Tag Archive for 'spirituality'

The Mayonaise Jar

Published on January 25, 2010 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry, Faith and Gospel.

Over this past weekend, I got to spend some time with a great crew of young adults on a retreat. We’re calling this thread of retreats and experiences for 18 to 20+’ers Element. 

Our hope is to connect the various college students and young adults in our Nazarene network of churches here into a community. As we connect and build relationships we also want to challenge, equip, and send these students into the world to make a Kingdom-sized impact on their world.

Element…

It’s about the basic elements of faith. In ancient times there were thought to be four basic elements which constituted the physical universe. We sometimes refer to someone or thing as being in their element. Perhaps you think of a heating element which connects and conduces heat or electricity. All of these ideas could contribute to or illustrate the purposes we have in mind.

JR Forasteros shared some insights from Matthew 25 which I found to be quite helpful. Recall the parable of the talents in which three servants were given a sum of money by their master. After some time the master returned (key point) and found two of the servants as faithful and productive. The third servant (out of fear, or laziness, or some other inhibition) buried his potential in the ground.

JR made the connect between this idea and the fact that most young adults are desperate to know what God’s will is for their lives. In fact, regardless of age and phase of life, we often want to ask the wrong questions. Our questions usually focus on specific felt needs or future developments in our life. God wants us to ask the kinds of questions which would lead to our transformation in the present. What are we doing with what God has entrusted to us right now?

As my mind was wandering a bit (not unusual) I began to think about how easily we bury ourSELVES in the ground. Often, we have a tendency in the church to bury ourselves in the world of church, programs, “ministry”, serving (the church/ourselves) and fail to see how God would have us invest our lives into others…especially those who are far from Christ. Instead of burying the master’s resources in a mayonaise jar in the ground…pour yourself out…and into the lives of those around you.

 

 

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Book #1 for 2010

Published on January 3, 2010 by Chris Bean in Personal.

Although it wasn’t one of the books I was already reading in preparation for this first week of 2010, I quickly realized that it would be difficult to put down. While turning the page from 2009 to 2010,  reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller has proven to be quite timely. You can hear a great introduction to the book by the author here.

The book is basically more of Don’s story (can I call him “Don?” it’s not like we get together occasionally at the Ugly Mug.) But in the process of telling his own story, he enlightens us with inspiring notions about what it means to LIVE a good story and be engaged in the process of transformation.

Another book I’m in the process of reading is The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau. It is all about the process and purpose of pilgrimage, a concept which I have been sensitive to for years but very much awakened to more recently. As Miller shares stories about hiking in Peru, cycling across America, and kayaking into beautiful inlets my passion for incorporating travel, adventure, and ‘sacred’ geographical destinations into my own story has enlarged.

I would imagine that anyone could enjoy what Donald Miller is sharing in this book. But especially for those who find themselves bogged down by the mundaneness of their own stories…or searching for the “inciting incident” which might propel one into a better story or scene…A Million Miles is contemplatively energizing.

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Devotion…The Greatest Weapon

Published on November 19, 2009 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry and Faith.

Screen shot 2009-11-19 at 11.16.07 AMApparently, I’m a sucker for a re-made TV series which must have aired during my media-sensitive formative years.

Although I missed the pilot when it originally aired a couple of weeks ago, I just caught up with it on ABC.com and was mildly intrigued by a couple of things.

Religion…I’m always interested in the portrayal of religion and spiritual subjects when it comes to TV, film, music, etc. Jack, (hmm…what’s the obsession with “Jack” and hero characters for ABC?) is a priest who quickly becomes aligned with the resistance movement.  In the final scene with Elizabeth Mitchell (also of Lost fame), “devotion” is identified as the great weapon which the reptilian visitors have on their side.

It reminds me a little bit of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters and some of Screen shot 2009-11-19 at 11.31.44 AMthe ways in which the appretice demon was learning to thwart God’s purposes in the lives of Christ followers.

That scene certainly prompted me to think of ways in which my own devotion might be misappropriated. St. Augustine called it disordered love in our lives.

We’ll see how the Visitors’ attempt goes for gaining viewership and entertainment devotion. But this idea obviously begs the question on a spiritual level, have we lost our identity as subversives and champions of resistance?

Is our devotion rightly directed…or has it been hijacked by a reptilian or somewhat sinister system of living?

No one’s saying that isn’t an alluring option.  ;-)

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