Backwash in the Living Water

Let’s see…Get water from a fresh mountain spring (living water), or take a slip from someone else’s canteen from that spring? Okay, and imagine they just ate broccoli.

I think one of the worst things we can do, spiritually speaking, is try to get someone to drink from our spiritual canteen. We contaminate the message. That’s right, backwash. I’ve been guilty of this, and maybe you have been too.

We try to be convincing in our position, hoping the other person sees it our way, which just has to be the right way, because we just somehow “get it”. Then, we get surprised sometimes that they don’t like the message, or the messenger.

What’s the answer? What works?

Helping someone find the spring itself. Letting them feel the invigorating water for themselves, splash some of it over their fatigued body, and drink deeply from the Source. Not everyone will follow us there, but we can still tell them about what they can experience for themselves. We can think of ourselves as guides, not debaters. We can’t expect that anybody wants the stuff we kept in storage.

The same is true for us, and we can’t forget it! If we don’t fill up our spiritual canteen for ourselves, often, we’ll putrefy our pathetic container. We can’t settle, and get used to our stale, overstored water. Seriously. We’ll make ourselves sick.

While we make our way to the Spring, to engage in regular, honest intimacy with God, we can bring some weary travelers along with us. Nothing else will do.

Nothing quenches like water…from the source.

When was the last time you spiritually “drank from the Source”? AND What do you do to make sure the Living water doesn’t get stale in your spiritual canteen? I’d like to hear your ideas. Thanks for reading this today. Live Blessed.

-Lisa


Lenten Reflection: Freedom


John 8:31-36 (New Living Translation)

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

The season of Lent is especially helpful for calling our cravings (desires and temptations), and sin (missing the mark) into question. When we do not have the mind of God, we sin. We enact a way opposed to God, and his nature. It is sin that enslaves us. We become captive to corrupt desires, deeds, words, and thoughts. Sin is our Master, and we remain in chains.

What ungodly things are your master? The Son has made you free, and you are free indeed. If you remain faithful to God’s teachings, you will not be fooled by sinful things, and held in bondage.

Consider you sin, and your sinfulness. Confess it and Relinquish it. You have been set free! Live in that freedom.

Response Question: What has God freed you from?

LENT 411 (+ link to great resource)

by Michael Arndt (click for link)

You don’t have to be catholic to get a lot out of this early spring season of lent. this time can be a perfect way to prepare your heart for the celebration that is basically the Superbowl event for Christians…Resurrection Sunday (a.k.a. Easter).

Thom Turner says that the focus of Lent is fourfold:
 Fasting
 Prayer
 Repentance
 Giving

Thom writes at the “blog-like” Everyday Liturgy site, and has made an excellent guide for Lent (click that) that I found very good indeed. Thom is an adjunct professor of English at Nyack College and the Senior Editor, forLiterary Arts of GENERATE Magazine, and is also a lay leader at The Plant, a church community in Mahwah, NJ.

I hope this helps your journey.
-Lisa

1st Day of Lent: Ash What-day?

“Oh…Sure, rub it in…”

Did Jesus get ashed on Ash Wednesday? Um. Nope. Duh…

This day in the Christian calendar has marked the beginning of the season of Lent for way over a thousand years. But, yes, it can be “observed” even if we don’t show the signs of charcoal. But, why bother? It’s pagan, right? It’s not in the Bible, right? It’s just kooky works-righteousness thing, right?

Well, here’s the thing. Let’s think about this. If something is not in the Bible does that mean it’s rendered useless and meaningless from Christian devotional practices? I doubt it. From the beginning God used known culture practices to help his people remember things in a physical/visible way that were connected with the the invisible Reality of him. Have you heard of circumcision? Of (Israelite) cleansing before temple participation? How about Baptism? Well, then you see what I mean.

Do you ever celebrate Christmas or Easter? Then, you’ve enacted what I mean.

Pagan Egypt (used for God’s purposes)
Nationally, Egyptian cultic practices were incorporated with the Israelite’s life of worship of the One True God. The Egyptian priestly practices, in particular, were employed. (Israel was a KINGDOM of priests. Quite an upgrade from slave status, right?)

God wasn’t threatened by the use of Egyptian priestly rites and rituals, the Israelites were familiar with, to help them remember and worship the Living God. On the contrary, God encouraged it. God commanded it. Similar sorts of things can help us today as well.

Still, we mustn’t ever forget–It’s not about the intricacies of the ritual itself, it’s about the condition of one’s heart. We can avoid false religion when we ask ourselves, “Does this practice draw me into relationship with the Living God?” If it does, keep it. If not, scrap it. You might want to read that again. It could be life-changing.

Just for you. A LENTEN SPIRITUAL EXERCISE:
Challenge yourself, by asking God to reveal himself to you, to minister to you, and to awaken you in a new way in the days leading to Easter. What might God want you to look at more closely? What might God wish to make more like him in your life?

This could be very personal, and private, but I encourage you to share what findings you’d like to. It will help all of us journey together through this time of Lent, toward the great joy we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday! (a.k.a. Easter)

Thank you for coming here today! Blessing this holiday season.
-Lisa

5 Things you didn’t know about Worship

May this weekend be a time of renewed devotion and worship for you.

Here’s 5 things you may not realize about worship.

1. WORSHIP is a spiritual practice about what we treasure.
2. WORSHIP is about how we cherish God
3. WORSHIP is based not on our feelings/emotions.
4. WORSHIP is not entertainment.
5. WORSHIP is not optional.
Come let us worship.
May your love and devotion increase.