SHIFT

Watching the wallflower is always painful, even if it is we ourselves. I recently watched a kid refuse to jump into a rambunctious game with friends for obvious fear. Then the friends wound up laughing their guts out and I saw the child who had opted out visibly grieve missing out on the joy.

We have all seen fanatics [remember the definition: someone who redoubles their effort after having forgotten their aim] in faith, and none of us wants to be associated with those people. But we have all also seen the awkward one incapable of jumping all the way in to the deep water, or into the dance, or the sport, you name it, and their over conservative approach keeps them from living fully in the moment.

There is no time like now to shift to a new level of faith living. No time like today to begin the real investment in looking for God in everything and everyone, in prayer, in church, in doing good. Changing gears always means some transition, and with new speeds come new risks, but life with no risks is not life, and faith calls us into a life of risk.

Please make a true Methodist pledge with me, too, on a related item: if you see someone going all out for their job, cause, faith, politics, you name it, please commit yourself to bless them for trying, for risking, for craving to be all in, even if it is not your cause, or perspective, or “thing”. Blessing fanaticism? No, not really--just cherishing that even the fanatic is trying to live out a call to passionate living. That doesn’t mean supporting their cause at all. [I bet you, like me, have even helped a few fanatics get into treatment or get arrested!]. A prayer like ….

“God, I see their desire for you and for living fully the life you gave to them. Help them, like me, aim better, and higher, but thank you for calling them, and me, to live truly alive. Lead me to the same passion for the best of your kingdom”.

Do well.

HABITS

Habits are more than just our junk food or 12 step-worthy problems; they keep us alive. From eating regularly to brushing our teeth, from calling family each month or birthday, to shopping weekly, basic, committed rhythms are what keep us from meltdowns into unstructured and disordered living.

We all know most of our bad habits by name (although our spending habits are curiously often hidden from ourselves … hmmm).

My first question is Do you know your good habits by name? If you feel like it, would you type a list of your good habits? If you’d like, click comments at the bottom of this blog and we can compare notes, or keep them to yourself. See if you can name 20 habits, and yes, you can use the suggestions in the first paragraph. Many of my readers have begun to keep a Sabbath every week, including recreation, church gatherings, and rest. Don’t forget to put that on your list if you are locking that one down.

Second, do you know how you created those habits? When? Did you do it on purpose? Were others involved in helping you shape a habit or two?

Third, which new or renewed habit would improve your journey now? Which new habit is most realistic to begin building into a routine now? What would it take to lock this in as successfully as you did others in your past?

Last, is there a habit that is destructive that you are ready to be done with? Instead of getting all pumped up to “finish it off” like we get pumped up to take on a new diet, with all the usual two weeks that it takes to lose the whole effort, is there a gentle, simple way of peace you can begin that would help you end it?

In the name of full disclosure, here is a list of 20 of my habits, and it is really hard to get to 20 without dipping into more embarrassing material!

Reading before sleep
Reading in the tub
Reading the Bible in the morning
Reading in the bathroom (yes, it is a habit!)
Reading a news magazine before Sunday morning
Reading a Daily paper at breakfast
Reading the daily news on the computer (usually in the later afternoon)
Checking my favorite team scores at night (in baseball and football seasons)
Working out each day (usually in the late afternoon)
Hugging my family members before bed
Praying when I wake
Praying when I hear a siren
Praying at meals
Listening to the morning news on NPR (Picking only one item to pray about from the news. It is a rule I keep to not be overwhelmed.)
Doing the bills on Saturday
Family meals for dinner (my four family members are all together for this only about four times a week!)
Worship every week
Brushing and flossing
Bathing
Shaving

Have fun with this, but I hope it kicks off a renewal of commitment and an appreciation for wisdom you have received into yourself already. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self discipline” II Timothy 1:7.

Do well.

PIOUS ANYONE?

One word I struggled to understand growing up was pious. It was used as a criticism but could also mean focused on God and spirituality. Now I get it.

When spirituality is used as another way of being self obsessed in a consumer culture, it is one of the ugliest things in the world. Whether it is used this way in the language of fundamentalism, where the world’s only issue is the salvation of my individual soul and maybe that same concern for others, or in more New Agey “the only thing that matters is my sense of personal space and peace”, a spirituality that doesn’t embrace activism and work and community service is just another name for narcissism.

I want so badly for you and me to be alive in the love of God. I want you to be full and free. But I know that will always be a chimera if it is not deeply connected to your giving yourself and your gifts to the world God loves. Let’s build homes for the destitute, feed some hungry people, and get involved in politics and healing projects. Let’s give gifts of craft and love for kids, let’s support people’s health efforts, let’s get people (and ourselves sometimes) into support groups. Let’s pool our money for these and other projects from here to Darfur.

This will be a part of your prayers and your Bible reading, or really Bible living. These will balance and compliment, but also be the very foundation of a love for God and a spiritual life. Let’s do it together and not ignore the social and communal aspects of life in God’s love and spirit.

Do well.