One week from tomorrow I will board a plane at Harrisburg International Airport, connect on another flight in Chicago, and land in Sacramento about ten hours later. A journey that would have taken weeks a hundred and fifty years ago via stage coach, days just fifth years ago in a car, can occur today in just hours (the Lord willing, of course). This illustrates the challenge for us in a world of rapid travel around the world, to grasp the significance of the Biblical metaphor of walking with the Lord or travel through life’s journey. We understand with our heads, but experience does not correspond with what our mind can express.
Is there another metaphor that will assist us in communicating the challenge, excitement, and perseverance to be experienced on the journey we are traversing? For natives of the postmodern culture, we need to develop language that is both biblical and contemporary. Perhaps some good old fashioned brainstorming (my terminology may be old fashioned) is in order to help us better communicate the wonders of our walk with Christ. Your input would be greatly appreciated!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Running
Reflections on the Journey
If the journey involves walking, why doesn’t running get any air time in the Scripture? The fact is, running serves an important function in societies prior to mechanical mobility. Escape from danger might have involved running. Catching prey during a hunt required a speed for the hunter. Jogging or sprinting was a part of warfare as when a messenger is sent to deliver the word that victory was achieved or running toward the battle lines. The Apostle Paul refers to running the race that is before us and gives instruction to do so with patience. One exception is Jesus’ story of the prodigal son who, when he returned home, his father ran to meet his wayward son. This undignified action on the part of the father demonstrated his eagerness to restore the offspring.
Running in today’s culture usually involves an effort to get in shape in preparation for a race or other competitive athletic event. Running implies urgency to a situation rather than a journey toward a destination. The journey of life may require sprinting from time to time, but the danger of pressing forward with speed involves the difficulty of maintaining the pace and as a result, eventually failing to attain the end goal.
In today’s culture, we often find ourselves scurrying around to get someplace on time. We feel the pressure of getting more done in less time and scheduling events back to back. I have found that hurrying seldom produces the results I desire. Poor quality of work, half thought through solutions, and accidents often result from the dashing to and fro without proper preparation. To be sure, speed is critical at certain points in life, but running should not be the norm, but the exception.
Navigating the journey successfully may require a slower pace at times rather than a faster pace. Take time to smell the roses. Do you find the pace difficult at times and feel inadequate for being frustrated with the demands? What do you think? How can we help ourselves and the people in our sphere of relationships to slow down long enough to enjoy the journey and not just have success in life? Success does not consist of the things we possess. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”
If the journey involves walking, why doesn’t running get any air time in the Scripture? The fact is, running serves an important function in societies prior to mechanical mobility. Escape from danger might have involved running. Catching prey during a hunt required a speed for the hunter. Jogging or sprinting was a part of warfare as when a messenger is sent to deliver the word that victory was achieved or running toward the battle lines. The Apostle Paul refers to running the race that is before us and gives instruction to do so with patience. One exception is Jesus’ story of the prodigal son who, when he returned home, his father ran to meet his wayward son. This undignified action on the part of the father demonstrated his eagerness to restore the offspring.
Running in today’s culture usually involves an effort to get in shape in preparation for a race or other competitive athletic event. Running implies urgency to a situation rather than a journey toward a destination. The journey of life may require sprinting from time to time, but the danger of pressing forward with speed involves the difficulty of maintaining the pace and as a result, eventually failing to attain the end goal.
In today’s culture, we often find ourselves scurrying around to get someplace on time. We feel the pressure of getting more done in less time and scheduling events back to back. I have found that hurrying seldom produces the results I desire. Poor quality of work, half thought through solutions, and accidents often result from the dashing to and fro without proper preparation. To be sure, speed is critical at certain points in life, but running should not be the norm, but the exception.
Navigating the journey successfully may require a slower pace at times rather than a faster pace. Take time to smell the roses. Do you find the pace difficult at times and feel inadequate for being frustrated with the demands? What do you think? How can we help ourselves and the people in our sphere of relationships to slow down long enough to enjoy the journey and not just have success in life? Success does not consist of the things we possess. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”
Friday, February 8, 2008
Walking
Reflections on the Journey.
We travel the journey of life toward our destination with full assurance that our Guide will direct our steps, not only toward the goal, but placing our feet on solid ground (Proverbs 20:24). A recent study revealed Americans are spending less and less time outdoors, choosing rather the microclimate of the indoors, opting for a controlled environment. The winter months exagerate this phenomenom. My personal walking regimen simply transitions from the streets around our home to the treadmill in the basement. No excuse for a lack of exercise!
When the Scripture refers to our walk (I John 1:7), the dominant cultural mode of mobility revolved around foot travel. People walked everywhere. The roads were mostly unpaved, no motorized vehicles existed, and the population lived their lives in a relatively limited area by todays standards. Walking, as the primary means of travel, served well to provide an analogy for life.
Americans do most of their walking between the couch and refrigerator. Except for the distance to the garage or from the parking lot to the appropriate shelf of the store, our trips normally occur behind the steering wheel. The limited distance we travel on foot does not aid in our understanding of the journey of life we call our walk with the Lord.
Try an experiment to develop a deeper appreciation for your walk with God. Begin planning a ten to twenty mile walk. Check the weather conditions, proper attire, the right shoes, directions, and make sure you are healthy enough to go the distance. Walking in the light is not a reference toa trip to the bathroom at three in the morning. It is about a marathon, going the distance. Perhaps we will learn more about our life with Christ and at the same time become physically healthier. May we walk worthy of our calling.
We travel the journey of life toward our destination with full assurance that our Guide will direct our steps, not only toward the goal, but placing our feet on solid ground (Proverbs 20:24). A recent study revealed Americans are spending less and less time outdoors, choosing rather the microclimate of the indoors, opting for a controlled environment. The winter months exagerate this phenomenom. My personal walking regimen simply transitions from the streets around our home to the treadmill in the basement. No excuse for a lack of exercise!
When the Scripture refers to our walk (I John 1:7), the dominant cultural mode of mobility revolved around foot travel. People walked everywhere. The roads were mostly unpaved, no motorized vehicles existed, and the population lived their lives in a relatively limited area by todays standards. Walking, as the primary means of travel, served well to provide an analogy for life.
Americans do most of their walking between the couch and refrigerator. Except for the distance to the garage or from the parking lot to the appropriate shelf of the store, our trips normally occur behind the steering wheel. The limited distance we travel on foot does not aid in our understanding of the journey of life we call our walk with the Lord.
Try an experiment to develop a deeper appreciation for your walk with God. Begin planning a ten to twenty mile walk. Check the weather conditions, proper attire, the right shoes, directions, and make sure you are healthy enough to go the distance. Walking in the light is not a reference toa trip to the bathroom at three in the morning. It is about a marathon, going the distance. Perhaps we will learn more about our life with Christ and at the same time become physically healthier. May we walk worthy of our calling.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
MI
No, MI does not stand for Mission Impossible, rather Mission...Immigration.
This week I had the honor of meeting with two brothers in Christ from Russia who curently live in Philadelphia, PA. Their ministry reaches out to those with life controling issues like drug and alcohol addiction. Many individuals are being blessed by their efforts and Jesus continues to change lives. The ministry has resulted, not only in individuals coming to Christ, but also the formation of a Russian congregation. They are working on bring their new church into the Assemblies of God fellowship. What a thrill to sit down in fellowship with friends like these two humble, servants of God.
They informed me that currently there are over two hundred thousand Russian speaking individuals in the Philadelphia area, many of them Russian Jews. Often they come due to religious persecution and some for political asylum while others are here for economic or family reasons. Whatever the reason, they have come. Think of the reality of what is happening right here in Pennsylvania. If these individuals were placed in one community, they would be considered the third largest city in the state of Pennsylvania. God is doing something absolutely amazing in our world today. As we Navigate through life's journey, perhaps God is bringing friends our way that we can bless and that can be a blessing to us. Mission Immigration is here!
This week I had the honor of meeting with two brothers in Christ from Russia who curently live in Philadelphia, PA. Their ministry reaches out to those with life controling issues like drug and alcohol addiction. Many individuals are being blessed by their efforts and Jesus continues to change lives. The ministry has resulted, not only in individuals coming to Christ, but also the formation of a Russian congregation. They are working on bring their new church into the Assemblies of God fellowship. What a thrill to sit down in fellowship with friends like these two humble, servants of God.
They informed me that currently there are over two hundred thousand Russian speaking individuals in the Philadelphia area, many of them Russian Jews. Often they come due to religious persecution and some for political asylum while others are here for economic or family reasons. Whatever the reason, they have come. Think of the reality of what is happening right here in Pennsylvania. If these individuals were placed in one community, they would be considered the third largest city in the state of Pennsylvania. God is doing something absolutely amazing in our world today. As we Navigate through life's journey, perhaps God is bringing friends our way that we can bless and that can be a blessing to us. Mission Immigration is here!
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