Sitting Back, Taking Notice.

I'm back on On My Way To Faith. My last post was in 2009. If you have been checking this blog, or stumbled upon it during a Google search, Thank you. I hope you still found something useful, even though it has been a few years since my last post. Before I continue, I better fully disclose that I am reading one of the One Year Bibles. I'm in my second year. I made it half way through, and like a lot of things, life takes over. But I'm back on again and there are new discoveries. Which leads to this post. I think most people who have difficulties with the Bible, and even become atheists, have them because of one simple thing: The Bible is a rule book. The big daddy of rule books. Nothing will ask more of you, will insist more of you than the Bible. People don't like rules, especially today. So for them, the Bible is out and they are now an atheist. Well, I'm ok with that. I take free will to the very end. You can do what you want. Believe or don't believe. It's your choice. Make it and live on. But for me, and I have had it proven to me again and again that the Bible is the way to go, the book to believe, and God exists, Jesus lives. For me. For those who have trouble with rules, and in effect, the Bible, try this... Romans 3:19-25 ... "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." For me, this says, be aware of the things you may do that could need some correcting. Watch your temper, watch your mouth. Just watch. The Bible isn't putting the hammer down on you, it is simply saying 'become conscious' of things that can derail you." Romans continues ... "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Later, it says... "Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." Sometimes it takes a few readings to get what it is telling you. Other times it takes a few readings to get it because it is so good and becomes an 'ah-ha!!' moment. I had the 'ah-ha!' We all 'fall short' and all of our mistake of the past have been accounted for by Jesus. This doesn't give us a free ride, but when we fall short, we are forgiven. The Bible tells us what to do. It helps us become 'conscious' of our errors. It is the greatest self-help book in the world.

Iceberg, Right Ahead!

When I come across people, usually at work, who are a bit icy, I "nice" them. I do what I call "nicing." This was particularly true when I started my current job about a year and a half ago. There were some people who were icebergs. When this happens, I seek them out, smile, say hello, how ya doin' - the whole nice thing. It works. They come around. Sometimes, people are too secluded in their own world, which is understandable considering how busy they/we are. And then there are times when people just don't want to talk. Fine. But as they leave, I'll always say, "See you later..." or something similar. Be proactive in your nicing. Be genuinely nice. I have a reputation around the office now as being the most positive person in the building. People expect me to be nice now, and there is no way I'm going to let them down. It's easy.

There is a book called The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. It was recommended to me by a friend of mine and it has really turned me around on how to handle certain situations. The books suggests four ways (agreements) of handing life's little challenges. They are 1) Be Impeccable with Your Word; 2) Don't Take Anything Personally; 3) Don't Make Assumptions and 4) Always Do Your Best. Rather than going into a lot of detail here, just let me ask that you go to the book store and simply read the Four Agreements. 1,2,3,4. The four are on the inside flap of the book. It is very helpful. Some of the writing is of the new age variety, which I go back and forth on, but overall, the book is excellent and insightful.

I'll add one more: Don't Worry About What You Don't Know. We tend to imagine things and create problems that really aren't there because we don't have all of the details. We Don't Know. We get stuck in the What Ifs of life and they can bog us down. People gossip. They tell you things. "What's going to happen?" they fret. So, when I start worrying about something at work or anywhere else, I realize I really don't know what is going to happen, so I try not to worry. Some things are important. We have to ask and find out, but most things will resolve itself on its own.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Fall Approaches

It is the First of September. Fall is my favorite time of year. I like cold weather. Here in Oklahoma, the summers are so hot, humid and sticky, it can be unbearable, but we endure. I prefer cold weather. I feel more invigorated and alive. Which brings me to Santa Fe, New Mexico. My wife and I visited Santa Fe last July, and what a glorious place. Nice people, perfect weather year round, some snow in the winter, but just enough to enjoy the beauty. There are no flies, no mosquitoes, no termites. What else do you need? They are also recognized for their fabulous art scene. Fantastic paintings and drawings. Pretty pricey stuff, but it is the kind of art that has you reaching for your credit card thinking, "Yeah, I could pay for that $6,000 painting in just a couple of years...." Then, the credit card is put away, the common sense returns and it's back home to Oklahoma. But, Santa Fe never really leaves your soul.

Thank you for reading.

Standing At The Open Door

I have decided to reinvent my blog. I don't want to close it, I am simply rethinking it. Sometimes we need to step back from things. I'm still reading, writing, thinking about faith issues, but I have not felt compelled to post anything I have written. Maybe I don't think it is good enough to post. I like to be clear in my thinking and writing, and if I don't think I am clear enough, I'll keep it to myself. I want to be clear.

Faith is a vital issue to me. It is a thoughtful issue. One that requires daily practice and thinking. I think I may be in a "circulating" point. Where my ideas are, well, "circulating." I think Christians have "shapes" to their faith. Some days faith takes a better shape than others. It hasn't gone away, it is just moving and reshaping. I don't think this is bad. I think everything in our lives have a fluid nature to them. You're not the same person you were at 25 than when you reach 50. I think faith moves in the same way and I think that movement is created by study and thinking. The more you know, the more you know. Your faith deepens and becomes wider. And that can lead you to the "next." What is next? It's always next, isn't it.

So, onward. I am reading two books I would like to recommend. "The Faith," by Charles Colson, about a fuller understanding of defining faith to others. The main issue with Colson's book is that as Christian's, somehow we are unable to define exactly what our faith is to other people. We don't fully know our own faith. It's an eyeopener and it will make you think. Another is the excellent biography of Jonathan Edwards, by George M. Marsden, called "Jonathan Edwards, A Life." Edwards is considered to be America's most important religious figure. It's a big book, over 500 pages, but very well written and very interesting. I suggest you check both of them out.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment.

A Question For You

I have been wondering where to take this blog for some time. How much further can I go, and really, is anyone reading, and even more important, is anyone getting anything out of what I am posting. I know there are several (a few?) readers from all around the country and outside of the United States that read the blog on a fairly regular basis. And I still have several topics to cover. Some are so large and heavy that it is going to take some time getting my head around the material I need to read (especially a comment on a blog that referred to the Bible as "that wretched book!" if you can imagine that).

So if you are being helped by this blog, I will continue. If you don't mind leaving a quick comment from where ever you happen to be, it would mean a lot and encourage me to go forward.

Thanks for reading.

The Love of Christ

I wanted to quickly add something to the blog that always helps me. It is a reminder of how much Christ loves us. It is from Ephesians 3:16-19.

"I ask that the Father in His Great Glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through His Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that our life will be strong in love and be built on love. And I pray that you and all God's holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love--how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ's love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God." [Emphasis added. -DL]

Something to think about today.

From Here To There

Who Are We?

There are many challenges to the Christian life. Once you decide to become a Christian, I have always believed that you have elevated yourself to a higher, greater, level. Let’s be clear. I’m not saying that you are better than anyone else, it is just that, by being a Christian you have decided to behave better. It has to do with character. And character is being an example to others. I read somewhere that Character is how you behave when no one is looking (i). Not when you are in a group of people, around your friends, your employer, but when No One Is Looking. That is powerful stuff. When No One Is Looking. Think about that for a moment. Think about what a responsibility it places on all of us as Christians. If you are trying to live as a Christian, I think you accept the responsibility of Character and behavior willingly. Now, here is the rub. It is very, very hard to be what you want to be every day. Maybe you slip and say a naughty word in front of someone. Here the responsibility comes into play and I see it in other people who have presented themselves as Christians, who say and do things that I think may be a stretch for “Our Way of Behavior.” It can be tough living in the world we live in, trying to live a life that is set by a decidedly different set of rules.

Since I started reading my Bible and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I noticed things don’t bother me like they used to. I’ve always been a pretty easy going guy, but now it seems to be a specific part of my make-up to accept things as they are. I also have removed judgement from my way of thought. What people do is their own business. While I may not approve of what they do or say, it is not my role to place judgement on them. I only hope that some day they will find what I found in Christ and will try to do better. Most people are just kidding and messing around and that can be simple fun and games, but when it gets over the top, I try to mentally “turn the other cheek” and I will usually say a little prayer to remove whatever stress or anxiety is in their life at that moment and give it to Christ. 

That’s right. Give it to Christ. All of it. Whatever it is, He is there for you every single day through every single event. He knows you are trying and He is watching, so you know He knows what you do every day. And when you slip, His Word is in the Bible to help you get back
on track.

In Your Heart And Soul.

It’s tough isn’t it? I know that everything I have tried to fix in my life, I have been able to make extraordinary progress through Christ. I’m not doing it, He is. I can’t do it alone and neither can you. Remember that. You are not alone in your walk with Christ and your effort to improve your life is one you share together. There is still work to do. Which leads me to another thought. Accepting Christ in your heart, and accepting Christ in your soul. I think for a deeper, meaningful walk with Christ, two things have to happen. This is something I discovered in myself. I have accepted Christ in my heart, but have I accepted him in my soul? Where the very depths of my life rests? The soul is the most important place in your being and that is where, I think, you need Christ the most. If you are feeling a little “incomplete” in your relationship with Christ, maybe it is your soul that needs searching. This was it for me. I think for a complete, total surrender to Christ, I must accept Him in my soul exactly the same way I have accepted Him in my heart and mind. I know this because when the “things I’m working on” get the better of me, I think if I had Christ in my soul, it wouldn’t be an issue. The depth of our relationship with Christ is the issue. It always will be.

From Here To There. 

What do you believe? I saw a book once that asked this very simple question (ii). I thought about it and I was surprised I didn’t have an answer. Life’s easiest question, and I had no answer. I’m not talking about politics or being conservative or liberal. It is a deeper question than that. It is a question about depth (There’s that word “depth,” again) and it is based upon our very foundation. Our foundation. What is our meaning. What is our core. What matters to us. What do you think? But how many of us reach that deep? Or want to? I think once you start walking with Christ and reading your Bible, you will discover something very important about yourself. You will want to know more. You will want to know more about the things you don’t know. About yourself, your life, your head, you heart, your walk with Christ. And what makes it even more interesting is that it just keeps piling on. You’ll want to know more about more.  

And you may be wondering, What do I believe? I’m still searching. 

Endnotes and Recommended Reading: 

i. Every Book Its Reader, by Nicholas A. Basbanes, p. 256. Mr. Basbanes talks with Dr. Robert Coles, a Harvard University psychiatrist and author of sixty books, in the chapter titled, The Healing Art. This book is excellent and highly recommended.

ii. The book is Choosing Happiness: Short Answers to the Big Questions, by Stephanie Dowrick.