Category Archives: spiritual questions/musings/wonderings

July 14, 2013 · 05:41

Transition #thankful !

Today I leave the cell.

For the last 11 days I have practiced a higher degree of solitude and silence than I ever have. I have had limited social contact with some select friends here, and an almost daily conversation with my sweet Anna.
I have, as one of the goals of this Sabbath rest (as I’ve dubbed it) been very limited in screen interaction, very little e-mail, NO Facebook (didn’t miss it, so zero sacrifice there), Twitter was source of news and helpful articles. For the month before the Sabbath Rest began, I unsubscribed and unfollowed a ton of stuff to limit distraction. That trimming of distraction will be left in place.

I had a health goal as well and I’ve walked 16 measured miles and probably another 10+ miles on many prayer walks. The prayer walks have taught me about longer deeper praying than ever before. Last Wednesday I prayer walked/rode from one end of Buda to the other. God works in our hearts when we focus on talking to Him. The result of the combination of ample rest, daily excerise and being 5+ weeks into an 8 week medication regimen, thankfully, is that I have been tick disease symptom free for six weeks and I feel consistently stronger than I have in 16 months. Thanks be to God.

In addition to normal morning reading I’ve been working through a book using writers from the past. I’ve been challenged by Luther, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Calvin and others in my spiritual discipline. I have, thankfully, been reminded of what a wretched man I am and, thanks to Paul in Romans, this body of death has been rescued by Jesus Christ our Lord. Indeed, thanks be to God!

I’ve gotten a couple of chapters written in my novel and made some progress in Brothers K. I read a brand new novel by my friend Luke Davis. God gave me _Litany of Secrets_ at the right moment… since it was a page-turner it got me in the reading groove (get in on Amazon) which was important. After a couple of go go weeks, Luke’s novel made me sit still. Maybe you need to sit still?

So, I’ve left the cell and am on my way to Lake Balaton for 3 1/2 days . I’m giving some devotional talks to DelPest church summer camp. My topic, appropriately enough, is “distraction.”

So, from the city, I’m off to the lake. A bit more sun and exercise. More study, prayer and to give a nightly talk after supper.

#thankful

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Filed under experience, seeking understanding, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings

July 11, 2013 · 04:46

summation so far

“Christ says. ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time, money, and work. I want YOU.'”
– C. S. Lewis

This is from Mere Christianity. In it is a plain language summation of what I am learning in this brief time of Sabbath rest. This morning the light came back on.

Through lots of prayer, not as much reading as I thought, lots of quiet and silence (the studio/one room flat I’m in has not become a hermitage or a prison, it is, nonetheless a cell, perfect for this moment in time), I have come back to the simple fact that my calling is to obey the greatest commandment: “to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength” To listen to His voice, and to hear and view ALL others by His.

It took some dedicated rest, excercise, study, solitude and lots of prayer to return to the fact that if I hold fast to Jesus (as Hebrews warns) I will not “drift away.” AND that THIS is my calling: to hold fast.

I am reminded that when I put my eyes on plans and my future and try to figure out the next thing (Matt. 6.25 ff) that my sinful nature (Rom. 7) gently, ever so gently moves me from the target (which is clinging to the daily, hourly and moment by moment mercy and grace of Jesus), when this gentile movement off target happens, peace disappates… so slowly that you won’t realize it until full blown anxiety has kicked in.

Indeed with Jesus work and promise as my foundation…
I look not with regret at the past, nor look with fear in the now, but forward with my trust in God.

[a “draft”, posted using one finger and no spell check, which is to be updated when next online with a computer]

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Filed under experience, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings

July 7, 2013 · 12:58

sarcasm

I just saw this and thought it significant enough to add to the blog…

“Sarcastic put-down humor is ultimately a new form of self-righteousness and self-justification. Gospel love destroys this type of humor.”

– Tim Keller via @timkellernyc

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Filed under culture, experience, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings, the self

July 3, 2013 · 02:47

its not just a commandment

sabbath, have you thought about its importance?

think about the need the human has for:
rest
renewal
silence
solitude
study
reflection
revisioning
extended prayer
listening

sometimes we are so achievement oriented that we lose sight of the importance of stopping…

for sabbath

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June 20, 2013 · 01:42

waiting

Ships in Mossel Bay wait to have their cargo unloaded. I thought about how long the crews on these ships have been at sea. As they wait, I wonder how patient or impatient the souls abroad these tankers are.

Then I thought of a discussion Sweet Anna and I had about the difference between waiting and waiting patiently on the Lord. What are we waiting for in our lives, and how patiently are we waiting for it?

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Filed under photos along the way, seeking understanding, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings

June 19, 2013 · 12:45

why is @revtomtravels in Mossel Bay ?

If you have followed the posts of the last week, you have seen some landscapes of great beauty. But why am I here in Mossel Bay, South Africa?

I arrived last Thursday in a jet-lagged and beleaguered state after three crazy travel days from the US via the Heartland (included 18 hours in Budapest). The next day we were out to see a bit of the work that is going on to serve the poor by teaching them to help themselves.

This journey began at a prison where my colleague Josh works with local leaders of the facility that houses young men from 15-24 years old. This facility teaches some of the young men gardening skills and provides for a community garden.

In partnership with Josh, they grow seed into seedlings that then help the poor he works with in the townships.

Josh and Abby brought me along as they picked up seedlings to deliver to the gardeners.

A few days later, Josh and I headed out to the townships to visit his many, many gardening friends…

Josh has been building relationships and has developed a reputation as a man who wishes to bring real help to the people. He distributed seedlings for immediate planting and taught about spraying for insects that are damaging plants in the gardens.

The activity around the back of his pickup caused would-be gardeners to ask for help. He then set up a time to teach some new gardeners his system and provide them with seedlings after they have prepared their soil. They left with appointment slips for this Saturday morning!