Living on the Wild Side

Wednesday 3/16/2016 4:40 AM

I have been reading Psalm 25 each day this week. The beginning of the psalm refers to hope in two different verses, “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, … Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” In his book Resurrection to Pentecost, Robert F. Morneau divides hope into two different categories, what he calls tame hopes and wild hopes. He writes,

Many of our tame hopes are fulfilled on a daily basis; the hope that the sun will shine, or that the pay check will arrive as planned, or that we will get sufficient nourishment for the day. Though one is disappointed once in awhile, our anticipation of these ‘small’ things, though not insignificant, is frequently realized.

By contrast, some of these same issues for people in other cultures are ‘wild hopes.’ Many of our sisters and brothers do not receive a salary nor do they get three meals a day nor does the sun of freedom shine in their lives. Born into poverty or oppressed by social systems, these people find little joy and peace. If they are fortunate in avoiding violence they still must struggle with resentment and bitterness in their awareness of the consumption and materialism of the wealthy.

We must pray like Jesus that hope might be restored and that the earth might be recast. Only then gift of the Holy Spirit can empower us to trust in the future and to assume our rightful responsibility for the common good. Renewing the face of the earth is the work of the Holy Spirit through those people who say yes to being the Spirit’s agent of knowledge, love, and kindness. Our hope, wild or tame, is grounded in God’s promise of presence. Herein is our joy and peace.

Psalm 25 is a good reminder for me that my hopes, both tame and wild, must be grounded in God if they are to be realized. I also need to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and being taught things that will run counter to the wisdom of our modern, Western culture by that same Spirit. It is God’s job to recast our world into the kingdom of God but he uses his people, including me, through the leading of his Spirit, as his agents in the world to seek the common good of our neighbor, not just our own good. Too often I get caught up in my own little work-a-day world of pursuing the tame hopes of the next paycheck or putting food on the table for my family while ignoring the prodding of God’s Spirit to pursue the wild hopes of God’s kingdom: love, kindness, and peace for all mankind. I pray that I, along with all the people of God, will have the courage to live on the wild side.

Sage Advice from My Wife

Monday 3/14/2016 6:19 AM

Today is the first official day of my spring break. Last week I had a plan to go to Phoenix for a couple days to visit Mom, then head down to Tucson for a day to see Rod, Kathy, and Derek, and finally heading home via San Diego for a quick visit with Stan and Judy before heading home in time for the dress rehearsal for our cantata in choir Thursday night. It was going to be a whirlwind trip of visiting while spending the nights in my hotel room reading applications for the teaching positions being offered at Cerritos College, since I am on the hiring committee. When I got home from school Thursday night Jaci suggested I cancel the trip. She felt that I have been working too much lately and needed a break from the busyness and the stress. As usual, she was right.

My semester seems extra busy for various reasons and I have spent longer hours working at school. This is also a busy time for my responsibilities at church with extra meetings required to work through some personnel issues and budgeting for the coming year. I have been distracted from my relationship with Jaci in addition to my time for exercise and meditation. All of this distraction leads to strained personal relationships and feelings of failure and resentment.

Today I read a portion of Francis Dorff’s book The Journey from Misery to Ministry that describes my situation pretty well. “After a while, this Sabbath-less way of living might even become a point of honor with us. We begin bragging about being so busy that we ‘have not had a vacation in years.’ What we fail to realize is that this is already a public declaration of our spiritual poverty. Whether we mean it to be or not, it is also a way of making others feel guilty about honoring the time they need for marginality. In this way we begin to perpetuate the destructive equation of ministry with work.” Working long hours and attending lots of meetings can give me a feeling of accomplishment but the price I pay in lost time with loved ones, lost time for exercise, and lost time for personal reflection is not worth it.

In his book Francis Dorff also writes, “As our insensitivity to our own feelings grows, our lives often begin leaking all kinds of negative emotions. Without even realizing it, we go about feeling frustrated, unappreciated, resentful, exploited, lonely, put upon, needy, angry, and acting in ways that let these negative emotions overflow toward others. If we were in touch with our feelings, these emotions could be moments of truth for us, warning us that we are headed for trouble. They could be the raw material for soul-searching and meditative exploration of what is going on in our lives. When we are out of touch with our hearts, however, we fail even to notice our feelings, much less to receive and act on their important messages.” Thankfully, Jaci had the courage to point out the fact that I was heading for trouble. I pray that as I slow down somewhat this week I will be able to get back in touch with my feelings and act on the messages they give.

Whirlpools and Eddies

Sunday 3/6/2016 5:15 AM

Over the course of the past year or so our church seems to have lost some members. This is a relatively common phenomenon when a pastor leaves a church but there is something that bothers me about it. Some who left are young couples with small children so our children’s ministry seems to be shrinking. We have also gained a few members since we have a new pastor but most of those who recently joined are retired and, for the most part, older in age. It seems that our church goes through phases of growth and retreat. It appears to me that we are in a retreat phase at the moment.

The thing that bothers me about a fluctuating membership is what appears to be a lack of commitment to a body of believers. It seems people only commit to a body of believers if they like the person in charge or if they feel comfortable with the direction the body is headed. The first sign of anything with which they disagree and they are out the door. I’m certain there is more that influences their decision to leave but it seems that they are unwilling to try to work things out or to push for the changes they believe are necessary.

I wonder if God feels the same way about me. I go through hot and cold phases in my relationship with God. At times I am fully engaged, regularly asking for guidance and following where he leads. At other times my commitment is mediocre at best and I drift, swept along by the prevailing currents generated by society at large or malcontents within the Christian community.

The theme of my devotions this week asks the question, “Why do we drift away?” The author, Rueben Job, writes, “The bad news is that individuals, congregations, and denominations can drift astray. It happens so easily. It happens the moment we take our eyes off Jesus Christ. The moment we lose our center we begin to lose our way. We know it does not have to be that way because every day we can keep our eyes upon Jesus Christ and ask for guidance and grace to remain faithful. The good new Christians share is that Jesus Christ is able and willing to guide and enable us on our journey toward our try home with God.” I pray that I can remain focused on Christ and avoid the whirlpools and eddies that so easily suck me down and stall my progress in the development of my walk with God.