Growing Your Soul This Weekend

Take a few minutes this weekend to check out the articles in this month's The Better Life E-Newsletter from the Purpose Driven Life folks. The theme is Growing Your Own Soul.

Rick Warren has written an article about intentionally planning for your spiritual growth, Katie Brazelton offers tips about what to do once you set aside time to meet with God and Lance Witt uses Psalm 143 as a practical guide to enjoying God's presence in solitude.

Giving God Time

Andrew Murray wrote in The Secret of Adoration:

Take time. Give God time to reveal Himself to you. Give yourself time to be silent and quiet before Him, waiting to receive, through the Spirit, the assurance of His presence with you, His power working in you. Take time to read His Word as in His presence, that from it you may know what He asks of you and what He promises you.

Giving God time to reveal Himself to us is really what we are doing as we establish our daily habits of prayer, Bible reading, and periods of quietness. Over the next couple days, think about how you did carving out space for these new habits this month. Is the time of day you have chosen to pray or read working or do you need to find something that will work better with your schedule? Is there another activity you are going to have to decide to eliminate to make some time? How are you doing with creating some peaceful silence? Are there any more sources of noise in your life you can just turn off?

Andrew Murray concludes that doing these things will “create around you, create within you, a holy atmosphere, a holy heavenly light, in which your soul will be refreshed and strengthened for the work of daily life.”

Praying about the Small Stuff

A few days ago a reader asked me who G. Campbell Morgan was. George Campbell Morgan was a well-known British preacher in the early 1900s. His main focus was Bible exposition—in other words, explaining the Bible—and teaching people to study the Bible on their own. The best G. Campbell Morgan story I know is this:

A woman came to Morgan and asked if it was O.K. to pray for the small things in her life along with the big things. Morgan is said to have replied, "Madam, can you think of anything in your life that could be considered as BIG to the God of the universe?"

This is a great story to remember as I go through the day worrying about this or that but failing to pray because my little problem seems just too trivial. God has told us to pray about everything—and the arbitrary lines we draw about what is too small to pray about (or what ought to be within our own control or discretion) are just silly. If it is big enough to cause you any concern at all, it’s big enough to pray about.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything…present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

How are you doing with our newly developed habits? Take time to pray three times a day: before you get out of bed, as you fall asleep and at one other scheduled time that works for you. Read the New Testament 7-8 minutes per day. And try to eliminate excess noise, like the radio during your commute, the iPod as you walk, the TV news as you cook dinner or clean up, etc.

Hearing God's Voice This Weekend

Pascal wrote, "I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber."

As we head into the weekend—which for many of us is even busier than our busy workweek—try to carve out a little time to be quiet and alone with God. Even if you can’t find time to take a walk in a quiet place or soak in the tub, drench whatever you are doing in quiet. For example, if you are traveling, use the time trapped in the car or plane to get quiet. Don’t turn on the radio or iPod or open your book. Don’t do anything. Or, as you do the yardwork or clean out the garage, don’t focus on how awful the chore is or on making mental lists of all the other things you need to accomplish. Instead, think about what God has done for you this week or what you have learned from your Bible reading his week. Try to keep your mind peacefully focused on the God who is bigger than all your little (and big) worries.

"Only silence will allow us life-transforming concentration upon God. It allows us to hear the gentle God whose only Son ‘shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice above the street noise.’ (Matthew. 12:19) It is this God who tells us that ‘in quietness and trust is your strength.’" (Isaiah 30:15). (Quote from Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines).

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Praying About Everything

We all have a tendency to forget to pray about everyday issues we feel are well within our control. We pray about the big scary things, but the routine stuff? We can handle it on our own. The truth is, however, that God doesn’t want us to believe that it is our own strength and skill, the latest technology or another person's expertise, that solves all our problems. He wants us to put our trust in His power over even the smallest circumstances and to pray about everything.

Glynnis Whitwer of Proverbs 31 Ministries writes about learning this lesson when she recently spent the day caring for a child home from school with the stomach flu:

It wasn't until evening that I realized I hadn't prayed once for my little boy. His fever was high and as I held his hot little body, I placed my hand on his head and asked in the name of Jesus for Robbie's fever to go down and for it to stay down during the night. I gave him another dose of medicine, soothed his feverish skin with a cool cloth and held him on my lap. Thirty minutes later his fever dropped from 103.6 to normal and Robbie slept peacefully and fever free through the night. He woke the next morning with a tender tummy, but feeling much better. As most moms know, a fever that high doesn't drop that fast on medicine alone. God definitely intervened.

As I reflect on that incident I wonder how many other times I have relied on something other than God's power to solve a problem....Relying on God is a habit, actually a discipline, which brings joy and peace as we develop it in greater measure in our lives. As I learn to depend on God in the small and big areas of my life, I find I have more stories to tell about how good, powerful and wonderful He is. Like the night He brought my son's fever down to normal in 30 minutes.

I really like the following suggestion from Glynnis: Identify one decision you have to make today that normally you would make on your own. In prayer, ask God for His help with it.

You can read more of Glynnis’ thoughts in today’s Encouragement for Today daily devotional.

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord." Isaiah 31:1

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

A Day of Mindfulness

This past weekend some Buddhists held a “Day of Mindfulness” in my town. I read in the newspaper announcement that they would be training people on indoor sitting meditation (bring your own mat if possible) and, weather permitting, outdoor walking meditation. Interestingly, the conference was held at the local Friends Meeting House—another group that emphasizes silence and meditation.

There are a lot of Friends, or Quakers, in this area. My daughter said to me just yesterday, “You know my friend Annie has to go like once a week and sit for two hours with her eyes shut and no one says anything. I mean, like, nothing at all. I would totally freak out after 10 minutes.” Such is the mind of an eighth-grader. Of course, unfortunately, I might freak out too after awhile. My daughter and I agreed that perhaps we could handle it if we worked up to it slowly, starting with 5 minutes a day. We also agreed that we’d have more of an incentive than some other people since there actually is a real God out there who might communicate with us if we could just be quiet for long enough to hear Him.

I wish my church would run an all-day session on how to be quiet before God while walking or sitting. I also wish they had trained me since childhood to sit in silence for at least two hours a week. I could use the help.

How are you doing on shutting down some on the noise in your life this month? Take a minute to think about what difference this new habit is making in your day and to your frame of mind. And don’t forget our January and February habits: praying 3 times a day for a few minutes and reading the New Testament 7-8 minutes a day.

Whatever Prayers

Recently author and speaker Cindi Wood was stranded for a day by a missed flight connection on the way home from a speaking engagement. Faced with an incredibly frustrating interruption to her plans she says, "I prayed one of the most spiritual prayers I know: 'Whatever!'"

How does Cindi's WHATEVER prayer go? “Lord I don’t understand why this is happening, but I know You do. So whatever you want to do with me right now, I’m willing for You to do. Help me to see Your Hand in this situation."

It's really a version of the prayer Jesus taught the disciples to pray: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So what are the situations that cause you anxiety? Traffic jams? Seeing the bills in the mailbox? Bad news at the office? Try breathing the whatever prayer a couple times before reacting. OK God. Whatever. I know you know the situation better than I do. I know you are in control.

You can read more of Cindi's insights at www.FrazzledFemale.com.

The Frazzled Female: Finding God's Peace in Your Daily Chaos By Cindi Wood Based on one of today's most popular Bible studies for women, this book reaches out to busy ladies everywhere, guiding them to sanity, peace, and a deeper, more vibrant relationship with the Lord. Cindi Wood's approach isn't "no-nonsense," because she's as hilarious as she is helpful. But in the end, her readers will clearly learn how to become "victoriously frazzled."

Casting Your Cares On Him

A couple days ago my son brought home from school that ominous paper that comes home each spring. It says, and I am paraphrasing, “If you put teacher requests for next year in writing we might consider them but don’t count on it. We get to stick your child in whatever classroom we want.” Now begins a scramble across town as all the moms compare notes and begin to jockey for “the best” teacher. There is always one teacher everyone wants and at least one about whom you hear horrifying stories and think you may just die (or have to move out of town) if your child is assigned to that classroom.

Why am I telling you this? Am I trying to write one of those mommy blogs that are so incredibly popular right now? No. I’m telling you because this anxiety about next year’s classroom placement is, for me, a perfect example of a recurring worry I can turn over to God. Think about it. I actually have no idea which teacher is best for my kid. I have no idea what life circumstances Connor will face next year. I also have to admit that I know surprisingly little about how his mind works and how it will develop over the next 6 months. I don’t really know the teachers either—I only know what other mothers think they might know or heard from their neighbor’s neighbor awhile back. On top of that, I have very little power to affect the school’s placement decision anyway. On the other hand, God knows exactly who the right teacher is. He knows what Connor will need next year. He even knows what college he will eventually attend and what kind of career he will need to be prepared for. He knows how Connor’s mind works inside and out. And, best of all, He has power over the school administration. He can put Connor with the perfect teacher and the school administrators will think it was their own idea!

So, between now and August, I will pray many times about this issue. Sometimes it will be with confidence and peace of mind, thanking God that He is in control. Sometimes, after I have heard a particularly scary tidbit about a teacher, I will pray nervously, “God, what about Mr. So-and-so? What if Connor is in his class?” But the point is, I will repeatedly put the issue in the lap of the qualified decision maker and try to leave it there.

So what is the equivalent of teacher placement in your life? What are the things that make you anxious--but over which you have little control? Do you feel that way when you check stock prices or look at your 401(k) statement? How about each time you schedule a medical appointment? Think about next year's tuition? Drop someone you love at the airport? Or when the rumors of lay offs sweep through your workplace once again? Try practicing turning these issues over to God each time that little anxious or unsettled feeling begins to form in the pit of your stomach. It can be just a quick general prayer: God I know you know the future. Do what is best. Prepare me for whatever it is. Help me to relax knowing that You are in control. Or it can be more specific, laying out in detail what you are worried about and what you think would be the best result, while asking Him to guide the situation according to what He knows will be best for your future.

Setting God Always Before You

I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:8-11

David wrote in Psalm 16, “I have set the Lord always before me.” What did he mean? He meant that he made God his top priority, he looked to God throughout the day, and he did it deliberately. “I have set the Lord always before me” does not sound like “I usually remember to pray before I eat” or “I think about the Bible when I happen to catch Charles Stanley on the radio a couple mornings a week” or “Sometimes I have free time at lunch and I open my Bible.” It sounds much more premeditated and purposeful doesn’t it? David took deliberate, planned steps to make sure God was always at the forefront of his mind.

This is what this blog is all about—purposefully developing habits that keep God as high as possible on the jumbled “to do” list running through our minds all day. Scheduling several times to pray, reading the Bible, and leaving some quiet spaces during the day are all ways to continually "set Him before us" and allow Him bit by bit to take over our thoughts, emotions and wills. If we stick with this, ultimately we can say along with David in Psalm 16: no circumstance shakes me up for long; my heart is no longer heavy; I don’t fear death or the aging of my body; I know the path to travel through life; I am full of joy.

What God Can Do With Quiet #2

Are you worried that seeking silent, private times alone seems the opposite of “Christian?” Aren’t we supposed to love and serve other people? How can we do that when we are always trying to steal away by ourselves? Aren’t we being selfish? Henri Nouwen has something to say about this issue: these times actually enable us to be truly compassionate towards others.

In solitude we realize that nothing human is alien to us, that the roots of all conflict, war, injustice, cruelty, hatred, jealousy, and envy are deeply anchored in our heart. In solitude our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh, a rebellious heart into a contrite heart, and a closed heart into a heart that can open itself to all suffering people in a gesture of solidarity…. Solitude molds self-righteous people into gentle, caring, forgiving persons who are so deeply convinced of their own great sinfulness and so fully aware of God’s even greater mercy that their life itself becomes ministry.

In other words, when you commute in total silence for 35 minutes your mind has time to mull over things that bother you and to understand them more fully. You begin to realize that your spouse’s faults are no greater than your own. You begin to understand that the things that drive you crazy about your kids are things they learned from you. You begin to catch a glimpse of how miserable your constantly complaining co-worker’s life must be. You are more prepared to respond with compassion to your co-worker and with a less self-righteous attitude toward your spouse and kids.

Now, admittedly, transformation is a long, slow process—-but we must make a start somewhere and a good place to start is carving out some silent times in our days which we turn over to God. Just turn off the radio (iPod, TV, whatever) and, as you begin to worry, feel angry, imagine yourself as king of the world, etc, turn your thoughts to God. Compare them to what you have been reading in the New Testament. Begin to laugh at yourself and talk your craziness over with God. If no one is within earshot you can do it out loud.

The quote is from Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence.

What God Can Do With Quiet

Henri Nouwen, who wrote many books on spirituality, says that times of solitude and silence are the furnaces of transformation God uses in our lives. Without them, “we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in illusions” of ourselves. Here is how Nouwen says they work.

First, periods of quiet time alone remove our usual props—no friends to talk to on the phone, no music to entertain, no advertising to make us believe we are worth something—just us. Then, inevitably, our ugliness begins to make itself known, usually in the form of anger or greed. We find ourselves imagining scenes in which we deliver the perfect comeback to an unreasonable co-worker or annoying customer. Or we daydream about wealth, influence or looking incredibly hip in a new pair of jeans. We come face to face with our selfishness and realize that only Jesus can change us. We begin to pray and allow Him to work on us. Thus, Nouwen says times of solitude and silence are places “where Christ remodels us in His own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world.”

Having trouble finding ways to eliminate the noise in your life? Take a look at your day and identify all the times you are alone. For many of us, this may only be during our commutes, workouts or when doing some undesirable chore that makes the rest of the family run for cover. Turn off anything you usually do to distract yourself during these times. No radio, iPod, TV, cell phone, etc. Still having trouble finding a quiet time alone? Can your spouse watch the kids while you take a walk around the block after dinner? Can you take a walk during your lunch break at work? Can you plunk down the kids at the public library story hour and then go sit in a quiet part of the library by yourself? Get creative. You can actually pray that God will give you some periods of quiet during your day.

If you are interested in reading more of what Nouwen has to say, try The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence. The quotes in this post are taken from the chapter entitled, "The Furnace of Transformation."

Why Get Quiet?

Why get quiet? Is there something wrong with DJs, music and TV news? No. Not usually. It’s just that they conspire to keep us from things that are so much better. Like prolonged thought. Like remembering the person who you volunteered to pray for and then forgot all about. Like realizing that the situation that’s troubling you at work is exactly the same as something you heard in last Sunday’s sermon.

It’s no secret that Jesus sought times of solitude and silence and encouraged his disciples to draw away from the crowds for awhile too. And many of the Christians we think of as "great" down through the centuries (like Brother Lawrence and Mother Theresa) have advocated getting quiet and alone as a primary way to focus more intently on God. But how in the world are we to do that when we are so busy with our jobs, our kids, volunteer activities, the house, etc., etc.? One way to begin is to create little oases of quiet where possible in our days.

So how are you doing with getting rid of the gratuitous, extraneous noise in your life? Can you commute in silence? Can you give up listening to the news repetitively while getting ready for work or cooking dinner? Just try it. And don’t forget to keep up with the habits we developed in January and February—-praying for a few minutes three times a day and reading the New Testament for 7-8 minutes each day.

Got Quiet?

This post is dedicated to the blog reader who--in response to my suggesting a book yesterday for those of you who thought we might be moving too slowly—-asked if there was a book for those who think we are moving too fast. The challenge for March will not take any extra time out of your schedule. You can definitely accomplish this one.

The challenge this month is to turn off the extra noise in your life. One of the reasons we have such a hard time hearing God’s “still, small voice” is that we are in the habit of drowning it out. It’s also one of the reasons we don’t find our thoughts turning more often to God during the day and we offer so few spontaneous prayers. We are distracted by the noise all around us.

I know you can’t turn off your kids, your boss or your spouse, but there is probably a lot of other noise you can eliminate. Do you listen to the radio while commuting? OK, just listen to the traffic report and then shut it off. Do you have news shows constantly humming in the background while you cook dinner and clean the kitchen? Feel naked if you leave the house without your iPod? And how much are you talking on the cell phone just to keep yourself entertained? Try to carve out some quiet during your day. God will use this time to renew your mind.

Now, there is one catch. Often we have turned on all this distracting noise for the very reason that we want to be distracted. We are uncomfortable with our own thoughts or we have a tendency to worry or feel afraid if not forced to think about something else. I noticed that when I stopped listening to the radio while commuting I began to worry about work more. This becomes the perfect opportunity to take God at His word and pray about the anxious thoughts that begin to crowd into your mind. That takes some self-discipline but the end result is more peace.

Try it for March. What’s the worst that could happen? You can always turn the noise back on in April. (And don’t forget to keep up with the habits you developed in January and February—-praying 3 times a day and reading the New Testament for 7-8 minutes a day.)

How Did You Do?

Wow! It’s March already! How did you do with our February goals? If you were able to establish some new habits, take a minute to thank God for the strength and determination He gave you. Thank Him for the results you are already seeing in your life, like answered prayers, an increased ability to understand what you are reading in the New Testament or a greater sense of God’s presence with you throughout the day.

If you had difficulty sticking with our new habits, take a few minutes to analyze why and brainstorm ways to overcome your particular difficulties. Did you have a tendency to fall asleep when praying at the beginning or end of the day? Would it help to sit up? If you couldn’t think of anything to pray about maybe a short list on a Post-It note on the bedside table would help. How about reading the New Testament? If you couldn’t find time, maybe it would help to list virtually everything you do in a usual day, cross the least important thing out and replace it with reading. Maybe you can substitute some of your newspaper or web browsing time. If you got discouraged because you couldn’t understand what you were reading, switch to a more modern translation or a Bible with notes (like the Life Application Bible). Or perhaps you could plan to read the same chapter over and over again for several days in a row until the words become more familiar. Is it that you just hate reading? Maybe you need to listen to the Bible on CD while you drive or download an MP3 audio Bible for free at www.allaboutgod.com/mp3-bible.htm. You get the idea: Take a serious look at what held you back from establishing prayer and Bible reading habits, pinpoint your weaknesses and plan a work-around.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about an additional habit for March. Don’t worry, it’s not hard. Just another small step. (By the way, if you like the ideas we are talking about on this blog but think we are moving way too slowly, consider reading Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald. MacDonald talks about issues like motivation, use of time, and developing spiritual strengths. While the book is serious, it is very readable and practical.)