I wanted to take some time to post the highlights from his talk because they impressed me. It wasn’t just a good message for inmates, but for all of us.
THEME
Galatians 6:7-10
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
NOTES:
We will harvest what we sow.
Bad seed reaps bad.
Good seed reaps good.
Don’t grow weary of doing right.
Even in doing right we will grow weary.
The Christian Walk of Faith is like a stool with four legs.
1. Reading the Bible
In it we learn who God is.
2. Prayer
Communication with God.
Don’t pray boring prayers. If your prayers are boring they don’t do any good.
Let the Psalms be your prayers if your prayers have gotten dull.
3. Accountability
Fellow believers build us us and help to make us more like Christ.
We must find someone to be honest with and get encouragement from. Iron sharpens iron.
4. Service
In service to others we become more like Christ. It’s not about us.
The walk of faith moves through three components:
First: CREATION
Re-birth into a new identity and connection to Christ through faith a repentance.
Second: FORMATION
Through discipleship and obedience we are formed within and beomce more like Christ
Third: DIRECTION
God directs our paths and our life. We follow him in faith and allow God to be in charge. We rest in his provision and care for us and he decides where we go.
Today, I’m sharing with you my thoughts and draft notes as I prepare a talk.
If you’re getting stuck and feeling like you can’t find your purpose, or if you thought you knew your purpose and now you don’t really–don’t worry.
Although your basic human purpose changes very little, the details can change at different stages in life or in different circumstances. You are normal.
If you don’t know this bit about the shifts of purpose, you can go through dark periods needlessly and have longer slumps. Well, enough of that!
The WISP technique is something I came up with to keep me on track.
Not that there could be a “technique” per se.
Think of it as a rule of thumb or guide, if that helps.
Do you have a notebook?
Grab one.
Purpose – the finding and keeping of it – can be slippery. So, field notes help.
Keep track of your progress. It gives you a structure and a history to check on.
STEP 1
W
Worship
Does this sound a bit odd? Worship. The more odd it sounds to you as a starting point, the more you need to do it to get properly orientated straight-away.
Worship is other focused, by nature. Yes?
That new perspective alone can help you make a break-through. But, really it’s much more than that at work.
“As we worship a fundamental shift happens because we remember who we really are.” -LD
At first blush it seems like worship is for God, because he is owed our worship. True?
That’s really only part of it. Let’s dig deeper:
1. God doesn’t need ANYTHING from us. He’s not insecure.
2. This means that Worship is to him (or toward him), but for OUR benefit.
To put it simply, God commands us to worship him because he wants it to be well with us.
[He knows we need it. Sure it’s his due, but he’s not an egomaniac. He’s always been taking care of us, even through the vehicle of worshipping him.]
When we fail to worship God, we start to worship lesser gods, like…ourselves, other mortals, our ambitions, the gods of the secular, dying world, and countless vanities.
Astray is where we go without properly directed worship.
Few things can create more clarity than a rightly worshipful heart.
• Clarity is a byproduct of worship and so are many other positive things I won’t get into this time.
Remember what Worshiping God helps us remember:
Who we are
Who we love (and who loves us)
And to whom we belong
Don’t feel like worshiping?…well you have to start somewhere.
Loosen your grip on your desires and expectations until you finish this stage. Shift your posture and you will find a new take on your life and on your purpose.
Back to that Handy-dandy Notebook!
(Shout out to Dora the Explorer)
Note feelings, changes, attitudes in your field notes now and during worship.
So where or how should you start in worship?
You can start with something that tends to speak to you and get through to you. What worked before? Start there and keep pushing through. Maybe you’ll find something new or maybe something familiar will help.
OPTIONS:
For some this may mean getting a true break from others and a return and appreciation of the created world. (A walk, a camping trip, a hike, a solo picnic.)
For some it’s music and song. (Just listen, create some, or sing along.)
For some it’s just praying for a while. (It’s talking to God, so it’s a great place to start, if possible.)
Here’s a quick “course” on how it works:
“Praying the names of God” is to first, come up with 10, 20, or 100 names of God. There are plenty: Savior, Redeemer, Creator, Father, Shepherd, Mother Hen, Majestic…you get the idea. As you say, write, and pray the names, roll them over in your mind. What do they mean? Let them affect you, be thankful and rejoice, and (of course) express your thanks and gratitude to God in prayer…which would be the actual worshiping part.
Example: “God you are my Provider. You have taken care of me and continue to. I thank you for providing for me, even in ways I don’t now about. God you are my Rock…”
Reading the Bible might help trigger true worship. Reading the psalms or the great Bible stories like the one of Joseph can inspire a true attitude of worship. You can read using the practice of Lectio Divina for some extra punch too. As you read thorough a portion, note the works or wonders of God, and pray about them, giving glory to God. Worship.
Maybe you have other ways to get the worship started. So, just get started!
HOMEWORK!
You thought this was just some quick reading or some mental exercise, huh?
Nope. I’m asking more of you.
Assignment:
Use a notebook to record your mode of worship and your attitude at the start, during the time of worship, and afterwards. Then, continue to enter into times of short (5-15 minutes) and uninterrupted worship experience for a few days, or until the next post (which ever is longer).
Again, last night I heard from a man about my age whose been locked up for more than 20 years. Plenty of the men I encounter have spent more time behind bars than outside them.
PLEASE, try to imagine that for a moment.
Want the truth? For some, the thought of going back “to the streets” as they call it, fills them with true dread and anxiety. The world outside of prison is full of unknowns and it’s absent of structure (like 3 meals a day, concrete expectations, and consistent scheduling). There are hazards and temptations, and of course, a bleak outlook employment for future employment. They have little or no ways for doing legitimate work. (Would YOU hire a felon?) Some inmates are so fearful of the outside and paralyzed by their prospects that they will purposefully break rules, hurt others, or commit crimes in prison to lengthen their sentence.
Imagine picking to be in prison rather that choosing to start over anew in freedom.
It seems insane, perhaps, until you realize the terrific poignancy:
Captivity is primarily is located in the mind.
This is just as true for non felons. • Too many of us walk around is prisons of our own making. We see closed doors instead of open ones. We let our past tell us a story about ourselves that can continue to enact. We feel trapped or confined with no way to truly free ourselves. We stay oppressed by sin, soul sickness, and slow forms of dying.
We all need healing to find the fruition of Justice.
True justice involves restoration and rehabilitation for re-entry into community and renewed relationships.
Even the Federal Government realizes this. Prisoners need to prepare ahead of time for release and transform their ways of thinking and doing things. New programs have launched that focus on acquiring skills and tools for successful re-entry into communities were a return to crime and old ways becomes less probable. Building more prisons isn’t working. Many of these re-entry programs focus on drawing from a deeper spiritual place and making choices based on the highest of morals to ensure that the best outcomes are the result. They rely on volunteers to help. Amazing that more resources aren’t carved out for something so important, huh? As a volunteer, I’m working multiple times per week teaching and guiding inmates to prepare them for their eventual release.
But God has put something else on my heart.
• I want my brothers behind bars to be missionaries to fellow-inmates. • I want them to be lights in that dark place. • I want them to pray for others and be sources of support and encouragement. • I want them to be vehicles of God’s love and rays of hope for everyone they encounter. Last night, I told them out loud. As I shared my vision with them, the excitement was palpable. They started smiling. They nodded in agreement. Some laughed because they had been thinking the same thing. God has been at work long before I showed up. They want to be a part of what God is doing. They want to be a part of something bigger in the family of God, now, and in the Kingdom of God past, present, and future. It’s a kingdom that was inaugurated fully with Jesus the King more than 2,000 years. It’s a Kingdom that will continue, as is has all over the world, all the way into eternity. Forever and ever, Amen.
In sharing a vision, where others can use their gifts and talents for a greater purpose, we inject meaning and hope. What power that has!
These men are men who are having their hope renewed.
Continued from mylast post…this is Part II of summary of insights I gleaned from the Wesley Forum lecture at Evangelical Seminary, featuring Dr Ben Witherington. He gave us three presentations on the topic of the Imago Dei (image of God).
The 2nd lecture was about the Imago Dei in Jesus.
Here are some snippets I enjoyed:
“charakter” latin
(Yes, it’s the original of our English word “character”).
It refers to the impressionable wax seal used by a king to imprint his royal signet ring.
God’s charakter is manifest in Jesus and includes these qualities:
1. Heir of God, the King
2. Co-Creator
3. Perfect Reflection
4. Exact Imprint
5. He sustains by his word (logos: Jesus was and is the word)
6. Purifies sin
7. Rules over all
Witherington says that Romans 3:23 is better translated as this:
“For all have sinned and lack the glory of God.”
(This verse refers to the effaced but not erased Image of God in humans.)
SALVATION: the behavior & pattern of life.
I was saved.
I am being saved.
I will be saved.
Church is not a collection of individuals.
It’s a family and an identity centered on community, not individuality.
(In ancient times who your daddy was and who your clan was told everyone who you were. Only secondarily was your individual identity noticed (unlike how modern, North Americans experience identity).
The Imago Dei is a royal seal.
We have the imprint.
You embody the word; you become it.
• Jesus gave us the “what” – Great Commandment
LOVE
(The chief imperative is forgiveness and is a Christian distinctive that breaks the cycle of bitterness and violence.)
• Jesus gave us the “how” – Great Commission
(go and tell, and make more like me– which is discipleship)
• Jesus gave us the “goal” – Great Doxology
(praise) Live in the wonder and love of God.
When we pray in Jesus’ name we must always consider this question:
“Would I sign Jesus’ name to this?”
The next post will conclude my notes on the final lecture of Dr Witherington.
You won’t want to miss it!
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Again, last night I heard from a man about my age whose been locked up for more than 20 years. Plenty of the men I encounter have spent more time behind bars than outside them. 