Year: 2008 (Page 2 of 8)

I was reading in my free subscription to Self magazine the other day and this editorial caught my eye. It was interesting on so many levels… here’s the first quote that kept me reading:
Why would an activity that’s supposed to be noncompetitive and inward-focused turn people into such judgmental loons? My theory is that our culture has gotten so cutthroat that even spirituality has become competitive. And because many of us don’t belong to a tight-knit religious community, yoga has become a substitute for spirituality, a word thrown around like a medicine ball. Feeling spiritual used to mean more than simply treating one’s body like a temple; it suggested a call to social action, the determination to be a better person and, in some cases, to be closer to God.

the author kept me going by commenting on thoughts about 2 of my favorite topics – exercise / health and religion:
…too many yoga students in this country have taken a tiny piece of a wider Indian worldview, one that isn’t just about exercise, and turned it into a new kind of self-absorption. Exercise is not sacred, much as we want to pretend it is. Worse, some yogis have internalized only the most negative aspect of religion—the tendency to think that outsiders are bad and wrong. The dark side of faith is when it turns on others.

i think maybe those of us who treasure this thing called church might get an insight or two out of the article… http://www.self.com/fitness/2008/11/end-fitness-snobbery?currentPage=2
could the accusation be true of us as well? just as the author challenges that exercise is not sacred, is it possible that we have made elements of our religion sacred that might not ought to be? the way we celebrate Jesus… how we worship… the elements to our Sunday with other believers… these things are not our faith, they’re expressions of a faith in a God that is Holy.

just food for thought.

i’ve been told that because my body is currently dealing with a large shift in hormones that i can just expect to cry randomly or over things that on a “normal” day would not provoke emotion. i’m not sure if i can attribute my most recent tears to this hormonal imbalance or not. it came on sunday, while singing in church. it began “the splendor of a king, clothed in majesty…”

let me back up. i knew that having a baby so close to the time we celebrated the birth of the Savior would provoke some thought. while several have been passing wonderings, sunday’s episode made me really think about the idea of the incarnation. it’s crazy to think that a King, in all his splendor, “clothed in majesty”, came to the earth and took the form not only of a human, but as an infant. thanks to recent events, it struck me just how dependent baby Jesus was on those very people who he had come to save. the most powerful being became completely powerless. in his human form, he could not do a thing to help himself – he needed changing, fed, shelter. and i ask, why would God do that? why would he entrust himself to [us]?

as i talked some of this through with jj, my guess is that He was showing us what a different kind of god He really is…. we know that in the culture he stepped into, gods were a dime a dozen – there were different gods to fit your every need. rob bell has said in his “the gods aren’t angry” that one of the biggest messages we can get from God is how He is different than the other gods (watch the dvd for great examples, specifically the sacrifice of Isaac). and so what a way to show it – that this God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is not a god of “over there” or “up there” or seperate – even though he maintains those attributes in a sense of his holiness – but He’s also a God of closeness. emmanuel. God with us.

i’m sure this isn’t revolutionary to most people. we’ve grown up going to christmas eve services celebrating God’s coming, emaa-aaa-aaan-u-el (*sing songy voice), but to us that’s what God does. He comes as Jesus. But back then… God coming to earth… not as common. now, i’m sure there are some gods or goddesses in roman or greek mythology who do follow a similar pattern (most of the prophesies that Jesus fulfilled also have a greek / roman counterpart, or someone who supposedly did a similar deed – though none proclaim to fulfill them all. and i’m not sure whose existance was known first. we are waaaaaay outside my domain).

i just can’t get over mary wiping jesus’ butt. or jesus peeing on joseph because he was too slow to cover the wee wee. or mary crying because nursing just wasn’t going as smoothly as she had hoped, and she thinks to herself, “will he always treat his mother this way?!” as he chomps and screams. i cannot get over the fact that God would choose to leave heaven – that place that so many of us celebrate as an ultimate destination – to come to earth, let alone as one who needs such constant care and attention. and then, after 33 years of it, also allows those people who he came to rescue to lead him to his death. why would he do that?

God as an infant. it’s a crazy idea. but it worked.

“here’s what i want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” – Jesus, Matthew 6:6

I was reading in my current book (The Year I Got Everything I Wanted: A Spiritual Crisis) about the author’s year of struggle in the midst of supposedly amazing things happening – new job with great title, money, gorgeous girlfriend, new city. He speaks later in the book of a particular evening when he really struggled and gave into the temptation of pornography. He makes a profound self-realization in that he says that he doesn’t normally struggle with porn except when he’s avoiding something in his life – a big decision, a hard discussion, a change. Rather than deal with the inner turmoil, he escapes with some sort of self-gratification.

JJ and i had quite the interesting discussion about the concept – avoiding inner turmoil by seeking self-gratification. I think we all do it in some form. There are the types who seek out gratification in the physical form – drinking, drugs, porn, whathaveyou. Then there are the types who seek it out through inner self-gratification. Hate, self-righteousness, pride.

“Even though we may have a deep desire for real solitude, we also experience a certain apprehension as we approach that solitary place and time. As soon as we are alone, without people to talk with, books to ready, tv to watch, or phone calls to make, an inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again. Entering into a private room and shutting the door, therefore, does not mean that we immediately shut out all our inner doubts, anxieties, fears bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings and impulsive desires. On the contrary, when we have removed our outer distractions, we often find that our inner distractions manifest themselves in full force. We often use these outer distractions to shield ourselves from teh interior noises. It is thus not surprising that we have a difficult time being alone. The confrontation with our inner conflicts can be too painful for us to endure.” – Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New

“Solitude is one of the deepest disciplines of the spiritual life because it crucifies our need for importance and prominence. Everyone – including ourselves at first – will see our solitude as a waste of good time. We are removed from “where the action is.” That, of course, is exactly what we need. In silence and solitude God slowly but surely frees us from our egomania.” – Richard J. Foster

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought…” -Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:3-5, The Message.