Seasons

"To everything there is a season..."
"... seed time and harvest..."

Here in modern America we do not have an adequate understanding of the rhythm of the seasons. The notion of planting seed and waiting for the harvest is a foreign idea to us because we are used to simply going to the grocery and getting what we want when we want it no matter the season. But, we must recognize, there is a time for preparing the soil, for sowing seed, for waiting for the precess of the seed becoming a plant and then bearing fruit. We also need to recognize that there is a chosen time within the season for particular varieties of vegetables.

In our spiritual life there is this same dynamic, there are times that are exciting, like the newness of spring, there are days of cultivation -- preparing the soil of our hearts and minds. Then there are days of waiting. These days seem to drag on like the long, hot summer days of July. There are are also the necessary times of light and darkness. Finally there are times like in the fall when there doesn't seem to be enough time to bring in the harvest and the work is tiring. And then there is the winter when everything dies and awaits its time to rise again in the sprint. But the spring always comes. With death there is always resurrection!

Loneliness Leads to Encounter with God

God often meets us in times of lonliness and solitude; times when we are just not sure about what to do. However, we are so bent on keeping these things at bay through all our constant need for distraction. Even our churches are filled with distractions and things to do. All this is meant to fill up the silence in our life; to fill up the seemingly empty places of solitude. Because of this we rarely truly meet with God. I must come to the place where silence is ok; where loneliness and solitude is ok. This requires an intentionality on my part. I must be intentional about finding places in my life where there are no distractions. I must turn off the television; the radio; put down the book... I know God can sometimes speak through these things too, but there must also be times where I clear away everything so that I can listen to the still small voice of my Heavenly Father. My life is hid with Christ in God. It is in the hidden places; those places hidden by books, and words, and images, etc... where I may sometimes find my true self.

Tom Davis Article and Book

I recently read a wonderful book called Red Letter Days by Tom Davis. It reminded me that my life is not my own; my Christianity is not for the purpose of making me feel better about myself, not for the purpose of giving me something to do on Sunday morning. My Christianity, if not lived out the way Jesus would have me live it out is not true Christianity at all. Davis wrote a great
article on Beleif Net that pretty much tells it like it is: Christians S**k. I don't think he is saying this to every single Christian, but for the most part, we are focused on ourselves and not on the mission of reconcilliation that Christ sent us on. We are to be pleading with the world: Be reconciled to God... not just in the way we do Sunday morning, but in the way we do all of life! Everything is connected: the body, soul, spirit... Davis makes some pretty good observations about the Christian culture today, especially here in America.

Jesus told the story of the Good Semaritan in answer to the question: who is my neighbor? At the end of that story He said: "Go and do likewise." Davis brings this message out in his book Red Letter Days. He points out how it is interesting that rock stars, movie stars and television personalities (most of whom do not have a Biblical understanding of what they are doing) are out meeting real needs in the world while the Chrisians are content to listen to preachers, nod their heads in agreement, sing songs and go out and pass by the hurting, the sick, the prisoners, the hungry in our own neighborhood.

I find myself convicted by what Davis says. I s**k. My Christianity s**ks. I am not a good representative for Christ. I have been content to go to church, say a few prayers, sing a few songs and be on my way. I realize that I need to be intentional about reaching out to those in my own back yard with the Gospel. I beleive that the Gospel is the power of God to change lives; to give hope; to bring peace. I beleive this in my head. Oh that this beleif would find its way into my heart. After reading Davis's book I find it is getting nearer.

What is Enough?

Sometimes when I finish a project I will say "good enough"... not prefect, not even excellent, but "good enough." I feel bad about this later. Every time I walk by that project I will wince at it's incompletion. It seems we often approach our Christian walk this way too. We say a prayer at an altar inviting Jesus into our heart and say, "good enough." We feel regret at not being like some of the other Christians we admire, but, after all, we are "good enough," we said the prayer.

Yesterday, Pastor Randy Caswell at Kankakee First Assembly, preached on Matt. 10:25, "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher..." The phrase, "it is enough," stood out to me. It just jumped off the page at me. It is not just good enough to have said a prayer, I must become like Jesus. How much is enough? Become like Jesus. Pretty high standard I would say. My pastor also talked about the Rich Young Ruler from Luke 18. Jesus told him to go and sell everything and give it to the poor, and "follow me..." This young man, while "good enough" in his moral actions could not become like Jesus. He was bound by his riches. What is it that keeps me from being like Jesus? He has given me the Holy Spirit to enable me to be like Him.