“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:31-32

Clutter, it accumulates easily, and as it does, it becomes a bigger impediment to our lives. Spiritual clutter, restricts our growth and hampers our faith.

One person who commented on the last post, raised an important point. Some things that clutter our lives can actually be fodder for growth and creativity as we mature. This week, I spent some time unpacking my studio. There were boxes of art supplies for me to go through. There still are, but what I did sort through revealed many things I forgot I possessed, and a few things I thought I disposed of. Many of these items provided some fresh inspiration for new projects, and I am glad they were still there to be found.

Not everything that appears to be clutter actually is, however, many things we become accustomed to may be more of a hinderance that we actually know. Looking for space in my studio revealed a number of things that were merely taking up valuable space. I feel attached to them because they were with me for quite a while, but it may be time for me to embrace greater simplicity. Maybe simplifying will be a good topic for the future. For the moment, let’s further consider our spiritual clutter. Tuesday, we looked at some of the larger pieces of spiritual clutter. Today, lets consider some other negative things that take up valuable space in our hearts.

Anger – We all get angry. People and things frustrate us, they hurt us, and from those initial emotions, anger develops. Anger is always a secondary emotion, but it is a powerful one, and when we harbor anger in our hearts, it damages our relationships. There is a place for righteous anger, but all too often we use that exemption to maintain harmful forms of anger adorned in righteous coverings. Real anger separates. It fuels division, and restricts healthy relationships. It affects our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves.

Anger is toxic, and it is contagious. As the old axiom goes, “hurting people hurt people.” That is why the Scripture enjoins us to put it away along with bitterness, slander, and malice. Harboring these emotions, or acting on them, leads to great pain for everyone involved. The more we nurture them, the larger, and stronger, they become. This is a form of clutter that can choke the life out of our spirit.

Unforgiveness – Closely related to anger, the lack of forgiveness fosters pain in our spiritual life. People do harmful things and it is hard to release those experiences, and even harder to forgive those who caused them. However, our inability to forgive will never right the wrongs, nor will it lead to healing. Ultimately, it will attack and consume us without justice or restoration. As someone once said, “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” When we forgive, we do not condone harmful actions, nor do we excuse the people who did us harm, however, we stop the cycle of harm in our lives and free ourselves from the grip of our wounds. It is not easy to forgive, but the more we realize our own need for forgiveness, it becomes easier to extend it to others.

Bitterness and Hate – These are burdens that are simply to heavy to carry. They cause us to elevate ourselves above others. We begin to embrace an attitude of superiority which leads to judgement, discrimination, and destruction. Slander and gossip follow, as we seek to demean someone else in order to feel better ourselves. Many, if not all, of the “isms” we face in our society find their roots in bitterness and hate. When we pull up these roots, we destroy their fruit as well. The more that we embrace the Biblical call to be kind, tenderhearted, and loving, the more that we reflect the heart of God and find peace in our lives.

As I reflect on these harmful forms of spiritual clutter, I am reminded of all of the broken things I kept in my life because they were familiar, or filled with emotional connections. No matter what memories I connected with them, they were no less broken. Likewise, holding on to places of spiritual brokenness is equally unhelpful, and only prevents us from receiving the wholeness God designed for us.

There are numerous, other pieces of spiritual clutter that affect our faith journey, and there are things that may be obstacles in each of our lives that may not be issues for others. If we truly desire to live in God’s hope and peace, we ought accept the challenge to do the necessary, personal house cleaning. The Psalmist said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:22-23) Maybe this should be a regular prayer.

If we will let God shine the light into our lives, God will reveal any grievous thing that needs to be removed. Then, we can trust the love of Jesus to cleanse us, and the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to release the clutter, giving greater space for the Sprit to fill us. It sounds intimidating, but it seems like a very good trade to me.

The post Removing Spiritual Clutter – Part 2 appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

It’s been two months since we moved into our new home. While many things are in their proper place, plenty of boxes remain unpacked, and many of our belongings still need a space. Our home is functional, but we are still working around the clutter of boxes and displaced things. Every day brings improvement, however, we will be glad to be completely settled.

Clutter is expected at times, yet it is challenging to our senses and our functionality. Many people claim that it is a sign of creativity and boosts the creative spirit. I do not know how true that idea is, but practically, clutter is a distraction that inhibits our effectiveness. Time spent hunting through the mess to find what we need is wasted. Homeless items can be significant obstacles, and numerous studies reveal that our clutter is a cause for anxiety.

Spiritual clutter is no less significant and distracting. When our spirits are messy, we wrestle to find deep, inner peace. We were not designed to function with such spiritual distractions and we can find difficulty maintaining our sense of centeredness and we impede our growth in faith. As we allow spiritual clutter to accumulate, we invite further difficulties into our faith journey, we lose momentum in spiritual development, and we can easily become discouraged. We need to take time to clean our the clutter in order to have a more dynamic relationship with God.

So, what is this spiritual clutter and how do we get rid of it? While there is no way to create a comprehensive list, there are some common culprits and the methods used to address them reveal ways to deal with other areas as they arise.

Sin – Sin is not a popular word in our modern vocabulary. It sounds condemning, and we prefer to avoid discussing it. Jesus, however, thought it was significant and worthy of our attention. Sin inhibits our relationship with God. When we choose actions that strain our relationship with God, we create unnecessary obstacles to our faith walk, and we hamper our spiritual life. Thankfully, God does not want us to live in our brokenness, but provides us with a way out through the gift of Jesus Christ. Sin does not have to have authority over us. The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9) The solution is as simple as honestly confessing our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness in Jesus.

Self-condemnation – Too often we replay the tapes in our minds that tell us we are not enough. We rehearse our failures and reflect on the voices that speak poorly about us. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. We accept the lies that we are unlovable, too flawed, even rejected by God, but that is not how God sees us. We are created in the image of God and made perfect through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are deeply loved and desired by God. We may not be perfect, but we are on the path to perfection, and we are worthy because God says so.

Guilt – It is easy to believe that our past failures prevent us from experiencing God’s goodness. The good news is that God does not consult our past to determine our future. Rather, God declares our future in spite of our past. It is never about our ability to measure up. It is always about abiding in Christ and being found in him. Our past is just that, past. Here, in the present, we are new creatures in Christ. The old is gone. The new is come. Carrying our faults and failures is too great of a weight for our shoulders. We cast those things on Christ and walk in the freedom he gives us.

Spiritual Busyness – “If only I was doing more,” we tell ourselves, “then I would be the right kind of Christian.” It is certainly good to challenge ourselves to grow, and to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but it is not good to judge ourselves by what others do, or by an expectation God did not set for us. Perfect Sunday attendance, participation in every church event, and religious activity are not the litmus test of our faith, neither is how much of the Bible we read or memorize, how long we pray, or how many devotionals we read. We can fill our schedules with a myriad of religious activities and grow no closer to God, while making ourselves less available to what God is actually calling us to do. We need to be wise in the stewardship of our time, dedicating enough to have the resources to grow and serve, while leaving room for our relationship with Jesus. We do not need to prove our faith, we need to live it.

Imagine what would happen in our lives if we removed these, and other, obstacles so the fruit of the Spirit could grow freely in us. Imagine what would happen in the world around us. We were meant to experience the wonder and blessing of a life with Christ, a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Not only is this possible, it is God’s perfect design for our lives.

So, as we embrace this new day, let’s remove the spiritual clutter to make room for the Spirit’s presence. Together, we can let go of the things that choke the life out of our faith, and we can take hold of the blessings God has for us. As the clutter clears, we will find greater freedom, greater clarity, and a greater life. Cleaning is never easy, but when we are done, it is worth it. So, let’s take the first steps today.

The post Removing Spiritual Clutter – Part 1 appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

I love the smell of rain, especially when mixed with the ionized air of a thunderstorm. I enjoy the sound of the falling sheets of water, and the raindrops on the roof. Watching them dance on the road, or falling on the leaves, pausing only a moment before continuing their descent to the ground inspires awe at the vast simplicity of nature’s beauty, and God’s creativity, and it is a beautiful creativity with a purpose.

The sights, sounds, and smells that I enjoy in these moments are signs of the heavens refreshing the earth. Each raindrop brings life to grass and trees, to wildflowers and potted plants. Animals will cool off in the showers and refresh themselves with these waters. All living things will be nourished through the life-giving rain. Even I will find future blessings as well water is replenished, and the natural beauty I love is sustained. Far beyond Doppler images and weather forecasts, such storms are the fingerprint of God upon all life.

Simultaneously, these rainstorms are a force of great power. As I watched the rain falling Friday night, in sheets off the roof of our front porch, not far away, people were being evacuated from campsites for safety, and streams and rivers were rising to dangerous levels. In some places these waters were causing significant damage. Basements flooded, and cars, homes, and businesses were destroyed. This is powerful beauty.

I’ve heard a number of praise songs and prayers that invite the Holy Spirit to rain down upon us. It is a fitting image of the beauty of God’s refreshing grace. It is also an invitation to be filled with God’s awesome power. These images overflow with meaning, but when we speak them, do we really consider what we are asking for? We desire refreshing, and strength to walk victoriously through our lives, but are we ready for all the Spirit will unleash?

A woman in a church I served once said to me, “Pastor, I feel like the Holy Spirit is in our church, but I also feel like we keep him under glass. We want his presence, but we are cautious about letting him move.” I shared this reflection with our leaders and from our conversation came an initiative we titled, “Take the Lid Off.” It was a bold decision, and a bolder request. What would happen if we let the Spirit do whatever he wanted?

A few weeks after we began sharing our vision with the whole congregation, a man came to see me. He was worried. “If we do this thing… if we take the lid off of the Holy Spirit, things could get out of hand,” he said. He was more insightful than he knew. I wanted to comfort him, assure him that everything would stay in order, but I knew better. We were asking God to release the power of the Spirit. In some places, that would be a gentle, refreshing rain. In others, it would be a flood that would destroy the things that held us back from God’s best for us. Unlike the recent, powerful thunderstorms, the results would all be beneficial, yet similarly, the experience would be anything but easy, in some places.

Clearly, God is not the source of calamity in our lives. Jesus demonstrated God’s heart was one of compassion. Repeatedly, in the Gospels, it says, “he had compassion on them…” Still, the Holy Spirit is not to be played with, as if the Spirit were merely an agent of God to make us happy and give us what we want. The Holy Spirit is God. He works in us to produce God’s will for our lives and for the world. The Spirit is the powerful beauty of God intimately at work in human lives.

Inviting the Holy Spirit to rain down is an excellent, and worthy prayer. Such a prayer is much more than seeking spiritual goosebumps or expecting some cosmic good vibes. Asking for the rain of the Spirit, is asking for the manifest reign of God. It is trusting God for what is best, and yielding every part of our lives to God’s desire and and design. God loves to manifest the Spirit in our lives, but never does so on our terms. God does not perform for us, rather, God produces spiritual fruit in us. This may come in the form of refreshing rains upon the soil of our heart, or it may result in the stripping away of what is lifeless so that new life can spring forth. Typically, like awe-inspiring thunderstorms, it is both. When the powerful beauty of God is released in our midst, that creative force will remake us. As Jesus said in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.”

This may sound frightening, but God is not the source of fear. God is, however, worthy of our respect and awe. It is no small thing to invite God into our lives, but when we do, we will see the true goodness of God’s powerful beauty at work. We will become reflections of God, powerful in the Spirit, and beautiful in Christ.

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“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” – Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

God finds unexpected ways to get your attention, and if you are willing, your awareness Divine presence will teach you everything.

The morning was fairly routine. There were a number of things on my “to-do” list, but I began with some time alone with God on our front porch. It’s become a bit of sacred space for me as I enter God’s presence to the sound of birdsong, roosters crowing, and squirrels chattering. I even get some of nature’s visitors who join me for devotions. I love reflecting on Scripture and praying in the stillness of this serene environment.

This morning, God’s inroad was going to be different. It seemed like every other morning, but I struggled to stay focused. The list of things I needed to do kept creeping into my thoughts and I would need to re-center. Then came the noise. It was not a loud noise, just a persistent, rhythmic squeaking. I thought it might be the neighbor’s chickens at first, but it was too uniform and constant. Honestly, in my distracted state, it was annoying.

Looking up from my prayers, I found the source. A lone child on our church playground was fully enjoying one of our swings. I thought, “this can’t last much longer,” but it did. I was about to abandon my devotional time and launch into work, when I realized God was speaking, and speaking through the noise of a swing. While I was busy seeking some deep insight, this precious child of God was embracing pure joy. It was as if God kept saying, “Quit trying so hard, and savor my presence.” So I did, and it was far better than what I planned.

We can get caught in our efforts, however well-intentioned, and miss the revelation meant for us. God is always speaking to us, sometimes in ways we don’t expect and may not be listening to. If we will remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, our senses will be heightened to recognize when something ordinary is anything but that.

Just as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, we need the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened so that we can see God’s revelation. It may not be a child or a swing set, but God invites us to live with eyes of wonder to see, and experience, the joy of the Lord. We need our spiritual disciplines, including reading the Bible and prayer, but we will also benefit from open hearts to hear what God is saying to us through the world around us. While that revelation will never oppose the Word of God, it will help us discover a deeper awareness of God’s word to us.

Today, may the Spirit help us remain open, attentive, and receptive to what God is saying to us through all of life.

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A solid faith is a thinking faith. God blessed us with the gift of reason, and it is a gift that must not remain unused. Reason helps us to apply what we learn, think deeply about our beliefs and experiences, and share the truth with others. As we wrestle through experiences, questions, and doubts, we strengthen our faith, and refine its impact upon our lives.

John Wesley believed that Scripture was sufficient unto itself, and the foundation of true religion. Yet, he understood the value of reason. He said, “Now, of what excellent use is reason, if we would either understand ourselves, or explain to others, those living oracles.” Rather than merely memorizing truths and doctrine, he encouraged people of faith to reflect deeply and grow in their understanding.

Over the course of my ministry, numerous people have inquired about the best way to get around doing the study and thinking for themselves. One person was even quite straightforward in their request, “I really don’t want to think about all this, ” they said, “Can’t you just tell me what to believe and do?” I don’t think they liked my answer, but loving leadership does not just tell people all the answers. We need to engage our faith in thoughtful ways in order to truly understand it, and live it.

Yesterday, I was blessed to have lunch with a friend and colleague. He and I hold many things in common, but we also see some things quite differently. During our conversation, we engaged some significant issues. Rather than argue our positions in an attempt to convince the other, we shared our thoughts and positions in order for both of us to grow in our understanding. I am still unpacking some of the powerful things he said, and will be for some time. His words drove me back to Scripture, Tradition, and my experience, causing me to reason through some things I strongly believe. I may discover that I need to adjust my position, or I may better understand, and express, what I already believe. Either way, reasoning together, and on my own, will be worth the effort.

This leads to an important point. Incorporating reason in our spiritual discernment involves more than just our own thoughts. We need to listen to, and engage, the reasoning of others. While our faith is deeply personal, it is never private. We are a community of faith, and each person has something of great value to bring to the discussion. We need to value others, even those who radically disagree with us, so that together, we can discern the will of God.

A final thought worth consideration is that our reasoning is not just about our human abilities. Christian reason is always assisted by the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (14:26) Truth faith is not of our own making, it is grounded in the revelation of God. To rightly reason regarding God’s involves a harmony of my thoughts, the thoughts of the community of faith, and the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

A Bonus Note

While the heart of the discernment process involves these four steps, Wesley did include a final step in his practice as a litmus test of our insight. Knowing that we can travel down wrong paths, even with the best of intentions, he encouraged taking our discoveries and testing their agreement with Scripture. Since the Bible is the foundation for true religion, any revelation we receive must remain consistent with the teaching of Scripture. Just as we must check our math after solving a problem, so we must check our theological discovery against the word before we accept it. We may find that we reasoned well, or we may need to revisit the process to discover where we went off track. Either way, we will continue to grow though our reflection, our conversations, and our listening to the Holy Spirit.

May your weekend be blessed, and your days ahead, as you grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

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Identifying the sources of negative spiritual gravity in our lives is the first step to breaking free. When we see what is holding us back, those things begin to lose some power in the light of that exposure, but knowing gravity exists will not give us the power to overcome its pull. We need to take active steps to move upward. Here are five steps that can build the momentum we need.

Dream God-Sized Dreams

Do you remember your imagination? You probably used it a lot when you were younger, but in the course of maturity, we become more conservative in our vision and we constrain our dreams. God dreams big dreams, and you are created in God’s image. You were made to pursue grand visions, not to settle for what is common, or easy. The first step toward breaking free from the sources of negative spiritual gravity is to give our imaginations permission to dream big again.

What would you do if you had nothing holding you back? What captivates your heart? What is burning within you, crying to be free? These are the questions to ask, and ponder. Take the shackles off of your dreams, and embrace the Biblical promise that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Remember, we have a God who can do, “exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or imagine through his power that is at work within you.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Take Hold of the Vision

Dreams remain dreams until we embrace them, then they become a vision. Keep dreaming, but as you begin to resonate with your dreams, let them become visions that draw you forward. To use the rocket illustration of the past two days, launches do not happen by accident, nor are they just to see the rocket go up. There is a clear vision of the rocket’s purpose, direction, and destination. Dreams must be distilled into a vision. Even if all of the details are not clear, the next step is to own the vision that is growing within you. Once you take hold of it, the clarity will begin to come, and you will be on your way. God reminded the prophet Habakkuk, “The vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)

Fill Your Tank with Faith

You cannot create energy without fuel, and that fuel is faith. Breaking free will involve building our faith, and increasing the capacity for faith in our lives. Start with what you have. If your faith is low, then use what you have to accomplish small victories. A series of small steps accomplishes the same thing as a giant leap, and with each step completed, your faith will grow.

It is also important to feed on inspiration. Read Scripture, pray, and spend time in fellowship with others who dream God-sized dreams. Read books by people with vision and faith. Savor the stories of faith-filled people, both past and present. It is very easy to find stories of defeat and discouragement. Make the effort to fill yourself with things that strengthen your faith and deepen your dreams.

As hard as it is to hear, it may be necessary to remove yourself from voices that speak negativity and defeat. It is very hard to build faith when others are holding you back. I am not suggesting our relationships with people are merely expendable, but embracing the dream God plants in your life may require limiting the impact some people have on your life and energy. Instead, surround yourself with people who will share their faith and help you fill your tank.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Breaking free from what holds us back involves playing one of the greatest, and most significant, games of follow the leader. Just as driving requires keeping our eyes on where we want to go, so moving forward into our destiny demands that we keep our eyes on the One who is leading us into it.

You might remember the story of the Apostle Peter. He was in a boat with the other disciples when they saw a figure walking on the waves. At first they are afraid, but then they realize that it is Jesus. Peter calls out to Jesus with a burst of faith and says, “Tell me to come out to you.” Jesus makes that invitation and Peter responds. Eyes on Jesus he begins to walk upon the same waves, out to where Jesus is. Somewhere along the way, he moves his attention from the One who called him to the waves surrounding him. With that simple shift of his gaze, he begins to sink into the water, causing Jesus to come to his rescue.

When our eyes are on Jesus, we can do amazing things. When we look away, we begin to sink. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Don’t Look Back

Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) Again, this is not a condemnation, merely a statement of fact. If we keep longingly looking back toward what held us captive, our fitness level is not ready for the demands of the race before us. Imagine an Olympic runner trying to win a race while looking back at the starting line. It simply doesn’t work. While God was surely with us in that place in the past, God is with us now calling us into our future. Remembering where we came from and what we did is fine, but our gaze must remain forward to run a fit race.

With these steps in mind we can trust Jesus to lead the way and the Holy Spirit to empower us to achieve the destiny God is calling us to embrace. I would love to say it is easy, but that is simply not true. Great things require great effort, and our calling is a great calling. However, if we remain faithful and disciplined; if we will persevere with passion, we will break free from the strongholds holding us back and soar into our future with Christ.

We will wrap up this theme looking at the wonder and beauty that is found soaring with Christ. Until then, let the Spirit build your faith, and keep your eyes on Jesus.

The post 5 Steps for Breaking Free (Gravity Pt. 3) appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Last week was our denomination’s Annual Conference. It is always great to see friends, experience great teaching and worship, and do the business of the church.

In preparation for the event, each of us receives a journal with all of the necessary information, including all of the action items for our time of business, details of the budget, and general information about our time together. Additionally, we are given a time to gather prior to the event to review the information together, receive clarification, and ask lots of questions. There is also plenty of time to reach out to others to become better informed.

In spite of all of the preparation time and options, there are still people who come expecting to hear about, and understand, the information after arriving at the conference. After nearly 30 years of attending these conferences and being a person who invests the time in reading and asking questions, I am always a little annoyed by those who don’t prepare, but more importantly, I feel bad for those who are trying to navigate all of the details at the last minute.

Unfortunately, too many people approach their faith in the same way. Life gets busy with many distractions. It becomes all too easy to coast through the week and then try to get close to God and grow deeper in faith by attending church services on Sunday. Just like procrastinating for an exam, it is hard to make it work by cramming things at the last minute, and just like those late night cramming sessions, what you gain is often lost quickly after the exam.

Being Christian is more than just going to church services. It is more than a lifestyle. It is a way of being that finds its identity in relationship to Jesus, and its purpose in loving and serving others. Worship is central to our daily lives, as are prayer, study, and reflection. Acts of compassion and concern for the world flow out of our relationship to its Creator. We do not merely go to church, we are the church, the body of Christ in the world.

We certainly need to be in community with other Christians. We were never meant to be islands; Lone Ranger saints who live without one another. The Psalmist reminds us, “How good it is when sisters and brothers dwell together in unity. We need the rootedness that comes from belonging to a connection with others. In that relationship there is a place for building one another up, offering compassionate correction, and growing together in God. We can live successful Christian lives on our own.

Yet, we cannot live successful Christian lives in relationship to one another and the world, if we do not nurture our faith in our everyday lives. An ongoing passion for a deeper relationship with Jesus, and a greater fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us, leads us to more mature, whole life in relation to others.

Of course we should gather as the church to worship, pray, and study, but that experience should come from the overflow of the Spirit nurtured in our daily walk with Jesus. Instead of coming to a worship service to get what we need to get through the coming week, we might better come to share out of the abundance of a week lived in the passionate presence of the Savior. Instead of looking for what we can get, we come to give out of what we received to build one another up, so that together, we can go forth to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The deeper we go in our relationship with God, the richer and fuller our lives will be, and the greater the impact those overflowing lives will be for our communities and the world. We must pray for the passionate fire of the Holy Spirit, saturate ourselves with the truth, and make ourselves available to be conduits of God’s love for the world. We are blessed to be a blessing. As our roots grow deep in God, we become a tree that bears much fruit for the sake of the world and the glory of God.

May your week be richly blessed as you go deeper in your relationship with Jesus.

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My wife and I just returned from a trip to our hometown. It was good to see family, visit some familiar places, and eat some favorite foods. We even brought some of those foods home with us. For me, it was also a kind of reset on my life. Something about being back in that environment reminds you of the steel-like strength that runs though you. It was a very visceral experience that helped me reconnect with who I am and where I am from.

Hopefully, each of us has a place like that, somewhere we can go to recapture our identity. It is a valuable gift to make a pilgrimage to places where we can look back and look forward at the same time; where we can allow the things that shaped us to give us fresh vision for our future. It was a special blessing for us to be there at the beginning of the New Year.

Spiritually, we need those reset moments as we make our way along our journey. In a way, this was the theme of many recent blog posts as we journeyed through Christmas and into New Year’s Day. This season is especially good at helping us reconnect with our identity in Christ, our place in the Christian story, and our relationship with others. However, holidays are not the only times we can connect with the roots of our faith. Every day offers us opportunities to engage God, and “reset” our faith.

Along with the regional foods we brought home, I also made sure to bring back some items with the Pittsburgh Steeler logo. Yes, there is a crucial game tonight, but I will not be there, and will likely be wearing these treasures in the privacy of my own home. Yet, they will remind me each time I wear them, or see them, of my roots. They will call me back to who I am, and to what I learned about myself on this trip.

Likewise, my Bible, my spiritual and prayer journal, my appointments with God, and every other spiritual reminder in my life, calls me back to my rooted place in God. Each of us can take advantage of these parts of our daily lives to allow the Holy Spirit to gently correct and inspire us. We can allow these points of connection to reveal God’s heart toward us and vision for our lives. Our prayer time can reorient our lives, our time in the word can strengthen and transform us, and our worship can reset our priorities.

There may be times where we need extend time with God to allow ourselves to become centered on the path once again, but the moment-by-moment course corrections are just as valuable. Each becomes a tool God uses to shape and direct our lives.

As we approach the end of the Christmas season, and embrace what awaits us in 2015, we can let God work in all our circumstances to connect us to him, to one another, and in ministry to the world. Just imagine what God is about to do, and who we are about to become in Christ!

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The story of Jesus unfolds one day at a time, just as our lives do. There was no button Jesus or his family could press that would leap them forward in the story. They had to walk out the plans of God in their lives like everyone else and there was a lot of waiting.

We often miss this truth as we reflect on the life of Jesus. The gospels tell the story of Jesus, but they do not all give the same amount of detail. Matthew begins with the entire genealogy of Jesus and then jumps to his birth, while Mark begins with John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism at thirty years old! Luke gives the longer narrative of Jesus birth, including the famous dramatic monologue of Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and John begins with a more philosophical reflection on the Word.

In every case, the story moves rather quickly and in just a few verses, or a couple of chapters at most, Jesus is a thirty year old man beginning his ministry. So, it is easy to see why we get the feeling that Jesus’ life was always full of ministry activity and moved along quickly. The truth is, it took the same time it take us, including time spent waiting.

Waiting is an important part of the spiritual life. In spite of living in a time where our digital world moves quickly, exploring the deep things of God comes by slowing down and waiting on God to speak and lead. This is exactly why the adult Jesus is seen making regular time away to wait in prayer. Waiting on God puts us in a position to hear the profound whispers of the Holy One in our lives, and to breathe deep the breath of the Holy Spirit.

Take a moment to ponder these few verses:

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! – Psalm 27:13-14

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. – Psalm 33:20-22

There are many more, but clearly, the Scriptures affirm the value of waiting on the Lord.

If you are anything like me, you can find yourself impatiently waiting for things to happen. I can become impatient waiting for my computer to start, and that takes less than a minute. We’ve been trained to expect things to happen quickly and to reject things, places, and people who make us wait, but this is exactly the opposite of what draws us to the deep revelation of God.

Whether it is making time in our daily devotions to quietly wait to hear from the Lord, or patiently enduring the circumstances of our lives as we wait for God to grow us and deliver us, waiting is essential to an intimate relationship with God. That, therefore, makes it an extremely valuable tool in living an effective, powerful, victorious Christian life.

We cannot rush God, so instead, we allow God to teach us how to patiently wait. Like Jesus, who grew one day at a time, so we trust our growth and our future to God as we wait upon him. We come before the Lord, still our hearts, and wait patiently for the still, small voice of the One to speak, and we savor the time in his presence. What a way to spend another day of Christmas, and what a good thought as we plan for a new year!

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Whenever I think I have a sense of the vast, universal message of Christmas, I become aware of how much more there is to explore and understand. On the surface, it seems like such a straightforward story, and to some degree it is. Yet, the more we ponder God’s great act in Jesus Christ, and the longer we consider the all of the surrounding story of this holy birth, the more of God’s love we discover, and the greater revelation of God in Jesus we uncover.

Pondering is a good thing. In fact, one of my favorite quotes of the Christmas story comes in Luke’s narration of Jesus birth. After Mary receives a visit from an angel telling her she will give birth to the Messiah, after a dramatic confirmation by Elizabeth and another from Joseph, and after a long trek to Bethlehem which includes the testimony of some shepherds who declare angels have confirmed them message again, Luke says, “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Mary knew there was much, much more to consider than she understood at first glance.

Throughout history, this single verse from Luke was a favorite for those within the monastic traditions. It remains a special reflection to this day, because it echoes the heartbeat of those who would think deeply, and pray into, the profound things of God. So much of what there is to learn along our spiritual journey cannot be captured quickly. We need time to savor the details and mine the hidden treasures that lie well beneath the surface.

I am not suggesting that the revelation from God is not clear, nor should we be looking for strange, mystical interpretations of God’s word, but we should not settle for a quick reading that only skims the surface, when the word itself is inviting us into a deeper conversation. When Jesus was about to leave his disciples, he told them that the Holy Spirit was coming and that he would remind them of all Jesus said to them and teach them everything. That message is equally for us today. When we ponder, we are making room in our thoughts for the Holy Spirit to reveal what God is teaching us in that moment.

Like Mary, being good stewards of the word of God, the revelation of God, and our experience, involves pondering. It is active reflecting, which is the very definition of Christian meditation. Unlike other forms of meditation that seek to empty the mind, Christian meditation seeks to fill and the mind and spirit with the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It actively considers things seeking God’s perspective and insight, while trusting in the Spirit to reveal God’s word to us. Our insights should always be consistent with Scripture, but we should remember that, when we think we understand, we should understand there is more to be understood.

As we continue on our Christmas journey, instead of wishing the season was over, maybe we should be thankful for the time to reflect on the deeper things God would say to us this year as we, like Mary, treasure all these things and ponder them in our hearts.

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