The Path Forward - Day 2

Notice the meaning of James 1:10&11 in the context of the verses before and after. Among other things, it’s evident that the rich man is, by contrast, arrogant and lazy. When the troubles of the world come along, this content and prideful person doesn't have the tools to cope, and as a result, “fades away”. Contrast this with the humble. They persevere and live full, rewarding lives.

As we processed our own humility yesterday, there were likely some things - obstacles, whether large or small, that stood out to us. Our familiarity or comfort with them may have dulled their impact on our lives. Sometimes exploring these things can lead to deeper, unrelated issues. Take time today to process the large and small thoughts you had yesterday. Use the action of confessing these thoughts to God so he can own them with you. Follow them as deep as you can and see where they connect. We might be closed because we think we’re too talented, educated, experienced, or intelligent. We might put too much faith in our opinion of our demographic, family, habits, personality, or even style. It's worth it to see where we hold pride, and how it keeps us from forward momentum in our lives.

Prayer: Pray for motivation and wisdom to discern the thoughts that you process today.

The Path Forward - Day 1

James 1:9-11 talks about the difference between those in humble circumstances vs those who are rich. Although James alludes to a financial state he is speaking more to the spiritual state of the person. It was common of his audience to speak about the poor in reference to those in difficulty and hardship and the rich as those who are arrogant and exploitative.

As we look at our path forward through a time of change, we need to be honest about the place we currently are and the needs we must address. In order to be effective in this self assessment we need humility. If we are guarded, high-minded or unrealistic about our issues, we will not be able to see ourselves for who we really are in order to find where we need to go.

Are we willing to look past the successes and triumphs in our lives to address areas where we may harbor shame or fear? Are we willing to ask people close to us where we could improve ourselves or our relationships with them? Are we willing to sacrifice something that makes us comfortable to achieve a higher purpose? Are we willing to accept humility in order to be spiritually rich?

Deeply and prayerfully ask yourself these questions today as we prepare our spirits to look honestly at ourselves as we move forward.

Prayer: Ask God for true and honest humility in your life.

Humility and Spiritual Growth

Is there room in my life for spiritual growth? Strange question for a pastor and leader of a spiritual artists' community? Not really. Like everyone else, I find myself replacing my spiritual life with to do lists and God with x...y...z...

A friend and I were laughing at diamond commercials the other day. The ones we heard make it sound like love=diamonds and the only way you can tell if someone loves you is by the size of diamond they buy you. According to commercials, a person's capacity for love in general can also be gauged by the type of car they drive, clothes they wear, gadgets they own and cool people they happen to know. We came to the conclusion that we must be the least loving, least capable of loving people on the planet!

But, when I really examine what it looks like to love people - deep meaningful relationships, time to spend, freedom to be honest and open, generous, etc. I wonder if I am any closer to showing my love in these ways than I am in the ways the diamond commercial suggests.

Last Sunday, in our worship gathering, we engaged Allen Pearson's exhibit "Creation Sings," to help us put aside the thoughts of the everyday world and begin to notice the complex universe of plants, birds, and people all in varying states of activity all around us.

"Careful observation and thoughtful contemplation of nature soon teaches us how little we know and understand about life and the world. This in itself engenders the humility that is necessary in order to experience the divine.

This quality of humility is really the summit of the mountain that Abraham was traveling towards all his life. " Who shall go up the mountain of Yahweh and who will stand in the place of His holiness? The person with clean hands and a pure heart..." (Psalm 24:3-4

This idea of humility struck me deeply. It does take humility to stop, slow down and really notice the world around me. How much more so, to notice God.

"To experience the presence of God in nature (and indeed anywhere), one must be willing to detach oneself from the pull of worldy ego-interest so as to become open to higher levels of awareness."

The importance of making time for spiritual growth, intentional time, can not be undervalued. We are working to provide a variety of opportunities of for such growth and reflection. Hopefully this will result in the "fruits" of a life lived in love - what Christians would say is a "life lived in Christ." I hope you will pray for us as we develop these opportunities and walk together as a
community.

(Quotes from Azamra: Torah for our time)

Lisa Hawkins
Artistic Director/Pastor
Convergence: A Creative Community of Faith