause of it is not a good thing. The natural way involves a little more work in that one has to become informed on how bodily functions work and how one can help them work well. But once that basic knowledge is achieved, getting and staying healthy actually becomes a lot more simpler. A lifestyle can be developed whereby health, more often than not, will be the rule and very little time, money and effort is wasted on drugs and doctor bills.
Righteousness - living by the tree of life - is the simplest way to live. You simply do what is right. It's not easy, but it is simple. Jesus is that tree of life. We must live as he lived. "I do only what I see my Father doing" is the way he summed it up. Implicit in that simple statement are two things: knowing what God has authoritatively done and said (Scripture), and becoming increasingly aware of His ongoing still, small voice. This is the most "natural" way to live, as represented by the tree of life. The way of living based on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil tries to micromanage everything - pushing the right button here, following the right principle there; taking the right pill here, following the latest fad there. It might work fine for a while ("there is a way that seems right to a man..."), but sooner or later the "side effects" begin to kick in ("but the end thereof is the way of death'').
I don't enjoy having to endure the symptoms of my cold. But I have learned to become aware of and appreciate the process by which my body is cleansing itself of an infection. In the end I can actually know and feel that I am healthier. The nasty cold bacteria can become a tool of God to alert me to areas where I had let up in my healthy lifestyle; and when that is corrected, true health (not a drug cover-up) becomes the result. When we do things God's way, in accordance with nature as He created it, life really does become simplified. Not easier, but definitely more simple.
A final note: I know there are some whose lives would be incredibly more painful if not altogether threatened if it weren't for drugs. What I have said is not intended to depreciate the value of such drugs. They have their place until a truer way to healing is revealed.
"I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)
As I have been recovering from this head cold of mine I've reflected on the two basic options in overcoming such a thing. One is the pharmaceutical route, where you take one or more drugs to alleviate the symptoms until the body somehow does the real work of throwing off whatever you're fighting. The other route, which in my mind is the much preferred route, is to work with your body's natural functions and give it all the help you can. This more "natural" approach may not appear as neat and tidy as the pharmaceutical way, but in the end it actually is neater and tidier. The drug route tends to work against your body's natural functions (hence all the "side effects"), and if the science of psychology tells me anything, I would think that suppressing a symptom rather than getting to the root cause of it is not a good thing. The natural way involves a little more work in that one has to become informed on how bodily functions work and how one can help them work well. But once that basic knowledge is achieved, getting and staying healthy actually becomes a lot more simpler. A lifestyle can be developed whereby health, more often than not, will be the rule and very little time, money and effort is wasted on drugs and doctor bills.
Righteousness - living by the tree of life - is the simplest way to live. You simply do what is right. It's not easy, but it is simple. Jesus is that tree of life. We must live as he lived. "I do only what I see my Father doing" is the way he summed it up. Implicit in that simple statement are two things: knowing what God has authoritatively done and said (Scripture), and becoming increasingly aware of His ongoing still, small voice. This is the most "natural" way to live, as represented by the tree of life. The way of living based on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil tries to micromanage everything - pushing the right button here, following the right principle there; taking the right pill here, following the latest fad there. It might work fine for a while ("there is a way that seems right to a man..."), but sooner or later the "side effects" begin to kick in ("but the end thereof is the way of death'').
I don't enjoy having to endure the symptoms of my cold. But I have learned to become aware of and appreciate the process by which my body is cleansing itself of an infection. In the end I can actually know and feel that I am healthier. The nasty cold bacteria can become a tool of God to alert me to areas where I had let up in my healthy lifestyle; and when that is corrected, true health (not a drug cover-up) becomes the result. When we do things God's way, in accordance with nature as He created it, life really does become simplified. Not easier, but definitely more simple.
A final note: I know there are some whose lives would be incredibly more painful if not altogether threatened if it weren't for drugs. What I have said is not intended to depreciate the value of such drugs. They have their place until a truer way to healing is revealed.
"I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
the resting eagle
As I was driving to work yesterday my eye was drawn to an unusual sight - a bald eagle resting high up on the top of a large tree. This is only the second time Becky or I have spotted an eagle this far from the Mississippi, where their numbers have been increasing of late. As I reflected on that simple, yet somehow profound picture, the thought that came to me was, "This is your time to rest."
Discerning one's times and seasons is so critical to a spiritual life, a life in tune with the Spirit. There's a part of me that feels stunted, like I'm making so little progress. I interpret my circumstances as "non-eventful" and having little meaning or significance. Is the winter, or the "dry season", less significant or important than the vibrant growing season when all is lusciously green and bursting with new life? Is night less important than day, rest less important than activity?
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty,
I do not concern myself with great matters,
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 131)
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says,
"In returning and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength . . .
The LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!"
(Isaiah 30:15,18)
Discerning one's times and seasons is so critical to a spiritual life, a life in tune with the Spirit. There's a part of me that feels stunted, like I'm making so little progress. I interpret my circumstances as "non-eventful" and having little meaning or significance. Is the winter, or the "dry season", less significant or important than the vibrant growing season when all is lusciously green and bursting with new life? Is night less important than day, rest less important than activity?
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty,
I do not concern myself with great matters,
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 131)
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says,
"In returning and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength . . .
The LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!"
(Isaiah 30:15,18)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
entering the dead zone
After starting off on a high note it seems that I have entered what those TV cell phone commercials depict as "dead zones." How is it that one day you can connect with God so beautifully, and then the next it's as if either you or He has dropped off the end of the world and the ability to communicate is vitually nil?! I'm determined to keep this blog as honest and in the "real world" as possible, hence this piece.
But all, actually, has not been darkness and gloom. Some strands of light have filtered into my sometimes gloomy mind to bring some encouragement. One could say that I began this blog challenge in response to what James says (4:8), "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." But anyone who takes this seriously soon discovers that it is not a journey lightly entered into.
Few things are as disturbing and unnerving when seeking to have an intimate relationship with God then to be met with dead silence. Of course, a multitude of thoughts and voices, all clamoring to be heard, can also be disquieting. But there's nothing like silence to challenge our assumptions of God (and ourselves).
I don't want this to be a place where I take up alot of space to dump all my thoughts and reflections. Rather I want it to be a place of encouragement to others who are on a similar journey. As I said, despite much silence, encouraging thoughts have come, most related to Scriptures. I will quote the Scriptures and let you interact and reflect on them as you wish.
"When the people saw the thunder and lightening and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in
smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance...while Moses approached the thick
darkness where God was." (Ex. 20:18-21)
"Do not make for yourselves an idol...For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealaous God."
(Deut. 4:23-24)
"Come near to God and he will come near to you...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will lift you up." (James 4:8,10)
Bonhoeffer, the German minister who died at the hands of the Nazis, sums it up this way:
"When Jesus bids us follow him, he bids us come and die."
But all, actually, has not been darkness and gloom. Some strands of light have filtered into my sometimes gloomy mind to bring some encouragement. One could say that I began this blog challenge in response to what James says (4:8), "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." But anyone who takes this seriously soon discovers that it is not a journey lightly entered into.
Few things are as disturbing and unnerving when seeking to have an intimate relationship with God then to be met with dead silence. Of course, a multitude of thoughts and voices, all clamoring to be heard, can also be disquieting. But there's nothing like silence to challenge our assumptions of God (and ourselves).
I don't want this to be a place where I take up alot of space to dump all my thoughts and reflections. Rather I want it to be a place of encouragement to others who are on a similar journey. As I said, despite much silence, encouraging thoughts have come, most related to Scriptures. I will quote the Scriptures and let you interact and reflect on them as you wish.
"When the people saw the thunder and lightening and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in
smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance...while Moses approached the thick
darkness where God was." (Ex. 20:18-21)
"Do not make for yourselves an idol...For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealaous God."
(Deut. 4:23-24)
"Come near to God and he will come near to you...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will lift you up." (James 4:8,10)
Bonhoeffer, the German minister who died at the hands of the Nazis, sums it up this way:
"When Jesus bids us follow him, he bids us come and die."
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Week #1 - "Be a Champ"
Before I tell family and friends about this blog I wanted to go through a whole week of this "experiment" of turning off the radio at work so I could have something (hopefully) positive to report. As has happened in the past, most of the time nothing other than quietness "happens". Of course my own thoughts come and go. Sometimes my mind can be amazingly blank, but at other times my mind can be in overdrive and full of many thoughts. An obvious question that one has to wrestle with in this kind of an exercise is determining how to distinguish what is of God and what isn't. A good place to begin is James' description (3:17) of "the wisdom that comes from heaven". When God speaks it will be "pure . . . peaceful, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (without hypocrisy)". Another clue for me, is when a thought pops into my head that doesn't sound like something I could come up with on my own - it just doesn't "sound like me."
At one point during the week when the thoughts were few and far between, the impression (some thoughts are so "light" and fleeting that I simply call them impressions) came to me that it felt good to simply relax and be at peace in the presence of God, like a child who is curled up on her Daddy's lap. Later in the week I associated this impression with the image of our dog, Champ who, in typical dog fashion, loves to quietly lie down near me whenever I'm working in the garden or doing something outside. He doesn't require me to show him any special attention. He's simply totally content to know that he is near his master. And for a fleeting moment I knew that I was enjoying that same peace and contentment while I was at work. I didn't need to be "hearing" God speak to me. I could be fully content just knowing that He was near.
To give you an example of how "my thoughts" will sometimes interact with what I believe are genuinely God's thoughts, at one point I decided to ask God to reveal hidden sins. After all, an important part of revival, of drawing closer to God, is being convicted of sin and repenting. After waiting a good while and not having any convictions of sin coming to mind, I experienced a perfectly natural thing for a painter. I overloaded my brush with too much paint and some of it began to drip on the floor. Moments later the thought came to me. "Just as that brush had too much paint loaded onto it, you already have enough "loaded" on your "brush" (or as the more common expression puts it, I already had enough on my plate)." I sensed that God was telling me that I didn't need to be convicted of any more sins right now. It was sufficient that I focus on this one thing of turning off the radio and becoming more receptive to whatever He wanted to communicate to me." BE A CHAMP! Learning to slow down, to quiet myself in the presence of God and to simply be totally content in His presence - that was enough to focus on for now. Any more and it would simply drop off as from an overloaded brush and be wasted.
The acid test of whether or not this was simply another thought of my overactive mind, or a genuine communication ("word") from God, came on the drive home Friday evening. Usually, after a week of work and doing the grocery shopping before heading home on Friday, I'm sufficiently tired that listening to the radio is all I have the energy to do. But I truly surprised myself by leaving the radio off and . . . singing! Occasionally I will sing on the way to work in the morning, but never on the way home when I'm tired - this was truly a new experience! But get this. As if to drive home a point something else happened. Right in the middle of one of the worship songs that I was singing, I felt the car hesitate as it was changing gears. This happened not once, but twice, and it felt just like a previous car I had when the transmission began to go bad on it. But the amazing thing is, I just kept on singing and felt totally at peace despite the prospect of our car needing major work ($$$$) done on it! I just "knew" that everything would be alright, that I didn't need to worry. Now that didn't sound like merely a "Bruce Jones thought" to me!
So, there you go. Anybody who wants to join me on this adventure of "tuning into God" and "tuning out" the distractions, feel free to share your stories on this blog. You can do this one of two ways: either tell your stories in the "comments" spot, or email them to me (barajones@gmail.com) and I will post them on this blog.
"God is not too good to be true. He is so good He must be true." - George MacDonald
At one point during the week when the thoughts were few and far between, the impression (some thoughts are so "light" and fleeting that I simply call them impressions) came to me that it felt good to simply relax and be at peace in the presence of God, like a child who is curled up on her Daddy's lap. Later in the week I associated this impression with the image of our dog, Champ who, in typical dog fashion, loves to quietly lie down near me whenever I'm working in the garden or doing something outside. He doesn't require me to show him any special attention. He's simply totally content to know that he is near his master. And for a fleeting moment I knew that I was enjoying that same peace and contentment while I was at work. I didn't need to be "hearing" God speak to me. I could be fully content just knowing that He was near.
To give you an example of how "my thoughts" will sometimes interact with what I believe are genuinely God's thoughts, at one point I decided to ask God to reveal hidden sins. After all, an important part of revival, of drawing closer to God, is being convicted of sin and repenting. After waiting a good while and not having any convictions of sin coming to mind, I experienced a perfectly natural thing for a painter. I overloaded my brush with too much paint and some of it began to drip on the floor. Moments later the thought came to me. "Just as that brush had too much paint loaded onto it, you already have enough "loaded" on your "brush" (or as the more common expression puts it, I already had enough on my plate)." I sensed that God was telling me that I didn't need to be convicted of any more sins right now. It was sufficient that I focus on this one thing of turning off the radio and becoming more receptive to whatever He wanted to communicate to me." BE A CHAMP! Learning to slow down, to quiet myself in the presence of God and to simply be totally content in His presence - that was enough to focus on for now. Any more and it would simply drop off as from an overloaded brush and be wasted.
The acid test of whether or not this was simply another thought of my overactive mind, or a genuine communication ("word") from God, came on the drive home Friday evening. Usually, after a week of work and doing the grocery shopping before heading home on Friday, I'm sufficiently tired that listening to the radio is all I have the energy to do. But I truly surprised myself by leaving the radio off and . . . singing! Occasionally I will sing on the way to work in the morning, but never on the way home when I'm tired - this was truly a new experience! But get this. As if to drive home a point something else happened. Right in the middle of one of the worship songs that I was singing, I felt the car hesitate as it was changing gears. This happened not once, but twice, and it felt just like a previous car I had when the transmission began to go bad on it. But the amazing thing is, I just kept on singing and felt totally at peace despite the prospect of our car needing major work ($$$$) done on it! I just "knew" that everything would be alright, that I didn't need to worry. Now that didn't sound like merely a "Bruce Jones thought" to me!
So, there you go. Anybody who wants to join me on this adventure of "tuning into God" and "tuning out" the distractions, feel free to share your stories on this blog. You can do this one of two ways: either tell your stories in the "comments" spot, or email them to me (barajones@gmail.com) and I will post them on this blog.
"God is not too good to be true. He is so good He must be true." - George MacDonald
Sunday, December 7, 2008
How this blog came about
Normally I am not one to spend time blogging or doing stuff on electronic devices. I'm more of an outdoor person and prefer getting dirty in the garden. But I had an experience recently that led to my starting this blog. Actually, this started about 15 years ago when I was commuting 45 minutes to work and would fill up the commute time with listening to the radio. At one point back then I felt a "conviction" that I needed to turn off the radio and give God a chance to speak into the quietness. I discovered then, and in the intervening years, that this was not an easy thing to do (as my inability to do this consistently will atest). But I have come to believe that God will only give His wisdom to those who will treasure it enough to give Him the time of day.
Last Friday, after sensing again the nudge to turn off the radio (at work where I'm usually alone and can easily get bored with my work), I committed myself - this time with an increased sense of urgency - to working in the quiet to allow God to speak into my quietness. Along with this personal commitment I also sensed that I should start this blog as a challenge to others. I want this to be a place where we can share what happens when we honor God in this way, thus mutually encouraging one another.
My goal in this is NOT to stir up a lot of spiritual, religious talk with everyone giving their two cents worth about what they think revival or spiritual awakenings are or should be. Frankly, I am fed up with talk. There is way too much talk. What I'm looking for is life, reality - specifically, God's life and His reality. There is a lot out there pretending to be God's reality and we're all guilty of confusing what is and what isn't of God. I'm not going to be the arbiter of what is and what isn't. We'll just have to trust God to give us the wisdom to sort it all out, as well as that "love [that] covers a multitude of sins".
What I DO want to do is challenge us all to begin tuning out those things in our life that are distracting and hindering us from being able to hear and receive what God wants to say and do in our lives. For me it is starting with something as simple as turning the radio off at work and allowing the quiet that results to be an opportunity for listening to the voice of God. For others it may be something totally different. The details of how you do it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're serious enough about getting to know God better that we are willing to change something in our lifestyle that will make it easier for God to speak into our lives. Personally, I feel like I am starving for the reality of God, even in the midst of a society that is filled with opportunities to hear talk about God. As we share our stories with each other, may we be like coals that, when brought together with others and blown on by the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) the warmth and light of Messiah will increase . ..
"Awake, O sleeper,
Rise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light!"
- from a first century church hymn, quoted by Paul in Ephesians 5:17
Last Friday, after sensing again the nudge to turn off the radio (at work where I'm usually alone and can easily get bored with my work), I committed myself - this time with an increased sense of urgency - to working in the quiet to allow God to speak into my quietness. Along with this personal commitment I also sensed that I should start this blog as a challenge to others. I want this to be a place where we can share what happens when we honor God in this way, thus mutually encouraging one another.
My goal in this is NOT to stir up a lot of spiritual, religious talk with everyone giving their two cents worth about what they think revival or spiritual awakenings are or should be. Frankly, I am fed up with talk. There is way too much talk. What I'm looking for is life, reality - specifically, God's life and His reality. There is a lot out there pretending to be God's reality and we're all guilty of confusing what is and what isn't of God. I'm not going to be the arbiter of what is and what isn't. We'll just have to trust God to give us the wisdom to sort it all out, as well as that "love [that] covers a multitude of sins".
What I DO want to do is challenge us all to begin tuning out those things in our life that are distracting and hindering us from being able to hear and receive what God wants to say and do in our lives. For me it is starting with something as simple as turning the radio off at work and allowing the quiet that results to be an opportunity for listening to the voice of God. For others it may be something totally different. The details of how you do it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're serious enough about getting to know God better that we are willing to change something in our lifestyle that will make it easier for God to speak into our lives. Personally, I feel like I am starving for the reality of God, even in the midst of a society that is filled with opportunities to hear talk about God. As we share our stories with each other, may we be like coals that, when brought together with others and blown on by the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) the warmth and light of Messiah will increase . ..
"Awake, O sleeper,
Rise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light!"
- from a first century church hymn, quoted by Paul in Ephesians 5:17
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)