The word of the Lord...

Since i'm not advertising this to anyone, it's highly unlikely that anyone will read this. On the off chance that someone stumbles across this, just know that these are things that I believe God has been showing me over the last couple of weeks. I write them here for posterity, in case I need to reflect on these things later, or my kids need to discover who I was. Also, i'm kind of desperate to share these with someone. And this almost counts. It's actually been hard for me to do this, cause i feel like it's almost boasting, and I really struggle with pride.

We can consecrate things through offering thanks for them to God -- at least, according to something Paul says to timothy. God instructed me to consecrate myself by offering true thanks for things. Meal times are a good example where it's easy to feign thankfulness,or to lose it in ritual. I really want my kids to know i'm grateful for the food God gives us.

I need to increase my pursuit level of God. It's so easy to be casual about it, my last post was just a little to casual actually. While it's great to be care free, the old ignorance is bliss line is a load of crap. Ignorance is the precursor to destruction (sounds very old testament). When it comes to my relationship with God, He's asking me to go much deeper. Not a causal prayer time here and there. It need to be extended periods, almost regularly. And this is actually what i want. I've been praying for a deep level transformation in my life, for guidance in stepping out of my current life into the one depicted in the new testament. Well, guess what, it's not going to come by just ordering it through a spiritual drive through. By His name, may we never be like Simon the sorcerer (although he at least was willing to pay for it).

So be these things.

Danger: Religious thinking ahead.

Nothing get’s in the way of a relationship with God like religious thinking. Many times I would think about how the Bible describes Jesus going to lonely, desolate places to pray. Growing up in the church I’ve heard many teachings about the spiritual importance of doing this, of isolating yourself from all others, just having you and God time. And I would think how convenient it was For Jesus to be able to do this, living with a wilderness as it were, in His back yard. There were only a few roads, a pre-industrial society, no cell phones, and no schedule to maintain. How nice to be able to just wander away and be alone With God.

By contrast this for me is very hard. I have a wife and children, an 8-5 job, two mortgages, and yard. And I don’t exactly have a wilderness handy that I can just go to. Everything within a couple hours walking distance is city, either neighborhoods or businesses. There are a few small city parks, but that’s about it. So for me, being able to go into the wilderness seemed nearly impossible, short of winning the lottery and being able to backpack through Yellowstone or something.

But recently, I realized that I needed to redefine my idea of wilderness. In many parts of America, such as the place I live, no one will talk to you if you don’t talk to them. In fact, you can be entirely isolated from others even as you pass by the houses people live in. In many ways, we just don’t naturally interact with each other.

Near my house is small community center play ground, with a slide, a swing set, and some monkey bars. Next to it are three park benches. I went over to one of these park benches the other night and had a great time of prayer. I was perhaps only 50 ft from the curb, street lights all around, a Kroger right next to me, and people walking by on the street. But because this is America, I was alone. And it was great. I felt completely free to pray about anything I wanted.

Another time, I went randomly walking through the city on a hot day. In my world, no one who has a car goes walking on a hot day. But I did. Again, I was pretty much completely alone. A few scattered “hellos” were the extent of my human interaction. And I discovered some great places for reflection. A freeway underpass, a park bench, even a sweaty covered bus stop. All of these were places where the spirit that is the true me could reach out to God and ask for definition, for guidance, for re-assurance.

Don’t let religious prescriptions keep you from establishing a talking, verbal, contemplative relationship with God. God can be found anywhere if you are looking. And it doesn’t have to be first thing in the morning. Or like every single day. You should pursue it as an affair, with just the right mixture of spontaneity and intention.

It’s astonishing that one as base as myself sees fit to offer guidance to others. Please consume at your own risk.