If you weren't with us last Wednesday, you missed a thought provoking conversation on the Spiritual Significance of Self-Awareness led by Dr. Kelly Breen Boyce. Here is a reminder of some of what we talked about.
Over the fourth of July holiday, I went to visit my dear friend, Nicole, out West. We ate wonderful meals, got facials at a spa, slept in, and reminisced about our days in graduate school together. There’s little else I could want in a vacation. During the trip, we also went to Zion National Park in Utah. Born and bred in the South, I have spent much time in the Blue Ride and Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. In such stark contrast to the serene greens, blues and greys of our mountain ranges, the red rocks of the American West stand uniquely their own. While in the park, we hiked a well-known trail called The Narrows. Over half of the hike requires wading through the river, making sure to steady your footing while navigating the slippery rocks. The perpendicular walls enveloping you continue to narrow as you trek deeper into the gorge. The slow pace forced by the rushing water below gave me plenty of time to notice all of the variations in the red rocks and to marvel in this rugged beauty that only desert conditions could sustain. Radically different from my familiar North Carolina mountains, I was struck by the creativity of God. Not only did give us the gift of mountains, he created mountain ranges and rock formations with such diversity.
Appreciating the beauty of God’s creation, I remembered a famous quote by one of the earliest church Fathers, St. Augustine:
Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, the huge waves of the sea, the long course of rivers, the vast compass of the ocean, the circular motion of the stars...but they pass by themselves and don't even notice.
As impressive and majestic are the red rocks of Utah, we, as people created after God’s own image, are more robust reflectors of the glory and nature of God.
“God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.’” Genesis 1: 26
A prayer of response: Our Father, as we enjoy the beauty of your creation, may we be reminded that even much moreso than a majestic mountain range or the vast ocean, we most accurately reflect your nature and glory. With that firm belief, help us to tend to ourselves and others with great care and attention.
THEY DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO THE APOSTLES' TEACHING, AND TO FELLOWSHIP, AND TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD, AND TO PRAYER." ACTS 2:42
DEVOTED: committed, ardently dedicated and loyal (Merrian-Webster)
What am I (are you) devoted to?
If I am honest, I am probably most steadfastly devoted to my morning cup of coffee. No matter when I wake up, how late I am running, even if we are out of coffee in the house, I make it happen. Without. Fail. I am also committed to my computer...email and the internet. I am committed to certain TV shows. I am committed to my phone. It is with me where ever I go. And the list could go on.
Of course I am also devoted to more substantive things in life. I am devoted to God--to walking with Him and yielding to Him, to my husband, my children, dear friends, etc. But as I contemplated devotion in my life, I was struck by how easily, even thoughtlessly devoted I am to some things, yet the more important things in life require discipline and intentionality to truly live a life of devotion beyond simple lip service. And I was also saddened by my devotion to somethings that actually takes me farther away from the person I want to be.
When does my devotion to things (bad or good) other than God cross the line into idolatry?
As Tim Keller says, idolatry is when we make a good thing into an ultimate thing. I loved Kelly’s talk last Wednesday because we so easily keep a pace in life that leaves no room for self-examination, no room to stop the busy doing, to silence the noise, and reflect. And that pause and reflection often exposes the idols of our heart and the insanity of how we live inconsistent with what we believe and value. We so easily drift into sleep-walking. So be it entertainment or money, our job, the noise of the phone and internet, materialism, whatever, or even more subtle things like our marriage or desire for it, our children, friendships, it is so easy for good things to creep in our hearts to a place of wrong priority and idolatry, to become ultimate things that we hinge our hope and happiness upon. It is so necessary to pause often and take inventory of our hearts. To confess and repent and re-align our hearts to God; to that which is true, and noble, and pure, and right, and lovely (Philippians 4:8).
What does it mean, what does it look like to be devoted to these things?
I love that the verse says, “They devoted themselves...” not that they were devoted to these things but that they actively committed themselves to these things. One translation actually says, “they were continually devoting themselves” showing that it wasn't one and done, but an ongoing choice. They intentionally together purposed to faithfully pursue these things. On Sunday, Kurt quoted Dallas Willard as saying, “grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” The early church did not commit themselves to these things to make a new, ‘Good Christian Checklist’ for earning favor with God, but rather they understood that these disciplines or efforts would lead them toward ultimate things... towards knowing God and walking with Him.
THE APOSTLES' TEACHINGS
For us to be committed to the Apostles’ Teachings today, is to be committed knowing the scriptures, particularly, the good news of Jesus and the implications of salvation through grace. By reading the Bible we better know who God is and what He is like. We come to know His character is good and trustworthy. We come to know truth, most significantly in the person of Jesus. Devotion to truth is submitting to it. Letting the gospel inform every aspect of our lives, our choices and actions, even our view of ourselves and others.
FELLOWSHIP
I think Christians often romanticize fellowship or living in community. The truth is true fellowship requires sacrifice, caring for the needs of others, and it also requires transparency and vulnerability, a willingness to lovingly engage in the lives of others and to receive the same. We can often be in love with the idea of community, but overlook the cost. It isn’t always pretty. It almost always is messy. But if we allow it, it can be a place for encountering God and real transformation in our lives.
THE BREAKING OF BREAD
Some people believe “breaking of bread” is referencing communion while others think it actually is referring to sharing a meal together, sharing life together on an intimate level. I love both. It is in many ways, a restating and emphasis of the first two things--to remember Jesus, the cross, to stay anchored to the gospel, but Together--in a corporate context of relationships. To share the gospel and your life with one another in an intimate (again, not always easy or pretty but) authentic and deeply meaningful way.
PRAYER
To have a healthy, cultivated prayer life is to be surrendered and dependent upon God.
I love this John Ortberg quote that Marie Matthews posted on facebook last week. I think it does a beautiful job of giving us a vision for how prayer leads to a transformed life.
Prayer, more than any other single activity, is what places us in the flow of the Spirit. When we pray, hearts get convicted, sin gets confessed, believers get united, intentions get encouraged, people receive guidance, the church is strengthened, stubbornness gets melted, wills get surrendered, evil gets defeated, grace gets released, illness gets healed, sorrows are comforted, faith is born, hope is grown, and love triumphs. In prayer - in the presence of God - we come closest to being fully ourselves.
So this is the substance of our name, Warehouse 242. This is what we desire our DNA to be. What a beautiful and powerful thing if we truly purposed together to live this out.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to prayer." Acts 2:42
This post will be Two Part. First I am going to pose some questions around our namesake verse here (did you know that Warehouse 242 got it's name from Acts 2:42?) I would love to hear your thoughts. Please chime in on the comment section of this post or feel free to email me, if you prefer (women@warehouse242.org). I will write a follow up post in a few days, but first I wanted you to have a chance to think on the questions yourself.
DEVOTED: committed, ardently dedicated and loyal (Merrian-Webster)
What am I (are you) devoted to? If you are like me, you can start with your morning cup of coffee and roll it out from there:-)
When does my devotion to things (bad or good) other than God cross the line into idolatry?
What does it mean, what does it look like to be devoted to these things? •The Apostles' Teachings •Fellowship •The Breaking of Bread •Prayer
written by: Holly Norton
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
What does He do?
Saves, delivers me from guilt, shame, sin
Takes great delight in me, rejoices over me with gladness!
He loves without conditions: NO LONGER rebukes me, reproves me for my sin
He finds joy in me and sings loudly over me
God is speaking through Zephaniah to the people of Israel. God says, his people are “rebellious, they listen to no voice, accept no correction, they don’t trust the Lord and they do not draw near to Him”. They are prideful. They don’t pursue God. This is a picture of a warrior king defeating the enemy. He pursues his enemy, defeats them and then finds delight in conquering them.
Lord,
What a picture you have given me in this verse! You are defeating me. I have fought and rebelled and desired to be free from your rule. I have wanted my way, I have pursued other things. You came after me and captured me in my rebellion. Just like a child who is so emotionally distraught and angry at not getting her way. Her dad must hold her tight until she finally gives in and melts into his arms. THIS IS AGGRESSIVE LOVE! But, you delight in me and find great joy in me! You don’t bring up my past rebellion. You don’t reprove me and list out my sin and the many times I chose to follow after other gods. You love without conditions. You sing and rejoice over me simply because of Jesus.
You find delight in me! That is very hard to understand. Much of life is defined by doing something or being something good in order to receive someone’s delight. I seldom, if ever, find delight in myself. I seldom think others find delight in me. I can only see where I don’t measure up, where I have failed, and my ever present selfishness. But YOU DELIGHT in me even though I often seek love, approval, control and comfort from other things and other people. You desire for me to be yours. This is aggressive love. This is freeing love. I am free to see what you see. You have made me for yourself and for your delight.
Lord, enable me to see what you see. I need to be reminded that you delight in me. Daily capture my heart with your aggressive love and let me hear you singing loudly over me, telling me I am yours!
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Growing up in the church I somehow learned that once you became a Christian you turned into a clone that followed a certain set of rules, listened to a particular kind of music and behaved in a specific manner. There was a sense that you didn’t have your own personality but rather became a blank slate that was then smattered with a set of rules for living. I became zealous to stop my friends from drinking, partying, and smoking, hoping they would ignore my hypocritical behavior and accept my invitations to church. I was on a wild search for my identity and had no idea how to meld my church life with my everyday life. As I read over the book of Galatians it seemed like Paul was trying to tell the church to stop putting their energy into a set of rules (the law) and understand that their identity was in Christ. They were free from the law because of their union with Christ in His death and resurrection. I like the way the Message says it in Gal. 2:19 - “I [Paul] tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man.” Clearly, a body of clones living out certain rules or laws isn’t what God had in mind for His children or else Jesus wouldn’t have had to die. To paraphrase Gal. 2:21, if we are made righteous (holy, perfect) because of a set of rules or laws, then Jesus died for no purpose.
So, what did Jesus have in mind? What does it mean to be crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me? Are we all clones or is there something more there?
When we surrender our lives to Christ and unite ourselves with Him, He mysteriously gives us a new identity in Him; makes us a new creation in Christ. The old person is gone and the new person (spiritually) has come. Christ then gets to live out His character through us in ways that look and feel different because He has made us all uniquely. We don’t have to identify ourselves with our old ways anymore and get to claim our new identity as a son, daughter, heir… as holy, righteous and renewed. We battle with our old flesh (sin, past wounds, oppression) all the time but we can live in faith knowing who we really are. And we can stand tall and fight. As I grew in my understanding of identity in Christ I found that dying to myself didn’t mean becoming a robot. It meant that I was free to let Jesus live through my personality gifts, and abilities that He specifically created within me.
And dying with Him is not the end of the story – I get to live with Him in a resurrection like His. Romans 6:5-6, 11 says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin…. So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
We are alive and free. We are no longer in bondage to sin. We carry around his death in our body so his life may be revealed to the world around us (2 Cor. 4:10). We will be raised to life with Him in eternity. We are His beloved, made in His image, His works of art. We are fully accepted, fully His, and no one can take that away.
Though these thoughts just skim the surface of this verse, my prayer is that we will know that if we believe in Jesus and follow Him, our identity is a new creation in Him. God looks at us and sees who we really are in Christ and doesn’t define us by our sin. I pray that we will know we are free and that He has created us each uniquely and wonderfully, with gifts, abilities and passions that express the life of Christ to those around us. I pray that this verse will help sturdy us when life seems hard or confusing. Amen.
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3
The other night, at the end of my sweaty, novice yoga ‘practice’ for the day and at the instruction of our teacher, I attempted to enter into a state of ‘rest’—my feet spread out in front of me, my back resting against the hardwood floor cushioned by my thin, blue mat, and the palms of my hands poised upwards toward the sky as if in a wordless yet fierce inviting. I choose the word ‘attempted’ carefully… You see, even amidst the challenge of holding countless yoga poses presented throughout my class (the ones where you will find me in a perpetual state of teetering and falling by the way), the movement into relaxation is always the point in the class that confuses my body, mind, and spirit the most.
Somehow even after thirty-five years in the daily ‘practice’ of living, the concept of ‘rest’—true rest, the kind that is said to be marked by peace, wholeness, and a surrendering of the mind, heart, and soul to God still eludes me most of the time.
I will back up and tell you, that if you were to spend any amount of time in the internal trappings of my mind, you would discover a cycle of spinning questions, worries, judgments, self-critiques, laments, desires, and hopes…and then more worries and self-critiques. In the story of ‘Martha and Mary’ in the Bible through the telling of Luke 10:38-42, I, in my natural state, am the proverbial ‘Martha,’ struggling to hear the gentle words of Jesus saying, “(Beloved Jill), you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one” while my hands remained clinched around what I desperately seek to control like a child who you find hiding just around the corner holding tightly to gooey remnants of a secretive piece of chocolate that has since melted in their hands…
As I continued to attempt to move into a state of rest on the mushy cushion of my yoga mat that night, my teacher’s words continued to move me farther along as she directed, “Trust the Earth beneath you, it is strong enough to hold you. It will keep you.” I was struck in this moment by this simple yet profound truth as if it swept anew across my mind and caused my limbs to relax deeper into the floor that was indeed holding me. It was a simple truth that when laid conscious in front of me I could not deny. I was ushered back to the gentle whisper of Jesus who echoed, “I have you. I got this. I am strong enough to hold you. I am on your side.”
As I meditate on the scripture in Isaiah 26, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” my ‘practice’ enlightens especially as I continue to read the next verse, “Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord, the Lord himself is the Rock Eternal.” So much stronger than the hardwood floor that undeniably held my body, our Lord, is a ‘Rock’ that is ‘Eternal.’ His words, His presence, and His body of believers that surround me today and since the beginning of time hold me. Love and rest, then, is when I realize that He is on my side—that he has my back forever and always, even in the midst of judgments and worry and self-critiques that assault my mind. And alas, I can let go, little by little, more and more of these superfluous, deadening thoughts as my mind believes Him and finds rest.
My ‘practice’ then in living out of the true rest and peace described in Isaiah 26:3 becomes a process of remembering. It is today remembering that He is on my side, and that I can let go of my defenses, and open my chocolate stained hands and hold his hand. It is today remembering that above my worries and judgments, ‘only ONE thing is needed’—trust in Him. And it is today remembering that my journey towards trust and rest is simply ‘practice’ and that I don’t have to have it all together. He in his graciousness understands my ingrained tendencies and my scattered wanderings so much so that my ‘practice’ consists simply of setting my mind back on Him again and again and toward more and more rest and peace as He guides me.
I’m sure you’ve seen them. Admittedly, I’ve been one. Perhaps, you have too?
Tourists. Whether screeching up to the Grand Canyon for a quick family-photo, or gazing at the Eiffel Tower sporting new white tennis shoes and a J'aime Paris t-shirt, or getting in all of Jerusalem or Rome’s holy sites in the course of a three-hour tour, tourists have a certain way of seeing and experiencing the journey. Tourists prize speed, efficiency, safety, comfort and quantity.
The downside: they often need postcards and pictures to remind them where they were, whom they were with and what they did. And sometimes they end up just going in circles:
There is another way of moving through the world.
Travelers. At times they know exactly where they are going, but often they’re more excited about what might happen along the way, who they’ll meet, and the joys of discovery. Curiosity compels them. A longing to learn and be shaped anew energizes them.
They, of course, get tired too but each day, each encounter holds the possibility of soulful serendipity. There's freedom to explore...and grace to get lost...lost in the adventure. They are not checking off sites, succeeding with some list of must-sees, but rather they are experiencing, being present.
The traveler does however, have to summon courage and be willing to go the less crowded route:
As women at Warehouse we’re going to spend the next year exploring the imagery of tourist and traveler, not with an agenda to influence your vacation plans (though if you ever want to chat about that, I’m so there!), but rather to enrich our spiritual journey together.
Throughout Scripture God has used concrete concepts to direct us to spiritual truths. Our relationship with God and the life He’s called us to has been described in Scripture with journey imagery (i.e., paths, pilgrimage, heading off to distant lands).
Here’s a look at some of the imagery we explored our first gathering in May (inspired by the chapter "Going to Mordor" in Mark Buchanan's book, Your Church is Too Safe).
Tourists. On our journey with God, we are not called to let another person take the lead (tour guide), tell us what's important, and try to go about it the same way as everyone else. We may end up seeing the same sights...but we may get there in different ways and different times, and different aspects of it might move us most. God has invited us as individuals (in the midst of community) to go on the journey.
Travelers. God does call us into an adventure. He longs for us to be curious---curious about knowing Him, others, the world He created. Our lives' itineraries certainly get rearranged—disrupted—but when that happens the traveler doesn't see the trip as a failure, but as a way to experience dependence on the Lord and somehow know the Divine and others in ways we hadn't had before. And, travelers bring their authentic selves to the journey...no matching t-shirts. They also have to travel light; it's a long journey for most. Baggage/possessions may get stripped, to be able to go where God calls them.
In the midst of the distinct journey each of us take, here are some shared realities I see. We travel in Community—with the Fellowship of Father, Son and Spirit and with the solidarity of other Christ followers. We embrace our need for grace, for God’s mercy and forgiveness, for the wisdom of Scripture, and for the opportunity to converse with God en route. We recognize there is an Evil One hell bent on distracting us on our journey. Yet, God’s goodness is more powerful and His capacity to redeem suffering far more certain. We experience God’s pursuit of love for us and the Divine’s loving pursuit of others. We revel in His invitation to join Him in the redemption of earth and humanity.
I’d be curious to hear how you understand the Tourist and Traveler imagery. Below are the questions our wonderful panel of women discussed during in May. I encourage you to contemplate them with one or more friends and then to pray about one spiritual practice you’d like to focus on in the next month (see Take it Further).
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OWN JOURNEY
1. Did you ever have to make that transition from Tourist to Traveler in your own life? If so, can you share briefly how that happened?
2. What are some ways you most authentically encounter God? (Not as a tourist - but as a traveler) How did you discover those ways?
3. What happens in your spiritual journey when you feel lost, God seems distant, or you're just utterly exhausted? (What practices might drop off? How has God met you there?)
4. While travelers don't have a checklist and avoid the tour group approach, they often sort out rhythms to make their journey sustainable. What do your rhythms/spiritual practices looks like?
5. If you were going to head out on a long journey with God and could only pack 3 items/spiritual practices what would they be?
6. If you could give one piece of advice for other travelers, what would you give?
TAKE IT FURTHER:
What's one spiritual practice you'd like to try or grow deeper in this month that can help you be less of a Tourist and more of a Traveler?
It’s a gift to be on this journey with you! I can’t wait to see what God has plotted for each of us.
"The invitation to travel is a dance lesson with the Divine." --Graffiti on a gas station bathroom wall
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” Psalm 84:5
