I came across a pretty abrasive passage of Scripture recently, and it simply stunned me. It is a phrophecy given to Isaiah for the women of Jerusalem. The first part of it speaks of desolation and destruction, of the tearing down of their lives. It speaks of striping away all of their security and all of their comfort. Instead of being dismayed by this, I was surprisingly delighted.

 I learned in a marriage and family class that the number one need of women is security. There have been many times that I have tried to find security and comfort for myself by making changes in my life, but I have come to realize that no matter how hard I work at it, I am never secure or comfortable for long. I believe that this is what God wanted to teach the women of Jerusalem and all of us when he spoke this to Isaiah:

  ⁹ You women who are so complacent,
   rise up and listen to me;
you daughters who feel secure,
   hear what I have to say!
¹⁰ In little more than a year
   you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,
   and the harvest of fruit will not come.
¹¹ Tremble, you complacent women;
   shudder, you daughters who feel secure!
Strip off your fine clothes
   and wrap yourselves in rags.
¹² Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
   for the fruitful vines
¹³ and for the land of my people,
   a land overgrown with thorns and briers—
yes, mourn for all houses of merriment
   and for this city of revelry.
¹⁴ The fortress will be abandoned,
   the noisy city deserted;
citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,
   the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
¹⁵ till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
   and the desert becomes a fertile field,
   and the fertile field seems like a forest.
¹⁶ The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert,
   his righteousness live in the fertile field.
¹⁷ The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
   its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
¹⁸ My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
   in secure homes,
   in undisturbed places of rest.
¹⁹ Though hail flattens the forest
   and the city is leveled completely,
²⁰ how blessed you will be,
   sowing your seed by every stream,
   and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

Isaiah 32:9-20 NIV

What was going to feel absolutely devastating and completely unjust to these women, was meant to secure for them a permanent sense of peace and security in the end, the peace and security that only God can give!!

 Lord, I know that You shake up my life so that I won’t settle for the safety and security this world has to offer. I want You to continue to shake up my world. Give me the strength to endure whatever I must to recieve your lasting peace in the end!!

Meditation

“In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds…If we hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture, including our religious culture, we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation.”                                                                                                     Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline

           I think that for most Christians the spiritual discipline of meditation has been the most misunderstood and intimidating. When most people think of meditation, they think of some hippy burning incense and sitting cross-legged chanting, “Om.” In my experience, many Christians view meditation as a pagan or new-age practice, yet the Bible instructs us to meditate in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” and Psalm 4:4,”…Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.” Richard Foster explains the difference between the Christian practice of meditation and that of Eastern religions. He says, “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill it.”

          To meditate really means to reflect upon something or to think deeply about something. As Christians, what we are to reflect upon is God’s Word: His instructions, His promises, and His blessings. We are also to reflect upon the condition of our hearts. As Richard Foster says in Celebration of Discipline, “What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart…It is a portable sanctuary that is brought into all we are and do.”

          Meditation has always been a very appealing practice to me, because it means slowing down from all the hectic events that are crammed into my days, and simply focusing on releasing all my stress and frustration, listening to what God has to say to me, and letting Him guide me. I have tried to put this discipline into practice in my life many times. I want the peace that comes from being still and listening to the Holy Spirit, but in the past I have been unable to commit to the time necessary to make meditation truly effective. I always get pulled back into the frantic chaos that is my life. This time, with God’s help, I am resolved to make time!!

“We must come to see, therefore, how central our whole day is in preparing us for meditation. If we are constantly being swept off our feet with frantic activity, we will be unable to be attentive at the moment of inward silence. A mind harassed and fragmented by external affairs is hardly prepared for meditation.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p. 39

          Before I tell you about some of my experiences practicing the spiritual discipline of meditation, I want to introduce you to the methods of meditating that Foster talks about in Celebration of Discipline and how to prepare for them. First of all we must prepare for meditation by finding a quiet place, free from distractions, and adopting the posture that is most comfortable to us. Then we can practice one of the following forms of meditation as described by Foster:

Meditatio Scripturarum: meditation upon Scripture. According to Foster, this is the form of meditation that keeps all the other forms in proper perspective (40-41). It is best to focus on a single story or event, a single verse, or a single word in a verse. 

“Whereas the study of Scripture centers on exegesis, the meditation of Scripture centers on internalizing and personalizing the passage.”                                                                                                                          Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p. 41

“Centering Down” or “Palms Down, Palms Up”: an exercise in meditation that helps you to become quiet and still in your soul.

1. Place your palms down as a symbol of releasing your problems and concerns to God. Let Him know what is troubling you and release it to Him. Allow a stillness to penetrate your soul, and feel the burden lifted.
2. Move your palms to the upward position as a symbol of your inner yearning to receive from God. Let Him know what it is that you wish to receive spiritually from Him. Use specifics concerning situations in your life (ex. peace about a career choice).
3. After releasing and receiving, sit in silence letting the Lord work in your heart, communing with you and imparting to you those things you wish to receive.

Meditation upon Creation: simply admiring the handiwork of God. Spend time really looking at a leaf, a flower, the sunrise and ponder the greatness of the creator. What does the creation tell you about the creator?

 Meditation upon Current Events: to seek to understand the spiritual significence of the events of our day. According to Foster, “This form of meditation is best accomplished with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.”

My Meditation Experience

            During my times practicing meditation, I have mainly focused on the Meditatio Scripturarum technique, but I have also used the “Centering Down” technique and the Meditation on Creation. The only technique I haven’t really practiced is Meditation upon Current Events. I have found that for regular practice I prefer to meditate on Scripture and practice centering down. Many times, however, I find that I will begin meditating upon creation without doing it intentionally.

Experience # 1: On this day, I meditated upon Psalm 46 and this is the picture that was brought to my mind as I read these verses over and over again.

• As I read verses 1-3, in my mind I saw a fortress up on a mountain top and the earth crumbling all around. I saw water rushing up furiously around the fort, but not able to overtake the walls of the fort. I realized that even now, I feel like there is chaos all around me just like verses 1-3 picture. I often get caught up in the fear of my world falling apart instead of realizing that I am safe within the walls of the fortress, no matter what is going on around me.
• Verse 10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” This verse brought to my mind the picture of a butterfly. I have often tried to take a picture of a butterfly, but they move so fast from flower to flower, that it is hard to get a clear picture of them. Occasionally, however, one will alight upon a bloom and become completely still for a minute allowing me to get a clear picture. I feel as if I am a butterfly constantly on the move, constantly distracted by something going on in my life, but God is calling me to slow down and be still so that He can give me a clear picture of who He is and what he wants me to do.

Experience #2: On this day it was pouring down rain, and I decided to meditate upon creation.

• I thought of how God made the rain to promote growth and to sustain all of creation. I thought of how sometimes in my life I feel God pouring out His rain upon me, and I feel that I am growing spiritually and that God is nurturing my soul.
• I also thought about how difficult it is when we go through droughts. In the physical realm, droughts wreak havoc on everyone. Farmers lose crops that they depend on for their income, prices of produce rise, firemen stay busy putting out wildfires, and everywhere you look there is dead brown instead of luscious green. I feel like I am going through a drought in my life right now. I don’t feel God’s nurturing touch, but I believe God allows us to go through times like this so that our roots can grow deeper towards the water source that is deep below the surface. This is how he takes us from a surface relationship with him to a mature intimate relationship. It is hard, it is painful, but it is necessary!!
• I thought of how I long and hope for the promise He gives in Psalm 23, “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

That was just a couple of examples of things that God has spoken to me in meditation recently. I look forward to the insight and spiritual maturity that I will gain from my renewed dedication to delving into the spiritual disciplines.

40 Days of Discipline

A study of Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intellectual people, or gifted people, but for deep people. The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm. They urge us to be the answer to a hollow world.”                                   

                                           Richard J. Foster,  Celebration of Discipline

          When I was in college, I took a Spiritual Growth and Development class. The text we used for the class was Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. I remember thinking that it was one of the most interesting and insightful texts I had ever read and that the principles in the book were things that I could really apply to my life. With all the different classes and textbooks I had to read at that time, I never got to fully immerse myself in the text of Celebration of Discipline. So, recently, as I scanned my bookshelf for something new to read and came across this text again, I knew that it was the right time to read it again.

          For some time now, I have felt that I have hit a wall in my spiritual walk. I keep trying to be better about getting in my quite time and living out the fruits of the spirit, but I just keep failing. I get so busy with my job, my singing career, my housework, and my relationships that I can’t hear God’s voice. All of a sudden, I don’t know what it is he wants me to do or who he really created me to be. I have let the cares of this world crowd him out. So, when I came across Celebration of Discipline again, I picked it up and started reading, and I could feel God speaking to me, challenging me to take this journey. He was prompting me to make a serious commitment to becoming a more disciplined person and allowing him to transform me.

“When we despair of gaining inner transformation through human powers of will and determination, we are open to a wonderful new realization: inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received. The needed change within us is God’s work, not ours. The demand is for an inside job, and only God can work from the inside.”

                                   Richard J. Foster,   Celebration of Discipline

          So, here I am delving into the Scriptures and Celebration of Discipline. For the next forty days, I am going to attempt to put the spiritual disciplines into practice in my life and allow God to renovate my soul. I am sure that I will discover some ugly things about myself that I would rather not have to see, but I also know that I will discover some wonderful things about God that will astonish and amaze me! I hope you will join me on this journey, because, as Richard Foster wrote,“Our world is hungry for genuinely changed people.”

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”                                              Ephesians 3:16-21

Come to “P.R.A.I.S.E. Youth Conference 2010: Survival Rock” Saturday, August 28 from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Learn how… http://fb.me/BX7h6sQ1

Bible study @ Adair Park is tonight @ 7:30. We will be discussing John 17

Come to “Wilderness Experience: Walker Sisters Home” Saturday, April 17 from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. This hike is full… http://bit.ly/cv0ozz

Middle Man Ministries is hosting a Bible study every Monday @ Adair Park 7:30 pm. Tonight we are talking about Peter.

We have officially adopted Adair Park in Fountain City through Knoxville’s Adopt-a-Park Program. Check it out!! http://bit.ly/cfHCwC

God places much importance on the quality of our relationships with other people. In fact, half of the Ten Commandments are instructions for how we are to interact with our fellow man, and Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount also have a lot to say about how we should treat those around us. One of the most important relationships that we will ever have on this earth is our relationship with our spouse. Paul even uses the example of a marriage relationship to describe Christ’s relationship with us as the body of believers:

Ephesians 5: 25-33

  ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing^[b] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body.³¹“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³²This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Just as God wants us to get to know Him and love Him through communicating with Him in prayer and learning about Him in His Word, I believe that He also wants us to do the same with our spouse. So, I have created the following questionairre as way for us to reacquaint ourselves with our spouse and learn more about their hopes and dreams. No matter how long you have been married, this questionairre should help you start a meaningful converstion with your spouse !!

Husband/Wife Questionnaire

1)     Where is your most peaceful place?

2)     What are 2 of your fondest memories from our relationship?

3)     What are 2 things you would like to change about yourself?

4)     Name 2 local places you have never been, but would like to visit.

5)     What were the 2 best dates you’ve ever been on and what made them special?

6)     What are 5 simple wishes that you have?

7)     What are your 2 favorite childhood memories?

8)     When do you feel the most satisfied with yourself?

9)     What new hobby or hobbies would you like to try?

10)   What are the top 5 things you would like to accomplish before you die?