William Temple

              Recently in my hometown of Mansfield, Texas there was a debate over the developing plans to build a hookah bar.  Although it would be an attraction that would interest a large social group in Mansfield and surrounding cities and have lots of business, it is detrimental to health (more so than smoking regular cigarettes, according to immense amounts of research) and encourages a negative lifestyle.  Churches in the area understood this, and fought to make Christian principles known.  They believed that the institution of a hookah bar was threatening to the well-being of our community.  It exemplified bad stewardship of the resources God has given us, and more importantly, it supported bad stewardship of our bodies.  The Church recognized what William Temple pointed out about the value of human life as established by the Lord and how we should take care of it.

                As a result, churches became more active in stating their principles and how this act would breach them.  Church members became educated about the topic and more equipped to take a stand.  Yet it was all done so lovingly.  It was beautiful to watch the Church carry something out in the correct manner.  It felt like we were truly reshaping the existing order; renewing minds, if you will.  Eventually the plea to build a hookah bar was declined.  In its place, a laundromat was built, providing a much needed service in an area of the community that was struggling without it.

John Calvin

              The world pushes upon us a very individualistic mindset.  Everything is about you, yourself, and your gain.  Worldly people tend to possess a sense of entitlement – the idea that they are entitled to so many things.  They lack the view that everything is the Lord’s in the first place. 

                Because we are pushed to be individualistic, to think about ourselves and the betterment of our lives, we are a largely consumerist culture.  Everything is turned into a product trying to be sold.  People are tricked into thinking they can buy whatever they need to make them happy, pretty, popular, rich, or content.

                And it is widely accepted that all those things are what you need to be successful in life.  It’s the American Dream – live in a nice neighborhood, have a good-looking spouse and children, obtain a high and well-paying status at work, drive a nice car, have other nice possessions, etc.  Everything in our world is geared towards helping you achieve this, assuming that it is exactly what everyone wants and lives for.

                But John Calvin suggests that we deny those selfish desires and gains because we are not our own; therefore we should not be governing our own lives.  We are God’s.  “Let his wisdom and will dominate all our actions,” in the same way Jesus Christ did according to Philippians 2:1-11.  As he looked to the interests of others and submitted himself wholly to God’s will, he gave up his divine rights and his high position of royalty to be made lowly.  He did not look to benefit himself and make his own comfort a priority, because that was not what God had planned for him and he was okay with that.  He trusted the Lord, and therefore obeyed him completely.  He was able to deny himself and lift up those around him.  There is a stark contrast between the attitude and mindset of Christ and that of the world. 

Francis of Assisi and Watchman Nee

              I think one of my main hesitations with evangelism is not wanting to awkwardly introduce the topic of Jesus in conversation.  It seems silly to me sometimes if it’s not natural, like I’m trying too hard or something, which is probably annoying to the person with which I am talking.  And I don’t want to seem annoying or bothersome; I want them to know that I love them.  I understand, though, that there is a balance there between being passive or aggressive.

                Within the past few weeks I have shared the gospel with a few girls on campus who I already had relationships with and they knew that I loved them.  I found it easier to be more on the aggressive side with them.  They knew I was doing it in love. Plus, that kind of talk is sort of expected in the environment of a Christian university.

                I want to be better about sharing the gospel with members of my community, though – outside the context of my Christian university.  I felt challenged by Francis’ immediate obedience.  I always have an urgent, burning desire to go share the love of Christ that I know!  But my words are “I want to go,” not “Let’s go!” like Francis.  I think this is mostly because I don’t even know where to start.  Francis of Assisi trusted the Lord so well – he knew he just needed to go.

                I was very encouraged by Watchman Nee’s writings.  So many of the things he wrote about I feel like the Lord has revealed to me in certain ways, just not in so many words.  I have a beginning foundation to these concepts Watchman Nee talked about, and he explained them in a way that helped me understand them better and make more sense of the things the Lord has already shown me.  Something huge was this idea of simply “meeting God,” and initially coming before the Lord with an honest heart.  God has been weighing this heavily on my heart in recent weeks and the significance of this action.  Watchman Nee helped me see ways in which I can share that with other people.

Jeremy Taylor - Question 2

       I think rule four is easiest for me: “Nurture a love to do good things in secret, concealed from the eyes of others, and therefore not highly esteemed because of them.”  I have never liked for any “good thing” I’ve done to be publicized.  I always felt like attention was wrongly directed to me.  It didn’t make sense to me when I knew the true reason and Motivator of my good work.  So I like to do things quietly, in secret.  There is something special about getting to share that with the only One whose eyes see me.  And I guess this way it doesn’t run the risk of my works being in vain.

Rule fourteen is hard for me a lot of times: “Be content when you see or hear that others are doing well in their jobs and with their income, even when you are not…be content when someone else’s work is approved and yours is rejected.”  I am very much accustomed to success.  I generally do pretty well at most things I do.  And I absolutely hate failure.  I hate the idea of doing something the wrong way or messing up.  So if someone is doing well in a certain area and I’m not, it is hard for me to be content.  It’s not that I’m not happy for them; I’m just not content that they are in that position and I’m not.  I have had to learn the lesson of living in grace so many times, and I’m still learning more about it. 

Jeremy Taylor - Question 1

       Thinking back, I cannot recall a particular time that I was ever completely ashamed of any of these areas in my life.  Concerning birth, I was born into a wonderful family – hardworking, brilliant, interesting, talented – a family I was always proud of (on both sides).  In terms of economic position, the Lord has always chosen to bless me so immensely.  Rarely have I been worried that I or my family would go without the money we needed.  My father is paid well, my mother works long and hard to earn what she does, and I’ve never had trouble with finding a steady job (a pharmacist’s assistant, nanny, camp counselor, volleyball coach, puppy caretaker...none carry a “lowly” status for a highschooler/university student to be ashamed of).  I’ve been blessed with a “head start” of sorts, if you will.  I realize that, and I am grateful for the encouragement.

In Taylor’s writing he also mentions not to be ashamed of your parents.  This may be the one area that I have struggled with.  In my lifetime both of my parents, especially my father, have done very ugly things – things I despise, things I hate, things that are unacceptable on so many levels.  I used to be so ashamed.  My family was supposed to be “Christian”…strong in faith, always involved at church, doing the right things.  When that fell apart, I thought it had a claim on me as well.  I believed it meant that something was wrong with me too, and so I didn’t talk about it.  I hid it as much as possible and avoided it at all costs.  It was prideful.  I couldn’t humble myself and be open to others about it and be vulnerable in that way.  I didn’t possess that “indifference to how others will regard you.”

      Since then, I have learned a lot.  I have come to understand the truth about these circumstances in my life, and how they have helped me grow into a better person rather than hinder me – all by the grace and power of God.  I am now more able to “speak readily” about these things rather than be ashamed.

Madame Guyon

“So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.”

                Recently the Lord has been teaching me so much about developing the simultaneity of my spiritual life and my everyday life.  The quoted verse above captures this concept so well as does the rest of Psalm 61.

                I really enjoyed this practice of slowly reading and grasping the heart behind scripture.  As I applied it to Psalm 61 I found the Spirit speaking so strongly to me about my current circumstances, and the words of the passage became the words I wanted to express to the Lord.

                Verse 1 implies this is a cry to God, connoting desperation and pleading for him to hear what is so urgent to me.  In a place that felt so remote from his presence and hung hopelessness over my faint head, I asked him to help me rise above it all – to lead me to a place of stability and strength that is higher (verse 2).  He has been my safety and security in the past, another elevated stronghold (“strong tower”) against whatever is against me (verse 3).

                I just want to be where you are, Lord!  Please just let me stay; I don’t want to lose where I am when I am near you!  I come to you humbly, asking that you would cover me wholly with the protection of your wings – that you would guard my heart in this way (verse 4).  You know that that is what I want, for you know all the vows, or commitments, that I have made and all the responsibilities that those hold.  You have given me a heritage to continue, one of fearing your name.  Therefore, I need your presence and protection (verse 5).

                The psalmist prayed for the fidelity of the king, the one who represented the people and the community.  If the king was well, so was the kingdom.  Lord, I ask these things not solely for my sake, but for my community!  Whoever you appoint to lead it or minister to it in any way, whether it is myself or another, bless the ministry!  May it always be of you, through you, by you, or for you.  But again, the careful watch of your steadfast love and faithfulness is so desperately needed (verses 6-7).

                “So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day” (verse 8).  The reality is I have so many commitments (vows) – so many things that fill my schedule and keep me busy.  I was struggling to rise above the mess of my schedule, to see the Lord in everything and to do all for him.  I was separating my spiritual life from my practical, everyday life and in turn I couldn’t find enough time for the spiritual.  I knew that was not what God intended.  I knew there was something more to this. 

                The Lord showed me the beauty of simultaneity…the meshing of my spiritual and everyday lives.  Even as I go about each of my daily commitments – class, meetings, work, church, etc. – I can seek him for strength (with a prayer like Psalm 61) and gratefully sing praises to his name and lift up new songs to him.  That is the word living in me which, God-willing, will affect the community around me as well. 

E. Stanley Jones

              Today conversion is normally understood as a one-time event – a moment in which you make a decision to agree with certain statements of faith and then recite a certain prayer.  Popular religion projects this image of conversion that is shallow and does not penetrate the depths of the soul.  Jones suggests a much more biblical understanding of conversion, one that pushes us to a total experience of discipleship that affects every sphere of our living.

Not only do we receive or obtain the gift from God, but we respond by truly living and building up.  As Jones puts it, “We trust as if the whole thing depended on God and work as if the whole thing depended on us.”  The idea is “receptivity from God and response in work from us.”

Jones believes that a response from us requires certain disciplines to continue attaining our conversion after we have obtained it.  He turns to the biblical example of Jesus and the three foundational habits he exhibited: reading the Word of God, praying in private, and teaching others what we have gathered.  If a convert is not consistently participating in these activities, he or she is not enlarging “the area of [their] conversion, taking in fresh territory every day.”