Luke 1:78-79
78 By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
So here is Derik’s five minutes. OK. I didn’t do this in 5 minutes. I set some time aside to read and think what God would be saying to me in this scripture. But as I began to listen, I began to wonder, “What is the context for this passage? What is going on here?” So I did some more reading. Then a picture started to form.
This portion of scripture is spoken by John the Baptists’ dad after he became mute. Let’s rewind the tape.
It had been about 400 years since Israel had heard from God through any of the prophets. All this time they had been waiting for the Messiah. When Zechariah, John’s dad, had gone into the temple to do his very privileged priestly duty, he got to have a conversation with the angel Gabriel. The angel had told him that he was going to have a son and to name him John. He also gave a long list of the cool characteristics of this yet to be born baby.
1. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord.
2. Can’t touch alcohol.
3. Have the Holy Spirit before being born.
4. Be a Billy Graham of the day turning many Israelites to God.
5. Have the power of Elijah.
6. Precede the coming of the Lord prepping people for Him to come.
7. And a few other cool things.
Zechariah didn’t seem to be listening to what the angel said after he was told he was going to have a kid, because he didn’t have problem with the long list. All he was thinking was, “I am an old man and my wife is no spring chicken either.” (My paraphrase). So the Angel made him mute because of his unbelief.
Fast forward to when the baby is born. Like any good Jewish family they had the circumcision done 8 days after he was born. People were very curious as to what his name was going to be. His mom Liz (short for Elizabeth) says John. Everyone was in shock and awe because it wasn’t a family name. So they look to the father to see what his reaction was. He breaks out the iPad and writes down, ”His name is John.” SHAZAM! All of a sudden he could speak again. And He began to praise God. Like wildfire the news spread through the surrounding areas. So they all showed up wondering who this child will be. Zechariah began to explain what John’s ministry would look like.
John was to be the guy preparing the way for Jesus, who was going to be born 6 months after him. He would be the prophet of the Most High. And Zechariah was explaining that Jesus was going to be the light breaking upon them. That Jesus was going to shed the light on those who are sitting in darkness. That Jesus was going to guide us to the path of peace.
This isn’t just some cutesy verse that would look good on the wall in some frame somewhere. This was news after 400 years of “darkness”. These people needed some light. They were hungry for something like this. They might not have even known it at the time. They were going about their daily business as usual; doing their work, feeding the kids, taking care of the house, not hearing from the Lord. Sound familiar?
We get caught up in the daily grind of things, taking little or no time to hear from the Lord. We end up sitting in darkness for a long time sometimes. The crazy thing is we don’t have to wait for a prophet or an angel to come along to give us the good news. We have Gods word everywhere, and we too often neglect it for the “necessary things” in life; work, the kids, the house, etcetera.
Are you hungry? Have you been in darkness too long?
I just met with the principal at my sons’ school for an interview. I was asking him a question that regarded failure. He said, “If you think you are doing it all right, you are probably already in trouble.”
Are you doing it all right? Are there some areas where you could use some work in your life? Maybe it’s regarding spirituality. Maybe it’s integrity. There could be a whole host of things. Why not continue pausing and listening to the Lord. And try not to freak out at the first thing God says. Really sit and listen. What is he saying to you? Share some thoughts. There is most likely someone else in the same circumstance as you. Thanks.
4/30/10
4/29/10
Loretta's 5-Minutes
So - time to wait on God! When I first heard the challenge, I thought that it was going to be hard in such a busy life. But I decided to take it on.
On Tuesday morning, as I sat in the kitchen quietly thinking of the scripture from Psalm 143,
a male pheasant squawked and strutted himself accross our yard. It was at the moment, God nudged my heart and reminded me that He speaks
through His creation. As I take the time to notice the beautiful world that He has placed around me, He has taught me about His character and love for me
That morning, the male pheasant, who is brightly colored and has a long beautiful tail, showed me clearly of Gods sense of beauty. His bright colors were stunning in the morning light as he strutted accross the field.
Just like we want to bring beautiful things into our children's lives, God wants us to experience His beauty through his creation.
My mind then reflected on other experiences. I have seen God's sense mystery when the deer sneak out at dusk to each fruit from our trees. I see His sense of protection for us, his children, when the mother deer chases a coyote accross the field to protect her fawns.
I am awed by the ocean every time I'm there as God speaks through it in so many ways. I see His power in the waves as they wash huge logs of driftwood on the shore. It shows me that His power is great enough to handle even the big challenges I face in life. I also see His faithfulness and constancy in the ocean. Just as the waves always come to the shore and the tide always rises and falls, God will always be there for us through the ups and downs of our daily routine.
And most of all - God reminded of the scripture from Psalms 139: 14 - "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well",
that I am also His creation and He has made me beautiful and unique - I can learn to rest peacefully in His love and care
Loretta
On Tuesday morning, as I sat in the kitchen quietly thinking of the scripture from Psalm 143,
a male pheasant squawked and strutted himself accross our yard. It was at the moment, God nudged my heart and reminded me that He speaks
through His creation. As I take the time to notice the beautiful world that He has placed around me, He has taught me about His character and love for me
That morning, the male pheasant, who is brightly colored and has a long beautiful tail, showed me clearly of Gods sense of beauty. His bright colors were stunning in the morning light as he strutted accross the field.
Just like we want to bring beautiful things into our children's lives, God wants us to experience His beauty through his creation.
My mind then reflected on other experiences. I have seen God's sense mystery when the deer sneak out at dusk to each fruit from our trees. I see His sense of protection for us, his children, when the mother deer chases a coyote accross the field to protect her fawns.
I am awed by the ocean every time I'm there as God speaks through it in so many ways. I see His power in the waves as they wash huge logs of driftwood on the shore. It shows me that His power is great enough to handle even the big challenges I face in life. I also see His faithfulness and constancy in the ocean. Just as the waves always come to the shore and the tide always rises and falls, God will always be there for us through the ups and downs of our daily routine.
And most of all - God reminded of the scripture from Psalms 139: 14 - "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well",
that I am also His creation and He has made me beautiful and unique - I can learn to rest peacefully in His love and care
Loretta
4/28/10
Rick's 5 Minutes
I remember the first time I tried to sit still for 5 minutes and just “listen to God”. I was thinking, this is going to be a piece of cake. My anticipation grew as morning approached, eagerly waiting on the vast wisdom God would share with me in such a brief moment in time. I’ll never forget what I found. Anything but silence or a still small voice. I couldn’t keep my mind from racing here and there. I was like a child running up and down the cereal aisle in the grocery story. It’s almost like the boxes of Coco Coco Puffs and Lucky Charms where screaming at me “pick me, pick me”. Stuff clamoring for my attention, random thoughts, ideas, to do lists….everything but the silent meditation on God’s voice seemed to be coming at me.
Whether this was a remnant of childhood ADD stashed away in my cells, or just the pattern of my busy life surfacing, it was clearly ruining any attempt to allow silence and contemplation. Years later, it’s still not easy to sit quietly and just listen.
I remember daydreaming once that it would be awesome to have a set of Godly noise canceling headphones that I put on once or twice a day. Maybe I would hear God’s voice say something like “you are now free to move about My kingdom”. This verse (and verse 1 just above it) help shed light on this struggle.
Isaiah 55:3a (NLT)
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life…”
Sounds easy right? Listen, and you and I will find life. If like me, you have found that other things seem to occupy your mind during every waking moment, listen to what the Prophet Isaiah says in verse 1:
Isaiah 55:1a (NIV)
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!....”
While serving in the Army back in the 80’s, I recall a time we were stationed in the middle of the dessert doing some training for a couple of weeks. It was extremely hot every day, reaching 115-120 well before mid-day. Growing up in the south, I was fairly adapted to high temperatures and its effects on the body. But until that moment, I had never really experienced thirst. The kind that makes your tongue swell up and you can’t speak a clear word to save your life. Where you see water everywhere you look (at least in your mind), and even imagine how one sip from a lukewarm canteen could sustain you another mile. Just a sip. It was here that I fell in love with water and what it meant to my life. I cherished every possible moment to keep my canteens full from that day forward. I never wanted to face another day when water was that far away from me.
Maybe that is what God is saying through Isaiah in verse 1. For verse 3 to be possible, there is one pre-requisite to hearing his voice and taking part in this feast. Even though it is open to everyone who walks the face of the earth, one thing must be present. Thirst.
If a little lights is coming on for you as it did for me, you realize why it is so hard to just sit quietly and listen to God. We have to find our thirst for God’s voice. A thirst for something beyond ourself. A thirst beyond what the world has to offer. A thirst that goes beyond the meager satisfaction found in living a "good life".
So what does that look like for Rick? It’s me getting to the place that I’m thirsty enough to turn off my TV, cell phone, laptop, PS3, radio (and the list goes on). Even if it is for 5 minutes sitting on the couch in a dark living room, or sipping a cup of coffee as I stare into the back yard…. to find a spot and sit quietly and say “God, my ears are open. Do you have something you want me to hear today?” If I spend all my time quenching my thirst with everything I’m exposed to throughout the day, I leave little room for the real thirst for God to surface. And yet, God tells us, do this…. “and you will find life.”
I would love to hear what works for you. Do you have a special place you go to hear him clearly? I’ve shared some of the things that get in the way of me hearing Him from time to time. What sort of things stand in the way of your thirst?
Whether this was a remnant of childhood ADD stashed away in my cells, or just the pattern of my busy life surfacing, it was clearly ruining any attempt to allow silence and contemplation. Years later, it’s still not easy to sit quietly and just listen.
I remember daydreaming once that it would be awesome to have a set of Godly noise canceling headphones that I put on once or twice a day. Maybe I would hear God’s voice say something like “you are now free to move about My kingdom”. This verse (and verse 1 just above it) help shed light on this struggle.
Isaiah 55:3a (NLT)
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life…”
Sounds easy right? Listen, and you and I will find life. If like me, you have found that other things seem to occupy your mind during every waking moment, listen to what the Prophet Isaiah says in verse 1:
Isaiah 55:1a (NIV)
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!....”
While serving in the Army back in the 80’s, I recall a time we were stationed in the middle of the dessert doing some training for a couple of weeks. It was extremely hot every day, reaching 115-120 well before mid-day. Growing up in the south, I was fairly adapted to high temperatures and its effects on the body. But until that moment, I had never really experienced thirst. The kind that makes your tongue swell up and you can’t speak a clear word to save your life. Where you see water everywhere you look (at least in your mind), and even imagine how one sip from a lukewarm canteen could sustain you another mile. Just a sip. It was here that I fell in love with water and what it meant to my life. I cherished every possible moment to keep my canteens full from that day forward. I never wanted to face another day when water was that far away from me.
Maybe that is what God is saying through Isaiah in verse 1. For verse 3 to be possible, there is one pre-requisite to hearing his voice and taking part in this feast. Even though it is open to everyone who walks the face of the earth, one thing must be present. Thirst.
If a little lights is coming on for you as it did for me, you realize why it is so hard to just sit quietly and listen to God. We have to find our thirst for God’s voice. A thirst for something beyond ourself. A thirst beyond what the world has to offer. A thirst that goes beyond the meager satisfaction found in living a "good life".
So what does that look like for Rick? It’s me getting to the place that I’m thirsty enough to turn off my TV, cell phone, laptop, PS3, radio (and the list goes on). Even if it is for 5 minutes sitting on the couch in a dark living room, or sipping a cup of coffee as I stare into the back yard…. to find a spot and sit quietly and say “God, my ears are open. Do you have something you want me to hear today?” If I spend all my time quenching my thirst with everything I’m exposed to throughout the day, I leave little room for the real thirst for God to surface. And yet, God tells us, do this…. “and you will find life.”
I would love to hear what works for you. Do you have a special place you go to hear him clearly? I’ve shared some of the things that get in the way of me hearing Him from time to time. What sort of things stand in the way of your thirst?
4/27/10
Danae's 5 minutes
It’s important for me to start with a few facts:
1. I am not a morning person
2. I am easily distracted
Those facts are important to understanding how God chose to talk to me. Oh! Wait… one more:
3. I’m not naturally disciplined
Ok, that’s good.
I have struggled for a long time with acts of spiritual discipline and I have strong legalistic tendencies. I have all sorts of guilt feelings when I do not do the right spiritual disciplines at the right time and when I do not feel a grandiose sense of God’s presence while doing them. I assume it’s because I’m doing something wrong. Without getting into all that background, I want you to understand how I’m approaching this “resting on God’s spirit” deal. Even though I’ve been a Christian a long time, it’s a new idea to me and I need some serious retraining to take full advantage of what God’s offering.
Which brings me to last night (see point 1). I found myself walking through the neighborhood which is something I do at least once a week. I had already done my “5 minutes” earlier that day but I knew today I’d have to do one and write about it so I was thinking about that. I was also thinking about the Blazers, and thinking about what I’m going to be doing January 2011 and whether or not people are going to notice that I’m wearing gross sweatpants over my jeans (see point 2).
Then I started thinking about the Sunday School class I’ve been teaching. We’ve been talking about what happened to the disciples after Jesus went up to heaven. Jesus sent them a gift. I remember drawing this present on the whiteboard in red ink. It’s a box with a bow on it.
“Kids! Do you remember what God’s present is?” I said.
Standard replies were, “Jesus!” “Dying for us!” “Can I go to the bathroom?” “Heaven!”
But usually one of the other kids remembers that it’s the Holy Spirit. We talk about what that means and how we’re supposed to use it. Kind of like Mary Poppins’ bag, we can pull stuff out of there even if the bag doesn’t look big enough to hold what we need. So I wondered, do I really get that? Do I get what it means to really wait AND trust that the Spirit is what is going to get me where I want to be? Will the spirit really come through when I WANT to pray well, but don’t understand exactly how prayer works? When I want to read AND understand scripture but I can’t focus very well? I knew it had to be true, God says it’s true.
I re-prayed the scripture for today: “Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” And I believed it. And honestly, I felt it too. I really felt it, I got a little teary I must say. And I heard God say, “See, didn’t I know what I was doing?” … when I created this system, when I chose to have you close to me, He was saying. And then I giggled a bit, like my soul had just been tickled.
So today, I sat at my desk a rested in those 5 minutes again. I savored that scripture, trusted that God was with me, before me, above me, next to me all that good stuff. I’m not going to lie, it feels pretty good today.
For those of you who have managed to read this whole long crazy thing please know that this “hearing from God" thing doesn’t happen to me all that often. It makes me curious… Do any of you also feel like you’re doing something wrong if you don’t get that “God’s right here with me” feeling? What do you do to push through that? Have you learned anything about what it means to wait for his Spirit?
1. I am not a morning person
2. I am easily distracted
Those facts are important to understanding how God chose to talk to me. Oh! Wait… one more:
3. I’m not naturally disciplined
Ok, that’s good.
I have struggled for a long time with acts of spiritual discipline and I have strong legalistic tendencies. I have all sorts of guilt feelings when I do not do the right spiritual disciplines at the right time and when I do not feel a grandiose sense of God’s presence while doing them. I assume it’s because I’m doing something wrong. Without getting into all that background, I want you to understand how I’m approaching this “resting on God’s spirit” deal. Even though I’ve been a Christian a long time, it’s a new idea to me and I need some serious retraining to take full advantage of what God’s offering.
Which brings me to last night (see point 1). I found myself walking through the neighborhood which is something I do at least once a week. I had already done my “5 minutes” earlier that day but I knew today I’d have to do one and write about it so I was thinking about that. I was also thinking about the Blazers, and thinking about what I’m going to be doing January 2011 and whether or not people are going to notice that I’m wearing gross sweatpants over my jeans (see point 2).
Then I started thinking about the Sunday School class I’ve been teaching. We’ve been talking about what happened to the disciples after Jesus went up to heaven. Jesus sent them a gift. I remember drawing this present on the whiteboard in red ink. It’s a box with a bow on it.
“Kids! Do you remember what God’s present is?” I said.
Standard replies were, “Jesus!” “Dying for us!” “Can I go to the bathroom?” “Heaven!”
But usually one of the other kids remembers that it’s the Holy Spirit. We talk about what that means and how we’re supposed to use it. Kind of like Mary Poppins’ bag, we can pull stuff out of there even if the bag doesn’t look big enough to hold what we need. So I wondered, do I really get that? Do I get what it means to really wait AND trust that the Spirit is what is going to get me where I want to be? Will the spirit really come through when I WANT to pray well, but don’t understand exactly how prayer works? When I want to read AND understand scripture but I can’t focus very well? I knew it had to be true, God says it’s true.
I re-prayed the scripture for today: “Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” And I believed it. And honestly, I felt it too. I really felt it, I got a little teary I must say. And I heard God say, “See, didn’t I know what I was doing?” … when I created this system, when I chose to have you close to me, He was saying. And then I giggled a bit, like my soul had just been tickled.
So today, I sat at my desk a rested in those 5 minutes again. I savored that scripture, trusted that God was with me, before me, above me, next to me all that good stuff. I’m not going to lie, it feels pretty good today.
For those of you who have managed to read this whole long crazy thing please know that this “hearing from God" thing doesn’t happen to me all that often. It makes me curious… Do any of you also feel like you’re doing something wrong if you don’t get that “God’s right here with me” feeling? What do you do to push through that? Have you learned anything about what it means to wait for his Spirit?
4/26/10
Andy's 5 Minutes
I greeted the morning with an enthusiastic “Uhg!” and a Nyquil hangover. I’ve been sick the past couple of days. While Galatians talks about eagerly awaiting the hope of righteousness, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the hope of no more cold, no more running nose, no more congested head. But I suppose righteousness is of much more value than cold or no cold, and ultimately a much more profound thing to hope for.
I have to confess, one of my first thoughts today, shortly after the initial “ugh,” was “oh, I have to do that 5 minute thing so that I can write my blog post.” So much for starting things out firmly rooted in Grace and Freedom. But this is sometimes the truth of my spiritual life, I, as much as the next person, often rub up against a sense of obligation, whether there’s a deadline involved or not. So I willed myself out of bed (which can be quite a challenge post nyquil coma), said a quick hello to Hannah and Keller, and plopped myself down in the rocking chair next to our bedroom window. Spot? Found!
Sitting quietly, I began to rest in God’s grace and freedom. For me, this meant thanking God for his grace and the subsequent freedom it brings. Feelings of obligation? There’s nothing I can do, or need to do to “win over” God. Through Christ, everything has been done! Feelings of guilt over having feelings of obligation? Rest on God’s grace and freedom. I began to remember that grace actually welcomes me and receives me as I am. It gives me the freedom to move beyond myself and my hang ups. This is important because it helped me to “rightly” frame the experience I was giving myself to. I even struggled, in the midst of “resting,” with my mind wandering to far off places. But instead of beating myself up over a lack of focus, grace enabled me to refocus, to re-find my resting place. Coming to this place (the place where I recognize that it’s not about obligation or performance) for me was huge. Because when it’s not about obligation or performance, it becomes about one thing, which is (simply) being with God.
I read the scripture passage (psalm 139:7-10). “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I settle at the furthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me.” For me, this was a beautiful thing and I sensed the Lord speaking two significant truths.
The first is this: “I’m with you.”
And the second is this: “I will lead you.”
The thought occurred to me, remembering these two truths throughout my day, my week, my life, would save me a ton of anxiety and stress. Living this truth out is much harder than stating it. But that is what I’m challenging myself to do (or maybe that is what I sense God calling me to) today and this week. So that’s where I’m going to live. I’m going to remember, to remind, to reaffirm, to myself and anyone who will listen, God is with you, and he will lead you. Keep your chin up and your eyes open.
There you go, a window into my experience so far. How about you? Is there a small piece of your experience that you’d be willing to share? What did your 5 minutes look like? Was there a particular part of this practice that was especially meaningful or challenging for you? How did you you sense God’s movement in your day? I’d love to hear from you.
I have to confess, one of my first thoughts today, shortly after the initial “ugh,” was “oh, I have to do that 5 minute thing so that I can write my blog post.” So much for starting things out firmly rooted in Grace and Freedom. But this is sometimes the truth of my spiritual life, I, as much as the next person, often rub up against a sense of obligation, whether there’s a deadline involved or not. So I willed myself out of bed (which can be quite a challenge post nyquil coma), said a quick hello to Hannah and Keller, and plopped myself down in the rocking chair next to our bedroom window. Spot? Found!
Sitting quietly, I began to rest in God’s grace and freedom. For me, this meant thanking God for his grace and the subsequent freedom it brings. Feelings of obligation? There’s nothing I can do, or need to do to “win over” God. Through Christ, everything has been done! Feelings of guilt over having feelings of obligation? Rest on God’s grace and freedom. I began to remember that grace actually welcomes me and receives me as I am. It gives me the freedom to move beyond myself and my hang ups. This is important because it helped me to “rightly” frame the experience I was giving myself to. I even struggled, in the midst of “resting,” with my mind wandering to far off places. But instead of beating myself up over a lack of focus, grace enabled me to refocus, to re-find my resting place. Coming to this place (the place where I recognize that it’s not about obligation or performance) for me was huge. Because when it’s not about obligation or performance, it becomes about one thing, which is (simply) being with God.
I read the scripture passage (psalm 139:7-10). “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I settle at the furthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me.” For me, this was a beautiful thing and I sensed the Lord speaking two significant truths.
The first is this: “I’m with you.”
And the second is this: “I will lead you.”
The thought occurred to me, remembering these two truths throughout my day, my week, my life, would save me a ton of anxiety and stress. Living this truth out is much harder than stating it. But that is what I’m challenging myself to do (or maybe that is what I sense God calling me to) today and this week. So that’s where I’m going to live. I’m going to remember, to remind, to reaffirm, to myself and anyone who will listen, God is with you, and he will lead you. Keep your chin up and your eyes open.
There you go, a window into my experience so far. How about you? Is there a small piece of your experience that you’d be willing to share? What did your 5 minutes look like? Was there a particular part of this practice that was especially meaningful or challenging for you? How did you you sense God’s movement in your day? I’d love to hear from you.
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