Tag Archives: relationship

Being Present with Yourself

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Last week I wrote that sometimes doing nothing is actually doing something. The first step of doing something is to pause and get a lay of the land. When it comes to spirituality, we “find our bearings” when we make ourselves present and available to God. But, as I was thinking about it more, I realized that in making myself present to God I usually spend a good part of the time wrestling with myself instead of spending time with Jesus.

Pond at Russian Ridge Open Space Nature Center. #reflection #nofilter

Pond at Russian Ridge Open Space Nature Center. #reflection #nofilter

Being present is not just an outward practice. It is inward as well.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  (1 Corinthians 2:11)

Usually we tell ourselves that we must put down, squash, and quiet whatever is going on inside of us in order to connect with God. But, God is not put out or surprised by what we think or feel. God is interested in where we are at, so in making ourselves present to God, we would do well to become present to ourselves. When we are honest with our thoughts and feelings and realize that it’s not a problem for God, we can bring it with us and allow our context to be a part of our connection with God. None of our other relationships exist in a vacuum, so neither should our relationship with God. God is a God of the living, so live life with God!

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived” —
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
(1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

Grace and peace,
Brook

Embracing Trust: On Making Our Faith Relational

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I read a blog post this morning titled, Why I Don’t Believe In God Anymore. The title is potentially inflammatory, but it piqued my interest, nonetheless. The main thing I took from it is that beliefs are not relational, trust is. Do we believe in God or do we trust him?

 

I chatted with a friend over breakfast about this. His response was that the Pharisees had all the right beliefs in place, yet they didn’t trust God. They trusted in what they believed about God. Through Jesus, God was in their midst, yet they couldn’t see it, because Jesus didn’t line up neatly with their belief system.

 

Please know that I am “looking in the mirror” as I write this. The author of the blog laid down this challenge, “Try it. Which is harder to say? I believe in God or I trust God?” The religionist in me is grasping to believe in the right things. But, there is a part in me that longs to trust God. Trust God by actually following the leading of the Holy Spirit. Trust God by actually loving my neighbor. Trust God by actually being Jesus in my world. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

 

May our love for Jesus lead us beyond simply believing the right things to a place of truly trusting God.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Embracing Trust: On Making Our Faith Relational

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I read a blog post this morning titled, Why I Don’t Believe In God Anymore. The title is potentially inflammatory, but it piqued my interest, nonetheless. The main thing I took from it is that beliefs are not relational, trust is. Do we believe in God or do we trust him?

 

I chatted with a friend over breakfast about this. His response was that the Pharisees had all the right beliefs in place, yet they didn’t trust God. They trusted in what they believed about God. Through Jesus, God was in their midst, yet they couldn’t see it, because Jesus didn’t line up neatly with their belief system.

 

Please know that I am “looking in the mirror” as I write this. The author of the blog laid down this challenge, “Try it. Which is harder to say? I believe in God or I trust God?” The religionist in me is grasping to believe in the right things. But, there is a part in me that longs to trust God. Trust God by actually following the leading of the Holy Spirit. Trust God by actually loving my neighbor. Trust God by actually being Jesus in my world. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

 

May our love for Jesus lead us beyond simply believing the right things to a place of truly trusting God.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Embracing Community: Ubuntu

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A friend emailed me this message below, which, as it turns out, was a Facebook post. Even though I cannot qualify the validity of the story, the concept is, nonetheless, of value for those wanting to follow Jesus.

 

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: ”UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”

‘UBUNTU’ in the Xhosa culture means: “I am because we are.”

 

Ubuntu

The example of love from Scripture is that of Jesus laying down his life for the salvation of humanity. I recently heard a definition of love as an action. “I’ll act for your highest good, regardless of myself.” In our altruistic, binary, either/or culture, this definition makes sense. But, I think we can learn a thing or two from our African brothers.

 

Ubuntu. I am because we are.

 

Jesus told us to love our neighbor as our selves. Maybe we should act for the highest good of my neighbor as I would want to be loved. Instead trying to divorce ourselves from the equation of love (which is impossible), let’s make it an integrated action, elevating our neighbor to the level in which we want to be loved. In a sense, both Jesus and the concept of ubuntu combat extreme selfishness and selflessness. Loving our neighbor as ourself can only take place in a community whose basis is mutuality, respect, and love. I am because we are, and we are because Christ is. May our love continue to grow as we follow in the ways of Jesus.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Slowing Down: An Integral Part of Embracing

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This morning while getting ready for the day I had a moment of panic. I realized that it was Friday, and I asked myself, “Where did the week go?” The thought was still with me when I was thinking about what to write today. It is impossible to embrace anyone or anything unless we slow down.

 

As I mentioned in my previous posts this year, embracing can be either physical or conceptual. We can embrace those around us. We can also embrace an idea or insight, especially as it relates to ourselves. Neither can happen when we are going too fast.

 

As the new year continues to ramp up and our calendars continue to fill up, let’s make the time to slow down, so we can enjoy those around us and the serendipities of our journey together.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Embracing the Light

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Don’t worry, this is not a piece about near death experiences.

 

While thinking about the creation account in Genesis 1, I discovered that when God said, “Let there be light,” God was establishing the foundation for life. Life needs light. The same is true for relationships. The light helps us see ourselves. Other people can be a source of light for us. We can’t embrace others until we embrace ourselves. The faces of others reflect us to us. In 1 John 1:5-7 we read,

 

This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.

 

If we embrace the light of God we will more clearly see ourselves. If we embrace our neighbor we will be revealed for who we are. It’s in that place that can find the life to live beyond ourselves. It’s not easy, but necessary, if we want the beauty of the life we have found in Jesus to be extended to and discovered by those around us. It’s not easy, but necessary if we want to our relationships to honor both God and those we love.

 

May we find the grace to love by embracing the light.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Call and Response: How Bridges Become Accessible

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I don’t want all this talk about building bridges to end up as a graveyard full of “bridges to nowhere.” I was surprised this week during our Daily Scripture Reading in Psalm 119. In the section labeled ק Qoph (vv. 145-152), the Psalmist writes about how he had called on the Lord on different occasions. This reminded me of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:21 where he quotes Joel 2 saying, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Though the Lord knows our prayers before we utter them, he also waits for us to call on him so that he can respond with his faithfulness. This principle is the same on the human level. 

 

Bridge is a metaphor for relationship. If we need help, we need to call someone, or else who will know? Similarly, we need to have ears to hear and eyes to see when someone is calling out for help. 

 

The main thrust of this topic of building bridges is to about the kingdom of God. The church is the bridge to the kingdom. It is quite common for the kingdom to use temporal needs to expose eternal needs. Providing children’s clothes to a financially disadvantaged family speaks to them God’s love and care through his people. This is the call and response in reverse. Sometimes people don’t know they have an eternal need until it is revealed to them via a bridge, someone providing an opportunity for them to respond. 

 

The ultimate purpose of bringing people into the kingdom of God is so that they can experience God as person. Bridges should never be built to nowhere. Jesus is not only the end to our means, he is also the means. It is Christ in us that makes these bridges possible and worthy of crossing. For the kingdom and the glory of God, let’s make Jesus accessible by becoming accessible ourselves. 

 

Grace and peace,

Brook