I have spent the last couple of weeks reading and rereading 1 Peter. Its not that I am a slow learner, I simply want to get a feel for the book before I settle in for a more in depth examination. I chose this book as my next study because Peter seems to be writing the the same groups of people James addressed some time earlier. Peter and James seem to also be addressing many of the same concerns.
I invite you to read and study along with me as I begin to explore this letter written to the "exiles scattered to the four winds" (1 Peter 1:1, The Message).
29 November 2008
26 November 2008
Reflecting Back - 10 Years Since I left Grand Rapids
This morning I woke up with the notion that I was back in my church of 10 years ago sharing with the people there what I have learned in the last ten years.
Let me back up. Ten years ago my family and I left Northern Minnesota so that I could go to seminary. We lived on 10 acres just north of Grand Rapids, a small town not much larger than the town we live in now (of course being in the twin cities we are surrounded by a lot more people). We spent our ten years in Grand Rapids helping to build the Grand Rapids Alliance church there. Building in the sense of pounding nails to build the building and also helping to build the church community. When we left we had a great send off with cake and well wishes. But what have I learned in these last 10 years?
This question is both hard and yet easy. What have I learned, a lot. I have gotten a Master's in Theological Studies, a certificate in Post-Secondary Education, and have stared on a Doctorate in Spiritual Formation. Outside the formal educational process I have developed a personal life platform, a personal life mandate, and spent a whole lot of time hanging out in James. In all these endeavor I have amassed a lot of knowledge, but did I learn anything? For me to learn is to be transformed. If I take in a lot of facts, but don't apply them to my life in a way that shows that I have been changed, transformed, have I really learned anything.
So what have I learned? I have learned that if we say we have certain operational beliefs, there should be actions or some other evidence to prove that we believe it. I have learned that we can not simple cram our heads full of knowledge, we have to allow this knowledge to transform our life. I have learned that as James says "Faith without works is dead." I have learned that I need to love God and love my neighbor; I need to care for the marginalized and voiceless people I encounter while keeping from being polluted by the world. I have learned that God is faithful, He is there for me when life seems to be going against me.
I am sure that there are other things that I have learned, but those listed above I think are the key thing I have learned in the last ten years or so. Did I need to go to seminary to learn these things, no - most of these things were learned by simply by going through life with my heart and mind tuned to what God has in store for me.
So what has God been teaching you over the last ten years or so?
Let me back up. Ten years ago my family and I left Northern Minnesota so that I could go to seminary. We lived on 10 acres just north of Grand Rapids, a small town not much larger than the town we live in now (of course being in the twin cities we are surrounded by a lot more people). We spent our ten years in Grand Rapids helping to build the Grand Rapids Alliance church there. Building in the sense of pounding nails to build the building and also helping to build the church community. When we left we had a great send off with cake and well wishes. But what have I learned in these last 10 years?
This question is both hard and yet easy. What have I learned, a lot. I have gotten a Master's in Theological Studies, a certificate in Post-Secondary Education, and have stared on a Doctorate in Spiritual Formation. Outside the formal educational process I have developed a personal life platform, a personal life mandate, and spent a whole lot of time hanging out in James. In all these endeavor I have amassed a lot of knowledge, but did I learn anything? For me to learn is to be transformed. If I take in a lot of facts, but don't apply them to my life in a way that shows that I have been changed, transformed, have I really learned anything.
So what have I learned? I have learned that if we say we have certain operational beliefs, there should be actions or some other evidence to prove that we believe it. I have learned that we can not simple cram our heads full of knowledge, we have to allow this knowledge to transform our life. I have learned that as James says "Faith without works is dead." I have learned that I need to love God and love my neighbor; I need to care for the marginalized and voiceless people I encounter while keeping from being polluted by the world. I have learned that God is faithful, He is there for me when life seems to be going against me.
I am sure that there are other things that I have learned, but those listed above I think are the key thing I have learned in the last ten years or so. Did I need to go to seminary to learn these things, no - most of these things were learned by simply by going through life with my heart and mind tuned to what God has in store for me.
So what has God been teaching you over the last ten years or so?
20 November 2008
A New Begining
I have has the privilege of hanging out with a bunch of guys at a state prison for the last year or so. I along with 5 others have been working with them to understand the relationship between their beliefs, values, motives, and behaviors. It was great fun when on our last night when I saw the guys really start to connect the dots.
Yesterday, I met with 21 new guys from the same prison to introduce them to and invite them along on this same journey. They were all excited about the possibility of developing a life platform that they can then stand on as they finish out their sentence, but more importantly that will help them to make wiser choice on the outside so that they don't end up back behind bars.
I have given them two weeks to pray about and ponder upon whether they want to engage this journey. I am excited to learn their stories, to see where they have come from and to help them see were God can use them on the future. Each one of us has a unique story, a unique set of skills and relationships that God can use to reach others.
I will share with you parts of our journey together as it begins to unfold.
Yesterday, I met with 21 new guys from the same prison to introduce them to and invite them along on this same journey. They were all excited about the possibility of developing a life platform that they can then stand on as they finish out their sentence, but more importantly that will help them to make wiser choice on the outside so that they don't end up back behind bars.
I have given them two weeks to pray about and ponder upon whether they want to engage this journey. I am excited to learn their stories, to see where they have come from and to help them see were God can use them on the future. Each one of us has a unique story, a unique set of skills and relationships that God can use to reach others.
I will share with you parts of our journey together as it begins to unfold.
11 November 2008
Final Reflection from James
Well, it has been a little over three months since I began reading in James. It started as a family reading and reflection as we shared once a week what God had been teaching us through His Word. After that was done (a month or so) I couldn't stop. I kept reading and rereading the lessons and principles God wanted me to learn and ponder upon. These ponderings can be found in prior posting.
I have spent the last part of my pondering on chapter 4. Here James is addressing the issues of self-centeredness and humility. Our goal in life is not to be filled with the "I want so I can do my thing" but rather our attitude should be "God with this resource I could do this for others." When we ask God for things, His response seems to be tied to the motive or reason why we are asking.
When it comes to our relationships to God and to others humility seems to be key. We are to humble ourselves before God so that He can lift us up. I think that this humility should carry over to our relationship with others also. How many conflicts could be avoided if we simple humbled ourselves to others. Now I am not talking about being a door mat, but there are times when our pride gets in the way of working through a problem.
As I reflect back the key idea that transformed me the most was found in James 1:26-27 where James addresses what "true religion" is. It is about serving others and tending to our spiritual well being (really loving God).
This is what I am taking away from my time in James. I have incorporated this into my personal life platform as an operational belief and working through the core value(s) this represents in my life. I am acting on if, because if we don't act on what we say has transformed us, then I would question if we truly have been transformed.
I have spent the last part of my pondering on chapter 4. Here James is addressing the issues of self-centeredness and humility. Our goal in life is not to be filled with the "I want so I can do my thing" but rather our attitude should be "God with this resource I could do this for others." When we ask God for things, His response seems to be tied to the motive or reason why we are asking.
When it comes to our relationships to God and to others humility seems to be key. We are to humble ourselves before God so that He can lift us up. I think that this humility should carry over to our relationship with others also. How many conflicts could be avoided if we simple humbled ourselves to others. Now I am not talking about being a door mat, but there are times when our pride gets in the way of working through a problem.
As I reflect back the key idea that transformed me the most was found in James 1:26-27 where James addresses what "true religion" is. It is about serving others and tending to our spiritual well being (really loving God).
This is what I am taking away from my time in James. I have incorporated this into my personal life platform as an operational belief and working through the core value(s) this represents in my life. I am acting on if, because if we don't act on what we say has transformed us, then I would question if we truly have been transformed.
02 November 2008
Polyponderingism
Ok, I am living a life of polyponderingism. I know that is not a word, but this is the randomness with which my brain is working. I am stuck in James as my last posting indicates (humbling ourselves before God), work related ponderings (this is another blog/wiki area), my doctoral studies (now that I have the go ahead with my project), and my newest pondering point, my personal life platform.
Now the components of this platform are not new, but tying them together in a way that make sense to me is. I have posted about parts of this in the past, review my posting about beliefs a while back. I have been involved with a ministry call Heart of a Warrior for awhile now. One piece of this ministry is to look at our beliefs, values, worldview, motives, and behaviors. In the past this has always been presented as a liner progression. However, lately I have been pondering the idea that this is not as liner as I once thought. For that matter it is much more complex that I once thought. To this end I have started to work on the idea of a personal life platform. This platform is used to ground us in that things we believe and live them out.
I believe that everyone already has a personal life platform, but they may not be able to articulate it. The things we say we believe, the way we live our life, how we treat others, and how we respond to the circumstances around us all reflect on our personal life platform. Now some will say that this is our worldview, and in part they are correct because our worldview is part of our personal life platform. What I want to be able to do is explore the foundational beliefs that inform our worldview, look at the operational beliefs that flow out of our worldview, identify the values that are a result of our operational beliefs, and then examine the motives and behaviors that arise from our values. As a Christ-follower I want to make sure that all aspects of my personal life platform are grounded in scripture and help me to live a life that is honoring to God and the people I interact with.
Now the components of this platform are not new, but tying them together in a way that make sense to me is. I have posted about parts of this in the past, review my posting about beliefs a while back. I have been involved with a ministry call Heart of a Warrior for awhile now. One piece of this ministry is to look at our beliefs, values, worldview, motives, and behaviors. In the past this has always been presented as a liner progression. However, lately I have been pondering the idea that this is not as liner as I once thought. For that matter it is much more complex that I once thought. To this end I have started to work on the idea of a personal life platform. This platform is used to ground us in that things we believe and live them out.
I believe that everyone already has a personal life platform, but they may not be able to articulate it. The things we say we believe, the way we live our life, how we treat others, and how we respond to the circumstances around us all reflect on our personal life platform. Now some will say that this is our worldview, and in part they are correct because our worldview is part of our personal life platform. What I want to be able to do is explore the foundational beliefs that inform our worldview, look at the operational beliefs that flow out of our worldview, identify the values that are a result of our operational beliefs, and then examine the motives and behaviors that arise from our values. As a Christ-follower I want to make sure that all aspects of my personal life platform are grounded in scripture and help me to live a life that is honoring to God and the people I interact with.
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