A good recipe needs Ingredients . . . before it requires Method

In devotional life and practices Bible reading and praying are common ingredients. They are important. Though as important as reading the Bible and praying are, a refreshing devotional practice calls for more elements and diversities within our accepted spiritual observances. Devotional life practice has range in ingredients, and an even greater range in methods/recipes or spiritual disciplines ... not unlike the time honoured customs of home-cooking.

A clear memory of growing up as a “hollow-legged” boy in the forties was food.   There was always a good supply of the stuff.  The greater variety things eaten in our household were either grown (or caught) by dad or baked at home by mum.   Eating in our household was not merely consuming, that was the last matter – along with strict table etiquette; I grew an understanding, “great meals prepared from good recipes always start with right ingredients.”  So what’s the range of ingredients and recipes that make for refreshing devotional practice?

Well, for starters in biblical and Christian history there’s four recurring ingredients; 1) reading of Scripture, 2) prayer and praying, 3) meditation or ruminating on your reading, and 4) active responsiveness towards God. 

Then there’s the great range of methods/recipes or spiritual disciplines to consider, such as; Bible Study, breath prayer, celebration, centering prayer, confession, contemplation, conversational prayer, devotional reading of Christian classics, examen prayer, fasting,  fellowship, gratitude, intercessory prayer, journaling, lectio divina, memorization, practicing the presence, self examination, service, silence, simplicity, solitude, submission, theological reflection, and worship.

“So JCD, where do I start?”   Simple, get the right ingredients first, then the possibilities of developing a range of good recipes . . . “bon appétit.”

There's more: God's Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. 
Otherwise how will we find our way? 
Or know when we play the fool? 
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! 
Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; 
then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. 
These are the words in my mouth; 
these are what I chew on and pray. 
Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, 
O God, my Altar-Rock, 
God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Psalm 19:11-14 (Message Bible)

I’m not double-minded, like you, I’m two-minded

As a human you and I have "two minds" .... one between our ears, and another between our ribs ... in life situations we usually use one-before-the-other ... which one did you use first today? 

The challenge is how to use both in varying order - not how to keep one of them in pristine condition!

Loving the God who loves

For no “great reason” I’ve been thinking over love, and being loved . . . so, putting fingers-to-keys, here’s a rumination-summary of sorts . . .

One of the great things about being a human is being loved by God. Our longings for, seeking after, enjoying and responding to love are the human norm; arising from being Divinely created. The common understanding of Christianity’s heart is God loves us. As an enduring childhood hymn goes ... “I am so glad that Jesus loves me ...” God is a lover, God loves me.”

Being loved calls for receiving, responsiveness, openness to the concerns, input and energy of another or others. Love is not merely the output of one to another, it is connection. It’s reciprocal ... or in plain language, “love is a two-way-street.”

God not only loves us, He has expectations of us loving Him. Not just as convenient; but our really loving Him as a life-priority. Think about it; maybe it’s a strange idea, but it’s certainly not new one.

One day back when Jesus first lived on this planet some theologians sent one of their brilliant students to pose him a “this-one-will-catch-you-out” question. Approaching Jesus he said; "Teacher, which command in God's principles is the most important?" Jesus’ clear, swift and friendly response was simply, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.” Adding, “This is the most important, the first on any list.”

God is not only the lover of humanity, but the creator of lovers; lovers of Him and fellow creatures. God’s “first-on-the-list” for lovers is to love Him with passion, with our soul-heart energy. Love with, and in, and through our prayers. To love through giving the growth of our intelligence to Him, the One we love. Simply, “love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.” We are lovers, we love God, but it doesn’t stop there.

Jesus continued; “but there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself.” Yes Jesus, but how?

A practical definition of love is best summarised by St. Thomas Aquinas, who defined love as “to will the good of another,” or to desire for another to succeed. We are loved lovers who love. We need to love others, including enemies. As Aquinas explains, a “Jesus’ described love” is motivated by the need to see others succeed in life, to be good people, to love and be loved.

I’m not nosey – I’m learning to listen

Recently, or yet again – when after a period of listening to a person sharing with me on a matter says; “now to be truly honest with you …” and continues talking … don’t know about you, but my mind reels a bit when hearing this “all-too-common-conversational-conjunction” …

Yet, while I may wonder . . . “Have they not been honest/truthful up to this point in our conversation?”

My “take” is, they are moving to deeper levels of honest-openness, transparency and possible vulnerability – they’re not shifting from lies to truth … as not only are they speaking to me in a fuller-form, they are also speaking to themselves (in my presence) with greater self-integrity …

I'm hearing words and heart . . .

I’ve been chewing over the following “terms” in considering what I and others may be doing in our communication and interactions with others . . .

Honesty is telling others the truth

Integrity is telling myself the truth

In Transparency – I tell you about my life

Through Vulnerability – I let you into my life

Put your troubles to use ... don’t let them put you out of commission

Thinking about suffering lately ...

reading some of Thomas A ‘Kempis’s ruminations on growing through sufferings ...

also, doing a bit of it - just to “keep in practice at suffering” ...

It is inspiring to understand suffering is not destruction it is strengthening.

Such a view responds to Paul’s motto, “when I am weak I am strong … my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

A’ Kempis exhorts me to put my troubles to use, not put them to flight. For if the God who is overall, sends/allows troubles I had better work with the current set He sends … troubles will come, so use them – don’t multiply them. Troubles say; “root yourself in God … don’t suck your thumb and self-commiserate.” One, who is rooted in God, draws strength through those roots and grows in adversity … “am I that one?”

Remembrance – more than remembering

Tomorrow is the 25th of April.

Tomorrow’s both Sunday and Anzac day, two-days-in-one. Both days are a day of celebration, remembrance, and gathering.

Once a year, we “Australasian nations” celebrate ANZAC day. Celebrate is a funny old word. To many the heart-of-the-word means party, fun, lots of laughter, games, refreshments and more photos to upload onto Facebook. While celebrating ANZAC day doesn’t mean all of those things, it certainly has celebration at its heart.

As a word celebrate’s roots are in the middle-English and Latin meaning “to frequent;” simply to frequent, to keep doing or observing an occasion with appropriate ceremony or festivity.

To observe/celebrate, we firstly remember then gather. Tomorrow that’s keeping the celebration of ANZAC day. From our remembering and gathering we participate in remembrance. Remembrance is the composition of three living engagements; identification, inclusion, and inspiration. Our remembrance is not the historic past, but the living past. Not merely living in the past or seeking to recapture it, but allowing its living memory to empower the present and inspire the future.

In ANZAC services, activities, Hui, focused-media broadcasts and connections with others, we will identify with the sacrifice of other peoples and families in the past-cost of our present freedom. In the light-of-ANZAC we include ourselves afresh in what it means to be “Kiwis and Aussies in 2010.” We allow inspiration gained in our celebration of ANZAC’s living memory to empower present and inspire future. The day is a celebration of continuity, community and courage.

Once a week Christian churches celebrate Sunday. Not just celebrate on Sunday, but celebrate Sunday. For Christian churches Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not just on Easter Sunday – but “on the first day of the week.”

Christian weekly remembrance is not just historic past; it’s the living past in the present. Not merely living in the past or seeking to recapture it, but allowing its living memory to empower the present and inspire the future. The celebration of Sunday Christian worship is a weekly “frequenting” – gathering and observing the occasion of Jesus resurrection with appropriate ceremony and festivity.

Like ANZAC remembrance, Christian remembrance is the composition of three living engagements; identification, inclusion, and inspiration.

Tomorrow, let’s think about our public gathering for ANZAC remembrance and participating in Christian church remembrance-celebration services. I could participate in one or the other, or both. It’s amazing what can be achieved on Sunday, when I plan to ... why, in the afternoon I could even shop or walk along one of my local Pacific coast beaches ... what could you do?

Chewing ideas can be a “community activity” . . .

When during some recent article-reading I came across ideas and notions for rumination which captivated my attention; a first thought was “pass these on.”

The ideas we get, ones which inspire us and could be passed on for others to “chew-on” are not really prime-revelation. They have not begun with us, they have come to us, and they’re not actually original. Sad, after all Ecclesiastes states:

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

So I passed the article, with its ideas and my rumination-notions on; closing my “E-missive” with the following summary . . .

“Yes, I’m aware such notions are not new – also conscious, not every viable perception gets ongoing consideration ... methinks it’s worth a read and ruminate”. . .