Prone to Wander

Our Lady dog has developed an obstinate need to wander. We are trying hard to figure out how to deal with her and keep her out of trouble. We have almost twenty acres that she is free to roam at will, and it is a veritable puppy play ground with rabbits to chase (as well as skunks!); a pond to swim in; goats, chickens and ducks to annoy and lots of tall grass, just waiting to be explored.

But on the other side of the fence is an awesome, amazing, never ending world to be explored. "The road goes ever on and on..." as it were. Deer, turkey and cows to be chased. Creeks and trails to explore...

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Just Do It!

Remember that good ol’ Nike byline “Just Do It!” Through the years this encouragement has probably entered our sub-conscious mind many times over as we sit in our easy chairs and watch whatever sporting event that happens to be on. Sadly, few of us take the challenge! This week Singapore is hosting the Asian Youth Games 2009 which is in reality a warm-up to it hosting the Youth Olympics next year. I was at the airport to meet Gwen when the China contingency arrived. Watching these young athletes walk by a few feet away, it was easy to see that they had accepted the challenge. They were all in incredible shape. I am sure that they will do well in these games since China does provide an environment which fosters the best getting better, and has a goal of producing world class athletes on an ongoing basis. Maybe we will catch a few of the events; I guess they will be televised. I wonder if Nike will be sponsoring this time, encouraging us to “Just Do It!”

One thing I have been able to “just do” lately is listen to audio books while riding bike or working around the house. With Gwen gone last week I listened a bit more than usual. In a completely random series of choices – from my initial perspective at least – I found myself listening to Yancy’s “The Jesus I Never Knew,” followed by Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together,” then a series of lectures “The Modern Scholar; Judaism, Christianity & Islam” by a Professor Frank E. Peters. And now I am just about halfway through “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.

The thread of thought forming in my mind from these books and from my encounter with the China athletes takes me down an interesting but troubling pathway. I am first of all reminded of the extremely important fact that I can have a personal relationship with a personal God who made the supreme effort of coming to earth to live and die as a perfect man. Jesus Christ claimed to be God, there is no disputing that fact, but He was and is a real person with whom I can have a real relationship. But that relationship is not meant to be in isolation from the world around me – not in a cloister or cocoon, but in a community. There are some responsibilities that I have in regards to that relationship and community, but if I am not careful I can see those responsibilities manipulating my efforts into self-righteous religion instead of grace-empowered response.

The broad sweep of history in regards to monotheism and the development of religion based on the worship of the one true God shows over and over that man will always get it wrong when we try to institutionalize relationship and when we try to solve relationship problems with structural and organizational development. And God knew that would be a problem for us, He deals with it over and over in His Word. We have the resources – the tools – that we need to become the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ that He wants us to be. What we sadly lack as a whole is the discipline and the discipling that is called for to follow Him.

In “Outliers” Gladwell takes us deep into the reality of what makes people successful. Over and over again he points out the very clear patterns that emerge when we look into the histories of successful people. There are many elements that we may have no control over, but one specific criteria for being successful is a choice for us today even if we have never chosen it before. There is clear indication that people cannot be successful without putting in the time and effort. Gladwell and the researchers he quotes have settled on the number of 10,000 hours of practice which seems to be the baseline for success in fields such as sports, music, computer programming, science, law, and on the list goes.

Hopefully you see where this path is heading. We have the choice to focus on developing a closer relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, responding to His love and grace, in community with other believers – not because we have to or because this will earn us points toward salvation, but because we want to out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ. This takes effort and discipline and if we desire to be “successful” followers of Christ we will have to be disciplined in our own “practice” of following Him, and put in the time and effort needed to be what He wants us to be. It is not going to be easy or automatic. It is going to be hard. But as a result of this discipline there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

We talk a lot about living balanced lives, we are concerned about being “whole persons” who benefit from “Sabbath life-styles.” Being disciplined and focused and practicing discipleship isn’t incompatible with these important values. It is possible, and the challenge hangs in the air, “just do it!”

The Road is Impassable! It is Impossible to Pass!

While living on Bonaire we developed the habit of exploring the island in our little old Pinto station wagon. We would take any and every road, no matter how poorly marked or maintained it was. In fact we got to the point where we knew our little island home pretty well by the time we left after five years, and so when we moved to Sri Lanka we decided to continue our habit of exploring. One thing that we had learned from Bonaire days was that the most interesting places were the hardest to get to, and those were always the places we sought out.

In Sri Lanka we had a lot more challenges waiting for us when we started exploring. First there was a war on in the north. We had to be careful not to cross the boundaries in that direction. Secondly there was another group of anti-government terrorists active in the south. We also had to be careful where we went in that direction.

We went east! And we went up. Up to the hill country. And we found some incredibly beautiful places. Breath-taking places that you just wanted to sit and enjoy forever. In that country which was so full of people, we found some extraordinary places where we could be almost alone for hours at a time. Most were high in the mountains. A very few where on desolate and deserted stretches of beach. The one thing they all had in common was that you had to absolutely care nothing for your car or your comfort as you spent sometimes hours bouncing along a road that was barely passable, driving through streams and across rocks. The best places were almost always next to impossible to get to by car. In fact at times we simply parked, got out and continued by foot. And there were other times when we wished we had! We came to understand that the atrocious roads were there to see how badly you wanted to get through. They stopped most people, but if you were persistent and stubborn enough, you could come out on the other side and enjoy serendipitous serenity like no where else!

What caused me to think about these escapades this past week was as I was riding along, listening to “The Last Lecture” by the late Randy Pausch. He talks a number of times about the brick walls that we face in life. And he states unequivocally that these brick walls are there to test how badly we want to get through them. I really like that thought process, and I am afraid that I, like most people, tend to want an easy life as opposed to a hard one. I want my food quickly when I am hungry. I want to ride the train or a taxi rather than walk. I would prefer not to wait too long for anything. In fact I now hardly ever watch TV “live” because I cannot stand to sit and wait through the commercials! My hand automatically goes to the remote control and I hit fast forward before I realize what I am doing.

But it is when we encounter the places that are near impossible to get through that we will find the greatest reward. And you know what? God will bring us to the places where we just cannot make it on our own, and we may easily give up rather than relying on Him to get us through. We will think to ourselves that what we are facing cannot be what God wants for us to face. It is too hard. It is too painful. But it is when we encounter the things that we never imagined and endure the jolting, painful road through to the end, that we will gain the experience that God wants for us to have and we will look back and see how God carried us all the way.

And then we can turn and look around us and see life from a completely new vantage point. One that few others will bother ever getting to. And we can help a few other persistent souls find their way with God’s help and it will all be worth it at the end. When we can share with them something that is almost unique in this world. A quiet harvest of right living.

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

Hebrews 12:10-13 (NLT)

While trying to be Quiet I ran into Myself.

I have recently become more aware that I am rarely quiet. I mean really quiet. I’m using the word quiet in its fullest sense here, not just the way we often do to describe a situation with little or no noise. I can be physically calm and unmoving without too much effort – in fact that is fairly natural for me in many ways! But when we start thinking in terms of being free of turmoil and agitation; tranquil and serene; fully at rest – that is another issue altogether! My mind rarely stops working, I love input and I tend to always be thinking in terms of how I can integrate and implement new ideas and information coming my way. To be fully quiet in all four quadrants of my life is very difficult, but I am determined to practice till I can sit quietly for a space of time and be fully at rest, tranquil and free from disturbance in mind, body, emotion & spirit.

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