last blog of year

This is the last blog of 2006. Looking to the New Year, a resolution I have already decided on is to make progress in prayer, both as an individual and for our church community. This year will be a "Year of Prayer" for the church.

To aid in our prayer focus together, I have taken 150 verses on prayer from the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, chosen from The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible. Each weekday, we will have one verse of scripture to consider, a brief thought for the day, and a practical prayer application. This will prove beneficial as we consider our partnership with Jesus and how we are doing together.

Happy New Year!

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my favorite young woman in the world, Kristina, who just celebrated her 18th birthday. 18, but still my "baby girl."

I love you,
Dad

day 74- change me from the inside

We have spent the last 3 1⁄2 months examining a vision of what it can mean to be live a transformed life. As we have the intention to make our renovation a reality, we have been given the means to follow through.

Dallas Willard has connected us to God’s path of transformation as recorded in the Bible. Neither the author or God himself can force us to take that path. We will not see transformation without it.

If you have been following the progression of change of the five parts of who you are, you are well on your way. If you haven’t begun yet, you are invited to return to September 15 in this blog and begin again.

God’s desire for you since before the beginning of time is that you would come to him in complete transparency and say, as in the song,

Change Me On The Inside

Just like King David I cry out to You
Create in me a clean heart
I've grieved You again I need Your release
From patterns that keep me in sin
But there's only one way I can finally break free

Change me on the inside…

CCLI Song No. 2956367
© 2000 Vineyard Songs Canada (Admin. by Music Services)
Brian Doerksen

day 73- the means to transform my soul 4

The final means to transformation of my soul is becoming a person of the Book.

Receive, Study, and Internalize the Law of God to the Point of Obedience

This is the essence of the transformed life. Where God's Word is taken in to your very soul and becomes a way of life. It is not as if the Bible is one of many sources for all that is necessary to lead a healthy and complete existence fully immersed in the reality of God's Kingdom. It always fascinates me when even the most conscientious person seeks other paths rather than the Bible as a source for living.

You will find that any truth out there that actually works has its source in the Bible. For example, the recovery movements like AA are based on biblical principles. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, biblical principles. The business books by Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell. Yes, even Dr. Phil!

I am not saying that all of these and other resources are 100% pure Bible, I am just saying that they have actually proven helpful in the long term. The only reason people make progress as a result of these writings is when the biblical principles are actually tried. That's the key.

Go to the Bible itself and actually try to follow one of its teachings. Dallas likes to say if you intentionally and honestly follow any one teaching, then Jesus will draw you to all that is necessary for you to come to confident faith in Jesus and begin to learn to have the faith of Jesus. Start anywhere. One teaching.

Have you actually tried to live one teaching? Have you actually incorporated this into your life? Until a conscious, obedient effort is made to let Jesus guide you in a specific arena of your life it doesn't make sense to say, "I can't," or "It won't work for me," or "I have already tried that." Really? Have you really been saturated by the way of Jesus?

One place to start pondering this process of soul transformation is to live in Psalm 119 for awhile. See the respect and integrity the Psalmist has for God's law as lifegiving, not a hard set of rules to condemn us to a life of misery. Spend some time there and see what comes to mind.

Read Psalm 119 to start and end this day.

Please note:
Two new sermons are available at ITunes, "Christcast."

day 72- the means to transform my soul 3

One of Dallas Willard’s key teachings is we are not in charge of outcomes. We partner with Jesus, arranging and rearranging our lives to learn from him and work with him any way possible, but leaving outcomes in his hands.

This is such a freeing way of looking at life. Like the biblical parables of farming, we plant and wait. We can’t manipulate the seed to try to tell it “You need to yield lots of grain!” We simply follow the faithful work Jesus is working through us and watch.

This takes a large dose of humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NLT)
You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for

"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."

[6] So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. [7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

Dallas tells of some of pastors who dread doing hospital visits. The reason? They pray with the patients, but rarely do they see a “healing.” Dallas always tells them, “You are not in charge of the outcomes.”

God is not doing great things in the world to make it possible for us to receive accolades. It’s not as if he is saying,

“This morning I am going to make sure that everyone knows how wonderful Dana is. I want all eyes on him. Let’s see, what can I do to make him look better?”

It is enough to know God has me in mind at all. Yet, it is more than that. I know he does think I am precious, regardless of what others think. I know I am the “apple of his eye,” in spite of my unworthiness. His confidence in me makes me want to give my life to him. Sinful as I am, it is in bits and pieces, but I am moving in his direction, yoked to Jesus.

Spend time today thinking about humility and how its relationship to Jesus coming into our world as a human to bring our transformation.

day 71- the means to transform my soul 2

The second means to transform my soul is yoke myself to Christ.

Yoke Yourself to Christ

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

A yoke is a wooden harness that is used in agriculture to put two oxen together so they can work together pulling a load or plowing a field. The system works best when you take an experienced older ox and yoke him to an inexperienced younger. The younger ox learns to follow the lead of the older and the older teaches to share the load. After a while, the oxen work together as one.

Jesus invites me to yoke to him. In this way he can teach me to live my life as he would live it if he were me and he actually guides me as I am yoked to his lead. I am no longer working on my strength, but his; my direction, but his. In this way I am able to succeed in the way he desires for me in every area of transformation.

What is an area of your life you would like to make progress in?

day 70- the means to transform my soul 1

What are the means I can use to renovate my soul?

Acknowledge Your Soul and Place It under God

There is so little teaching done on the soul that there is a lot of confusion as to what it is. If I am to make any headway in transformation and the soul is at the center of organizing all the parts of who I am, then I need to spend time thinking of the soul.

The primary place I must change my thinking is in realizing I am not contained in my body. I am not only a physical being. I am a spiritual being who has a body.

We get so enamored by all things scientific that we miss out on the most important part of reality. That which is not measured by instruments. That which will last for eternity. The soul needs proper care just as the body. Our soul lasts forever. It is not some ghost that leaves our body and floats around after we die. The soul is a non-physical entity that isn’t limited to our body’s boundaries now.

Caring for the soul through spiritual disciplines makes it possible to bring refreshment to our existence. There are so many ways our souls are damaged over the years. Abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and other ways that chip away at who we are. We need God to “renew” us. We need to give ourselves over to his care.

Where have you been wounded to the soul?

day 69- the vision for transforming my soul 4

If I choose to live by my own desires, my life is headed for ruin. No one will tell me this. This is called my modus operundi; my mode of operation. In computer language, my default mode. If I am young and single, I will naturally follow this path without much thought any other way. If I am married, I begin to see that my way isn’t always the way it is. If we have children, this is even more evident. When I learn that I am not in charge of my life, it is a good start.

It isn’t a shock that “married with children” brings about greater physical and emotional health. Without living a deliberate path of self-denial and moving toward God transformation, from human terms, this is the best chance we get. It is not enough.

Married or single, parent or not, to live intentionally, focusing on renovation of all the parts of who we are is the means to long term health, and through Jesus, eternal significance. We don’t have to wait to get married and have kids to begin this process. It can start any day at any time in our lives. The soul is at the center of the whole endeavor.

It is a soul process. We have looked at how to join Jesus in transforming our hearts, minds, bodies, and social relations. The soul integrates all of these and makes our life “our life.” For the first time, we can actually live life the way we are designed. It may be a stretch, but compare the soul to Michael Jordan.

The Bulls had Michael Jordan for a couple of years before they started winning championships. They didn’t become the world famous Chicago Bulls until Michael learned to involve the other four players and integrate them fully in the game. When all five were working together toward the common purpose of getting another “ring” things clicked. Michael functioned like our soul, making sure everyone was involved and contributing in a healthy way. Even Luc Longley!

Think of other examples about how all parts need to work together well in order for real progress to be made.

day 68- the vision for transforming my soul 3

God is in charge. He is the source of transformation and he doesn’t hide this from us. The Bible is the way God gives us the plan for soul renovation. This begins and ends with the fact that we don’t trust in our own wisdom. Why would we?

Either the Bible is the Word of God for us or it isn’t. If it isn’t, then we are left with our own understanding or the thinking of those who don’t know God’s Word. This is one option. We purposefully choose to go our own way. From what we know of the human condition, this is risky business. Without intentionally thinking outside of ourselves, we will do wrong, eventually.

No matter how brilliant the thinking may be, if the philosophy or teaching available is not filtered through the Scripture, it can’t be trusted. It may be identical; Jesus is the source of all truth. We can expect to find good, solid teaching in other religions and worldviews. The problem is with the teaching that veers away from the truth. It is not the Bible and __________.

Yes, God even gives us a conscience to guide us outside of the Bible, but we can ignore it easily. Human history is filled with the disasters of people doing what they know is wrong, and at best convincing themselves that it is not wrong after all, and at worst, relishing the evil behavior. For those who trust God’s Word, neither is an option.

The transformation of the soul occurs through those who love the Word, read it in a careful, straightforward manner, and live it day to day. This is not usually a huge leap in life change, but rather a slow, quiet exposure to the Word of life.

Read Luke 1-3 today

day 67- the vision to transform my soul 2

Are we in soul denial?

As the organizer, the soul needs to function well in order for the rest of the parts of who I am to work well. When I am using my whole self in any endeavor of life, a healthy soul is absolutely essential. What are these areas?

Renovation of the Heart lists these examples:

Creativity, sleep, sex, parenting, relationships, health and meaningful work. In our time, many of our most “brilliant” thinkers have dismissed the concept of the soul and its importance in integrating our lives in healthy ways. So, how’s it going?

Look at each of the aspects of human life and you tell me. One example is sleep. According to Archibald Hart, in The Anxiety Cure, half of all adult Americans suffer from some form of insomnia. Without a good night’s sleep, everything else is affected.

Or take sex. Is it is a private, intimate bonding experience for husbands and wives where “two become one,” on occasion bringing about new life for the next generation? Is that the purpose of sexual relations as designed by God? If so, how are we doing?

Marriage, parenting, work, friendships, love of neighbor---- how are we doing???

If the scholars who say we are simply “particles and progress” are correct, then what is their answer? Even if you deny the soul, you still have to get up in the morning and live life. I say, good luck scientific materialists (those who say the physical is all there is), but I am going with the evidence there is more to it than this.

I believe meaning and purpose are essential ingredients of a healthy life. Scientific materialism has no delivery system for this. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that soul ruin is just around the corner for those stuck on the “life is only about me” motif.

Fortunately, we are not buying into the despair of hopelessness and meaninglessness that has been such a staple of intelligentsia (actually, with enough gentle prodding, you will find they don’t believe it either) for the last several decades. We need to get to the soul of the matter, and more and more people are willing to look for more and more.

“Consciousness” is an example of something most people would say exists but they can’t “see.” What are some other things that are accepted as fact that don’t have a physical source?

day 66- the vision to transform my soul 1

When we think of soul, there are three main ways people think of it. I would argue none of these is correct.

The first way is just a vague sense of a characteristic or property of a person that you have or you don’t.

“He’s got soul.”

The second way people think of soul is an immaterial entity that is contained within them.

“I love you down to my very soul.”

The third way people think about soul is to say it doesn’t exist. There is no such thing. We are completely physical in all we are and any other sense of who we are comes from electrical impulses in our circuitry and chemical reactions.

“It’s just how we are wired.”

Dallas Willard offers a fourth view. Your soul is beyond our body. It contains your body, but it is much bigger than that. Your soul is the organizing force that holds together heart, the mind’s thoughts and feelings, the body, and our relationships. The soul is the CEO of who we are.

Dallas further speaks of our soul being as being given to us by God at conception and through it creates and organizes our DNA and all the life that follows.

This may all seem strange to you, but if it is true, if our souls are real and organizing our parts together, then we are missing out on the key knowledge of who we really are, because "the soul" is certainly is not a standard course of study in high school or the university, indeed in churches or everyday conversation.

What have been taught concerning the soul?

day 65- my soul

We are looking at the main elements of who we are, based on the book, Renovation of the Heart, by Dallas Willard. We are not specific isolated ingredients, but we are united and enmeshed into one unique human being. Our soul is the glue that holds our heart, mind, body, and social life together. The soul coordinates our lives and manages the interaction of the other parts of who we are.

I live my life through my soul. I am hardly conscious of its work. The soul is not physical, but it is real. It is hard to understand the awesome nature of my soul, and of the five parts of who I am, it is the most involved. The soul responds to all aspects of my life.

God desires to transform my soul. It is not holy and pure on its own, but needs renovating like all the other parts of who I am. If I want to be like Jesus, I need to be changed from the very depths of who I am.

Next week we will look at the vision to transform my soul. This is the most challenging aspect of who I am to explain, but it is essential we understand. We have to have the “big picture” view of everything else.

What do you think of when you hear the word, “soul?”

day 64- the means to transform my social life 4

The fourth means to transform my social life is to “pay it forward.” A film of that name, starring Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, and Jesus (well actually James Caviezel, “Jesus” of The Passion of the Christ and, therefore, I keep seeing him as Jesus), shows what might happen if you reach out for the sake of another.

The idea is to do something “big” for someone else, and then tell them they have to do something “big” for three other people who do it for three other people, and so on. In other words, you can’t pay them back, you have to pay it forward. Critics didn’t buy it. Here is Roger Ebert had to say.

That's the theory behind "Pay It Forward," a movie that might have been more entertaining if it didn't believe it. It's a seductive theory, but in the real world, altruism is less powerful than selfishness, greed, nepotism, xenophobia, tribalism and paranoia. If you doubt me, take another look at the front pages.

Well, Jesus would certainly beg to differ. It isn’t that willing the good of your neighbor and taking action on it, “love thy neighbor,” can’t be done, it is more that we just don’t try it enough. We don’t realize where the chain of good begins. Jesus tells us.

John 15:9-12 (NLT)
"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. [10] When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. [11] I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! [12] I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.

The Trinitarian love Jesus experiences, is given to me, and I pay it forward to someone else, who in turn will be influenced by my action, and they have the opportunity to pay it forward. Apologies to Roger Ebert, but this theory works in the real world. The real world is where God rules, God’s Kingdom, and if all the parties involved are living transformed lives, pay it forward is as natural as selfishness in a world that doesn’t recognize the transforming power of God.

As we reach out in love to someone else, and they are under the same power of the Holy Spirit they will bless us as well as bless others. Can you imagine what it would be like if we all lived in communities where people were transformed disciples of the living God, Jesus? Pay it forward would be no big deal.

Pay it forward today from something someone has done for you recently.

day 63- the means to transform my social life

A third means to transforming my social life is to let genuine love rule.

Romans 12:9-10 (NLT)
Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. [10] Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

I am not going to put on a fake act when I am with you and have another attitude behind your back. If you are having a challenge in your relationship with someone, it gives you a chance to expand your “love character.” You stretch a little more to become the kind of person who can desire the blessing of someone who doesn’t necessarily desire your blessing back. When I am being transformed I love you like Jesus loves you. I desire you to be blessed and I act. I honor you, meaning I put real value on your well being.

Genuine love builds up rather than tears down. This will even mean I try to catch you at your best. I do not make any attempts to put you on the defensive where you are less likely to respond graciously. There is a phrase used that sums this up.

“Anxiety producing behavior.”

This occurs when I try to make people anxious on purpose to somehow advance my own agenda or gain more attention on my “rightness.” I may exaggerate the negative. The boy who cried, “Wolf,” and Chicken Little, “The sky is falling” are classic cases of this. Genuine love takes the time to know what is necessary to put people at ease, even when dealing with conflict and disagreement.

Count how many times someone (including yourself) uses anxiety producing behavior. If you are running out of examples, just turn on the TV news.

day 62- the means to transform my social life 2

The second means I would like to highlight to transform my social life is to lose the mask. I need to present myself to you as authentically as possible.

As a result of so much attack and withdrawal in my life, I may set up huge walls against being vulnerable to these actions against me. I may put on “masks” to hide who I truly am in order to not provide opportunities to be hurt by you.

I may also wear masks in order to look better and achieve recognition and reward for being someone I am not. This is especially tempting in a church community. I have one mask for my Christian friends and then when I live my day-to-day life I am someone completely different. Classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (as seen in Van Helsing, above).

A third mask I may wear is to be influenced by Jesus, but I don’t want to appear too sold out to him and so I try to hide my love for him. I know this seems strange, but I have seen Christians (including in a mirror) who show signs of real growth in their faith who try to look like someone else at school or at work.

All masks must go. This doesn’t mean that I become a dynamo of “telling it like it is.” No “brutal honesty” and such. No baring the effects of my childhood to the guy sitting next to me at McDonalds. This does mean I need to be real with people around me. Who I am in private is who I am in public. I give up using deceit, manipulation and defensiveness in my relationships. My identity comes from God and he makes it possible for me to face the world unmasked at my best, true self.

Think of ways you can live for Jesus authentically without being weird.

day 61- the means to transform my social life 1

As we are transformed in our own lives, we influence our families for the good. As our families are transforming, we influence the community around us. Indeed, there are times in Christian history when transformation becomes so powerful that whole communities are changed.

Take the Welsh Revival, for example. In 1904 there was an intentional spiritual reawakening that swept through Wales. The country itself was literally changed. The taverns were emptied. The courts had days on end when there were no cases to try. Even the small ponies down in the coal mines were affected. They were so used to the curses of their masters, that when miners stopped swearing, the ponies didn’t understand their instructions and didn’t know how to follow the new commands!

The ideal in our circle of sufficiency is we join God in Trinitarian love and through our relationship with him, we in turn love others in our circle. They join God as well and love us back. Our lives are enriched as a result. Together we share that love outside the circle and we impact the wider community.

We are not so naive to expect everyone will give love having received it. This includes those in our circle of influence, as well as out. Yet, we are energized to love as Christ loves knowing that whether it is returned or not is not up to us. To be in his Will is a blessed place.

The first means I use to transform my social life is to “put on Christ.” I receive my identity from Jesus.

Perhaps you are familiar with identity theft. This is where someone steals your credit card numbers and/or social security number and begins to make purchases under your name. Sometimes making large transactions as if they were you! There are safeguards to prevent this crime; to protect my identity.

Yet, in the big picture, my true identity is as I am connected to Jesus. In him I am secure. This makes it possible for me to live a life of self-denial and service toward others. This makes it possible for me to forgive others and be a blessing instead of a curse. This is a new life.

Col. 3:10 (NLT)
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.

Today, when you are experiencing any anxiety for whatever reason, think about what it means for your life to be totally immersed in Jesus’ presence.

day 60- the vision to transform my social life 5

The central place for social transformation to have its impact is in families. This is the fertile foundation for all other relationships both for good and evil. Family can be the most common place for attack and withdrawal, but it can also be a place where we learn mutual submission for the sake of the other. Renovation of the heart is a long view process that begins and continues with those closest to us.

Marriage is a place where we are designed to be at our most intimate and our most vulnerable. Husbands and wives are literally created to complement (making complete) each other, not just compliment each other. Here is what I mean.

Genesis 2:18 (NLT)
And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him."

The word for "companion" is often translated "helper" in other versions of the Bible. Neither of these words does complete justice to the meaning of the original language. The Hebrew word being translated means literally, "one who is over and against," "one who sees things from a different perspective." Husbands and wives are created to see things differently! Marriage becomes a place where giving of ourselves for the sake of the other is constantly tested.

When they have children, parents then become the model for renovation or attack and withdrawal. The very best and the very worst models of what it means to live in community start right here. You can't be transformed in your relationships outside of your family without the foundation within.

Here is the challenge. A family is made up of individuals who are naturally moving toward self-worship. Society caters to this narcissistic focus of "what's in it for me." When relationships are fractured in the family, so much is at stake. Alienation and contempt may become common place. Divorce may seem the only way out for marriages. Parents and children may look upon each other as enemies. There is another way.

You can invite the community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to join with you. You can begin to live in God's ways and declare a "no attack and no withdraw" zone as it relates to you. No matter what your family relationships are, you can be the new generation who will birth a new community of love in years to come.

Pray throughout the day for your immediate family and your relationships together.

new podcasts

New podcasts now available at ITunes, "Christcast."

Jesus and the Temple
recent sermon on the relationship between Jesus and the Temple of Jerusalem and what this has to do with God's plans

inside out 12
recent workshop on making progress in the area of self control of body and social relationships

day 59- the vision to transform my social life 4

The healing of our circle of relationships is connection to God. God is a healthy community in God’s self. We know God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is the model of healthy, loving social relationships.

Within the Trinity, there is no attempt to control or seek one’s own way. Dallas Willard says there is no subordination within the Trinitarian community because “Father, Son and Holy Spirit won’t stand for it.” The Trinity shows us we are created live in community. “Created in God’s image” (Genesis 1:26-27) we are at our best when we join God in this community of love.

Then we can be free from the positioning and intrigue of making a place for ourselves in our relationships. The legend of King Arthur and his Round Table is a good illustration of this. The story goes Arthur wanted his knights to consider themselves as no better than the other. He as King saw himself in this same light. In order to symbolize this community of deferring to the other, he had a round table built for them so there would never be anyone at the head of the table when they came together.

The key to living transformed lives in community with others is not a mystery. The difficulty is not in the understanding, but in the follow through. If we wish to have a life filled with richness in our relationships rather than hurt and betrayal, there is one way to live.

Philippians. 2:3-5 (NLT)
Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. [4] Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

[5] Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.

As we are transformed by God to become the kind of people God can work through, we take on the mind of Christ. We begin to think as he thinks. Our actions, then, reflect his influence. We live in our circle of relationships as Jesus lives in the circle of the Trinity. We bring Jesus with us to our own Round Table because he is in us and we are in him.

1 John 4:15-16 (NLT)
All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. [16] We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Throughout the day, ponder of the mystery and awesome love of the Trinity for you and for each other.

day 58- transforming my social life 3

There are two actions that wreck social relationships more than any other. Attack and withdrawal. “Attack” is to verbally and/or physically be aggressive toward someone with the intent of using this as a means to get our own way or to at least punish them. “Withdrawal” is to ignore someone, act as if we don't care at all, moving all the way to holding them in contempt, as if they don't even exist in our mind at all. Another means to try to control or punish.

We use attack and withdrawal so much, we think they are as normal as breathing and we couldn't think of life without them. We will not have a transformed life with them. If we are to live in our circle of life with actions for the good we need to eliminate attack and withdrawal. If we desire to expand our circle we need to get rid of attack and withdrawal from our own lives. Let's be clear on what is at stake.

Attack is when we act against the good of other people. We are doing what we can to make sure they don't prosper for the moment, or longer. Attack may be launched for the right reasons, as in the case of trying to correct unhealthy behavior in someone else, but it is the wrong method. Screaming at your children because they aren't doing their homework comes to mind. Attack is certainly addressed by God in the Bible. The Ten Commandments from "Honor your father and mother" on are about our relationships and they all address attack in some way.

Withdrawal is working for the same reason, against the good of someone else, but with a different method. We ignore someone, regarding their good as unimportant, even to the point of despising them. We treat them as persona non gratis.

Do these two things to see examples of both:

Attack- Watch congress on CSPAN for 2 minutes.

Withdrawal- Watch the relationship between teenagers and their parents on just about any TV show or in any movie.

day 57- transforming my social life 2

Unbutu- “A person is a person through other persons.”
-Bishop Desmond Tutu

Unbutu is a Swahili word that draws our attention to the fact that we are dependent on each other. In Renovation of the Heart (Student Edition), the concept of a circle is used to illustrate this.

Who is in your circle? Draw a big circle and place in it the names of the people in your life. This circle tells you something about your social relationships. Are there many people or few? If there are many, who are you in close relationship with? Many psychologists think you can really be in a close, intimate relationship with very few people, perhaps only one other. Do you have any of these “soul mates” in your circle? If there are only a few people in your circle to begin with, is this because you are kind of a private person or do you withdraw from others? There are a lot of things to consider, aren’t there?

When we look at our circle, realize God desires good to come out of it. As we are connected in healthy ways, this will happen. The challenge is, of course, we are all sinners. If you have been following these posts, you realize how broken our circles really are. “Broken” is not even a strong enough word. Our circles are headed toward “ruin.” What is the process for healing?

In order for our circles to be life giving, we need to be connected to each other in healthy ways. This is no easy connection. If we follow our own human nature, we continue to repel each other in our circles. We are the only occupants who really count. Self-worship within the circle of our lives brings about two actions that we use to destroy our relationships. Attack and withdrawal.

Do the circle exercise.

day 56- transforming my social life 1

The transformation, up to this point, has been about you and me personally. Heart, mind, and body.

Heart- our will; the choices we make
Mind- thoughts and feelings
Body- our physical presence through which we live out our lives

But…
“It is not good that the man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18)

We are created in community. It is how we are wired. God intends for us to be in relationship with him and other people. The idea that we are to “go it alone,” or “stick to ourselves” is not a biblical concept. The Bible is filled with descriptions of living in community.

We are created to live with other people. Here lies a huge challenge. I am a sinful person and it is absolutely necessary that I am in relationship with others, who are sinful people. It doesn’t take too long for us to realize this is going to be a mess.

Adam and Eve start arguing right away. “What did God say?” Then, when they sin by doing what God forbids, Adam blames Eve. When the children are born it doesn’t get any easier. Eventually Cain kills his brother Abel.

And so it goes.

Living with others is absolutely essential for our spiritual, physical, and emotional well being.

Living with others is absolutely harmful for our spiritual, physical, and emotional well being.

What is the answer? Coca Cola’s had a recent ad campaign that said we can just “chill” together. That’s not the answer. We can’t just get along. We have to become the kind of people who can chill. We can’t live in healthy community with each other unless Jesus is on the throne of our lives. My self-worship and your self-worship are always going to result in disconnect at some point.

Are there ways our society attempts to “force” people to get along? How?

day 55- the means to transform my body 3

Do: Properly honor and care for your body

• My body is from God, and since he sent Jesus to set me free from sin and death, my body is not mine. It is claimed by Jesus and he uses it here now.


• Practice the Sabbath. Disciples discover it is a good thing to stop and reflect on what God is doing. Celebrate how good God is. You can do this daily, weekly, and yearly. Take silence and solitude time each day to break from whatever is going on around you. Once a week, spend a day in reflection of God and enjoy him through those around you. For many, Sunday is this time of connecting to God, family, and friends. Once a year spend several days away from the “rat race,” not to cram in as many activities as possible on a vacation, but to just do “nothing.” There is more than sleep to rest. God rested (Genesis 2:2). Jesus rested (Matthew 14:13). We can rest.


• Dedicate the proper care of your body to Jesus. When you diet, exercise, and get enough sleep, your physical health improves. It is good for your emotional well-being. It is good for your soul. When you do these things with Jesus in mind, he can choose to be part of the process. You are inviting him to be a partner. Use VIM with your dieting, exercise and sleep. This can be very helpful without getting obsessive.

All day today, think of your body as God’s body.

day 54- the means to transform my body 2

The first “do” to transform my body.

1. Do release your body to God.

Romans 12:1 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

You have to be absolutely clear why you owe your body life to God. I am afraid that when Paul asks the question, “Is this too much to ask?” most of us are saying, “Yes it is.” Do you really understand that God is in charge of your desires and your pleasures? Then release them to him.

One way you can accomplish this, with the partnership of the Holy Spirit, is to join God in an experiment. What is a body sin that is ruining you? Is it anger, gossip, pornography? Whatever it is, don’t do it for one day.

It will look something like this. Get up in the morning. Realize how good God is and thank him for this. Tell God, “I dedicate this day to you.” Think specifically what is one body sin you want to get rid of. Give this to Jesus for the day. Make a commitment to him. For example, “Jesus, today I will not gossip.” This means your “My Page” or IM action may be a little boring. It doesn’t matter. You are following old advice. “Unless you have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Quaint, but effective.

When you are tempted to gossip, you will think of Jesus instead. You can’t imagine him going,

“Hey John, did you hear Peter last night? ‘Lord, I will never leave you.’ What a loser. That Peter is so full of himself.”

Think of there being a reporter following you everywhere you go this day. Taping your every word. Now realize this is exactly what is happening. The reporter is Jesus and he is right next to you. Now. Really. One day. Then go to bed.

Wake up and start over.

What is one body sin you wish to get rid of? Start today.

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day 53- the means to transform my body 1

Let’s consider two don’ts and two do’s.

Don’t:

1. Idolize your body- Here is where I draw such a fine line. On the one hand, having a healthy body is very helpful in giving me energy, focus, and longevity in serving God and others. On the other hand, if I get too obsessive about my body, which includes my health, I may be too anxious about death and aging and how my body may fail me. This anxiety stifles my reliance on Jesus as the One I am secure in no matter what. Do you see the distinction? I am free to give my body over to Jesus, care for it through the wisdom I receive from him, at the same time knowing that I will receive a new glorified body some day that will live with him forever.

1 Cor. 15:43 (NLT)
Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power.

I’m getting pumped already! O, there I go again.

2. Misuse your body- First, let’s all relax. Sometimes Christians get too choosy about this topic. Everyone is throwing this verse around when it is convenient to chastise someone else.

1 Cor. 6:19-20 (NLT)
Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

First of all, when you look at the context, the Bible is talking about sexual immorality here, not whether you have stock in Starbucks. Even so, “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” has been used for everything from drinking coffee (Of course the latest studies show that coffee is one of the best antioxidants there is and extremely helpful in preventing diabetes), smoking (OK, not helpful) and drinking alcoholic beverages (I don’t drink myself but we all know of the studies of health benefits of drinking red wine etc. in moderation, if problem drinking is not a risk.)

It’s interesting that people don’t usually use this same Bible verse for exercise and proper diet. The classic case is preachers talking about the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” when, as someone once said, “Their own temple has a big front porch addition.” The gut hanging over the belt is an occupational hazard for many clergy.

It is important for us to diet and exercise. It is important for us to get enough rest. It is a national past time for us to be overworked and undernourished. Transforming our bodies includes all of this.

The other ways we can misuse our bodies I have already addressed. Trying to be sexually alluring, “power” dressing, body language, verbal manipulation and such. We are to give ourselves over the Jesus, as we are now his body. How?

Where are you most prone to misuse your body?

day 52- the intention to transform my body

God desires what is best for our bodies. We can have the body of Jesus. This doesn’t mean that we all grow beards. That’s a relief for you women out there. To be changed into the likeness of Jesus means our bodies become devoted to serving God and doing what he wants done. We are created to do just this. Our health and happiness are centered on giving our bodies over to God.

Intention is so critical at this point because our bodies are so demanding. So much of what gets in our way becomes an addiction. Addictions of all kinds are our bodies talking, saying they won’t have it any other way.

“There is nothing wrong with that. It’s natural.”

“I was born this way. It’s genetic.”

“What’s so bad about it? Everyone else does it.”

Jesus knows we are going to have a challenge transforming our bodies more than anything. He said,

Matthew 26:41 (NLT)
Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit (our choices) is willing enough, the body is weak!"

God offers another way. We can’t will ourselves to “just say no.” We have to place ourselves before the author and giver of life and work with him changing into our best, true selves. The means to do this come next.

Why is real transformation not a quick process?

day 51- spiritually focused life 3

5. Peace- Loving God and others is my primary purpose in life. With Jesus on the throne of my life I can live this way. I am not trying to establish my kingdom but work in his. What does this look like?

Superstar athletes learn how focus so intently, they screen out everything that brings the possibility of negative thinking. Tiger Woods is an example of this. I spoke with a friend who has the opportunity to play with many pro golfers and he said the thing that sets Tiger apart from everyone else is his incredible intensity of the current situation. He lives directly in the moment and always looks for something positive to tune in on before his next shot.

Hit it in the trees? No problem. There is that one opening there between those two big branches that make a target for the green. It is a perfect visual. Golfers, you get the picture. Non-golfers, it just means the guy absolutely expects good things to happen.

This is how my faith life can look like. No matter what is happening around me, my body and my body language are at peace. I can respond to any situation with the Bible’s tools of positive emotion. My body responds with love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. This is the energy I feed off of in my relationships with others. This creates an environment around me that reduces anxiety in others.

6. Win/ Win- When Jesus is on the throne, I am honoring and respectful of others even if they are not following a godly life. I offer myself to God and so I can be completely open to you. I can practice true tolerance.

Tolerance is not approving of everything you do. The definition of tolerance is this: I am respectful and courteous to you and I disagree with you. You cannot be tolerant of people you agree with. My body is living in line with Jesus and so I am relating to you through him. I am his to use as he pleases. I am available.

This kind of life is made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice for me. As he gave his life for me, my life is totally his forever. I am the last person on earth who could ever say, “It’s my body, and I will do with it what I please.”

Now, how do I actually gain this spiritually focused life? Next, intention and means to transform my body.

How are you becoming more available for Jesus?

day 50- spiritually focused life 2

The vision to transform my body rests on a spiritually- focused life. Here are some more characteristics of this life.

3. Your Body, Your Choice- I don’t force my ways on you. Following Jesus’ way, as I am in relationship with you, I will pursue his ways. I will not try to use any forceful methods of persuasion to get you to see his ways. I will not try to gain advantage over you. Like Jesus, I honor your capability to make your own choices without trying to manipulate you or aggressively applying pressure to make you change those choices.

4. Christ’s Choice vs. Your Choice- I will be in relationship with you, but I will also pursue the ways of Jesus. As I am experiencing Christ’s guidance and power in keeping my commitments to him, he is making it possible for me to refuse to follow any other road. It becomes easier to do the right thing.

In my relationship with you, if you choose a path not consistent with that of Jesus, I will respectfully decline to participate. I will do so in a gentle, non-judgmental manner, but it will be clear the path I choose.

I realize this may freak you out. In the past, my decisions would be following my own desires. It is not the past, however. In the present and future, I am committed to following Jesus’ desires. I will not try to force this on you, and neither will I back away from what he is doing in my life.

Have you experienced any difference in the way people have seen you or responded to you as you have been focusing on “inside out?”

day 49- spiritually focused life 1

There is another way.

Not easy.

Not quick.

Out of this world, in fact, but doable. It is His world, after all.

1. Christ's Way- I can surrender to Jesus. My body will cry out bloody murder against this move crossward (toward the “cross”), but this is what I was designed for. The earth and my human ways are not my home.

2. Christ's Body, Christ's Choice- With Jesus on the throne of my life, my body becomes the primary vessel with which I serve him and those he loves. I make a commitment to be a "little Christ," as Martin Luther would say. I become conscious of the lag time between stimulus and response. It is within this gap that I chose to live, always ready to pause before I respond or react. Little tips from grandmothers long ago become realistic "body-tamers."

Take a deep breath.

Count to ten.

Think.

Many scientists would point to a biological factor for all behavior. What does this mean in the thinking that “I am acting out because I am wired to do this?”

day 48- The vision to transform my body pt. 4

Still more characteristics of a human nature- focused life

5. War- Here is where we cross swords. All of the unholy tools I have previously mentioned may come into use. I will gain the advantage at all cost. After a while, it may not be getting my own way I am after, it may be just as important to me that you don't get yours. This is as old as the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). If Cain is not receiving his father's blessing, well then, as a dead man, neither will Abel.

6. Win the Battle, Lose the War
Nothing good comes from this conflict of self-worship vs. self-worship. If the other person gives in or simply quits, your satisfaction will be short-lived. The devastating effects may be permanent. We generally don't engage in these battles with strangers. We match up against those we love; those with whom we can least afford to have fractured relations. Our stupidity in our interpersonal lives is often labeled, "self-destructive," and indeed this is an accurate observation.

A confession: After writing on these characteristics of a human nature- focused life, it was like writing a description for the suspect in a bad case of crime against the abundant life. They put up the "Wanted" poster and there he was-- me.

If you saw yourself in any of this, then join me in searching for the antidote.

A spiritually-focused life.

Think of the topic of “divorce” through the filter of today’s lesson.

day 47- the vision to transform my body pt. 3

3. Your Body, My Choice
I am on the throne of my own little kingdom, but that is not enough. I need to be on the throne of yours, as well. So I go into a body mode.

Tongue- verbal manipulation where I use word games with you to try to gain advantage over you. Politically correct language is an example of this trait gone rampant. It is the language of the modern religion of self-worship. I am always shifting the playing field to suit my purposes; always keeping you off balance.

Verbal attack comes into play here, as well. I don't have the time nor the interest to use principled reason when a good bitter, sarcastic, seething tongue-lashing substitutes for clear thinking so well. Unfortunately, this has substituted for most political discourse currently.

Then there are the tried and true whining, flattery, repetitive requests, etc. Verbal manipulation is a sign that our human creativity and imagination are not always a gift for the good.

"Body Language"- Here is another tool at my disposal to influence your kingdom. I become the master of the frown, scowl, rolled eyes, crossed arms, and chin-in-the chest. I am the man of a thousand looks.

Related are the sounds of body language. The "tsk, tsk's," deep sighs, and "harumph" breaths that I learned along with language itself. Just witness a young child practice these as if he/she were working on a black belt in sound attack.

Another body language tool is how you dress. The effect of provocative dress should not be undersold. Many a head turns and many a head nods “yes” to the request of a hot guy or hot gal who are dressed to kill.

Also, not to be underrated is dressing in an aggressive in-your-face way. A statement of independence can also turn into something else. A plethora of tattoos, piercings, and such may be a helpful tool to get me to see your viewpoint so I don’t appear a bigot. You get your way out of my anxiety of not being open to you.

4. My Choice vs. Your Choice
Remember in all of these attempts to be the master of my own universe, you are working the same program that I am. Here is where we enter into inevitable conflict. I can't be on my throne if I have to deal with you, and you are clinging to yours, as well. Something has to give.

What are some of your “favorite” manipulation techniques? One’s you use personally?

day 46- the vision to transform my body (pt. 2)

Let's look at some of the characteristics of what self-worship looks like in a human nature-focused life.

1. My Way
This is the natural human response to life. As Frank Sinatra reminded us, "My Way." I want what I want when I want it. We are all two year olds who never grow up, left to ourselves. We just get more sophisticated in hiding that we are on the throne of our own lives as we get older. If you want to see this attribute in action, watch how people drive in busy traffic. Cutting off, switching lanes, driving too close, don't think of coming into my lane--- That's just the first five minutes of an LA commute!

2. My Body, My Choice
In order to get what I want, the body is my weapon of choice. The obvious results are a life of physical gratification of some sort. Booze and pills continue to dominate many lives. Serial sexual activity for the young and not so young, pornography for all, modern life is not much different than the fertility religions of ancient times.

The less obvious choices have to do with the "pleasure" of being angry even to the point of rage, or anger turned inward, depression. So often the physical effects of anger and depression are not taken into consideration. My anger feels good because I can blame everyone else for my problems, and depression, while devastating, in some cases may be a strangely comforting choice as a means of not taking personal responsibility.

How would you explain the dangers of “my way” thinking in a secular way?

inside out- talk 9

four disciplines that aid transformation- silence and solitude/ worship/ fasting/ service

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day 44- the means to transform my heart (pt. 4)- service

All Christians are called to service. We serve God by serving others. But this isn’t like volunteering for a local charity. Even though volunteering for a local charity can be part of a discipline of service. If this is confusing, well, welcome to my world.

When is service a discipline, when is it a Christian response, and when is it just doing good for the sake of another person, whether you are Christian or not? Let’s break these down.

Non-Christian service- God is the source of all good and so when non-Christians serve they do so within God’s realm. Human conscience alone will lift up many opportunities to serve.

Christian response- When we follow Jesus and learn from him we become the kind of people who serve others naturally as a response to the love we are given by him.

Service as a discipline- Intentional acts of service, focused areas of service, hidden acts of service, are all specific ways one can expand God’s influence on one’s own life.

When someone joins the armed forces, we say they are “in the service.” When they are discharged or retired, it is called, “getting out.” Well, when we join Jesus in the greatest mission of the galaxies, to do Kingdom work with him, we are “in the service” for eternity. We never “get out.”

suggestions

• volunteer to tutor at a local school
• “adopt” someone at a retirement home whom you visit once a week
• make yourself available for one whole day to do chores at home (ouch!)
• make yourself available for one whole day to work at a church (hurray!)

Choose one of the above or come up with one on your own and do it!

day 43- the means to transform my heart (pt. 3)- worship

According to anthropologists, humans have been worshipping for at least 30,000 years or so. That’s the age of the oldest worship artifacts discovered, so far. Now stars, animals, trees, and such are awesome creations, but we know better than to worship them because God reveals himself even more clearly. We worship the living God directly through Jesus.

Giving yourself over to adoring God and what he does for you is a wonderful opportunity to get your focus off of you. This is the essence of worship. More Jesus…Less me.

* Attend worship- Make sure you worship weekly in a Christian community. This is a time set apart for us to show “whose team we are on,” and to encourage our “teammates.” Jesus found weekly worship absolutely necessary. So should we.

* Music- This is the “heart language” for most of us. Listen to worship and praise music everyday. Matt Redman, Third Day…you choose. Fill your car, room, or I Pod with music that lifts up Jesus and his glory.

* Write down daily praises of your own in a journal. “God, I adore you because…” “Jesus, here are reasons I worship you today…” “Holy Spirit, I am blessed by you because…”

Buy a new Christian music CD.

day 42- the means to transform my heart (pt. 2)- fasting

Like other spiritual disciplines, fasting is shared by many religions. The Christian discipline has an ample biblical witness from Moses to Jesus himself. 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil is a very well known event in Jesus’ life. So, what is the purpose of fasting?

Unlike fasting for political purposes, it is not to draw attention to yourself. Quite the contrary. When Jesus spoke of fasting he said,

Matthew 6:16a
"And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do…”

Fasting is to focus your mind, body, and spirit on Jesus. It isn’t meant to be difficult or painful. In fact, according to Jesus, you may be “eating” anyway (John 4:32). Fasting can be abstaining from different items of food or drink, or a period of time without food or drink, or without food. Throughout the ages Christians have tried a variety of fasts. Sunup to sundown (like Muslim Ramadan), once a week for 24 hours, even strict fasts like twice a week, eating only.

I recommend a fast from dinner one night until dinner the next. During this time I will drink, as it relieves dehydration headaches. When you fast, you might have cravings, and this is a good thing. You fast to show yourself you don’t always get what you want. This focuses your attention on Jesus, the reason for the fast. This can be a spiritually sharp time to tune in to God, and so take advantage of the opportunity.

Try a 24 hour fast this week.

day 41- the means to transform my heart (pt. 1)

The vision to transform my heart is the central vision of renovation because the heart is where all choices are made. When you actually intend to surrender to God’s will in your life, your heart will try to figure out every way possible why you can’t or you don’t need to.

This is why as you begin this heart “transplant,” don’t expect to always follow God’s way. What is necessary is to confess your need for transformation and to continue surrendering to God. He will work with you along the way and will make it more and more possible for you to actually participate with him. Here are the tools God has set up for us to be transformed. This week I will focus on four spiritual disciplines God has given us to be transformed in our surrender.

silence and solitude
“Jesus went out in the desert alone.”

”Lord, where did you go? We couldn’t find you.”

Before every major decision, Jesus spent time alone and prayed. Why? Silence and solitude are related spiritual disciplines that have rich history. Spending time alone and quiet is a refreshment for your very soul.

I asked one of our sons why he thought Jesus was so fond of being alone and he said, “To get away from all the sin for awhile.” We don’t have that advantage as we bring sin with us, but that is a keen observation.

Like soldiers in the time of war pausing to play a football game, it is good to get away. But with silence and solitude, we may get away from all the busyness of business, the ups and downs of our daily lives, but we actually are more “bothered” by someone else. God.

During times of being alone and quiet, God has a chance to really get our attention. In the Orthodox Church tradition before the gospel is read the priest commands the congregation with a simple word, “Attend! ”This is what silence and solitude can do for us. Cause a pause.

How?

• Start with five minutes or so at the end of each day, reviewing what happened. Go in your room or go for a walk and reflect on the people you came into contact with and their needs, review where you need forgiveness from God, and review where you need prayer. Then just spend time thinking of nothing, just being present to God.



• After you have done five minutes for a while, work towards 20 minutes a day.

• Then, consider adding one solid hour a week in silence and solitude.

• Then one day a month.

• Then one weekend every year.

These are achievable goals under the partnership of the Holy Spirit for a disciplined life of transformation.

Start one of these practices now.

day 40- the vision to transform my heart (pt. 2)

God knows every person’s heart. He knows how we deceive ourselves. He sees us as we are and is ready and able to transform us. This is the only way we can be saved from ourselves. God calls us to a life of surrender, abandonment, contentment, and participation.

We “surrender” to God and place our complete confidence in him. If we try to hold anything back, renovation isn’t possible. It’s not that God couldn’t change us on his own, but for the sake of our precious freedom he wouldn’t. It’s time for us to surrender.

“Surrender” is not a term that denotes strength, obviously. Yet, in the case of dying to yourself and your own self-worship into a life of self-denial, the one who surrenders is a giant. For years AA has used a slogan, “Let go; let God.” It is just as meaningful today.

Holding on to the “me” that isn’t really the “me” God designed me to be, well, that’s just plain foolish. (I’m sorry, but whenever I see the word “surrender” I see the Wicked Witch skywriting, “Surrender, Dorothy!”) In the case of transformation, surrendering enhances who you are.

We trust God enough to give up, and now we are ready to go all the way. “Abandonment” means everything. Every part of who we are. We do this in fits and starts, but the more we give God from what holds us back, the more freeing this becomes.

We will then experience “contentment,” where we are satisfied with what we have and live lives knowing we are completely safe, immersed in God’s Kingdom reality. It doesn’t surprise us nor upset us when we don’t get our own way. We know God will carry out his plans. Our destinies are interwoven with those plans.

When we die to ourselves and live for God and others, God can trust us with his power. More and more he will use us to be beacons of hope and assurance in a world in desperate need of this. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have this power beforehand; it’s just that without transformed hearts, power without humility is dangerous. By transforming us, God invites us into this life of “participation.”

Why is spiritual “surrender” so powerful? How might it be misunderstood?

day 39- the vision to transform my heart (pt. 1)

This is the central place for transformation to happen. The renovation of the heart. New life is possible with a change in character itself.

Character= the internal structure of yourself that is revealed by outward patterns of behavior.

Under times of stress and fatigue, our character reveals itself. This is not a widely known fact. We can try to live a positive, gracious image for others when things are going smoothly, but when pressure hits we can’t keep up the defenses. Who we are is exposed by our circumstances.

We have some renovating to do. How often do we say or do something hurtful and then apologize with this kind of line.

“I have been under a lot of pressure lately?”

We also see this line of thinking when someone lashes out violently and wounds or kills someone. In the interview of a family member or neighbor you hear this:

“He seemed like such a nice guy. I wonder what happened to him to cause him to snap like that?”

No, he was not a nice guy. He was someone who was skilled at hiding his dominating self-worship but got caught up in circumstances where his real character was exposed.

Why doesn’t God just force us to do good? Our freedom is what makes us so precious in God’s sight. It is a key part of being created, in “God’s image.” God honors our freedom to choose so much that he allows us to be on the path of radical ruin. He will not force us to love him, instead he sends Jesus as a sacrifice to make our freedom to reject him possible, still maintaining the possibility of our relationship being restored.

We are not a lost cause. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, our true character can change for the good. This takes effort on our part. We cannot change ourselves by the direct approach.

Think of examples of times when you blamed someone or something “out there” for problems you were having.

the flood- Genesis 6

Why did God send a flood?
What is so different about Noah?
a sermon based on Genesis 6

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day 38- the means to transform my mind's feelings

Our feelings must be transformed for us to be at our best, true selves. Love, joy, and peace can saturate our minds as we allow them free reign within us. What are the means to accomplish this? Remember we must remove the underlying conditions that create destructive feelings in us and replace these conditions with love, joy, and peace.

1. Remove the underlying conditions that create destructive feelings in us.

First we do an honest assessment of our current feelings. Where do our negative feelings come from? What has happened in our past and is happening now that brings these feelings that seem so hard to let go? We may be carrying baggage for years that we continue to hold on to and we can't think of life without these feelings. They may have become part of who we think we are.

This is the old you. The new you will learn to love from the center of who you are without bitterness or resentment. You can...

- Write a journal about your current feelings. Keep track of them. Discuss your feelings with a trusted friend. Write this down.

- Name your negative feelings. What are they? Discuss them with a friend. As you understand them, you are able to place them before God for healing.

- Choose two people the pray for your change. Discuss what needs to take place. Spend regular times of checkup about how things are going. You could all go through this process and hold each other accountable.

- Keep journaling your progress. What are ideas and images that promote your negative feelings? Offer these over to God.

2. Replace the underlying conditions with love, joy, and peace.

God intends for you to receive this from him and from other people who are being transformed themselves. You have to look for them, but know full well they are there. Here are helpful ways to do this.

- Meditate on these scripture passages for one month and write insights that come to mind.

• Love- Romans 8:28-39
• Joy- John 15:9-17
• Peace- Philippians 4:4-9

- Keep track of your thoughts when God shows you love or when you see him love someone else. What was going on in the situation? What did you learn about God and about ways of showing love?

- Keep track of when family, friends, or strangers show you love or love someone else. What did they do? How? Why? We can begin to see models of giving love freely.

Finally, take what you are learning and receiving and pass it on to others.

This is major “means” work for long-term progress. Today, simply choose a negative feeling that continues to get in your way.

day 37- the vision to transform my mind's feelings (pt. 3)

Here are the Bible’s antidotes to destructive feelings.

Faith and hope
These go hand in hand. Faith is confidence based on reality. Our reality is Jesus. As we trust in him, we are capable of “seeing the future.” This brings us to hope. Hope is the anticipation of good that is coming. When we combine faith and hope we act as if the good God has in store for us is already happening. It is.

Love
Love is to will the good of others.
To desire good for another and to act upon it.
To make choices that bring good in someone else’s life.

Love is not the same as lust, which is to desire for the sake of what we can receive. Love is giving of yourself so that other people receive benefit in their lives. Love produces the healthy feelings we are hoping for. When we are being transformed by Jesus this is what our lives look like. It is a process.

We are loved by God.
We love God.
We love others.
They experience God’s love, and love us.

A life filled with love produces feelings of love. Fear, pride, resentment and such are all dying out because we have the power of Jesus to show us we are completely safe in a life with him.

Joy
Joy is a deep sense of well being. We face life knowing all is well in spite of any circumstances of challenge and hardship. Jesus means for us to have a life of joy (John 15:11). This makes it possible for us to be secure in all circumstances. We aren’t on an emotional roller coaster, where every trouble brings feelings of fear and anxiety.

Peace
This word has two meanings.

1. To be at peace with God is to be reconciled to him through Jesus.
2. Peace is also a sense of well being based on confidence in Jesus.

We live in peace when we know God is in charge. Then destructive feelings of anxiety and fear disappear. Not because there is no trouble and pain, but because we face everything from within the Kingdom perspective and can take the long view.

A transformed life has an environment where faith, hope, love, joy and peace can flourish. Next we will look at practical ways to make this a reality for our own lives.

What are ways today these words are misunderstood? (example: peace means “absence of war”)

inside out- talk 8

transformation is not for the faint hearted/
overcoming who you think you are to become who you really are

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day 36- the vision to transform my mind's feelings (pt. 2)

We continue on the vision to transform my mind’s feelings.

what will work

1. Working on feelings that move us away from sin instead of trying not to sin.

At the very earliest stages, we focus on cultivating revulsion at the feelings we now have that are sinful even if they don’t bother us. Along with this, we focus on being attracted strongly to feelings of good even if we don’t have those feelings to begin with.

Take anger as an example. I don’t simply try to avoid feeling angry. I begin to look at how unattractive I must appear when I am angry. I focus on the sense of uneasiness I have afterwards. At the same time, I have a vision of what it is like for people to be in my presence where they are relaxed and comfortable.

2. Removing the underlying condition, not just the feeling.

Why do I have the destructive feelings in the first place? What are the conditions that lead up to them? Let’s stay on the anger example.

What conditions lead to the anger? Perhaps it is a sense of privilege. If I think I deserve good things in my life and then they don’t go my way, I am offended by my circumstances. I lash out at whoever is around me. I begin to project my disappointment on anyone whom I perceive as a source of my “injustice.” I must move from the sense of privilege I have.

3. Replacing the underlying condition; the feelings will take care of themselves.

It isn’t enough just to remove the underlying condition that fuels the destructive feelings. In the example, it’s not enough to try not to feel like I must always get my own way. I must replace those conditions with healthy alternatives.

There is a universal mindset that the Bible lifts up as an antidote to all destructive feelings. Faith, hope, love, joy and peace are all part of the cure. When I am filled with these, healthy feelings become my reality.

Read Luke 11:24-26 and think about how it relates to today’s topic.

day 35- The vision to transform my mind’s feelings (pt. 1)

Feelings are at the front of the line when it comes to our minds. Sometimes people ask, “How are you feeling today?”

Has anyone ever asked you, “How are you thinking today?”

I was watching a panel discussion on the 9/11 commission report on CSPAN 2 while on treadmill at the health club (The Simpsons wasn’t available) and I was struck by the tone of the questioning and responses.

Why do you think the terrorists feel the way they do? What is causing them to feel that way about Western countries? What more can we do to understand why they feel the way they do?

No one asked the obvious.

What kind of thinking is the source of such diabolical actions? What are the ideas and images the terrorists use as their sources that fuel this type of response?

Feelings are absolutely necessary because they make us come alive and they drive our activities. We accept we have feelings and we learn to channel them in the right places and in the right way. Dallas says,

“Feelings can be good servants but they are a horrible master.”

So how do we work on a vision to transform our mind’s feelings? Today, what doesn’t work, and in the next post, what does work.

what won’t work
1. Trying to take our feelings on directly
We don’t know the power of feelings if we think we can just face them directly with willpower. The direct approach at changing our mind at the spur of the moment is not helpful. If we are being strongly influenced by feelings of anger, fear, sexual attraction, the need for approval, and such, to just say, “Quit it!” to yourself, or to simply give in and allow your feelings to rule, “I can’t help how I feel”, well… There is a better way.

2. Denying our destructive feelings or pouring them out on others
It doesn’t do any good to ignore the fact we do have destructive feelings like anger, greed, jealousy, lust, and the list goes on. The Bible even has these lists in several places (e.g. Colossians 3:5-8). We can’t deny we have these sinful feelings and we can’t try to just keep them inside and then they will naturally go away. There is another way.

The other way is not to act these feelings out. We don’t give in to them and take it out on our others. Like screaming at someone and then thinking, “Now I feel much better.”

The way to transform destructive feelings is to replace them with helpful feelings. This is one of the central keys to living a transformed life. It is only under the partnership of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can become the kind of people who lose these awful feelings, and have feelings that are helpful to others and that build us up.

Wear a rubber band around your wrist and every time you catch yourself feeling something unhelpful, snap it! Try it for a couple of days.

day 34- the means to transform my minds thoughts

You have the vision to transform your mind. Next comes intention. The fact that you are reading is intention enough for me so I will continue. How do you work with the Holy Spirit to transform your thought life?

The Word of God
Memorizing Bible passages is a practice that was simply a necessity for thousands of years. Any writing that was done was so rare that you couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t uncommon for the priests of Israel and the leaders of the early church to memorize the whole Bible!

For us, memorizing and letting the Word “marinate” in our minds is a strong defense against the ideas and images that would lead us down the wrong path. I agree with Dallas that passages like Psalm 23 or Colossians 3:1-17, when they fill our thoughts, are like a good scrubbing down of whatever else is on our minds.

There are a variety of techniques to enhance memorization, but it is pretty much just read a section, let it sit, read, recite it aloud, read… Lectio Divina can be a very helpful tool in this process.

Music and Images
Do you want to fill your mind with that which points to our awesome God? Listen to the music. Everyone knows how easy it is to get hooked to a song where you “can’t get it out of my head.” Well, if that is a praise song/ hymn, an encouraging or contemplative popular song on the radio, what better way to latch on to God’s gift of music to fill your mind?

Musical tastes are about as personal as you can get. Whether it is classical, rap, hip hop, alternative, screamo, hard rock, soft rock, country, or Hassidic Jewish reggae, there are ways that Biblical passages and themes can take flight in your car or mp3 player. Music doesn’t just have to be about how much you hate the world and how much you like a woman’s booty or whatever. God invented it, you know?

Godly images and reminders have been used throughout our faith history to connect us to the living Christ, as well. From stained glass windows and icons to WWJD bracelets, gospel t- shirts, and yes, for some, tattoos, visual reminders are powerful and significant. We absorb so much through sight that keeps us focused on our walk with Jesus.

Mentors
Connecting with someone who is further along on the path of self-denial and being mentored and encouraged by them is a means that has always been central to renovation. Who is your Yoda? If you are fortunate enough to have a parent in this role, that would be amazing. It can be a peer, but there is nothing like the wisdom of the elder who is experiencing the joy and challenge of the transforming life.

How do you find a mentor? Ask the pastor or other church leader from the Christian community you are connected with (get connected with one if you are not) if they have suggestions. You can judge a potential mentor as one who is encouraging, gracious, and confident in Jesus, and who is authentic in their walk of faith.

Memorize 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

day 33- the vision to transform my mind’s thoughts (pt. 2)

How are we to replace the ideas and images that move us away from God and his ways? We take an active role in our thinking, joining with the influence of the Holy Spirit and seeking the truth for ourselves. There are two parts of our thinking that make this possible.

Information
1 Thes. 5:19-21 (NLT)
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. [20] Do not scoff at prophecies, [21] but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

Jesus encourages us to put him to the test. The Christian faith is based on our ability to examine the evidence. We are expected to seek the information that is available to decide for ourselves. The Spirit guides this process, but we are to take the initiative. Putting the Christian worldview to the test as opposed to other religions and philosophies is encouraged. Christian schools, colleges and universities have historically been centers of learning to compare and contrast in the search for the truth. Also, God’s desire for us to know is made ultimately clear in the Bible and it’s centrality in our faith.

The Bible has been translated into 2,287 languages thus far, according to the International Bible Society. Christians want people to read God’s Word for themselves and examine the evidence. The information is there.

Now compare that to a religion like Islam, where the holy book, the Q’uran, is technically only truly the Word of Allah in Arabic. There is not a great movement to compare and contrast what the Q’uran teaches as relates to other faiths and philosophies. In many countries where Islamic law reigns, Bibles are not even allowed to be examined, and it can be a crime to talk about the Christian faith.

Other religions have secret books written in obscure ways that make it very difficult to understand their meaning. The God of the Bible wants people to understand. Seeking the truth of Jesus is an active pursuit.

Intelligence
Reason is a gift from God. As we examine the information available in his Word and in the world around us, we have the capability of understanding for ourselves that the Christian worldview is the best view of reality available. God doesn’t demand our allegiance through blind faith, “…because he said so.” No, God invites us into relationship and creates us in his image so we have the ability to relate. He invites us to use the intelligence he gives us to begin thinking why the bad ideas and images that are Satan’s strongest weapons ought be replaced by the truth of Jesus.

What are aspects of Christian teaching you have a hard time understanding?

day 32- the vision to transform my mind’s thoughts (pt. 1)

The first place we move away from God or toward God is through our thoughts. The devil works through our thinking more than anything else. Good thinking or bad thinking are real possibilities because God gives us the freedom to choose out thoughts.

We can’t control what is in the world but we can control what is in our own thought life. We can choose the content of what we are thinking. We can’t do it perfectly, but we can make progress in filling our thought life more and more with God’s Word and the promises announced there.

Our thinking has four parts. I’ll post on two today and two tomorrow.

Ideas
We have been forming an idea system since we were born. We have been influenced through experience, the teachings of others, and watching the behavior of our family and community. We don’t realize what is reality and what is false reality in our lives. When we look at our ideas we do a reality check.

To transform our personal idea system from one of ruin to one of goodness, we have to replace our ideas with the idea system of Jesus. This is the most difficult and painful process in life. To change our minds.

According to research (click link at Christcast.net), most people have their ideas firmly established when it comes to life, values, and beliefs by the time they are 12-13 years old. It is extraordinarily rare for us to change our thinking after that. It is also essential that we do in order to think more and more like Jesus would think if he were we.

What is a common idea system that moves one away from a life of radical goodness that people buy into? Anyone’s ideas are just as good as anyone else’s. No one can say they are right and someone else is wrong. There is no right or wrong, but only what you personally believe. As long as you are sincere, your ideas are valid. This idea system is called, “Relativism,” and it is very influential in our society.

Images
Along with ideas, images are what fill our minds. They are basic and concrete and they have a powerful effect. Ideas and images are Satan’s main tools against us. What preoccupies our thought life? Ideas and specific images.

Sexual images are overwhelming in society. We see sexualized images in advertisement and the media. Pleasure and power await us as we think of these images. The multi-billion dollar pornography business is a huge tool that Satan uses today to build up his image kingdom.
Jesus uses images to move us from self-worship to self-denial. The most powerful image in this is the cross. To look at a cross is to sense his love, sacrifice, devotion and strength. The cross is a reminder of what he did, but it is also a beckon of hope of what he is doing.

As we are being transformed to be like Jesus, the key is to take the destructive ideas and images we have and replace them with the ideas and images Jesus possesses. We take on the mind of Christ. This is a possibility for life in his Kingdom now.

1 Cor. 2:16 (NLT)
How could they? For,
"Who can know what the Lord is thinking?
Who can give him counsel?"
But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Here is an interesting experiment if you can pull it off. Tomorrow, have a countdown alarm on your watch etc. go off every hour during the day and write down what you were thinking about at that exact moment (or make a mental note!!) Do you see a pattern?

inside out- talk 7

the key to transformation begins with our thinking

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take a stand

confirmation
- a message for teenagers who have publically committed their lives to Jesus witnessed by the congregation
- what does it mean for teens to take a stand for their faith today?

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day 31- an example of what we are up against

How can we have radical transformation of the five parts of who we are? We take steps to change what keeps us from becoming like Jesus. We have the capability of doing this as we partner with Jesus and transform on the inside so we might be like Jesus on the outside. We will go step by step in each of the five areas in detail. I will give a brief sample of what we are up against. (Note I will split the Mind into thoughts and feelings.) I will use anger as the example.

My Heart
I may have grown up in a family where anger is normal and “having a bad temper” is expected.

My Mind’s Thoughts
I find reasons why I should be angry about the situation. I make sure I keep focusing on why I have been wronged.

My Mind’s Feelings
I enjoy the rush of emotion that attaches to my anger. It makes me feel so alive.

My Social Relations
I look for ways I can always have the upper hand with my friends and family members so I am the one who gets to lash out at them when the opportunity arises. I try to place them in anxiety producing situations where they are never really comfortable around me.

My Body
Frowning and scowling are my normal facial characteristics and there is nothing so “good” as to raise my voice or whisper in a bitter tone. I find ways to get the adrenaline flowing and take on a nice red complexion.

My Soul
In all the parts of my being I just keep focusing on my rightness and everyone else’s wrongness. I am like a god of my universe and I am looking for every opportunity to lash out in wrath at those who would question my goodness.

Whew! Glad I got that over with. Soon, the transformation begins.

Most people will be unwilling to die to themselves enough to see lasting transformation in their lives. What makes you think you are any different?

day 30- the means for Kingdom living

The means to live in God’s Kingdom now is to “fool” every part of our normal self that we can actually be transformed. In football, we would call this an “end around.” If you take the direct approach it almost always fails.

This time I am really going to live a godly life! I am going to quit being an angry person. I am going to be patient and I am going do it- right now!

Whenever we take the direct approach, our whole being cries out, “It can’t be done!” Or, “Who do you think you are?!” Or, “I’ll just die if I follow through on this!!”

How do we go about indirectly impacting ourselves to live the transformed life? The spiritual disciplines that Jesus practiced are the key. Through silence and solitude, study, worship and such, we are able to focus on what is there in front of us, and it will naturally be used by the Spirit to change us from the inside. For instance, we don’t say, “From now on I am going to be a loving person,” but rather we say, “I am going to work on becoming the kind of person who can love.”

Have you ever had to make significant changes in your lifestyle for health reasons? What was/is it like?

it's not good to be alone

the key to a healthy marriage...
or-
do you find yourselves disagreeing over things?
good!
Genesis 2

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day 29- intention for Kingdom living

With a clear vision of what kingdom life could be for us, what comes next? Intention. Here is where we start to get bogged down in our spiritual growth. Two things happen. One, we don’t really trust what we say we trust, and two; we don’t really intend to obey what we learn.

1. We must intend to trust Jesus
Here is where thinking it through is so important. There is a whole area of study that is critical to trusting in Jesus. It is called, “Apologetics.” This means, “making a case for,” or “making a defense.” In Christian apologetics, you make a case for your faith in Jesus. In my blog, as well as my website, I deal with apologetics and discipleship. The reason is simple.

You cannot sustain a living, influential faith in Jesus unless you trust in what he says and does. You cannot thrive as a disciple unless you have confidence that the Bible is the Word of God, Jesus is who he says he is, and the Christian worldview is the most reasonable and rational view of reality there is out of all religions and philosophies. Sunday School “Jesus loves me this I know” faith does not survive teenage and adult skepticism in a person who is truly testing out his/her faith. You can get by when times are good, but when crisis and uncertainty hit, which they will, to have confidence in the authenticity of your experience and the evidence of the truth of the Gospel are essential. The good news is Jesus is totally trustworthy.

2. We must intend to obey Jesus
Christians are not really honest on this point. So, often we talk a good faith but we don’t live it. Usually it happens this way. We focus almost entirely on a God of love and forgiveness. Yet, God is equally a God of justice and righteousness (right living). The God that totally loves you is the God that totally expects absolute obedience from you. We emphasize all the accounts in the Bible where Jesus is caring and forgiving but we skip over his call for our radical self-denial. For example, when he tells the woman who is caught in adultery to, “Go, and sin no more,” he wasn’t winking at her when he said it (John 8:1-11).

Yes, we can actually choose not to sin. We can choose to do what is right. It is possible to do this in this life. We can’t choose not to be a sinner and we will fail God, but we can make real progress. We are already a new creation when we place our trust in Jesus and begin to live in his Kingdom now. We do not have to give in to our old human desires for pleasure and power. The fact that we fail at times and fall back into our sinful human ways doesn’t cancel out the equally truthful fact that we can choose not to sin. Unless we go into this whole enterprise intending to live a transformed life we will fail before we get started.

We can live our lives as Jesus would if he were us. He created the means.

What are some ways you are trying to talk yourself out of really believing you don’t actually have to choose to sin in situations of life?