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  • Mark 3:08 pm on November 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

    Hebrews 4 

    Yesterday’s chapter ended in such defeat. “They were unable to enter because of their unbelief.”  It seemed like when Israel was so close to completing the greatest journey from bondage to freedom ever in history – they end up finding ways of sabotaging themselves, and short-changing their journey with God and warping it into an opportunity to feed their own ego and seek out rebellion and independence.

    I believe that there is good news waiting for us in Chapter 4.  Apparently, there is a rest that still stands for the people of God.  And we can enter into it!

    “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…” Wouldn’t it be nice to enter into GOD’s Sabbath rest?  Take a moment to think about what Sabbath means – peace, joy – reconciliation… not just not working.  This is about turning the world’s systems of abuse and oppression inside -out and letting wholeness-in-community reign!

    I find it ironic but also fascinating that the Hebrew writer calls us to “strive to enter that rest.”  How do you work to rest?  I guess after trying to practice Sabbath for the past two years – it is hard work!  There are plenty of distractions; but I maintain that the ultimate spiritual discipline is learning to PAY ATTENTION; and Sabbath may be a practice in doing just that.

    We find ourselves at the precipice of the Jordan River – with God’s Rest just on the other side.  We can choose to fight the current of our culture, and enter into that rest – or we can go with the flow, and end up in the Dead Sea.

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  • Mark 5:30 pm on April 24, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , julian of norwich, thomas merton   

    Ora et Labora 

    I have a deep desire to see transformation in people’s lives and in the lives of communities and society as a whole.  But how can I know what that transformation looks like when I am myself completely immersed into that broken society?  Check this great quote from Thomas Merton:

    mertonTrue solitude is the home of the person, false solitude the refuge of the individualist.  The person is constituted by a uniquely subsisting capacity to love – by a radical ability to care for all beings made by God and loved by Him.  Such a capacity is destroyed by the loss of perspective.  Without a certain element of solitude there can be no compassion because when a man is lost in the wheels of a social machine he is no longer aware of human needs as a matter of personal responsibility. One can escape from men by plunging into the midst of a crowd.

    So there are several kinds of solitude, and several types of social engagement.  True solitude aims to reorient one’s self from the opiates and poisons of society’s evil side (by the way, I’m not chatting about it much in this post, but I absolutely believe society is a mysterious blend of good and evil).  But there is an escapism that we see in lots of parts of our culture that functions to serve the individual.  The retired businessman after working tirelessly for decades now moves to Ft. Lauderdale to fade away into shuffleboard and iced teas (when his wisdom is needed the most!).  Or consider the spiritual nun who withdraws into her inner life and becomes useless to the world.

    “You are so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly good.” — Johnny Cash

    There’s also the danger that we may dive some completely into our work of changing society and helping those in our care that we ourselves become lost in a sea of confusion.  I feel like this happens to me on multiple levels.  The news has become a crutch for me – I think I’m addicted, and its time to fast.  It was not long ago that I knew next to nothing of world events, now I think I have no opinion about what’s happening because I am continually listening to the stories and opinions of others.  Let me step back from the careening course of human events and gain a bit of global perspective. And on a personal level, its hard for me to have a word of healing to someone hurting or their lifestyle is headed for disaster when I have no bearing to point them toward.  My life as a missionary must be filled with reconnecting with God to help me in being the wounded healer Henri Nouwen talks about.

    14th Century Julian of Norwich was kept locked in the basement under a church and left in complete isolation.  It wasn’t torture, that was her job!  She was an anchoress, and I completely recommend learning more about this part of Christian history.  There was nothing more than a small space for food to come in and refuse to go out.  The village cared for her, and from that small opening she counseled and spoke wisdom to the village.  Even in the midst of the Black Plague and a series of pheasant revolts, she wrote of the motherly love of God, and even wrote the first known English book penned by a woman.  She was completely isolated, but completely engaged in the issues of her community.

    Thomas Merton is himself a Trappist monk whose vows called him to even more severe isolation than most monastic orders, yet he claims that his isolation was not self-centered but world-centered, challenging his readers saying:

    “Go into the desert not to escape other men but in order to find them in God.”

    Somehow even through his profoundly isolated lifestyle, he managed to participate significantly in the civil rights movement, fought nuclear proliferation, and developed dialogue between major world faiths and Christianity.  The more he retreated from the world, the more influential he became.

    Jesus seemed to have this figured out.  He would teach in the Temple courts during the day, then retreat to Olive Mountain at night.  He would spend weeks alone in the badlands, and would emerge ready to change the world.

    I must find some rhythm of rest and work.  Ora et labora. “Prayer and work.” is written on my quotes wall.  I think this is a good place to start – and turning off the news tap for awhile…instead I’ll make my own (good) news!

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    • Josh Frank 7:16 pm on April 24, 2009 Permalink

      I wish we lived just a little closer and we could share morning prayer or some other regular practice together.

      Peace (and silence and solitude) be with you, my friend.

    • Lisa Barnes 5:28 pm on April 25, 2009 Permalink

      Thanks for the quote. Nice post. It was a helpful reminder for me to reflect on my own need for solitude and how to integrate it with my social life.

    • Tim C 8:16 pm on April 26, 2009 Permalink

      Always struggled with Solitude. Thought about the movie The Village when reading this.

  • Mark 11:25 pm on June 24, 2007 Permalink | Reply  

    Church Happens 

    It’s fun being married – last night we had a “sleepover” where we stayed up super-late and watched a movie and snacked on anything we could get our hands on. But that also meant waking up around 10:30 this morning with not a little of that infamous “sleep” in our eyes (anyone have a better word for that stuff??).

    As I was finally getting ready for the day, (it was about 11:30am), I got a call from my new friend Brad, whose friendship is another blog post altogether. For now, suffice it to say that just two weeks ago he committed his life to Christ through baptism and is pumped about sharing his faith with many of his lost friends. Brad asked, “What’cha doing this morning Mark?”

    I responded with “Well, I just woke up about an hour ago, and I’ve just been enjoying the morning at home so far.”

    “It’s Sunday morning! Why aren’t you at church you lazy bastard!” Brad cajoled.

    It is the funniest thing, “going to church”. I didn’t really have an answer for him right then, so I just laughed along with him and we continued our conversation. Some reflections now as the day comes to a close on our little dialogue:

    First, I LOVE the circles I’m running in these days. No longer am I with the “church-ified” Christians, who fear how they might look if they say what they are thinking. Brad’s response was authentically blunt, which is a refreshing joy for me, even though it still throws me off guard.

    Second, while I didn’t technically “go anywhere” this morning that could be called a “church”, I am beginning to find the Church as much more of a liquid than a solid. Let me explain my free-flowing thoughts here…

    This morning, we woke up together and took it easy. We both read from God’s Holy Word, then got ready as we talked about what we heard God saying to us through the pages, and where the “biblical canon” came from in the first place. Then we talked about how cool it would be to create a booklet or a website that gave seekers the chance to ask questions about the nature, function and origins of Christian Scripture.

    After getting ready for the day, we continued our “church” by heading out to grab something to eat, where we bumped into a friend of mine who is doing work with victims of domestic violence and prisoners with drug problems. We scheduled a time for our families to meet up in July. His baby boy is getting so big.

    As we were driving, I felt the Lord’s presence in a deep way as I listened to “Something Beautiful” by the Newsboys (audio sample here, lyrics here) and just started worhshipping and thanking God in whispered prayers for his image-rich Creation that points to a beautiful Kingdom that flows in and out of everything wonderful and beautiful and true in our lives here on earth. Inspiring…

    A friend from out of town called and said he was passing through town and wanted to meet with us if possible. We invited him to join our cookout with our faith family. During the cookout, our neighbor popped his head out of his door, and we invited him over too. We shared laughs, stories, and watermelons. “Church was happening” all over the place.

    “Church happens.”

    Afterward, “church” flowed into a coffee shop where the conversation continued, and we met up with a friend Katrina is mentoring/coaching through some big decisions right now. They’ve been talking about everything from major life goals to boy troubles to new shoes. They’ve found their way back to our living room and the conversation is electric. I’m having a hard time staying out of it even now to write this blog post!

    Church happens everywhere. It is not something you can GO to – it is the liquid movement of God’s people interacting with each other and with their world. Now when people ask “where do you go to church?” I say, “Where DON’T I go to Church!?!” :)

    ———-

    What would happen if Christians found themselves living as the Church God created them to be? IN the world, but not of it?

    What if instead of going to a spiritual goods and services distribution center to download God or encouragement, Christians learned how to hear from the Lord everywhere they went?

    What would have to change about the Church if it looked less like a solid and more like a liquid, reaching into every nook and cranny of life and our culture? How would this change the world?

    liquid-blue.jpg

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    • miller 11:43 pm on June 24, 2007 Permalink

      Great post bro!

      and good questions…

      i think thats what we’re about to find out…

      peace

    • Leanne 8:01 pm on June 25, 2007 Permalink

      Just had this discussion with some missionary friends re. my decision to leave my church of 3 years and go to a teeny, tiny little Methodist one up the road from me where the average attendance is 46 people a Sunday and the average age is 60.

      Granted, it’s still in a building but this place flows God’s love. It’s like nothing has touched it for 50 years so the expectation is that everyone shares after service, eats from the pot luck buffet, plans service projects and field trips for the youth group of 5.

      This church lives together and only two weeks into it I long for it like a lover. This church is sweet. As sweet as what you experienced, Mark.

      I think by it’s very design, the minute you put a building around God you’ve kinda edged Him out. By neccessity there has to be a system. Someone has to maintain the structural premises, someone has to oversee the maintenance person, someone has to be hired to provide the HR support needed for those involved in the running of the building, etc., etc., etc.

      I don’t think God should be caged. (not saying that it’s even possible, btw). I think that there’s something inherently flawed with formal buildings. I think by it’s very design, we get ahead of Him when we try and ‘make’ something for His glory.

      Then again, I’m only 4 years into this walk and have had some unique experiences. I may change my mind-but I kinda doubt it.

      I just haven’t been able to reconcile myself to the idea that we are meant to gather together and put our primary focus and much of our time and money into making a place to gather when all I can see in the Bible is that we are called to scatter.

      I dunno. I’m still chewing on it.

    • Mark 7:25 am on June 26, 2007 Permalink

      Leanne,

      I find it interesting that God was so reluctant for David/Solomon to build him a Temple, saying that he was completely content to dwell among the people in a portable Tabernacle. I also find it interesting that it is the statement, “God does not dwell in buildings made by human hands!” that got Stephen stoned, becoming the Church’s first martyr.

      You’re right on – the Church is called to scatter, just as they are called to fellowship. It seems like many in the church today demand nothing but but a rock-solid fellowship, packing people in like cattle; and they forget that this life also includes a scattering – a pouring of Christ’s life into every crevice of God’s Creation.

      That being said, I am thankful that you have found a body of believers you feel the love of Christ with. Just because God doesn’t DWELL in buildings made by human hands doesn’t mean he doesn’t occasionally VISIT there! :)

      My question is, are these 46 people able to hear God as well outside the building as in? Are they able to follow him and worship him with as much sincerity; realizing that he is the God of the Universe, not just Sunday mornings?

      I do not know these people at all – but I know my own experience. When I kept separated the sacred and the secular, I couldn’t find God anywhere but behind a pulpit. I ended up feeling like I NEEDED to be “at church” every time the doors were open just to be fed by him. Now that I have opened my eyes to the reality of God living all around me, I have freedom to feed myself, and to truly be fed by Him – my vagabond Shepherd.

    • Leanne 11:14 am on June 26, 2007 Permalink

      believe it or not, I think that is why I am there and why new people are popping up as well.

      they have a new pastor in his 70′s who has planted churches in Alaska and Idaho. he’s only been at this church for 2 years yet already took the members through The Purpose Driven Church. Rick Warren aside, this guy is not ready to let his people get comfortable. that tells me something.

      add to the fact that I used to prayer walk around this place all last summer and picinic in the pioneer cemetary behind it and………….we’ll see.

      I like your caution. It is my caution too. I really think He’s doing something there for the church and for the much needed healing my son and I need after being members of ‘Wal-church’ for 3 years. Again, we’ll see. :)

    • Mark 2:48 pm on June 26, 2007 Permalink

      “Wal-Church” – that’s a new one. :) Great to hear about you and your son’s journey with God. My parents got a divorce when I was a senior in high school, and I really needed a PLACE of safety. I agree that there are amazing church buildings filled with vibrant churches all across this planet. Praise God for what’s happening in that little community. God always seems to do his greatest things through the smallest communities.

    • RCM- Steve 3:36 am on July 1, 2007 Permalink

      Awesome, awesome post. I want to read this one at our missional evangelism book study on Tuesday night. It’s just so on the mark…
      (pun intended) : )

    • Mark 11:23 pm on July 1, 2007 Permalink

      Steve, thanks for the encouragement. What’s the book you are reading together?

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