Soul Dis-integration is like a 'Dirty Bomb'

I have been thinking a lot this week about the damage that can be done by someone whose soul has disintegrated. The lead news all week has been about extramarital affairs, deception and entanglements. I don’t know all the intricate details of this unfortunate situation but it is not the first time in history and certainly won’t be the last time that these kinds of events take place.

The question has been asked more than once, in a number of different ways, ‘How could this happen?’ or ‘How could someone so smart and so experienced and with so much to lose do something like this?’ Those are great questions to ask, but they are tough questions to answer.

From the perspective of someone who works with people and their souls, it is clear from experience that people make these kinds of choices not from a soul that is ‘integrated’ but from a soul that is in some way ‘disintegrated.’ A soul where the mind has been disintegrated from the emotions, will, relationships and consequences will make poor choices and even catastrophic choices.

In a very real way we’ve witnessed the effects of a ‘dirty bomb’ going off and the destruction that it can bring. A ‘dirty bomb’ combines radioactive material with conventional explosives in order to contaminate the area around the explosion. A dirty bomb is not immediately life threatening. The effects of the contamination are real. They leave areas unable to be lived in, worked in and traveled in. They leave people who have been contaminated with long lasting health issues that can ultimately be fatal. The emotional and psychological effects can leave people socially paralyzed for a long time.

When an affair occurs it is like a dirty bomb going off. There isn’t immediate death, but almost everything experiences contamination. One man with a disintegrated soul gets involved with a woman who has a disintegrated soul and eventually the bomb goes off. The wife of the man, the husband of the woman, the children of both families, the co-workers, the subordinates, the authorities over and the world around watch as the contamination spreads.

The only prevention to this ‘dirty bomb’ going off and other ‘dirty bombs’ going off is the integration of the soul.

Lord, integrate my soul! Lord, integrate our souls!

(If you’ve been unable to catch our ‘Soul Care’ series you can get it at swag-online.org or in iTunes.)

What direction are you moving in?

God has a direction for every person to travel. The direction is not arbitrary or capricious. God doesn’t do arbitrary or capricious.

The direction of travel He desires for each of us is in some ways general and the same for all of us. He has given us a very clear picture of the overall or basic direction that our travel in life is to take. That direction is the direction of love. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the general direction that God wants each of us to travel.

Everything God does in your life, big or small, is in some way about moving you in the direction of love. He was at work yesterday in your life in ways that will encourage movement in the direction of love for God and love for others. He is at work today in your life in ways that will prod movement in that same direction.

It is always in our best interest and in the best interest of others to travel in the direction of love for God and love for others. This direction might not lead us towards the easiest path. This direction does not include safe travel, smooth travel or quick travel. The direction of love for God and love for others can be a dangerous direction to travel in. The direction of love for God and love for others can lead us to traveling along very windy, bumpy road. The direction of love for God and love for others can be an extremely slow plod. The difficulty of the travel is no indication that the direction is wrong.

Anytime any of us move in a direction that is counter to love for God and love for others, we are moving in the wrong direction. When we are traveling in the wrong direction, there are warning messages that are communicated to us. Our conscience tells us to change direction, others tell us to change direction, and guilt tells us to change directions. The messages warning us to change direction are either built in warning systems or external messages that come for our good and the good of others.

The question to ask is: Is this direction moving me towards greater love for God and greater love for others or is this direction moving me away – moving me towards loving God less and loving others less?

Which direction are you moving in?

Soul Care is Hard Work

Over the recent weeks we’ve been digging into the idea of Soul Care. We’ve looked at how the soul is the merging of all the various parts of life. The soul is the integration of my mind, emotions, heart, will, conscience, desires, impulses, people, memories, intuition, strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures … The health of a soul can be measured by looking at how well the components of life are working together . Likewise, the lack of health of a soul can be measured by looking at the dis-integration of each of the components of life.

Jesus said: What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
What does it mean to ‘lose my soul?’

If my soul is the integration of all the parts of my life then losing my soul is the dis-integration of all the parts.

Soul Care is hard work. Soul Care is looking at every aspect of life and how all the parts are merging . If I’m going to care for my soul, I can’t just look at one or two or three areas. Soul Care is looking at all the areas and the integration or dis-integration. Most people don’t want to look at their soul. Most people don’t want to ask the question that I’ve challenged you to ask. “What is this doing to my soul?”

It is said that Christopher Columbus stated: You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

You and I can never ‘cross’ the soul unless we have the courage to lose sight of the ‘shore’ of how our soul has worked or not worked up to this time.

Are you willing to lose sight of the ‘shore’ of how your soul has functioned and ‘cross the ocean’ to a new life of a greater integration of your soul?

With this in mind we’ve been asking – What is this doing to my soul?
With this in mind we’ve been praying – Jesus, Integrate my soul!

This week the question changes a little – “What is this doing to THEIR soul?”
The idea: What is my life doing to the soul of people in my circle?

Pray, Vote, Love

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!

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?

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.

Keep in step with the Spirit

You might remember different times in your childhood when you were paired together with a family member, schoolmate or friend for one of the quintessential competitions included in picnics, family reunions and end of the school year celebrations - the 'three-legged race.'

The three-legged race was not usually won by the fastest, best, biggest or the most evenly matched team, but instead by the team that could figure out how to run in rhythm with each other. It was won by the team that figured out when to move which legs: tied legs, free legs, tied, free, tied ... The team that got in sync almost always won. (The exception of course was when one of the team members just carried the other person.)

The race was won by working together. Teammates moving in unison. No longer just two people tied together, but instead they become one giant three legged person.

The Apostle Paul talked about moving in this kind of rhythm, teamwork and oneness with the Holy Spirit.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 NIV

Keeping in step with the Spirit: Moving when He moves; Resting when He rests; Struggling when He struggles; Coasting when He coasts; Speaking when He speaks; Silence when He hasn't spoken; Keeping in step with the Spirit.

The three-legged race is not the fastest event at the family picnic. No Olympic records will be broken. But there is a beauty in watching two people as they grasp the rhythm of three legs working together.

We can move, rest, struggle, coast, speak and be silent on our own, but there is a splendor in sensing the movement of the Holy Spirit and in perfect cadence, 'keeping instep with the Spirit.' This kind of life activity is what often gets referred to as 'God moments.'

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 NIV

Be Quick to Listen

Even though we’ve each been given two ears and one mouth it is much harder to listen than it should be. 2000 years ago James wrote to the Jewish followers of Jesus regarding listening. He wrote:

You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19 NLT)

Quick to listen … slow to speak.??? That would be different.

Outside of the Scriptures there is a tremendous amount that has been written about listening. One of the great quotes is from Albert Einstein.

If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut. Albert Einstein

If you don’t get it here it is written out: A=Success
X+Y+Z=A

Work+Play+Keeping your mouth shut = Success

These words are powerful when it comes to everyday life but how much more when the practice of listening is applied to prayer and my spiritual life.

Here are the questions that I think of about my prayer times when I read about and think about listening. Am I quick to listen, slow to speak when it comes to prayer?
Do I listen twice as much as I talk?
Is my prayer a practice of asking and doing all of the talking or do I take time to quiet my soul and listen to what the Holy Spirit might be saying to me?

Tuning in to God, which we’ve been talking about, is in truth about listening … listening hard … listening intently.

Be quick to listen … slow to speak.

'Myselfing' it or Holding God's Hand?

Our family recently hiked up Mount Pilchuck, outside of Granite Falls. It is about a 6 mile hike that climbs roughly 2500 feet to an old fire lookout tower. We had an awesome day!

Our granddaughter who is 5 and our grandson who is 1½ went on the hike with us. For a portion of the hike, I carried our granddaughter. Most of the hike she wanted to walk and did great.

There were some patches of the hike that were difficult. If I wasn’t carrying her, I held her hand so as to help her through the difficult patch. The majority of the time she was OK with me holding her hand. There were moments though where she pulled away because she wanted to do it ‘myself.’ A couple of those times the ‘myself’ ended up tripping or falling. A few times when she was ‘myselfing’ it, I reached out and grabbed her as she started to go down. After tripping or falling she was amenable to me helping her.

This interaction through a 6 mile hike painted a picture for me of how we often are with God. God is trying to get us to hold His hand so that we can make it through a rough patch. He wants to help us and assure us that we can make it through the difficult seasons in life.

But we tend to pull away and let God know through our actions and attitudes that “I want to do it myself!” He doesn’t force us to hold His hand. He doesn’t force Himself upon us when we don’t want it – mostly.

As I look back, there have been times where I was ‘myselfing’ it and sure enough, just as I was on my way down, God reached out and grabbed me. Sometimes I still stumbled or fell but the stumble, or even the fall, was not nearly what it could have been if God hadn’t been there watching over me.

Praying is partially about admitting to God, others and ourselves that we need Him to hold our hand. We are going through a challenge and we can’t make it alone.

Are you in a tough patch right now? Don’t get caught ‘myselfing’ it! God is waiting for an invitation to engage with you and change you.

Matt

Tuning in to God

This would be a great series for you to invite someone to join you. There are a handful of times during the year that people, who are not in the habit of attending worship services, are open to invitations to gather with others. These are times when non-church goers are thinking about making church part of their routine. Invite someone to join you!

As Jesus talked about prayer, He referred to good prayers and bad prayers. (See Luke 18) The interesting part of Jesus’ discussion surrounding these prayers is who prayed the good prayer, and who prayed the bad prayer. People are of the opinion that ‘good’ people pray good prayers and that ‘bad’ people pray bad prayers. This isn’t what Jesus taught.

In Jesus’ parable in Luke 18, He painted a picture of the ‘good’ person praying a bad prayer and the ‘bad’ person praying a good prayer. Go figure!

If we saw these two people praying, we would quickly make the assumption that Jesus heard and approved of the prayer of the ‘good’ guy and that he would have ignored and rejected the prayer of the ‘bad’ guy.

The good prayer by the bad guy was made up of only a few words, but it included a very powerful idea. He prayed: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

The word used for mercy in this prayer is not the normal word that is used for mercy. The word used here has the idea of atonement or paying for a debt. The bad man in Jesus’ parable was praying: “God, atone for me” or “God, pay my debt off for me.”

I can’t pay off my debt of the sin in my life. It is not possible. Not in this lifetime and not in a thousand lifetimes! I need a savior who will pay off my debt! That is the front end of the message of the Gospel.

The back end of the Gospel message is that Jesus is my debt payer. Through His life, death, burial and resurrection, He paid off my debt and your debt and their debt.

Which is better? A good person praying bad prayers or a bad person praying good prayers? Can a good person pray good prayers?

Something to chew on.