Prayer and Meditation with Scriptures

I have been concentrating on my other blog, and this is why posts here have been sparse.

I'm going ON TOUR!

Well, that is to say, I'm scheduling lessons for medium and small groups, to guide them in Lectio Divina, the ancient Christian spiritual Practice of Prayer and Meditation using Scriptures. It is worshipful, prayerful, and devotional.

"Lectio Divina" literally means, "Sacred reading." It's not woo woo, so don't get thrown off by the unfamiliar title. (Lectio is pronounced: LEX-ee-oh)

Just today my oh-so-glossy Lectio Divina guide came from the printer. I love that freshly printed smell.

If you have any comments, questions about me, or what I'm doing, click on my blog link, and contact me.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Lisa

self-contempt

What a shock it is to trace back problems social, spiritual, emotional, occupational, or otherwise in and around me, (with myself and others) all the way back to self-contempt. That, or pride, which is rather the a kind of funhouse mirror image are really the main things going on. Both are sin, if you will. The type that is both human (and not making us worthless) but unavoidable, brokenness that cries out to be whole and remedied, and, of course, one always hopes, forgiven. One wants to be spared, even from one's self, if possible, sometimes. But I don't know if we realize this "why" of how we suffer silently, or very loudly, or drag others into our perils and haunts. This odd barb of contempt is just under the skin, but with little, or big, veins into the deep of us, the muscle of our hearts, sometimes hurting and squeezing us.

So, I wonder at the hugeness of it sometimes. The cloud of it, and it's great undoing. I push breathlessly against it, if truth be told, far too much than I have been aware. And much more than I wish too. And I am beginning a journey to untie knots, even if my fingers callous and bleed.

Appraisals

We had our house appraised. In seven years, it's done well.

I've been thinking it doesn't translate to people. It's not really the same on the human level to the stuff of the soul, the whole person. People age, deteriorate, and beyond that on the interior, even with great effort people often don't improve 35%, 45% percent or better in seven years, do they? If they are not trying to get better, my guess is that they indeed depreciate. Like dairy, they "go bad." How much does the human character improve in two years, or five? How much does spiritual formation develop in a normal year for a well-fed, pampered, indulgent American? The church fathers and mothers wrote that suffering and struggle were often helpful for improvement.

Of course it's hard to gauge improvement quantifiably, and I don't really believe it is most important. My point is to say, we can't let our homes of wood and stone out due us, accumulating advantage with time, and getting better with age as we regress in some ways.

How would you appraise yourself, in all honesty? (How would I?) If you had a camera attached on you, unaware for a week, how would viewers appraise you? (I'm thinking about this for me too.)

Answering a question --

A question from Cole -

Cole asks: "Lisa, I go to college with friends and classmates that think Christianity is arrogant because it makes an exclusive claim on truth. Any ideas how I share Jesus with them when they are sure reject me for this reason?"

Hi Cole! Thanks for writing. First it's important to realize that the idea of neutral ground is a myth. Everyone believes their ideas about reality, or truth, are not false ideas, or they wouldn't believe them. If they are willing to say someone else's ideas are arrogant, that means they are claiming a superior way themselves. They believe in a preferable path, and this is arrogant too. Everyone does the same sort of thing. Kindly pointing out that we all have a belief preference may help to level out the playing field a little when you are trying to state what your position is. It's okay to have an opinion. They will (probably) realize this.

What sharing your faith (Christian apologetics) boils down to is something more than just preaching and defending the Good News. Humans are in rebellion against God in their hearts. The bible points this out in the narrative story of God's interaction with people. Many thirst for something missing --which is the missing reconciliation with God. They long for peace, but also many are in opposition to God. And some (basically) hate him. We have to know this when we talk to people who don't believe. Spiritually it boils down to submission, doing things God's way....for you and for those opposed to God. Submission is never easy-- and not very cool in a society that prizes freedom, independence, and choice. Paradoxically, it is God's authority that brings comfort, clarity, and relief.

I want to encourage you to really love your friends who believe and those who don't. Bit by bit, you can introduce a worldview to them that includes God as the centerpiece. Some may reject you, (they killed Jesus after all) but others may see that your centered life and reality makes sense and is real, and not just for you. It's a blessing to see your love for Jesus, Cole.