I believe one of the most important, the most vital aspects of the Christian life, that is our part, is to train ourself to go immediately and directly to God when you are discouraged.“When you are deeply discouraged, remember Me.”

It’s really a Retraining, because we’ve been trained most of our lives to probably do something different–dwell on the hurt, call a friend to gossip, drink a bomber of Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale, etc.

But what is difficult at first, that can become habit, is to cry out to God in desperate need AND trust that He is there and more than willing to meet us in our discouragement and lift us out of it. Circumstances may not change, and we may even continue to dislike a situation to some degree, but He brings peace in the midst of it–if we go to Him humbly and in faith, trusting He is ever true to His word.

“When you are deeply discouraged, remember Me.”

And isn’t peace what we all want at the end of the day?

We should talk about this for a few days…

“When you are deeply discouraged, remember Me.”

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Years ago, while attending College Park Church, one of the pastors said something that has always stayed with me:

“Spectators become critics. Participants become boosters.”

It was so convicting for just six words. It’s true, when you stay a mere spectator, be it at church, your kids’ school, whatever, you inevitably become more of a critic. Like those old guys from the Muppets up there in the picture, you never are part of the show. You just watch from afar judging it, criticizing it.

But when you get involved, and become part of the process, you become a supporter.* Why? Because you start to see what it really takes to run things. You move from “Serve me” to “Let me serve.” And you also partner in relationship to some degree, so you start to care more for the people in charge and don’t just view the organization as a lifeless entity, devoid of all heart. You start to realize it is made up of people with real lives, fears, and hopes just like you.

So if you find yourself becoming critical, start participating, and be the change you want to see.

Or shut up. Because people love nothing more than being told how to do their work by someone they’re not even in relationship with…

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*I suppose it is possible to become a participating supporter in something that you discover to be truly toxic or messed up, but hey, isn’t that a much better way to go about it? I believe it to be for us Christians who are suppose to be loving the hell out of the world.

Always only for my King

Prefer nothing whatever to Christ and let peace be your quest and aim. There’s just something about simple surroundings that fosters peace and spiritual openness, while the atmosphere of “stuff” serves as a spiritual distraction.

Moderation

• There’s a difference between needs and wants.
• Moderation is an important ingredient to living simply because excess can affect us spiritually.
• The desire to possess will fill up that inner void which keeps a person open to the experience of God.
• “Stuff” clutters our minds and hearts, blocks our journey to God, and undermines the biblical mandate for justice.

Balance & Flexibility

• A balance of prayer, study, work, rest, and meals promotes living simply because it encourages a healthy wholeness–all aspects of life are honored and developed.
• We are mind, body, soul beings. While we make time to feed our body and mind, we often neglect our soul.
• The soul is healthy to the extent that it maintains a strong connection and receptivity to God.
• Often, symptoms of soul neglect include self-absorption, shame, apathy, toxic anger, physical fatigue, isolation, stronger temptation to sin, drivenness, feelings of desperation, panic, insecurity, callousness, a judgmental attitude, cynicism, and lack of desire for God.
• Some symptoms of soul health would be love, joy, compassion, giving and receiving grace, generosity of spirit, peace, ability to trust, discernment, humility, creativity, vision, balance, and focus.
• Living simply means performing a task to the best of our abilities without letting it absorb us.

Attending to the Present Moment

• Accepting what is before us, rather than seeking escape, leads to simplicity
• Observing a lawn sprinkler, the driest part of the grass was that which was closest to the sprinkler.
• Living each moment surrendered to the love of God, fully trusting Him for everything is, in fact, EVERYTHING.

Generosity of Spirit

• Simplicity in relationships asks for generosity of spirit, respect for others, honesty, and a heart focused on harmony.
• Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else.
• Admit your mistakes, compete with one another in showing respect, support one another’s weaknesses of body and behavior, be forgiving, serve one another, and refrain from grumbling.
• One of the greatest obstacles to living simply is the desire to bend people and situations to our liking.

Time With God

• What if time with God was the priority around which your life revolved? How do you think it would change you?
• I have no idea as to any other way to be genuinely metamorphosed from the inside out for the purpose of becoming like Christ, and to amalgamate your desires with God’s, than by simply spending time with God, exposing your bare self to His transforming energy in focused, attentive listening.

Well, this has been fun!

Always only for my King

Common prayer is the priority around which life in the monastery revolves. Even if a monk is away from the monastery, Benedict instructs that he is to pray at the appointed hours to keep in tune with God and with his community. “Listen readily to holy reading, and devote yourself often to prayer.”

What if time with God was the priority around which our life revolved?

If you want a suntan, you need to expose your bare skin to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun’s rays. This is the only way to get a genuine suntan. There is no other source of energy you can expose yourself to or soak up in order to get a suntan. You may go to a tanning bed, but you do not come away with a suntan, you merely obtain a fluorescent lamp tan. That’s because the energy you put yourself under was fluorescent light bulbs, not the sun’s rays. You may paint yourself brown, take pills, use tanning lotion, oil, or injections, and they may give the appearance that you have a suntan; and you may even look pretty darn good, but none of these methods give you an authentic tan from the sun’s UV rays because guess what. None of those method’s sources are…the SUN.

There is but one Source that can regenerate a human heart. Only one form of energy can transform the soul into Christ and enable us to live simply. And it is only by our naked exposure to the rays of grace emanating from God Himself that we are healed of our fallen nature, conformed into the image of Christ. Let no one fool you. There is no other way to be changed at the root of who you are. To be given a new nature. Laying yourself bare before the Word of God, the voice of Jesus, and the direct touch of the Holy Spirit in total belief, surrender, and receptivity is the one dependable way to be one with God and at peace in your soul.

I have no idea as to any other way to be genuinely metamorphosed from the inside out for the purpose of becoming like Christ, and to amalgamate your desires with God’s, than by simply spending time with God, exposing your bare self to His transforming energy in focused, listening attentiveness.

 

Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find Him.
-Hebrews 11:6

Always only for my King

In the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day, “a sound eye” was associated with generosity, and “an evil eye” referred to stinginess. Being stingy with your money, your gifts, or your time leads to deep darkness. Like unforgivenesss, it corrodes.Benedict believes deeply in the importance of community and the sanctity of relationships. Simplicity in relationships asks for generosity of spirit, respect for others, honesty, and a heart focused on harmony. His instructions can be summed up with these words from the chapter on Tools for Good Works: “Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else.” If this came first to all or even most Christians, I truly believe we would need much less counseling, therapy, and medication because we would be so focused on Christ and the needs of others. Not neglecting our own needs, we would be filled with our greatest need, the love of Christ. Nothing heals like this. Nothing.There are many tools in the Benedictine way to become a peacemaker: Admit your mistakes, compete with one another in showing respect, support one another’s weaknesses of body and behavior, be forgiving, serve one another, and refrain from grumbling. Ah, so simple. So beautiful.

So I can’t come up with a better way to phrase this next sentence by Jane Tomaine, so I will quote her verbatim, “One of the greatest obstacles to living simply is a desire to bend people or situations to our liking.”

Hey. Let’s read that again.

One of the greatest obstacles to living simply is the desire to bend people or situations to our liking.

When we exercise our “control muscles,” life gets complicated. We complicate life much of the time. It is way simpler than we generally make it. Letting go of the desire to bend people or situations to our own liking is supercharged acceptance. The Benedictine way reminds of our great need for humility–God is God; I am not God. BOOM. Benedict instructs a monk visiting another monastery to be “simply content” with what he finds. The monk is invited to make constructive observations but not to make excessive demands or find fault.

Throughout the Rule, he also cautions against grumbling or murmuring. When we grumble or murmur to others, or ourselves, we are not “simply content” with what we find, but desire instead to mold people and circumstances to our own choosing. We’ve seen before how what we call “venting” is actually just a recycling of an event we don’t like, and the message is sent to our brain and body to relive that event now. So there’s no real healing occurring, just a hellacious trauma re-do. Unless it is confession and/or crying out to God in order to hand it over to Him and release it as best we can, it is most likely complaining and driving us further into madness. But may we always respond tenderly to one another’s weaknesses.

One of the greatest obstacles to living simply is the desire to bend people or situations to our liking.

Man, oh man. That is deep.

Living in the present moment–attending to the people and situations in front of us right now. How difficult this is as so much tries to pull us away from the now. We are tempted to live in past regrets or angers. We worry about the future, forfeiting the now and what it has to offer. How often do we seek escape from people and situations.Two of the vows made by a member of a Benedictine community are stability and obedience. You make a lifetime promise to remain in the community, and therefore stay connected to people (stability). You promise to seek and follow God’s will at all times (obedience). You and I can embrace the spirit of these vows to ground ourselves in the present moment. Be wherever you are, seeking God’s will in it.

Acceptance is a huge part of living in the present moment. Accepting whatever is, right now, and proceeding accordingly, can be ridiculously difficult but amazingly liberating. It helps us to remain aware of God’s grace in the right now. God has everything, and we can proceed, no matter what, if we hold on to Him in abandoned trust. In his chapter on obedience, Benedict says that when a monastic is asked to do something, that person should “lay down whatever is in their hand, leaving it unfinished” and do what is asked of them. Holy hell, Batman, who does this?!? Is that sick and unnatural? Or is it infinite freedom?

It reminds me of a story about Brother Lawrence in which he was told one day, without warning, that something of considerable importance, very close to his heart, and for which he had worked a long time, could not be carried out. In fact, the opposite of what he had invested so much in had just been decided. His only reply was, “We must believe that those who made this decision did so for good reasons. Our task is to implement it and not to speak of it any more.” And that is exactly what he did, so completely in fact, that he never even spoke of it again, though he had many opportunities. My goodness, Brother Lawrence is someone to emulate. I can think of no greater example of simplicity and faith in Christ than this guy. He knew, lived, and voiced that God, needing nothing, does not look at our actions, but the love that is behind them. Does God need our action to get things done because He is so swamped with governing the universe and just can’t get to everything? Or does He simply desire our love which will naturally result in responsive service and gratitude to Him?

Finally, in Benedict’s chapter on humility, he asks the monastic to embrace even a difficult task without “weakening or seeking escape.” Accepting what is before us, rather than seeking escape, leads to simplicity. And this simplicity of acceptance leads to peace and freedom due to uninhibited faith and trust in God’s goodness and ability to bring good out of anything.

Did Jesus say anything about attending to the present moment? I believe He most brilliantly did when He told the story of “The Good Samaritan” as we call it. There is no more powerful description of the beauty of attending to the present moment than this. Attend to what is before you everyday. Love those who are closest to you and in your path as provided by YHWH. Keep your attention on who is in front of you that you can demonstrate agape to in the moment. It always cracks me up when someone says, “I’m looking for a ministry to get involved with somewhere.” I don’t doubt their heart, but just wonder why we complicate it like we do. It’s as simple as opening your eyes and ears and paying attention to what is already around you. It will be clear. It will be provided. A preacher friend of mine shared an illustration related to this. His dad was observing a water sprinkler one day and noticed that the driest part of the grass was that which was closest to the sprinkler. Don’t overlook what is right in front of you in order to go minister “over there.” Unless God tells you to go to London, of course!!! 🙂 Then you better get going.

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I must say, for me, that if there does exist the “secret” to living this life, that it is living as Brother Lawrence did about 400 years ago. His little book has been instrumental in my life. Next to the Bible, I recommend it above all other books this world has to offer. If you want a copy, let me know. I pick them up for $2.97 at Agape Bookstore all the time. For a modern version, check out Greg Boyd’s incredible Present Perfect.

Living each moment surrendered to the love of God, fully trusting Him for everything is, in fact, EVERYTHING.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

There is an ordered pattern of daily prayer, work, study, rest, and meals in Benedictine life. Such a balance of activities promotes living simply because it encourages a healthy wholeness–all aspects of life are honored and developed. The balance of prayer, work, study, rest, and meals is so inviting. We are mind, body, and soul beings. In fact, some have even said that this Trinitarian form of being reflects how we are made in God’s image. But it seems we generally forget or neglect the fact that we have a soul.We nourish our bodies. Well, we feed our bodies at least. A lot apparently. It looks like 68.5% of us feed our bodies too much, and 34.9% of us stuff our faces waaaaay too much.*

We feed our minds. Again, we don’t want to assume everyone is nourishing their mind, but it does seem we feed it with…something. A lot of something according to phone, computer, Netflix, and Hulu usage. But hey, a lot of people go to college, feed their minds, and earn degrees too, from what I’ve read. We’re definitely feeding.

But our soul. Our soul is the core and the essence of who we really are. And our souls are living. Therefore, like all living things, our souls can thrive or they can diminish and shrivel. They form the very foundation of who we are, the deepest level of life and power in the human being. As Dallas Willard puts it, our soul is like the silent, invisible yet necessary central processing unit of our person. Our soul, and thus our soul’s health, is the driving force behind everything that matters to us.

So why the neglect of something so important? Maybe we don’t know what makes a soul healthy. Well, it’s not related to external circumstances, that’s for sure. Quite simply, the soul is healthy to the extent that it maintains a strong connection and receptivity to God. To nourish our soul, we must feed on God. For me personally, nothing nourishes my soul more or allows me to feed more directly on God than intentional times of listening prayer. Sitting in the presence of God, soaking it in, and just listening to Him for anywhere from twenty minutes to two hours. Also, I have found lectio divina and the examen to be extremely effective for nourishing my soul by feeding on God.

Often, symptoms of soul neglect include self-absorption, shame, apathy, toxic anger, physical fatigue, isolation, stronger temptation to sin, drivenness, feelings of desperation, panic, insecurity, callousness, a judgmental attitude, cynicism, and lack of desire for God.

Some symptoms of soul health would be love, joy, compassion, giving and receiving grace, generosity of spirit, peace, ability to trust, discernment, humility, creativity, vision, balance, and focus.

So there’s the balance of feeding our whole selves in order to be a whole person. Then there’s the flexibility with ourselves, others, and our circumstances required for living simply. I heard years ago that the average person is interrupted 72 times a day. So the way I see it, you have two choices: Be flexible, or be a grumpy, impatient jackass.

“How we do what we do is as important as what we do. There’s two extremes–sloppiness on one end, and perfectionism on the other. Perfectionists are never–or rarely–satisfied. Benedict says gifts are to be used, but only if they do not become a source of pride. Living simply means performing a task to the best of our abilities without letting it absorb us.” -Jane Tomaine

Living balanced and flexible lives brings a grace to us and those around us, as well as a unity that is felt because of the wholeness that it fosters.

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**These numbers come from the CDC. According to their statistics, 68.5% of people in the U.S. are overweight and obese. 34.9% are obese.

 

The two paragraphs on the symptoms of soul neglect and soul health I took from Mindy Caliguire’s little book Discovering Soul Care.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

There is a difference between needs and wants.When it comes to clothing, food, work, possessions, and speech, Benedict emphasizes moderation. For example, on the chapter concerning clothing and footwear, he says it should be adequate and appropriate, and more than two complete garments is “superfluous!” And if you receive a new garment, the old is to be given to the poor.So last year I was “moderately” impressed with myself when I whittled my t-shirt collection down to 156.* Yes, you read correctly, I got it down to 156. How ’bout me, savin’ the world thru my generous t-shirt give-away. I should button up my top button so my huge heart doesn’t fall out. Wow. Sad.Needs and wants.

What do we really need?

One thing we did this year that helped to distinguish between needs and wants was follow in the footsteps of some awesome friends of ours and practiced “No-Spend January.” Other than paying our mortgage and putting gas in the cars, we pretty much spent nothing. We had stocked up on beans and rice the month before and were all set. And you know what? It wasn’t all that difficult. And something else, we realized how much we don’t really need. How many things we buy are simply “wants.” And you know what else? We survived! Somehow we did not die in January. I did lose 9 lbs. that month, but I had a few people tell me that that really needed to happen regardless of what we spent. Thanks for noticing.

Moderation is an important ingredient in living simply because excess can affect us spiritually. Just think of all the unnecessary energy I’ve spent upon t-shirt selection in the mornings that I could’ve reserved for more prayer and thoughts of others. In The Way of Simplicity, Esther de Waal writes that the desire to possess “will fill up that inner void which keeps a person open to the experience of God.” I love that honesty. It is popular in the spiritual world to tout that “money and things won’t make you happy!” but they sure can be a lot of fun for a while! We can fill up those voids with stuff and crowd out that felt need and desire for God for quite some time here in our super affluent country. Now we do know that things don’t ultimately satisfy, but we can distract ourselves for quite some time before we may have to take some genuine personal inventory and figure out why we’re such a discontent mess.

“‘Stuff’ clutters our minds and hearts, blocks our journey to God, and undermines the biblical mandate for justice,” as Jane Tomaine so eloquently puts it. And Joan Chittister, O.S.B.** writes that “We have to pare life down to its simplest base” to “learn the difference between needs and wants so that the needs of all can be supplied.”

Moderation is also important with regard to our time. Taking on too much blocks our living simply and our time with God–from the reality of the spiritual realm and what is most important. Benedict explains, “all things are to be done in moderation because of the fainthearted.” All things are to be arranged so that “the strong have something to yearn for and the weak have nothing to run from.” What a great balance to keep in mind. Aim high but don’t be so over the top as to scare people away from you! And it can be very good to sit down from time to time and write out the list of all your roles and responsibilities and their frequencies/requirements to see what all you’re really doing. Like tracking every dollar you spend for a month or so, it may be shocking to you to see where all your time goes. A couple months ago I did this and was surprised to see how many things I was involved with as an unemployed stay-at-home dad. So naturally, I cut a few things out that weren’t as important–like working with children, you understand.

Here’s an example of my own list of roles I came up with recently:

1. Child of God
2. Husband
3. Father
4. Spiritual partner
5. Ripple Effect facilitator
6. Iron Men of Oaks coordinator
7. School of Spiritual Direction student
8. Daily Meditation writer
9. Workout partner
10. Son
11. Field trip chaperone
12. House Church co-leader

So it’s easy to see on paper how many things we are doing and keeping up with and, hence, the need to pare down to the most necessary and the called upon by God. The first three on my list alone account for a minimum of 9 hours of my day. So i must use strategery in using my time well.

Keep a time log for a week…if you’re brave enough. Schedule meetings with Jesus and let NOTHING get in the way of keeping those appointments. Just try it. See what happens. Spend an hour alone with God everyday for one month and then come tell me your life sucks more than it did before and you feel much emptier inside. Right.

That list mentioned at the beginning is interesting in that it advocates moderation not only in the obvious things, but also in work, which I’m a HUGE fan of having moderation in, and also speech. Even good words are not to be said out of esteem for silence. Moderation asks us to listen more and talk less. Try using fewer words maybe. Think more before you speak. Try counting to five before answering anybody for a week. It may drive you crazy. Or be awesome.

Hopefully this all culminates in actually having less to think about. Oh the simplicity, serenity, and peace that comes from thinking about fewer things!

 

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*See how I used the word moderately there in this talk on moderation?

**Stands for “Order of Saint Benedict”
In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Do you ever desire simplicity? Do you sometimes just want….less?

Less stuff.

Less to think about.

Less to do.

Saint Benedict wrote his Rule over 1,500 years ago, yet it is still followed by many today. Does it have anything to say to us familial suburbanites in 2015 hurry busy America?

Have you ever been to a retreat center and stayed in one of those rooms with nothing but a desk, lamp, and bed? There’s just something about simple surroundings that fosters peace and spiritual openness, while the atmosphere of “stuff” serves as a spiritual distraction.

“Prefer nothing whatever to Christ,” Benedict advises, and “let peace be your quest and aim.”

Centering life on Christ and seeking this peace form the foundation of simplicity and frame five practices from Benedict’s Rule:

• Moderation
• Balance and Flexibility
• Attending to the Present Moment
• Generosity of Spirit
• Time with God

“These practices guide our relationship with possessions, with God, and with others to form a framework for living simply.” -Rev. Dr. Jane Tomaine

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria