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  Mark 10:09 am on October 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Layers of Christian Community: ‘Mono’ 

  This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series The Layers of Christ-Centered Community

  In our last post, we unpacked the idea of layers of community in the life of Christ, and in his Church throughout time.  The healthier the layers, the healthier the church – and each Christian connected to it.

  The central layer to Christian community, the core of the spiritual journey, begins inside each Christian. The unique and conscious way in which the Divine seeks union with each of us is the means and the end to the Christian life.  Over a person’s life, the process of growing more into the image of God (deification) has us moving from darkness to light – living more and more “of heaven” even while we live firmly planted on earth.

  Over the last two thousand years, many have taken on the cause of spiritual formation and their thoughts provide a rich cornucopia of resources.  Several that have been meaningful to Christians over the years are St. John of the Cross’ Dark Night of the Soul, Julian of Norwich’s Showings, Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, and Brother Lawrence’s Practicing the Presence of God just to name a few. May these books and countless others serve as friends to guide you on your journey into intimacy with your Creator.

  

  Each Christian, as the name implies, takes their cues on how they relate to God from Jesus Christ.  It would make sense then to peek into the life of Christ for hints on our own journey into God’s heart.

  Jesus had a deep, intimate relationship with God the Father.  We have no record of Jesus’ public ministry before he was baptized by John around the age of 33.  Knowing God as he did even as a 12 year old presumes a continued pursuit of God in knowledge and experience throughout his early life.  Those silent, mysterious years must have been filled with prayer, study, hard masonry work, doing the dishes…the mundane life of a 1st century Jew.

  Practicing the presence of God in the common is essential to the Christ life.  Allowing the holy to invade the common, to invite God to wash the dishes with you, will slowly saturate your life with an awareness of God’s absolute proximity.  Learning to train your heart and mind to remain aware of God’s presence will make every task, every conversation holy; giving you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week of uninterrupted communion with God – a sneak peak into heaven.

  After a dramatic introduction by John the Baptist and God himself at Jesus’ muddy baptism, Jesus races off to the wilderness.  He doesn’t begin a dynamic public ministry or call on disciples until his identity as the Son of God is made clear.  What kind of Messiah will he be?  Each of the temptations in the wilderness is Satan’s prodding Jesus to become a different kind of Savior (miraculous provider, political rebel, cosmic ruler) – each compromising God’s calling on his Son.

  From this we can learn the essential desert disciplines of Solitude, Silence, and Prayer.  Even more – we learn their purpose – to refine our intimacy and identity as sons and daughters of God.  We see this move in Christ – from intimacy with the Father to identity as his son, flowing outward to meaningful ministry and community.  Trying to shortcut this process is a disaster in one’s spiritual life and leads to all kinds of hurt.

  At the heart of this first layer of Christian community is the recognition that we have nothing to offer our brothers and sisters, and cannot correctly receive what our church has to offer us, if we are not living out of a deep intimate relationship with God.

  As Jesus continued his ministry, he made a regular habit of spending the nights in prayer out on a nearby mountain, and spent the days teaching in the temple. (Lk 21:37) It was this habit that gave him the peace to remain true to his calling when resisting the egotistical high as the crowds begged him to become their king, and kept him reaching up for God when he hung desperately on the cross.

  When crowds push in around us in bustling, needy cities, we remember the value of Sabbath – of sane living that invites us to retreat not into escapism, but for the sake of saving the world.

  But how is it done?  How is this intimacy achieved?  While there is much we can learn from others (past and present) the real journey of learning to love and live with God is a unique journey of discovery for each soul.  Find what makes your heart reach out for God.  Singing in your car, prayers and readings in the early morning, folding laundry, meditation…whatever it is – find a habit of centering your heart on God and watch as God slowly changes you into more of him.

  Of course, we know that this can not be done in isolation…we need a company of trusted friends to help us…but that is the next layer…

  ———————————————————

  Want to dive deeper into this layer?  Here are a few resources to get started:

  Centered: A Way of Life by Kent Smith

  Revolutionary: Find the Path to Deeper Living with Jesus by Ben Cheek

  Some books from my library on spiritual disciplines, spirituality, and spiritual formation.

  John Eldredge’s Ransomed Heart Podcast.

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  Godgrown » Blog Archive » Layers of Christian Community: ‘Micro’, and Josh Frank are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Josh Frank 9:56 pm on October 4, 2009 Permalink

    Not gonna lie – the length of this post delayed my reading it, but I’m glad I didn’t shut it out! This is a fairly concise, honest look at the interior life. I love the fact that it is not the be-all, end-all for you, Mark. I still have such a strong distaste in my mouth of those years of youth group and youth conferences where having “a quiet time” and making yourself right with God seemed to be the penultimate of the Christian experience.

    Now if I could only get better at re-claiming and re-framing those ideas and truly embrace some practices (dare I say disciplines?) on a consistent basis. This is one area where I know I need the next few layers of the onion in order to have any chance of getting there!

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  Mark 8:05 am on September 25, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  ‘IF’ by Rudyard Kipling 

  IF

  If you can keep your head when all about you

  Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

  If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

  But make allowance for their doubting too;

  If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

  Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

  Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,

  And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

  If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;

  If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

  If you can meet with triumph and disaster

  And treat those two imposters just the same;

  If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

  Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

  And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

  If you can make one heap of all your winnings

  And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

  And lose, and start again at your beginnings

  And never breath a word about your loss;

  If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

  To serve your turn long after they are gone,

  And so hold on when there is nothing in you

  Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

  If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

  Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;

  If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

  If all men count with you, but none too much;

  If you can fill the unforgiving minute

  With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -

  Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

  And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

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  Mark 9:03 am on August 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Apologetics (6), Guillermo Gonzalez, intelligent design   

  A Privileged Planet? 

  Hey guys – I don’t normally promote books or DVDs on here, but this one was a lot of fun, and very intriguing. Its called the Privileged Planet, a documentary on the origins of the cosmos and on the peculiar and relative uniqueness of the planet Earth. The authors of the book with the same name suggest that the Earth, which was given an incredible amount of variables and was able to develop complex carbon life, is rare if not unique in the universe – even when compared to the hundreds of billions of galaxies that make it up. Much more – the very same elements that allow for life to exist on our planet are actually what allow us the chance to discover the rest of our universe with relative ease.

  Take our sister planet Venus for example – not only is its atmosphere so clouded with poisonous gas that life is unsustainable, but it also does not allow for a clear night’s sky in which to ponder the stars and galaxies beyond. Or take our position in the Milky Way – our solar system is located right in between two arms of the spiraling Milky Way Galaxy, allowing us not only the relative safety from galactic dust (harmful asteroids, etc) but it gives us a picture perfect setting for looking out of our own galaxy and over at distant galaxies (like Andromeda, etc).

  Is there a potential correlation between our fragile survival situation in the universe, and our ability to learn and discover our surroundings? Is it merely coincidence? I don’t think so -

  A Divine Creator – a thoughtful God – created a safe place for us not only to live and survive, but also to enjoy and discover. Earth is far more than a the product of time, chance and circumstance. The dynamic relationship between survival and our capacity to observe in wonder points to a God who wants to share in his created beauty. Not only does such a finely-tuned planet point to a Designer, but the opportunity to revel in a beautiful creation points to a God that desires relationship; in wonder, worship, love.

  If physics, metaphysics, faith, space, and nerdery are your cup of tea – check out this sweet documentary. You won’t be disappointed.

  Hey guys – I don’t normally promote books or DVDs on here, but this one was a lot of fun, and very intriguing. Its called the Privileged Planet, a documentary on the origins of the cosmos and on the peculiar and relative uniqueness of the planet Earth. The authors of the book with the same name suggest that the Earth, which was given an incredible amount of variables and was able to develop complex carbon life, is rare if not unique in the universe – even when compared to the hundreds of billions of galaxies that make it up. Much more – the very same elements that allow for life to exist on our planet are actually what allow us the chance to discover the rest of our universe with relative ease.

  Take our sister planet Venus for example – not only is its atmosphere so clouded with poisonous gas that life is unsustainable, but it also does not allow for a clear night’s sky in which to ponder the stars and galaxies beyond. Or take our position in the Milky Way – our solar system is located right in between two arms of the spiraling Milky Way Galaxy, allowing us not only the relative safety from galactic dust (harmful asteroids, etc) but it gives us a picture perfect setting for looking out of our own galaxy and over at distant galaxies (like Andromeda, etc).

  Is there a potential correlation between our fragile survival situation in the universe, and our ability to learn and discover our surroundings? Is it merely coincidence? I don’t think so -

  A Divine Creator – a thoughtful God – created a safe place for us not only to live and survive, but also to enjoy and discover. Earth is far more than a the product of time, chance and circumstance. The dynamic relationship between survival and our capacity to observe in wonder points to a God who wants to share in his created beauty. Not only does such a finely-tuned planet point to a Designer, but the opportunity to revel in a beautiful creation points to a God that desires relationship; in wonder, worship, love.

  If physics, metaphysics, faith, space, and nerdery are your cup of tea – check out this sweet documentary. You won’t be disappointed.

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  Richard Kent Matthews, and Mark are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Richard Kent Matthews 9:52 am on August 20, 2009 Permalink

    The inner workings of our planet i.e. the molten rock and poisonous gases remind me of the Old Testament God: appearing to be supportive and nurturing on the surface but boiling and smoldering underneath, just waiting for the opportunity to pour out his wrath. Coincidence? Naw….

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    Mark 9:59 am on August 20, 2009 Permalink

    Also insightful to the character of God is that the earth’s molten rock (a ever shifting sea of iron) creates a magnet field that blocks most of the radioactive blasts from the violent sun. Without that boiling and smoldering magma, we’d be over-cooked ducks.

    But what’s your point?

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    Richard Kent Matthews 1:13 am on September 7, 2009 Permalink

    Yes, it would appear that all is well. But as early church fathers pointed out, God is always holding us by the scrap of the neck over the fire. It is only by his good grace (read mood) that he doesn’t let go.

    Point? The universe is continually in a state of chaos. Even the order that comes out of the chaos must return to chaos again. There is always the chance that a large object from outer space can knock Earth out of her orbit. Or major plate shifts. Or something.

    There is only the appearance of peace and tranquility. Whatever brought this universe into existence was not really thinking of our comfort. Just ask the dinosaurs.

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    Mark G Willis 8:39 am on September 7, 2009 Permalink

    I don’t know about you – but it sure seems like our ability to have this conversation and breathe air and all that is proof enough that the Divine God was thinking about our relative comfort when finely tuning our universe. Besides – in Christ we are anticipating a new earth, with new bodies – the ultimate creation and the ultimate rest – this current world is in the midst of battle – between chaos and order (read Gen 1 – where God takes things that are chaotic and shapes them into order). Then look at where things are headed (Revelation describes a city, well planned and ordered, with God giving light at the very center.) I see this “city” as part of the new earth – and while we live in the current universe, we are experiencing the grace (read – deep, unchanging character of God) and provision of God.

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    Richard Kent Matthews 9:58 am on September 12, 2009 Permalink

    I suppose when one takes those writings, particularly Revelation, literally, then what you say appears to have validity. It’s also important to constantly remind oneself of the rest of the antics of the OT god. He was almost never benevolent. Even toward his so-called Chosen People. Some would call it discipline; I would call it torture and harassment. Then, suddenly, as if by magic, he becomes a rather different being in the NT. What gives here? Can we read between the lines? Of course. Different writers, different context, different time frame. And especially, different agendas. Control, mostly.

    But get this, and it’s crucial: At least when the OT god smote you, you were forever dead. The NT god claims to love, but allows eternal punishment. And not because we’re “bad people.” Mainly, it’s because we do not believe a certain way. I can be the best Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, or, like me, New Thought minister, and still end up in perdition because I didn’t believe a certain way.

    Now, that’s monstrous.