Tattooed Encouragement

Encouragement can come from the strangest of places. Lately I have found myself incredibly discouraged and overwhelmed with the many aspects of my life. New challenges (and a couple old ones) are presenting themselves in my life. I find myself incredibly frustrated with myself and life, and I return to the age of old question "God, what are you doing in all of this?"

God doesn't always give us an answer, and when He does He may be so incredibly vague that we doubt it was Him or we become angry for Him not giving straight answers. I know that this is especially true for my life. God doesn't give me straight answers, and He often doesn't appear to answer at all. He let's me do a lot of the work and choosing. He gave us gifts, talents, desires, etc. but we often get stuck in the trap of the enemy that tells us that we have to hear some divine revelation out of heaven to know what to do.

Today I was wrestling with the pressures, trials, and challenges of my heart. I came to Starbucks because I wanted to stop thinking about it and seek to overcome it with action. As I sat down, filled with uncertainty and discouragement, I noticed a tattoo on the back of the girl sitting in front of me that stated "This too shall pass."

These words have been significant for me over the years and I have often found myself encouraged by them on many occasions; here in the midst of my struggle I randomly find these words staring me in the face form the back of a complete stranger. How crazy it is that we travel the paths of life and have these bizarre, timely encounters. Some may call it providence, others may call it coincidence...either way, God stepped in to my circumstance in that very moment and spoke to my heart. "This too shall pass..."

When we are overwhelmed with the world, when darkness comes and shadows threaten to swallow is whole, and when it seems like God has abandoned you and doesn't care, remember this: It is the small things in life that God uses to remind us that He is with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us and He is often showing us His love and presence, but we just fail to see it. In our biggest struggle we experience confusion and it is in those moments that we often we expect answers form God. It is more often than not, however, that instead of giving us a sermon or straight talk about our issues and simply reaches down to hold our hands instead.

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

More than a Game...

Throughout the world domestic violence rears it's ugly head behind closed doors. Women and children experience the onslaught of rage and lack of self-control at the hand of their husbands and fathers. The issue is serious and we cannot ignore it.

Currently the world is enjoying the beauty of the World Cup! It is a glorious even that occurs only once every four years and it is a good reason to celebrate! Commercial depicting love, unity, culture, and charity are popping up all over the television...but what is so often unnoticed is the increase in violence, rape, abuse, and human trafficking that goes along with this incredible event.

In response to this horrific reality, the following video was released to share the hair-raising truth about the World Cup. Click here to watch.

While this video only targets the issue inside the borders of the United Kingdom, the reality is that this happens all around the world. I ask that each and every one of you please watch and share this video! Please do not be passive in this serious issue! Christ calls us to action against injustice and this is one of many way that we as Christians can stand up against the growing darkness of the world. Because for many women, the World Cup isn't just a game...it's coin toss that determines the safety of their children and stability of their homes.

Bathed in Blue

Although it was after nine o'clock in the evening, light filled the sky and everything could be seen clearly! The storm had passed, and all that was left was the sound of rain water dripping of the trees. I had made my way to the back porch and taken a seat that I might enjoy the last few moments of daylight. A long day at work had taken its toll on me and my energy was drained. I looked out into the world that had just endured the torrent of a severe storm and, out in the distance, I saw the faintest sliver of the Sun just on the edge of the horizon.

It is easy to take for granted the beauty of God's creation. Far too often we miss it completely amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life and our technology-drowned culture. Tonight, however, I found myself in wonder of the beautiful landscape behind my home. I sat down and began to look around, intentionally looking for all that there was to be seen. It didn't take me but a moment to realize that the light that filled the air around me left the world curiously blue. I mean literally blue! It was if the sky above had reached down and laid itself upon the ground, or as if the rain that had fallen had first been filled with blue dye before being cast to the earth.

Now, there most certainly were colors other blue. There were vivid greens of the grass and trees, and there were various shades of browns, and there was even the occasional yellow. But all of these had seemed to have a bluish tint to them. It was a beautiful, and almost alien, sight that I couldn't help but stare at in wonder.

Soon afterwards, fireflies began to light up among the tress and in the grass. The yellow light of their abdomens seemed to be the only thing left untouched by the blueness around them, and it even seemed that they were yellower than ordinary fireflies and that they shined even brighter as well! There I stood and watched the beauty of that elfin world for as long as I could, waiting for the last bit of daylight to fade away and for all the blue to turn to blackness. I had the privilege of seeing the work of God anew and, for a brief moment in time, caught a very small glimpse of His glory and splendor!

I implore you: set aside the cell phone, turn off the television and the laptop, and take a moment to see the world around you. Perhaps you need to remember that there is this thing called "grass" that grows just a few feet beyond your doorstep, or perhaps that there are flowing things called "rivers" that you have neglected to swim in this (increasingly hot) summer. Even more importantly, perhaps you  need to take a moment to notice that creature that sits but a few feet away from you staring at his or her own computer screen which you have, most unintentional, forgot was present and was bestowed the title of "human".

We were made to worship God by living in and enjoying His glorious presence and His creation, but h can we do that when we can't even put down our not-so-smartphones to have remember the beauty of true friendship and the presence of real people in our lives. Stop looking at other peoples' Instagrams of the world and take a step outside your door. Maybe you will find a world bathed in blue and a thousand fireflies waiting to greet the night with you.

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

To Love and Learn

Lately I have been reading a great deal recently about the monastic life; I have been reading and meditating on writings from monks that have long passed from this Earth, but whose words have not. There is much left for me to read and great deal more to meditate on, but thus far I have found inspiration and significance in the writings of these phenomenal men and women who displayed such incredible devotion.

In the tradition of my youth, I was not encouraged to explore the writings and teachings of our spiritual forefathers, at least not the ones who came before the holiness movement. Anything that took place between the penning of Paul's letters and the mid-1800's was left unmentioned, unquoted, and unappreciated. It wasn't until college that I began to understand the importance and value of these unexplored works. 

I am not saying that everything written by the ancients was pure gold. Some of what was written is a bit far-fetched or twisted, but they are still worth our attention and time. Today I'm reading through a book called The Love of Learning and the Desire for God, which is a beautiful piece on monastic culture. 

One thing that struck me in the book was that there were aspects of the monastic life that I experienced in my years as a member of Pentecostal congregation. Throughout my years as a Pentecostal there was a focus on the celestial and heavenly realms, a strong theology of work and action, and a continual push for devotion to God. I was highly encouraged to continuous, daily prayer and worshipful action. The difference between the philosophies that I was taught and the monastics come down to the practical application and a distinct difference in their theology of learning. 

When I say "theology of work" I am not speaking of work ethic or vocation, though it does have some implication to both. I'm referring to the interpretation of, and response to, the words of James who said that "faith without works is dead." There are those that focus on charity as the means of working out their faith, while others vocally "declare victory over their lives," and others spend hours in prayer and meditation. The list goes on. Let's just look at the monastics and the Pentecostals. 

The monks expressed this in a very practical sense through praying the offices together at preset times and living in a state of intentional community and communal labor. Through the work of their hands to plow the ground, the work of their minds to study and contemplate, and the work of their hearts to discipline themselves to prayer and self-sacrifice, they live out their faith.

The Penties are not so different in theology. It is also strange that a group of people who are often the most critical of the Roman Catholic Church are actually the closest concerning the Holy Spirit's role in the life of the Christian!

Pentecostals often have a firm grasp on the need for daily and continual prayer, though in application it varies. They do not set times and do not follow a structure or order for prayer, and this comes out of a belief that prayer should take more effort than just the devotion of one's time and thoughts, but also the laboring of words. Thus many hours of my time in prayer where spent in silence and emptiness from lack of words to express my prayers, while many hours still where spent trying to formulate elegant words and in reflection of what I was saying. In this, the Pentecostal would greatly benefit from the structure of the offices as well as the carefully developed prayers found in the Book of Common Prayer, but at the same time the monastics would greatly benefit from the freer and self-expressive prayers of the Pentecostal found weeping face down on the floor. 

The two share deep devotion, and there are those who are misled in both groups. Everyone is broken, and sin works its way in to any crevice it can find. Because of this, we find brokenness in both groups and the disconnect between them. If we were to adopt aspects from both sides of the spectrum, however, we would find that the monastics would be even more effective in their ministry to the world, and the Pentecostals would be able to engage their world in greater measure, as well as be more fully integrated into the body of Christ. Perhaps rest of Christianity can then give more applause rather than shaking their heads in embarrassment, and maybe Penties can work along side their brothers and sisters without being looked down upon as the red-headed step child of theology and practice.

Grace and Peace,

Stephen