Just today. I don’t know about you but I have to periodically be reminded that I only have today. The past is gone. The future is not yet here. What I have today is the present. The following is written for anyone who is just trying to deal with — today.
The List of Five
(Noah Silliman - Unsplash)
This Will Help You Be Ready For The Day
Sometimes, you can be alone with God and come away feeling refreshed. At other times, it may simply be a part of your discipline or spiritual habit. Nevertheless, just being in the presence of God is good.
Notice how Jesus was intentional about this:
Right then, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone. (Matthew 14:22-23)
This kind of discipline can be very helpful.
We listen to the one voice that matters most. We pause before listening to other voices including those on social media.
We thank God for what he is doing in our lives. You and I remember that we regularly experience tremendous abundance. This is far better than only focusing on our scarcity.
We allow these moments to clarify what is really important today, instead of just trudging through a to-do list. (I have found this to be so important and helpful!)
We may find that creating the time and discipline to be alone with God can help us become more fully present to God, others, and the world.
I love this quote by David Benner, (Soulful Spirituality, p. 10):
A busy life of striving to be a good Christian can also very easily sabotage genuine presence to oneself, to others, and to God. Being present requires inner stillness, and good Christians can easily have lives that are so full that there is no space for the cultivation of stillness. . . . Being fully present to God requires that we learn to be fully present to others and to ourselves, and this requires stillness, silence, and solitude—dimensions of spiritual practice that are easily overlooked if you are focusing more on the external dimensions of religious practice.
Consider How to Pay Closer Attention
You cannot pay attention to everyone at the same time. However, you can pay attention to someone, one person at a time.
Yet, so many of us are distracted by the noise and the voices which clamor for our attention. We can use our technology to further complicate this, as we constantly check our phones. According to one study, the average person touches his/her phone 2,600 times a day.
We live in a culture where we are always communicating with people and yet have difficulty really connecting with others. We may be more skilled at using Facebook than we are at looking into the face of another.
You and I may have a powerful ministry today through the disciplined, intentional practice of paying attention to another, one person at a time.
Practically:
1. The spiritual discipline of solitude can help one to gain clarity that is necessary for paying attention to others. Solitude can help us realize just how many voices are clamoring for attention. Solitude can also help us hear the one voice that needs our attention.
2. Consider a few questions in advance that you might want to ask a person whom you will be with.
3. Listen, attempting to understand not only the content of a conversation but the emotions that seem to be present in what that person says.
Refuse to Die Before Your Death
Michael Kors wrote regarding his life: “The magic of life is (being) experienced but still curious. I’m proud of my age but I still feel like I started last week. You want to be the elder statesman and Peter Pan at the same time” (“Michael Kors On the Best Hamburgers and the Secret to Eternal Youth” in The Wall Street Journal, August 14-15, 2021).
Some people seem to cultivate their curiosity through much of their life. Others get into a rut and passively live out their days on this earth. They seem to almost die before their death!
Other people gain numerous experiences but long ago lost any sense of curiosity. While they have accumulated many experiences, they don’t seem to process or learn from them. They ask few if any questions. Consequently they exist with little wonder or curiosity.
The following are a few practices that have been helpful to me:
Telling make-believe stories to my children and now, my grandchildren. I tell them stories that I make up about the magic cookie factory at the top of the tree in our backyard. Or, I tell them about the day that Brody, Lincoln, Sully, and Elsie went to visit with the queen. I use my imagination and make these stories up.
Reading biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Being outside and looking at the grass, trees, flowers, etc. and paying attention to details. What sounds do I hear? What do I see? What do I smell?
Stay Fresh for the Long Haul
I read this wonderful text, 2 Corinthians 2:14, regarding ministry and wondered, “Paul, how can you use the word triumphal to these people? After all, the church at Corinth had so many problems!
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
He describes these believers who were marching as captives, as triumphal.
Ministry today can be very, very difficult. I have been doing this for over forty years, and I don’t believe it has ever been more difficult and challenging.
Many of you know the tension of trying to lead an existing, established congregation in this particular setting. Western culture and congregations as well, have experienced gigantic cultural shifts. Some of the leadership tools that used to work may no longer be effective. Many of us have had to retool. All of this is exhausting!
If a minister is going to stay fresh for the long haul, this person will need to be very intentional about this. To this day, this is a very important part of my own life and ministry.
Taking steps to remain fresh and alive is important for at least two reasons:
First, far too many ministers crash and burn. Some have experienced many disappointments and too many discouraging meetings. If you serve for any length of time, some of these are bound to happen. I certainly have memories of a number of heart-breaking moments and exasperating situations.
It is critical that we be very serious and intentional regarding the kinds of spiritual disciplines that can help guard our hearts and refresh our spirits.
Second, it is possible to eventually become stale, both in our thinking and in our relationships. Some stop reading and thinking. In addition, some of us know what it is to feel lonely. To feel as if no one in the church knows what we are going through or dealing with. You may feel, at times, friendless.
Yet, in spite of it all, serving a congregation is such an honorable and noble service to God. Whether young or old, we are a part of something that matters into eternity. We are a part of the mission of God that can fill our hearts with purpose and put fire in our bellies!
Interview
I recently watched this excellent interview with John Mark Comer (pastor in Portland, Oregon) and New York Times columnist David Brooks. This is the video of the podcast series that coincides with Comer’s new upcoming book, Live No Lies.
Resources
I have been reading Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. This book has really helped me think.
Read Carson Reed’s article on Mosaic, “Developing Resilience.” Very good! (Siburt Institute)
Bobby Powers, “This Is (By Far) the Best Way to Remember What You Read in Books” September 16, 2021. This is interesting.
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. You can find me at God-Hungry.org. You can find me on Facebook - @jim.martin. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin
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