As we enter the last two weeks before the election, I want to remind you to pray every day for the country and the elections. I have talked a couple of different Sundays about some guidelines that would be good for each of us to live by and to pray from. They are taken from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California.
As a reminder, here they are again:
1. Everyone pray. Pray for the elections, pray for the elected, pray for the country from your backyard to Washington DC.
2. Everyone vote. We are given a privilege that most of the world can only dream of, having a say, having a vote. Don’t take that privilege for granted. Exercise your privilege to vote.
3. Everyone be civil. There is a saying – To disagree with honest men is not to dishonor them. Even when we disagree, let’s be civil.
4. Everyone remember. The church is about His Kingdom and His mission. The church is a place where absolutely anybody, anywhere, at any spot on the political spectrum is welcome to come and learn about Jesus.
Last of all pray for a spiritual awakening across our land. Regardless of who is elected, political solutions never form the basis for a healthy country. Healthy people and healthy countries (economically, in family relationships, in community relationships, morally, educationally, etc) only happen because of God’s blessing and God’s hand at work. When God removes His hand, even partially, everyone in a nation feels it.
Solomon wrote: The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; He guides it wherever He pleases. (Proverbs 21:1 NLT)
“It is impossible to rightly govern in this world without God and morality.” - George Washington, 1788
Benjamin Franklin said in the Continental Congress, when the Constitution was being written, "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men."
We need a spiritual awakening in America!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Disintegration of the soul
We have been looking at ‘Soul Care’. We are talking about what the soul is, how it functions and eventually we are going to talk about how to care for it. One thought on the soul is that the word ‘soul’ describes the integration of various parts of a person. The soul is the merging of the mind, emotions, will, body, appetites, drives and needs. We can recognize each of these functions and parts of our lives. We know that our mind works or doesn’t work. We are well aware of our emotions, the strength and weakness of our will, body, appetites, drives and needs.
Each of these components can be looked at individually, but they are not in a segregated compartment. They are intertwined with each other. When my mind isn’t working correctly, neither are my emotions. If my body is in pain, my appetites aren’t firing correctly. The components are integrated.
When the Bible speaks of someone ‘losing their soul’, this is not a reference to where someone might spend eternity. Jesus is referring to something that happens to a person’s inner life.
If the soul is the integration of the various components of my being, then losing my soul is the disintegration of the various components of my soul. Losing my soul is the separation of my mind from my emotions, my will from my appetites, my body from my needs and mind. It is the process in which various components of the soul are being slowly and insidiously pulled apart.
What if I get something I want or I’m working for, but my soul starts to come apart?
What if I move forward in certain areas, but come apart at the seams?
What good is it in the end? What have I gained?
What is this doing to my soul?
Each of these components can be looked at individually, but they are not in a segregated compartment. They are intertwined with each other. When my mind isn’t working correctly, neither are my emotions. If my body is in pain, my appetites aren’t firing correctly. The components are integrated.
When the Bible speaks of someone ‘losing their soul’, this is not a reference to where someone might spend eternity. Jesus is referring to something that happens to a person’s inner life.
If the soul is the integration of the various components of my being, then losing my soul is the disintegration of the various components of my soul. Losing my soul is the separation of my mind from my emotions, my will from my appetites, my body from my needs and mind. It is the process in which various components of the soul are being slowly and insidiously pulled apart.
What if I get something I want or I’m working for, but my soul starts to come apart?
What if I move forward in certain areas, but come apart at the seams?
What good is it in the end? What have I gained?
What is this doing to my soul?
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Soul Alarms
How many different alarms do you have in your life? I was thinking about all of the alarms that I have and I counted nine that could be programmed to go off when needed or that go off when they are tripped. That isn’t even counting the reminders that go off throughout the day. How about you?
I have an alarm on my watch, beside my bed, on my phone, on my computer, on my iPad, smoke alarms and our septic system. There are also those that require my attention like the burglar alarm and fire alarm at the church.
Some people have burglar alarms at their home and in their cars. Some people have C0 and C02 alarms, Radon alarms, propane and natural gas alarms on top of the ones I’ve listed.
When one of those alarms go off, most people scurry around trying to figure out how to turn the thing off and then what to do about the alarm. Recently, Nathan and I had just finished an 8K race in downtown Seattle when Barbara called to tell me that our septic alarm was going off. When I got home, I diagnosed what I thought was wrong and the next day called Eamonn, the septic repairman, from Celtic Risers. It was the pump in our pump chamber that had gone out. Though it was not cheap to fix the pump, the alarm saved us a bigger repair cost because we were quickly able to take immediate measures to prevent further damage.
What about ‘Soul Alarms’? Do you ever have alarms go off that tell you things are not as they should be with your soul? Does an alarm of say, anxiety ever go off? How about worry, fear, doubt, hate, jealousy, arrogance, pride, self-pity, depression, discouragement … the list is almost endless. Do you do something about the alarms or do you just ignore them? In your life is there an alarm that goes off more than other alarms? Are you aware when the alarm is going off?
I know that when I get overly angry, short in discipline or sensitive to disagreements, my soul is sending out signals that things are not well. Sometimes I give immediate attention to the alarm. Unfortunately, there are times that I ignore the alarm. Ignoring the alarm is never good for me or those around me.
This week – pay attention to your particular ‘Soul Alarms.’ It will be best for you and for those in your life.
I have an alarm on my watch, beside my bed, on my phone, on my computer, on my iPad, smoke alarms and our septic system. There are also those that require my attention like the burglar alarm and fire alarm at the church.
Some people have burglar alarms at their home and in their cars. Some people have C0 and C02 alarms, Radon alarms, propane and natural gas alarms on top of the ones I’ve listed.
When one of those alarms go off, most people scurry around trying to figure out how to turn the thing off and then what to do about the alarm. Recently, Nathan and I had just finished an 8K race in downtown Seattle when Barbara called to tell me that our septic alarm was going off. When I got home, I diagnosed what I thought was wrong and the next day called Eamonn, the septic repairman, from Celtic Risers. It was the pump in our pump chamber that had gone out. Though it was not cheap to fix the pump, the alarm saved us a bigger repair cost because we were quickly able to take immediate measures to prevent further damage.
What about ‘Soul Alarms’? Do you ever have alarms go off that tell you things are not as they should be with your soul? Does an alarm of say, anxiety ever go off? How about worry, fear, doubt, hate, jealousy, arrogance, pride, self-pity, depression, discouragement … the list is almost endless. Do you do something about the alarms or do you just ignore them? In your life is there an alarm that goes off more than other alarms? Are you aware when the alarm is going off?
I know that when I get overly angry, short in discipline or sensitive to disagreements, my soul is sending out signals that things are not well. Sometimes I give immediate attention to the alarm. Unfortunately, there are times that I ignore the alarm. Ignoring the alarm is never good for me or those around me.
This week – pay attention to your particular ‘Soul Alarms.’ It will be best for you and for those in your life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)