Two spiritual practices have allowed me to stay in ministry for 17 years and still enjoy it. They won’t be found among the spiritual classics, other than through application of “classic” disciplines. However, ideas like “prayer,” “love”, “sabbath,” etc., still must be applied. It’s one thing to say “I should pray more.” It’s another to craft a doable plan for cultivating a more prayerful life. Here are two tangible ministry practices that have helped me weather extreme ministry storms.
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Here are some things on my mind this Friday morning:
•Today is referred to as “Black Friday” by many, and many Christians hate this day because it reeks of materialism and greed. It certainly does for some people, however, shopping when sales are going on doesn’t seems less like greed to me and more like wisdom.
•Having said that, I hate that some people spend Thanksgiving camped out in front of a Best Buy somewhere. That is greedy.
•No sales pitch here–but I do all my shopping on Amazon Prime whenever possible. No lines, best prices, already in a box we can wrap. Love it.
•I’m heading to the USC-Notre Dame game this Saturday. I was expecting it to be USC’s last test before the national championship game. No one foresaw it would be Notre Dame prepping for the national title game and USC making their tee times for the off-season.
•I’m taking Emily (my wife) with me, and it will be her first college football game ever. It’s already a great rivalry, but the Coliseum with College Game Day there…it’s going to be quite a baptism.
•One of my favorite paintings is a mural on the outside of the Long Beach Senior Citizen’s Center, entitled, “The Melody of Life.” It’s a painting that teaches the history of the city, but portrays various cultures at their most fun-loving and peaceful.
Here are some things on my mind this Friday morning:
•I have to say, Tim Tebow can take a hit.
•Ah, come on, David Petraeus! I pray he and his wife can be restored, and receive it as a reminder that even powerful and principled people must guard their hearts always.
•Let’s encourage everyone who is still sending out political tweets minute-to-minute to unplug from social media for a two-week period just for the purposes of detox… for them and us.
Here are some things on my mind this Friday morning:
•Colorado legalizes pot. California raises it’s own taxes again. Pro Gay-marriage motions pass in two more states. All over the place, states passed these small bills that will make a larger felt difference in their lives than the presidential election. Mayors, city councils, etc…they all changed Tuesday night. We all need to make sure we know what happened where we live.
•I made the decision to switch from Apple to Windows 8. I still love Apple products, but the costs of Apple’s ecosystem from a financial and flexibility standpoint aren’t worth it any more. I like to tailor stuff to my use and have the freedom to use it once I’ve paid for it–regardless of Apple’s desire to make everything proprietary from books to music. Apple has become a pretty selfish company, really controlling it’s customers and locking them into all sorts of things. It’s like the tech version of a cell-phone contract…you can leave, but it will cost you. Well–it’ll cost me to stay with you too. So, if it’s going to cost me, I’d just assume pay as a free man.
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I’ve been asked that question numerous times over the past few months. Here’s a brief response:
For whoever’s policies and values you think are most consistent with God’s Kingdom. That’s sometimes hard to tell–but not usually. If you’re going to vote, don’t waste it protecting your agenda. Don’t waste it trying to create the society your flesh thinks ought to be. Seek God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.
A vote is an important thing. However: voting is not the most important thing you can do. Following Jesus faithfully and leading in your church faithfully is the most important thing you can do to influence society.
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