sacred chaos

I am helping lead a group of college kids this summer and one of their core commitments is to develop greater intimacy with Jesus "every day and throughout the day".  Each week I give them an assignment that can help facilitate that.

Last night I shared with them about a missionary of a few decades ago named Frank Laubach , who made it His life experiment to see if he could have a thought about God in His mind once every minute.  His premise was that our minds are always going in at least two directions, so why not have one of them be towards God?  It's kind of like acknowledging that He's always with you -- somewhere in the back of your mind!  Laubach started small -- like a couple of times an hour -- and then added onto that bit by bit.  In the end he wrote a booklet called Game with Minutes that thousands of others used to try the same experiment.  They said it changed their lives and I can understand why.  The assignment I gave the kids was to try to find just ONE HOUR this week and join in the experiment.  Some of them looked a bit incredulous at the idea, but I could tell others were keen to give it a go.

So today I started thinking about what kinds of thoughts about God we could have while we're going about our ordinary lives.  Laubach stuck with two simple questions to ask, but I thought it might be more fun to expand the horizons a bit and see if I could list 60 things.  At first, it seemed an impossible task, but once I got going, I was amazed at all the ways I could think of to connect with the presence of God.  For what it's worth, I thought I'd share them with you and challenge you to join the experiment as well. 

I have to admit I've never actually tried this in an intentional way, but today as I've sought just to be more aware, I've experienced a greater closeness with Jesus and I'm excited to see what will happen as I go after it.

One caution though.  I think Laubach was smart to call this a game, because if it feels like work at all, it's going to become burdensome and tiring.  The goal is to have fun with it -- there is no standard of success in an experiment, only things to glean and learn!  Here's my sixty -- feel free to write and share some of your own!

SIXTY WAYS TO LOVE YOUR SAVIOR

1. Consider His faithfulness
2. Bless your boss (to bless simply means to ask for God's favor on them)
3. Thank Him for the breath you just inhaled
4. Offer this moment for His purposes
5. Pray for grace in your conversation
6. Listen for what He might have you say
7. Bless a friend
8. Thank Him for life
9. Praise Him for His mercy
10. Tell Him you love Him
11. Acknowledge His Lordship
12. Bless your enemy (or someone you don’t like a lot)
13. Thank Him for your mind
14. Take in His compassion for you
15. Hum a worship song
16. Think of how good He is
17. Tell Him your hope is in Him
18. Listen for what He might have you do
19. Bless your neighbor
20. Acknowledge His sovereignty over all
21. Thank Him for salvation
22. Listen for spiritual insight into the situation you’re in
23. Share a word about Him with someone
24. Pray for someone who is struggling
25. Acknowledge the beauty of His creation
26. See yourself hidden in the shelter of His wings
27. Bless a stranger
28. Praise Him for His peace -- take a deep breath and experience it!
29. Consider how He provides for you
30. Tell Him why you love Him
31. Offer your plans to Him
32. Acknowledge your need of Him
33. See yourself drinking from the Living Fountain
34. Praise Him for His holiness
35. Bless a leader
36. Pray for your city
37. Thank Him for shelter
38. Tell Him that this is He has made
39. Consider His mighty power
40. Cry out for more of Him
41. Ask Him for victory over an area of sin
42. Thank Him for the Cross
43. Pray for a missionary
44. Ponder His self-existence
45. Ask Him for strength
46. Bless a co-worker
47. Wait for Him to lead you
48. Praise Him for His righteousness
49. Receive His pleasure in you
50. Envision His nail-scarred hands
51. Thank Him for food to eat
52. Pray for your nation
53. Ask Him for encouragement
54. Receive His forgiveness
55. See Him as the bread of life
56. Think about His kindness
57. Bless your children/parents/sisters/brothers
58. Pray for your pastor
59. Lay down any perceived rights at His feet
60. See yourself as a child in His arms

Hiding God's Word

What would it take for us to get God's Word into our hearts given the chaotic motion most of us live in day after day?  I don't know about you, but for me this is a continual struggle.  Perhaps what we need is to break apart some boxes and look at some creative ways to embrace Scripture right in the midst of our busyness.  I'm not saying these will ever replace in depth Bible Study, but that is a luxury we just don't always have.  I'm convinced though, that with a little effort we can make meditation on Christ's Word a more integral part of our days, and be changed in the process.  Here's a few ideas -- give one or two a try and see what happens!  Be sure to read all the way to the end, where I share some tips on what to do with the Word once you have it at your fingertips! 

• PUT A VERSE ON YOUR SCREENSAVER: Your computer can feed you God's Word whenever you walk into the room if the screensaver is a Scripture passage.  If you've never changed your screensaver, here are the simple steps: Go to START, then CONTROL PANEL, then APPEARANCE AND THEMES, then CHOOSE A SCREENSAVER, then MARQUEE, then SETTINGS.  There you can type in any text you want, change the colors, the font and the speed of the scrolling.  Make sure to click on APPLY when you are finished.  Take the time to change this out weekly for a fresh meditation. (You can also change your desktop the same way.  Click here for a great site for free nature scenes with Scriptures )
• PLACE STICKY NOTES WITH SCRIPTURE IN KEY PLACES: About once a week, choose a verse or short passage and write it on several post-its.  Place these in strategic places, like your bathroom mirror, your steering wheel, your child's high chair, your computer monitor, the refrigerator etc. 
• INSTALL AN AUDIO BIBLE ON YOUR COMPUTER: You can purchase the Bible on CD's etc., but here is a website that allows you to download the New Testament for free.  You have your choice of several versions, of dramatic readings etc., and you can donate towards their goal of getting God's Word into the heart language of every people group.  Click here to go to their site.  The process is simple, but the download takes a long time so I recommend you start it before bed some night.  You can listen to it when you're doing mindless tasks at home or save it to your IPOD or burn it on a CD to take in the car with you.
• DOWNLOAD WRITTEN WORD TO YOUR PDA OR CELL PHONE.:  Click here for a great website that allows you to download a few versions of Scripture for free.  There are also many of the most popular versions available for around $25.00.  (To download to your cell phone you need internet access on it).
• HAVE SCRIPTURE TEXT-MESSAGED TO YOU DAILY: You can receive a verse of the day on Monday through Saturday for less than $1 a week.  Click here for more info or to sign up. 
• MAKE SCRIPTURE A RINGTONE FOR YOUR CELL PHONE: I have to admit I haven't found a great site for this yet, so if you know of one, let us know.  (all the ones I found seemed to be a guise to get my cell phone number).  I know there are also programs to create your own ringtones, but I am not that tech-savvy.  I love the idea though, of being reminded of God's heart every time my cell phone rings.
• WRITE A PASSAGE ON 5X7 CARDS TO CARRY WITH YOU: At the start of each week, choose a passage you'd like to meditate on.  Write the verses on cards and put them where you find yourself the most.  It might be your car, your kitchen counter, your desk at work, your briefcase or purse etc.  When you run into those few minutes where you are between tasks or activities you can grab the cards and use the time wisely.  You can also carry them on walks at lunch etc.
• GET A TATOO:  Okay, this is a stretch, and now you think I'm crazy, but I was thinking that if Scripture were engraved on my arm or ankle, I would have a ready source to draw me to meditation.  Of course I'd want it to be long enough that I wouldn't get bored after the first month, and that's a lot of pain.  On second thought...

GETTING IT FROM YOUR MIND TO YOUR HEART:  An ancient practice called Lectio Divina is a great way to meditate on the Word, whether you have two minutes or twenty, whether you're reading it from your PDA or listening to it on your IPOD.  Basically, you listen to, or read the passage or verse, asking God to speak to you by asking one question and waiting for Him to speak.  Once you feel He has, you go on to another question.  Some examples are: Lord, what does this say about You?  Lord, what does this say about me?  Lord, what does this say about the world I am living in or the people I connect with?  Lord, what do you want me to do in response to this word?  The key is to take small portions, sometimes just a couple of words or a sentence, and ponder it until you know something has happened on a spiritual level.  When it comes to Lectio Divina and getting the Word written deep on your soul, remember that LESS IS MORE.

I'd love to hear your ideas on making Scripture accessible within the context of your life -- why not share the wealth?

Thirty-three days ago Lent began, and I started a fast.  Good news and bad news about that, and you may want to jump to the good news in brown below, because I have a tedious confession to make.  The bad news is that after all this time I still feel like a wannabe fast-er.  Why?  Well, for starters, I've never been able to sustain a water fast, and I think this is what true fast-ers do, and for forty days no less!  I began with a plan to drink liquids during the day and one meal in the evening, which soon progressed into a sort of gluttonous two hours of making up for all I didn't get to eat during the day. 

Finally I decided I needed to stop the one meal thing and stay on liquids, which I managed to do for a few days, but then we had to fly out of town to a wedding, and I ended up breaking the fast for all the festivities.  Now this week I've tried to go back to liquids, but Joe's been buying these hearty fresh soups from the grocery store and every time I eat them, I feel like I'm cheating.  Definitely not a real fast-er yet.  Two nights ago our kids asked us to bring Golden Spoon yogurt over, and we succumbed to having some ourselves.  Last night we needed to get out of dodge so we went to the beach and had a salad, with dessert when we got home. 

On top of all this, I haven't had any long hours in intense prayer, and I know that real fast-ers do that a lot.

So this morning I was sitting here feeling pretty inept and wondering if it has all been a big waste.  I was reading the story of Pete Grieg, who started the 24-7 prayer movement and thinking about Lou Engle, who has probably fasted enough for all of us for the past 30 years, and all I could think of was that God surely wouldn't reward me when all these real fast-ers are surrounding His throne.  Then in that gentle way of His, the Spirit spoke of a parable to me, and that became the good news I want to share with you!

GOOD NEWS: GOD'S ECONOMY IS TOTALLY BACKWARDS!!!  I read the parable the Lord reminded me of about the laborers who came to work -- some early in the morning and others throughout the day, and one group in the final hour (that would be me).  And guess what?  The owner paid them all the same wage, which didn't make the guys who'd worked all day very happy.  After all, they told their boss, they'd borne the burden and worked in the heat of the day.  But the owner answered with this:

Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'  So the last will be first and the first, last.  Matthew 20:14-15

The good news I am filled with this morning, is that God just doesn't work like I would, that He is infinitely generous with His rewards, and doesn't base them on how well I perform, but on His own heart to give.  This just blows me away and makes me want to cling to this amazing God we have.

So, I'm back to liquids this morning and hoping for a better day, but whatever happens, I rejoice in a God who loves the idea that I'll come to Him as I am, trusting Him as best I can, with all my weaknesses and failures still expecting miracles.  And I do.  How about  you?