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Articles from Living for God Blog

UP FROM THE WILDERNESS - by Calvin 2007-12-30 10:21:22 We all experience times in the wilderness. In fact, I recently had a conversation with a group of friends about our spiritual experiences in wilderness seasons. We described feelings of loneliness, despair, weariness and confusion. One may experience a sense of hot coals burning inside. Even King David groans,"My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer." (Psalm 32:4 NIV) That pretty well summarizes the wilderness experience. And at the same time, it feels like we have lost our connection with God.One of the men opened his Bible to read a verse that encouraged him during a season in the wilderness. "Who is this coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the merchant's fragrant powders?" (Song of Solomon 3:6 NKJV) He asked, "Could this be Jesus coming out of a wilderness experience?" We quickly gave each other permission to reflect on this verse outside its scriptural context, of course.As I contemplat ...

AT THE END OF THE DAY - by Lisa 2007-08-09 10:59:16 People have lots of problems.  We have lots of ways to fix the problems which often consist of lots of ways to hide from them.  Not surprisingly, most of these solutions aren't really very effective and so we end up with... lots of problems.I was watching a TV talk show the other day about pain in our lives.  The host said some people try to cover it up through drinking.  Others do it through overworking.  Some do it through status and achievement.  Others over-eat.  There are about as many ways to cover up pain as there are grains of sand on the beach.  But they are all cover-ups.  So at the end of the day, where are we?  If we've spent that day hiding, avoiding, and covering, won't we still be in the same position as when we started?  But if we could find the "real cure" the end of the day would bring peace. Much of our emotional pain calls for a spiritual resolution.  A good start ...

WHAT'S A DISCIPLE? by Calvin 2007-07-31 08:31:56 I have discipled other followers of Jesus for many years. These days I also bill myself as a spiritual director. At first, I thought of the discipling process as one-on-one Bible study over coffee. Then, under the influence of Promise Keepers, I saw discipling as being more like an accountability process. Later on, I saw greater depth in the ancient Christian tradition of spiritual direction.Whatever I have called the discipling process over the years, I have learned one very important lesson. I learned that the way Jesus did discipling is nothing like our modern Western models. Jesus focused on relationships first while teaching was more of a secondary byproduct. The invitation Jesus issued, "Follow me," was really an open door into an intimate relationship where the disciple would learn to imitate the example of the master.A Christian disciple is a person who has made a lifelong commitment to imitate the example of Christ. That goes way beyond the naive question, "What ...

THE COSMIC PHONE CALL - By Lisa 2007-07-07 06:04:37 I'm still waiting.  Why doesn't the phone ring?  Maybe that call will never come through.Last week during lunch, some friends  reminded me  about this call.  You see, as far back as I can remember, I've felt like I just wasn't quite good enough.  So I've spent my life trying to get over a bar that seems to be set ever higher.  I'm actually a highly educated and successful person.  But it's never been enough.So I've been waiting for the cosmic phone call from those who've been the most important to me.  I've been hoping to hear them say that I've finally made the grade so I can stop trying so hard.  But a reality check tells me that's not going to happen.And it shouldn't.  If I'm really going to live my faith, then "being good enough" has no place in my vocabulary. When I put so much emphasis on being acceptable, then my life and my ministry are about me - and not about God.  To live a tru ...

ACTING, LOVING, AND WALKING - by Lisa 2007-07-05 09:24:42 Acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly.  Some time ago I received the alumni magazine from Fuller Theological Seminary.  There on the cover were these words from scripture.  I confess I only scanned the articles, but I was obsessed with the cover and have kept it on my desk for months.So what does it mean to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly?  This is a big challenge in my spiritual life.  Being a person with some prophetic gift, I'm pretty good at standing up for justice.  In fact, standing is something that's always fascinated me.  I love movies where someone is standing up for something important.  I confess, though, that when faced personally with the injustice of others, I don't always stand up for myself. Walking humbly isn't too hard for me either.  (Now that doesn't sound humble does it?)  Anyway, although I used to be a leader in the limelight, I'm content to work quiet ...

GIVE ME YOUR HAND - by Lisa 2007-06-19 09:31:50 Rejection.  Nobody likes it.  In fact, it's just downright painful.  Maybe it's the loss of a job.  Maybe a relationship has been severed.  Either way it hurts and sooner or later it happens to everyone.  But there are those among us who seemed to be called to bear almost crushing burdens of rejection.Sometimes we are rejected because we have stood up to right a wrong - often one that affects us personally.  Sometimes we're drawing a boundary against being badly treated.  And sometimes we're rejected for our faith in Jesus Christ.  My life story is about all three of these.So what do you do with rejection?  There are lots of choices.  You can rationalize it away in your mind saying the other person is wrong.  You can go deeper and understand the psychological challenges of the other person.  You can even decide that this just proves that you're worthless.But in the end, what's the right thing? Perhaps it's to ask f ...

WATCHING AND LISTENING - by Calvin 2007-06-08 10:02:32 Tiny grains pass silently from the upper chamber of my hourglass into the void below. Two candles flicker gently in the evening darkness of my prayer room. I have great peace being alone with Jesus in the house of my heart. He prepares me to receive the revelation of the holy place where he wants to dwell with me in the depths of my soul.I am increasingly aware that I live too much in the mind and not enough in the heart. The Bible tells us that it is in the heart where we believe Jesus. The heart is also the place where he dwells in us. I am beginning to meet him there more and more.My quest for the lost room in the house of my heart that I mentioned before has begun. My progress is uncertain to me. Jesus knows where I am and I trust him completely. I just finished reading a helpful book by Frederick Buechner called, "Telling Secrets." He unlocked some heart doors but more than that, he offered some sound advice that complements the wisdom of Teresa of Avila referenced in my previous ...

THE LOST ROOM - by Calvin 2007-05-16 08:27:11 Imagine living in a house so enormous that it is difficult to find all the rooms. I am experiencing this dilemma, at least with the house of my heart. There seems to be a room that I have either lost or never found. Anyway, God the Holy Spirit has prompted me to seek this particular room in the castle of my heart.Like many other people, my heart is wounded. It's a mystery to me how I can have a new heart in Christ that still bears old scars and rooms that are boarded shut. Then again, Jesus himself still bears the scares of his ordeal. There may also be places of my soul I have never explored for whatever reason. But I have a desire of late to explore a space inside me that needs to be opened up in order for me to make progress on my journey with Jesus.Teresa of Avila, who lived in the 1500's, writes about the human soul using the imagery of an interior castle with many rooms. She describes a journey through the heart with Jesus, giving him step-by-step ...

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT - By Lisa 2007-05-09 09:21:20 Does this happen to you?  You fall asleep, only to wake up again just a few hours later.  When this happens, I'm generally consumed by thoughts of what I didn't do.  What I didn't do spiritually, that is.  I lay in bed thinking, "I forgot to read the Bible today."  Or, "I missed my regular prayer time."  Whatever the thought, I'm always delinquent in my service to God!I wonder if this is about God - or is it really about me?  Does God require such slavish devotion or am I consumed with trying to earn his favor?  I'm a seminary graduate and I know the answer, but somehow that doesn't stop my nocturnal nitpicking. When I've prayed about it, the clear answer is always "Don't worry so much about this."  And I know it's true.  I try to center my life on God.  He's my first thought in the morning and my last at night.  And I believe that's how he wants it.  A friend once told me that the chief end ...

BE QUIET MIND - by Calvin 2007-05-04 05:46:46 I've been traveling the contemplative path for years now. Yes, I'm still an extrovert, but that's not the point. This one thing I seek is to behold the beauty of the Lord in contemplation. For me, these encounters with God range from quiet time in his presence to incredible revelations. But I still have a long walk ahead of me on this contemplative journey.There's a book I've been reading by Madame Guyon (1648-1717) called, "Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ." She makes a point about contemplation that it is no big deal to be quiet and devout for an hour if the spirit of prayer does not continue during the whole day. She also writes, "We must forget ourselves, and all self-interest, and listen, and be attentive to God." Her comments got my attention.My contemplative discipline does not quiet my mind much beyond the time of evening prayer. Lisa would tell you that I am verbally intense. My mind is not always quiet enough to fully listen before I answer. The Bible ha ...

SIMPLE FAITH - by Lisa 2007-05-02 05:06:15 Either you believe it or you don't.  It's as simple as that.  Faith, that is.  But in today's world, such a mindset doesn't always cut it.  Is your faith scientific?  Is it logical?  Can it be proved?  Is it consistent with archaeological findings?  But in the end, do these questions really matter?I grew up in a non-Christian family where faith, if it existed at all, had to make sense.  When I accepted Christ at a relatively late age, the issue of provable faith slowly receded.  The longer I walk with him, the more the eyes of my soul see that simple faith is all that is needed.  Simple faith is knowing in the silent depths of your being that Christ is real.  There is no need to question.  No need to explain inconsistencies.  No need to prove a case.  All that is needed is simply and deeply knowing God.  Either you believe it or you don't.Perhaps t ...

FRIENDWORKING - by Calvin 2007-05-02 05:05:40 Lisa tells me that I am a master networker. Well, the truth is I started networking before it became the thing to do. I was surprised when somebody gave a fancy name to my chatty way of making connections.This morning I had coffee with a pastor I met recently. Yes, I was networking at the home of the green mermaid. We were talking passionately about our mutual vision for pastors praying together in unity. While extolling my desire to make friends who I would invite to a prayer fellowship, I heard my own words convict me of the sin of networking.Now let me explain. What I call networking is a strategy of meeting people for the purpose of exchanging resources and vision. I must admit, that is a form of buying and selling people or at least what they have to offer. In a sense, I turn my networking contacts into my servants.Jesus was doing something different when he said, "Instead, I have called you friends , for everything that I learned from my Father I have made kno ...